RAS Royal Sydney Wine Show

[pc79]

Wowee. What a day! 2,500 wines, 3hrs 45 minutes to do your best to get through them. Notes are quite broad, taste, spit, write. not really defined. I had a targeted list to get through. Then a couple of others popped up on the day.
I culled my list significantly before even arriving as it's just too daunting trying to find wines on the day.

Standouts for mine and to be honest, everything I tried (bar maybe 2 - 5) were varying degrees of very good to excellent. Pinots were for the most part lacking in quality, but the standard of wines being produced in Australia are improving year in year out.

White - 2015 Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay
2013 Tyrrell's Vat 47 Chardonnay
2016 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon

Reds -
2015 Gala Estate Pinot
2014 Mt Pleasant Rosehill
2014 Serafino Grenache
2014 Xanadu Stevens Road Cabernet
2015 Bests Bin 0
Plus the Koolimya and O'Shea top drawer.

2017 RAS Wine Show

Riesling
2016 Colmar Riesling - passionfruot and limes, sweet white flowers, drying with a slight metallic aftertaste 90
2016 Howard Park Riesling - Lighter and leaner, more serious. Slatey lemons, dry and minerals. Like this. 92
2016 Seppelt Drumborg - lemon sherbet, wet rocks, steely slatey and excellent. Beaut balance 94

Semillon
2017 Tyrrell's vat 1 semillon - banana and hay, lemon and flint, deep, long and serious. 94
2017 Thomas braemore semillon - luscious, complex, lemons and pears, hint of banana with grassy phenols. 93
2017 tulloch julia semillon - lime and honeyed grass and white flowers, 94
2017 Coolangatta wollestonecraft - Lemons and ash, sweet yellow nectarine flesh, long complex good 93
2017 Comyns and Co Semillon - light bright lemon, quintessential sem. Long and powerful 93
2016 Tyrrell's vat 1 - opens with a little sulphur smell, palate carries a little through, lemon and light sweetness, cut grass and but beat balance. Long and glorious 95
2011 mt pleasant lovedale - waxy, lanolin, lemon with some dried biscuit, complex and very good 94
2009 mt pleasant lovedale - similar nose to 11. More dense and darker better than 11 94.5.
2007 brokenwood ilr Semillon - spirity/ vodka, green apple and lemon pie, good, but not enamoured 92
2013 Tyrrell's vat 1 - lemon and lanolin, cut grass, complex and coming in to itself grandly, 94
2013 Tyrrell's Belford - lemon and lime pie, such an underrated wine. Clean, precise, superb. Stonking value 94
2009 Tyrrell's vat 1 - lanolin, lemon and residual sweetness. Some crushed stonefruit in there too. Bloody good 94

Chardonnay
2016 Penfolds Bin A Chardonnay - roasted almonds, peach, full and rich after coming from the sem table. Yellow snakes, creamy bright fresh. 92
2015 Penfolds bin a - more distinct, cleaner than 16 creamy almonds and yellow peach, great balance and supremely better than 16 94
2016 Xanadu reserve chardonnay - lime and white nectarine, spicy oak, cashew, clean and long 93
2016 Seville estate Chardonnay - White jubes, nose of rose water, quite sweet, lemon tart, drying on the back end 90
2016 Soumah Chardonnay - marzipan, cream finger buns, lemon and a zing of acid. really good gear 93
2016 Seppelt Jaluka - creamed peaches, lemon acid a bit pokey 91
2016 bay of fires - white candy cream, apple blossom, sweet lines, delightful 94
2015 Tyrrell's vat 47 - lemon zest, clean bright stonefruits, light fine, superb 94
2015 McWilliams 842 tumbarumba Chardonnay - marzipan, lemon and sweet bread, crushed cashew,sweet balance, more finesse than 47 94 tumba, underrated
2015 devils lair Chardonnay - nectarine and spiced almond, drying back end 92
2015 Seville estate reserve Chardonnay - white nectarine, lime pie, biscotti, serious intense 94
2015 Xanadu reserve chardy - white peach, breads, intense, impeccable balance, magic drinking 95
2013 Tyrrell's vat 47 - Beaut ripe stonefruits, great balance, cashew oak, great wine 95
2014 Tyrrell's vat 47 - similar creamy profile to the 13. Not as intensely flavoured though and incomparison, inferior 92

Pinot Noir
2016 paringa estate Pinot - strawberry, candy floss, mulched earth, spicy. Sweet. Meh 90
2016 coldstream drs block Pinot - red cherry, earthen, nice grip on the finish, spicy and serious 93
2016 Seville estate Pinot - forest floor, cherry and spice all things nice. Drying long. A little flat on the finish 91
2016 soumah pinot - black cherry, oxidised? But not, spicy and crunchy, caramel lick, cherry and dark fruited. Forest 92
2016 home hill Pinot - tassie fruit. Darker and denser, vanillan cherry, black cherry spiced. Mulcahy, Brooding. Yum 93
2016 bay of fires Pinot - not very giving, shy, lighter and brighter. Red cherry, black jubes, spiced, lean, sweeter expression but sucks back in with the nice bright finish 92
2016 seppelt Drumborg Pinot - a little manufactured? Cookie cutter. Noting out of place. Tasty, but a bit boring. Cherry and strawberry, cinnamon spice, good gear, but meh 91
2016 heemskerk pinot - lighter leaner, good gear. Cherry spice, rhubarb, light sour edge. 92
2016 pooles rock Pinot - light and lean, savoury. Dark cherry, strawberry, spices, rolls through the palate with assurety and confidence . Good wine 94
2016 Eddystone Pinot - sweeter. Crowd pleaser. 91
2015 gala estate Pinot - smokey, smells of stems and crushed red fruits, palate all good gear, great balance. Toes the fine line between sweet and savoury . 95 bloody excellent.
2015 Coldstream deer farm - vanillan, cherry and spice. Sweet fruited. Nice savoury and spicy line with black cherry and strawberry spice. 91
2015 paringa estate the paringa Pinot - cherry and spice, dark earth, herbal, 93
2015 Seville estate old vine reserve Pinot - dark cherry and spices, good deep, dark. 92
2014 bream creek Pinot - black cherry, slight oxidisation but in a good way. Taste the undergrowth and interest 91
2015 Tertini Pinot - cherry vanilla, great balance white pepper and spice, more wet earth. Finish spicy and savoury, but a smidge flabby 92
2015 light foot and sons cliff block Pinot - ooh yeah, Gippsland stems and stalks, wrapped in black cherry and strawberry spice. Black widow 93

Other Reds
2016 serafino belissomo Tempranillo - flush with red fruits, spicy, some anise and savoury edged. a bit commercial, finishes nice and sweet, but with a herbal edge 91
2015 Nepenthe Tempranillo - herbal, cut stems, black fruits, good, dry spicy finish. Excellent 93
2015 moppity hilltops Tempranillo - Violets, black jubes, black fruits, black pepper. Lighter, elegant. Suck of banana through 91
2016 SC Pannell barbera - crushed red flowers, alcohol a bit pokey, black and red fruits, delicious delicate finish, all herbs and spice, 94
2016 tulloch barbera - red raspberry licorice, Dried herbs, red rose, excellent finish sweet savoury full 93
2016 hentley farm old legend Grenache - black and purple fruits, cola, cherry, dry dark serious. 93
2016 reynella baskrt pressed Grenache - spicy red fruit, crunchy and bright. Serious tannin sucking in the back 92
2016 angove war boys Grenache - red fruited fire. Sweet, bright, stemmy, grippy tannin, good 91
2016 Chapel hill bush vine Grenache - sweet red and black fruits. Bush vine indeed, stems, stalks, good 91
2015 serafino grenache - mmm lovely! Sweet red fruit, musk sticks, cut stems. Silken tannin, Great 94
2015 colonial estate Alexander Laing Grenache - sweet fruit, cola, red berries, bush vines sweet, deep dark, light bright finish 92

Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 wirra wirra angelus Cabernet - blackberry, sweet dark fruit, tobacco, drying but not in this wheelhouse. Round, a little flabby 90
2014 Xanadu Reserve Cabernet - Cassis, mint and blackcurrant, Violeta and dark choc velveteen finish. Strong supple 93
2014 Xanadu Cabernet - lacks a bit of power and finishes a.l little all arms and legs with blackberry spice. 91
2015 Xanadu Stevens road Cabernet - dark choc, blackberry, little green, violets and light eucalypt, boom elegance 94
2015 deep woods reserve Cabernet - cassis, dark bitter choc, cigars, some black olive, rounded with sweet black fruit. 93
2014 lindemans Pyrus - red fruits, bangs around the mouth, showing blackcurrant, herbal, but sweet fruited. Coonawarra. Not this 89
2014 Stella Bella Cabernet aerie luminosa - deeper darker brooding and the big bro of the Xanadu. Very similar but larger. 94

Shiraz
2016 Hentley farm the marl - blackberry and blueberry, big sweet thing. 91
2016 Hentley Farm Shiraz - yep better. Still the black and blue fruits. Savoury and spicy back end. 92
2016 bleasdale powder monkey - Black fruit, 1-salt air, long dark tannin. Smooth mouthfeel. Good wine 93
2016 SC Pannell Adelaide hills Syrah - crunchy black fruits, nice tannin work. Grippy and gravelly. bright and delicate, moreish - 93
2015 reynella basket press shiraz - black fruits, plums and spice. Milk choc, nans perfume. Bloody good 93
2015 bleasdale powder monkey - black fruits, that Langhorne salty air thing. Big black dark monster. Olives and savoury finish 92
2015 Wirra wirra RSW - am always enamoured by this wine for whatever reason. Smells of milk choc and blackberry. Savoury spice, dark leather. Great balance. Another excellent wine 93
2015 collector marked tree red - stems and capsicum, green with cured meats. Palate sweet and spicy. A bit off kilter 89
2015 collector reserve Shiraz - I see why they didn't score well in their category. In comparison to the big sweet Sth Aussies they come off a little austere. Clunky. Red cranberry fruit, five spice, tobacco, crushed vines. Sweet red fruit. Like this more Than the marked tree by a margin 92
2015 tulloch pokolbin dry red - sweet red and black fruit. Elegant. Savoury. Like this. No harsh acid here 92
2015 Seppelt chalambar - leather and black pepper. Black plums, firecracker. Good stuff 92
2015 mt langi cliff edge - sweeter fruits than chalambar, a bit of funk, black cherry some black pepper. Both good wines. 91
2015 bests bin 0 - charcuterie black plum black pepper sublime finish 94
2014 saltram no1 Shiraz - smells of good stuff. Black fruits caramel smoke deep smooth on the palate. Luxury. 93
2014 McWilliams Maurice O'Shea - smells of leather boots, red flowers and black cherry fruits: smooth lean and mean, strong. Great gear 94
2014 McWilliams Rosehill - red flowers. Chocolate cake, leather and earth. Delight. Stand by earlier ratings. Great 95
2014 tulloch hector - some vanilla in there with black cherry fruit. Smooth and good 93
2015 Peter Lehman eight songs -blackberry and vanilla, coffee grounds, savoury tannin. Good gear 93
2013 Taylor's the pioneer - American oak? Vanilla woody husks, black fruits, soft lean, big sweet wine. Almost syrup. Burges wine. 93
2015 yalumba octavius - black plum, black fruit, smooth tannin. Good oak work 93
2013 sc Pannell koolimya Shiraz - all things good. Great fruit great tannin, great balance 94
2013 nest egg mt lofty Shiraz - sweet black fruits, Beauty. Spicy tannin. All over wine 94
2013 moppity regalier - Violets, purple flowers, black cherry. 92
2015 Serafino scarce earth - beaut balance black plum, dark choc, sweet savoury balance 94

The end

[Rory]

Great notes, well done. Took a hit for us all.

Would have loved to see all the Semilon lined up. Something we don't get to see in Vic.