Expectations exceed, considerably! Curtis Family Vineyard’s Martins Vineyard Shiraz 2016 is a beaut... serious quality on show here. -

Blackberries and plums, hints of blueberry combined with anise and a touch of vanilla. Fresh, definitely in no way dense or jammy, there’s a real elegance here. The body is full, palate rich, texture perfect, and the fruit shines. Blackberry, plums, dark chocolate richness that’s silky and smooth. There’s oak, American, but it’s extremely well integrated giving the slightest vanilla notes, more complexity than expected, and super velvety tannins. What a ripper!

 Expectations exceed, considerably! Curtis Family Vineyard’s

Block 6 at its magical 124 year old best. Dense, full, and effortless this is a Mclaren Vale shiraz of serious quality with a tannin structure and texture that’s a real standout. All in all, a beauty thanks to the strength of those ancient vines planted in 1892.⁣ ⁣

 Block 6 at its magical 124 year old best. Dense, full, and

Is bigger better? When talking wine, my answer is most definitely yes. Aging at slower rates the large formats produce rounder, lusher wines with age yet retain freshness. What’re your thoughts... is bigger better? ⁣

Certainly no shrinking violet here, just pure Barossa class at its best. Grant Burge Meshach 2008, magnum, 1500ml of outstanding grape juice from 100 year old Barossa Shiraz vines. Awesome stuff! ⁣

Surely it’s almost time to see how this beauty has developed! Just need to find some willing drinkers to join me!!⁣ 🙌 🔥 ⁣

 Is bigger better? When talking wine, my answer is most

Dowie Doole BFG, Big Friendly Grenache perhaps, and big it certainly is. The nose shows the trademark aromas of raspberries, red candies, rich strawberry compote, not overly sweet with a dried herb note to finish. On the palate it’s lush and smooth with a big hit of red berries up front providing great texture and vibrancy. As the fruit fades there are lovely residual notes of earthy minerality coupled with fine tannin providing nice length. Elegant. Great for a Tuesday! -⁠

 Dowie Doole BFG, Big Friendly Grenache perhaps, and big it

Woodlands “Russell” Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is a masterpiece from West Australia. The colour sets the scene. Impenetrable with a dark, black red core and dark red rim. Aromas of ripe blackcurrant and liquorice send your tastebuds into overdrive. There’s a vanilla characteristic, perhaps imparted from the 19 month stay in medium toasted French oak barrels, which passes to reveal earthy spice flavours. On the palate the class continues as the generous tannins support the wine through to the finish of classic blackcurrant and mulberry goodness. This is a superb wine now, and will only get better with age.⁣ 🍇

 Woodlands “Russell” Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is a

Kicking-off the week with a medium- bodied McLaren Vale Shiraz, courtesy of Curtis Family Vineyards. Lots to like here. Plenty of fruit, great  concentration, powerful yet quite elegant all up. It’s a quality drop that’s playing in a pretty serious pool of wines from that neck of the woods and doing a very good job! -

 Kicking-off the week with a medium- bodied McLaren Vale

Rusden Black Guts and pizza.... Maybe my favourite way to spend a Saturday night. Do you have a cheap meal wine? What’s your go to? ⁣

This Shiraz from the hot 07 vintage has held up pretty well! It took a solid few hours to open up properly revealing florals, plums, charred meaty characteristics. More medium bodied than the usual Barossa style with bottle time allowing for those tannins to soften nicely. Very, very good!! Worth adding to any wish list!!⁣

 Rusden Black Guts and pizza.... Maybe my favourite way to

What was the last wine you had that got you thinking? Or, got you doing a little digging into what it’s all about? 🍷🍇

For me it’s a fantastic wine from vintage of the decade in Piedmont. Bruno Rocca Langhe Nebbiolo 2016. Such an awesome expression of Nebbiolo that’s beautiful now and clearly going to evolve for years to come. It’s entry level for Bruno Rocca wines made from Barbaresco vineyards with younger vines, up to 15 years old. It packs an awesome flavour punch to complete with the bigger names and price tags for sure. I can’t wait to explore more of what they have to offer! This could easily become an addiction.... Glad I’m stocking up!! 🍷🍇

 What was the last wine you had that got you thinking? Or

On the scale of iconic vineyards and producers this Mount Pleasant 1880 Old Hill is in the Pantheon of great Australian wines. Despite this status it amazes me that between 1965 and 2013 this incredibly old vineyard was blended with other wines in the range. Utterly mind-boggling when you think about it. Either way, since 2013 this single site expression of Hunter Shiraz has been a must have of mine. There’s not much, in my opinion, that can top a top-notch Hunter Shiraz in full swing. It’s just a bit of me.

 On the scale of iconic vineyards and producers this Mount

 Fugazi Grenache in a few months. Simply put, this is mouth-wateringly awesome! Do yourself a favour and go buy one (if you can), sit down, and get stuck in… Light bodied, raspberry, red fruitiness, fine grained tannin, and a beautiful finish make this wine a complete joy.⁣ ⁣

 This is my second bottle of the 2018 @ochotabarrels  Fugazi

Wendouree’s Malbec varieties never fail to disappoint. These two, the Shiraz-Malbec 2000 and Cabernet-Malbec 2005, were absolutely bang-on. Only showing the first signs of age with the colour starting to shift. The fruit, still there in buckets, dark and brooding. Fine, slightly grippy tannins and good acid hold them  together and they finish long, very long. Plenty of life left in these two!⁣

 Wendouree’s Malbec varieties never fail to disappoint

​I’m a big fan of the wines produced by

_dixon and this is no exception. Pinot Nouveau 2018 is such a glugable flavour bomb perfect for those warm summer days. That being said, it certainly isn’t a one track wine showing simple fruits, but a delicate raspberry, red fruit, festival of flavour with a carbonic edge. Love it, want more, will get more!!⁣

glasses?? I’ve never had better stemware! 🍷 ​

 ​I’m a big fan of the wines produced by @glaezter _dixon

. The Black Label, first released in 1954, is made using the top 20-25% of Terra Rossa grown Cabernet Sauvignon each year. It’s a beautiful wine with a strong reputation for extended cellaring. I’ve enjoyed many over 15 years old and they’re fantastic. Have you tried it?  How do you rate it? ⁣

The 2012, still a baby, shows deep red / purple in the glass. On the nose it’s bright, intense, and deep, think cassis and dark fruits. Tasting is a pleasure, violets, dark fruits and a savory edge starting to emerge with firm tannins that’ll integrate well over time. Fantastic wine, buy while it’s still good value!! ⁣

 Quintessential #Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon from

Baby Runrig? Similar in format to Bin 389 and Grange with one spending time in the others old home.

 Descendent 2015 is a Barossa Shiraz Viognier, 92% Shiraz / 8% Viognier, made from Runrig cuttings planted in 1994. It was one of my standout wines when I visited Torbreck a few months back. So much so I left with a few. Dark fruits, earthy, olive like characteristics and peppery charcuterie to finish. It’ll definitely benefit from a rest and a good decant.

If you’re planning a trip to the Barossa make sure Torbreck is on your list. The range is awesome, the Cellar Door is beautiful and the people were fantastic! —

 Baby Runrig? Similar in format to Bin 389 and Grange with

What would you choose for your Tuesday treat? My Choice? Enter St Hallett’s Old Block 2014. ⁣ 🍷 ⁣

A mixture of Barossa and Eden Valley fruit from vines⁣ averaging 88 years old spanning 9 vineyards. It’s a masterpiece and beyond elegant! Deep, dark blackberry, blueberry notes and fresh coffee on the nose. Medium⁣ bodied, powerful yet refined flavours of dark fruits, plums, blueberries, and savoury earth notes on the palate. Long, finish!

If you’ve not tried Barossa / Eden Valley blends this is⁣ right up there. Get it on your list. Enjoyment factor maxed!!⁣

 What would you choose for your Tuesday treat? My Choice?

Not a bad drop for a Friday! 2014 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru. Attractive nose, takes time to fully show itself but once open it delivers mineralité and lifted black and red fruit. Crisp on the palate with fine tannin, supported by black fruits and a stony characteristic on the finish. ⁣⠀

I think it needs a few more years of bottle age for my taste, but it's quality without a doubt!! ⁣⠀

 Not a bad drop for a Friday! 2014 Latricières-Chambertin

If it was good enough for Thomas Jefferson it’s good enough for me. Such an interesting wine! Made to match tasting notes from Thomas Jefferson’s European travels in the 1700s this Nebbiolo ticks a lot of boxes. Light, translucent ruby, in the glass with fantastic fresh red fruit characteristics of rose, cherry, hints of raspberry. Fruity, but not over sweet and it has the faintest hint of fizz due to fermentation finishing in bottle. This is a decent drop for people keen to explore different expressions of Nebbiolo, I’d happy buy this again! 🍷🍷

 If it was good enough for Thomas Jefferson it’s good enough

 the Amon–Ra 2015. Sometimes you just need a quintessential Barossa shiraz and this ticks all the boxes. Black fruit, blue fruit, charred meats, coffee-like notes and a touch of vanilla on the nose. On the palate it continues with complexity and muscle in a very elegant almost graceful way. Cassis and blackberry lead the way on the palate with velvety tannins and very long finish. Definitely one for the cellar and a very classy wine!!⁣

 Boom! Barossa belter from @glaetzerwines  the Amon–Ra 2015

There's a definite romance to opening a bottle of wine with a corkscrew. Opening a bottle becomes an event, the precursor to the experience. Just imagine how many bottles these old school screws have opened!