This has been sitting in the cellar for a few years. And since I have high humidity it was covered with all sorts of growths. God knows what they are. A bit of stink, which ebbed with time. Earthy cherries on the nose, with some old leathery undertones. The palate is savoury, dark cherries, strong tannins and acid, with a drying finish. Not any spice or anything much else going on, but satisfying for the fruits and the structure. Good with some wood smoked knackwurst and a green salad. Sealed under cork. 13.5% abv. Was $49 from Festival Cellars. Drink now. 90 points.

Ployez Jacquemart Selection Rose: Lovely – just right, and its pinkness was Christmas-appropriate.  And it won over a non champagne crowd with its delicate strawberry and lemon notes.
Ployez Jacquemart Brut 2000: Served too warm – tasty nonetheless for being Christmas day.  Another bottle will get consumed very shortly.
Auburn Lowburn Riesling 2010: Improving out if sight with a year’s age (personal interest disclaimer on this label).
Joseph Sparkling Red 2010 disg: My favourite disgorgement of this wine so far. Sweeter and fruit-fresher than earlier versions, although the alcohol seems to stick out a little more these days. Like it a lot.
Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Auslese 1993: A cellar release from 2010.  Best bottle so far out of a sixpack. Shows its pradikat through weight rather than sweetness, with juicy acidity balance perfectly by racy green pineapple and lemon fruit which is nly now showing signs of its 18 years of age.

Had a glass of this last night with some brie, and it was then into the fridge. Today it is out on the stage again, and I cannot believe I’m saying this, but this one is a real glass stainer. An inky purple red in colour. A youthful nose; yeasty red fruits, vanilla, red cherries and black cherries, interlaced with warm summery spices and a bit of earth and minerals. Good length. Quite acid dominant really. Dusty dry tannins and dried mushrooms on the finish. Very similar flavour profile to the GSZ I tasted recently. Sealed under screwcap. $32 from the cellar door. 14.7% abv. 91 points.

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

Yes yes fish again-local line caught snapper- fresh squeezed lime juice from our tree & the obligatory chard.
I will say it again- New World chardonnay has gone ahead leaps & bounds the last few years.
Complex barrel ferment integrated harmoniously with lemon/stonefruit and oak. Linear acid structure – perhaps a touch young & raw – but this is brilliant – leave another 6-12 months and it will be as up beat and complex as New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle.
89.5- 93

Nice aromatics: lemon and pear, apple, some stonefruit characters without any overripeness, maybe a touch of passionfruit too. Palate is lean and clean, hard pears and apples, some spice, texturally pleasing, with some crisp acidicity and good length. A bit tough by itself (or perhaps I had it over-chilled), but looked much better with food. Winery sample. 12.5% abv. $22 RRP. Drink now. Screwcap. 88 points.

The current release. Made by Scott Heidrich in the McLaren Vale. Spices on the nose; white pepper, a bit of Szechuan and dark fruits. Sweet blackberries, blueberries, liquorice, mulberries and some tanginess on the palate. Supple tannins. Quite elemental, even at 5 years of age. Softened and showed some more savoury characters sitting in the cellar overnight. Winery sample. $25. 14.0% abv. Screwcap. Drink 2015. 88+ points.

I have liked recent reds from Mount Langi, and this one continues the trend. A bit reduced to start with, but was fine on the second night. An interesting nose. Black cherries, spice, vanilla pod, stalk, charcoal and gunsmoke. Quite oaky really. The palate showed cherries, menthol, coffee and a lovely richness. A nice body and great tannins. Some green sappy characters expanding on the finish. Not bad though. Needs a couple of years. Drink 2013+. Winery sample. Screwcap. 14.5% abv. 91 or 92 points; I cannot decide. Great value for money. A good option if you don’t want to buy their top end wines.