2014 Pizzini Pietra Rossa Sangiovese

This wine is a blend from three vineyard sites and was formerly known as Pizzini Sangiovese but now has a label that alludes to the iron rich soils of the King Valley.   
Four percent of Canaiolo, another Tuscan red variety is added to deepen the vibrant brick red colour of the Pietra Rossa. One of its other qualities is that it helps soften the tannins of Sangiovese in much the same way as Merlot does to Cabernet Sauvignon.   

There is a smokiness and earthiness to the bouquet along with red currant, sweet black cherry and savoury spices typical of the variety.  

 A plump, immediately sweet palate of crunchy red cherry, blackberries and savoury tannins. Cloves and star anise. More on the lighter side of medium here. Combines the sweetness and savouriness well but a green edge to the finish with a slightly metallic taste affected the score.   
Source: Winery. ABV: 13.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $25.00. Rating: 89 Points. 
Website: http://www.pizzini.com.au/pizzini/
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2015 Farr Rising Gamay

I'm a big fan of Australian Gamay. The 2015 Farr Rising Gamay from Wine By Farr at Bannockburn near Geelong is in that category. Hand-picked, foot stomped and matured for eight months in old barrels.

 Right off the bat this wine is a cloudy garnet colour in the glass. 

Fresh and perky aromas of ripe red cherries, peppercorn and game with some stalky, forest floor scents to add interest. 

 It's dry, light to medium weight, silky in texture, bright and crunchy.

 Full of cherry, earthy, savoury flavours with a dusting of cranberry tannins. Really strikes a chord with its balance of bright fruit, juicy acidity and savoury undertones that persist to the finish. 

 Nick Farr has crafted a delicious and compelling cool climate expression of Gamay. Highly Recommended.

 Source: Gift. ABV: 13.0%. Closure: Diam Cork. Price: $36.00. Rating: 93 Points. 
Website: https://www.byfarr.com.au
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2015 Clonakilla Viognier Nouveau

Designed for early consumption this is a youthful, fresh, lean take on Viognier from Clonakilla.
Picked early, tank fermented and bottled early, the Nouveau is a more restrained new kid on the block than its fuller-bodied older sibling.
Straw green colour in the glass with floral aromas, melon, pine and herbal fragrances.
There is both fruit and savoury flavours on the palate. Light apricot, fresh green apple and cinnamon. Crisp in texture with a stoney and zippy acidity running.through the mid-palate. Soft acid, dry, savoury finish. 

Winemaker Tim Kirk has nailed the essence of the Viognier grape. Sheer drinking pleasure.

 The 2016 has been released so if finding the 2015 has been difficult, do yourself a favour. 
Source: Winery. ABV: 13.0%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $25.00. Rating: 90 Points. Website: http://www.clonakilla.com.au
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2015 Blackjack Major's Line Tempranillo

Named after the route Major Thomas Mitchell took through Victoria in 1836. This is the second release of Blackjack's Tempranillo produced from Heathcote Region grapes. 

Attractive ruby red colours.
Lifted cherry, tobacco, sweet red berry fruits and herbal aromas. Fresh, rounded and has a savoury edge that I like with this variety.

 Flavours of black cherry, cola, cloves and tar. Chewy tannins. Medium bodied with refreshing acidity and a pleasing length. Easy drinking. Spaghetti bolognese comes to mind. Good wine.


 Source: Winery. ABV: 13.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $22.00. Rating: 89 Points. Website: https://blackjackwines.com.au

                                                                  
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2010 Cleggett Wines Men Of Kent Cabernet Sauvignon

A unique blend of 96% red and 4% white Cabernet Sauvignon from Langhorne Creek. The name is a reference to the Cleggett ancestors who migrated from England over a century ago.
White Cabernet Sauvignon or Shalistin to use its registered name is an albino mutation of the Cabernet grape discovered by chance on the Cleggett family vineyards in the early 1990's. Cuttings were propagated and the winery is now the only producer in the world of this grape.
   
Co-fermented and aged in French oak for 12 months it pours a bright deep purple colour.

Blackberry, dark chocolate, cedar with a hint of eucalyptus and tropical fruit on the nose.
Succulent varietal flavours of cassis, plum, mint with the fine tannins carrying this elegantly soft wine to a savoury lingering finish.
Fresh, juicy, supple and approachable. Very good.

 Awarded Gold at the 2013 Royal Adelaide Wine Show.


Source: Retail. ABV: 14.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $25.00. Rating: 90 Points. 
Website: http://www.cleggettwines.com.au
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2013 Cirami Estate Riverland Saperavi

Owned by the non-profit Riverland Vine Improvement Committee Inc. and named after long time vine research pioneer Richard Cirami, the Estate is a collection of nursery plantings. From a single vineyard, this was a gold medal winner at the AAVWS in 2013.
  
A couple of dozen wineries presently grow the Saperavi variety on the Australian mainland in diverse climatic conditions with it seems great promise for its future.

It is one of those rare grape varieties that not only have black skins but red coloured pigment in the pulp (anthocyanin). The French use the term teinturier to describe these 'painted' or 'dyed' varieties.

 Highly acidic and powerfully tannic, this ancient native of Georgia in the former Soviet Union needs strong flavours to match its intense and serious spicy personality.

Joseph Stalin was said to imbibe in it and I could imagine Vlad the Putin now chugging back a few in the Kremlin as he reminisces about past annexations and plans for future forays !

 This was surprisingly my first adventure with the mysterious Saperavi and it was an enthralling experience.  
There is a dense, inky colour, almost black in the glass.

Brooding aromas of rich dark fruits, confectionery, cacao, star anise and smoke. 

 Difficult to drink initially, not much fun at the time. A little tight and astringent at first but the flavours persisted on the palate opening up to reveal a solid core of dark cherry and dark chocolate with complexity added by dry twigs and savoury notes of white pepper and star anise. To me the wine only revealed a little of its full potential so it could easily cellar for many years to come.
Carries the alcohol well with good balance and a persistent savoury aftertaste. 

 This powerful variety is well worth investigating and at the price, this one is excellent value.  


 Source: Retail. ABV: 15.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $15.00. Rating: 90+ Points. 
Website: http://www.rvic.org.au/cirami_estate_wines.php
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2010 Rutherglen Estates Renaissance Zinfandel


The Rutherglen Estates' Renaissance range is made from premium hand selected grapes that are crafted into the winery's premium selection of wines.
    
Attractive deep russet red in the glass.

 Plenty of fresh smelling spicy cherry, plum fruit flavours, pine nuts and chocolate aromas.
Blackberry and brambly fruit sweetness with smooth leather and mocha, the American oak bringing a toasty cedar note. 
The balance between the sweetness of the fruit and the savoury edginess is the key here to this flavoursome wine.
Grippy tannins and a juicy acidity to the finish
Medium-bodied but with loads of richness, complexity and a strength that is not over the top.

A quality Zin that is at the peak of its form. Excellent.  


Source: Winery. ABV: 14.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $35.00. Rating: 92 Points. 
Website: https://www.rutherglenestates.com.au

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2012 Sandhurst Ridge Wines Nebbiolo

Located at Marong in the Bendigo Wine Region, the boutique, family-operated Sandhurst Ridge has produced wines since the mid-1990's with its first Nebbiolo released in 2008. This is a terrific local example of Nebbiolo and like with many Italian variety wines is enjoyed better with food. It would pair perfectly with a rack of lamb.
Soft tawny colours with brownish tinges.
Dark chocolate, crushed rose petal, notes of tarry earthiness. An overlay of discrete oaky smoke too on the aromatics.
Soft and shy entry that cranks up into a brooding, seductively dry, savoury wine of intense varietal flavours and mouthfeel.
The mid-weight palate is fresh and balanced and offers up vibrant black cherry, cranberry and tar. Notes of wild mushroom and black olive make the wine really interesting. 
The palate is all about the structure, velvety texture, crisp acid and a core of lingering subtle savoury tannins. A lot to like here.  


 Source: Winery. ABV: 13.3%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $28.00. Rating: 91 Points. 
Website: http://www.sandhurstridge.com.au




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2015 Cassegrain Edition Noir Sangiovese


Based in Hastings River near Port Macquarie on the northern New South Wales coast, Cassegrain sources its Sangiovese grapes from the state's Central Ranges.
Its Edition Noir range of wines are produced from small parcels of high quality fruit allowing winemakers John and Alex Cassegrain to make limited quantities wines of distinction. Wine matured in French and Hungarian oak. 

Dark ruby colour in the glass.
Dark cherries, plums, goji berry, metal shavings and vanilla smoke. More lifted fruit-driven aromas than savoury ones.
Smooth mid-weight wine of earthy tomatoes, cherry and raspberry. Delivers a sturdy palate of red fruits, lively acidity and chewy tannins. Soft, lean, rustic and a bit edgy. Cries out for food, not something you'd chug back by itself.  

It is lovely drinking Sangiovese but a little too warm through the mid-palate and towards the tail end, which affected the overall rating.  


 Source: Retail. ABV: 14.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $28.00. Rating: 89 Points. 
Website: https://www.cassegrainwines.com.au
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2015 Grove Estate The Italian

The Italian is a blend of Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Barbera from the Grove Estate Vineyards near Young in the Hilltops Region of Southern New South Wales. Established in 1989 by a partnership of families, the company contracts most of its winemaking to Long Rail Gully Wines near Murrumbateman and has a passion for red Italian grape varieties including Zinfandel. 

Cool climate, estate grown blend of these three premium Italian varieties that displays crimson colours with a purple hue.
Pretty perfume of rose petals, strawberry, cherry and tar aromas.
It's a light- to mid-weight framed wine with stewed prunes, black cherries and smokey savoury herbs across the palate.
Subdued dusty tannins, clean fresh acidity. Soft and juicy texturally. Loads of fresh, soft mixed berry flavours, which is what you would expect from a cool climate region. A lingering savoury finish. 
Has lots of potential with cellaring, this is a food friendly blend of finesse and flavour. Very Good.


 Source: Winery. ABV: 14.0%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $26.00. Rating: 90 Points. 
Website: http://www.groveestate.com.au
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2013 Brokenwood Tim's Paddock Pinot Noir

Bought this wine on a whim as I had never tasted a Pinot Noir from Beechworth before. The first vintage from a single vineyard enterprise with the blurb saying from "very ripe fruit." Well, that's good news ! 

 The wine didn't give me the impression it was a Pinot Noir in terms of its varietal profile, more a medium-bodied dry red. Not supple, fine or delicate as you might think from a cool climate region but sappy and weighty. 

 It's a wine of vivid purple appearance.
Woody herbs, stalks, forest floor, undergrowth, gamey flavours and dark cherry form the complex nose.
A little sappy, draping the palate with earthy, sour cherry and other berrylike flavours. Surprisingly thick. Supple tannins and the wood oak nuances did add something but this wine lacked any real interest.

 Maybe it was this particular bottle. The wine was neither flawed nor overripe but not what I was expecting from such a region and didn't go a refill.


Source: Retail. ABV: 13.0%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $15.99. Rating: 86 Points. 
Website: http://www.brokenwood.com.au
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