Category Archives: Adelaide Hills

2011 Shottesbrooke 1337 Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc

Probably a good year to try your hand at a Botrytis style white if you were sourcing grapes from the Adelaide Hills. It was particularly wet there in 2011. Short, simple and a bit stubby. Marmalade, honey, apricot nectar and … Continue reading

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2013 Teusner Woodside Sauvignon Blanc

Also comes in a proprietary bottle but I don’t have an image of it yet. So we’ll make do with a bottle shot from the previous vintage for now. I’m pleasantly surprised by the excitement I feel tasting my first … Continue reading

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2012 Vinteloper Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

Hand-picked from 19 year-old vines, fermented in small open fermenters using indigenous yeasts. Sees ten months in one and two-year old French oak hogsheads. An open nose of cherries, undergrowth/vegetation, rhubarb, a number of grinds of pepper, sap and cinnamon. … Continue reading

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2011 Yalumba FDW[7c] Chardonnay

So good to see this wine again after it skipped a year in 2010. It’s a go to Chardonnay and this release is cracker jack gear. For the uninitiated, FDW[7c] = Fine Dry White with the [7c] referring to the batch used. … Continue reading

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2011 d’Arenberg The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay

It’s had its ups and downs, the d’Arenberg Lucky Lizard Chardonnay. I tasted a 2007 at the winery’s 100th birthday celebrations last year and it was looking very smart indeed. The flavour and aroma profile of this 2011 release is reminiscent … Continue reading

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2012 SC Pannell Arido Rosé

A small confession – I never really enjoyed Steve Pannell’s Rosé all that much when it was made from McLaren Vale Grenache. I like this Adelaide Hills version based on Nebbiolo a lot more. Nebbiolo’s a great grape for Rosé, … Continue reading

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2012 SC Pannell Pinot Grigio

I’d still call this a Grigio despite the fact that it has plenty of ripe flavour and a sense of sumptuousness. The acidity has that wet slate character giving the wine ample freshness and structure without coming across as at … Continue reading

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2012 Scott Fiano

The best Australian Fiano I’ve tasted. It has texture, something which is sadly lacking or underplayed in a lot of local expressions. The same applies to Vermentino if you ask me. Ripe pear drops, white flowers, preserved lemon, guava and an inference of … Continue reading

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2012 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay

I eagerly await the release of the Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay each year. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to grab a bottle of the small run 2011 release. It looked quite smart when I tasted it last year. Anyway, the … Continue reading

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2012 Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

A blend of 70% Clare Valley Semillon and 30% Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. It’s probably my third favourite wine in the Grosset stable, ahead of the Pinot, Gaia and Chardonnay. There’s a bit of ripe fruit sweetness here but it’s still … Continue reading

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