Edward Rasiulis

Foxglove Chardonnay 2009, Central Coast

Medium+ straw colour with medium intensity nose.

Positives: This is an easy drinking unoaked Chard featuring peach, honeydew melon, honeysuckle, lemon, apple, chalk minerality & a light creamy finish. Medium body with good acidity & long length.

Negatives None.

Drink now on its own or pair it with raw oysters.

Tasted: 15 Feb 12

Best Buy

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Spinifex Papillon Grenache/Cinsault/Carignan/Shiraz 2010, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Medium ruby in colour with a slight cloudiness and a medium+ intense nose.

Full flavour wine that is truly enjoyable. Best Buy at the clearance price.

Positives: The wine is complex featuring cedar, plums, white & red peppers, strawberry, raspberry, cassis, cloves, cinnamon, basil, sage, dried leaves and mushrooms. Medium body and medium tannins with good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: None

Drink now or over the next 3 years on its own or pair it with tenderloin grilled steak.

Tasted: 4 Oct 2013

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9/10 (Clearance price: 9.5/10) Total: 18+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4+

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2010, VQA Okanagan Valley

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

I don’t know if I like it or dislike it? I tried this a day later and I liked it. Needs time to open up.

Positives: Medium+ toasted oak with light butter, lemon, flint, pink grapefruit, peach pit, and limestone. After a day the wine opens up to feature mangos, golden apples, and cantaloupe. Medium body to medium+ with good acidity a long length.

Negatives: None

Drink now on its own or pair it with lobster.

Tasted: 13 June 13

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

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

Pedro Martínez Alesanco Reserva 2006, Doca Rioja

Medium+ ruby in colour with a medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Notes of cedar, sandalwood, cherry covered with black dark chocolate, raspberry and rosemary. Medium body with medium to medium+ tannins, good acidity a fairly long length.

Negatives: None

Drink now or in the next couple of years on its on or pair it with grilled lamb chops.

Tasted: 21 Nov 12

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

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

Gallo Family Laguna Vineyard Chardonnay 2008, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Description: Gold in colour with medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Slightly creamy with medium toasted oak, buttery, pineapple, mango, oranges, caramel, lemon, apple, limestone and butterscotch. Medium to full body, good acidity and long length.

Negatives: Slight sourness on the finish.

Drink now or over the next 2-3 years on its own or with lobster and drawn butter.

Tasted: 25 Feb 12

Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 8/10, Total: 16.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Quinta Dos Carvalhais 2008, Doc Dão

Medium ruby colour with a medium to medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Oak, cherry, rhubarb, blackberry, sage, plums & turn tamarind. Medium+ body & tannins with good acidity & length.

Negatives: A little green to have on its own.

Drink within the next 2 years & match it with ribeye steak.

Tasted: 13 June 12

Score: 8.5, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Capezzana Barco Reale Di Carmignano 2010

Deep ruby in colour with a medium minus intense nose.

My new favourite wine to pair with pizza

Positives: This wine features cedar, sour cherry, Bing cherry, oregano, sage, rosemary, raspberry, leather, graphite & fresh cut carnations. Medium body with medium+ tannins, good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: None

Drink now or over the next 5 years on its own or pair it with pizza.

Interesting Point: Tasted the wine from the smaller Chianti/Zinfandel wine glass & the larger Cabernet Sauvignon glass; in the Cab glass it was dull & muted, while shined in the Chianti glass.

Tasted: 17 January 2014

Best Buy

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Ramón Bilbao Tempranillo Gran Reserva 2004, Doca Rioja

Dark ruby in colour with a medium+ intense nose.

If you want a really good Tempranillo Gran Reserva for under $30 this one is it

Positives: This smooth yet complex wine features cedar, sandalwood, dark cherry, plums, vanilla, coconut, Rosemary, mint, cinnamon & nutmeg. Medium body with medium low tannins, good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: None.

Drink now on its own or cellar it for another 4 years and pair it with grilled rack of lamb.

Tasted: 21 Nov 2013

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4+

Château Haura 2008, Ac Graves

Description: Dark ruby in colour with a medium+ intense nose.

Positives: Although I found the nose better than the taste, in saying that the taste is very good. This wine features cedar, blackberries, ripe tamarinds, leather, pencil shavings, tobacco leaves, mushrooms, mesquite, peppercorns & graphite. Medium body with medium+ tannins, acidity & length.

Negatives: None.

Interesting Point: Needs to decant for 30-60 min to soften it up.

Drink now or over the next 5 years on it its own but with taste better with high protein foods like steak.

Tasted: 25 Aug 12

Best Buy

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Lailey Merlot 2010, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Deep ruby in colour with a medium+ intense nose.

A juicy Merlot of good quality

Positives: This wine features cedar, plums, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, star anise, cinnamon, forest greens, oregano, sage, and radicchio. Medium+ body with green tannins, good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: Right now a little too green.

Although you can drink this wine now after decanting for an hour, it should mellow over the next 2-5 years. Preference would be to drink this with a rib-eye steak, medium-rare.

Tasted: 25 Aug 2013

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10 (Clearance price: 9/10) Total: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4