Lovers of big fleshy juicy wines will be content this month as this Saturday’s release showcases an array of tasty wines from down under. The supporting role in the release is given to Italy. Vintages is bringing some of the countries high end wines to the table.

Wines from Australia.

027383 CHARLES CIMICKY TRUMPS SHIRAZ 2006 Barossa Valley $24.95
First up to the plate is a wine that starts with a ripe fruit laden nose of black raspberry and blackberry, accented with bay leaf, mocha, peppercorn and straw. The palate is rich and chewy while the finish is tight and full of powdery dusty chocolate and a blast of peppery spice. find this wine

716142 ELDERTON COMMAND SINGLE VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2006 Barossa Valley $89.95
Iron, plum skin, milk chocolate and blood along with a massive tier of perfectly ripe fruit may sound like an undesirable combination, but no, this is one stellar glass of wine. It has a rich sweet palate, perfect amount of toasty oak, a fabulous seamless texture and a never ending finish. find this wine

535104 ST. HALLETT BLACKWELL SHIRAZ 2008 Barossa $29.95
First impression is that of floral aromas with a layer of blueberry and blackberry fruit. Although tight, there is evidence of super concentration and a robe of silky tannin. Nice nuances of star anise and liquorice on the finish. It needs a year at least to show its best. find this wine

057000 MAXWELL FOUR ROADS SHIRAZ/GRENACHE/ VIOGNIER 2008 McLaren Vale $19.95

Sweet and smoky, blueberry fruit and lavender run through to a rich chewy palate showing black raspberry, sweet cherry, gentle oak and a clean finish. find this wine

001685 NICK FALDO SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 Coonawarra, $19.95
A sound, well constructed wine brimming with floral tones, eucalyptus, mint and blackcurrant. Clean and simple palate, med bodied with nice dark fruit acidity on the finish. find this wine

701821 PENLEY ESTATE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005 Coonawarra $59.95
Big, toasty hard and meaty, this power packed Cabernet has bright blackcurrant fruit, nice earthiness, hints of bay leaf and coffee grounds. The palate is fleshy and mouth coating, but acids balance well. The finish is long and dusty. find this wine

084996 WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006 Coonawarra $24.95
A mixed bag of underbrush, pine cone, cured meat, cedar and a blast of cassis is altogether enticing. The palate is round, a little lighter than expected, but it is balanced, there is some dusty tannin that once resolved, should deliver a decent glass of wine. find this wine

191080 SANDALFORD MARGARET RIVER CABERNET/MERLOT 2008 Margaret River $19.95
The blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot,7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec has blackcurrant fruit, a green note and teeth coating tannin. find this wine

047639 STELLA BELLA CABERNET SAUVIGNON/MERLOT 2007 Margaret River $24.95
Sweet perfumed aromas of blackberry and blueberry coulis laced with mint. There is a back drop of black liquorice, tangerine and creamy oak. Nice velvety mouth feel, solid structure and the perfect amount of back fruit acidity delivers a long and tasty finish. find this wine

059956 XANADU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 Margaret River $19.95
A spice driven wine with layers of black pepper, Christmas cake spice, cassis, dark chocolate and Thai basil. The structured palate has good concentration featuring layers of plumy fruit and cassis. find this wine

060186 EVANS & TATE THE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2004 $25.95
My pick of the Ozzie wines, it is showing huge a concentration of Ribena, cola, black toffee and treacle. Although there is some tannin, the fruit is maturing, there is still a touch of spice and the finish is balanced, carrying a touch of lead pencil and a trace of chocolate. find this wine

745489 CORIOLE MARY KATHLEEN RESERVE CABERNET/ MERLOT 2007 McLaren Vale $37.95
70% Cabernet and 30% Merlot brings aromas of coal, flint, red liquorice oolong tea with layer after layer of dark fruit and vanilla. The palate is creamy, plush and filled with dark fruit, black toffee and silky tannin. find this wine

024034 WIRRA WIRRA CHURCH BLOCK 2008 McLaren Vale $19.95
Although tight at first, the wine soon shows appealing perfume, floral notes and sweet jammy fruit. Rounded mouth feel with well integrated tannin, hints of mocha, Szechwan pepper, blackcurrant and pure sweet blueberry fruit. find this wine

684100 WITS END THE PROCRASTINATOR 2008 McLaren Vale $17.95
Slate and mineral gives way to plum, blueberry and blackberry fruit. It has a toasty palate, bright acidity and a medium finish rending a good wine at a decent price. find this wine

472613 COLDSTREAM HILLS PINOT NOIR 2008 Yarra Valley $29.95
A spicy Pinot with aromas of baked plum, treacle pudding, dried flowers and highly toasted oak. Cooked strawberry and plum flavours are the palate’s mainstay; there is some chocolaty tannin that still has plenty of grip. Not showing well right now, but it should evolve nicely. find this wine

188094 LITTLE YERING PINOT NOIR 2008 Yarra Valley $14.95
Beet and medicinal aromas, red fruit on the palate is soon overpowered by the high degree of acidity. find this wine

ITALIAN WINES

184911 PIETRO RINALDI SAN CRISTOFORO BARBARESCO 2006 $44.95
Cedar, plum, currant jam and anise run through to a raspberry focused and chewy palate with accents of red liquorice and sweet spice. find this wine

180067 POGGIO BONELLI CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2006 $28.95
A superb bouquet of raspberry, plum, roasted meat, black toffee, liquorice and black wet soil. It has a fantastic mouth feel, great structure, a touch of spice and lively black fruit acidity. find this wine

184994 PAOLO SCAVINO BAROLO 2005 $44.95
One tasty Barolo, that starts with aromas of coal, charcoal and earthy mineral. Fruit soon appears supported by cardamom, balsa and Moroccan spice. Raspberry hits the powerful palate that mixes with the sweet spice and tannin. This is a wine for collectors with good cellars and a patient demeanour. find this wine

651141 ANTINORI PIAN DELLE VIGNE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2005 $64.95
The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino has fabulous concentration of black and red fruit reinforced with Herbes de Provence, coal dust, red apple skin and sweet spice. Palate is still young, but shows much promise by delivering solid ripe fruit with a touch of mocha and balsa. find this wine

722470 ORNELLAIA BOLGHERI SUPERIORE 2007 $179.95
I often struggle with young wines of this calibre to process the nose as they are all to often so tight, but the 2007 Ornellaia is already teasing with layers of blackberry, damson, and plum with fine traces of white mushroom, cake spice and mineral. The palate is massive, but quite elegant featuring dark fruit, cola and sweet blueberry. The teeth coating tannins do suggest time is mandatory to see this wine at its best. find this wine

986117 GIUSEPPE QUINTARELLI VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE 2001 $84.95
Quintarelli’s 2001 Valpolicella offers an amazing nose of shitake mushroom, dark fruit, wood veneer, salted liquorice, malt and black tea. Its palate has great concentration, cleansing acidity, a touch of heat and a super long finish. find this wine

THE REST OF THE RELEASE

049775 COYOTE’S RUN BLACK PAW VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2008 Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula $21.95
Expressive tropical and white tree fruit, with mineral, hay, orange zest and spice lead to a palate with good concentration and a touch of sweetness on the finish. find this wine

193482 LAILEY CHARDONNAY 2008 Niagara Peninsula $19.95
Wine maker Derek Barnett has created a wine with aromas of dried banana, buttered popcorn, pear and gentle oak. The palate is nicely balanced, has a cooked pear flavour with a touch of green apple and lively acidity. find this wine

687970 CHATEAU ST. JEAN PINOT NOIR 2007 Sonoma County $29.95
Highly extracted and powerful, the nose emits aromas of dark fruit, Fry’s chocolate cream bar, thyme and lavender. The palate is the opposite with a creamy texture, but with mellow flavours of raspberry, vanilla and cola. find this wine

222877 CAYMUS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007 Napa Valley $79.95
Firmly textured, the nose has plenty of chocolate, black fruit, dried herb and tea aromas. Palate is rich, powerful carrying plenty of wood spice, dark fruit, Turkish delight and cappuccino creaminess. The finish is surprisingly sweet. find this wine

171017 CHÂTEAU DE MONTURON 2008 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru $23.95
Initial taste delivered smoky bell pepper, red fruit and a thin palate. People said I need to go back! I did and second time around it had opened up; dark fruit took centre stage along with a touch of black olive and leather. find this wine

074856 DOMAINE DE LA CÔTE DE L’ANGE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2007 $37.95
Perfumed, seductive and racy, the dense layers of blackcurrant, damson and blackberry are enhanced by black olive and bound by a pleasurable dose of barnyard. Full on the palate, dusty chocolate tannins suggest time. Balance is exquisite. find this wine

971689 D’ANGELO AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE 2006 $18.95
Rarely do we see wines from Basilicata on the shelves, but I think they are worth seeking out as in this instance, the nose of Madeira cake, hay, toast, dark fruit and forest floor is enticing. Mix fruits on the palate please, but hard tannins are present. The wine carries a delightful finish of cherry and dark chocolate. find this wine

673483 MIGUEL TORRES MAS BORRÀS PINOT NOIR 2008 $29.95
Mocha/cappuccino, blueberry liqueur and lavender each play a part in this densely concentrated nose. The palate lacks the expected depth showing nice red fruit, crisp acidity and mineral on the finish. find this wine

Cheers,

CZ

Related posts:

1. Alan Kerr’s Vintage’s October 24th Release – Tasting Notes
2. Alan Kerr’s January 23rd, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
3. Alan Kerr’s May 1st, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
4. Alan Kerr’s May 29th, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
5. Alan Kerr’s June 12th, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes