Saturday, April 05, 2008

Wine Tasting - Australia + 1

AUSTRALIA+ - Hollywood Wine & Espresso, Portland OR (4/4/2008)


Friday Flight at Hollywood Wine & Espresso, 4075 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR 97212.


Wines of Australia...plus 1


Tasting wines from Australia, plus 1 from Napa Valley


  • 2006 Stephen Pannell Sauvignon Blanc - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
    Sweet and fruity...not my style. Good - 82 points. (82 pts.)

  • N.V. Patritti Shargren - Australia
    Interersting "black bubbly"...a sparkling blend of shiraz and grenache. Very sweet, tastes like sparkling grape juice. A little confusing...not used to my red wine fizzing in my mouth. Good - 82 points. (82 pts.)

  • 2006 Earthworks Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Bright sour cherry fruit, lots of mineral flavors, bitter finish. Good - 84 points. (84 pts.)

  • 2004 Schulz Zinfandel Johanne - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    While zin is not my thing, this one wasn't too bad. Big spicy fruit with some pleasant earthiness, and very fruity finish. Good/Very Good - 84 points. (84 pts.)

  • 2006 SlipStream - Australia, South Australia, Clare Valley / McLaren Vale
    A nice shiraz-grenache blend from McLaren Vale. Big fruit, nice terrior, with a long peppery finish. Excellent - 87 points. (87 pts.)

  • 2006 Kaesler GSM Stonehorse - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    VERY nice Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre blend! Incredibly smooth, great fruit, leather, tar, pepper flavors swim around the mouth. Finish of black fruit and pepper. Excellent/Outstanding - 90 points. (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Epsilon Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Wow. Wine of the Tasting! Incredible nose of pepper, dark fruits and earth. Very well integrated, with balanced acidity, fruit and tannins. Great fruit flavors, mixed in with some nice terrior. I could drink this all night! Outstanding - 92 points. (92 pts.)

  • 2003 Tudal Family Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
    This was the only non-Australian wine in our tasting, added, according to HW&E owner Dennis McLearn, "because I can!". Nice nose, blueberry, earth and a bit of heat. Sweet blueberry fruit and some earth, leather and pepper on the palate. Finish is long, and very pleasant. A close second for WotT. Outstanding - 91 points. (91 pts.)

  • 2005 Massena Durif Howling Dog - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Fun factoid of the night: "Durif" is called Petite Sirah here in the states. I can see why the dog is howling...this is a tannic monster! Thick, inky black and teeth-staining. Huge fruit, oaky, but overpowering tannins that leave you wanting a glass of water. Would be much better with food. This has the potential to be outstanding, but way too tannic right now. - Excellent - 90 points. (90 pts.)


Posted from CellarTracker

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