An inviting medley from our cellar

Tag : Plums chocolate

Our cellar is overflowing, so here are some wines to tempt you.
Green Point Yarra Valley 06 Chardonnay Australia
Aroma: Some dusty oak and caramel aromas set the scene beforeclean, crisp, clean nectarine notes become more obvious. This wineis fruity and floral once you get past the initial dustiness. Agood shake-up delivers plenty of ripe stone fruit and caramel;quite a reserved aroma but interesting too.
Taste: Very citrusy, fresh and crisp. A medium-bodied wine withgrapefruit and floral flavours, not particularly complex but with alingering finish and aftertaste refreshing. Some acid spineprovides zing and holds together the weightier oak and maloflavours.
We commented that this pleasant, refreshing chardonnay was a bitexpensive for what it delivers. A couple of nights later, whenserved with food, it really came into its own. An excellent foodwine with crispness and elegance this observation points out howflawed wine tastings can be. Wine can drink far better in onesetting than another.
Price: $27.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block "Bull Block" 07 Pinot Gris
Aroma: Gentle and scented, reminding us of bottled pears andvanilla marshmallows. Typical of pinot gris, there is a gentle"wash" of aroma rather than anything really obvious.Given a shake-up, this wine becomes more aromatic, we commented onsome honey and biscuit notes and a floral lift.
Taste: Off-dry with a lip-smacking finish, there's little tocomment about initially but an explosion of sweet, juicy, aromaticflavour really takes hold mid-palate.
Varietal definition is a challenge with pinot gris, but this wineis very appealing, nevertheless. Weighty, rounded and smooth withan aromatic finish, there's a sugar line from mid-palate to theaftertaste.
A very approachable "drink now" wine with little acid toact as a foil for the syrupy characters. This one won't wipe youout as the unctuousness will slow down consumption. Very yummy justthe same.
Price: $24.95
Nautilus 05 Four Barriques Pinot Noir
This wine is very smartly packaged with a waxy-looking seal overcork.
Colour: An appealing shade of garnet, some brick red flashes, clearbut no longer brilliant.
Aroma: Lovely, very fragrant and lifted, loaded with plums, violetsand a nice hint of oak subtle and toasty. Typical of good pinot,the aroma is complex, the more time you take, the more there is toenjoy. Swirl the glass and enjoy hints of tamarillo and dry earth,prunes and a dash of leafiness.
Taste: A medium-bodied wine that packs in a plenty of pleasingflavour. This wine is spicy think ginger and cinnamon; flavours ofdark plums and herbs predominate, while the back of the palate istreated to a chocolate/coffee taste that melds with the plumminessperfectly. Firm, fine tannins complement this wine's flavours andthe finish is drying and dusty.
There's a good acid/ tannin/fruit balance and some finelyintegrated oak a wine to drink now or cellar for later either wayyou'll be rewarded.
Price: $55.
Make a note in your diary the 06 will be out in October and ordersare now being taken. Four barriques will make just 100 cases ofwine. Order or buy from the Nautilus cellar door (or by mailorder).
Villa Maria 06 Omahu Gravels Vineyard Hawke's Bay Merlot
The Omahu Gravels vineyard is the most easterly of Villa Maria'svineyards on the famed Gimblett Gravels. Omahu is, as the namesuggests, a lean, gravely site with shale and silt interspersedthroughout the loam; it is free draining and low vigour. This soilprofile assists in the vine's ability to produce aromatic fruit andthe winemaker comments that Omahu produces perfumed, elegant redwines with intensely concentrated flavours.
Colour: Inky purple red opaque and black at the heart of the glass.
Aroma: Blackberries, boot leather, warm earth and a mineral hintset the scene. There's some pleasant barnyard pong, tea leaves anda whiff of liquorice all these wonderful aromas that complement thejammy fruit component.
A well-balanced aroma that oozes class.
Taste: What a beauty. Grippy, ripe tannins team up with powerfulplum and blackberry fruit flavours which increase in intensitymid-palate. The fruitiness is slightly sweet at the start, but thefinish is dry, smoky, fruity and demanding of another mouthful.
A fruity wine with finesse, well structured with creamy oak thatenhances rather than intrudes on the overall taste. There's somelovely earthiness, liquorice and cedar wood flavour that lingers inthe aftertaste. Acid is in short supply in this merlot, so it's awine to enjoy now.
Price: $57.99