A summary of Oz’s Wine Reviews from October, November and December of 2015.
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
| Wine | Photo | |
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| 1 | 2009 Grosset Gaia Colour: Bright, deep garnet Nose: Balanced combination of herbal, eucalypt, cold tea and mint aromas Palate: Medium to full bodied, red fruit and wild berry flavours Tannin: Silky Finish: Long Alcohol: 13.5% Our only red wine of the night. Would have, of course, like to have had the opportunity to have tasted a couple of vintages. This wine is still quite young, but starting to show how good it will be at its peak. Very enjoyable, just pipped at the post by the 2010 Springvale for my wine of the night. |
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| Wine | Photo | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012 Grosset Adelaide Hills Piccadilly Chardonnay Colour: Youthful, pale straw Nose: Pleasant combination of nutty and lemon aromas Palate: Elegant palate, citrus and lemon flavours Finish: Medium Alcohol: 13.5% I am not a great fan of Chardonnay, but I did enjoy this one. Paired well with the smoked NZ salmon. Only 400 dozen produced. |  |
| Wine | Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012 Grosset Clare Valley Polish Hill Riesling Colour: Youthful medium straw Nose: Pleasant with lychee and mineral aromas, plus a slight hint of kerosene Palate: Complex palate, slightly tart with citrus and lime flavours Finish: Medium – long Alcohol: 12.5% Still very young in Polish Hill terms. Expect this to evolve into a very good example of Clare Valley Polish Hill Riesling with another 10 years or more. Glad I have a few bottles in storage so that I can find out. |
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| 3 | 2014 Grosset Clare Valley Polish Hill Riesling Colour: Bright, pale straw Nose: Pleasant citrus and mineral aromas Palate: Balanced combination with citrus, lime and mineral flavours Finish: Medium Alcohol: 12.5% As with the 2012 this is still a young wine, subtle citrus nose, nice balance. As with all of Grosset Polish Hills, one to watch. |
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| 5 | 2015 Grosset Clare Valley Polish Hill Riesling Colour: Bright, green straw Nose: Passionfruit and lychee flavours Palate: Citrus and lemon flavours, slightly sour Finish: Short - medium Alcohol: 12.5% Great wine to drink now, but will develop into, hopefully, a great wine if you have the patience to wait. Which is why having my wine stored in another country is good idea for me, prevents me from enjoying a wine too early! |
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| Wine | Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 Grosset Clare Valley Springvale Riesling Colour: Youthful light straw Nose: A pleasant combination of kerosene and mineral aromas Palate: An elegant palate with lemon, lime and mineral flavours Finish: Medium – long Alcohol: 12.5% This was my pick for wine of the night. Great balance of the kerosene and mineral flavours that I look for in an aged Riesling, balanced palate with a medium to long finish. What “surprised” me was the youthful look of the wine, for a Riesling with this sort of nose and age would have expected the colour to have evolved from straw and to a golden hue. Great wine and an excellent example of Australian Riesling and specifically Clare Valley Springvale. |
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| 3 | 2014 Grosset Clare Valley Springvale Riesling Colour: Youthful, pale straw Nose: Closed, citrus and mineral aromas Palate: A little tart Citrus, Grapefruit and mineral flavours Finish: Medium Alcohol: 12.5% This wine was overly chilled when it was served, which is why the nose was closed and it was a little tart. As it warmed up the nose opened up, but it was still reserved, looking forward to tasting this wine again as it evolves with age. Enjoyable |
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| 5 | 2015 Grosset Clare Valley Springvale Riesling Colour: Youthful light straw Nose: Closed, citrus aroma Palate: Citrus and mineral flavours Finish: Medium Alcohol: 12.7% I enjoyed this wine more than it’s slightly older sibling, it was not tart, balanced combination of citrus and mineral flavours. I expect that this will evolve into a wine a good as, maybe even better, than the 2010. Can’t wait!! |
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| Wine | Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlaux Brut NV Colour: Bright, pale straw with small fine bubbles Nose: Pleasant nutty lemon aromas Palate: Lemon / citrus flavours Finish: Medium to long Alcohol: 12% This was the first time I have tried this wine, extremely enjoyable. Would recommend giving this a go! Courtesy of Wine Exchange Asia: “Champagne Arlaux is a small family run estate in the tiny Premier Cru hamlet of Vrigny, on the Montagne de Reims. The estate grows just 10 hectares of vines and only grapes from the estate’s own Premier Cru vineyards are used, with a quiet commitment to putting quality first. Arlaux recently topped the list of all NV champagnes as assessed by Wine Advocate, beating all the big names (Bollinger came in second)” |
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| 3 | 2012 Grosset Adelaide Hills / Clare Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Colour: Bright, pale straw Nose: Passionfruit and citrus aromas, very pleasant Palate: Sour, citrus flavours Finish: Short Alcohol: 12.5% I am not an SSB fan, and did not enjoy this wine a bit too sour for my taste. Was definitely better when paired with food, went fairly well with the sardines. |
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Oz’s Wine Reviews
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I agree with you on Klein Constantia – one of the best dessert wines overall. And also I have to say that I tasted a few recent vintages of Chateau Montelena, and it never met my expectations, unfortunately.
Must admit my expectations for the Montelena were not high, just happy to try it thanks to the generosity of my friends, so was happy that it was decent
Beat out Bollinger? Need to find me some Arlaux….
Also, at the price it is hard to beat.