- 2010 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Terrunyo Block Las Terrazas - Chile, Maipo Valley, Pirque (2021-09-06)
My last bottle. Just coming into its own at 11 years. Still very deeply coloured, the intense nose offers blackberries, earthy notes, chocolate, plum, a slight herbal smell, iron and tobacco. There's a velvety texture to the medium to full bodied and concentrated palate, with similar flavours to the nose, but also some lingering tannins at the back of the palate. Definitely new world, but impressive in that style. (A-) - 2010 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (2021-09-04)
Had this last night. It was a beautiful, elegant, classy wine firing on all cylinders almost from the beginning. Translucent ruby in colour, it has a glorious nose of sandalwood, cherries, mushrooms, cinnamon and earthy notes. The medium bodied yet intensely flavoured wine showed similar notes on the palate and had a lovely, velvety texture with just the right amount of light tannins at the end to give it structure; it was beautifully balanced as well, and I liked the balance between the fruit and savory notes. It seemed to be in its secondary phase, I think this will improve over the short to medium term, but it was sure was spot on last night. (A) - 2015 Château de la Roulerie Coteaux du Layon - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon (2021-09-02)
Had this a few days ago, and remember this as good but not great. There was a nice, waxy, 'cheniny' texture, and the off dry, medium bodied palate showed good balance; it was less sweet than I was expecting, which isn't a bad thing. Straw and stonefruit were in the nose and palate. (B+) - 2014 Cape of Good Hope Wine Co Sémillon Laing - South Africa, Coastal Region (2021-08-25)
Light to medium yellow/straw in colour. Pears, straw and lime on the fairly light, but interesting nose. Similar flavours on the medium bodied palate, along with some oak spice and mango. Interesting, tasty wine that should last and improve at least several years. On the second day, a waxy texture appeared and the flavours were more integrated. Very nice wine. (A-) - 2017 Bellingham Chenin Blanc The Bernard Series Old Vine - South Africa, Western Cape (2021-08-23)
Hazy notes from a few days ago. I enjoyed this rich, oaked style of SA chenin blanc. A mix of mainly stonefruit and tropical fruit on the medium bodied, fairly concentrated palate, along with wood notes from the oak treatment. A nice version of this style, and it had enough acidity to brighten up the rich fruit and oak flavours. (B+/A-) - 2012 St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (2021-08-13)
This is integrating and aging very well. Light golden in colour, with a great nose of stone fruits, tropical fruits and minerals. Medium bodied palate full of the same mix of fruits - grilled pineapple, mango in particular - with good minerality and acidity. This will last many years, but is very good now too. (A-) - 2015 David Finlayson Chenin Blanc Camino Africana - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (2021-08-08)
This was definitely going for the rich, ripe, oaked style of SA chenin blanc. Flamboyantly coloured bright gold, the nose was full of rich tropical fruits and oak. Fat, rich and ripe on the palate, and the last 1-2 seconds on the medium-full bodied palate provide a blast of oak. It’s high quality oak, but it provides quite a statement. This wine was a little too over the top for me, as it’s an extreme, amped up version of chenin; well done in this style, though, and certainly quite tasty. (B+) - 2010 Mitchell Riesling Watervale - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Watervale (2021-08-08)
This was as fresh as a daisy. Drinking very well now, this was, as per usual, a very dry Clare riesling with primarily citrus flavours, but there was a nice richness to the medium bodied, intense palate as well. Really enjoyed this, if you still have some it should last quite a while. (A-) - 2017 Tawse Riesling Quarry Road Vineyard - Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Vinemount Ridge VQA (2021-08-01)
Very light in colour. Mainly lime and a bit of lemon, minerality, nexctarine and pine on the nice, refreshing nose. Similar flavours on the medium bodied, crisp palate, though there is a little creaminess there too; but the minerality shines brightly. On the dry side of off dry, there is length on the finish, and this should last for many years yet. Good QPR. (A-) - 2019 Nichol Vineyard Pinot Gris "Two Barrels" - Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley (2021-07-31)
Had this last week, and this was the second bottle I had in the last month. A lovely orange wine that wasn’t too extreme at all. Extended skin contact gives this a nice tannic grip along with orange and yellow flower flavours; medium bodied and still a refreshing wine. Only available at the winery, one of the best Okanagan orange wines I’ve tried. (B+/A-) - 2016 Jakoby-Mathy Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (2021-07-31)
Had this last week, so I can’t remember much about this one. I enjoyed it, it was a light, fairly dry styled kabinett with citrus and stone fruit flavours that should last a while. (B+) - 2018 Orofino Vineyards Riesling Wild Ferment Old Vines - Canada, British Columbia, Similkameen Valley (2021-07-30)
Outstanding riesling. Didn't take notes, but I was impressed with the concentration and balance of this wine. Was it dry or off dry - hard to tell! Mainly citrus notes but with stonefruits as well, and the minerality often found in this region. Dangerously easy to drink, and this should last quite a while. Impressive stuff from a great, under the radar producer and excellent QPR. (A-/A) - 2009 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (2021-07-10)
The first night, the nose was all 'merde', and I suspect some of the cows had grazed underneath a cherry orchard. The palate did not show this note very much, and offered a panoply of red fruits, mainly cherries, raspberries and a bit of pomegranate. It was on the light-medium bodied spectrum, and offered a very pretty, elegant, dare I say a Burgundian style of cab franc. The second night this turned into a completely different wine: no hint of bretty notes at all, and it morphed into a medium bodied, deeper, darker coloured and flavoured wine that reflected a Bordeaux style. There was a mix of deeper redfruits and even some blackfruits as well. I'm not sure which version I preferred, but this can last many more years, and I'd decant for about 2 hours if you don't want to wait. Beautiful wine. (A-/A) - 2017 Blank Canvas Winery Syrah Element - New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels (2021-07-08)
An interesting cool climate style Syrah, cofermented with Gruner skins. Lots of pepper and bacon on the refreshing, light to medium bodied Syrah. Quite idiosyncratic, but I found it hard to drink more than a couple of glasses, as the wine only sang one strong note. (B)