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For Your Pleasure
"For your pleasure
In our present state
Part false part true
Like anything
We present ourselvesThe words we use tumble
All over your shoulder
Gravel hard and looseThere all night lying
With your dark horse hiding
Abhorring such extremes" - Bryan FerryCategories
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Category Archives: Clare Valley
2013 Pikes Traditionale Riesling
A worthy follow-up to the excellent 2012 release. A touch tighter and more restrained, as is the theme with these 2013 Clare Rieslings, yet it’s still juicy enough to be enjoyable in its youth. Expressive aromas and flavours. Lemon sorbet, … Continue reading
2013 Pikes Luccio Pinot Grigio
When I really like a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Gris it’s often related to the fact that it falls into one or the other camp neatly. This probably says as much about me as it does about the wine. … Continue reading
2013 Pikes Luccio Fiano
A distinctive take on Australian Fiano from Pikes. A nod and a wink to texture and nigh medium-bodied, I can see this having broad appeal. It’s going down well with Vietnamese rice paper roles as a I type. It’s minty … Continue reading
2013 Annie’s Lane Clare Valley Riesling
Given the collective celebration of all things “boutique” (which I’m happy to be part of) it’s always interesting to check in on the corporate world of wine. Yes, I’m talking about those self-professed “Vintrepenuers” and “Guardians of the Vines”, Treasury … Continue reading
2013 Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Dry Riesling
Pretty sure most of us ended up agreeing that the 2012 Jim Barry Lodge Hill was of a very high standard even if it threw some (myself included) for a bit of a loop and dropped off other people’s shopping … Continue reading
2013 Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling
A Riesling that plays with a straight bat. The Australian top order could learn a lot from it. Thank the lord for Ashton Agar. It’s a touch shy on opening but as it finds its feet it becomes intensely lemony … Continue reading
2013 Jim Barry Watervale Riesling
This is perhaps even better than the highly acclaimed 2012 Jim Barry Watervale Riesling. The flavours are pretty similar but the focus and extension seems to be ratcheted up another notch. Lemons over lime with some orange zest, jasmine and … Continue reading
2010 Cappa Stone Wines Clare Valley Shiraz
When I review wines that aren’t particularly good I try to be polite but sometimes it really is difficult. Skinny, awkward, mawkish. Plums and menthol alongside some vegetation. Shrill acid, harsh tannin. Finishes on a coffee oak note. Cheap coffee too. … Continue reading
2012 Vinteloper ODEON Riesling
From the Watervale subregion of the Clare Valley. Thought the 2011 ODEON was a pretty special wine but this 2012 rendition leaves me strangely cold – especially given the expressiveness of the vintage. Interesting to note that the listed ABV has … Continue reading
2012 Pikes The Merle Riesling
Built like Merle from “The Walking Dead” – for the long haul. Polish Hill Riesling to the core. Coiled intensity. Steely and stony with lemon and lime riding shotgun. Excruciating concentration sets it apart. A suggestion of salinity and breathtaking … Continue reading