Edward Rasiulis

Elderton Shiraz 2007, Barossa, South Australia

Dark ruby to purple in colour with high intensity on the nose.

Positives: Lots of red & black currents, mocha, spiciness, sweet plums & earth tones in both the nose & taste. There is a lot going on in this wine. Full body, medium tannin, good acidity & long length.

Negatives: Lots of heat coming from the high alcohol.

Interesting Points: This is a typical well made Shiraz from Barossa that's a meal in itself. Drink now on its own or pair it with a rich spicy Italian dish.

Best Buy on the sale price.

Tasted: 17 Oct 11,

Score: 9+/10, 8/10 (sale price: 9.5/10), Total: 17.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Château Montus Madiran 2006, Ac Madiran

Deep dark ruby with a hint of garnet on the colour & medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: A complex & higher end wine from the South of France. Notes of cedar, blackberry, dark cherry, mulberry, raspberry, macintosh apple, leather, pencil shaving, turmeric, all spice, arugula & radicchio on the finish. Full body, medium+ tannins, good acidity, long length & alcohol is well integrated.

Negatives: A little astringent & thus needs time to age.

If you're drinking this now, decanter for 2 hours & pair it with medium rare steak.

Tasted: 11 Mar 12

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Score: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

The Paring Red 2006, Santa Ynez Valley

Opaque inky ruby colour, med+ intensity, I can smell the vapors of alcohol. Cedar, cassis, blackberry, menthol, basil, cigar box. High complexity showing warm climate style. Taste has med+ tannins, med acid, balanced, full body, with high alcohol. Taste is mild compared to the nose. Cedar, black currants, some cranberry, leather notes, twiggy, spinach which gives it a bit of a green bite. Not worth the price. Score: 7, Value: 4, Total: 11/20 After being opened up for 2hrs, the nose is more fragrant with carnations & blueberry pie. On taste it was still linear, but does open up with mulberry & dark cherry. The spinach turns more to artichoke. Long finish. Score improves a bit, 7.5. Nose is 9.5

Cooralook Pinot Gris 2008

Bright gold in colour with a medium to medium+ intense nose.

Positives: An easy drinking Pinot Gris styled between the Italian Pinot Grigio and Alsace Pinot Gris. This wine is crisp with lemon, honeysuckle, pink grapefruit and pineapple. Medium body with good acidity and a fairly long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Point: The 2008 is on sale now for $11.95, which is a great deal.

Drink now on its own or pair it with Chinese food.

Tasted: 19 Jan 13

Best Buy

Score: 8.5+/10, Value:10/10, Total: 18.5+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5+

Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Barossa Valley, South Australia

This is a typical Barossa wine, big & powerful. Visually it's inky, opaque & purple to arterial red in colour. Med intensity on the nose that shows cedar, turmeric, anise, cassis, dark chocolate, plums, blackberry, pencil shavings, raspberry, cigar box. Complex nose. On the palate it's dry, med+ acidity, med+ tannins, full body, long length, there's heat from the 15.5% alcohol. Complexity on the taste. In addition to the notes on the nose, there's dark cherry, leather, tar & spinach. This wine needs to be matched with something just as powerful, try porterhouse on the grill. This will be even better with 3-4 yrs cellaring, even though it's a screw cap. If you drink now I suggest you decant first.

Score 9/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18/20.

Tasted 29 April 2011.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre Fourchaume Chablis 1er Cru 2008, Ac

Medium straw colour with low intense nose.

Positives: Very easy drinking and good minerality that one would expect from a 1er Cru Chablis that is further enhanced by honeysuckle, lemon, mandarin, stone fruit, granny apple & pink grapefruit. Medium minus body with good acidity & medium+ length.

Negatives: None.

Interesting Point: This wine won silver at the 2010 Concours Vignerons Independants. I was able to pick this wine up for $22.40 which would make it a best buy.

Drink now on its own or pair it with Blue Point oysters.

Tasted: 25 May 12

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18.5/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Bonny Doon Beeswax Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc 2008, Arroyo Seco, Central Coast

Medium gold in colour with medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Notes of Verbena, lemon oil, honeysuckle, beeswax, apricots, peach, almonds, ripe pear, cantaloupe & shale. There is some oak but it’s well integrated. Medium to medium+ body, good acidity & long length.

Negatives: High Alcohol. Interesting Things: This winery is biodynamic & I like the traditional old world wine label.

Drink now on its own or pair it with raw oysters in a honey-ginger vinegrette.

Tasted: 4 Feb 12

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Emiliana Winemaker's Selection Syrah 2009, La Quebrada, Casablanca Valley

Not impressed. Nothing negative, but nothing positive. That was what I thought when I first opened it 18 Aug 2011. I put the cork in the bottle & decided to open it the next day. The nose was like wooden fire in a clear cold snowy night with cherry kirsh, cola, blackberry, raspberry tea & chocolate mocha. The taste was just as good. It went from a score of 7/10 to 9+/10. Value: 9/10, Total: 18+/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Veuve Ambal Grande Cuvée Brut Crémant De Bourgogne, A.C. Burgundy

Gold in colour with fine mousse & plenty of them. Medium intensity showing classic champagne notes of baked apple, biscotti, pear, lemon & white flowers. The taste is dry, good acidity, long length, medium+ body and balanced. Taste shows lemon, apple, pink grapefruit & pear. The nose is more complex than the taste. This sparkler is refreshing to the taste & would pair with nicely with classic champagne dishes of caviar & oysters.

Best Buy.

Tasted 17 July 2011.

Score: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Esporão Tinto Reserva 2008, Alentejo

Deep purple to ruby in colour with a medium minus intensity on the nose.

Positives: Notes on the nose are mushrooms, light oak, raspberry, blueberry & cherry. The taste is smooth showing plums, blueberry, sandalwood & rosemary. The wine is medium body, medium tannins with medium+ acidity & length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Point: Nothing really wows me on this one.

Tasted: 21 Nov 11.

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 6/10, Total: 14.5/20