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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: Yarra Valley
2014 De Bortoli La Boheme Act Two Rosé
The label reads Pinot Noir Rosé. The blend is 86% Pinot Noir with Grenache, Gris and Syrah making up the balance. Full malo, 100% cask ferment, a bit of lees. Musky and slightly earthen aromas mingle with strawberries, rose petals and … Continue reading
2010 Oakridge Over the Shoulder Cabernet Merlot
The blend is 52%/48% respectively, all sourced from the Oakridge Vineyard in Coldstream. Fleshier and cuddlier than the Cabernet reviewed below. Very much open for business at the four year mark. Olives, leaf and herbs accompany the dark berried fruit. … Continue reading
2012 Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Whitsend Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Precisely what I’m looking for in Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon…even if it does include 2.5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. So elegant, uncluttered and timeless. I did mention to winemaker David Bicknell that the only thing missing was some Cabernet … Continue reading
2013 Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir
Will benefit from a stint in the cellar. One of the many reasons you’re getting this good a wine for twenty bucks is the early release. Both dark and sour cherries lean into plums. Rhubarb, earthy beetroot, tree bark and … Continue reading
2013 Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay
The quality and value for money of the Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay might become monotonous if it weren’t for the vintage variations captured so deftly each year. We’re very much in the white peach and ruby grapefruit spectrum with this … Continue reading
2013 De Bortoli Windy Peak Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
Riper and denser than the last three vintages. There’s still an interesting interplay between more hedonistic fruit, forest-litter savouriness and whole bunch herbs. Not much in the way of florals. Acidity is down this year but there’s enough succulence and … Continue reading
2012 dalla mia Finestra Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
dalla mia Finestra are a new producer to me. The Finestra vines were planted in 1989 with the sum of Bruce and Jo-Anne Lang’s fruit sold to others until the first release under their own label in 2003. I like … Continue reading
2012 dalla mia Finestra Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Elegant, Yarra Valley Cabernet in the luncheon claret mode (not meant to be pejorative or give any indication that it won’t age well) . An earlier pick was necessitated by significant bird strikes on the grapes in 2012. Has that … Continue reading
2013 Mayer The Doktor Pinot Noir
The final 2013 Mayer Pinot Noir to be reviewed on this site and probably the one that I find the least enjoyable – at least for now. A thick clip of oak is immediately noticeable and it makes this an … Continue reading
2013 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Chardonnay
A few years ago I considered De Bortoli’s Estate Chardonnay to be a little on the lean side – we’re talking the 2010 vintage. My opinion has changed over time to the point where I’m actually slightly challenged by the … Continue reading