Wine Review 2010

Lot # Wine Year M D Comment
4172 Riverwood Pinot/Shiraz 2006 9 9 Holding up well. No sign of decline. Enjoy for several years.
4173 Riverwood Shiraz 2006 8 8 This has grown fat and opulent. Nice black fruit, some
cherries, but mainly blackberry and mulberry.
4174 White “Trio”, Briar Ridge 2007 10 10 Hard to see this improving so drink soon.
4175 Red “Trio”, Briar Ridge 2006 8 8 A normal three variety blend, but it has married well and tastes
very well integrated.
4176 Old Vines Shiraz, Briar Ridge 2006 8 8 Lovely wine. Shows how well this grape produces in the
Hunter Valley.
4177 Cold-Soaked Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 8 8 Gorgeous. Notes of elderberry and eucalyptus. Full of red fruit
flavour. Should be fine for several years.
4178 GMH “Meritage,” Limestone Coast/ 2005 8 8 Mature and lovely. Beautifully balanced. A blend made with
Langhorne Creek great sensitivity.
4179 GMH Shiraz, Langhorne Creek/ 2006 8 8 Another wine that shows that Geoff Hardy is a fine winemaker.
McLaren Vale Leather. Stone fruit. Juicy, opulently ripe berries.
4180 “K1” Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 7 7 Still has a way to go before it reaches its prime. Very good drinking.
4181 “K1” Shiraz 2006 7 7 Just about ready to try the first bottle. Great concentration.
4182 Viognier, Hastwell & Lightfoot 2007 9 10 New World Viognier doesn’t seem to get any better than this.
4183 Chardonnay, Hastwell & Lightfoot 2007 8 9 A perfectly lovely, rich, fat and balanced palate. Long and
persistent ripe fruit flavours.
4184 Tempranillo, Hastwell & Lightfoot 2005 8 8 A very significant wine. The best of Australia’s Tempranillo.
4185 Cabernet, Hastwell & Lightfoot 2004 8 8 Deeply coloured. Sturdy. Powerful aroma of red fruit, raspberry,
rose petals and rosemary. Now opening up to deliver its promise.
4186 Semillon/Chardonnay, “On the Billabong” 2007 10 10 Still enjoyable, but it will not improve.
4187 Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 10 9 Still has a few unfinished edges, but they will not go away and
“On the Billabong” the wine will not get any better than now, so enjoy this year.
4188 Chenin Blanc, Kloof en Berg 2007 10 10 Close to falling off the log. Drink it or lose it.
4189 Ruby Cabernet, Kloof en Berg 2007 10 10 Sappy. Quite a jolly wine. Raucously expressed red fruit, as
noisy as a night in Whitehorse.
4190 Sauvignon Blanc, “Mount Vernon” 2007 10 10 Sensational wine and brilliant value for money, but this vintage
needs drinking soon.
4191 Chardonnay, [un-oaked], Hawke’s Bay 2007 9 9 Super. This is how Kiwi Chardonnay ought to be. Good acidity.
Plenty of warm fruit – a mix of pineapple and melon with a
dash of apple juice.
4192 Sauvignon Blanc, Hawke’s Bay 2007 10 10 Perhaps past its best, but it is still a deliciously balanced mix
of white fruit notes.
4193 Merlot, Gisborne 2004 9 9 A red wine to show how much improved the red wines of
New Zealand have become. Finely honed structure. Good
integration of the fruit notes with the harder tannins.
4194 Sauvignon Blanc, Tua Tua Bay 2007 8 9 Fabulous and not a day too late. Very fine balanced flavours
4195 Gewürztraminer, Tua Tua Bay 2007 8 8 Let it run rather longer yet. The big tropical fruits are pointing
towards how far they can go
4196 Chamonix Blanc, Vallée des Vignerons 2007 9 10 Open and enjoy now.
4197 Chamonix Pinotage, 2005 8 8 Lovely. Hearty, rustic stuff. No sophistication, but plenty of
Vallée des Vignerons flavour.
4198 “Sebastiaan”, High Constantia Vineyards 2004 7 8 Fine. Very interesting and rather a different flavoured red.
Coming together very well.
4199 Chardonnay, Clovelly Vineyard 2006 7 8 This is lovely. Almost enough to make one want to travel to
the Cape for another glass. Finely poised fruit in perfect
counterpoint to the acidity.
Wine Review 2010
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