Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from Margaret River, the Margaret River wine region in Australia, & more.
This is a Rhone blend of 72% Shiraz, 13% Grenache, 12% Mataro, and 3% Viognier. Deep purple/garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is deep with black raspberries, plums, black cherries, black pepper and dark chocolate. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Good acidity. On the palate, this is tasty with depth and complexity. Flavors of black raspberries, black cherries, dark chocolate, spice and char. Long finish. This is still very young and will improve. Drink over the next eight to twelve years. very nice on its own, this would be a nice pairing with Indian cuisine.
This is a classic Barossa Shiraz. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black raspberries, black licorice and slight violet notes. Full bodied. Medium to firm tannins. On the palate, this is delicious. Flavors of black raspberries, black cherries, spice, black pepper and slight roasted meats. Long finish. This is still young and will benefit from a few more years in a good cellar. Drink over the next ten to fifteen. This is great on its own and will work well with roasted meats or root vegetables. Excellent value.
This is a different chardonnay from their famous "Artist's Series" but is quite good. About half of the batches are treated with sulfur but the others are not before combining them. The Leeuwin people this leaves a fresher but still protected white wine. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is intense with lemons, slight vanilla, slight spice and some crushed shells/salinity. Full bodied texture. Good acidity. Very light tannins. On the palate, lemons, slight lemon cream, grapefruit along with just a touch of minerality. Long finish. This is very nice on its own but b
This is a slightly sweet Riesling from the Clare Valley in southern Australia. Green/gold in color, clear and bright. The nose opens with some peach notes that adds some green apple scents. There is also a slight flinty note. Medium bodied, slightly viscous. Good acidity. On the palate, this is semi-sweet with flavors of peach, slight green apples and just a hint of minerality. Good finish. served to a bunch of professed "Riesling haters", this proved to be popular. It is also food friendly but don't forget the sweetness. This would go great with a Beet and Goat Cheese salad. Dri
Back around the turn of the century, I drank a lot of this wine from the 90's and the 00's. For no reason in particular, it fell off my radar, so it was fun to revisit this. And, I plan on buying more. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great. Powerful with black raspberries, cedar, black pepper, spice, dust and slight gravel notes. Firm tannins. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, black raspberries, black cherries, some gravel and spice. Long finish. This is a big wine but not over blown. Fresh with lots of energy. This is nice on its own and will work well with
This is a blend of 97% Shiraz (Syrah) and 3% Viognier. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. Thee nose is great with boysenberries, blueberries, slight dark chocolate, dust and char. Full bodied. Very firm tannins. Lively acidity. On the palate, this is both huge and tight. Black berries, black currants, some blueberries, a bit of alcohol with underlying char. This is deep and almost impenetrable. Long finish. This is outstanding today, but a huge and unwieldly wine. Give it another five to ten more years in the cellar and it will flirt with a top score. If opening now, give
Finding a value wine is not an easy task and a solid Cabernet in particular is even more risky. But this Cabernet offers light blueberry, huckleberry, Rainer cherry, plum, raspberry, pink peppercorn, a wisp of mocha and light vanilla touches. The tannins and acidity are mild, making this very drinkable from the start. Hardy is a name well known in Australia, having over 150 years of winemaking behind them, and their Tintara vineyard. This relatively new introduction to the U.S. offers an enjoyable Cabernet from a trusted producer at a reasonable price. ORIGIN: McLaren Vale, Australia.
Purple/garnet in color, magenta at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black raspberries, sandalwood, slight black pepper and roasted herbs. Firm tannins. Lovely texture. On the palate, black raspberry fruit with spice and some char. Long finish. Still youthful although progressing right along. Drink over the next ten or fifteen years. Great on its own, this worked well with roasted veggies. Expensive but not crazy for the quality.
A friend brought this back from his vacation to Australia. My first time trying this producer. It is very distinct but comes off more Cote Rotie than what I think of when I think Aussie Shiraz. And, for that matter, why isn't it labelled Shiraz? The label calls it Syrah. In any event, an excellent wine if still young. Purple in color with a thin ruby rim, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, boysenberries, char, roasted meats and herbs, and slight black olive. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is dense but its easy to see to quality. Tasted over a couple
