Tim Wildman Australia Tasting

1. Knappstein Riesling 2008
Clare Valley, South Australia
Lime, apple and floral on the nose. Dry, medium body. Crisp with medium-intensity green fruit on the palate. Good length with a floral finish. Well balanced, good fruit character. A very good New World riesling.

2. Shaw + Smith "M3" Chardonnay 2008
Very pale. Buttery oak, but done well - not like the overoaked Chardonnays which everyone fears from the bad old days. Green and stone fruit on palate. Good length with a round, soft mouthfeel. Some nuts, particularly on the finish and a slight tannic feeling on the tongue. I like this. This is the type of wine Jen would say smells of popcorn. Once the wine is drunk, the glass still has a strong sweet, vanilla aroma.

3. Yering Station Pinot Noir 2004
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Relatively deep colour for a pinot noir. Cherry, other red fruits and wood on the nose. Also beginning to develop a little bit of the vegetal aromas. Served slightly chilled which has made the acid more prominent and the overall feeling is of a crisp wine. The tannins are a little green - particularly on the finish.

Not awesome by any stretch of the imagination, but pretty good.

4. Balnaves Cabernet-Merlot 2007
Coonawarra, South Australia
Amazing minty, leafy smell overlaying the black fruit. Some tobacco leaf. Concentrated and intense on the palate. High acid, high tannin but well balanced. A slightly dusty mouthfeel. Lots of complex flavours - cloves, cinnamon, something a little medicinal. Fantastic length. Palate tastes younger than the nose so probably got some ageing potential. An excellent wine.

5. Willunga 100 Grenache 2006
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Simple, jammy fruit. Some vanilla, some spice. A little dusty tannin. Good fruit intensity. It has ripe fruit but no real complexity. However, I still like this wine - it's very pleasant to drink.

6. Stanton and Kileen Rutherglen Muscat
12-year old
Rutherglen, Victoria
Toffee, marzipan, raisins, nuts, cinnamon. Ridiculous intensity, ridiculous length... and this is only an entry-level Rutherglen. Bitter like coffee. Sweet, but good acid prevents it from ever feeling cloying. Rich and complex. This is excellent.

Incidentally - a Rutherglen Muscat undergoes:
- fortification before fermentation is complete (like a port, to retain sweetness)
- baking under a tin-roof in the boiling sun (to oxidize, like a madeira)
- aged in oak in a system similar to a solera (like a sherry)
so no wonder it is awesome!

Domaine Laureau Savennieres "Cuvee des Genets" 1999

Cooked apple, smells very ripe. Apricot and honeysuckle on the nose. However, the wine is bone dry with a slight waxy feeling. An interesting combination. Very acidic, but feels mellow on the palate. Lots of complexity. The palate has younger and fresher fruit than the nose. A complex, stoney finish. Very good.