Brokenwood Red Dirt Regional Blend 2003

Something I bought on a whim from Grays Online at about $6 a bottle.
Best whim I have had in a long time of having whims... I took a punt on the blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Pinot Noir being OK and it really comes up well.

Smooth on the finish with a good amount of oak vs. fruit. (Quite a nice chocolatey/Vanilla feel, which as you may know... I love!!)
You can taste the Pinot, but it's really a good full blend of all three varieties that make this a unique drop. Tart but not acidic.

I'm really impressed with this and glad I bought the full dozen when I had the chance. Am happy to hear from anyone else that has tried it to get their impressions...

Drinkability 90
Value 95
Price $6 per bottle plus postage (Grays Online)

Vasarelli Vineyards Family Reserve Shiraz 2005 (McLarenvale)

First off.. this is not the proper label, but we left the bottle at the restaurant. (Sultan's Kitchen Clayfield - Brilliant Indian!!!)

This wine is marketed as ready to drink, but it still needed an hour or so in the decanter to really show it's love. A beautiful blend of French and American oak has given this wine a great chocolaty nose. Well I see it as chocolate, it's smoky without being dry.

In the mouth it's velvety and full flavoured. Not dry at all, but a nice rich fruity taste, which combined with the oak makes for a very pleasant drop.

I am a fan of the Vasarelli line of Shiraz and am hoping that Cellarmasters still have a case of the 2006 there. I'm still not sure as to how the wines rank, but this 'Family Reserve' seems to be quite good, especially if it is at the lower end of their quality ladder.

The Vasarelli super premiums are great, but for me, these low end drops are worth looking at more often. Not sure what these would be worth now, but at <$20 they are brilliant value.

Drinkability 91

Value 91

Price <$20 Cellarmasters wine club

Gotham McLarenvale Shiraz 2007

Holy Sh*t Batman. This wine straight out of Gotham has just blown away anything in it's way!!

Now I'm a cynical person by nature, so if Get Wines Direct tell me something is the BEST WINE EVER, then I pretty much think that they could be trying to sell you a dud. But in this case... they were right.

In the under $10 price range there is nothing that comes close and to be honest, this wine is better than wines up to at least $25....

This Shiraz has the Gotham cigar box chocolate that I love so dearly, but it also has the ripest rasberry and smoothest finish. It is all class.

As soon as I had finished the first glass I ordered another dozen. My wife concurs and although she is one that ' likes what they like' she too was blown away by this wine. In fact I may even order another dozen by the time I finish this bottle.

$9.95 is as good as it gets and I hope that if you are reading this you get the opportunity to pick up some. Of course, this is a personal taste thing... I happen to adore the McLarenvale shiraz and this 2007 is simply wonderful.

Ok that's enough. Try it for your self...

Price $9.95 (Get Wines Direct)

Drinkability 91/92

Value 98

Penfold Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2005

Well I have been a bit slack in the last week or so with writing up some of the amzing wines I have been lucky to try... I have bought multiple bottles, so I will get to them in time...

However, tonight it would have been amiss of me to omit a review of the new Penfolds Bin 389 2005. It's been a while since I have had any Penfolds wines and I have been saving this one for a special occasion (just happens to be our 4th wedding anniversary and we took a bottle to our favourite Italian Restaurant... Giadarnetto)

Ok. Well... in anticipation I started the wine breathing about 5.30 (about and hour and a half before we ate) this seemed like the perfect timing, as the wine was perfect from the first glass and lasted easily into the next couple of hours. A pleasant smooth nose and equally smooth palate, this wine was complex and delightful. (ok, delightful isn't a word I would use too often, but it seems appropriate here...) An equal balance of fruit (berry and other dark fruits) and oak (american, I'm guessing from the strong vanilla presence) with fine smooth tannins... this wine was possible the easiest and most pleasant to drink for me in many a moon.

I had read other people's encouraging reviews, so was most eager to try this and believe me... I will definitely keep an eye on any specials.

Drinkability 95 (yes, my highest rating ever)

Value 90 (for what you get, the price is ok)

Price $39.90 (on special Dan Murphys)

Fox Creek Red Baron Shiraz (Mclarenvale) 2006

Bit of a nice surprise... I bought this at Dan Murphy's last week as part of an exploratory half dozen. Stuff that I had heard of but never tried (under $15).

Turns out that this is actually pretty damn good. Quite sweet on the palate, fruity and a very vanilla oak feel. But smooth and there is a depth that is very alluring.

I must admit that for the price I am very pleased. This is a well constructed shiraz from my favourite region (McLarenvale) - Lolly on the nose, but red berries on the palate with a nice dose of oak to balance it out.

This is going straight to m favourites under $15 and I'm definitely going to buy more very soon.

Drinkabaility 92

Value 95

Price $14 (Dan Murphys)

Winery - Ballandean Estate - Granite Belt QLD

It's been a long time since I have visited a winery - too long in fact. So it was my great fortune to have attended the wedding of our close friends Ngara and Adam held at the Ballandean Estate winery, just outside of Stanthorpe.

The wedding itself was exceptional with a fantastic selection of wines available (courtesy of the hosts who are very close to the happy couple). The food was simply astounding and the atmosphere second to none. I wish all weddings were held in Wineries...

The next day we were treated to an exclusive breakfast and quite educational winery tour by Ballandean Estate's very own Angelo Puglisi. You'd go a long way to meet a more accomodating host and his family run winery seems quite successful, something a lot of small businesses should take note of.

As for the wines, I'll definitely cover some of the individual wines over the coming weeks... My interest in QLD wines has certainly grown after today. I was quite impressed overall.

So if you are out in the Stanthorpe region, make sure you pop in to the Ballandean Estate winery. You definitely wont leave empty handed.

Ballandean Estate http://www.ballandeanestate.com

Street Address:

354 Sundown Road, Ballandean, Qld. 4382 AUSTRALIA

Telephone:

(07) 4684 1226

Rothbury Estate Brokenback Shiraz (Hunter Valley) 1998

Another great wine on our lazy Sunday afternoon... This followed the 707 and was outstanding.

Very different to the Cab Sav and a lot more to my personal liking as I'm a big fan of Shiraz. This had a little more zing to it than the 82 707 and was probably near it's prime. Another good reason for leaving bottles alone. There was a certain oomph that I don't think a young wine can muster.

I have not tried any other Rothbury Estate wines, but will definitely keep an eye out.

Again, time has passed since drinking this so i wont attempt to describe the actual flavours, just that it really was impressive and again, we were extremely fortunate to have shared this bottle.

Drinkability 94

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon (Barossa Coonawarra) 1982

Time for something special and although this post is a little late, it still deserves mention.

A very pleasant surprise for Jean and I when we visited Stephen and Chris for lunch recently... easily the oldest vintage of anything I have tried. Bottle age really did make a difference and although our hosts seemed to think that it may have been better drinking maybe 10 years earlier, I was pretty impressed anyway.

Extremely smooth as you would expect from any top shelf Penfolds, but it was the fruit that gave it the distinct flavour. Memory fails me, but I do recall that it was reminiscent of my favourite "single vineyard' Barossa... but a few levels up in class.

You can see the amount of sediment on the sides of the bottle, it was full of it!!

I wont go on now, but I was extremely fortunate to share that bottle (and others) on a great afternoon. Hopefully I'll get to see a few of the bottles I've been collecting reach such maturity in time and be able to share them too.


Drinkability : 94
The afternoon : 100 :)