RUSDEN Cabernet Sauvignon (Boundaries) 2003

Grape                             : Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of Origin : (South) Australia
Region                           : Barossa Valley
Vintage                         : 2003
Producer                     : Rusden
Alcoholic Content : 14%

Damage to my purse : About S$42 each for a case of 6.

Characteristic :
Ruby-red and medium bodied.  Of pronounced aroma of cassis on the nose, and of slight spicy sharpness that triggered the senses.  On the palate, it was like a jammy fruit bomb, with picking up notes of cedar, almond, and oak.  Lovely texture, of velvety smooth tannins, balanced acidity, and good length.

MY TAKE : A very good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (I haven’t drunk for a long time), and of great value too.

James Irvine Grand Merlot 2005 (Eden Valley)

Grape : Merlot
Country of Origin : South Australia
Region : Barossa (Eden Valley)
Vintage : 2005
Alcoholic Content : 14.5%
Producer : James Irvine

Damage to my purse : Great buy from a wine distributor at S$65 (which could cost around S$100 or more).

Characteristic :
Rusty burgundy (in colour).  This wine can pass off as a full bodied Merlot.  It was extremely jam-my, plummy, with lots of sweet preserved fruits and some undertone of oaks on the nose.  With generous creamy smooth entry, quite a savoury wine.  It has consistent rich and condensed sweetness of raspberries and preserved fruits,  slightly spicy with some oak in the backdrop.  Do decant this wine as it has lots of sediment and required at least an hour to aerate.

MY TAKE : This James Irvine Grand Merlot 2005 was not your usual Merlot; it was very heavy and full bodied.  Because of its densely sweet nature, the wine will pair well with food like foie gras, duck dishes, and even kurobuta pork belly.

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2010

Grape                              : Shiraz blended with some Viognier
Country of Origin : Australia
Region                           : Canberra (Australian Capital Territory)
Vintage                          : 2010
Alcoholic Content : 14%

Damage to my purse : Bought from a wine distributor at S$89 (a great buy).

Characteristic :
Bright crimson-purple in appearance.  A medium bodied wine, and has intriguing aromas.  It has got layers and layers of perfumes and spices; very addictive nose.  On the palate, again, it was drawing and the taste was not obvious.  It has got fine berries, plums and raspberries, of velvety smooth, with defining tannins and subtlety.  Very long lingering cascading arrays of flavours.

MY TAKE : This wine was of opulent elegance, every sip drew you to want more.  By far, the best wine I have ever tasted from this region.

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier is the best from the lot.

Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2007

Grape                              : Shiraz
Country of Origin : Australia
Region                           : Canberra (Australian Capital Territory)
Vintage                          : 2007
Alcoholic Content : 14.5%

Damage to my purse : Bought from a wine distributor at S$44.

Characteristic :
Intense dark ruby in appearance.  A full bodied wine, and was tinkering sharp on the nose with high intensity of dark fruits and spices.  Some decanting (like 30 minutes) is needed.  When paired with red meats or cold cuts (recommended with food), this wine transformed itself into a savoury shiraz providing layers of juicy plums and dark cherries, with some notes of licorice and dark chocolate and very smooth finishing.

MY TAKE : This wine has to go with food.  It actually tasted woody and slightly ‘sappy’ on its own.  But once I worked the wine with some cold cuts (like the iberico sausage), it transformed itself into an acceptable bottle of shiraz.  Dramatically different!

Olive Hill 2003 (Burge Family Winemakers)

Grape                             : Shiraz (50%), also with Grenache and Mourverde
Country of Origin : (South) Australia
Region                           : Barossa Valley
Vintage                         : 2003
Producer                     : Burge Family
Alcoholic Content : 15%

Damage to my purse : About S$45 each for a case of 6.

Characteristic :
The colour is deep plum red and is medium to full bodied.  It was mildly sharp and oaky on the nose with appealing fragrance of ripen plums.
The fine flavour of dark cherry got stronger toward the mid-palate, along with rich and creamy feel of some dark chocolate and vanilla and always with a great balance of sharpness and very smooth finishing.

MY TAKE : So far the reds from the Burge Family have not disappointed.  I like the smooth and rich mouth feel.  It’s a pleasant evening wine and so enjoyable that I cannot tell it has a 15% alcohol content.

Rolf Binder Hales Shiraz 2009

Grape                              : Shiraz (mainly) with a small percentage of Grenache and Mataro
Country of Origin : (South) Australia
Region                           : Barossa Valley
Vintage                          : 2009
Alcoholic Content : 14%

Damage to my purse : Bought a case from a wine distributor at S$36 each.

Characteristic :
The colour is deep purplish-red.  It’s a medium to full bodied wine with piercing sharp nose and requires a little breathing.  After some breathing, it has light scents of leather and cassis/ raisins.  The forward taste was jammy black-current, with some flavours of cherry and consistent tannins and acidity throughout.

MY TAKE : Due the the sharp piercing nose, it was not so promising when it was just opened.  But this wine gets better as it drags through the night.  It’s good to have it on a lazy laid-back night with some greasy burgers or pizzas.

Clonakilla O’riada Shiraz 2008

Grape                              : Shiraz (blended with a tiny percentage of Viognier)
Country of Origin : Australia
Region                           : Canberra (Australian Capital Territory)
Vintage                          : 2008
Alcoholic Content : 14%

Damage to my purse : Bought this Clonakilla O’riada Shiraz from a wine distributor at S$59.  I also bought 2 other shiraz (also by Clonakilla) and will blog about them in the days to come.

Characteristic :
A medium bodied wine with very powerful nose of spices, vanilla, and peppers.  Some decanting (like 30 minutes) is needed.  The forward taste was smooth with chocolate velvety feel, there were some dark fruits in the mid-palate and with lingering spices, slight peppery, and mild tannins finishes.

MY TAKE : For some reason, I do not really like that spicy taste present in this wine.  The forward taste was good but the rest was rather average to me.

TORBRECK RunRig 2004

Grape                              : Shiraz (blended with a small percentage of Viognier)
Country of Origin : (South) Australia
Region                           : Barossa Valley
Vintage                          : 2004
Alcoholic Content : 14.5%
Wine Advocate         : 99 points

Damage to my purse : Bought at S$200.  Actual retail price is at least $250 and restaurant price $600++.

Characteristic :
This wine was extremely full bodied and its colour was so dark, to an extend, it looked onyx.  Even after decanting the wine for more than an hour (I think 3 hours of decanting is needed), the smell was still aggressively sharp and with punches of fruity fragrance.  The taste was too intense and heavy, and small sips were needed to really taste the wine.  There were taste of ripen dark berries, sweet dried dates, licorice, pepper, strawberry jam, bitter (slight), and other fruity flavours.  A little sappy and the finishing was smooth but with the syrupy sweetness lingering for a while.

MY TAKE : 1 glass per seating is sufficient, any drop more will be too over powering for the palate.  For the price, I find this wine lacks finesse.

HEWITSON Private Cellar SHIRAZ Mourvedre 2006

Grape                               : Shiraz Mourverdre
Country of Origin   : (South) Australia
Region                             : Barossa Valley
Vintage                           : 2006
Alcoholic Content : 14.0%
Producer Branding: Private Cellar (It’s a 1.5 litre bottle, a.k.a. Magnum.  Only 200 magnums were released.)

Damage to my purse : Got a very good deal at less than S$400 for 4 magnums.  Some other places were selling at S$400 per magnum.

Characteristic :
Appearance – extremely dark purple-red.
On the nose – great fragrance from prune, black cherry, and oak.
On the palate – intense black cherry, plum, spice, and fine oak.  Consistent tannins but never overpowering.  With long and smooth finishes.

MY TAKE : Excellent wine to bring for this coming CHRISTMAS celebration!

KAESLER Alte Reben Mataro 2008

Grape                               : Mataro
Country of Origin   : (South) Australia
Region                             : Barossa Valley
Vintage                           : 2008
Alcoholic Content : 16.0%
Producer Branding: Alte Reben (extremely limited release of 100 dozen only)

Damage to my purse : About AU$80.

Characteristic :
This is a very ‘powerful’ strong red and has to allow at least 2 hours in the decanter.
It is full-bodied with colour of deep purple-red.
With extreme intensity to both the nose and the palate, with taste of ripen fruits, sweet cherries, and very smooth finishing.  This is not your usual straight-forward red.

MY TAKE : An incredibly heavy wine with alcoholic content higher than most reds.  It’s a great wine to share with a few friends.