PiNOTPOWER
War of the Wines
HiGHLY RATED
 
Coldstone Shiraz Viognier 2006
Rating? Mind numbing - 3½ stars!
A sweet, upturned nose of apricot and rose, it's an effort to get past the ravishing fragrance. A dark brambly palate, cushiony tannins, piquant spice.
Tylers Stream Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Rating? Simply a beaut wine - 4 stars!
Marlborough enthusiasts take note, an elixir of effusive, ripe pineapple, passion and kiwi fruit flavours, to match with mussels and relish with brie.
Howling Wolves Cabernet Merlot 2008
Rating? Simply a beaut wine - 4 stars!
Firm, judicious tannins and controlled oak frame a tapestry of dark fruit characters, red currants and plum. Regional spice and aromatic, dusty herbs in full support as the wine swells in the glass to develop layers of complexity, palate depth and texture.
Evans Tate Gnangara Cabernet Merlot 2010
Rating? Mind numbing - 4 stars!
Elderton Ode To Lorraine 2008
Rating? Simply a beaut wine - 5 stars!
Aptly named for it's harmony of noble fruit, exuberant oak and enthusiastic tannins. Black bramble and currant to the fore, with spice from the shiraz and the oak, around a core of essential choco-plum fruit, allsorts and earth.
Fire Block Old Vine Shiraz 2008
Rating? Jaw dropping juice - 4 stars!
Arcane Clare Valley Shiraz in timeless styling. Mocha coffee and cherries, cassis and mint, leafyness, soils and pitch. Prominent bramble fruit flavours on the piquant, aromatic palate, a soundly structured wine with ample complexity and highly polished finish.
PiNOT LEGENDS
Rating? Right up there - 4 stars!
ABOUT $18
A nose of fruit salad, lime and snow pea. Impressions of lychee, lemon and asparagus. The palate shows citrus with lemongrass, medium to sweet influences lift the palate, a stroke of crisp acid cuts the fruit and keeps the sugars honest.
OLeary Walker Blue Cutting Semillon Sauvignon 2009
Rating? Right up there - 4 stars!
ABOUT $22
A cherub of a Pinot wine with a halo of true regional highlights, sweet smelling loam, mace and earth, gum leaf and mint, currant and raspberry, on a wing and a prayer of light, vanilla oak. Refreshingly drying at the finish to lingering expresssions of rhubarb and cola, Yarra Ridge culminates with easing tannins, genteel fruit, poise and natural charm.
Yarra Ridge Pinot Noir 2008
Rating? Out of a dream - 4 stars!
ABOUT $14
A sensational drop in post modern styling for the young at heart. Smooth and balanced, revitalizing and more+ish with complex tropical fruit and extra length.
Houghton Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Rating? Right on the money - 4 stars!
ABOUT $16
Plum, cherry and violet aromas, scents of liquorice, rhubarb and soy. The palate is lined with velvet textures, graced by the most vibrant fruit and supported by acquiescing tannins.
Trentham Estate Pinot Noir 2010
Rating? Not to be missed - 4½ stars!
ABOUT $27
The palate's fine and medium bodied, as the gentle but ripe tannins lend full support to the litany of cherry, licorice, violet, vanilla and spice characters. Clean and fresh with a medley of delightful savoury garden vegetable/ leaf scents to the nose.
Paringa Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010
Rating? Mind numbing - 4 stars!
ABOUT $22
Richly endowed all around but with the right amount of cleansing acid to keep it trim. A nose and palate of tinned pear, almond and snow mushroom.
Crittenden Geppetto Pinot Gris 2009