A little bit of this a little bit of that

Wynns Centenary Cabernet Shiraz 1991.

This is a freak of a wine.  Made up of Wynns Michael Shiraz and John Riddoch Cabernet..and in a good year...and you have a winner.

The nose struck me as Bin 389...mouthfeel 389...chalky tannins..dark fruit..but after a bit more time it started opening up a bit more..the acid was coming through, it reminded me a lot of a 1991 John Riddoch Cabernet..Really quite a nice wine, very enjoyable but it is missing something for me...maybe it is a bit too primary with some secondary and I'm looking for more? Not sure...I think this will go longer though so hopefully I'll have a chance to try it in 5 years...91 points

Wendouree Shiraz 2003

Really young..really tight...I'm not even sure it is worth talking about at this point because it needs more time.  Great acidity and mouthfilling but not gum ripping tannins..very typical younger wendouree texture.  If you like Barolo, you will like these.  A bit of nail polish on the nose which I think is very typical...fruit is coming through as red fruits but relatively simple at this point.  I like this wine for the texture but it is just too tight right now.  I do think it'll open up quite a bit later on.  90 points now...probably higher later..

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1992

This wine is what eventually becomes St. Peters...the 96 I had awhile back was great and still looking young..this one had a typical St. Peters type nose...red and dark fruits..some mocha...A cooler climate shiraz that somehow balances power and elegance.  Started off a bit slow but really starts to open up after awhile...but that said, a couple of hours later and this thing was dead.  90 points.

d'Arenberg Dead Arm 2002.

I don't remember this being this BIG but it was..huge wine..bit fruit...a lot of heat though.  Says 14.5 but I don't believe it...very much a big fruit bomb type of wine...Tannins have softened but I'm not enjoying this one that much and I generally don't mind Dead Arms that often...I think within the style people will like it...not quite for me but not a bad wine...88 points

Sami Odi Dallwitz .534 Shiraz 2010

Florals and a bit of stalk on the nose..dark fruits...Palate slams into my face, big but clean fruit...feels like a Barossa but finishing so much nicer and with a lot more finesse.  I'm not really sure what to think of this wine at this point but I think it is interesting..I like the concept, the wines are well made....I think with time this will be very nice..91 points.

Low Alcohol with Friends

Had a number of low alcohol wines with friends...Some of them were good, some were interesting...some were just ok..

Wynns John Riddoch 1988.  

Smells like a Coonawarra with green bell peppers on the nose...some spices..dark and red fruits...Palate is really nice...Lighter than what I normally associate w/ a Coonawarra Cabernet but still has great fine tannin structure..acidity is showing nicely as well.  Fruit is still there...I think some felt this was on its last legs..probably..but would be interesting to see if this changes a bit more in a few years.  I think this was showing better than the 91 JR awhile back...Either way, drinking very nicely right now... 92 points

Chambers Rosewood Gouais 2004.  

Gouais is apparently the parent grape of Chardonnay.  Nose reminded me a bit of an aged Semillon..but had some Chardonnay characters coming across too...Lemon pith, some honey, some peach....Palate was very Chardonnay like but with some of honey coming across as well...acidity and development of the fruit w/ the acid was very Semillon like..but this reminds me a lot of Chardonnay...Sensing a bit of oak as well...Overall these are quite nice..something different...and apparently these are also only around 15/bottle which makes it a great value.  90 points

Lakes Folly Cabernet Reserve 1994.

I didn't even know they made a reserve but apparently they did in 94 and 95.  The Hunter really comes across on the nose and palate..a bit of funk, leather, earth, sweaty saddle..but not a huge amount...Red fruits, spice, leather and earth on the palate..really very nice.  Great acidity, great texture...I can drink this type of wine all day....92 points

Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese 2006
I'm a fan of Donnhoff..I'm a fan of their Niederhauser Hermannshohle line.  2006 as a vintage is a bit fatter than what I would normally like from Riesling...and last time I had this it was a bit on the simpler side..but for me this was drinking quite nicely.  This really has come into its own with greater complexity, the acidity is showing a bit better as well...Fruit Salad on the nose...lemons, melons, rock dust...Palate has great acidity...star fruit, melon, lemon..nice minerality...Definitely a good amount of residual sugar but it balances so nicely in this wine...92 points

Main Divide Pinot Noir 2001
Some truffle and graphite on the nose...red fruits...Palate has nice acidity...Earth, minerality, red fruits...This is showing quite nicely really..and I think this is a lower tier from Pegasus Bay's normal line...Cellaring has helped this wine a lot...Actually reminds me a bit of Ata Rangi... 90 points