Aggressive, swirling bead. Fresh, crisp green apples, lemon sherbet and tropical fruit pervade the nose. The palate is lightly flavoured and driven by crisp acidity. Pleasant and decent value for money in context at $36AUD.
87/100
Seppelts Salinger 1994
Only the faintest of bead that was gone with 5 minutes in the glass. The nose is honeyed with lemon and roast almond. A nice creaminess to the palate, with just enough acid left to carry the honeyed flavour through into the finish. Still providing enjoyment despite its simplicity.
88/100
Krug Grande Cuvee - New Label (disg. M421)
Very smoky oak characters on the nose as well as nuts and some brioche. The palate has a fairly soft intensity of flavour with good acidity and a medium length finish. Badly lacking dimension and depth which could be forgiven with the previous two wines, but not this one. I came back to it a couple of times in the hours since it was opened and it didn't seem to get much better.
My first disappointment with Krug MV, tastes like the feeling of being betrayed by your best friend. That said, it was still reasonably good and it was still Krug (and still very, very generous of Gavin to open it for us) - but I don't think that anyone before in the history of wine has ever answered the question "did you want the Salinger or the Krug?" with "the Salinger" !
89/100
Jean Vesselle "Oeil de Perdrix" rose NV
Orange hued salmon colour. Nose is funky, earthy and peppery. An austere and fairly boring/short/simple palate with some bitterness on the back palate. I couldn't find a whole lot to enjoy about this, as much as I tried.
83/100
Taittinger "Comte de Champagne" Blanc de Blancs 1996
Pale yellow in colour with a light green tinge to it. A very fine bead. The nose is intense but refined with bright, fresh citrus and floral notes as well as layers of honey, vanilla bean and brioche. The palate is brilliant in every way - supremely classy, elegant and layered. Faultless balance with the acid so tightly woven into the superb structure of the wine that it drives the scintillating focus across the palate without standing apart from the other components. Incredible depth of rich, pure, textured flavour and length that left an impression on my palate for minutes afterward and on my mind for a considerable time longer.
97/100
Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2006
Lime and lovely floral aromatics emanate from the nose. Steely and structured, but also quite approachable now without the taut austerity and acid that I've come to associate with young Drumborg Riesling over the last few vintages. Both the length and focus of the palate are faultless. A superb wine that I think will really turn some heads in 5-6 years time.
92/100
Bass Phillip Premium 1997
A deep but dull red in colour. Rhubarb, sour cherry, wet soil and dark floral scents on the nose. The palate has good length with tightly packed flavour and weight. Yet it is weight without finesse and there is no complexity or texture to the mouth-feel. I wonder if it will develop some complexity with more time. It is still good, but probably not one for the purists.
90/100
Bindi Original Vineyard Pinot 2002
An intense nose - rhubarb, sweet red cherry, stalk, confected raspberry and some chocolate notes. Very forward compared to the Bass Phillip, especially on the nose. A bit more texture to the mouth-feel, although the overall structure and length isn't as good as the Bass Phillip. Two very different styles, and I quite enjoyed both of them for what they were (not what they may be trying to be).
90/100
Louis Latour Pernand-Vergelesses "Ile-des-Vergelesses" 1997
Faulty. Brown tinged colour. A stewed, chlorine driven nose. Palate is flat and short.
NR/100
Henschke Mount Edelstone 1995
Dark chocolate, tobacco, blackcurrant and a dab of American oak. The palate has intense but focused and plush, sweet fruited flavour with some youthful tannins present along its length. Not on its way downhill quickly yet, but I think probably at its peak and most enjoyable at the moment as the fruit depth and structure doesn't seem to be there for longer term aging.
90/100
Domaine Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2001
Savoury nose of smoked ham, cherry and gravel. The palate is soft, well rounded and very easy to drink Lacks complexity and backbone, and I don't think it is going to improve a great deal but it is still quite enjoyable now.
88/100
J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 1993
Orange peel, floral aromas, peaches and apricot on the nose with just a whiff of petrol. There is harmony on the palate between the acid and soft sweetness with the almost spritzy acidity leading into a clean, good length finish. The real feature of the palate is the purity rather than any complexity. Not astounding, but I'd be very happy to drink this kind of wine more frequently than I do now.
88/100
Basedow Late Harvest Muscat a Petits Grains 1992 (Barossa)
Well past it, I'm sure it was intended to be drunk in 1993.
NR/100
Domaine de Sauveroy "Cuvee Nectar" 2001 (Coteaux du Layon)
This seemed pretty nice, a touch of botrytis and some nice lingering sweetness on the palate, but to be honest I was well past the stage where I could honestly attempt to be able to look at the wine from any analytical perspective.
NR/100