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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: Orange
2009 Cargo Road Sparkling Zinfandel
Australia’s only sparkling Zinfandel…which won’t surprise many readers. Winemaker James Sweetapple really is obsessed by the variety. As you walk down the stairs into the winery a lengthy shelf of emptied Zinfandel and Primitivo bottles from all over the world sit … Continue reading
2012 Cooks Lot Shiraz Lot #1010
As with most of these Cooks Lot reds, this is a rather insubstantial wine. The wet and cool vintage conditions may have a had a lot do with that, although the 2013 Pinot was much the same. Cool climate regions are no … Continue reading
2013 Cooks Lot Pinot Noir Lot #1111
A less successful Pinot Noir from Orange but it’s fair drinking. A bit light on substance and lolly-like. Sweet raspberry and cherries with touches of leaf and rhubarb. Chocolate oak outline. Black spice and a slightly bitter herbal aftertaste. Couldn’t … Continue reading
2012 Swinging Bridge M.A.W. Pinot Noir
Swinging Bridge winemaker Tom Ward is on a winner here. I liked it when I had a look in Orange last year and enjoyed it again over two days of tasting this month. Single vineyard, 910 metre altitude. Slick, slinky texture, alluring … Continue reading
2011 Cargo Road Botrytis Gewürztraminer
You won’t find a lot of dessert wine reviews on this site because there isn’t a large audience for them and I don’t often drink them. Now and again though, I come across an example which warrants attention. This is … Continue reading
Posted in Dessert Wines, Gewürztraminer, Orange
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2012 Swinging Bridge Mrs Payten Chardonnay
From the Balmoral Vineyard which sits at an altitude of 870 metres in Orange, NSW. Matured in a combination of new and used French barrels for ten months. Initially it looked a little obvious but with some air it started to … Continue reading
2012 Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Chardonnay
Interesting to see the enthusiasm this wine has whipped up since I first saw it. It impressed when I visited Orange but given that I only spent about five minutes with it before moving on to other wines in a … Continue reading
2013 Cooks Lot Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Lot #589
The Semillon is sourced from Cowra and the Sauvignon from Orange. 60%/40% respectively. Very grassy with bitter herbs, pineapple and passionfruit. Bracing lemony acidity. Despite the tropical flavours it comes across as dilute and disjointed. Chill it hard. 85 Region: … Continue reading
2013 Cooks Lot Riesling Lot #333
You would want to find it for less than the recommended retail price but it’s a fair expression of traditional dry Australian Riesling. Florals, sour green apple, limes, lemons and rind on a base of wet slate. Decent focus, intensity and … Continue reading
2013 Cooks Lot Pinot Gris Lot #666
Australian Pinot Gris. Lot 666. The number of the beast. Apt most of the time. Muted aromatics. I suspect there’s some barrel work here adding texture but detracting from the overall fragrance. The palate is more forward if obvious in terms … Continue reading