A short note on this one. A pleasant nose, cherried fruits and spice, but the palate, despite having dark cherry fruits with plums and some lovely spices, is too hot, with the alcohol slicing through the palate and wrecking the balance. Think Darth Vader, a light sabre and Luke Skywalker. A tough wine to drink. $20ish. 15.0% abv, but tastes like more. Drink now. 82-84 points.

This will not be a long review. I suppose that’s an indication of the magnitude of the associated “score”. Which is fair enough, because great wines will make you effuse. Either that or leave you speechless. Anyways, after a quick flick of the wrist we were there. Spice and cinnamon and red fruits. The palate showed sweet fruits, plums and cherries, but not too sweet. Nice body with quite sweet length. Undistinguished. Not bad, pretty much what you’d expect from some of the larger producers. A decent BBQ wine. RPP $14 but can surely be found cheaper. Winery sample. Drink now. 82 points.

Second bottle, and worthy of a note because it was sooooo different. Firstly I can see why people think it is often corked; it has that Mourvedre reduced animal hide character and stinkiness which does seem to resemble a corked wine. Anyway, the wine. On the nose, a bit floral, but dominated by the broader earthy and leathery characters, and some iron filings too. Balanced on the palate, though a bit acidic and somewhat hollow, lacking the weight. Not tannic per-se, but not terribly giving, if you know what I mean. Dry extract around the edge of the palate. Not sure if the mid-palate will ever appear. Not a bad Beaucastel, but unlikely to be a great one. Needs more time; you never know. 90 points. $Lots.

A GZSS blend. Incidentally, I had 4.1L Ford GZSS in the 80s. Two dual throat Webers and it used to go like a rocket. Anyway, the wine: 51% Grenache, 24% Zinfandel, 14% Shiraz and 11% Souzao from their Draycott and Olive Hill vineyards. Prominent Szechuan pepper and ripe fruits on the nose. The palate is a bit syrupy, red currant jelly, plums, peppery spices, and thumpingly strong. But it is balanced; no raisins or overripe characters. Just everything turned up to 11. 15.5% abv. Sealed under screwcap. My heart says ‘yes’, my mouth says ‘yes’, but my liver has abstained.

Fresh off the truck, or at least, fresh from the Post Office. Two bottles tried, with very similar results. Oh, I don’t know about the breakdown of Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz; it’s not on the back label, but might be on the Rockford website. Firstly, I love the nose: gorgeous florals and spices, nothing sweet or confected, finely detailed. There is also freshness and zest on the palate, cherry and spiced strawberry fruits, light but structured. I like this one. The alcohol shows a bit, but I think I am being picky. 14.5% abv. $24 from the cellar door. Drink 2012-2017+. 90 points.

A hot vintage from Priorat. Erk, I am worried. A blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Carignan, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A ripe nose, black cherries, raisins, liquorice, minerals and leathery notes. On the palate, a bit uncouth really, raisiny, with dry spices, a lick of leather, and quite short too. Initially seemed to be drying out a bit, but fleshed out nicely with some time in the glass, losing some of the dried fruit characters, and improving texturely. Pretty good, but perhaps it would have been better when bought it a few years ago. Drink now. 88 points. 14.0% abv.

I’ve been reading Campbell Mattinson’s “Why The French Hate Us”, a potted collection of thoughts and musing on the subject of wine, and one thing I have taken from the book is that I should really take more interest in where my wine comes from and who is making it. To this end, I will in the future eschew stores such as Dans and the producers who generate wine in large volumes (from farms of stainless steel). Which is a long-winded introduction to this wine. A dry ground Grenache and a museum release from a small producer in the Barossa Valley.

Subtitled as a “Dry Grown Grenache”. Stood upright and decanted for an hour, as per the winemaker’s recommendations. A nose showing soft spices, nougat, caramel, cream and earth. The palate is soft too, in the raspberry and wood spices spectrum, good length, but a bit alcoholic on the finish. Full flavoured but not heavy, nor slippery. Says 15%, but I’ve had worse. Certainly not running out of oomph. Leave longer I reckon if you’re so inclined, though I am a little bit concerned by the alcohol. Was about $27 for the bottle in the museum dozen that contained three other wines also from the 2005 vintage. Drink now-2015+. 88-90 points.

A Barossa producer I don’t know much about. This wine is a GSZ. Sounds like a car; a Toyota GSZ? A blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Zinfandel, and though I am not sure of the exact relative proportions, I believe it only has 6% Zinfandel. Nice aromatics, ripe fruits like cherries and plums, with summery spices, mixed spice and cinnamon; nothing too exotic – maybe a touch of Szechuan. A fruity palate too, again with fresh spices, some sweetness and good length, and raspberry acidity. Very tidy, and a very gluggable. About $32 from the cellar door. 89 points. 14.6% abv. Drink now-2015.

I had 2008 version of this wine recently, and I think this is a better wine. Still quite sweetly fruited, but nothing green or bitter like that other wine. This one is lush and plump and juicy. Oozing it in fact. A blend of 55% Shiraz, 35% grenache and 10% Mourvédre. Palate is as big fruited as the nose suggests, dark plum, black cherry and five spice, and a Szechuan lift. Nicely balanced, not especially complicated at the moment, but it is hard to stop drinking it. Sealed under screwcap. Under $20 at Dans at the moment I think, and I’m happy to have a six pack in the cellar. 14.5% abv. Drink 2013-2019. 88 points.

Next cab off the rank is a Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir….

I have had a tough time wrestling some enjoyment out of a Cabernet based wine (review below), so was expecting a lot from this wine. A blend of 69% Grenache, 16% Mataro and 15% Syrah. Raspberry confection on the nose, with spices and a sulfury reductive character. The palate is fruity and zestful, some yeast and jubilant fruit, raspberries and cherries, and ginger notes, with sour cherries on the finish. Difficult to assess because of its youth, and lightness of the palate is surprising given it is primarily from the Barossa Valley (with 15% Eden Valley Shiraz). $40 is the RRP. 13.6% abv. Drink 2014+. 89+ points.