The Auswine Forum

G'day Gilberts is a small producer about 20km north of Mount Barker in the Great Southern region. Their rieslings and shiraz have been consistently good for years, and age well. Purple in the glass, with some bricking at the rim. Powerful and complex nose with developed dark plums and blueberries, c...

G'day I first came across Fermoy Estate over 30 years ago, and it was one of my early Margaret River favourites. Since those days, they have introduced Reserve wines into the range. Medium yellow in colour. Nose is fruit forward with lemon and grapefruit, ripe peach and nectarine. Slight savoury oak...

G'day The Grand Cru tasting group has been meeting monthly for over a decade now. Every year or two, one of the themes has been Pinot Noir. This time, there were no limitations – any vintage, any place of origin, any style. And we ended up with ……. 9 red table wines – no bubbles or rose`s. But that’...

G'day Frankland Estate is possibly one of the most isolated wineries in Australia. Their shiraz generally reflects a more elegant rather than full bodied style. The 14.5% alcohol is barely noticeable. Deep purple in colour. Perfumed nose of dark juicy plums and a little blueberry. There's some timbe...

G'day I've been holding a couple of bottles of this for a few years, for no apparent reason. Yellow in colour with gold tinges. Sweet cedary oak and developed peach notes on the nose. Grilled cashew, ripe nectarine and a touch of grapefruit. The palate is complex, slightly buttery, with a little tan...

G’day We met at the fabulous Little Lulu’s Bistro (328 Bulwer Street Perth). This cozy restaurant has only been open a few months, but may well be the best BYO in Perth. Excellent French inspired cuisine and a perfect match for the wines we were tasting. Xanadu Wines is now part of the Rathbone Wine...

G'day Olivers Taranga makes some small batch wines in addition to their core range. The Sagrantino is one of them. 14.5% alcohol. This has faded over time to a light purple colour with brick red rim. The nose is showing blueberries, violets, cloves, chocolate or mocha, and a touch of graphite. The p...

G'day This is the 21st vintage of this wine, and I was fortunate to attend the 21st birthday party at the winery. I've been a fan of John Griffith's shiraz for a few year now, and these are annual "must buys". Deep purple black in the glass. Powerful nose of licorice, dark chocolate, black...

G'day Travis. Where are you located? The annual as well as diurnal fluctuations may influence your decision, even if most of the cellar is underground. Also, what racking system do you have in mind? Avoid the Modularack timber ones in favour of the Bordex (or similar) if you want single bottle stora...

Hi Pippo Langhe nebbiolo is a superb place to start, as there are plenty of very good ones, and some superb value as well. As distribution won't be as wide as in Italy or the rest of Europe, it might be useful to shout out what you've got access to and we can suggest good options. They're often rea...

As I am marching on, I occasionally open something on release. But 99% of my reds are aged. People I share them with are both stunned and appreciative...how do you have something so old, and how come it tastes magnificent Cheers Craig Hear hear, Craig. I very rarely open any red on release (apart f...

My last bottle of this. Decanted three hours before service. Purple black in colour. Powerful nose of licorice, cloves, 'wild berry' style red fruits, cinnamon, a little leather and menthol - all climbing out of the glass. There's a heap of raspberry on the palate, jubey, juicy and fleshy, along wit...

I've only tried a couple myself, but there's some Frank Potts cabernet blend in the cellar, including one double magnum.

My last bottle of this Yarra Valley Chardonnay. Adrian Rodda makes one or two other chardonnays from different locations as well as this one. Conversely, other producers use Willowlake Vineyard chardonnay in their wines (notably Oakridge). Light lemon yellow in colour - amazing for a 9 year old wine...

G'day First of all, R.I.P. Joy Bowen. I only met Joy once, at a Coonawarra Roadshow, however, I recall the smile and the enthusiasm which I (just another punter) was met with. Decanted 90 minutes before service. Purple black in colour, and quite dense. Not surprisingly, the nose is showing lots of d...

To bring wine into it, and make it a legit post, I'm just about to open a 2004 Bowen Cabernet (my wife's favourite Coonawarra Cabernet since the early '80's) and raise a glass to Doug and family on his loss. Totally agree that he has shown the rest of the industry how to price and market quality re...

G'day Last time I tried one of these was part of a vertical tasting in 2021. Here's the notes from then: Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay 2016: Light yellow. The nose is superbly balanced, with stone fruits, citrus and oak all present but none dominating. The palate is complex, with peach, citrus, m...

G'day My partner and I are looking to spend a couple of weeks in Tasmania late September, and I would like some recommendations on where to visit, where to eat and drink and where to stay. It's not only a wine tour, there will be some non-wine tourism as well! I've reviewed previous posts on the For...

G’day The brief for this month’s tasting was Bordeaux blends -wines containing only grapes permitted in Bordeaux wines. Although this could have included white wines, the group all headed for the reds. As usual, the wines were tasted blind, with only the vintage known, and from youngest to oldest. T...

In Perth, I can heartily recommend Lulu's Little Bistro, just outside the CBD. Excellent mostly-French food, cosy 25 seater restaurant, and a chef who is a wine enthusiast.

Newly opened, and open Thursday to Saturday at this stage. And BYO, of course.

G'day This wine has become a six-pack buy for me every year for a while now. Decanted shortly before service. Purple black in colour and quite dense. The expected blackcurrant on the nose, along with some dried herbs, black olive, coffee grounds and vanillan oak. The palate has more juicy blackcurra...

Oakridge Estate "Willowlake" Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - I have a fondness for the vineyard, and a number of producers source it.
Dead Arm Shiraz
Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet

G'day It was a pleasant surprise to find I have a few of these in the cellar. Time to crack one. Deep purple black in colour, and opaque. At 16 years ofage, the characters are likely to appear developed, but I am surprised at how much apparent fruit there is on the nose. It's all dark - black plums ...

In Margaret River, I am sure you'll get heaps of winery recommendations, and mainly for lunch. For dinner, and if you're staying in the town, then Miki's Open Kitchen is highly recommended and BYO: https://www.mikisopenkitchen.com.au/ . But you will need to book well in advance. In Fremantly, Nunzio...

G'day The Howard Park Chardonnay has been a dozen buy for me every year for the last few, and I am looking forward to the imminent release of the 2023. The fruit source has shifted over the years from the Great Southern to include Margaret River fruit, and this wine is 100% southern Margaret River. ...

G'day The wine was decanted about 40 minutes before service. Deep purple in colour, and quite dense. Initially closed, but only a little swirling revealed blackcurrant/blackberry, kirsch, cedary oak, and dried herbs. There's signs of secondary development (not surprising in a 10 year old wine) and s...

G'day I don't usually do this, but, after decanting and initial tasting, I checked out the website to find out more about the wine. It's 100% Syrah, and fermented in stainless steel vats at high temperatures. 3 weeks maceration in vats followed by 18 months in oak. Decanted 90 minutes before service...

An update from the 2020 note: Decanted 6 hours before service. SImilar appearance to 2020. Very dusty nose, with the savoury oak and tobacco quite prominent, and dark fruits have diminished somewhat. Herbal and a little medicinal (possibly the remnants of the kirsch noted in 2020). The palate is mor...