Jauma Wood Vineyard 2010

Everyone is into food and wine pairing so I thought I would do movie and wine pairing instead.  The movie that pairs best with this little number is "The Tree of Life".  Terrence Mallick's film is shot naturally with no lighting and only a hand held camera as he is trying to show everything in a raw state.  The film is brilliantly cast and the leading lady is breathtaking in her outfits.  The film is visually impressive with little dialogue which tries to show the brutal nature of life.  Good idea but after 30 minutes into the film you get a large proposition filled with shots of volcanoes, oceans and the sun.  The cinema was packed and about 2 hours in people started yelling out comments like "I can't get back those minutes in my life or what sh** is this" and we even had one gentleman snore his head off.  Mallick spent 4 years editing this film which lends itself to perfectionistic tendencies, but in the end the message is lost due to his execution.  From the reviews I have looked at he either got no stars or 5 stars, with no stars taking up the greater proportion. 

Jauma Wood Vineyard 2010

The wine slowing creeps out of the bottle with cinnamon, red licorice and red lollies.  After a while a little dark chocolate comes into play.  These are beautiful flavours but they sit on an ultra bitter finish and a hint of Clag glue.  There are lovely light tannin elements coming into play which suggests that you could age this in the short to medium term.  Get rid of the flavours from the mid-palate to the finish and you have a brilliant wine!  Now I've had this wine four or five times and they have ranged from undrinkable to very good (72 - 89pts) and this one is in the middle. 

Alcohol: 15.5%
Price: $80
Rated: 85
Drink: 2011 - 2017

Box Stallion Tempranillo 2008

Tempranillo has burst onto the scene in Australia and I was quite shocked to see an example from Mornington Peninsula.  Generally the variety drinks well young but there are some brilliant age-worthy wines coming from Spain.  The drink now versions are characterised by flavours of dark berries, plum, vanilla, leather and herbs while the age-worthy wines add a dirty tobacco flavour.

Box Stallion Tempranillo 2008

Think of the advert for Coke when you are reading this as it adds value to the experience.   Sweet cola and red fruits intertwine with cooking chocolate and potting mix on a medium length palate.  It is just full bodied while the alcohol distracts from the overall experience.  It is what it is, a nice Tempranillo.  The only thing that concerns me is for the price I can buy some really good Spanish Temps.

Alcohol: 13.9%
Price: $39
Rated: 83
Drink: 2011 - 2015

Blue Tongue Vineyards Shiraz 2008

This reminds me of those critter wines

Blue Tongue Shiraz 2008

When I think of Barossa Shiraz at the height of the Parker faze this is what comes to mind.  Sweet chocolate blackberry pie followed by spicy blueberries lusciously flowing over my palate.  It makes me feel like pulling out a cheese platter or a home made chocolate self saucing pudding.  All of the plush flavours ride on a medium length palate.  For a drink now style at this price (I only found out the price after I had reviewed it) I would be happy to crack this out for a winter party.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $14
Rated: 82
Drink: Now

Dowie Doole Merlot 2009

Merlot and McLaren Vale are not the two things I normally would think are associated. Have a look at the Dowie Doole website as it is rather fun and informative. This is the introduction on their site that details how they got started.  I can see a lot of labels starting as a result of drinking red wine for breakfast.

"A bottle of good wine can help solve many problems. At least that was the thinking of friends Norm Doole and Drew Dowie as they watched the sun rise after enduring a cold, all-night session harvesting some of their fruit during the difficult 1995 vintage.

Seeing their grapes being trucked away to other wineries and frustrated at not being in control of their fruit from that point, the two opened a bottle of red wine over breakfast and decided then to form a partnership, the purpose of which was to take charge of all aspects of growing grapes, making, bottling and selling their own wine."

Dowie Doole Merlot 2009

It is not the most complex wine but what it does have is an easy appeal and a beautiful approach.  There are flavours of dark chocolate, plums and olives set against a light tannin structure.  If I got home from work and I wanted to just de-stress, this would be the wine for me.  Pleasure me a glass, please.

Alcohol: 14%
Price: $22
Rated: 84
Drink: Now - 2014

Chalice Bridge The Quest Merlot 2008

If South Australia has been having problems with climatic events in the 07, 08 and 09 vintages, Western Australia would be classified as having a dream run.   As Chalice Bridge are one of the primary vineyard holders in the Margret River, it is great to see them putting out such quality wine under their own label.  The Merlot is grown on a mix of gravel and loam soils which is common throughout the region. 


Chalice Bridge The Quest Merlot 2008

What a little surprise packet this was.  I have never thought Australian Merlot was of a high quality but with a savoury profile of olives, twiggy mulberries and spice plum I was rather intrigued.  All of the flavours burst from the bottle inviting me to take a sip so I go back again and again.  Everything works well as it is only medium bodied with very good length on a finely boned tannin structure.

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $26
Rated: 88
Drink: 2013 - 2020

Wendouree Muscat of Alexandria 2006

Every year there is a flurry of activity around Wendouree's mailing list.  What colour marking did you get?  Let's try and get something down that's concrete. If you have an initial on your order it will be filled first.  Red crayon means your order is filled next then Green and finally no Crayon mark last.  Generally the people that have an initial are the ones that have been on the mailing list the longest.  Tony supports the people that have been supporting him the longest.  Very wise I think.

Wendouree Muscat of Alexandria 2006

This wine drinks like a married couple.  Lets call them Steve and Sharon.  Steve is a builder and very good at his job.  He spends hours prepping the building site and finding the right materials for the job.  Once the slab is poured his team comes in to start construction but Steve must always oversee the construction.  Once the house is ready he lets his wife Sharon come in.  Sharon drinks too much so when she is painting she gets a little haphazard (there was a vodka soaked marmalade flavour that was a little too much).  A very good wine that could have been great if it wasn't for Sharon.

Alcohol: 15.2%
Price: $20
Rated: 88
Drink: now - 2020

Patrick of Coonawarra Merlot 2009

Now I have never tasted a wine from Patrick of Coonawarra so I was looking forward to getting acquainted. Patrick Tocaciu is the head winemaker, he has worked for Tollana, Penfolds, Hollick and Di Giordio before taking the finial plunge into making wines under his own label. 


 Patrick of Coonawarra Merlot 2009

This was a tail of two wines mixed together.  One was well constructed in a red fruits end of the spectrum, think along the lines of mulberry and plum, but it was mixed with a slightly vegetal wine.  Its good enough but I just wanted a bit extra palate weight, longer length and to get ride of the tinned veggies for a higher score to be warranted. 

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $26
Rated: 84
Drink: 2011 - 2015