NV Jacob's Creek Blanc de Blanc
Tesco Wine £10. B+
Plenty of citrus on the nose, not much by way of toast. Palate is clean, refreshing, vibrant acidity, all you want in an aperitif wine. Ticks all the right boxes, not so sure its worth a tenner, but they often run offers on these JC wines.
2008 Ridgeview Grosvenor
Noel Young £28. B+
Citrus on the nose, some hints of toast and yeast contact. Gentle mousse, lots of acidity, really quite nervy stuff; grapefruit and citrus still on palate. Well made.
2010 Anchorage Pinot Gris. Nelson, NZ.
Naked Wines £12. B+
Ripe white furits on the palate, peaches and nectarines, with tinges of green apples and pears, some floral notes too; impressively aromatic and expressive on the nose. Palate carries the white fruits through, fat acidity; very slightly off dry, giving it a nice width on the palate. Just perhaps a touch flabby for my liking.
2008 Mar de Vinas Albarino. Rias Baixas, Spain.
Naked Wines £11. B (possibly faulty)
Colour was slightly golden, perhaps the (unintended) bottle age? Nose has citrus with some musty, rather briny fishy notes (like fresh uncooked shellfish), which I am not entirely convinced is supposed to be there. Palate still lively, plenty of acidity left, minerality shines through at the end; the slightly musty notes on the nose persists, though not as prominently, on the palate. I think either some premature oxidation and/or possibly cork taint here.
2010 Stanley Estates Sauvignon Blanc
Noel Young £12. A-
Very green on the nose: asparagus, green peppers, tomato plants, freshly cut grass; some mineral / almost wet stones character also showing. Plenty of fruit on the palate, ripe but not punchy; after the nose, the palate is actually quite restrained and classy, nice minerality and texture showing. A vibrant, lively wine.
Most popular white wine of the tasting, its no wonder it bagged 4 trophies at IWC 2011.
2009 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon
Noel Young £23. A-
Developed nose, buttered toast, some malty character and sweet vanilla as well, quite savoury; the sauvignon blanc greenness can just about be fond on the nose too, behind all that barrel fermentation / oak. Palate is unsurprisingly big and textured, ripe fruits too, nice minerality - everything just felt very well knit in this wine, no one thing dominates. Classy, serious wine.
2007 Felton Road Chardonnay. Central Otago, NZ.
Noel Young £20. B+
Again, very burgundian on the nose - brioche and toast, creamy too, rather savoury. Palate is of white fruits, mingled in fresh acidity; plenty to carry the treatment. Classy wine, decent length.
2010 Magpie Estate 'The Mixed Thing'. Barossa.
Noel Young £12.50. B+
Plenty of ripe fruits on the nose, blackcurrants, with dark berries, touch of winegums and pastilles too; some alcoholic notes at the end. Palate is vibrant, fresh and rounded, actually rather light, which is not obvious from the depth of colour. If anything its slightly too light for my liking, rather thin; plenty of ripe fruits though, and very drinkable.
2009 Cline Zinfandel.
B+
red stone furits on the nose, plums and prunes, some violets, and a touch of licorice, with a smoky / tar note too. Palate is jammy, red cherries and dark currants, good vibrant acidity; fruit filled but not heavy, low to moderate tannins, good easy drinking stuff.
2009 Ernie Els Wines 'The Big Easy'
Noel Young £15.50. B+
On the nose its quite big and punchy, lots of dark fruits, again a slight note of burnt tar and also of pines; some sweet oak also. Palate is dripping with juicy fruits, dark berries and the like, well extracted and integrating the oak; some sweet spices too. Tannins show a little bit towards the end, but nothing to stop it from being enjoyed now.
2006 de Bortoli 'Melba Lucia'. Yarra Valley.
B+
Jammy, full on dark fruits, cassis on the nose; minty notes are there too, with a touch of cedar and sweet spice; very expressive and lively. Palate showing a fresh, almost crunchy acidity; plenty of red fruits and currants, sour cherries and raspberries (stewed, like compote, not fresh), really not much tannins left. A rather drying finish, I think this is just slightly past its peak.
2006 Magpie Estate 'The Election' Shiraz.
Noel Young £30. B+(+)
Classic varietal nose: blackcurrants, dark fruits, with touches of mint and eucalyptus, its like ribena pastilles and wine gums; some sweet vanilla form the oak also shows. Palate is full on the fruits, blackberries and dark cherries, very juicy and yet creamy at the same time; well extracted stuff, theres a lot going on in the palate, serious wine. Grainy tannins still linger at the back; will keep easily another 5-10years. Tried this wine upon opening and after 3 hours decanting; no doubt the decanting really allowed the wine to express itself better, just that bit more voluptuous. Far and away the favourite wine of the night.
2001 Ch de Madere, AOC Cerons.
Cambridge Wine £6 (375ml). B+
Recently tasted here. I think its at its peak, dont hold on to it much longer.
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