The Auswine Forum

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This post has been reported to admin, and hopefully will be removed.

G'day I've had a number of these wines with a few more years on them, and possibly none this young. Crimson colour. Decanted immediately prior to service. Mataro is known for having earthy characters, and the nose on this wine is only starting to show signs of this. There's plenty of blueberries, so...

G'day My last bottle of this wine. Whicher Ridge, while not quite falling within the Margaret River region, make Cabernet Sauvignon that certainly matches that region in terms of concentration and style. Crimson colour. A dusty nose initially, with blackcurrant, blackberry, a little cassis, vanillan...

G'day Higher Plane is a label in the Juniper Estate range in Margaret River. These days, the label hosts a number of blends and alternative varieties, but, prior to 2019, the label featured Karridale (as compared to Willyabrup) fruit. This Higher Plane Chardonnay is now the Juniper Estate Cornerston...

GraemeG wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 9:44 am
Do I assume a Yalumba was corked?

HI Graeme. We had three wines that didn't make it into the notes (but were already in the photos), and the Yalumba Signature was one of them. Fortunately, the first bottle was looking good indeed.

Cheers
Allan

phillisc wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 10:31 am Thanks for the great notes as always Allan, you are most fortunate to have both a great venue and a great group for regular tastings in WA.
Cheers Craig

Thanks indeed, Craig. I concur and have passed your comments onto the group.

Cheers
Allan

MAke sure you copy the https: as well as the highlighted part of the url.

G’day This month’s theme was the Great Australian Red Blend -Cabernet Shiraz - or the reverse – Shiraz Cabernet. We gathered at the wonderful Lulu’s Little Bistro. Given the theme of the tasting, it’s not surprising that almost everyone ordered steaks! We tasted 13 wines in total (plus a couple of c...

G’day I was very privileged to attend Howard Park’s 40th Anniversary Signature Dinner at Ritz-Carlton’s Hearth restaurant. This event was the first of the 40-year celebratory events, and was a fairly intimate gathering of 60 or so wine aficionados. The evening contained just the right amount of form...

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Bass Phillip yet. Any comments from those with more experience of this winery than me?

G’day A late decision to attend this launch turned out to be a good one. Lamonts offered 12 wines from the Vasse Felix and Idee Fixe ranges, including three vintages of the iconic Heytesbury Chardonnay. This coincides with the recent release of the 2024 vintage, with some pundits lauding this as the...

For Australian pinot, Tasmania is the go.

A great set of notes (as always) Graeme. Many thanks

G'day I last looked at this wine 3 years ago as part of a vertical tasting: https://forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?p=169125#p169125. The tasting note at the time reads: Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2014: Cherry Ripe, mocha, menthol, stewed dark fruits, plums and Damsons on the nose. The palate offers ...

G'day Purchased at the winery in 2017. Yellow / gold in colour. Initially, the nose displays lots of polished oak - vanilla and cedar. This settles down to show plenty of peach and nectarine, with a little lemon and citrus very much in the background. The palate is similarly full and rich, with the ...

G'day I first discovered this producer during a visit to Montepulciano in 2019. Since then, I have enjoyed bottles of all vintages from 2013-2019. This is my first bottle of the 2020 - like the others, all purchased direct from the winery. Decanted 5 hours before service. Crimson colour. A moderatel...

G'day Ashbrook Estate's Reserve Chardonnays are fermented in 100% new French oak, and then receive 8 months oak maturation. There's no malolactic fermentation or batonnage. The last (and only) time I have tried this wine was a year ago. This was the tasting note at the time (in a group tasting): Ash...

G'day I have a few dozen stickies in the cellar, and rarely open one. Most of them are based on Semillon, as this one is, or SSB (Sauternes). Deep gold colour. An intense nose of glace pineapple, apricot, vanilla, honey and sticky figs. The palate is also pronounced, with more apricot, honey, pineap...

G'day After attending the Frankland Estate tasting at Lamonts on Sunday https://forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?t=17703, it seemed like a good idea to take a look at an older ISolation Ridge Shiraz. Decanted 90 minutes before service. Purple black in colour. A spicy and vibrant nose with raspberry,...

G’day This tasting was hosted by Hunter Smith (son of founders Barrie Smith and Judy Cullam, and one of the current proprietors of this Frankland River winery). Not surprisingly, Hunter is well versed on the 35+ year history of Frankland Estate and has the anecdotes to prove it. While Frankland Esta...

G'day Gilberts is a small producer at the very northern end of the Great Southern w8ne region. Their rieslings and the reserve shiraz are consistently good. Crimson/purple in the glass. Quite a full nose with black plums, blackberry, cloves and similar spices, cedary oak and the slightest touch of l...

G'day Vasse Felix was the first winery established in Margaret River (in 1967), and its current flagship, the Tom Cullity, honours the winery's founder. The previous flagship was the excellent Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon, but, back in the day, there was just the Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a ...

G'day I first tasted Filsell Shiraz at the winery in 1995, and have purchased the odd vintage on and off over that time. Purple black in the glass. A touch of leather initially on the nose, which quickly blew off to show dark plums, blackberry, chocolate, cloves, lifted spices, vanilla, and freshly ...

G'day Purchased from the winery / retail outlet / museum in Montepulciano in 2019. 15.5% alcohol. Deep burnished amber in colour. A fairly intense nose with burnt orange or mandarin peel, caramel, honey, and raisins. The palate is rich and unctuous and not overly sweet ( I can understand why the tra...

G'day Unlike many wines from Chianti Classico, this contains about 1/3 Cabernet Sauvignon along with Sangiovese. From a vineyard of the same name as you drive down the hill from the village. Decanted two hours before service. Crimson colour. An initially savoury nose, with a little leather, followed...

G'day Craig. I'm in a quandary here. Technically, I have enough wine to see me out for the rest of my natural, but I have gone long on W.A. 2023s. Having said that, I am finally attempting to adopt the 'buy less, buy better' mantra (like a smoker trying to give up, I've attempted this before) and it...

G'day I am unsure of the provenence of this wine, as it only recently came into my possession, and the tasting note that follows may not be representative. Purple black in colour, with no signs of bricking. A dusty nose, with developed blackcurrant and mulberry fruit, graphite, coffee grounds, maybe...