Winetastic

‘Gateway’ is the name of Peterson’s entry level sparkling wine from the Hunter Valley, it is made from 100% Semillon and impressed us at the cellar door for being very easy drinking and refreshing.

Petersons Gateway exhibits crisp and refreshing flavours of green apple, lemon and a hint of toast. Simple and very easy drinking, this wine has fine bubbles and is far better than the usual yeasty swill found at its price point.

The first bottle of this wine I purchased had cork seal issues and was basically flat. Petersons did the right thing, stating that they recently had a faulty batch of corks and replaced the bottle for no charge. They also plan to move to crown seals in the near future, at which time I will be even more inclined to purchase their excellent bubbles.

Score: 89/100
Price: $17.50
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 11.5%
Other Opinions: Peterson House
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, I wish it was available in bottle shops

I picked up a bottle of the Bleasdale Shiraz Cabernet 2003 the other day because it has been getting a fair bit of good press and it also happened to be on special for $10 per bottle.

Aromas of ripe plums, red fruits and a hit of leather, this blend of 51% Shiraz and 49% Cabernet Sauvignon tastes a bit dirty, with dark fruits, bitter herbs and a little tannin and spice. A couple of hours later the fruit character was more foreward, however the wine still failed to excite.

I must admit that although it is a decent wine for the money, I fail to see what the fuss is all about. For a similar price you could pick up a far better bottle, such as a Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz 2002.

Score: 82/100
Price: $12
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Bleasdale
Would I buy this wine again?
No

I just noticed that we have now published 100 wine reviews here at Winetastic in just under 12 months:

71 red wines, 19 white wines, 6 dessert wines, 3 sparkling wines and 1 fortified wine.
33 Shiraz, 14 blends, 11 Cabernet, 8 Riesling and 6 Semillon (a number that needs to increase).

It is definitely time to crack open a bottle of wine to celebrate…

This bottle had been sitting in the cellar for around 2 years now, it saddens me to think there is only one left. With spring making its appearance known, I will definitely be drinking more Semillon in the near future.

Developed straw yellow in colour, this full flavoured Semillon is showing both youthful lemon and acid alongside developed lanolin aromas and subtle honey flavour. An excellent match for a creamy chicken dish.

Irongate were still selling the 2001 vintage from the cellar door last month, well worth grabbing a bottle or two. On a side note, thank you to Irongate for supplying the bottle photo, however their website content is seriously out of date and was built using flash, its time for an update!

Score: 90/100
Price: $20
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, I really enjoyed this Semillon while young and I look forward to seeing how the last bottle develops in a couple of years time.

Another day another Shiraz, this time it is the Longhop Boomerang Shiraz 2005, which is the entry level “drink young” offering from the winery.

Mere moments after opening, vibrant aromas of sweet plum and berry were present. Intense dark plum and cherry flavours are followed by a wave of spicy oak and tannin on the palate. One day after opening the tannin had toned down, however ripe blackberry fruit flavours remained as intense as ever. It should be noted that the winemaker has avoided creating a “jammy” or overripe style.

For my tastes this wine really does need a little time to settle down, I expect it will be a cracker bbq wine in two years. At $13 per bottle (case price) direct from the winery, you would struggle to find a better value for money Shiraz.

Score: 89/100
Price: $15
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 15.5%
Other Opinions: Torbwine
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, very good quality for the money.

I purchased a mixed dozen of wines from Longhop last week based on a nod from the Red Bigot, 4 bottles each of the Boomerang Shiraz 05, Old Vine Grenache 05 and The Longhop Old Vine Reserve 2004, which is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Shiraz.

Inky purple/red in colour, this wine exibits complex aromas of fleshy plums, cherries, blackcurrant, and mint/eucalypt. On the palate there is an initial burst of juicy plum and blackcurrant fruit, chased down the line by plenty of powdery drying tannin that leads into a very long finish with hints of mint and charcoal. A powerful but well balanced wine.

The quality of this blend literally oozes out of the glass, however it really does need a few years in the cellar to allow the feisty tannins to settle down.

Score: 92/100
Price: $25
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: Vinosense, Torbwine
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes at $25 it represents good value for money.

Last night we were hunting for a red which would not neccessarily require any breathing time before drinking at a restaraunt. The staff at our local bottle shop suggested the Chapel Hill Shiraz 2002 since it has already spent a few years in the bottle.

Mere seconds after opening, this wine exhibited open dark fruit aromas and full bodied flavours of plum, dark berries and spices that lead into a slightly earthy finish with fine, velvety tannins. Very easy drinking and a nice match for Osso Buco.

This review marks the stage that I embrace the dark side of the force and begin scoring wines on a 100 point scale. This has become somewhat of a defacto standard scale of the wine media, so hopefully my scores will have more meaning for most readers.

Score: 88/100
Price: $19
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Chapel Hill, Wine Amateur
Would I buy this wine again?
If I saw a bottle for $15 or less, yes.