Sandalford Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Wow!  I haven’t had much cab lately, as I’ve had a hard time finding one I like at a price I’m willing to pay.  So this is a great find.  It’s drinking beautifully already – great nose, perfectly integrated tannins, excellent fruit and depth, without being the stereotypical Aussie fruit bomb.  I’m very sensitive to the green flavour of under-ripe cab, and there is not the slightest hint of that.  But it isn’t in the least jammy either.  These grapes must have been picked when they were perfectly ripe.  Good complexity already, and only three years old.  This is excellent value at the price.  I will definitely be picking up a bunch more of this, both for drinking now and to see how it evolves.

Clos de Los Siete 2005

--- A Review from Vasco da Gama ---

This is an interesting blend of Malbec, Cab, and Syrah from one of the most renowned wine producers/consultants on the planet Michel Rolland. I was anxious to try this wine, and could no longer resist, so I tried this fresh out of the bottle last night - The cork and wine are both a very dark purple. This wine has a beautiful smell of vanilla, gravel, dark berries, ripe plum and licorice with a hint of smokiness (on the 2nd glass I picked up the scent of cherry blossom or cherry nibs, as well as tar). The blackberries, licorice, and dark cherries come through on the palate with good refined tannins and balanced acidity. A beautiful full bodied red with a nice long dark chocolate finish. This is a superb and complex wine to drink now, but I suspect it will only get better over the next few years into 2015 or so. Will have to try another bottle again a few years down the road to see if it doesn't have even more character to it. Although the price of $33.29 is not cheap, for the quality you are getting I would say this is great wine and an excellent value, and I like the label :-)

Price: $33.70
Score: 93
Value: 4.5/5
Region: Argentina
Grape: Malbec, Cabernet, Syrah
UPC 7798104410179

Collazzi Toscana 2005

Have I mentioned that I'm keen on Bordeaux blends lately? I believe that this one is also a Super Tuscan. Italian wines that do not adhere to the blending laws for the region in question must be sold as “table wine” rather than, say, Chianti. In Tuscany in the mid 1970s, producers began to experiment with non-traditional grape varieties with great international success, and the term Super Tuscan was coined to describe those wines.

This wine offers lots of anise and dark berry on the nose, and also minerals, cedar, tobacco, spices, and maybe also coffee, chocolate, and oak. It is luscious on the palate, with firm tannins throughout and especially on the finish, which is long. It is distinctly Italian in style. Tasting blind (as usual), I immediately identified it as Italian. Then I proceeded to guess practically every grape variety in the known universe before settling on Bordeaux; and I’m usually pretty good at identifying that blend, whatever its origin. It is delicious, and good value at the price. We have an older vintage in the cellar that should be very interesting for comparison.

P.S. Only after writing this review did I learn that we already blogged this wine. Norman was apparently testing us - he’s cheeky that way - and I think the reviews are quite similar.

Price: $48.99
Score: 93
Value: 4/5
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 8007425050452

Collazzi Toscana 2005

Here's a brief review from Chris MacDonald, ANBL's wine buyer:

I tried the Collazzi 2005 at the show. This is a wine I have been collecting since 2001. Collazzi is a super tuscan in terms of style and grape assemblage but has a reasonable price tag (mid forties$) compared to other well known super tuscans (usually $60+).

As for the description, I found it very rich in aroma and taste with a long finish. Even though this wine has little or no sangiovese in it, it is distinctly Italian...especially on the nose. What makes a wine distincly Italian? For me it is the dried cherries mixed with savoury aromas and a sense of "salt" on the palate.

Name: Collazzi IGT
Price: $48.79
Rating: 4.5/5
Value: 4/5
UPC: 8007425050452

Collazzi is very good every vintage.

Donnafugata Tancredi 2004

The Tancredi is made in Sicily, primarily from the Sicilian Nero d'Avola grape (70%) blended with Cabernet Sauvignon (30%). I love the style, tannic but with great mouthfeel and excellent balance. I'm beginning to think of it as a "southern" style - it reminds me of a Madiran, or the Tormaresa wines, particularly the Masseria Maime.

Here's Kelly note: "Lush nose of mostly blackberry and cedar; same on palate, plus tar and puckeringly firm tannins throughout. Long. I'd rate it higher if it were more complex, and/or also if it had a bit more follow through on the palate. As it is, it's largely tannins on the palate."

Same for me. While I love the style and I really enjoyed the wine there wasn't enough complexity to get it into the 90s.

Everything above this point is from the first night we tried this wine. I'm now having a glass after it's had a couple of days in the half bottle, and I must say that it has done very well. That's a bonus in itself - if you're like us and you don't finish the bottle on the first night, a wine that holds up well in the fridge is worth more than one that doesn't. The tannins have softened a bit and I think this has allowed more of the flavours on the palate to show through. I think this clearly deserves a 90 now.

Price: $38.29
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 90
Alcohol: 14%
Region: Sicily, Contessa Entellina
Tasted: Oct 2008
ANBL UPC: 8000852000151

Tormaresca Masseria Maime 2004

This wine is made from 100% Negroamaro, a relatively obscure grape grown almost only in Puglia. The name is usually said to mean "black bitter" though some say is means "black black" with the "amaro" deriving from Greek "mavro." One way or the other, it certainly is dark, dark, dark. But despite the name, not bitter at all. Oz Clarke says the grape is "sturdy in structure and can be both slightly farmyardy in flavour and have a distinctly medicinal edge." The Oxford Companion describes "chunk[y] tannins."

Well, I didn't get any of that. No farmyard at all, and just a hint of menthol. The tannins are not chunky at all. On the contrary, they are very refined - the wine seems almost soft at first but fine tannins linger on the finish. Really beautiful mouthfeel. Some dark fruit, but the flavours tend more towards leather and chocolate. It reminds me of a softer version of the Bocca di Lupo, which isn't too surprising - the grape is different, but the producer and vineyard are the same. If it has any negatives, it is that it is a bit short. But there is so much else going on that who can complain?

Price: $34.48
Value: 4/5
Score: 91(N) - 90(K)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasted: Oct 2008
ANBL UPC: 8026530000152

Pio Cesare Fides Barbera d'Alba 2003

This is going to be a short review because I last had this wine last winter and I didn't make detailed notes. The 2003 is no longer available, but I want to post a review because a new vintage is going to be available at the Wine Expo (likely the '05), and it is a wine worth looking for. The '03 Fides had beautiful balance and mouthfeel and the flavours are clean Barbera mid-notes in terms of fruit, but with great complexity in the chocolate / violets range. I served it blind to a few people along side the Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz (which got 98 from RP) and there was complete agreement that the Fides was much better, primarily because of its complexity. Wine Spectator gave the '03 an 89, but it clearly deserves much more than that. They tasted it in 2006 and noted that it was 'still tight' so it has evidently improved in the bottle. In any event, the '03 was a great wine and a great value. And by all accounts the Piedmont vintages from 2004 -07 were even better than '03. So no matter what vintage we see at Wine Expo, this will be a wine to try.

Price: Approx $39
Value: 5/5
Score: 93
Tasted: March 2008
ANBL UPC: No longer listed / Available at WineExpo '08

Ch. Montus Madiran 2002

Madiran is a dark masculine wine from the south of France. I'm a big fan of this style and the Montus is from Alain Brumont, by far the best known producer in the region. A lot of it is the mouthfeel. The tannins are big but not harsh and the wine coats your mouth with smooth persistence. But with all that said, I didn't like this as much as I expected. The nose is great. Restrained but with a distinct menthol note as well as some earthier notes I can't put my finger on (Kelly is the one with all the wine words) . But the palate is a bit disappointing in comparison. Great mouthfeel but not a whole lot else going on.

Kelly felt generally the same, but liked it better: here's her note: "Dark, luscious nose of stewed plum, cedar, violets, anise, campfire. Mostly fruit, licorice, and lots of tar on the palate. Long, with grippy tannins. The nose promises a bit more than the palate delivers, but on the whole this is a nicely structured wine with lots of interest."

Day 2 update: I like this quite a lot more on the second time around, even though Kelly says it may have faded in the half bottle. Maybe I'm just paying more attention today. There's lots going on, but mostly in the low notes, so you have to kind of pay attention. But it pays off if you do. I'm going to raise my original score from 88 to 91. (I should have known better than to disagree with Kelly.)

Price: $38.29
Value: 4/5
Score: 91
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Oct 2008
ANBL UPC: 3372220021019

La Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2004

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the third, or perhaps fourth, wine of Tuscany, less famous than Chianti, Brunello or the so-called "super-Tuscans" (made from international grapes). While it lacks the reknown of these other styles, Vino Nobile more than makes up in value. Kelly and I spent a fantastic two week biking holiday in Tuscany a couple of years ago, just about 20 km from the vineyards where La Braccesca is grown, and by the end of our stay we found ourselves mostly drinking Vino Nobile instead of the equally local Chianti or Brunello. We preferred the richer style of the Vino Nobile as compared to Chianti, and Brunello is outrageously expensive even in in the region where it is made.

Like Chianti and Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made solely or primarily from Sangiovese (called Prugnolo Gentile in this region). (Note that Vino Nobile is not made from the Montepulciano grape, which is grown mainly in the south.) La Braccesca, from Antinori, is a blend of 90% Sangiovese with 10% Merlot. It is not particularly long or complex, but it has very satisfying flavours in the dark fruit & leather range, supported by a beautiful elegant structure with fresh acidity and tannins that are a welcome middle ground between the softness of something like the Privada and the grippiness of the Bocca di Lupo. BTW, Wine Spectator also gave this a 90.

Price: $30.29
Score: 90
Value: 4/5
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 8001935001386

Tormaresca Bocca di Lupo 2003

I love this wine. Kelly says it's a manly kind of wine, and I'm a manly kind of guy, so maybe that's why. The nose is clean and elegant yet powerful - minerals, leather and violets. Well ok, it doesn't exactly smell like that, but that's what it reminds me of. It's got great structure and mouthfeel. The tannins are grippy but not at all harsh. Not a fruit driven wine. It reminds me of the Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes and in a different way it reminds me of a Barolo.

Wine Specatator gave it an 88, but noted that it "needs bottle age" and they tasted it more than two years ago. It must have developed, because right now this wine absolutely deserves more than that. With that said, while there's lots of interest and complexity here, when you look at the score keep in mind that this is probably my favourite style of wine. But this is an excellent example of the style and Kelly gave it the same score independently after tasting it blind. Here's her note: "Inky purple. Lush nose of violets, anise, plump blackberries, leather, tar. Same flavours are round and smooth on palate, with lots of anise, extra-firm and persistent tannins. Very long."

This is more in the old world style, but it could very well appeal to those who like a big new world wine. And if you do like the style, it's great value. (Note that Castel del Monte is in Puglia, inland from Bari, near the border with the province of Basilicata.)

Update Jan 2009: I tried another bottle with friends. While we all enjoyed it, the consensus score was a 91. I think this second score was more accurate and I was just more in the mood for that style of wine the first time I tried it. With that score I'd give it a 4/5 for value.

Price: $33.79
Value: 5/5 - 4/5 (2nd tasting)
Score: 93 - 91 (2nd tasting)
Region: Italy
Grape: Aglianico
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 8026530000091

d'Arenberg The Twentyeight Road 2005

Mourvèdre is typically found in a blend with Grenache and/or Syrah in southern Rhone. This varietal by d'Arenberg is an excellent fruit-forward (Australian!) version. I'm going mostly by memory here, so there's not much to this note - but I saw a couple of bottles in the Prospect St store, so I thought I'd post a note to say it's worth buying. We have 6 bottles in our cellar. Wine Spectator gave it 89 and Steven Tanzer gave it 91.

Since I have a few bottles in the cellar, I e-mailed d"Arenberg about the drinking window (their website isn't helpful) and this is what they said: "For our Twenty-eight Road Mourvedre, while it can be drunk now, this wine can also be cellared away for 10 - 15 years under ideal cellaring conditions."

Price: $33.99
Score: 91
Value: 4/5
Tasted: March 2008
ANBL UPC: 9311832393002

d'Arenberg The Derelict Vineyard 2004

I was a bit harsh about the d'Arenberg High Trellis a while ago, but I do like d'Arenberg as a winery. To prove it, I thought I'd review The Derelict Vineyard Grenache. Grenache is originally a Spanish grape (where it is known as Garnacha) but it is famous as one of the three main grapes of the southern Rhone. In Australia I find that Grenache can often be unpleasantly candied (something I've never noticed in a Grenache based Rhone wine). But this is a wonderful example of a new world Grenache. The distinctive Grenache candy is still there - the d'Arenberg website claims it's marachino cherry, and I'll go with that - but instead of being overwhelming it's just one element in a delicious balanced mix. A bit of a fruit bomb, maybe, but nothing wrong with that if it's done well. And that may even out with age. Their website claims it will age for 10 years or more, and Wine Spectator agrees, though I think it's drinking well now.

If you like Aussie style Shiraz, you should give this a try for an Aussie style Grenache. There are only a few bottles left in the province. Let's hope we get more of the next vintage!

Price: $30.70
Value: 4/5
Score: 91
Tasted: May 2008
ANBL UPC: 9311832467000

Farnese Edizione Cinque Autoctoni 2004

The "cinque autoctoni" refers to the five indigenous southern Italian grapes that make up this blend: Montepulciano, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Negroamaro and Malvasia Rossa. I'm not a big fan of Sangiovese which always seems a bit thin and acidic to me, but it's only a small part of this blend, which has a beautiful smooth mouthfeel. Dark fruit, but not a fruit-driven wine, with a smoky finish. After an hour it opened up and reminded me of a Brunello (not that I've had very many of those). It's been a while I tried it but this is a wine that has stuck with me.

The 2004 is no longer available, but the 2005 is on the shelves. Note: because of some bizarre Italian wine law, they're not allowed to give a vintage for this wine (I think because it isn't the approved blend for the region). So, instead of giving a vintage, they provide a "series number" - and luckily, that number just happens to be the same as the year in which the wine was made. But the number only appears on the back of the bottle - just so the authorities know it's just a random number, and not some sneaky way of getting around the anti-vintage law.

I hesitate a bit with the value rating as it's been a long time since I tried this wine, but I'm going to give it a 4/5 and a Recommended because it is an unusual style of wine - if you're looking for something different this might be for you. In any event, will someone please try the "2005 series" of this wine and let me know how it is!

PS - we tried the 2006 at the Wine Expo and found it to be somewhat disappointing.

Price: $40.48
Value: 4/5
Score: 90
Tasted: November 2007
ANBL UPC: 8019873924407

Château Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes 2000

Madiran? Tannat? The southern France appellation and its signature grape aren't really on the wine radar. That's the only explanation for why this wine is still lurking on the bottom shelves at Prospect Street. Alain Brumont is the most prominent wine maker of the region and the Vieilles Vignes is the first wine of his Bouscassé chateau. This wine is an intriguing blend of power and subtlety. It has firm mouth-coating tannins, but they don't overpower the complexity that falls mostly in what I think of as the "bass notes" - flavours in leather / coffee / dark plum spectrum. A very masculine wine (but my wife likes it too). It was scored 93 by WineSpectator and was #29 in their top 100 wines for 2003. Very different from the standard international style cab/shiraz/merlot - and very delicious. Bouscasse

Price: $49.55
Value: 4/5
Score: 94
Tasted: October 2007
ANBL UPC: 3372220020029