Aussies -

Notes and impressions from an Australian tasting - Saturday, Oct 28, 2000, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-three wines were poured for a tasting fee of $25.

The wines, in the order tasted:

2000 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill - Clare Valley. $24.99. Light lemon color. Citrusy - mostly lemon scented nose, along with hint of raisin. Light body and mouthfeel, with a slightly tart lemony flavor to the fruit. Doesn't seem very Riesling-like, and seems more like an enjoyable quaffer, at a non-quaffer price.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B- Overall score: B-

1998 Kings Creek Chardonnay - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. $18.99. Light yellow color. Nose of citrus fruits, apple, and oak. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, with flavors of oak, sweet apple, pear, and lemon. So-so nose, but I like the candied edge to the fruit on the palate.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Rosemount Traditional - McLaren Vale. $19.99. Very dark ruby garnet color. Nose of licorice, tar, blackberry, shoe polish. Tasty mouthfeel, if a bit on the acid-edged side, nice, but uncomplicated long finish. Blend of 75% CS, 15% Merlot, 10% PV.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon - Barossa. $19.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Mouth full of buttery, vanilla-laced, and slightly oaky fruit. Big fruity mouthfeel, with a toasty long finish. Well made, and though not very complex, it's a very likable wine in a more lush style. Want a Cab that drinks like a Merlot? This is your ticket.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Canabolis-Smith Alchemy - New South Wales. $29.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Herbaceous nose, with aromas of leaf, stem, pine and oak. Although a bit one-dimensional, the wine is quite chewy and has substantial mouthfeel, with lots of cassis fruit and obvious oak. Blend of 70% CS, 15% Shiraz, 15% Cab Franc. Here's a wine that seems to have all the right ingredients -- it just lacks some definition.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Yarra Yering Red Wine #1 - Yarra Valley. $42.99. Very dark ruby purple color. Nose of cassis, oak, toast, and grilled cheese, with a bit of eucalyptus/mint. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, toasty cassis fruit, long slightly off-sweet finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon - Margaret River. $45.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Herbaceous nose, with a bit of oak and stem. Very oak-driven mouthfeel, with big body, yet moderate fruit. The operative word here is "wood."
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Clarendon Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Hickinbotham - Clarendon. $39.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Beautiful dense nose of mocha, toast, butter, and cassis. Full mouthfeel, with black cherry/cassis fruit, long and toasty finish. Slightly more impressive in the nose than mouth.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Parker Coonawara Estate Terra Rossa 1st Growth - Coonawara. $64.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Complex nose of cassis, must, sawdust, chalk, oak, and toast. Semi-sweet fruit, medium mouthfeel, long off-sweet finish. Nice nose, but it sets up some disappointment for the surprisingly light-weight in mouthfeel.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2000 Torbreck Juvenilles - Barossa Valley. $36.99. Medium dark violet ruby color. Nose of sweet floral notes, with aromas of blackberry, toast and vanilla. Smooth, moderate mouthfeel, slightly soft fruit, long finish. The nose is lovely, but the mouthfeel seems a bit light and soft. Blend of Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre.
Aroma Score: A- Taste Score: B+ Overall Score: B+

1998 Rosemount GSM - McLaren Vale. $19.99. Dark violet ruby color. Nose of smoky blackberry fruit, slightly caramelized aroma. Chewy body, sweet and toasty taste, with long finish and nice aftertaste. Blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Henschke Keyneton Estate - Barossa. $39.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Toasty, slightly oaky nose of cassis and hard woods. Oaky, off-sweet mouthfeel, with medium body, and long finish. Blend of Shiraz, Cabernet, Malbec.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Hope Estate Shiraz - Hunter Valley. $9.99. Medium dark ruby color. Fruit bomb alert! Big and fruity nose of blackberry, tar, licorice, and vanilla. Off-sweet mouthfeel, lots of lightly complex boysenberry fruit and toast notes. Surprisingly nice wine; incredible price.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Craiglee Shiraz - Sunbury, Victoria. $28.99. Medium dark violet color. Nose of blackberry, dill, toast, green olive and cassis. Moderate mouthfeel, light toasty oak, somewhat long finish. Though not prototypical shiraz in the nose, it was very interesting, in a funky sort of way.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1997 Passing Clouds Shiraz - Bendigo, Victoria. $22.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Nose of blackberry, oak, toast, and mint. Off-sweet, slightly tart fruit, moderate mouthfeel, long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1997 Katnook Estate Shiraz Prodigy - Coonawara. $47.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Complex nose of blackberry fruit, with background aromas of dill, earth, tomato, soy sauce, and a bit of green olive. Substantial mouthfeel, earthy and meaty flavors, with a toasted grain quality to the blackberry fruit. Despite this list of ingredients from the pantry, the nose definitely grows on you -- like Katnip! Very nice stuff.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Oliverhill Winery Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $26.99. Extremely dark, nearly black-ruby color. Complex ripe, reduction-sauce-like nose of earth, soy, tamarind and spices. Very concentrated mouthfeel, big chewy and jammy fruit, along with earthy spices, and a long toasty finish. Wow, I don't know where these guys have been hiding, but here's a super McLaren Vale Shiraz that would cost a lot more if it said "Coonawara.".
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Larrikin Shiraz - Barossa Valley. $19.99. Dark ruby color. Nose of toast and blackberry, with a hint of shoe polish. Tasty, moderate mouthfeel, with a long complex toasty/spicy finish. Nice stuff; reasonable price.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Kaesler Wines Shiraz Old Vines - Barossa Valley. $19.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Nose of blackberry, dill, pine, mint, with a hint of vinyl. Initially very nice mouthfeel, but the wine develops a big hole at mid-palate, leading to a moderate, but tasty finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Branson Shiraz Highway - Barossa Valley. $26.99. Black purple color. Deep, floral nose, with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, graphite, and toast. Dense mouthfeel, toasty, huge and chewy body, fruit moves from blackberry to blueberry through long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Burge Family Shiraz Draycott - Barossa Valley. $33.99. Dark ruby color. Nose of toast, blackberry/grape jelly, and oak. Young and still tight in the mouth, has off-sweet fruit, big and chewy body, and long finish. Still quite young, this will probably show better in a few years.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B

1998 Glaetzer Shiraz The Bishop - Barossa Valley. $29.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Moderate nose of blueberry, blackberry, and floral notes. Lots of blackberry fruit, the spicy aspects seem more toned down than most Aussies, leaving a very CA Syrah-like quality to the taste and texture. A little more pizzazz in the nose would make this really nice.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2000 Mount Horrocks Riesling Cordon Cut - Clare Valley. $18.99. Light lemon color. Light citrus and raisin aromas. Nice balanced mouthfeel, lightly spicy, with a crisp sweet finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
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Overall impressions: for the quality/price, the Oliverhill is fabulous, and is very approachable right now. Ditto, the Branson, which is similar in structure, though less approachable and not as earthy. of the two GSMs, I preferred the Rosemount GSM just slightly over the Torbreck, primarily for its more substantial body. But stylistically, the Torbreck is more like a fine CdP. The Katnook was also a beautiful wine, with its saucy appeal and fine-grained tannins. And, I'm always a sucker for the ripeness of fruit that shows up in the Clarendon Hills Cab.

The Yarra Yering was very good, but somehow I expected a little more out of it, given the vintage. I also liked the Parker, but expected a whole lot more from it. Maybe it's taking a slumber.
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Here is my order of preference, listed in order and by tier, of the wines tasted:

1999 Oliverhill Winery Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $26.99.
1997 Katnook Estate Shiraz Prodigy - Coonawara. $47.99.
1998 Clarendon Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Hickinbotham - Clarendon. $39.99.
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1999 Branson Shiraz Highway - Barossa Valley. $26.99.
1998 Rosemount GSM - McLaren Vale. $19.99.
1998 Parker Coonawara Estate Terra Rossa 1st Growth - Coonawara. $64.99.
2000 Torbreck Juvenilles - Barossa Valley. $36.99.
1998 Yarra Yering Red Wine #1 - Yarra Valley. $42.99.
1998 Larrikin Shiraz - Barossa Valley. $19.99.
1998 Glaetzer Shiraz The Bishop - Barossa Valley. $29.99.
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1997 Passing Clouds Shiraz - Bendigo, Victoria. $22.99.
1998 Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon - Barossa. $19.99.
1999 Hope Estate Shiraz - Hunter Valley. $9.99.
1999 Burge Family Shiraz Draycott - Barossa Valley. $33.99.
1998 Craiglee Shiraz - Sunbury, Victoria. $28.99.
2000 Mount Horrocks Riesling Cordon Cut - Clare Valley. $18.99.
1997 Henschke Keyneton Estate - Barossa. $39.99.
1997 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon - Margaret River. $45.99.
1998 Rosemount Traditional - McLaren Vale. $19.99.
1997 Canabolis-Smith Alchemy - New South Wales. $29.99.
1997 Kaessler Wines Shiraz Old Vines - Barossa Valley. $19.99.
1998 Kings Creek Chardonnay - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. $18.99.
2000 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill - Clare Valley. $24.99.

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