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It's my 4 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳
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What we’ve been sampling recently.
Blue Gables Jesse Chardonnay from East Gippsland. Sold Out!!
Narkoojee Reserve Chardonnay East Gippsland hidden gem, great wine and a great restaurant.
Monichino Rose. Rubarb notes, it’s a pity they’ve closed.
Vinteloper Watervale Riesling from the Claire Valley.
Sticks from Yarra Valley a 2021 Chardonnay.
Finally, my two ladies. Dad and daughters day on Saturday 😘
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Weekend deserves a reward.
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Winter warmer for a Friday night in. The Monichino 2017 Barbera. Everything a Barbera should be, in spades. Another winery that’s stopped producing and didn’t have the energy to keep it open, or in the family. They couldn’t find a buyer either, too far from Rutherglen and too far from Yarrawonga? A real pity. We stopped there last time we were up North. Tasted a cellar release of an old Tawny from the 70’s, wine lovers get recognised no matter where they go. Thank you Monichino.👍🏻😘
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Finally back home after 2 weeks away 🥱 … guess what, we’re out to a Thai restaurant tonight… Brown Rice in Chelsea.
Jo has picked out the perfect wine from the collection, A Coriole (McLaren Vale South Australia) Piquepoule. Soft delicate almost salty taste, recommended for seafood but compliments spicy food nicely. 2020 vintage so a little bit more age helped tame down any sharpness. Curry puffs, stir fry prawns with basil and cashews and massaman curry.
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But wait there’s more wine drinking in China. Dinner invitations every night.. but sometimes you need time out. Me alone in Shanghai with a book for company. Destination 8 Pints
A cute little ’pub’ with enough choice on tap to please anyone. Good range of bar snacks all reasonably priced.
Quite a crowd of young punters out on the streets after 8, quite buzzing area.
After that brief message from marketing, back to the vino.
A white Bordeaux and an Erigone from French Pyrenees, Madiran.
First the Erigone which is a wine I hadn’t tasted before. Tannat and Cab.Sav. Although the producer said they only use Tannat. Very dark in colour and taste but not intense.
The White Bordeaux was a blend of Sauv Blanc and Semillon which always make a great friendship when balanced. Flavour with body.
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Grand Dragon Cab.Sauvignon. Yep Chinese red wine. It’s come a long way since I first tasted Sino Vino back in ‘99. Rule of wine: You only taste the successful ones. This wine wasn’t remarkable but when in Ningbo….
Back to the old world.. Bordeuax Libourne. Bordeaux can bring together the best of CabSav and Merlot but get the ratio wrong and Merlot will disappear. This one had the right balance.
Treated to dinner at one of the best restaurants in Ningbo central city. I’m going off point and post food photos.
The little clams were bursts of flavour sweet, sour and chillies, normally I’m not a seafood man but these little devils changed my mind.
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Now let’s start the China (business) trip. I didn’t take a picture of the label but I started with a Clombard-Chenin Blanc at the Mad Dragon on DongHu road in Shanghai. I loved the mural so much so I’ll post that.
Next stop a little wine bar down the road.
Casa Silva Reserve Chardonnay 2021 in Colchagua Valley central Chile. I could taste that they had used mostly old oak and finished in stainless. Unripe peach and nectarines was the predominant flavour. Great on a hot night in Shanghai.
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It’s been a wine fest these last few weeks. A couple of wines at home and around and two weeks in China. “Hang on! Wine and China?”, you say? Indeed, hardly an Australian wine to be seen there because of the duties they’ve whacked us with but some other interesting wines from South America and Europe.
In China there isn’t much “by the glass” as they prefer to sell the bottle.
Enjoy the trip!
White Dot Moschofilero from the GI Peloponnese in Greece. This boy was quite light and a bit savoury. They say this grape is a chameleon and can express different characteristics depending on its terroir.
Two bottles from the cellar now: Steels Gate Home Block Pinot Noir 2020. Remarkable wine delivered by people passionate about their product.
We had the Yering Farm 2016 Chardonnay maturing nicely and said “You can’t sit on this one forever”. An expression of what’s good in Yarra Valley with a view difficult to stop looking at… memories.. Tammy and Jen getting pretty tiddled on my bespoke Yarra Valley wine tour, fun day out.
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We met an old friend at The Spanish Bar in Seaford on the weekend. The vino blanco from Lopez de Haro in the Rioja! Now that’s a great find in the wilds of bayside Melbourne.
Jo and I went for an educational tour of the winery back in 2018, they couldn’t have been more welcoming.
To walk in the caverns dug into the hill over 100 years ago, say hello to the spiders guarding against the cork moths and appreciating the moulds and mildews keeping the humidity constant was an experience we’ll never forget.
This white was light straw coloured and had a good body and pleasant long lasting aftertaste and it went perfectly with the delicious seafood paella served. A double taste of 🇪🇸.
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An old friend gave itself up on the weekend. My last Downing Estate Heathcote Shiraz (2008).🥲
You won’t find Downing’s anymore because the vineyard is now leased to the Treasury Estate behemoth (in 2017).
The mineral notes typical of Heathcote reds and the ever popular Geoffrey’s blend will probably not be seen again, such a shame.
Downing’s were famous for not releasing their wines until they were ready. This Reserve Shiraz had my note to not drink before 2020. It was still mighty fine in ‘23 and could have had a few more years.
R.I.P.
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A little trip down to the Peninsula on Friday to a winery we’ve not been to, Abelli Estate in Red Hill, opened to punters in 2018 but the vines were planted in the 1980s.
Greeted by wonderful staff and listen to a great cautionary tale of what happens when you stand too close to the gas fire in a puffer jacket. Feathers and melted Jack still in evidence.
Fabulous lunch washed down with 2018 Pinot Noir, juicy cherry and beautiful clear cerise colour with lifted red berries on the nose….another packed away for the cellar😉. Cheers!
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What’s been in my glasses lately. The Oakridge Winery Block Shiraz was a teenager and worth the wait. Oakridge is definitely Yarra Valley’s showcase.
The Lagrein is one of Peter Forrest’s playgrounds where he’s allowed to plant out some of the more unusual varieties. Lagrein is normally at home in Northern Italy but Marlborough seems to suit it just fine.
Coriole’s Chenin Blanc is putting in the glass what you expect, crispy apples and pear, a little treat from McLaren Vale.
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What we’ve been drinking lately … pm me for my tasting notes.
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2020 Chardonnay, complex but fresh, from a cool climate. Delish!
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A superb Forrest Lagrein 2020, the right balance, full bodied and fruity without being fruity. Cherries and Plums and crisp.
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