One of the great Yarra Valley vineyards. 11 June 2016 Once a year Hillcrest ope the winery for members. Every vintage made since the Bryant’s purchased the vineyard in 1999. Attention to detail in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the winery. Phillip Jones of Bass Phillip handed the reigns over completely in 2008. The…
Craiglee Vineyards Pinot Noir tasting
When your neighbour makes Pinot and you have no idea. 5 June 2016 Shell was sick of wine tasting. We started the day planning to give this a miss. After quite an argument in the car on the way to Castlemaine we turned around for home. She must have felt guilty. Soon after she demanded…
2009 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Is it possible to have had enough Pinot Noir? 4 June 2016 Pinot Noir the evening before. A road trip today to Portsea with a picnic lunch at Point Nepean. The trail home lead us through the Mornington Peninsula. Having been through this wine area before in search for Pinot I have been unimpressed. Eldridge…
2011 Curly Flat Pinot Noir
Melbourne winter has finally arrived. 3 June 2016 Its cold and wet. Winter has finally arrived. If it is not Burgundy it will inevitably be Curly Flat. The weeks seem long, the weekends short. Another great wine to finish the week. Tasting notes are already up for this wine. It never fails to impress. 2011…
2010 Francois Feuillet Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Sobre Premier Cru
Friday evening wind down. 27 May 2016 Term is coming to an end. Shell is exhausted. The only thing keeping her going is Friday night Burgundies. 2010 Francois Feuillet Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Sobre Premier Cru Dark cherries and pretty floral notes on the nose. Some cedar nots and fresh herbs. The palate is well structured. Balance…
Melbourne Burgundy Social Club III
The wines of Cote de Nuits 20 May 2016. At this gathering of the Melbourne Burgundy Social Club we compared Premier Crus from the 2009 vintage in the communes Gevrey-Chambertin, Chmbolle-Musigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges. No formal notes were taken. Venue – Shark Fin Inn (as always). All wines were tasted blind in ‘options’ format. 2013 Domaine…
Cabernet Dinner – Coonawarra V the rest of Australia
Comparing Coonawarra – Bergerac, Melbourne 6 May 2016 After some rather negative reviews on the Coonawarra some staunch supporters of the area decided a comparison tasting was in order. Amazingly no one entered a Margaret River. Never mind. The theme for the next wine night will be Margaret River V the rest of Australia. As…
2011 Curly Flat Pinot Noir
A big night of Pinot (Part 4) 4 May 2016 The challenge was set. The Moric did not measure up, the 2010 Curly Flat was too fruit forward and oaked. Complexity? The 2011, from a difficult vintage it has aged quickly, what it lacks in fruit it makes up for in structure and complexity. 2011…
2010 Curly Flat Pinot Noir
A big night of Pinot (Part 3) 4 May 2016 The 2010 vintage was highly regarded in Macedon. With the Moric falling short in Shell’s opinion it seemed only reasonable to pitch the 2010 against the Moric and the Burgundy. 2010 Curly Flat Pinot Noir Sour cherries, vanilla, dark chocolate and cured meats on the…