Notes taken from the Wine Depot Toast Festival last weekend.
Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir 2004 - Dry and a little bitter in the finish. Soft and easy. Nice.
Domaine du Pesquier Vacqueyras 2005 - A bit dirty on the nose. Full, tannic, young, closed. Hard to assess.
Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 - Very fruity berry nose but dry wine. Full bodied. New World nose, Old World flavor. Ok but nothing special.
Banfi Poggio all'Oro Brunello di Montalcino 1995 - Very dark, young, spicy, espresso, tannic. Unevolved. Needs serious cellaring.
Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - Smooth, sweet, well-balanced. Very good.
Grant Burge Meshach Shiraz 2002 - Very smooth, soft, forward and easy. Lacks structure.
Barossa Valley Estate E & E Black Pepper Shiraz 2003 - Black, high alcohol. Unbalanced. Smooth and easy.
d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2005 - Slightly overoaked. Full, young, coffee liqueur, long. Needs time to come together but should turn out very well.
Trimbach Cuvee Frederick Emile Riesling 2001 - Surprising creamy, lactic nose. Very dry, lemony, citrus rind. oranges. Not a style I like.
St. Hallet Old Block Shiraz 2004 - Full but an oddly short finish. Chocolatey. Not bad.
Ceretto Bricco Rocche Barolo Brunate 2003 - A bit hot, seemed prematurely aged. Cocoa, minty. Forward, full bodied. I've had this before and this bottle seemed a bit off.
Ceretto Monsordo 2003 - Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Dark. Good fruit on the nose. Very sweet up front. Long, tannic. Good, modern, New Worldy style of wine.
There was also a seminar featuring a vertical of Banfi Brunellos
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 1995 - Woody, very tannic. Fruit buried under the wood.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 1997 - Very good fragrance. Dried fruit. Dry and tannic. Still needs lots of time.
For some reason I failed to take nots on the '99 and '01 but if I remember correctly, both were rather closed.