Laurance of Margaret River 2010 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Semillon is definitely not my favourite by any stretch of the imagination but this wine really impressed me. Exceptionally pale and clear there is a grassy green tinge to this wine that you really have to look for. Wonderfully fresh and fragrant this has aromas of fresh cut grass, lemon zest and light hints of melon. Juicy fresh pear and lemony/grapefruit flavours are highlighted by high acidity and a slight minerality. This wine is well balanced with good length and is great crisp fresh summer drinking.

Simply put this is light, crisp easy drinking. High acidity and fresh citrus flavours most people will love this, especially if you like SSB in the first place.

This is another wine that featured on the Qwoff boy's TV review and got a great wrap, also well regarded by Ray Jordan and recently received a Gold Medal at the Sydney Royal show. I give this a 9 out of 10 and it borders on a 9.5. It's definitely one of the top 3 SSB's I tasted whilst in the region. 

Again this wine is at the upper end of the scale price wise retailing at $26 a bottle but you better believe it is worth every cent. The same as the Rosé its not widely available but if you can get your hands on it you'll be happy I'm sure.

I would buy and drink this wine any day of the week and will probably order some once I get through the rest of the wine I've had shipped over here. Personally I don't think the bottle is as attractive as the others but it may just be the colour of the roses on it. The only thing I think Laurance could do better is make their wine more easily purchasable for the every day consumer, I like the philosophy of not being in every bottle shop around the country and lowering the price point of the wine as a consequence but something as simple as an online store verses having to call up or fax in an order form would just make it easier and more likely that lazy people like me who loved the wine but live on the other side of the country buy volumes of their vino. Get a bottle of this one as its a cracka, good luck and happy drinking.

Laurance of Margaret River 2010 Rosé

Ok this next few are just from notes I took at the vineyard the other weekend, I had a spare hour so I thought I'd get a few more up here.


At first glance this Rosé looks like some sort of cocktail as it is a deep electric pink with a purplish tinge, it shimmers in the bottom of the glass and is crystal clear. The nose is lifted red fruit aromas, strawberries and raspberries with a hint of rose petal in the background. Rich sweet ripe cherry, rose petal and raspberry dominate the palate which is clean with a dry finish, raspberry lingers leaving your mouth watering for more.


For a dry Rosé this wine has some great fruit sweetness that will change the mind of most people who don't like dry Rosé. Great, infact better with food this is a great bottle for most occasions and will not disappoint.


Good wrap from Ray Jordan, Blue Gold at Sydney International Wine Show 2011 and a 9 out of 10 from me.


At $25 this is at the upper end of the Rosé price bracket but is totally worth it. According to the cellar door staff this wine is only available cellar door and David Jones, there are distributors around the country that have placed the wine in restaurants and the Melbourne distributor Put a Cork In It sells case loads to the public. (www.putacorkinit.com.au)


I love this Rosé and would buy it any day of the week. As with the Laurance Icon the packaging is outstanding and really makes a statement. I really hope you all enjoy this wine, I did! Happy drinking.

2007 Wills Domain Cabernet Merlot

This one I've just discovered in my care package but I also made notes at the weekend so I'm going to taste and share.

Deep in colour the purple hue is quite attractive and invites you in. Lifted herb and spice aromas that blend easily with blackcurrant and almost black forrest to fill the complex nose of this wine. The palate is quite soft, medium in body with cassis and good black current fruit there is a gentle tannin structure and good length. Easy drinking I think this wine will get slightly better with a bit of age and will be fantastic with food.

Basically if you like a good approachable red that is a little too easy drinking this could well be it for you. It is quite light for a Cab Merlot and would be better with a bit of steak or perhaps something a bit gamey like a rich venison steak with a red wine jus. I find there is good black fruits in this wine with a finish that is almost like a few minutes after you've finished a Ribena drink that you mixed a little strong. ( In a good way of course)

Halliday 94, local critic Ray Jordan 93 and Me 8.5 - 9 out of 10 and a big thumbs up.

The current vintage sells over the cellar door for $27.50 and I don't really see much online. Wineroom.com.au seems to have it for around $25 but honestly visit the cellar door and support a great little producer. I think at $27.50 I wouldn't be disappointed.

Expect a few more Wills Domain wines on here as I did like the range as a whole. Cellar door was also very impressive and in hindsight I probably should have had my lunch there as the menu looked very appealing. Good luck guys and happy drinking

2010 Stella Bella SKUTTLEBUTT Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

Having recently received a care package of a few premium Margaret River wines and loving them I decided to visit the region on the weekend just gone to check out their Vintage Festival. There were a great list of exhibitors there and I tasted as I expected a bundle of fantastic wines. Whilst I was in the region I decided to get around and see the sights both before and after the festival day on the Saturday so expect quite a few Margaret River wines to feature shortly as I shipped home 12 cases from various cellar doors. I have to say freight can be expensive from the region back to sunny Melbourne but some of the wines will be available from larger liquor outlets so I'll do some research as to where they are available over here.

I found Stella Bella at the festival and then dropped by the cellar door on Sunday as I do like Stella Bella's wines and range. This one stood out so here is my little run down on white for something different. A gorgeous light straw green the clarity in this wine makes you see the marks you have left on the other side of the glass where you haven't polished it properly. The fresh citrus and light passionfruit aromas jump out of the glass at you inviting you in. Zesty and fresh on the palate this is well balanced with citrus and stonefruit dancing across your tongue. Good fruit weight brought by the Semillon most likely the wine is medium in length with a very clean but crisp finish, this is a fantastic wine as a refreshment on a hot summers day. The final blend let slip by James Halliday to be 50% Sav Blanc, 43% Semillon and 7% Chardonnay.

Basically put this is light, crisp and yummy! Quite acidic and not as tropical fruity as a Marlborough Sav Blanc but probably easier drinking and much better with food. If Sav Blanc is your thing then definitely give this a crack for something different.

James Halliday and the Margaret River wine show judges have given this a good wrap with a 94 and a gold medal respectively. My personal opinion here is not much short of a 9 out of 10 and that is considering I don't normally drink blends like this.

Value for money? At $18 absolutely, I think anything shy of $20 that is good honest drinking is fantastic value for money. Dan Murphys has the previous vintage at $17.09 in any mixed 6 pack so any price under $20 you are getting a great deal. In fact www.thevinepress.com.au has this little beauty at $14.99 if you are looking for a bargain.

As previously stated expect a bunch of Margaret River wine to appear up here in the coming months as I've shipped a ridiculous amount home, received a care package from a regular reader and also scribbled a million notes on my little travels over the weekend just gone. I'll try to mix it up with other things from my cellar and other purchases but most definitely Margaret River wine just cemented itself on my Radar as a great choice when at a bottle shop or restaurant. Good luck and happy drinking.

2008 Turkey Flat Rosé

I stumbled across this bottle in my cellar and simply thought "this has to be drank". Turkey Flat rosé was the wine that really turned me into a rosé drinker so here it goes.

Very rich red berries on the nose this particular wine also displays aged characteristics with a slight kerosene aroma. It is still very pleasant on the palate with fresh raspberry and red currant flavours. There is a distinct lack of acidity which was present with this wine in its youth but there is still excellant balance to it. The attractive salmon pink of this wine has started to be lightly tarnished by a brown hue at the rim but that's what happens when you leave a rosé down that really wasn't meant to be.

In short, great wine but buy the current vintage. Nice red fruit, good balance with nice fruit sweetness and a dry finish. You'll love it with or without food.

James Halliday gave this a 94 and the next vintage a 96, personally I give this vintage knowing its age an 8 out of 10 where as if I drank it when I should have it would have been a 9-9.5.

Affordability wise this should fall under $20 in most cellars and if you find it in that bracket then seriously you are getting a steal. This wine is nothing short of great.

If you like dryer styles of rosé then this is for you. If you like sweetish rosé then you probably will still like this. Make sure you buy the current vintage and drink it almost straight away. Don't spoil a beautiful wine like I have by letting go for too long. Good luck and happy drinking.

2009 Evans and Tate Frankland River Riesling

I grabbed a bottle of this the other night from a bottle shop whilst visiting my favourite Thai restaurant just for something different and was pleasantly surprised, I'd have to say that I would normally lump Evans and Tate in with the commercial brands that I don't often drink as I prefer to support the smaller producers but on this occasion I just wanted a cheap bottle for the night, as such I thought I'd grab another bottle and share my thoughts with you all.

A pale lemon yellow this wine is clear as crystal and glistens bright in the glass. There is intense floral aromas about this wine that are quite complex, apple blossom and violet perhaps and are backed up by subtle lime and a distinct minerality which I believe is common of all Frankland River riesling. Crisp and highly acidic on the palate this wine makes your mouth water for minutes after it enters your mouth. Green apple and slate stand out in the palate with a cool citrus undertone that will intrigue you. Light in body and medium in length overall and enjoyable drop that will only get better with age.

Basically a cracking riesling. I know not everyone likes a crisp riesling so if you don't enjoy that mouth puckering acidity then this won't be for you. But if you appreciate riesling at all this will jump out of the glass at you and you will not be disappointed.

I've struggled to find any other reviews on this particular wine as have I found it quite hard to buy anywhere else than this one little cellar in South Yarra. The only place I can seem to find it online is a Margaret River Regional Wine Centre website, even Mc Williams wines website doesn't seem to have an online store. Price wise at $19.95 a bottle you really can't go wrong, like really! This wine in my books is nothing short of a 9 out of 10, really it should be a 9.5 and in 1 to 2 years probably will be.

Well I'm certainly going to put a 6 pack of this down to cellar as its just too good to pass up and I would recommend it to anyone. Frankland River Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling is the only other I've tasted that stands up to this one but even Dan Murphy's sells that at a higher price tag. Do you like Riesling? Yes? Go Buy One NOW! Enjoy!

2003 Peter Lehmann Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon

I was strolling through my local Dan Murphy's just the other day and spotted this one on the shelf. It was a modest $34.99 but after reading the label I couldn't resist. Peter Lehmann's wines being one of my more favourite commercial producers out of the Barossa I trusted that this would simply just be good, even though the tasting note said 4-5 years peak drinking.

The cherry red of this wine has stretched almost right to the rim which is distinctly bricked showing off its age. Lifted savoury forest floor aromas have started to over run the black forest fruits which are still lingering lightly. This wine definitely needs air as prior to decanting lightly I found it surprisingly closed and dull. The complex aromas are almost confusing but needless to say there is a very pleasant nose on this wine. The palate has become dry and earthy with very heavy dark chocolate undertones, most of the fruit has dropped off but with food this wine is still wonderful. There is a slightly obnoxious acetone taste which I can't seem to get past however which means I have to wonder if this would have been better with a little more youth.

Simply a good aged Cabernet that is probably past its best, there is a definite quality to this wine which we have all come to expect from Peter Lehmann's range but if you don't enjoy dark chocolate characteristics or heavy earthiness in wines then don't get too excited.

As with my previous post I have to mention the labelling on this range. I love the cards reference in the labelling for all the entry level wines and the fact that it refers to the gamble that Peter Lehmann made when setting up his massively successful wine business. If only we could all make that gamble.

I think that in its youth this wine would have been a solid 8-9 out of 10 but unfortunately my tasting and experience tonight has not warranted that sort of rating, if I was using a 100 point scoring system then it might have squeezed early 80's but as I'm only giving scores out of 10 the best I can give this wine as it is now is a very generous 7.

As previously stated I purchased this wine from the Dan Murphy cellar release range but have since found whilst searching the web for it that previously you would have been able to purchase it at Wine House for about $18. Personally I can't say that its now worth the price I paid but if you enjoy very earthy complex wines that are now lacking in fruit then by all means go out and grab a bottle as the complexity is definitely still there and enjoyable.

Well till the next time good luck with your purchases, be adventurous, try something new, good luck and happy drinking!! (note I couldn't find a 03 photo so I'm using the current vintage which looks exactly the same except that its under stelvin)