Year in year out I eagerly anticipate this release – I recall at a 10 year vertical where the regular wines out performed the reserves and are half the price. The 09′s were tidy but the 2010′s have ramped up the intensity & complexity.

Spicy morello cherries perfumes up – fruit driven medium bodied a touch of plum – raspberries……
Hard to beat this as a VFM pinot full stop.
88

A quickie – I was only half paying attention to this one. Initially quite savoury and minerally on the nose, dully fruited but marginally interesting. On the palate, some red fruits and chunks of minerals, drying but satisfying. Left in the fridge overnight in the original bottle and it looked much improved; more fruit on the nose, though balanced by the minerality, and the palate was more generous and rounded. Who would have thought it? Sealed under Diam. Cost in the mid $50s. Drink now. 88 points.

A taster. From Red Hill in the Mornington Peninsula. Seems odd to find a 2006 wine available now, but perhaps a right-minded person is keeping wines back until they are ready to drink. Quite big and glossy, some pine needles and dry earth, not overly fruity, but it does show lightly stewed strawberries and red cherries, and at times brown sugar and rhubarb. The palate is nicely weighted, red fruits and a dried talks, though there seems to be a bit too much alcohol, and a trace of acetone does seem to contribute to the impression of thinness. Sealed under screwcap. 85 points. 14.3% abv. $25 RRP

My sister was down from the Sunshine Coast this weekend for the Bridge to Brisbane 10k run, so her husband brought this to have with last night’s meal.

A lifted nose, blackberries and warm spices, cloves, dusty oak and black pepper. On the palate, glossy black fruits, slippery plums, star anise, with spice and some sweetness on the finish. Medium weight with lovely silky tannins. Drink over the medium term, now to 2015. RRP $30. Sealed under screwcap. 14.5% abv. 91 points.

One of the three single vineyard wines offered by this Mornington Peninsula producer. A lovely nose. Cherries, spice, minerals, lightly stewed rhubarb and just a whiff of the camp fire. A similarly impressive palate, fruit driven with a touch of minerals and earth, tangy and perhaps a little sweet. Youthful but displaying lovely texture and great length. This was my second bottle of this wine in the past few months; the first had a bit of a soapy finish, but this one was fine. Sealed under screwcap. 13.5% abv. RRP $70. Drink 2010-2015. 92 points based upon this bottle.

The diam was half soaked through, and was quite loose in the neck of the bottle. Quite a pleasant nose on the wine, starting with rhubarb, beetroot, earth and bark, and then developing some cherry fruits and perfume, with cream and nuts. Quite nice; the palate however was very disappointing: very dry, with hints of red fruits and spice, but the length was short and the finish bitter. Bleech. 78 points. 13.0% abv. Sealed under Diam. Drink only if you have to.

Initially quite a delicate nose: red cherries and cranberries, some stalk and smoke and a touch of sap. With time it broadened and the cherry fruits seemed a bit liqueured. On the palate simple cherry fruits with some sappyness and a slightly soapy finish. Nice texture but very much a lighter style. Got a bit better with time but remained unconvincing. Now I have seen some glowing reviews of this wine, and I really did want to like more, but when the cold hard light of morning streamed through an unwashed Riedel glass, it was pretty boring. That said, given the marque, I will put this down to a poor bottle. Sealed under screwcap. $55 on purchase. 14.0% abv. Drink 2010-2014. 83? points.

Opened with very tempting aromas: juicy dark cherries, a touch of dried meat, vanilla, spice and hints of caramel. Very young indeed. The palate showed some rawness (not surprising for a one year old wine), with cherries, raspberries, minerals, musk and a dry finish. A touch of acid crept in at the end of the palate; though time in the glass knocked the edge off that, and some savoury notes appeared. My abiding memory is of a very good wine, quite tight, that needs a couple of years or a very good decant. A bargain when retailing in the mid $20s.

Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $25
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2011-2014
Source : Wine Emporium
Website : Kooyong

I’m on a good run at the moment: lots of wines of excellent quality. This is another one. Barely any bead on it. The nose displayed an abundance of fruits: pear, stewed spiced apples, ginger, honeyed lemons, apricots and a touch of fig, all rounded and ripe. Now the palate, even though it showed a flurry of sweet fruits with a touch of fizz, it is not flabby: the lychees, ginger, oranges and lemons, are kept in line by some soft acidity. Balanced, and finishes with the lingering flavours of lychee and a touch of fruit tingle. Tremendous stuff.

Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 7%
Price : $22
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2010
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : Crittenden Wines

Made by Geraldine McFaul, who has since left Stonier I believe. Cherry red. A cherry nose, with a touch of orange citrus, spices and lightly stewed strawberries, that later evolved into plums, musk and woodier spices. The palate is delicious and delicate, cherries, strawberries and clean earth, good length and with flavours that linger in the mouth. Mmmmm. Sour fruits and a touch of minerals on the finish. Positively irresistible after a couple of hours.

Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Jun07
Alcohol : 13.0%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Stonier