Quick notes on impressions of wines at the 2005 Vic Winemakers Expo in Brisbane, June 3-6. This list is not inclusive of all the wines tasted, just the ones that were more enjoyable/interesting/surprisingly disappointing. Listed in order of tasting.
PART 1 - WHITES (Ric and Brian, no need to read)
Brokenwood 04 Indigo Vineyard Viognier
Beautiful spicy fruit and floral aromas. Powerful flavour although a little sappy on the tongue. Cleansing acidity. OK wine.
Coldstream Hills 04 Sauvignon Blanc
Lovely intense S.Blanc nose of gooseberry and just a hint of cat-piss. A little overweight, and not as refreshing on the finish as the best. Enjoyable wine though.
Dromana 04 Mornington Estate Pinot Gris
Melon and peach. A lovely creamy palate with viscous mouthfeel. 100% malo? Feels high alc%, and quite mainstream chardonnay-like in structure but at the same time fresher and crisper. Suitable for a relaxing afternoon sipping.
Dromana 04 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Definitely Sauv Blanc dominated on nose. Falls away a bit to close, and loses flavour. Unimpressive.
Dromana 03 Yarra Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Burnt matches. Nup.
Scotchmans Hill 04 Sauvignon Blanc
Cut grass and passionfruit. Quite subtle on nose, crisp on palate. Loses flavour. No thanks.
Scotchmans Hill 04 Swan Bay Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Much more aromatic than the straight Sauv Blanc. Intense crispness. Lovely wine.
Seppelt 04 Victorian Riesling
Simple, one dimensional lacklustre and cheap Riesling. For me, this is not up to the standard of the reds in the range. OK for casual drinking, but I seriously doubt any aging potential.
Coldstream Hills 04 Chardonnay
Spicy, aromatic ripe peach and melon. Buttery, ripe fruit, nutty and spicy palate. High level of malo applied here. This is good quality chardonnay for the money. Good wine, good value.
Coldstream Hills 03 Reserve Chardonnay
Penfolds Bin 00A-like nose. Nuttier than most aussie chardonnays. Creamy and spicy palate with serious fruit complexity. Excellent now, great with more time. This is quality stuff.
Brokenwood 04 Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay
Served freezing cold. What are they doing? When warmed up a little, spicier and less voluptuous than the Coldstream Hills. About to write less complex, and then hit by an exotic spiciness on the palate. IÂ’m not sure where this is going, but it would be one to watch.
Crittenden 03 Crittenden at Dromana Chardonnay
A lighter, more refined style than the last three. Excellent complexity however, with subtle nuttiness, and melon. Alcohol and oak all in balance Very nice. Deserves to be cellared.
Dalwhinnie 03 Moonambel Chardonnay
Nice complex nose. Ripe fruit, nutty, and interwoven spice. Nice mouthfeel and good acidity. Give this one some time. It should be excellent.
Dromana 03 Yarra Valley Hills Chardonnay
Typical cheap chardonnay. This one was really boring, especially compared to the Crittenden at Dromana chardy.
Paringa 04 Peninsula Chardonnay
Boring, heavy melon flavour. No thanks. IÂ’m glad they also make reds.
Paringa 02 Estate Chardonnay
Quite dark yellow for a 2002 wine. Melon, lemon and buttered toast. Pleasant enough, nothing special. Questionable value at $30.
Scotchmans Hill 04 Swan Bay Chardonnay
To me, this smelled like an oaked Sauvignon Blanc. So much so, that I assumed that the served had gotten mixed up and served me the wrong wine. After tipping it out and asking for the required wine again, it turned out to be the same. Creamy mouthfeel, took much oak. Nothing special. I was expecting better.
Scotchmans Hill 04 The Hill Chardonnay
Unoaked. Funnily enough, this one DID actually have a small percentage of Sauv Blanc included – and tasted less like SB than the Swan Bay. Go figure. Some grassy and passionfruit notes on top of melon. Fruity. Nice on a hot day.
Scotchmans Hill 03 Chardonnay
More flavoursome compared to stablemates. Creamy and nutty mouthfeel. Crisp acidity.