Here are some of the wines I have enjoyed over the last 2+ months, since before Christmas 2009:
Some of the highlights are:
- Dopff au Moulin 2007 Riesling – quaffing Riesling from Alsace – highlight because it’s the 1st non-Oz Riesling we tried, and it was quite enjoyable. being slightly off-dry, it matched the simple Chinese food we had for dinner.
- Domaine Lucci 2008 Red Blend – an interesting blend of 4 red varieties to produce a Rhone-style red (from their website) – i enjoyed its roughness and slight edginess. their wine are made unfiltered and unfined, but this drop was nice & soft, with a good rustic feel.
- Henschke 2006 “Keyneton Estate Euphonium” – varieties thrown into the mix are Shiraz, Cab Sav, Cab Franc & Merlot – i decanted this for 1+ hour, served to accompany the cheese platter for the “dessert night” Laine hosted on Christmas day. being young, the fruit was right at the fore. the time spent breathing definitely allowed the wine to open up, as it showed vibrant fruit, underlined by soft tannins. it’s a med-full bodied wine, and pleasingly was able to hold its own even against the blue cheese that Del contributed to the platter. a really good drop – i should have bought more of it when it was on special at DM’s.
- Trevor Jones 2008 “Virgin Chardonnay” – this must be the 1st ever Chardonnay that i’m writing about! what intrigued me about this wine is that it’s totally made from free-run juice (i.e. from crushed grapes before being pressed), and i thought i’ll have a go and see if i’d like Chardonnay made this way. nice varietal nose and palate. unfortunately, still unable to woo me into liking Chardonnay (i’ll stay loyal to Riesling).
- Trevor Jones 2006 “Wild Witch” Reserve Dry Grown Shiraz – flagship of Trevor Jones’ fine wine range – flavoursome, powerful, big, bold, packs a punch… everything you’d expect from a well-made Barossa Shiraz from excellent fruit. there was plenty of tannin and good acid to balance out the generous amount of fruit, pepper & spiciness. nice beautiful long finish. i only had 1/2 glass worth of this, so i was careful to savour it… and still managed to allow Laine 1 sip (how generous of me!).
I’m looking forward to taste more nice wines, and to properly educate & develop my palate, especially now that I’m working as a winery accountant.
Drinking more wine is no longer just for personal enjoyment… it’s also a work requirement now! :p

Posted by ryklim 