Category Archives: Riverina

2013 De Bortoli Sacred Hill Traminer Riesling

A value for money offering using Riverina fruit. It hits the spot. A slippery sucker, not much form but pretty good acid balance to counter the sense of sweetness. Rose water, lime sherbet, lychees, musk and pears. Fairly simple yet surprisingly … Continue reading

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2013 De Bortoli La Bossa Pinot Grigio

The 2012 version used Riverina fruit. I’ve tossed the bottle after tasting but I presume this is from the same region again. Faint aromas and flavours. Lemons and limes mostly with some subliminal Nashi pear. Slightly saline. Has some roundness suggesting light … Continue reading

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2013 De Bortoli Deen De Bortoli Vat 2 Sauvignon Blanc

Pretty good value here if this kind of wine floats your boat. Grassiness over herbs, tart gooseberry and passionfruit with a few chunks of pineapple. Some asparagus on the side. Clean, crisp, refreshing, dry and not achingly acidic or pointy. … Continue reading

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2009 Deen De Bortoli Vat 4 Petit Verdot

Poor Petit Verdot. A useful blender but generally left out in the cold as a straight varietal wine. Funnily enough, it’s the best of the new Deen De Bortoli red wine releases this time around. Signature violets, mulberries and blackberries … Continue reading

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2010 Deen De Bortoli Vat 1 Durif

A handy little Riverina Durif here. Not that I drink much Durif but it’s a grape with character and I respect it for that. Firstly the aftertaste and where the real pleasure lies for me; ironstone, spiced orange rind, burnt caramel … Continue reading

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2010 De Bortoli Deen Vat 6 Verdelho

In the most recent edition of the ‘Wine & Viticulture Journal’ (September/October 2011) Bleasedale winemaker Paul Hotker makes the following remark regarding Verdelho – “who needs Vermentino; if we called it [Verdelho] Vermentino we’d sell three times as much.” Hmmm…I’m not … Continue reading

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2008 De Bortoli Noble One

Riverina 10.0% Screwcao 375ml $32 It’s rare that an Australian dessert wine excites me. The last to do so was Brown Brother’s 2006 Patricia Noble Riesling. Brilliant stuff – I’ve downed around four bottles in the last two years. The 2008 Noble … Continue reading

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2009 Westend 3 Bridges Durif

Now under screwcap for your peace of mind… Riverina 14.5% Screwcap $20.95 A rather refined, perhaps introverted rendition of Australian Durif – given the variety that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Plum, blackberry, vanilla, dark chocolate, cloves, blood and red soil … Continue reading

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2007 De Bortoli Vat 1 Durif

NSW, Riverina 14% Screwcap $9.50- Tasted 16/7/09 Whacked into a decanter for an hour and this is what came out- Rich Durif density of fruit with burnt sugar and iodine. And it is rich in the mouth but the tannins … Continue reading

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De Bortoli Black Noble

Riverina, NSW Fortified Semillon 17.5% Screwcap with a Cork underneath? $32- Tasted 4-13/7/09 So, to the wine I recommended as a gift for the pope (though not entirely for him to consume) when WineWeek asked the general public what wine … Continue reading

Posted in Fortifieds, Riverina | 2 Comments