The Top 500 Wines 2005-2006

THE TOP 500 WINES 2005-2006

www.tysonstelzer.com

2005-2006

Tyson Stelzer THE TOP 500 WINES 2005-2006

www.tysonstelzer.com

on the hunt for the best wines in Australia and New Zealand…

change the world by what you drink 3 the top 500 wines explained 4 on the road 6 join the club 6 the top 500 wines 2005-2006 7

the top light-bodied whites 7

the top oaked whites 26

the top light-bodied reds 32

the top medium-weight reds 36

the top big reds 52

the top sparkling wines 56

the top sweet and fortified wines 59

the top back-vintages 62 the runner-up wines 70 alphabetical listing of all wines 113

2 THE TOP 500 WINES 2005-2006

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shelves. The thing that scares me is that this selective change the world culling process won’t be restricted to the lesser makers. by what you drink Last month a winemaker made a comment that totally floored me. He said that in his company, there is The next bottle you buy could have more a more far- absolutely no correlation between the quality of a reaching impact that you imagine. wine that he produces and the way that it performs in the market. His statement left me shaking my head for The Australian wine industry is on the move like never days, as it came from one of this country’s top before. Changes are at hand that will change what winemakers in a medium to large company, you drink and the way you buy. But at the same time, consistently producing competitively priced, well- what you drink and the way you buy will have a direct marketed and widely distributed wines – wines of such influence on these industry changes. quality that an astounding fifteen of them went The need to exercise discernment in your drinking has straight to this year’s Top 500. Why is it that the market never been more pertinent. The sheer class of the does not acknowledge quality? wines within your reach today is unprecedented in the At this critical time, you as a consumer have a more history of this country, but at the same time you are important role than ever in defining the future of the faced with more uninspiring wines than ever to avoid. wine industry. What you drink and what you buy will My travels this year have led me past more young determine what remains on the shelves in the future. vines than I have ever seen before. In the midst of an This doesn’t simply mean supporting the little guys. overwhelming grape glut, for some reason, large Many of the growers for the big companies are little investment plantings continue to go into the ground. guys doing it tough, too, and they’re responsible for Meanwhile, the huge plantings of the past decade some outstanding fruit. The big guys are producing are now yielding strongly, meaning that there is a lot wines that certainly deserve your attention. more young-vine fruit out there, producing, in many cases, simple wines lacking in depth of flavour and The solution is simple: drink nothing but the best wines palate length. you can find. Make every bottle you buy a great one. At the same time, on the sales front, we have seen There are no shortcuts to getting it right. It is no longer increasing rationalisation of the retail sector as more reliable to simply follow regions, vintages or even and more independents are enveloped into the companies, and it probably never was. The more various chains of the two big players. The stability that tasting I do, the more I realise that the exceptions are this investment brings is a boost for the industry, as important as the rules. There is no such thing as certainly, but it does change the dynamics of retail absolute consistency across a vintage, even within a sales, particularly in relation to small producers. single subregion. I am regularly doing double-takes on wines from areas outside of the mainstream regions. The number of producers in this country this year has This year the Top 500 contains surprise wines from swelled to more than 2500, although no one has yet largely unheard-of, upcoming regions like Rylstone. been able to pin down a complete listing. The tide is Reliable producers are certainly the safest thing to go rising rapidly in the sea of wines out there, and it’s easy by, but even here it is noteworthy that there is no to go under just trying to keep up. producer in this year’s Top 500 for whom every wine There are wines listed in this year’s Top 500 from that I tasted is worthy of inclusion. producers you will have never even heard of before. For the ultimate drinking experience from every bottle, Little boutique wineries in the backblocks of our most there remains no alternative but to hand-pick wines on exciting regions, turning out exceptional wines that all a bottle-by-bottle, producer-by-producer, vintage-by- too easily slip under the radar. These are especially vintage basis. worthy of your attention as you expand your vinous horizons, but you won’t find them on chain store This is the reason for my Top 500 wines. Selected from a shelves, so you’ll need to source them yourself (see cast of thousands, you can be confident that every page 6 for cellar door details). wine listed represents the pinnacle of quality at its price point. The cumulative effect of increased plantings, retail rationalisation and ever more producers is that things Your brief in supporting the industry is simple: drink the are tough out there for many wine companies, and best wines you possibly can. Now, that’s not such a they’re only going to get tougher. In the next decade, difficult thing! more fruit will go unpicked, more producers will go under, and more wines will forever vanish from our Enjoy this year’s Top 500. 3

These reviews are not copyright. They may be reproduced in whole or in part in any media provided that the author is properly acknowledged. I encourage you to share this document freely with your friends! THE TOP 500 WINES 2005-2006

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wines listed separately. This separate listing aside, all of the top 500 wines explained the Top 500 wines were available in 2005/2006, or will be released in the future. A new feature this year is the This year’s Top 500 is the most exciting list of wines that inclusion of unreleased wines and tank samples. These I have ever compiled. are restricted to fully finished, blended products ready for bottling, or already bottled. Here are three reasons why: The categories are: First, and most importantly, the list was compiled from a much broader cross-section of tastings than I have The top light-bodied whites ever embarked upon before. In 2005 I tasted more than 2000 wines. This means that for every wine By far the largest group in the Top 500, this is recommended, three others have missed the mark. Of dominated by riesling, sauvignon blanc, semillon and these three, two are not worthy of your attention and SSB blends. The group is defined loosely, since many of the other one is a respectable wine which I’d happily these wines are closer to medium- than light-bodied. It drink, but not go out of my way to track down. contains all dry whites, except for oaked chardonnay.

The second reason is that I have included full reviews The value-for-money in this segment blew my mind this of these “runner up” bottles – some 550 additional year, and it will blow yours as well when you get into notes. these wines. There are a whopping ninety-six wines in my list before the price gets above $20! Sauvignon Finally, by popular demand from readers following the blanc and SSB blends feature strongly – this country is Top 500 Wines of 2004, I have this year, for the first producing an arsenal of outstanding examples of time, included the full detail of my tasting notes for these varietals at every price point. every wine. This explains the swelling of this monograph to, literally, the length of a novel – some Australian riesling continues to drive from strength to ten times its previous size – as well as my lack of sleep strength, this year representing more than one-sixth of over the months leading up to its completion! But the my Top 500 wines. This stands in stark contrast to its results speak for themselves, and I trust you will find this dwindling performance on retail shelves, where it has the most useful resource yet, in guiding your wine- dropped to less than one-thirteenth of total domestic drinking decisions. table wine sales this year. Consumers are missing out on outstanding, world-class wines at ridiculously low To simplify this process, you’ll note a new format for the prices. These gems are among the most undervalued organisation of the list. Wines are grouped according wines in the world. Don’t miss them. to style, to allow you to select a style that matches your cuisine and your mood, and then simply run the top oaked whites down the list to find the right wine. They’re ordered from least to most expensive, and there’s something This category is for oaked chardonnay, since lightly here to suit every budget. See page 113 for a full oaked semillons and sauvignons etc are more logically alphabetical listing. grouped above.

My scores on the 100 point scale are completely The trend toward more elegant, minerally-structured independent of price (I often review wines blind, and chardonnays has now hit the retail shelves with full hence don’t even know what I am drinking, let alone impact, and it largely accounts for the strength of this what it’s worth). However, since financial reality category. dictates your buying decisions, so, too, it governs inclusion in my Top 500 and runner-up lists. Value for the top light-bodied reds money is the key here. You can be sure that every one of my Top 500 wines represents the highest quality at This consists of rosés, pinot noirs and a few light-weight its price point. It is for this reason, for instance, that a ring-ins. Again, the definition is loose, since the odd particular $7, 88 point sauvignon blanc heads up the Burgundy which finds its way here is far from light- list this year, but a $100, 94 point cabernet missed the bodied, as are some of its Aussie peers. cut altogether. The real surprise in this group this year is that no less Close to 500 wines are organised into seven style than eight pinot noirs have clicked by before the price categories, with an additional seventy back-vintage exceeds $20. The quality of this varietal at the budget

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end of the market is unprecedented in the history of Armed with this list, you’re set for an exciting year of this country. Take full advantage of this win for the drinking! consumer! I’m off to start planning next year’s list, which will be the top medium-weight reds more definitive than ever, replacing the Top 500 and taking on an entirely new taste of its own. Anything that falls between light and monstrous has a place here, and it sure is one big, pulsating party! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these Top 500 Wines as much as I continue to! This is the definitive list of reds that rocked my world this year – and they did it at every price point, from the Cheers, chug-a-lug $9 cabernets to the epic $148 Eagle. Tyson Stelzer. Cabernets and cabernet blends appear more often in this list than anything else – something worth pondering on at a time when the market is turning its collective nose up at poor cab sauv in favour of smooth, sexy shiraz and idiosyncratic Italian innovations. Meanwhile, cabernet is busy pulling out top wines in every price bracket like never before. Don’t let them slip by. the top big reds

Big they are, but if they’re in my list you need not fear. These are outstanding, balanced wines from some of Australia’s most talented producers. Watch my drinking windows carefully – some demand a near- eternity; others will fall apart if left on their own for very long. the top sparkling wines

A short list – there’s more that this country could be doing in this area. The wines that I’ve included set the bench mark, and you won’t go wrong if you follow these. the top sweet and fortified wines Tyson Stelzer is the wine writer for Style Magazine and Style A strong cross-section, thanks largely to a week in South Magazine, Brisbane’s prestige lifestyle magazines, with Rutherglen. If you follow my picks, you don’t a combined circulation of 140 000 necessarily need to spend a fortune to get great (www.stylemagazines.com.au). He is the author of four wine books, Taming the Screw, Screwed for good?, Seal of quality here. approval and Cellaring Wine, (www.winepress.com.au) and a freelance contributor to more than a dozen wine journals the top back-vintage wines and magazines. Tyson publishes his annual Top 500 wines online through www.TysonStelzer.com. He is the co-creator, These aren’t current releases, but the auction market is with UK wine journalist Matthew Jukes, of The Great buoyant at the moment and there are many bargains Australian Red - the quest for the best shiraz/cabernet, the to be had. blend that defines Australia (www.thegreataustralianred.com).

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on the road join the club

My regional visits form an important part of my tasting Some of the bargain wines in this year’s Top 500 are regime. The wine regions that I visited in 2005 were: not readily available through retail outlets. Here’s a list of a dozen cellar door mailing lists which I encourage Australian Capital Territory you to join in order to take advantage of these great value wines: Canberra District

Castle Rock Estate www.castlerockestate.com.au New South Wales Ferngrove Estate www.ferngrove.com.au Upper Hunter Valley Frankland River Estate www.franklandestate.com.au Lower Hunter Valley Gapsted Wines www.gapstedwines.com.au Mudgee Hoddles Creek www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au Orange Huntington Estate www.huntingtonestate.com.au Hilltops Killerby www.killerby.com.au Tumbarumba Logan Wines www.loganwines.com.au Louee www.louee.com.au Queensland Phillips Brook Estate [email protected] Picardy www.picardy.com.au Queensland Coastal Woodlands Wines www.woodlands-wines.com Granite Belt

To sign up for free email updates of my tastings in 2006, South Australia log on to www.tysonstelzer.com. Clare Valley Barossa Valley Eden Valley

Victoria

Rutherglen Beechworth Alpine Valley

Western Australia

Swan District Geographe Margaret River Pemberton Frankland River Mount Barker Albany Porongurups

All of the wine highlights from my travels through these regions are detailed in this year’s Top 500 wines.

the top light-bodied whites www.tysonstelzer.com

This wine was previously the Houghton White Burgundy, but of course the top light-bodied whites it never really was a Burgundy, so it's now the "white classic." It's predominantly chenin blanc, with verdelho, chardonnay and semillon in the blend, plus a splash of riesling and muscadelle. The Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. result is a very tropical style with passionfruit, paw paw, orange cordial and citrus rind flavours, fine acidity and good length. It's Oxford Landing South Australia Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $7, officially $12, but always seems to be on special somewhere nearby, 88 points and you'll pick it up for as little as $7. A classic, as always.

Confession time: I was convinced that there was no such thing as a 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) serious $7 wine. Until now - until this Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc Best drinking around: 2005-2006 or 2008-2010. sensation! I often taste blind (the wines, that is, not me!) - meaning This bottle was sealed with a cork. that I don't know what I'm tasting - and when I was asked to guess Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. the price of this wine, I said $15-$17. If it fooled me, you can bet your $7 that it will fool your friends! And that's the full, undiscounted price. Houghton Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $12, 89 points Scandalous! An excellent, varietal wine with tight cut grass and crunchy This is a ripe sauvignon blanc with tropical fruits, white peach, gooseberry flavours and a short finish. Grab it on sale and you'll get orange and a streak of lemon/lime cutting right through the middle. a real bargain.

It's got the length and structure of a wine double its price. So, even 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) at full price, you get two-for-one! It's a cold-blooded clean-skin- Best drinking around: 2005-2006. assassin! This bottle was sealed with a cork. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Plantagenet Hazard Hill Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/8/2005. $12, 89 points Killerby April Classic Premium Dry White 2005, $10, 87 Plantagenet's Hazard Hill range is comprised of fruit from all over Western Australia. The SSB is the pick of the current releases. points Fleshed out with 4.5g/L of residual sugar for appealing drinking, this is Winemaker Simon Keall describes this as "our unashamedly fruit- a straightforward wine with tropical fruits and lemon offset by cut driven cheap and cheerful." That it is: Simple, fresh and tropical with grass and herbaceous complexity. It's got very good structure and a good structural backbone. For the record, it's a semillon sauvignon length of aftertaste for a wine at this price. blanc with a dash of chardy. A refreshing quaffer for ten bucks (www.killerby.com.au). 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Tyrrells Old Winery Semillon 2004, $12, 91 points Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Semillon Sauvignon Blanc There's a strong argument to suggest that any producer should be 2004, $10, 88 points judged not on its most expensive wine, but on its cheapest. As far as Tyrrells goes, you'd come to the same conclusion no matter which This is the partner in crime to my $10 bargain of the year (the Apple end of its semillon range you started from. Tree Flat Chardonnay - check it out on this site). The only crime here The 2004 Old Winery is one heck of a Hunter semillon for $12. It's is that these wines are an absolute steal. instantly recognisable for both its varietal and its region (a claim that This is a Savvy Sem with appley fruit (of course!), passionfruit and few other $12 wines of any description could make) - this is a grassy, tropicals, finishing dry with nicely structured acidity. Make this your lemon sherberty wine with lingering acidity and good length. It's a house wine for the year and you'll have a popular house! treat right now, but don't be afraid to stock up for the next few

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) years.

Best drinking around: 2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Sandalford Element Classic White 2005, $12, 89 points For fresh, well-structured whites to throw back, Western Australia is a Leasingham Bastion Riesling 2005, $13, 90 points winner at every price point. Leasingham's Bastion represents an incomprehensible bargain in the

This is a great paw paw and tropical fruit salad wine with lemon world of wine, and Kerry Thomson has worked magic with the 2005. accents on a finely acidic finish. It's a bargain buy! The bouquet is reminiscent of apple and pear fruit with a hint of

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) lanolin complexity, while the palate boasts white peach on a fine Best drinking around: 2005-2006. acid backbone, finishing with good length. Given the discounted This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. price that this wine often ends up at, it may well rank among the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. greatest bargains the wine world has ever seen. Don't miss out.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Houghton White Classic 2005, $12, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2009. I had no concept of the sheer volume of production of this wine This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. until I visited Houghton's Swan Valley winery in December, to be Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. confronted by shed after shed of colossal tanks. In this context, the standard of this wine from year to year is all the more remarkable.

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Nepenthe Tryst Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling 2005, $15, 93 points Blanc/Semillon/Pinot Gris 2005, $15, 93 points This is the little sister of the sublime Leo Buring Leonay Riesling (see Too often, grape varieties are blended purely to fill out the the review for the celestial 2005 on this site), and it has been one of deficiencies in each varietal. This wine is an unlikely but brilliant my favourite $15 wines for years. You would be hard pressed to find bland that allows each grape to clearly contribute it voice to create a better value wine anywhere in the world. a seamless, harmonious whole. Sauvignon tropicals, semillon grass A delicate floral bouquet with clove and orange pulp nuances slides and pinot gris pear form a lifted bouquet and a lively palate. A long, into a palate of clean and fresh green apple, lemon and lime juice, balanced finish with integrated acidity finishes it off perfectly. Who suspended on a fine skeleton of lingering, minerally/talcy acidity. would ever have thought of adding pinot gris to and SSB? Peter Phenomenal length and great complexity in a very tightly strung Leske, you're a genius. package. This is a wine to buy by the case, and at this price there's

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) no stopping you!

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2016. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/11/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Riesling 2004, $15, 91 points Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2004, $15, 93 points Here's a bargain in Great Southern riesling. Tropical fruits and lemon A perfumed bouquet of lifted lime blossom bursts into a fine, floral with fine, minerally acidity in a fresh, tightly structured package with palate with soft but well-structured acidity. This is a delicate and good length. balanced wine with good length. It's quite a bargain!

If you're quick, cellar door is giving away the last of it at $120 per 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) case including freight. www.ferngrove.com.au Best drinking around: 2005-2008.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Galafrey Mount Barker Riesling 2005, $15, 91 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. The Mount Barker sub-region in Western Australia's Great Southern is Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $15, 92 points well-suited to fine, minerally riesling, and Galafrey offers one of the best value wines in the area. Year in, year out, it's hard to find a better value sauvignon blanc than the Mount Riley, and the 2004 is right on form. I love the When I visited in December, the 2005 was in tank and ready to go to balance of gooseberries, cut grass and tropicals which is packed bottle, awaiting the arrival of its new label (which, incidentally, is into this wine, but its real hallmarks are its fine acidity and long finish. very swish). The wine is quite dazzling as well, with a lifted floral, It's got just a touch of residual sugar to flesh out the mid-palate. tropical, nectarine and peach bouquet ushering in a long, minerally palate with a firm finish. If you haven't fallen in love with this wine yet, seriously seek it out. You'd be flat out finding a better wine of any description for this 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) price! Best drinking around: 2006-2010.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was a tank sample. Best drinking around: 2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw. Galafrey Mount Barker Riesling 2004, $15, 90 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Lemon, peach and orange rind flavours highlight this firmly Galafrey Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $15, 92 points structured riesling with fine acidity and good length. Great value.

Galafrey is best known for its riesling, but with wines as good as this, 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) its reputation looks set to diversify! Its sauvignon blanc fruit is sourced Best drinking around: 2005-2009. from Denmark on the southern WA coastline. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

This is a tightly wound savvy with fine acidity on a lingering finish. Its Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. flavours reflect nettles and herbs, with hints of lemon. A great wine Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 1998, $15, 92 points at a steal of a price. Look out for the new label. Rachael and I drink more riesling than anything else. Full stop. There 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) is simply no other wine that is as versatile as riesling in Queensland Best drinking around: 2005-2006. with our diverse, multicultural cuisine. Richmond Grove Watervale is This bottle was a tank sample. our house riesling. It's what I tend to grab when dinner is on the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. table, Rach is calling for a wine and I don't have time to think twice. Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 2005, $15, 91 points When it's mature like this one it develops toasty, honeyed characters, maintaining the lemon and stone fruit of its youth, and is Another perennial bargain, and partner in crime to the Eden Valley always well structured. Riesling under the same label (also reviewed on this site). The Clare is Bargain! the slightly sweeter wine of the duo, with tropical fruits swinging in under its clean lemon, fresh lime blossom and green apple flavours. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Tight acidity and good length confirm that it will happily live into the Best drinking around: 2006-2008. medium-term. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2007 or 2009-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005.

the top light-bodied whites www.tysonstelzer.com

Arrowfield Show Reserve Late Picked Semillon 2002, $15, Houghton Crofters Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $15, 92 90 points points Semillon is the grape behind many of Australia's best dessert-style There's been a lot of pressure in the Australian wine world this year, wines, and even at the lower price points there are some great with new vineyards and new players springing into production at wines to be found. This one displays an excellent fruit profile of every turn. One of the spin-offs for the consumer has been an ever apricot and peach fruit with a hint of tropical complexity. It's a lifting of the quality bar at the value-for-money end of the market. slightly sugary style, but stands out by virtue of its tight acid structure This year I've seen more great $15 wines than I've ever seen in my and long finish. A very likeable wine at this price. life. This means that when I get excited about a wine in this price bracket, it really deserves your attention! 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. The Crofters SBS had just been bottled when I visited Houghton, and This bottle was sealed with a cork. while it won't be released until early 2006, I'm raising it now because Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. you can't afford to miss it. A portion of the fruit sees barrel ferment and lees contact, which really adds to the mid-palate weight and Arrowfield Jot Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc texture, without detracting from its tight, lifted, intense and fresh 2004, $15, 90 points gooseberry, cut grass, nettles and passionfruit flavours. This is a hard Grassy sauvignon blanc is a great partner to lemony semillon in this balance to strike in blends of this type, and to achieve it in these intense wine with a long finish. It's a very herbaceous style, but it pulls volumes is quite outstanding. Cash in on this bargain as soon as it appears. it off well, and at a great price.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Huntington Estate Semillon 2005, $15, 90 points Howard Park Mad Fish Riesling 2005, $15, 93 points Huntington might be the longstanding red wine master of Mudgee, If I had just fifteen bucks to spend on any wine in the world, hands- but don't let this deter you from its latest semillon offering. In screw down this would be it. A lifted, airy peach blossom bouquet with cap for the first time (applause please!), this is a light-bodied, tight fresh apples and pears, lychees, tropical fruits and perfumed lemon rind / cut grass / tropical wine with a strong finish and fine frangipane florals leads into a fresh, delicate palate with fine, acidity in all the right places. minerally acidity and great length. This is an elegant wine at a scandalous price. For a fresh, softly structured riesling, this mad thing 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) is quite a bargain. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Mike Kerrigan is as fastidious with this wine as he is with his Howard Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Park premiums, rejecting one-third of the fruit in 2005 for fear of botrytis infection inside the bunches. Retasted 15/12/05

Cape Mentelle Georgiana 2005, $15, 92 points 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Georgiana represents a reliable, value-for-money blend. Cut grass, Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2013. nettles, passionfruit and gooseberry flavours highlight a spiky This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. bouquet; a touch of barrel-fermented chardonnay adds mid-palate Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/10/2005. weight and mouth-feel texture. A lemon-accented finish is tinged with dancing acidity and good length. This is an intense and softly Tulloch Hunter Semillon 2004, $15, 91 points sweet passionfruit style. It's the kind of wine that I order without For semillon on a budget, the 2004 Tulloch is a knockout. This is a thinking twice whenever it appears on a restaurant or bistro wine list! tightly-structured wine with grass, lemon and a fine talcy backbone

Rated identically when retasted on December 9, 2005. (think ground slate). For all this, it's not austere. Long finish. Great value wine 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $15, 91 points Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2005, $16, 92 points This wine is my "house" riesling for ageing. At this price, I can buy SSBs are the perfect lunchtime quaffer for a sunny day. This is a fresh, enough cases that it doesn't all disappear in the first year! And it's citrusy, herbal wine with cut grass and lemon flavours on a well- just as well, because it really comes into its own given some time. structured palate with a lingering aftertaste. Great value. I get excited when a great vintage arrives, and 2005 is one to rival Frankland River winery Ferngrove is producing a good range of the best. Beautifully perfumed and intense lemon, lime and white affordable whites in its "Premium" range. This is the best of the nectarine fruit of great length overlays minerally acidity. I can't help current releases. but love it, and just look at that price! 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2015. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005.

the top light-bodied whites www.tysonstelzer.com

Nepenthe Tryst Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004, $15, 91 Juniper Crossing Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc points 2004, $16, 91 points The 2005 is out there, and it's absolutely brilliant (see my note on this Margaret River is the king of Australian Semillon Sauvignon Blanc site), but do check out the 2004 as well if it happens to cross your blends at the moment. Juniper Crossing is a relative newcomer, but path. with wines like this it's quickly making an impact. The Sauvignon

This is an excellent blend, the SB contributing cut grass and contributes cut grass and asparagus, the semillon adds fresh lemon herbaceousness, with fresh lemons from the semillon and a touch of and barrel ferment in the semillon throws in some palate weight. A nicely structured, early-drinking blend. pinot gris contributing a slice of pear to the flavour. There's some sweaty asparagus complexity on a long finish, supported by fine 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) acidity. This is a clever synergy of the three varietals. Best drinking around: 2005-2006.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Gloucester Ridge Unwooded Chardonnay 2005, $16, 88 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. points Tyrrells Lost Block Semillon 2004, $16, 91 points Too much unwooded chardonnay is simply an excuse for passing off After the exceptional value of Tyrrells' $12 Old Winery Semillon (also second rate fruit without coughing up for expensive oak. Little reviewed on this site), the $16 Lost Block has a lot to live up to, and it wonder the style has a bad name. Wines like the 05 Gloucester doesn't disappoint. It's a step up in intensity, more herbaceous, and demonstrate that it doesn't deserve it. I was privileged to be the first boasts a firmer, finer acid structure. Just when it's looking like a critic to see this wine just after its release when I visited Pemberton in better wine it falters slightly on the finish. It's certainly got the Western Australia's southwest. structure to age, so give it some time to build some palate length. Elegant white peach and tropical passionfruit aromas dance

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) around the bouquet, making way for a tropical and citrus palate Best drinking around: 2006-2011. highlighting grapefruit and lemon, finishing with fine, minerally This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. acidity.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Tyrrells Trigger Block Gewürztraminer 2005, $16, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. The only thing more exciting than finding a great wine of excellent Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. pedigree is to stumble across an unheard of wine which absolutely blows me away. The Trigger Block is Tyrrells' first foray into Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2004, $16, 91 points gewürztraminer, although the vines date back to the late 1960s. I Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling is a legend in the value-for- must admit, I didn't expect wonders: It's Hunter gewürz, it's $16 and money riesling stakes each year. It's always fresh, tight and eminently it's a first attempt. What a surprise! age-worthy. As a result, that Rach and I drink a lot of it - it even has

The bouquet is exotically perfumed with peach blossom, lychees its own place closest to the cellar door so she can grab it easily and a rose petal undertone. The palate is likewise in fine form, with when I'm not around. The 2004 is a steely lemon/lime/tropical lifted, perfumed roses in a clean, dry and elegant style. What really example with average length, which is refreshing now, but will really sets this wine above the average Aussie gewürz is its fine, lingering blossom around the end of the decade. acidity and long finish. An absolute bargain which most punters will 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) walk right past. Don't make the same mistake. (Cellar door only - Best drinking around: 2004-2006 or 2008-2011. www.tyrrells.com.au.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling 2005, $16, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Orlando pulls out fantastic rieslings at every price point, from the mind-boggling bargain of the Jacob's Creek to the sublime Gloucester Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $16, 89 points Steingarten. The Jacob's Creek Reserve neatly fills the gap in Many of the larger WA wine companies are now pulling some of between. their best sauvignon blanc fruit from the cool Pemberton region. No The flavours are built on stone fruits and lemons and the structure is surprise, then, that the small local producers are doing great things fine and firm, with lingering acidity on a long finish. This is a classy with it as well. wine at a great price, which will happily drink into the next decade.

Gloucester Ridge's vines go back to 1985, which might go some way Buy two cases - one for now and one for later! to explaining the standard of this wine. Grassy and perfumed with 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) lemon sherbert, this is a firmly acidity wine with minerally, chalky Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2013. acidity and great length of finish. It has excellent mid-palate fruit This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. weight for a cool climate sauvignon blanc, and it's got the structure Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. to stand up alongside a wide range of foods.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Frankland River Estate Rocky Gully Riesling 2005, $16, 92 Best drinking around: 2006. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Frankland Estate is the name behind some of the most outstanding Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. riesling coming from the west. The world is yet to discover these remarkable wines, so the prices are currently quite absurd. They won't be forever. Get on the boat now. Seriously.

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The Rocky Gully range is the fruit that doesn't make the cut for the The 2005 exudes layers of lemon, lime and white peach fruit over a Frankland Estate wines, which means that the wines are very much fine, minerally acid backbone. It needs a few more months in bottle in the same style, but at a bargain price. This is a very floral and to come together, and when it does it may well score better. This will lifted riesling with a fresh, clean and lingering lemon/lime tang. The be a long-lived St Helga. highlight is its classic Frankland River minerally river stone structure. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This is a serious riesling at a quaffable price. Log on to Best drinking around: 2006-2007 or 2010-13. www.franklandestate.com.au, get yourself on the mailing list and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. you'll buy this stuff for just $14 a bottle. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Majella Riesling 2005, $16, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Majella may be a red wine master, but it also pulls out a serious Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. riesling, and the 2005 is a fresh, elegant contender with a lifted, floral bouquet, a fine lemon and white peach juice palate with a touch of Bimbadgen Verdelho 2005, $16, 90 points sweetness and good length. Untwist this bargain any time over the If you're into a slightly sweeter white, this is the wine for you. Just a next few years. couple of months off the vine when I crossed its path, this is a sweet, Retasted September 23 and rated identically. tropical verdelho with a fragrant and alluring bouquet of lifted orange blossom. The palate exudes sweet lychees, but has the fine 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) acidity to balance it. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Allandale Semillon 2003, $17, 93 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. There's a lot of great semillon kicking around the Hunter Valley at the Juniper Crossing Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $16, 90 moment, but if you're looking for a winner under $20, I have found points just the wine for you! The Allandale is a finely-structured creation with lemon blossom, candied lemon rind and a touch of lanolin from a Ten percent of the semillon is barrel fermented, filling out the mid- year in the bottle. Great acidity, a long finish and a screw cap palate texture and weight of this tight, cut grass, gooseberry and ensure that it will only improve over a decade in the cellar. lemon-accented wine. A couple of grams of residual sugar makes it The real thing at an impostor's price. a friendly, approachable style, while lingering lemony acidity completes the structure. Great value. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!)

Best drinking around: 2009-2013. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Wignalls Unwooded Chardonnay 2005, $17, 90 points Wynns Riesling 2005, $16, 89 points In a time when the wine glut is putting pressure on everyone from all sides, Wignalls is an oasis in the far south of Western Australia. "We're Wynns riesling is a long-term player in the value-for-money absolutely rocketing through wine in this place," says an excited Rob Coonawarra riesling stakes. The latest creation is a softly sweet lime Wignall. "So much so that we're having trouble with supply. We've blossom and lemon-fruited wine with a juicy white peach palate sold three vintages of pinot and cabernet merlot this year!" and elegant, finely structured acidity. It's perfect for kicking back at He's not certain what the secret is, but great wines at reasonable lunch time. prices must be part of it. Like this unwooded chardonnay, with Look out for specials, then quaff away without thinking too hard! elegant lemon citrus and melon fruit, and hints of spice on a fine, Retasted on September 23, and it's only getting better! minerally palate with lingering acidity. This is exactly what unwooded

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) chardonnay should be. If there were more like it, I would be a much Best drinking around: 2005-2009. bigger fan of unwooded chardonnay! No wonder he has no trouble This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. selling the stuff!

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Brookland Valley Verse 1 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. $16, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. Western Australia is king of the SSB in this country, and it's hard to find better value than this Verse 1. Just released, the 2005 is a great Yalumba Pewsey Vale Individual Vineyard Selection Eden vintage for this wine, with tropical fruits, cut grass and gooseberries Valley Riesling 2005, $17, 93 points with fine, minerally acidity and good length. This fresh, well-made An icon in the history of Australian riesling, Pewsey Vale remains a style is a real bargain. perennial bargain at $17. The 2005 is a goodie, with an unnervingly

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tight acid backbone underpinning fresh lime, lemon and tropical Best drinking around: 2005-2006. fruits which reach far into an intense finish.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 93the out top of 100light-bodied points. (Excellent whites wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2007 or 2010-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Orlando St Helga 2005, $16, 91 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. I buy St Helga for Rachael by the case every vintage, and cellar top-ups become a mandatory requirement through the year! Brokenwood Semillon 2005, $17, 92 points Always outstanding value for money, we love it as a fresh, young Brokenwood's Semillon represents great value in a tropical style, with Asian cuisine partner, and in its gloriously rich maturity. stone fruits and lemon. The palate is fresh and clean, supported by

fine acidity and good length. 11

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Great summer drinking at the moment, but it will happily see out the 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) end of the decade. Best drinking around: 2005-2014. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Neagles Rock Clare Valley Riesling 2004, $18, 92 points A lime, stone fruits and tropical wine with fine, tight acidity and good Pikes Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $17, 90 points length. The palate displays a sublime floral lift. What a wine, what a A metallic, cut grass and straw nose throws to a ripe white nectarine price! palate with hints of petrol. Fine acidity lingers on a long finish. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2012. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Classic Dry White 2005, Campbells Riesling 2005, $17, 91 points $18, 93 points Proof that Rutherglen is not all rich fortifieds and heroic reds, this A delightful summer lunch white, alive with fresh passionfruit, paw elegant riesling is intense and floral with lifted peach blossom, rose paw, peach and lychees dancing on a fine, long, minerally palate. petal, green apple and lime cordial flavours. It boasts fine acidity Untwist another bottle, kick up your feet and settle in for the and a long finish. afternoon.

All of Campbell's vineyards are within four minutes of the winery, 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) allowing the fruit to be crushed within an hour of picking, retaining Best drinking around: 2005-2006. the fresh floral lift that defines this wine. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or2010-2015. Howard Park Mad Fish Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. $18, 91 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Cut grass and dry herbs with tropical fruits, lemon and lime on the De Bortoli Gulf Station Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc bouquet; the palate introduces some pungent, sweaty hints amid Semillon 2005, $17, 90 points crunchy black currant buds on a long finish. A touch of residual sugar makes this a very drinkable style, and fine acid on the finish Another value-for-money triumph from Gulf Station, intense ensures that it finishes tight, clean and long. passionfruit tropicals, gooseberry, pear and apple fruit are packed into a softly sweet package with balanced structure and good It showed similarly when retasted on 15/12/05. length. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. Phillips Brook Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $18, 91 points Pizzini King Valley Riesling 2004, $17, 91 points The fruit for the first release of Phillips Brook Sauvignon Blanc was Fresh, fine and lime-juice-powered, this is a tight riesling with lemon sourced from one row of 1975 vines, and bolstered by fruit from blossom, orange rind and tropical fruits over fine, minerally acidity some newer plantings. There's a touch of chardonnay in the mix as and a lingering finish. well, simply because some stray chardonnay vines made their way into the first rows of sauvignon blanc. Value medium-term drinking. The result is a fine, tightly acidic wine with great length and flavours 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) of cut grass, green herbs and hints of tropical fruits. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/7/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Wirra Wirra Hand Picked Riesling 2005, $17, 90 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. This is a lifted and tropical Adelaide Hills riesling with exotic Phillips Brook Estate Riesling 2005, $18, 93 points frangipane and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is zesty and finely structured, with a great, long finish. There's value-for-money, short- Every year, dozens of tiny boutique producers open their doors for term drinking here. the first time in this country. You will not be able to keep track of even a small proportion of these, but Phillips Brook Estate is one you 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) should not miss. David and Bronwen Newbury took over an eleven Best drinking around: 2005-2008. acre 1975 vineyard between Albury and Mount Barker in WA's This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. southwest in 2001, and added another 19 acres of vines. Most of the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/12/2005. fruit goes to Howard Park, but a small amount makes its way into their own tiny production Pauletts Polish Hill River Riesling 2004, $18, 94 points The Polish Hill River subregion of the Clare Valley was first made famous by Jeffrey Grosset, but there is now a range of lower-priced options from the area. Pauletts represents one of the best value. The bouquet shows floral green apple and tropical fruits, introducing a palate with zesty lime, fresh white peach and green apple, culminating in exceptional length. 12

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"This was the first vintage that we didn't need a chainsaw to prune Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. the 1975 vines," David told me as we strolled through the well-kept vineyard in mid-December. The Phillips Brook Estate Riesling is made Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling 2004, $18, 91 points entirely from old vine fruit, but only in extremely small quantities, Sitting above the Bastion, this is the second wine in the Leasingham "because riesling is so hard to sell at the moment." What a travesty! riesling hierarchy, and it's an obvious step up for the extra $5. For this Wines of this quality should, by rights, sell out in seconds. Get on to you get attractive, finely structured lemon/lime/tropical and stone PBE and order some now ([email protected]). You'll be fruits. Lemony acidity is the defining feature of an intense palate of impressed by the fine, minerally palate with great length and good length. Phenomenal value! focused lemon/lime/peach/nectarine/apple fruit. Outstanding Retasted September 23, with some toasty development starting to value for money. kick in. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2012. Best drinking around: 2005-2006 or 2009-2014. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. Louee Nullo Mountain Pinot Gris 2005, $18, 92 points Watershed Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $18, 91 I can’t go past delicate, cool climate pinot gris, and this wine is right points where it’s at! Fresh, straight-off-the-tree pear fruit with perfumed lemon blossom and a shake of spicy cloves. Gently whole-bunch A clean, refreshing style in which intense passionfruit and cut grass pressed, with a portion of pressings blended back in for mid-palate unites with gooseberry fruit. The palate has a touch of sweetness, fine acidity and good length. weight. There’s a touch of palate sweetness which is cleverly balanced by fine acidity on a long finish. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

Worth seeking out. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Tim Adams Pinot Gris 2004, $18, 90 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. This is a crafty wine which skilfully jumps all of the pitfalls which Louee Nullo Mountain Late Picked Riesling 2004, $18, 94 Australian pinot gris all too often falls into - hot alcohol, "cooked" fruit and broad structure. In this example, Tim Adams has created a fine points and fresh style with soft, balanced acidity and gently perfumed This is the botrytis wine that wasn’t. Fruit was left on the vines a full poached pear and tropical fruit. month after the first picking, but received not a single drop of rain. There wasn't much of this wine made in 2004, but Tim's ramping up The vineyard on Nullo Mountain may be prone to botrytis, but not on production in 2005, which is a good thing. Australia needs more demand! Harvested instead in early May for a sweet late pick style, pinot gris like this! and the wine is none the less for it. It’s all gorgeous poached quince, spicy pear and cinnamon. Fine, tight acidity is the hallmark, 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) perfectly offset by soft sweetness. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. A complex, semi-sweet wine in a Germanic mould, outclassing its Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. price point many times over.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Wines by Brad Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $18, 91 Best drinking around: 2005-2015. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. You've gotta give it to Brad for one of the most savvy pieces of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. branding on the market. Grab a bottle just to check it out, and while Louee Nullo Mountain Riesling 2005, $18, 94 points you're at it, pour yourself a big glass. You'll be impressed by this tropical, cut grass style with fine, lemony acidity. It's perfect at a Lifted lemon blossom, clean lime juice and crunchy green apple seaside café (which, incidentally, is exactly what Brad's cellar door with a hint of Turkish delight; this is a tightly focused riesling with an is). epic finish. It’s delicately poised, perfectly balanced and finely structured. The vineyard is Australia's highest, atop the cool Nullo 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Mountain, which creates characteristically fine, minerally acid that Best drinking around: 2005-2006. lingers long on the finish. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. This is the best Louee riesling yet, and a refined wine by any standard. Value! Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $18, 95 points

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Marlborough is the sauvignon blanc capital of the southern Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2015. hemisphere, and it's wines like this that guarantee that looks set to This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. stay that way. The Lawson's does a remarkable job of pulling off the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. three ingredients that set apart great sauvignon blanc - structure, complexity and length. This is definitive Marlborough sauvignon Gartelmann Hunter Estate Benjamin Semillon 2005, $18, blanc, with intense gooseberries, cut grass, tropical fruits and 91 points lemons.

For an intense, young semillon to hoe into straight away, this is a A world-class wine at a steal of a price. winner. Lifted aromatics of cut grass and asparagus overlay a softly 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) acidic palate. Best drinking around: 2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

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Plantagenet Omrah Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $18, 93 points Standout sauvignon!

In the words of Plantagenet winemaker Richard Robson, Pemberton 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) produces the best sauvignon blanc in the Great Southern. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Plantagenet's seven-year-old southern Pemberton vineyard kicks in This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. thirty percent of the blend, while fruit from warmer regions is used to Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. maintain consistency in the style.

Picking is staggered to balance the cut grass and herbaceous Sevenhill Cellars Riesling 2005, $19, 92 points characters with riper tropical, gooseberry and lemon fruit. Ten This is an attractively floral, perfumed green apple and lime-styled percent of the blend sees new oak barrels, and some of the fruit is riesling with a soft white peach flesh palate. left in contact with its skin, providing texture and flavour and A refreshing drink-young style. ensuring a very persistent finish. Very cold treatment in the winery keeps the fruit fresh and lively. The result is a balanced wine with 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) unnerving, fine, minerally acidity. It represents outstanding value for Best drinking around: 2005-2009. money. Rated identically when retasted on December 17, 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Skillogalee Riesling 2005, $19, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Tropical and lemon/lime fruit lingers on a long finish with the kind of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. acidity that screams, "cellar me!" A real bargain in the age-worthy riesling stakes. Castle Rock Estate Riesling 2005, $18, 92 points Long live the Skillogalee! Perched on the side of Castle Rock in the Porongurups in Western Australia's Great Southern, Castle Rock is a small family winery 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) producing a range of value-for-money wines. This is the best of Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2016. them. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

Fine apple, pear and tropical fruit aromas abound on the bouquet, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. while the palate is minerally with lingering lemon fruit, fine, river Plantagenet Riesling 2005, $19, 92 points stone structure and good length. Great value. It's on the shelves in WA; otherwise you'll find it at www.castlerockestate.com.au. Riesling is Plantagenet's most important white varietal. According to winemaker Richard Robson, it is the balance of the cooling of the 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) southern ocean and the heat of continental Australia that produces Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2016. the large temperature fluctuations responsible for the minerally, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. limey and ginger spice flavours of the wine. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Riesling is Rob's favourite varietal, both for playing in the winery and Tim Adams Riesling 2004, $18, 92 points for drinking after work. You can hardly blame him when he's got fruit You've gotta give it to Tim Adams. He's pulling quite a line up of of this quality at his fingertips. His goal is to produce a minerally, limey varietal wines from his Clare Valley vineyards, including some style of riesling, and he's certainly hit the gong in 2005. It's a spicy experimental Italian grapes - and there's not a bad wine among apple and pear creation with zingy lime fruit enveloped in fine, them. If that's not enough to convince you, just take a look at the minerally acidity. This is a tight riesling with good length. A lavender prices. Across the board, you'd be hard pressed to find a better floral character on the bouquet is unusual but delightfully welcome. range of sub-$20 wines. And this riesling @$18 is one of the best of A great value wine with huge ageing potential. Retasted December 17, 2005. them. The intensity of its lemon, lime, green apple and tropical fruit is delightful, and it's got the fine acidity and length to guarantee that 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) it will remain this way for a good few years yet. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2018.

Where else can you find world-class wines for $18? This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. FUSE Adelaide Hills Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $19, 92 This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. Australian wine consumers today have access to a smorgasbord of Clonakilla Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $18, 92 points the best value wines ever sold anywhere. New producers are appearing every week, and putting out some great wines at never- Lifted green apple and pear fruit. This is an extremely well-structured before prices. Take FUSE, for instance. Quality fruit, competitive SSB with great length. Good value. pricing and winemaking by Clare Valley Riesling legend Neil Pike 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) have ensured that the venture has made quite an impact in the Best drinking around: 2005-2006. twelve months since it landed. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. The 2004 Adelaide Hills Semillon Sauvignon Blanc certainly made Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. quite an impact on me. A lemon blossom and zesty grapefruit Carrick Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $19, 93 points bouquet introduced a palate of intense grapefruit and orange rind, tightly structured acidity and an appropriate touch of residual Barrel fermentation is a trend which is becoming increasingly sweetness. Great value. popular in New Zealand sauvignon blanc. When taken to the extreme, the wines can end up devoid of their characteristic zing, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) and falling flat on the flabby side of the fence. But when it's done Best drinking around: 2005-2006. well it really fills out the wine and adds a lot of interest. To see how This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. it's done right, seek out this 2004 Carrick. It's intense, spicy and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005. sweaty, but does not sacrifice an ounce of tight palate acidity. I love the slice of fresh pear fruit which cuts right through the middle and streaks out into a long finish. 14

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Redgate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $19, 91 points Flying Fish Cove Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 91 This is a well-put-together wine in which the freshness of the fruit is points juxtaposed with the complexity of six months of fermentation and The cellar door at Flying Fish Cove feels like a surf shop. These are maturation of a parcel of sauvignon blanc. The result is a cut grass, wines made for surfers, by surfers. My last attempt atop a wave was asparagus and herbs wine with fine acidity on a long, elegant one I'd rather not remember, but I won't let that stop me admiring palate, carrying hints of lemon, passionfruit and tropicals. the clever marketing of this company. The wines are worth a look,

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) too, particularly as the vines gain some maturity in the coming years.

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Right now, the SSB is the pick of them. A pungent, sweaty and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. intense bouquet rolls into a spicy, herbaceous palate with cut grass Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. and lingering, tight acidity on a long finish. This is a more pungent style than we are familiar with from Margaret River, but it's got the Cape Mentelle Marsanne Viognier 2004, $19, 92 points balance and structure to pull it off. This is a low-volume, cellar door only wine, which is a pity because 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) it's a great example of the style and well worth tracking down Best drinking around: 2005-2006. (www.capementelle.com.au). The fruit is sourced from the same This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. vineyard as Cape Mentelle's outstanding chardonnay. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Apricots, honey an apricot kernel fill out an intense palate, with fine, lemony acidity lingering on a long finish. Great balance and weight. Houghton Frankland River Riesling 2002, $20, 91 points

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) It takes a long drive around Frankland River and many conversations Best drinking around: 2005-2007. with the local winemakers to come to an understanding of the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. wealth of vineyard resources that Houghton has access to in this Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. area. This wine is sourced from thirty-year-old vines in its Justin vineyard.

Langmeil Eden Valley Riesling 2004, $20, 92 points Tight lime, fleshy white peach and lemon sherbert fruit couples with A beautifully perfumed lemon/lime-blossomed riesling with tropical the onset of toasty complexity on a fine, tight palate with great fruits, talc and fine, minerally structure. Not a long-term keeper, but length. it's very accessible right now, and will hold for a few years. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 94 points Mitchell Riesling 2004, $20, 94 points I love it when sauvignon blanc strays from the sweet tropical style Vintage for vintage, this is consistently one of the best value rieslings and edges toward the exciting herbaceous/cut grass/tomato leaf in Australia. There isn't a recent vintage that's not worth buying, and realm. Few wines do this as well as the 2004 Wither Hills. Not that it's the 2004 is particularly sublime. It's a very light straw in hue, with a without tropical fruit hints, but these take an appropriate second highly focused, refined bouquet of lemon, lime and tropical fruits. place in this grassy style. A great package is completed by a long The thing that really sets it apart is its perfumed concoction of lemon finish. Top stuff! and lime blossom on the palate, backed with superbly structured, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) very fine acidity and a finish that just never ends. Enjoy its perfume Best drinking around: 2005. now or let it develop some complexity for up to a decade. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Absolute stunner! (And just look at that price!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Forrest Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 92 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007 or 2009-2014. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Forrest produces excellent Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at a great Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. price, and this is a good example. It is fresh with intense gooseberry fruit, and a squirt of sweaty complexity.

Clos Clare Riesling 2004, $20, 93 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Clos Clare is the baby of Noel Kelly, under whose guidance a very Best drinking around: 2005. small range of great value wines (just this riesling and a shiraz) are This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. created each year. The Clare Valley cellar door is smack-bang in Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. the middle of the original Florita vineyard of Leo Buring fame, now owned by Jim Barry. The fruit for the riesling is sourced from a corner Houghton Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 91 of this vineyard, and is turned into wine at the big new O'Leary points Walker facility not far away. The result is a searingly tight Most winemakers in Western Australia's Great Southern will tell you lemon/citrus wine of excellent structure and length, with a bouquet that the best sauvignon blanc in the state is grown in Pemberton. filled out with delicate hints of apricot, tropical fruits and lime. With access to a diverse range of vineyards across the state, it This wine is quite a score at $20. comes as no surprise that Houghton pulls its best savvy from this area. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2011. Inspired by Sancerre and Pouilly Fume styles, wild yeast ferment and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. plenty of lees contact provide this wine with excellent texture and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. great length. It heads toward a sweaty style with intense gooseberry fruit.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 15

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Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Oakridge Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 93 Evans and Tate Margaret River Classic Semillon points Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 92 points Yarra Valley sauvignon blanc rarely gets a second glance, but this wine fully stopped me in my tracks. It's been seriously thought out, This wine should have a permanent "just in case" position in every with twenty-percent fermented in used French Oak and left on lees Aussie fridge. It really is a classic style, and the 2005 is tip top. This is a (dead yeast cells) for seven months. The result is an outstanding wine very linear wine with nothing flopping out on the edges. Cut grass at a "grab me" price. and lemon fruit with hints of tropicals and herbaceous complexity form the core of a fresh, clean, tight and intense wine. Refreshingly The hue is a light straw-green. An attractively aromatic bouquet fine and long, this is the perfect partner in crime for cold seafood. It's melds tropical fruits and gooseberries with capsicum and cut grass. one of my favourite wines in the entire Evans and Tate portfolio and The palate follows true, with tight lemony acidity lingering on a fresh it's also one of the cheapest - how good is that?! Retasted finish of outstanding length. Australian and New Zealand producers December 13, 2005. have been a little slow to get creative with barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc, but when it's performed with care, wines like this Note to self: Pour liberally. are proof of just how good it can get.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/6/2005. Brindabella Hills Riesling 2004, $20, 92 points Best's Wines Riesling 2005, $20, 91 points Nestled neatly in the hills just outside of the ACT, Brindabella is An elegant wine with a surge of lime-juice power, fine, minerally producing an honest range of wines from vines dating back to 1985. acidity and excellent length. The riesling is the best of the current releases. It's great now, and will age beautifully. A very floral style with green apple and stone fruits. It is well- structured and has the length to see it out for a decade in the 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) cellar. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2014. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Stella Bella Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 90 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. This is an elegant, refined style with a semillon-dominant cut grass Forrest Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 92 points and herb bouquet. Sauvignon blanc adds its gooseberry presence to the palate, while ten percent barrel ferment adds complexity and John Forrest made the decision to aim for a riper sauvignon blanc structure. style this year, picking the fruit a couple of baume higher. The result is a perfumed and lifted wine with ripe mango and tropical fruits in a 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) sweaty, sweet mould, but with intense, lingering, lemony acidity to Best drinking around: 2005-2006. hold it in form. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 91 This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/10/2005. This is a herbaceous sauvignon blanc with lemon and citrus fruit Shelmerdine Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 91 amid asparagus, green pea and nettles flavours on a finely points structured palate with tight acidity and excellent length and intensity. A light straw-green hue is always a positive sign in white wines, so this Retasted 29/12/05. one is looking good from the outset, and it doesn't disappoint. It's tightly and cleanly assembled, with lemon and tropical fruit, fine 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) acidity and persistent length. Best drinking around: 2005-2006.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Green Point Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $21, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. An exotic caramelised fig character entices me into the complex, Pikes Clare Valley Riesling 2005, $20, 94 points sweaty, grassy bouquet of this wine. The palate has an alluring interest between its tight, lemony acidity, green capsicum Pikes is a leader in great Clare riesling, and the 2005 is a blindingly complexity and long, spicy, fresh fig finish. It's quite a sweet style but inexpensive stunner! Classic Clare Valley Lemon lime and green has loads of acid to balance it. I just have to get more into my apple fruit is a great start, but its real highlight lies below the surface glass… in its fine, minerally acidity which streams out through a very long finish. Real class. Real bargain. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Buy! This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/11/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2015. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005.

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Telmo Rodriguez Basa Verdejo 2004, $21, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. For an interesting and refreshing alternative to Sancerre and New Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 1/11/2005. World sauvignon blancs, check out this bargain from Spain.

It's a lively and fresh thing, with cats pee, nettles, tart gooseberries Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $22, 92 points and sour lemon fruit searing through a long finish. Janice McDonald has crafted another beautifully structured SB this 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) year. Ten percent barrel ferment provides length and texture while Best drinking around: 2005. allowing the elegant gooseberry and tropical fruit aromas to speak This bottle was sealed with a cork. with full voice. The palate is fresh and lively with lemony acidity and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 4/10/2005. apple and pear fruit finding their niche in a fine, chalky, minerally texture. Mr Riggs Watervale Riesling 2005, $21, 93 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) During my high school years, our back yard in Bundaberg on the Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Queensland coast boasted a prized Paw Paw tree which seemed to This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. aspire to be as tall as the old palm tree alongside it. It took a long Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. ladder to get to its fruit before the fruit bats - but the fresh, exotic bitter/sweet prize, always with a dash of lemon juice, was the Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2004, $22, 93 points reward for the daring climber. The Clare Valley is my favourite riesling region in the southern This wine took me back up the ladder. Fresh paw paw and lemon in hemisphere, and Mount Horrocks consistently produces one of its a restrained style with fine, minerally acidity and excellent length. It best wines. The 2004 boasts a bouquet which is both tight and would be well worth a climb to track it down! complex; at once minerally/flinty with fresh lemon/lime blossom and at the same time complex with tropical/orange rind and hints of 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) mushrooms and butter. The palate is nothing less, with a slice of Best drinking around: 2005-2009. apricot on the top, very good length and the classic mineral This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. structure and acid tightness which defines Mount Horrocks Riesling. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. A brow-furrowingly serious riesling which must not be missed. Cartwheel Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004, 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) $21, 93 points Best drinking around: 2004-2007 or 2009-2013. Semillon and sauvignon blanc are perfect partners, and there are This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. few places where the match is better made than in Margaret River. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. At its best the synergy creates an intense, fresh wine, with the sauvignon blanc contributing gooseberry, black currant bud and The Wilson Vineyard Polish Hill River Riesling 2005, $22, 92 passionfruit characters while the semillon puts forward its lemon, cut points grass and herbaceous notes. Acidity will be tight and tart and the The Wilson family have made the most of the great 2005 vintage in length of finish will be epic. Much like this 2004 Cartwheel, really. this tightly structured riesling from Polish Hill River. Its flavours are a cocktail of red apples, apple blossom, lime, lemon and white 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) peach. It has great length, and loads of acidity, which looks a little Best drinking around: 2005. firm now, but only needs time to come into balance. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 1/3/2005. Give it five years in the cellar.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Howard Park Riesling 2005, $22, 94 points Best drinking around: 2009-2012. The fruit for Howard Park's rieslings is sourced almost entirely from the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Porongurup ranges in Great Southern. "Altitude is especially Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/9/2005. important for the aromatic varietals," says winemaker Mike Kerrigan. "Elevation increases the diurnal temperature range required for Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $22, 94 flavour and acid balance." Six vineyards provide the fruit, but only points four tend to be used each year. "Usually two vineyards don't come A scintillating sparkle of fine, tingling acidity provides a frozen through each vintage," comments Mike. "This is seriously marginal pineapple structure to the long finish of Voyager's latest SBS. Tight viticulture." lemon, elegant tropical fruits and balanced hints of gooseberries It's worth all the trouble, with 2005 producing an extremely long, fine, and cut grass complete a perfectly balanced flavour profile. minerally riesling with a tight lemon, lime and elegant tropical fruits Blends in this style are going berserk on retail shelves at the moment, and a green apple note on the palate. and for good reason. Join the charge! 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2016. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. Wirra Wirra Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $22, 94 Clonakilla Riesling 2005, $22, 93 points points Clonakilla has been making riesling for thirty years, and this wine This is an all-singing, all-dancing sauvignon blanc with a scintillating shows off just what it can do. Refined, lifted lemon/lime blossom frozen lemon structure and absolutely delightful balance. It's a mass flavours are supported by scintillating, minerally acidity. It's tight and of cut grass, green asparagus and gun smoke with green capsicum ready to impress. and black currant bud overtones, threaded to fine, lemony acidity on a very long finish. It's one of the must-buy savvies of the year, and 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) it will out-live most of its peers. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2013.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005.

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Leeuwin Estate Riesling 2004, $22, 92 points This is an Angelina Jolie wine - drop-dead gorgeous on the surface but a calculated assassin underneath! Caution - this is a Petaluma A gently sweet wine in a fresh style with good persistence and soft, for the long-haul. fine, balanced acidity. Rich apricot and peach fruit define an excellent, younger-drinking style. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2011-2015. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Yalumba Pewsey Vale Individual Vineyard Selection Eden Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2005, $22, 92 points Valley Gewurztraminer 2005, $23, 93 points Intense apricot meal, bran and lemon fruit underpins this rich and The bouquet positively dances with rose petals, turkish delight, fresh viscous but fresh viognier. Apricot jam flavours coalesce with a lychees and spice. The palate is at once fine and viscous, with touch of alcohol heat on the finish (14.5%). delicate florals preserved impeccably in the midst of rich, rounded

14.5% alcohol.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) All credit to the talented Yalumba team on capturing the finer Best drinking around: 2005-2006. nuances of a varietal which can be precariously difficult to pin This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. down. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Vasse Felix Margaret River Semillon 2005, $23, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Fresh and tight, with lingering lemon fruit, cut grass and herbs. Two This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. months of fermentation and maturation in French oak has filled out Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. the body but done nothing to detract from its tingling black currant Frankland River Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2005, $23, bud delicacy. A finely structured, softly sweet and persistent 94 points summer-veranda-drinking special! Every year my local tasting group gets together for dinner before 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Christmas. Every couple brings just one interesting or outstanding Best drinking around: 2005-2006. wine. Rachael and I arrived back from a fortnight in WA the day This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. before this year's bash. After visiting some 45 winemakers and tasting Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/7/2005. many hundreds of wines, this was the one that I chose for dinner.

Redgate OFS Semillon 2005, $23, 92 points This is a beautiful, steely-framed riesling with great length and It's time for a blunt disclaimer: After an intense tasting week in lingering, fine, minerally acidity that builds on the end. Its structure Margaret River, hearing winemakers rave about the virtues of reflects the "coffee" gravel on which it is grown. Tangy, tight lemon semillon, I remain convinced that its best role in this region is as a and lime fruit fill the palate, and tropical hints are the product of a partner to sauvignon blanc. On its own, Margaret river semillon all warmer vintage. This is an outstanding riesling which accurately too often takes on grassy, naphthalene moth ball characters which I captures the "placeness" of the Isolation Ridge vineyard. Get it find most off-putting. It can shed these in its maturity to blossom into through the cellar door mailing list for just $20. an attractive Cinderella, but the commercial reality remains that a (www.franklandestate.com.au). wine must impress in its youth if it is to be commercially viable. I only 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) found one Margaret River semillon that really impressed me as a Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2016. young wine. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

A bracingly structured incarnation, this is an asparagus, cut grass Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. and dry herb-infused creation with fine, lemony fruit on a fine, Frankland River Estate Cooladerra Vineyard Riesling 2005, lingering finish. I'd happily put it on my table right now, or into the next decade. OFS = "Our finest selection" $23, 93 points

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) They may be producing wine from the appropriately named Best drinking around: 2006-2012. "Isolation Ridge," but the Cullam family have kept their finger firmly This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. on the international riesling pulse. Judi and Barry have toured Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. through Germany and Austria to study single vineyard wines, and son Hunter spent the 2000 vintage with Eric Salomon in Austria before Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Eden Valley Riesling 2005, making his way along the Rhine. They now use German yeasts to $23, 92 points maintain fruit characters, and cold (10-12 degrees), long (2 months!) ferments. "Our international travels put us on the track of the Eden Valley riesling is rocketing this year, and there is value to be international riesling tastings," explains Hunter. "We want to showcase found in all corners. Torzi Matthews has pulled a winner in this fresh, what Australia can do." These biannual events line up the great tight, fine and long wine of frozen pineapple, lemon sherbert, zesty rieslings of the world. lime, lemon blossom, tropical fruit, talc,… you get the picture. Buy! With this background, it is not surprising that Frankland River Estate is 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) producing outstanding, world-class rieslings. Since 2000, the fruit from Best drinking around: 2005-2009. the two hectare Cooladerra Vineyard has been bottled as a limited This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. release wine. The 2005 is a gentle floral, green apple, pear and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 5/7/2005. peach wine with excellent persistence and fine, minerally acidity.

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2005, $23, 92 points 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) A lime-accented bouquet swings into a lemon/lime and white Best drinking around: 2005-2011. peach palate with a long finish. The acid is tight and a touch hard This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. on the finish, but all it needs is time to soften. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005.

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The Lane Off the leash Finn no oak white 2005, $23, 92 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/10/2005. points Tower Estate Hunter Valley Verdelho 2004, $24, 92 points John Edwards was the name behind Starvedog Lane, a joint Australian verdelho has its place in the wine world for its friendly, venture with Hardys. The partnership now terminated, John is "off the lifted aromatics of apricot and peach fruit, and this wine fits right into leash" and doing his own thing with "The Lane." Keep your eyes - and this mould. But all too often the varietal ends up sweet, short and your palate - on this dynamic producer. You won't be distinctly lacking in acidity and structure. It is here that the 2004 disappointed. Tower Estate lifts verdelho to new heights. It is a refined wine in a dry This is a blend of chardonnay, semillon and viognier, plus a couple style, well-structured with fine, tight acidity and very good length. of secrets which John keeps tightly under his cap (although he did If you're hunting for a great Australian verdelho, this is it. let pinot gris slip after a few drinks). A pear and white peach bouquet slides into a smooth and supple palate with delicate cut 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) grass nuances, perfectly balanced acidity and a long finish. This is Best drinking around: 2005-2006. what can be achieved with top class fruit in the hands of an This bottle was sealed with a cork. experienced blender. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2004, $24, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Henschke's Julius Riesling is a lifted, finely structured Eden Valley This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. classic. I assembled an eight-year line up for the launch of my latest Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. book this year, and it proved two things. First, that riesling ages Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $24, 93 remarkably well under screw cap. Second, that this label just gets points better and better every year. The 2004 was beautifully perfumed with lemon blossom, zesty lime fruit and hints of tropicals. The palate Raw sauvignon and semillon can by their nature tend to be lacking boasted finely structured acidity and a lingering finish of tight in texture, mid-palate weight and length. In response, smart lemon/lime/tropical juice. producers have recently been oaking small parcels of fruit and blending them back into the batch. When performed poorly, the 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) result can be lifeless and bland wines, but when it's done just right it Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2013. can produce something quite remarkable - like Cape Mentelle's This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005.

The palate is textured and long, exuding intense, lifted nettles and Piggs Peake Viognier 2005, $24, 93 points black currant buds, succulent stone fruits, spiky cut grass, passionfruit I love the delicate perfume of the bouquet of this wine, with lifted and lemon. Unnerving, icy acidity lingers on an awesome finish. 15% florals tiptoeing lightly around apricot fruit. The palate is likewise oaked. Outstanding wine. Rated identically when retasted on perfumed, adding tropical fruits to the medley, on a stage of fine 9/12/05. acidity and good length.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. St Huberts Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $24, 94 Carlei Tre Bianchi 2004, $24, 93 points points Here's a blend you don't stumble across often: sauvignon blanc, Every now and then a wine surfaces which displays a single semillon and chardonnay. It's not something you might expect to characteristic so potent that it overwhelms every other descriptor. work, but here it does, and remarkably well. It has some pungent This is one of those wines, and the magic word is passionfruit. notes interplaying with cut grass and lemon fruit, finishing with good Intense, fresh and exotic. From the first whiff of the bouquet, through length. Not a keeper, but don't let that stop you! the rich mid-palate to the zingy finish and trailing off forever to the 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) horizon, this is passionfruit in a bottle, at its unctuous best. Grab your Best drinking around: 2005. grass skirt, let's dance! This bottle was sealed with a Screw cap. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. $24, 92 points Primo Estate Joseph Pinot Grigio d'Elena 2005, $24, 92 Keith Mugford combines grassy sauvignon blanc with ripe, lemony semillon to provide mouthfeel in this fresh, citrusy blend. Lemon points sherbert flavours linger on a long finish, built on well-structured For great pinot grigio, look to the Italians. Joe Grilli has hit the mark acidity. with this tight, restrained, Northern Italian style. This minerally, dry Masterfully created. wine sees no wood ageing, contrasting it to the French pinot gris style which is typically riper, more viscous and darker as a result of a 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) longer time on skins. This is a tiny production wine from just two-and- Best drinking around: 2005-2006. a-half acres in Clarendon Hills south of Adelaide. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 1/7/2005. Fine, perfumed lemon, pear and green apple fruit with talcy/chalky structure and a bracingly acidic finish. An impressively fresh and lively wine.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 19

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Lawson's Dry Hills Gewürztraminer 2004, $24, 93 points Jim Barry The Florita Clare Valley Riesling 2004, $25, 96 Rach loves gewürztraminer, which can make my job difficult in points tracking down good examples, since it's not the easiest varietal to The Clare Valley's famous Florita vineyard has been in Jim Barry's get right. Too often they end up short and sweet, flabby and simple. hands for years, but the naming rights have only been transferred That's why I get excited when I find wines like this! It's the definition of now, hence the inaugural release of the wine under this label. And great gewürz: perfumed, with Turkish delight and rosewater the result is something quite remarkable. overtones, soft structure and good length. There has been some criticism of Australian wine styles from certain

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) international writers who claim that our wines are simply built on fruit Best drinking around: 2005. and not on structure, or any unique sense of "placeness" (or "terroir", This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. to the French). Wines like this are evidence to the contrary. This is a Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. delicate and structured wine, elegantly crafted around its stony core, on which green apple, pear and lime fruit are gently hung. It Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $25, 92 points has a minerally/talcy mouth feel with profound balance - it is neither This is a fine, refreshing and intense sauvignon blanc with a steely astringent nor searing. This places it perfectly for both young drinking line of fine acidity driving through the core and into a long finish. and long cellaring. It's a stunning wine and smartly packaged with a distinctive and clever label. Tropical fruit flavours with lemon, gooseberries and touches of pungent melons. 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!)

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2014. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/8/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. Stella Bella Viognier 2004, $25, 91 points Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2005, $25, 93 points This is one classy bottle, and that's before you even get to its contents. Long, tall and ever-so-imported. Check it out! Seppelt extracts one of Australia's greatest rieslings out of its Drumborg vineyard every year, rivalling the very best of the Clare The wine is built to match. Sourced from ten-year-old vines, and Eden Valleys. Just months off the vines, the 2005 may not rival fermented in old oak with some wild yeast parcels; some pressings the previous couple of vintages, but there is flavour lurking which are blended back in for mouthfeel at the end. The first release of the may come forward in time. wine boasts fresh, perfumed apricot blossom, apricot kernel and

fleshy ripe peach flavours swirling with spice and fine acidity. A restrained white peach blossom bouquet leads into a racy, tight palate with firm, minerally acidity which lingers on a heroic finish. This 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) is a wine built on structure, with great promise for the long-term. It is Best drinking around: 2005-2006. a Master Yoda wine which may just live forever, and pull a few Jedi This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. tricks out of its sleeve along the way. Patience, Master Luke! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Orlando Steingarten Riesling 2004, $25, 94 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007 or 2011-2020. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Eden Valley riesling is one of our unsung national treasures, and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Orlando's Steingarten consistently ranks among the best. No longer sourced exclusively from the single "garden of stones" vineyard, the Bimbadgen Semillon 2001, $25, 92 points wine is a triumph of the blender and a tribute to Orlando's extensive vineyard resources. Drinking perfectly right now, the 2001 Bimbadgen Semillon is an earlier-developing style. Lanolin, lemon and butter are the highlights Intense lemon and stone fruits linger forever on a palate strung of a soft, smoothly structure palate with good length and poise. together tightly with characteristic Steingarten minerally acidity. This

is a grand Steingarten with a very big future ahead of it. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2006 or 2011-2016. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. The Lane Ravenswood Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $25, 93 points Xanadu 25th Anniversary Show Reserve Semillon 2000, Once a joint venture with Hardys, Ravenswood Lane is now fully $25, 91 points back in the hands of John Edwards, under "The Lane" label. The It's wines like this that demonstrate the potential of Margaret River wines continue to go from strength to strength. semillon. It's a toasty style with dried peach and lemon flavours in a

well-textured palate with spicy, aged complexity. The sauvignon blanc is a single-vineyard wine from thirteen-year-old Adelaide Hills vines. 2005 has produced an outstanding example of 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) the style. Intense passionfruit cordial flavours meld with fine, Best drinking around: 2005-2007. minerally acidity on a very smart palate of profound length. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Howard Park Riesling 2004, $25, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. A blend of Mount Barker and Porongurups fruit from Western Australia's Great Southern, this is an elegant riesling with fresh lemon, lime, white peach, lychee and tropical fruits overlaying fine, minerally, lingering acidity.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 20

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Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Rochford Macedon Ranges Pinot Gris 2004, $27, 92 points Tower Estate Hunter Valley Semillon 1999, $26, 94 points It's up there in both price and alcohol (14.5%) but its got what it takes to get away with both. Lemon and pear fruit are the hallmarks of The philosophy of Tower Estate is to source fruit from regions across both the fine nose and the elegant, minerally palate of this tightly Australia which are best suited to each varietal. The result is a range structured wine with fine acidity. of exceptional varietal wines. When I tasted the current releases at This is a refined Aussie pinot gris. cellar door this year, my average score for the dozen wines was more than 90 points - an exceptional result for any producer. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

The 1999 was Tower's first Hunter Semillon, and is set for re-release Best drinking around: 2005-2006. soon. A top idea, because this is a great aged semillon with toasty, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. nutty complexity filled out with fine lingering acidity on a never- Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. ending lemon finish. Worth seeking out. Meerea Park Alexander Munro Individual Vineyard 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Semillon 1999, $27, 94 points Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Semillon is out of vogue at the moment, but with wines like this it has Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. no right to be. 1999 is a classic vintage for Hunter semillon, and there are many knockout examples on the shelves right now. This is one of Keith Tulloch Semillon 2003, $26, 92 points them. At six years of age, it is still light straw-green in appearance with a fantastic nose of buttered toast, lanolin, lemon and dried Great mouthfeel, intense acidity and a long finish confirm another peach and a hint of petrol and dry herbs. I could sit sniffing it forever, great Semillon from Keith Tulloch. It tastes like cut grass, candied if it weren't for the fact that the palate is just as good, with a very lemon rind, lanolin and hints of grapefruit and hay. Give it time. long finish and well-structured acidity. I first experienced it on a 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) beachfront Sunshine Coast deck with freshly hooked reef fish. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. Breath-taking! This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Start the semillon resurgence and get into this wine! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Tower Estate Hunter Valley Semillon 2005, $26, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Tower Estate releases its semillon young. I tasted this wine just months This bottle was sealed with a cork. off the vines, and again in September when it hit the shelves. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/7/2005.

Tower has pulled out another lemon citrus-infused semillon with lifted Henschke Joseph Hill Gewürztraminer 2004, $28, 92 points floral, tropical and green herb overtones and tight, fine acidity on a The difference between average gewürz and great gewürz in lingering finish. It's scintillatingly youthful, searingly tight and very Australia usually comes down to structure and length. There are long. It might be on the shelves already, but don't you even dream other examples which show the Turkish Delight, rosewater and fine of drinking it in less than fine years! Grab the 1999 re-release to drink perfume of the Joseph Hill, but few that support this with the same now (also reviewed on this site). tight acidity and length of finish, thanks to the cool climate and 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) altitude of this Eden Valley vineyard. An excellent example of what Best drinking around: 2011-2016. gewürztraminer is capable of achieving in Australia. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. Keith Tulloch Semillon 2004, $26, 93 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Delicate lemon blossom, zesty lime juice, cut grass, lanolin and herbs merge to create a finely structured semillon of excellent length. It's Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2005, $28, 94 points purposely textured for younger drinking and medium-term ageing, When I visited Stephanie Toole and Jeff Grosset in the middle of the with small parcels going through barrel fermentation for a few days 2005 vintage, I was taken aback by the pristine state of their winery. to contribute mid-palate texture. The result is a great Hunter semillon It's no surprise that the wines which emerge are as clean and tight as which doesn't demand years in the cellar. they are - Jeffrey's under his own name, and Stephanie's under Mt 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Horrocks. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Stephanie makes a mean, imminently age-worthy riesling, and the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 2005 is a good example. Bright green-yellow appearance; the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. flavours are intense, with lime, lemon, apple and tropical fruits. Firm Tower Estate Clare Valley Riesling 2004, $26, 93 points acidity kicks in on a long finish. I enjoy most rieslings both in their youth and their maturity, but this is one which will benefit from age to An intense, tightly structured riesling with a bouquet of lime, lemon soften on the finish. It will outlive most of its peers from this vintage. and a hint of tropical fruit and a touch of kerosene development starting to appear. The palate adds white nectarines on a long finish 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) with fine, minerally acidity. Best drinking around: 2010-2015. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. It's starting to lose its youthful freshness and show some premature Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. developed complexity already - a standard cork problem. Where's the screw cap? Time to get with the program, Tower Estate! Moorilla Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $28, 94 points 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) In New Zealand's Marlborough region, sauvignon blanc is Best drinking around: 2010-2014. affectionately dubbed "savvy." This offering from Tasmania's Moorilla This bottle was sealed with a cork. Estate is about as savvy as Aussie sauvignon blanc gets. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. It's a tight style with cut grass and tropicals. Acidity is perfectly balanced and the length of finish is nothing less than outstanding. All it needs now is a screw cap.

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94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Leo Buring throws its best fruit at the Leonay, this year from its Best drinking around: 2005. Woodbury and High Eden vineyards in South Australia's Eden Valley. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Mouth-watering lime fruit and sensational, fine, minerally acidity Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. make up the core of this wine, with floral, lemon and apple flavours tucked in around the edges. This is a sensational, restrained and Leo Buring Single Vineyard Watervale Riesling (tank minerally Leonay with awesome length behind it and a huge future sample) 2005, $28, 94 points ahead of it. A month after my first tasting, it was looking even better, warranting an upgrade from 94 to 95 points. Matthew Pick is the man behind Leo Buring's rieslings. Previously part of the Southcorp empire, the company was in the midst of a merger 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) with Fosters at the time that the 2005 fruit was coming in. "No one Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2011-2018. was looking so I left a tank aside," Matthew told me. "It came off This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. forty-five year old vines in a single Watervale vineyard yielding under Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. 3 tonnes per acre." Bimbadgen Semillon 1999, $30, 94 points Full credit to Matthew for being devious with this one, because it's a sensational wine that deserves to have to catwalk to itself to strut its At six years of age, Bimbadgen's Semillon is still a light straw colour. Its stuff solo. Pear and apple fruit of out-of-this-world purity are carried bouquet is a complex and enticing interplay of lemon and quince by lifted florals over tight, fine, minerally acidity. This is a long-term with lanolin, dried fruits and an attractive touch of mushroom. The wine that you must not touch for five years. But Leo Buring will not palate is tight and fresh with lemony acidity and buttery mushroom. even grant you the temptation, because they won't release it until Its structure is reminiscent of the impossibly long-lived white wines of around 2010. I'm telling you now so you'll set a reminder in your France's Loire Valley, and its length is of similar proportions. electronic calendar, because there won't be much to go around. Bimbadgen held this wine back for release after the 2001 (also

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) reviewed on this site), and for good reason. This is a classically- Best drinking around: 2010-2020. structured semillon from a great Hunter vintage and it's only just This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. beginning to enter its drinking window now. Another standout 1999 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. semillon.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Leo Buring Mount Barker Riesling 2005, $28, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2011. Riesling master Leo Buring has been on the search for new vineyards This bottle was sealed with a cork. to broaden its horizons beyond the hills of the Clare and Eden Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Valleys. This pursuit has led it south to Tasmania and west to WA's Mount Barker. Meerea Park Terracotta Semillon 1999, $30, 95 points

The 2005 Mount Barker Single Vineyard Riesling is the first fruits of Leo Sound the trumpets, here comes another great 1999 Hunter Semillon. Buring's foray abroad, and this new stallion is every bit up to the I love it when a wine of this standard is held back for release at just pedigree of the Buring stable. It's water-white in appearance, with a the right moment. bouquet positively blossoming with lifted florals, blood oranges and Lemon and orange citrus, stone fruits and tropical fruits jostle for lemons. The palate is spicy and fine with tight lemon/lime/grapefruit, position on the nose, with the lemon winning out on a palate of searing acidity and a grand aftertaste. This is a racy young fantastic length, with a searing acid backbone. It's fleshier than performer with the nerve to go long-distance. Look out for it from Tyrrell's Vat 1 style, with a viscous palate of white peach and dried November 2005. fruits. Awesome fruit intensity, spine-tingling structure and a never-

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) ending finish. Wow!

Best drinking around: 2006-2008 or 2010-2018. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Watershed Wines Awakening Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $29, 92 points Neagles Rock Frisky Filly Reserve Riesling 2004, $30, 92 This is a good example of a partially barrel fermented sauvignon points blanc (25%), showing tight, fresh fruit intensity, coupled with rich mid- The first release of a single vineyard reserve from Neagles Rock, this is palate texture. It's a spicy style with lemon rind and cut grass flavours an elegant, fresh (frisky?!) lime cordial riesling with hints of tropical supported by fine acidity on a long finish. fruits and tight acidity. Elegance and fineness are the buzz words

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) here.

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2007-2014. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Leo Buring Leonay Riesling 2005, $30, 95 points When it's time to splurge on a riesling, this is the wine to reach for. For Ravenswood Lane Single Vineyard Viognier 2005, $30, 92 your $30 you get an epic wine of world-class standard (can any points other varietals can make this claim?!) - and you'll often find this one This is a definitively varietal viognier, dripping with apricot jam and discounted down to much less. peach kernel over Wheat Bix flavours. It's a finely acidic, dry style with just a lick (2g/L) of residual sugar to provide mid-palate balance.

This is what viognier is all about!

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

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Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $33, 96 points Brookland Valley Semillon 2005, $30, 93 points In Marlborough they affectionately dub sauvignon blanc "savvy". It also happens to be the savvy wine to be drinking in Australia at the A brand new label, set for release at cellar door and on premise in moment (and in any other self-respecting country!). Sauvignon early 2006; I saw this wine three weeks after bottling at Houghton. blanc is all the rage, and for good reason. It doesn't get any better Smoky, spicy, tight, cut grass, lemon, lanolin and loads of asparagus than this! Cloudy Bay has been the flagship of the varietal for a long unite in a long palate with a firm, fine acid structure. time, and with wines as breathtaking as the 2004 it looks set to

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) continue to hold its reign. The bouquet is gloriously perfumed with a Best drinking around: 2006-2007. sensational balance of gooseberries, tropical fruits and cut grass. On This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. the palate it is at once complex and elegant, with fine lemony acidity of wonderful structure and a never-ending-story of a finish. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. A delightfully stunning wine! For what it represents on a world scale, it Tower Estate Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $32, 93 also happens to be an astounding bargain. points 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) There is a complex interplay of gooseberries and grapefruit on this Best drinking around: 2005-2006. intense sauvignon blanc, with the bouquet showing aromatics of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. green capsicum, cut grass and tropical fruits. The palate is firmly, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. finely structured and shows excellent mid-palate weight for a sauvignon blanc that has not seen any oak influence. A superb Pikes The Merle Reserve Clare Valley Riesling 2005, $34, 94 finish completes an outstanding wine. points

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 2005 was an outstanding vintage for Clare Valley riesling, set to rival Best drinking around: 2005. the great 2002. The key difference is that the 2005 wines are more This bottle was sealed with a cork. approachable in their youth, and will be outlived by many 2002s. But Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. when they're drinking as well as this wine is right now, you'd be harsh to hold this against them. Cape Mentelle Walcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003, Elegance is the key here, with fine lime, lemon, apple and tropical $33, 92 points fruits gliding seamlessly through a delicate bouquet and gentle Cape Mentelle's Walcliffe SBS is an intense, out-there wine with a palate, resting on a bed of soft, fine, minerally acidity. Eminently tendency to polarise opinion. It's spicy, dusty and smoky, with steely balanced and utterly enjoyable. This wine is a blend of the best nettles and camphor on a tightly-structured palate with fine acidity, parcels from Pikes' estate vineyards at Polish Hill River. good mid-palate texture and a long, nutty finish. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This wine showed identically when retasted on 9/12/05. Best drinking around: 2005-2008.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2005, $35, 95 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. It was while gazing at a series of nude paintings in London's Tate Grosset Watervale Riesling 2004, $33, 93 points Modern gallery that I learnt the secret to Jeffrey Grosset's skill as a Frozen pineapple and apple fruit with lemon and lime citrus in a fine, winemaker. Tasting this wine six months later, I remember his exact tight, long style. words: "I can appreciate nude art when it is a celebration of form, but not when it is simply trying to make a statement." We then 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) decided that too many wines made today represent the latter Best drinking around: 2005-2006 or 2009-2016. philosophy. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. Jeffrey has truly captured the form of his 2005 Polish Hill Riesling fruit in this wine. I visited him in the middle of vintage and he was positively Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $33, 94 points buzzing about its quality. Spicy musk perfume dances on the Hailed among the greatest sauvignon blancs in the world, Cloudy bouquet amid a chorus of elegant white peach, fresh lemon and a Bay is on form again in 2005. Lemon and lime are the features of the hint of lychee. In true Grosset form, the palate is sparkling clean with bouquet, supported by subtle hints of black currant bud and remarkable palate perfume, spice and fine, minerally acidity gooseberries. An intense and elegant palate boasts lingering lemon lingering on a smooth, persistent finish. This is a top class Grosset fruit with grass and gooseberries. This is a refined and approachable Polish Hill to (almost) rival the epic 2002, albeit in an earlier- wine with a profound finish, great acid structure and awesome developing style. Grosset form at its unadulterated, clothes-off best! (Retasted October 25 with identical ratings.) texture.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2015. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/9/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/9/2005. Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon 1999, $35, 94 points Brokenwood's ILR is living proof of the longevity of Hunter Semillon, and a great vintage like 1999 shows just how far it can go. At six years of age, and only set for release at the end of this year, the wine is quite backward in its development, with fresh lemons and tightly structured acidity. Not that it isn't developing - there are hints of petrol, honey, stone fruits and that characteristic vanilla note of aged Hunter Semillon. Great length. Great future.

It's a keeper. 23

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94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2019. Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1999, $43, 95 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Tyrrells uphold this as the best of the 1990s vintages. The fact that it is the current release vintage that they're trying to sell aside, this is, Tulloch Julia Semillon 2003, $35, 93 points indeed, a remarkable wine that deserves a place among the greatest Vat 1s. This is the serious semillon in the Tulloch range, and it's priced accordingly. It's a lemon-infused wine with savoury herbs and cut Searing, signature Vat 1 acidity, the lemon, butter and white peach grass culminating in a long, finely-structured finish. flavours of youth have begun to move toward the toast, camphor and honey of maturity. Profound length and structure. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2006-2016. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/8/2005. Marc Bredif Vouvray 1986, $35, 94 points Yes, 1986, and it's on the shelves right now. Remarkable wine, Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2002, $43, 95 points outstanding value for money, and only a whisker behind the stellar I just adore the taming influence of a decade of bottle age on 1985. At almost twenty years of age, it has developed softly sweet Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon, and this wine has its nose firmly pointed in the marshmallow, butter, mushroom, marmalade and nashi fruit direction of great things to come. Right now it's a searingly acidic complexity on the bouquet. The palate adds citrus rind, apricot, tiger with green apple fangs, but behind that it's a warm cuddly cane sugar and star anise to the line up, with well-structured acidity animal with superb intensity of lemon fruit, nuances of river pebbles, and great length. This vintage appear to have a touch of botrytis. superb intensity and an awesome finish.

Wines like this make me wish we saw more Loire Valley whites in It will be roaring in five years time! Australia, and at this price it's quite a steal. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2010. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/8/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/8/2005. Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2004, $43, 94 points Valminor Rias Baixas Albariño 2004, $36, 90 points A tightly focused bouquet boasts lemon perfume, lemon blossom It is a travesty that more Albariño is not imported into this country, so and delicate hints of lanolin. The palate is likewise tight with dry when you find a good one, buy up! herbs, camphor and lemon fruit which trails off in an exceptional

This is an elegant, lemon-scented wine with tropical fruit nuances, finish. A lean, tightly sprung Vat 1 which will be long lived. Retasted September 11 with an identical rating. fine, lingering acidity and good length.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Due for release in 2009 under screw cap. Tyrrells have been trialling Best drinking around: 2005-2006. screw caps on Vat 1 for years, and the move makes the most This bottle was sealed with a cork. profound sense. No more cork problems. I'll happily drink to that - especially if it's Vat 1! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2004, $39, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006 or 2009-2016. Fresh, youthful lemon rind characters are beginning to morph into This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. the kerosene of maturity. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 1999, $45, Best drinking around: 2009-2014. 95 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. McWilliams Lovedale was my last stop as I worked my way through the Hunter Valley's great 1999 semillons. And what a way to finish! Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc The mouth feel of this wine was second to none; a paradox of tight Semillon 2003, $43, 95 points acidity, buttery smoothness and fruit-powered intensity. Lemon, honey and stone fruits surged on an endless finish. A delightful way Silence the crowd, it's time for a big announcement: This is the to spoil yourself over the next few years! highest pointed Australian sauvignon blanc semillon that I have ever tasted, rivalled only by earlier vintages of the same wine. The single I have now tasted this vintage five times since its releases. Two of vineyard at Augusta is about as far southwest as Australia gets, these bottles were corked, and one was oxidised. The other two producing fruit of such profound intensity that it completely swallows were sublime. Roll in the screw cap, please! any oak influence from fermentation in 100 percent new barrels and 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) maturation in 50 percent new barrels. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. An intense bouquet of gooseberries, spice and asparagus displays This bottle was sealed with a cork. fine, smoky oak overtones. The palate is refined, focused and long, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. with a concentrated citrus marmalade character offset by herbaceous complexity and lingering lemony acidity on a persistent Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2002, $45, 92 points finish. Freshness is maintained to the epitome in this remarkably This is about as complex as sauvignon blanc gets (and possibly as balanced wine which would be a brilliant partner to oysters or other expensive as it gets in this part of the world, as well). Te Koko is an salty seafood. It's an experience that you should not miss. unashamedly barrel-fermented style, full-bodied, sweaty, funky and

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) honeyed. There are aromas of marigold florals, asparagus, Best drinking around: 2005-2011. gooseberry and cats pee (yes) on a long finish. It has balanced This bottle was sealed with a cork. acidity, and is beautifully structured with a smooth mouth feel and a great finish. 24

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Retasted on June 13, 2005 and showing improved palate structure. Stewed apricots and apricot kernel are the highlights of a lifted Coming together beautifully. nose. A juicy, plump palate is tempered by fine acidity on a long finish. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005, $47, 95 points

McWilliams Lovedale Semillon has knocked me sideways more than once this year, and the edgy 2005 fully blew me away! It opens with a tight, herbaceous, grassy nose leading into an intensely lemony, fine palate of profound fruit purity. Its fine, persistent acidity is nothing less than awesome. This wine has a huge life expectancy but, unusually, it's also quite drinkable right now.

It was not long after a run of three cork-spoilt 1999 Lovedales that the 2005 landed on me under screw cap. All is well with the world again!

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007 or 2011-2017. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier 2004, $50, 93 points The bouquet and palate display restrained peach, apricot and apricot kernel flavours which morph into a fine lemony finish with a razor edge of tangy acidity and a touch of alcohol warmth. This is a more elegant, restrained and subtle version of Yalumba's Eden Valley Viognier.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Tyrrell's Reserve HVD Semillon 1995, $70, 94 points Tyrrell's HVD is a remarkable wine, but it really comes into its own after a decade. This bottle boasted a bouquet of primary grapefruit blossom and lemon, leading into secondary lanolin and toast, with a full-bodied palate of fine acidity, gentle sweetness and excellent length.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/4/2005. Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots 2002, $125, 95 points I first visited Chablis with Rachael while en route from Champagne to Beaune in the centre of Burgundy. And that's not a bad way to think of Chablis - Half way between the rich complexity of Burgundian chardonnay and the fine, steely elegance of the chardonnay that finds its way into Champagne. Great Chablis is elegant, fine and an utter delight.

Laroche's 2002 Les Blanchots is textbook Grand Cru Chablis, with fine white peach, tight, minerally acidity and an aftertaste that never ends. Under screw cap, it's even cleaner and fresher than ever.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/5/2005. Stevens Brook Estate Verdelho 2005, 92 points It's not often that one stumbles across a good example of Australian verdelho, but I was pleasantly surprised by this find at the Rutherglen Wine Show tasting in September.

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Grapefruit and tropical fruits are balanced with nutty oak characters the top oaked whites and lingering acidity on a long finish. Great value quaffer.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. Cleanskin Reserve Chardonnay AG03 Central Ranges 2003, $9, 87 points Gemtree Citrine Chardonnay 2005, $15, 90 points The rule with cleanskins is to steer clear. Or, at least, always try If you're into a sweeter style of chardonnay and are looking for a before you buy. It's a historic moment when I recommend a bargain, this is the wine for you. She's a big one - 14.5% - but holds cleanskin. In fact, it's a unique moment because I've never done it herself well, with tight acidity and lingering fruit. The bouquet before. That makes this the first ever unlabelled wine that I have presents mandarine, lemon and white peach fruits with hints of cut recommended. This means it must be phenomenal value, and it is. grass and sweat, while the palate relies on locut flavours and fine, Listen up. lemony acidity. Good structure for a $15 chardonnay.

While cleanskins by nature have no indication of producer, this one Retasted October 10, 2005 at least betrays its region. The fruit is from close to the brilliant 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) chardonnay region of Orange in New South Wales' Central Ranges. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. It gives the wine a ripe melon fruitiness, coupled with nutty oak This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. flavours, and some toasty characters from two years of bottle age. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. It's a slightly sweet style, but it has plenty of length and flavour to back it up, as well as the magic ingredient of lingering acidity on the Logan Wines Weemala Chardonnay 2001, $15, 89 points finish. Find it in your local Woolworths, Safeway liquor or BWS store. Falling between the bargain-of-the-year Apple Tree Flat 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Chardonnay and the epic Logan Chardonnay, the Weemala is an Best drinking around: 2005. elegant, restrained combination of light citrus/melon fruit from the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Central Ranges with a touch of oak. It boasts tight, fine acidity, good Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/11/2005. length and doesn't look anything like four years of age!

Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Chardonnay 2004, $10, 89 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. You can't buy decent chardonnay for ten bucks, right? Wrong. This Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. little number from Logan is packed with clean fresh peach and pear fruit, tight structure and an out-of-this-world finish. My wife Rachael Wynns Chardonnay 2004, $16, 90 points loves elegant chardonnays (can't argue with that!), and after going A perennial bargain and often discounted, Wynns has wound its into raptures over this one at cellar door, it was the only bottle she chardonnay back to a restrained lemon and grapefruit style with bought on our entire trip. She said she felt guilty only paying $10 for melon, fine acidity and good length. Quaff away! it. I felt no guilt helping her drink it! 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) The best ten buck chardonnay in the world? Grab a case and Best drinking around: 2005-2008. decide for yourself. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Hoddles Creek Estate Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004, $17, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. 92 points This is the sister of Hoddle's Creek's mind-blowing 2004 Pinot Noir (also Houghton Chardonnay 2005, $12, 88 points reviewed on this site). A worthy partner it is. This is a fresh, elegant, value-for-money style with orange cordial, The 2004 Chardonnay is a tight white peach-powered wine. Melon grapefruit and tropical characters on a soft, finely structured palate. citrus and nuts on the bouquet lead into a balanced palate with Look for specials. very good fruit length of melons, peaches and cream, supported by

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) cashewy American oak. The acid is soft but well-structured, making this an excellent drink-now proposition. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. McWilliams Hanwood Chardonnay 2005, $12, 87 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/6/2005. This is an elegant, value-for-money chardonnay in which a fresh white nectarine nose introduces a well-balanced stone fruit and Louee Tongbong Chardonnay 2004, $18, 90 points lemon palate. Grapefruit and melon with obvious cashew nut French oak. Hand

Quaff away! picked and whole bunch pressed, this is a tightly strung chardonnay with fine, lemony acidity and good length. 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. Richmond Grove French Cask Chardonnay 2005, $14, 89 points Richmond Grove is a reliable performer at the value-for-money end of the market, as wines like this demonstrate. 26

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Allandale Chardonnay 2003, $18, 92 points Mike says that 2004 was the best chardonnay vintage since 2001, and this wine certainly proves it. Lemon, peach and melon fruit is Allandale's 2003 semillon (look it up on this site) shot straight into my perfectly married with cashew nut oak. Fine acidity and grapefruit "must buy bargains of the year" and the chardonnay is not far linger on a long finish. This is an outstanding, value-for-money, full behind. flavoured chardonnay. Retasted December 15, 2005, and looking Tropical fruits, peaches, melons and nutty oak are held in place by even better! well-balanced acidity on a long finish. Value Hunter Chardonnay. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Oakridge Chardonnay 2003, $25, 92 points Rosemount Estate Giants Creek Chardonnay Viognier At two years of age, this is a fresh, citrus-powered chardonnay with 2004, $20, 92 points a lingering grapefruit and peach palate, built on firm, tart acidity. Crafted from a single vineyard of thirty-five year old vines, this is an Cashew nut oak pokes out on the bouquet but sits neatly behind the intense, fruit-driven chardonnay with five to ten percent viognier to fruit in the mouth. It's drinking well now but has the structure to pull it spice it up. The result is a spicy ginger-infused synergy of through the next few years. grapefruit/peach/lemon/melon chardonnay with orange 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) peel/apricot/tropical viognier. It's a masterfully put together fruit- Best drinking around: 2005-2007. intense wine, with tight structure and a fantastic finish. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Full marks to the Rosemount team for creativity with this blend. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) St Huberts Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2005, $25, 92 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Wine quality is sometimes confused with longevity. Wines pop up Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. every so often which are drinking brilliantly now, and deserve attention, even if they're not going anywhere.

Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2005, An elegant bouquet of white peach, melon and cashew nut oak $22, 91 points slides into a tight and refined palate with delicate white peach fruit Wolf Blass has been working at winding back the oak regime on this and soft, fine acidity in a refined, smoothly textured package with soft acidity. This is a grand chardonnay for early drinking. wine, and the result is that the 2005 release is one of the best to date. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

Melon, grapefruit and hazelnuts come together in an elegantly Best drinking around: 2005-2006. crafted wine with lingering grapefruit intensity and buttery This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. malolactic hints on the finish. A portion of the wine underwent lees Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. stirring, adding to the palate texture and complexity. Good length Stella Bella Chardonnay 2003, $25, 93 points and balanced, fine acidity finish it off nicely. Janice McDonald focuses on the cooler, southern vineyards of 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Margaret River as her white wine fruit sources. Her chardonnay is Best drinking around: 2005-2006. consequently built on a fine, minerally structure. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. The 2003 is the antithesis of a fruit-focused style, concentrating, rather, on structure and complexity. It is a wine of remarkable length Fermoy Estate Chardonnay 2003, $22, 92 points and minerally acidity. Burgundian oak (a small proportion of which is Margaret River makes some of the best chardonnays in this country, new oak) and a small amount of wild yeast build flavours of roasted and many are priced accordingly. It's refreshing to find a great nuts and cream on its soft white peach fruit. This is a great chardonnay to ponder over at length. example at a value-for-money price.

Hazelnut and cashew characters are the remnant of barrel 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) fermentation and fifteen months in oak. The fruit is lemony, with fine, Best drinking around: 2006-2010. well-structured minerally acidity and excellent length. Give it a year This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. for the oak to integrate. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Scarborough White Label Selection Hunter Valley Best drinking around: 2006-2008. Chardonnay 2004, $25, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Hunter Valley chardonnay can sometimes become lost in the sea of semillon and shiraz, but wines like this deserve astute attention.

Howard Park Mad Fish Chardonnay 2004, $22, 92 points Firm vanillin oak and spice marries with intense grapefruit, orange Listening to winemaker Mike Kerrigan discussing his bottom-of-the- and tropical fruit on a fine, tight, intense palate with tart acidity and range Mad Fish wines comes as quite a surprise. He is just as proud great length. This is a well-structured chardonnay with fruit picked at to show off his Mad Fish tanks as he is his premium Howard Park the perfect moment to maintain rich complexity and fine acidity. barrels. "It's not hard to make great wines from great fruit, but this is 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) where the real challenge lies: Producing hundreds of thousands of Best drinking around: 2006-2008. bottles of decent wine for a price point." It takes just this kind of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. enthusiasm to pull it off. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005.

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The Wine & Truffle Company Reserve Chardonnay 2004, Wirra Wirra Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2004, $27, 93 points $25, 91 points This is a great chardonnay from Wirra Wirra. A citrus and melon fruit A complex, darty bouquet of melon, lemon zest and spice throws bouquet is balanced by cashew nut oak. The palate is fine and into a restrained palate of cashew nut oak, dried nectarines and elegant with tart lemon and bitter grapefruit hovering delicately long, lemony acidity. Give it time to integrate. over a layer of fine, nutty oak. It's all suspended beautifully by a tight line of tart acidity. Give it a year for the layers to mesh, then give it a 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) slight chill, sit back and reflect. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 4/11/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Logan Wines Chardonnay 2001, $25, 94 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/12/2005. Cue the band, this is an epic wine. Chardonnay is what Orange Rochford Macedon Ranges Chardonnay 2003, $27, 94 does best, and this is as good as it comes for $25. The bouquet is a restrained cage of melon, butter and nuts. Grapefruit and orange points rind are let loose on the palate, with Hungarian and French oak This is a graceful and beautifully balanced chardonnay in a doing their thing on the sidelines. This is a super-citrusy chardonnay medium-bodied style, highlighted by refined peach and fig fruit and of profound length and fine, glistening acidity. buttery malolactic influences (fermentation to produce lactic acid).

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) It's nicely structured with spicy vanillin oak, fine lingering acidity and excellent length. Great chardy! Best drinking around: 2005-2011. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Xanadu Chardonnay 2004, $25, 93 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/8/2005. This is a juicy-fruited chardonnay exhibiting excellent balance. Baked peach, spice, tropical fruit and toffee come together in an Balnaves Chardonnay 2003, $28, 92 points enticing bouquet. The lingering palate adds nectarine and peach Balnaves is the name behind some of the best value reds in fruit on a finely acidic finish. Great value. Coonawarra, but with wines like this chardonnay it's also setting itself up for a great reputation in the white wine world. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This ranks among Balnaves' best chardonnays yet. It's fine and well- This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. structured on the palate with lingering grapefruit juice acidity Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. searing through a long finish. Melon and vanillin oak flavours complete a great wine. Ashbrook Estate Chardonnay 2004, $27, 93 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) A big (14.5%) but well-structured chardonnay with a lot of life ahead Best drinking around: 2005-2008. of it. Melon and peach fruit is offset by cashew nut oak and fine, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. minerally, lingering acidity. The fruit has the power to handle Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. fermentation and six months in French oak barriques, half of which were new. It finishes with good length. Keith Tulloch Chardonnay 2003, $28, 94 points

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Keith Tulloch is a master of all things Hunter, with all but one of his Best drinking around: 2006-2009. wines that have crossed my path going straight into my list of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. recommendations. His chardonnay is my pick of his current releases.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. Gun smoke, flint, tropical fruits and melon are balanced by vanillin De Bortoli Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004, $27, 92 points oak on an elegant bouquet. The palate is stabbed by a tight line of minerally acidity, off which grapefruit, melon and pineapple fruit are An excellent yellow-green hue is the first suggestion of an excellent, carefully hung. The oak is prominent, but it is quality oak, to be sure, elegant chardonnay. The complex bouquet is driven by cashew nut and does not detract. This is a beautifully crafted chardonnay of oak, melon, peach and orange rind characters. The palate is lean perfect balance and profound length. and elegant with soft, buttery white peach fruit and a line of fine acidity reaching into a long finish. A beautiful, balanced 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) chardonnay. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Tower Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2004, $28, 93 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. points Ashbrook Estate Chardonnay 2003, $27, 93 points This is a very well-constructed chardonnay with white peach, melon and tropical fruits balanced with nutty French oak. Fine, lingering A complex bouquet of cashew nuts, toffee and white peach with acidity is the highlight of a long finish. The oak is disjoint an the nectarine and pineapple tropical hints. The palate is long and moment, but showing excellent balance. All it needs is time to fall intense with stone fruits and fine, lingering acidity. Cashew nut oak into place. flavours are well-placed behind high-quality fruit. Great value chardonnay. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2010. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005.

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Lark Hill Chardonnay 2002, $28, 92 points Killerby Chardonnay 2002, $30, 93 points A cool 850m elevation places Lark Hill as one of the highest This wine is proof that it's not just Margaret River and Great Southern vineyards in the Canberra district, infusing its fruit with a fine, tight that are capable of pulling our brilliant WA chardonnays. Comprised elegant structure and great longevity. of predominantly Geographe fruit, this tight, fine, fresh chardonnay is

Grapefruit, melon and white peach flavours permeate this long, fine driven by grapefruit and lemon with complex hints of spice, rhubarb chardonnay. Barrel ferment and wild yeast complexity are and baked apple. It's travelling well as a three-year-old, with plenty of tight acidity on a very long finish. apparent.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay 2004, $29, Killerby Chardonnay 2005, $30, 93 points 92 points I met Killerby winemaker Simon Keall at his Geographe cellar door in The younger sister of queen Art Series, the Prelude Chardonnay early December, and as I left he couldn't stop talking about his 2005 displays white peach fruit with butter and caramel oak, a well- chardonnay which he'd just blended into tank. Early the next textured mouth-feel and excellent length. morning we were standing at the tank in Margaret River for the first showing of the finished wine. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Excellent white peach, nectarine and grapefruit is textured with a This bottle was sealed with a cork. creamy mouthfeel and balanced with cashew nut oak and hints of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. toffee and caramel. This is a top Killerby Chardonnay. Sourced from twenty-five-year-old Margaret River vines, the wine sees 35% new Watershed Wines Awakening Chardonnay 2004, $29, 93 French oak, and 25% of it goes through malolactic fermentation. points Simon is tending toward a style with less oak.

Watershed Wines has recently been set up in the southern Margaret 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) River area by a syndicate of investors. It has quickly established itself Best drinking around: 2005-2008. as a reliable producer of well-priced wines, the current releases This bottle was a tank sample. representing its best range to date. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005.

Fleshy white peach and nectarine fruit fills the fine, long palate of Curly Flat Chardonnay 2002, $35, 93 points this well-made chardonnay. Lingering fine acidity, cashew nut oak and hints of bacon fat complexity play a supporting role. Phil Moraghan is pulling some top class chardonnays out of his Curly estate in Victoria, and this is one of the best yet. It's a powerful 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) grapefruity style with orange, melon and apricot fruit nuances, Best drinking around: 2005-2008. vanillin oak, spice and meal. The alcohol is a touch hot but there's This bottle was sealed with a cork. plenty of acidity and a long length of finish to hold it in form.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Dalwhinnie Chardonnay 2003, $30, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Chardonnay is the chameleon of grape varietals. It has the This bottle was sealed with a cork. uncanny ability to change its shade to suit practically any climate Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/3/2005. it's thrown into. The result is that it comes in all shapes and sizes. It's a welcome trend to see Australian chardonnay heading back to the Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2004, $35, 94 points elegant, refined end of the spectrum. Western Australia's southwest continues to produce outstanding

For a great example at an affordable price, Dalwhinnie chardonnays, but increasingly Great Southern is capturing some of Chardonnay is one of my favourites. It is anchored on elegant white Margaret River's limelight. This is an elegantly-styled, minerally- peach and lemon fruit with hints of tropicals, and some nutty structured chardonnay, thanks to some cooler climate parcels from Forest Hill in the southern WA region of Mount Barker. complexity from barrel fermentation. 2003 was a warm year, producing a bigger Dalwhinnie Chardonnay than usual, but it Lemon, grapefruit and white peach fruit is perfectly balanced with doesn't lack anything in balance, poise, acid structure or length. toffeed, hazelnut oak. All it needs now is time to come together, and One to be enjoyed young. its March 2006 release should see it land at just the right time.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Red Hill Classic Release Chardonnay 2002, $30, 94 points Howard Park Chardonnay 2004, $35, 95 points Chardonnay is right at home on the Mornington Peninsula, It was not until tasting barrel samples of each of the parcels that particularly when it can strike a perfect balance between elegance contribute to Howard Park Chardonnay that I came to understand and richness, as it does in Red Hill's 02 Classic. This is a medium- the wine. The majority of the fruit is sourced from the Harewood bodied chardonnay with excellent peach, nectarine and grapefruit vineyard in Denmark on the southern coast of Western Australia. Five supported by cashew nut oak and roast almond and butter separate blocks from this site are vinified separately and blended in complexity, strung on a fine, long wire of tight acidity. Brilliantly put- a tedious tasting exercise to create the finished product. Each together. parcel is unique and exceptional; the finished product even more so. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/10/2005. 29

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The epitome of power and elegance at once, the bouquet is Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2004, $38, 94 points restrained, with wisps of cashew nut oak, while the palate Cape Mentelle has cut back the malolactic fermentation in this wine introduces elegant lemon and grapefruit which builds into an such that there is now virtually none at all. The result is a very refined intense finish with lingering, zesty acidity and monumental length. wine with phenomenal balance and poise. This is an outstanding chardonnay, representing exceptional value. Its maker, Mike Kerrigan, reckons it might just be the best Howard The 2004 is an outstanding Cape Mentelle Chardonnay with juicy Park chardonnay ever made. He could be right. white peach, elegant tropical fruits, cashew nut, butter and toast complexity, fine, lingering acidity and excellent length. The swing in 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) this country toward refined, elegant chardonnays is now in full force, Best drinking around: 2006-2010. and I sure am enjoying the ride! This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Canobolas-Smith "Shire" Reserve Chardonnay 2002, $35, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. High in the cool NSW hilltops, Orange is excelling in all manner of Ten Minutes by Tractor Reserve Chardonnay 2003, $39, 93 varietals, with chardonnay setting the lofty standard for the region. points Murray Smith has been turning heads with his Canobolas-Smith wines for some time, and it's not hard to see why, with releases like Ten Minutes by Tractor's Reserve Chardonnay is a serious step up his 2002 Reserve Chardonnay. from its standard release. If the latter is sweet and tropical, the reserve is quite the antithesis. This is a classy, elegant chardonnay Chardonnay come in all guises, but a big one which maintains its with fine acidity, well-handled oak and great length. Hints of melon balance and structure is a rare creature. The Canobolas-Smith is a and tropical fruits accompany an intense grapefruit streak which well-proportioned, ripe example with creamy, buttery fruit in a lingers long on the finish. grapefruit style, wallowing in caramelly, cashewy oak, with hints of toffee. It's a full 14.5% alcohol but is pulled into form by fine, smooth 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) acidity on a long finish. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Cloudy Bay Marlborough Chardonnay 2003, $40, 93 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/6/2005. points Devil's Lair Chardonnay 2004, $38, 92 points Cloudy Bay is best known for its sauvignon blanc, but it produces Devil's Lair has been working toward a more restrained chardonnay excellent wines across the board, and this is one of them. Fine style, and in this wine, Stuart Pym says it's now where he'd like it to grapefruit juice, juicy white peaches and balanced hazelnut be. complexity are its defining flavours. A very linear palate contrasts a soft creamy mouthfeel with a firm spine of excellent acidity. Quite I'm cheering from the sidelines whenever there's talk of more outstanding length tops off an impressive wine. elegant chardonnays, and this wine is headed in the right direction. Rich peach, butter and cashew nuts are prominent on the bouquet, 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) but grapefruit flavours and fine acidity come into play on the Best drinking around: 2005-2008. palate. An excellent, textured mouthfeel interplays with well- This bottle was sealed with a cork. structured acidity. It's due for release in February 2006 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/8/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Kumeu River Chardonnay 2004, $43, 91 points Best drinking around: 2006-2009. The standard Chardonnay sits between the Village and the Mate's This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Vineyard in the Kumeu River range, with a $15-20 price jump at Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. each step. All three represents an exceptional wine at its price point.

Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2004, $38, 93 points The 2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay is a lean, steely wine of melon This is another complex, intense Margaret River chardonnay. The and citrus fruit, with hints of yeast funk complexity. Fine acid makes for a tight structure. Voyager boys have been enjoying experimenting with a range of new chardonnay clones. A barrel tasting through a range of 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) different chardonnay parcels gave me an insight into this wine's Best drinking around: 2005-2009. complexity, with a 95 clone showing tight, minerally acidity and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. nectarine and peach kernel flavours, while a Mendoza clone was Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/6/2005. more fleshy with grapefruit characters. Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay 2004, $43, 93 points The 2004 is intense and rich with tropical, melon, lemon, orange and grapefruit on a long finish. The highlight is an excellent streak of fine An alluring bouquet of creamy peaches, melon and spice backed acidity that lingers amid grapefruit complexity on the long, elegant with refined vanillin oak leads into a palate which builds in weight as finish. Winemaker Cliff Royle is working toward reducing alcohol and it lingers on the tongue, working up to a crescendo of fine lemon, oak levels. Here the oak takes a spicy, supporting role, but would juicy white peach and tangy spice on the finish. This is a unique and profoundly tight/acidic chardonnay style which demands cellaring. benefit from a couple of years of ageing to integrate.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Retasted on August 11, and showing more pronounced tropical and Best drinking around: 2006-2009. banana fruit characters. Just give it time. It won't be released until 2009, but will be well worth the wait. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2014. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005.

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Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay 2003, $43, 93 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. A citrus-powered Vat 47 with zesty lemon, grapefruit and orange rind on the nose and a peachy palate with fine acidity and Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2003, $76, 95 points awesome length. A drought year with 40% drop in yields has produced a powerful, textured wine with intense, sour grapefruit. There are many who uphold LEASC as the greatest chardonnay in This is an excellent Vat 47, which will drink well for up to a decade. this country. I'm not one to disagree, but I prefer the philosophy of the late Mark Shields, whose standard response to the question of 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) the greatest wine he'd ever had was that he hadn't had it yet. Best drinking around: 2008-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Whatever, this won't be the greatest chardonnay I'll ever drink but Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. that won't stop me getting excited about it now. This is a chardonnay with jaw-dropping texture and mouth-feel. The finish is Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2004, $45, 94 points amazingly persistent with fine acidity and cashew nut complexity supporting its excellent white peach, nectarine and apricot fruit. It The elegance and purity of Lake's Folly Chardonnay is nothing less was bottled just the day before I tasted it at Leeuwin, and if this is the than dazzling, and the 2004 positively shimmers. It's a tight straw- description of a bottle-shocked wine then I'm speechless! green in appearance, with hints of vanillin oak gently supporting its sharply-focused white peach and lemon fruit, all held in tight 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) restraint by fine, minerally acidity which trails off on an incredible Best drinking around: 2005-2009. finish. Profound Folly! This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Due for a 2006 release. Not to be missed.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Giaconda Chardonnay 2004, $96, 95 points Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Cutting straight to the punch line, Rick Kinzbrunner consistently This bottle was sealed with a cork. produces one of the top chardonnays in this country, and the 2004 is Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. the best Giaconda Chardonnay for some years. An elegant, light straw-green in appearance, this wine epitomises finely-tuned Savaterre Chardonnay 2004, $50, 95 points balance and delicate poise. The bouquet confidently strides a When I visited Keppell Smith, his 2004 wines were in tank, about to tightrope between creamy, buttery melon fruit and vanilla/cashew be bottled. Expect a release around March/April 2006. oak. Everything has its own compartment in the palate: The front

Keppell describes 2004 as a kind vintage. "I'm really hoping that this boasts lemon, melon and grapefruit, leading into a creamy, textured might be my best ever, but it doesn't really turn to wine for me until mid-palate that introduces a white nectarine and peach finish. it's at least three years old, so we'll just have to wait and see." Even These transitions make for a thrilling ride right now, and all it needs is before it's hit the bottle it's a very complex, spicy wine. Intense but time for the components to integrate. It has all of the ingredients to elegant grapefruit, nectarine, lemon and melon fruit lingers amid fig age well; finely structured, minerally acidity holds a fantastic line flavours on an unbelievably long finish, perfectly balanced by through the palate and builds on a finish of profound length. This is white-knuckle chardonnay excitement at its best! cashew nut French oak and supported by fine acidity.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Best drinking around: 2007-2012. This bottle was a tank sample. This bottle was a tank sample. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2004, $51, 94 Wolf Blass Icon Chardonnay 2003, 94 points points In 2000, Wolf Blass chief winemaker Chris Hatcher (now chief When I tasted through multiple vintages of Kumeu River's three winemaker for the entire Fosters empire across Australasia) launched chardonnay labels with winemaker Michael Brajkovich in June, a the Wolf Blass Icon Chardonnay project. The result to date has been remarkable consistency became apparent. These are wines of tight, five vintages of trial wines, the first couple of which will never be austere structure with a flinty, river pebble character and released. Tasting them all with Chris in the Barossa in March, the 2003 outstanding longevity. Of the 2004 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay, vintage absolutely sizzled, and I've been on his ear since to release it Michael commented, "I think this is going to be the best we've ever soon. It's not out yet, nor has it been named or priced as far as I'm done. It's certainly the most intense fruit I've seen." aware, but I'm writing it up here nonetheless so you can jump on it as soon as it appears, because only 500 cases will ever be made. This is at once a complex and a restrained wine, with fruit reminiscent of lemon, grapefruit and melon dancing between A fresh, white peach blossom and intense grapefruit bouquet minerally river pebbles and very tight, fine acidity. introduces a palate of fine grapefruit/lemon/melon/tropical fruit with subtle oak lingering in the background of a long finish, boasting tight 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) acidity. The fruit quality fully floored me when I tasted this wine, and Best drinking around: 2007-2011. the winemaking lets it sing with full voice. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/6/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Pierro Margaret River Chardonnay 2004, $65, 94 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Dr Mike Peterkin has substantially expanded his vineyards to provide Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. for his Fire Gully range, but his Pierro Chardonnay remains his ultimate creation. Balanced cashew nut oak melds with grapefruit, nectarine and white peach fruit. This is a fine and elegant but concentrated chardonnay with dancing, darting, lingering acidity, great length, excellent fruit and beautifully integrated oak.

Retasted 12/12/05

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. 31

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90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) the top light-bodied reds Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. Hoddles Creek Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004, $17, 91 points Cleanskin Reserve Pinot Noir AH72 Mornington Peninsula Hoddles Creek has been creating quite a stir of interest with the 2004, $10, 88 points standard of its chardonnay and pinot noir. Little wonder, given that both are excellent, and sell for a measly $17 each. The 2004 is its best Sound the alarm bells: Stelzer is recommending a cleanskin pinot! pinot noir yet. You can't be serious? I couldn't believe it, either, and you won't until Red currant, strawberry and red cherry fruit are swirled in with a you trot yourself off to a Woolworths, BWS or Safeway store and taste touch of forest undergrowth and stalk on the bouquet, with the this stuff. For $10, it will blow your mind. palate adding a boiled orange flavour in the background. The fruit This is an honest pinot noir from the Mornington Peninsula, one of weight is intense, the tannins are fine and smooth and the finish is Australia's best regions for the varietal. In this case it wells up into long. I bought a case and most of it has somehow disappeared sweet plum and blueberry fruit, perfumed violets, spice and fine already. Yes, I did say $17! tannins. It’s a travesty that the wine isn't sold for double this price. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/11/2005. De Bortoli Gulf Station Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004, $17, 88 McCrae Mist Pinot Noir 2004, $15, 91 points points Intense, simmering stewed plums with a shake of cinnamon spice It wasn't many years ago that the pinot noir market in Australia was a highlight this juicy, fruit-powered Mornington Peninsula pinot noir. It's case of "spend more than twenty-five bucks or give up." Things have got fine tannins, and at this price you won't notice that the finish falls changed, and fast. This year I have tasted more great sub-$20 pinots away a little short. A bargain you can't afford to miss! than I have seen in the rest of my life put together, and this De Bortoli 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) is one of them.

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. The bouquet comes to life with springtime roses, violets, red cherries This bottle was sealed with a cork. and berries. On the palate, raspberry and strawberry fruit is framed Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. by fine, taut, stalky tannins. It finishes short, but at this price you can get the next mouthful in before you notice! Logan Wines Weemala Pinot Noir 2003, $15, 89 points It looks, smells and tastes like a pinot, it's fifteen bucks, and that right 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) there should be enough to make you want to run out right now and Best drinking around: 2006-2008. buy it! This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. The raspberry/strawberry/cherry-flavoured fruit behind this wine is sourced from the Orange district and it boasts a finely ground tannin Howard Park Mad Fish Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2005, structure. Peter Logan's first pinot noir certainly hits the mark for $18, 90 points value, and rumour has it that his second release (2004) is even This wine was first made in 2003 because winemaker Mike Kerrigan better. Watch out for a review here soon. wanted something to drink at Christmas. He was told not to do it, but 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) made it anyway and it quickly became a commercial hit. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This is a well-made, well-balanced rosé with raspberry, strawberry, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. leaf and spice flavours, fine acidity and a long aftertaste. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Seppelt Victoria Pinot Noir 2004, $15, 87 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Not long ago, there was no such thing as a half-respectable pinot Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. noir for $15. With makers like Seppelt working wonders at the mainstream end of the market, the tide is turning, and its wines like Annie's Lane Clare Valley Rosé 2005, $18, 91 points the 2004 Victoria Pinot Noir that are creating the wave. Lads, take note: pink is in with the girls this summer, and this seductive rosé is a charmer. It's all strawberries and spice with hints of It has red berry and cherry fruit in a confectionery style, with a touch leaf, a fine line of supporting acidity and a refreshing, clean of characteristic pinot noir stalk flavour. It may not be long or aftertaste. complex, but it's got fine tannins. If you're after a real pinot noir and you're not prepared to shell out, this is your baby! A well-balanced rosé, it's the ideal partner to cold meats at lunch time. 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/11/2005. Evans and Tate Margaret River Classic Rosé 2005, $16, 90 points Strawberries, raspberries and spice are the highlights of the bouquet and palate, with attractive hints of herbs on the finish. Balanced sweetness on the palate slides into a clean, dry finish with fine acidity.

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Scotchmans Hill Swan Bay Geelong Pinot Noir 2004, $18, This wine first surfaced on my radar when I got together with a group 89 points of friends in January to compare a dozen decent Aussie and New Zealand pinot noirs. It outclassed them all - and at half the price of It's hard to find a pinot noir for $18 at all, let alone a good one. The many! Scotchmans Hill Swan Bay is quite a discovery. It's got seductive plum/rhubarb fruit layered over spicy menthol/eucalypt characters, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) with smooth, fine tannins and a persistent finish. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. If you're chasing pinot noir on a budget, this one is freedom, baby. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Yeah!

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Pepperjack Grenache Rosé 2004, $24, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Love or hate the style, rosés are extremely useful to have on hand for This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. their versatility with all range of foods in our Australian climate. The Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. problem is that it can be difficult to find examples that are not just simple, short and sweet and which have adequate acidity to hold Charles Melton Rose of Virginia 2004, $19, 93 points up in the presence of food. The 2004 Pepperjack is a handy one to OK, cutting straight to the point with this: Charlie Melton's Rose of reach for. It's a spicy, strawberry/raspberry/cherry number with good Virginia is one of the best examples in the country of a wine style length, fine tannins and well-structured acidity. that we should all be drinking a lot more of. Rosé makes a lot of 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) sense for our climate and our cuisine, and when it rises above the Best drinking around: 2005-2006. simple confectionery plane of day-to-day quaffers, as this wine does This bottle was sealed with a scrrew cap. so effortlessly, it is the perfect partner to our outdoor lifestyle. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/2/2005. It's all about balance with this wine. Fine, refreshing acidity is offset by gentle sweetness, strawberry/raspberry/cherry fruit juxtaposes Curlewis Bel Sel Bellarine Selection Pinot Noir 2003, $25, 92 spice/leaf/stem characters, and it's all pulled together into a points refreshing, lingering finish. The wine is better than ever under screw This is about as drinkable as pinot noir ever gets. The palate is silky cap! smooth, striking a perfect balance between soft sweetness and 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) grippy, fine tannins. The fruit is elegant and varietal, in the sweet Best drinking around: 2005-2006. plum / red cherry / strawberry realm, and a touch of stalky This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. complexity tossed in for interest. Where this wine really comes into its Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. own is in its excellent length and linear structure. This ranks among the very best $25 pinot noirs in this country. Pour me another glass! Louee Nullo Mountain Pinot Noir 2004, $20, 90 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) It is a remarkable feat that this wine exists at all. For the full, sordid Best drinking around: 2005-2007. story, take a look at my Louee article under "Read all about it" on This bottle was sealed with a cork. this site. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005.

After the ordeal on the mountain, this fruit was given intensive care. Wither Hills Pinot Noir 2003, $27, 92 points Some whole bunches were included in the ferment, it was pumped over gently by both hand and foot and then matured in 1-3 year old Wither Hills is in top form with this fruit-driven pinot noir. The bouquet French hogsheads. For all that, it should be a good wine, and it is. displays spice, red cherries and plums with a touch of vanillin oak. Red currants, red cherries, strawberries and earth, this is a light- The palate is elegant and long with red cherries and a suggestion of bodied savoury/spicy pinot noir with fine tannins, attractive acidity apricots. It's nicely finished with fine tannins. and good length – at a bargain price. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2003, $27, 92 points Ten Minutes by Tractor Rosé 2004, $20, 90 points If you're even vaguely interested in pinot noir, you've got to get into This is a stylish food-friendly rosé, made from pinot noir grown this stuff. Seriously. Coldstream Hills has been pulling out one of the exclusively on Ten Minutes by Tractor's estate. It's a refreshing style best value pinot noirs on the market for some time, and the 2003 is with fine acidity perfectly offsetting soft sweetness, and some right on form. I love the balance that this wine strikes between its tropical fruits emerging on a long finish. fine, structured tannins and its lifted rose petal and red cherry/blue berry fruit. Savoury spice, leaf and liquorice notes add complexity to 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) the palate. It's firmly driven by quality, sweet fruit which goes on Best drinking around: 2005. forever on the finish. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. It's not a long keeper, but I'm too busy enjoying it now to care! Retasted June 3, 2005, and starting to lose a little of its fresh intensity. Picardy Pemberton Pinot Noir 2002, $24, 94 points Drink up!

There is only a short list of sub-$25 pinots that really excite me. Not 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) only does this happening little number well and truly make the list, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. but it ranks close to the top in the complexity department. Intense This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. berry/cherry fruit intermingles with earth, savoury spice and meaty Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. undertones, all in a remarkably elegant package. The structure guarantees that it will happily live a good few years yet, and the length is to die for!

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Ten Minutes by Tractor Pinot Noir 2002, $32, 93 points Savaterre Pinot Noir 2004, $50, 92 points It is the fine structure of its pinot noir that still sticks with me from my Savaterre is perched atop one of the prettiest sites in central first visit to Ten Minutes by Tractor some years ago. The only thing Victoria, with 360 degree views of the hills rolling into the distance. that's changed since is that the wines have ratcheted up another This same site is also responsible for one of the prettiest pinots in the notch on the scale of impressiveness, the standard release pinot noir district. a classic example. Keppell Smith has backed off a little on the oak in his pinot this year, The 2002 exudes is a spicy, brambly undergrowth bouquet, which using some five-year-old barrels in the blend. The result is an elegant prompted memories of fighting my way through rainforests as a boy but firmly structure pinot noir with lifted strawberry and perfumed scout. The palate is a savoury herbaceous concoction with fantastic raspberry fruits underlaid by big, fine, long, savoury tannins. There is fine tannins of Burgundian proportions. great potential in the cellar here. March/April 2006 release.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2011. Best drinking around: 2009-2014. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was a tank sample. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Sorrenberg Gamay 2004, $34, 92 points Picardy Tete de Cuvee Pinot Noir 2002, $50, 93 points There is a place for quality gamay on Australian tables, but local Travelling through all of the major wine-producing regions of Western offerings are thin on the ground. Barry Morey's Sorrenberg leads the Australia, I endured many attempts at pinot noir, and you will note a way, thanks to decades of experience, and Beechworth vineyards distinct absence of any mention of them among my top wines of the able to produce intensity and elegance by virtue of altitudes of year, with one exception. The cool climate of Pemberton makes some 550-600m. pinot noir production a challenge, unless clones are chosen

Red cherry intensity stands out from a bed of spice, stalk and rich carefully, yields are kept extremely low, and vineyards are maintained diligently. It is here that Picardy excels. plum, with fine soft tannins support a long finish. This is a very food friendly Aussie example of the Beaujolais style. Tete de Cuvee is the pick of Picardy's pinot noir crop, in 2002 yielding

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) just 1.6 tonnes/acre. A beautiful rose petal perfume emanates from Best drinking around: 2005-2008. both the bouquet and palate, with an undercurrent of spice, stalk This bottle was sealed with a cork. and dry herbs. This is an elegant, feminine pinot noir, but it lacks Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. nothing in fine, grippy tannins. Give it some time to soften and build weight on the mid-palate and finish. It's a hard wine to track down Rochford Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2002, $41, 93 points now, but keep an eye out for the 2005. Its maker, Dan Pannell, tells me it's even better. Lifted strawberry and rose perfume underlined by cashew oak introduce a savoury palate boasting a very Burgundian mineral 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) character searing right through its core. Red berry fruit stretches out Best drinking around: 2009-2012. into a long finish, structured by fine tight tannins. An excellent pinot This bottle was sealed with a cork. noir from Rochford. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2004, $55, 95 points Best drinking around: 2005-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. If you're among those who believe that wine can't be sexy, you Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. haven't been seduced by this temptress. Lifted perfumed rose petals with intense strawberries and cherries allure you into a silky Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2002, $44, 94 points cherry/strawberry mouthful with rose petal wings, coated with very fine tannins. It's a charming delight with a finish that just won't let go. The 2002 vintage represented the first wines that Phil Moraghan Let down your defences! made himself in his new purpose-built winery at Curly Flat. It's certainly worth the effort when the wines come out the other side as 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) good as this! The bouquet of the 2002 Pinot is beautifully perfumed Best drinking around: 2005-2010. and complex, with cherry, red berry and spice. The palate follows in This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. true form, adding dark berries to the mix and boasting delightfully Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. fine tannins and very good length. Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2002, $55, 93 points This wine will be a dream to drink over the next five years. Yielding at a miniscule one tonne to the acre in the cool 2002 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) season, Paringa's pinot noir vines produced intense fruit of Best drinking around: 2005-2010. cherry/plum flavours with excellent length and firm, fine tannins. This This bottle was sealed with a cork. is a very good example, even by Paringa's high standards.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/3/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Cullen Mangan 2003, $45, 92 points Best drinking around: 2007-2009. A unique blend of malbec, petit verdot and a touch of merlot, this is This bottle was sealed with a cork. an interesting and enticing light-bodied wine. Full purple in colour, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. the bouquet boasts violets, roses and spice. The palate is fruit-driven with juicy plums and ripe berries, plus a good shake of cinnamon and mixed spice. It finishes with good length and soft, fine tannins. This fleshy, approachable wine would be ideal when you're looking for something with a little more weight than Australian pinot.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005.

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Giaconda Pinot Noir 2004, $67, 92 points 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2012. Let’s be honest: The Pinot Noir has never been the star child of the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Giaconda family, lurking somewhere between the shadows of its big Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. sister Chardonnay and brothers Cabernet and Shiraz. Until now. Rick Kinzbrunner has gone and found the fairy-godmother’s wand and Terravin Pinot Noir 2003, 92 points pulled a Cinderella act with his 2004 Pinot. It’s the Nantua Vineyard which is making the magic. With 150m of elevation above the In an age when too many seem to be following the "bigger is better" Giaconda property, this vineyard provides a cooler, slower and later line, it's refreshing to find examples of the opposite. This is an ripening season for its ten-year-old pinot noir vines. “I’m a tannin unashamedly elegant pinot noir, and a good one at that. It is person – I love great tannins,” says Rick. “I hate overtly sweet pinots. definitively varietal and boasts soft, quality cherry/plum/spice fruit, fine tannins and good length. I’m aiming for darker colour, more structure, more backbone and lower alcohol – but no less power. This vineyard makes this possible.” 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) The wine sees less oak, coming out of barrel and into large oak vats Best drinking around: 2005-2007. in its second year. The result is a medium red-purple princess, with This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. lifted rose-garden perfume overlaying red cherries, red berries and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. savoury spice. Her alluring palate is supported by fine, grippy tannins and a long finish. Dance with her all night, then take her home.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013 (Any time before midnight). This bottle was a tank sample. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005.

Curlewis Reserve Pinot Noir 2002, $70, 94 points

There is a real consistency about Curlewis pinot noir, and it runs right through the range, from the Bel Sel through the Geelong and right up to the reserve (all reviewed on this site). The hallmarks all the way through are elegant cherry/plum fruit, fine tight tannins and fantastic length of finish. The reserve model is a step up in intensity, with savoury complexity and a little more peanutty oak. It's a serious pinot noir with outstanding balance and poise.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Domaine Fourrier Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Rouges 2002, $75, 95 points If I owned a house, I'd probably mortgage it and buy 2002 Burgundy! Can't get enough of the stuff, and its wines like this that disarm me. Blue berries and dark plums, cloves and savoury spice with a splash of citrus. Its fine tannin structure is quite remarkable and its finish goes on and on.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better pinot noir at this price.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2003, $80, 95 points Lindsay McCall is a master of Mornington Peninsula pinot noir, and the reserve represents the best of his crop. The 2003 is one very special triumph, displaying a freshness of lively red cherry and red berry fruit which just leaps out of the glass. This is at once a wine of intensity and of elegance, perfectly straddling the tightrope of balance and structure. Its fruit line is dead straight, relentlessly persistent and spotlessly clean. One of the great Australian pinot noirs of the year.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2004, $80, 94 points More oak-driven than Paringa's Estate Pinot Noir, the reserve packs fantastic cherry and plum fruit alongside lifted violets, on a palate structured with fine, firm tannins, ending with spicy notes on a phenomenally long finish. Patience will be rewarded.

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Gapsted Tobacco Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $12, the top medium-weight reds 86 points 2005 is the year of the bargain cabernet. If you're chasing reds under Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. $15, cabernet is pulling more tricks than any other varietal at the moment (do a search on this site - there are heaps).

Buckland Gap Cabernet Merlot 2002, $9, 89 points The Gapsted Tobacco Road offers three years of bottle-aged complexity - something you won't find anywhere else without Bargain hunters take note: This is one of the most remarkable wine shelling out a good deal more. The result is that characteristic buys of the year. It's another single-digit-price cabernet blend from tobacco flavour that tends to come with mature cabernet, Victorian Alps winery Gapsted. How they produce this wine, bottle it overlaying fresh raspberry and spicy red currant fruit, with well- and then cellar it for three years and still end up with a profit from its structured tannins in the background. How can they do this for $12? I $9 price tag is quite absurd - but I'm not complaining! have no idea, but you'd better be quick and grab a case before Red wines don't get any more drinkable than this under $10. Rich Gapsted's accountants figure out what an absurd bargain it is! black currants swirl around with savoury, spicy complexity and a hint (Stocks of this vintage should last until at least mid-2006.) of tobacco on the side. If money is an object, spend it on a wine like 86 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) this. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a synthetic cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/11/2005. Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Merlot 2004, $12, 88 points Kym Tolley Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Bin End A great value quaffer which will often come up for much less than 2004, $10, 90 points it's official $12 price tag, this is a fine, softly structured cabernet blend Anything with Kym Tolley's name on it is worth putting in your mouth with berry/cherry fruit, spice and leaf.

(his range of Coonawarra wines from Penley Estate is brilliant), even 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) this ten buck blinder. It would happily hold its own against most Best drinking around: 2005-2006. contenders at double the price. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This is a medium-bodied Coonawarra Cabernet exuding red Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. currants, leaf and tobacco flavours overlaying fine tannins. Grab as much as you can get your hands on at Woolworths, Safeway Liquor Talijancich Shiraz 2004, $13, 88 points and BWS stores. Quaff a case over Christmas, and cellar a few more Things were busy when I arrived unannounced at Talijancich an hour for the next five Christmases! before opening. The shiraz was ready to be bottled the next day,

and James Talijancich was happy to oblige me with a sample. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Ten percent grenache spices up the wine with earthy hints amid its This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. black cherry and plum fruit. Balanced, grippy tannins finish off a Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/11/2005. spicy red berry palate. The wine spent a long time on skins before it was fermented in large old French oak barrels. It's great value at this Killerby April Classic Premium Dry Red 2003, $10, 87 points price.

This is a Killer of a red for ten bucks! Excellent, rich berry/cherry, 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) stewed plum and rhubarb fruit stretch out on a long finish, fleshed Best drinking around: 2005-2007. out with spicy, earthy complexity and medium-grained tannins. Get This bottle was a tank sample. on to www.killerby.com.au right now! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/12/2005. 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Lindemans Reserve Padthaway Shiraz 2004, $13, 89 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Full purple in colour, with ripe plum and black cherry fruit layered Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. over vanillin oak. This is a warm, rich, cuddly style to sink into at the end of the day. d'Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre A value bargain on sale, it often comes up for $10. 2004, $12, 89 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) For a slurpable red at a bargain price, d'Arenberg has been pulling Best drinking around: 2005-2007. out the goods with its Stump Jump GSM for some time now. The 2004 This bottle was sealed with a cork. is right on form, with juicy rhubarb/cherry/plum fruit, a good dose of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. pepper and spice and some interesting hints of baked tomato and earth on the bouquet. The palate is quite intense, long and Talijancich Shiraz 2003, $13, 89 points supported by soft, fine, drying tannins. This wine first crossed my path one night at The Rose & Crown Pub in A great fruit-driven quaffer to get stuck into straight away. What a Swan Valley. I was due on a plane to head home the next day, but I price! just had to get to the cellar door to find out more. An hour before 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) opening, I was knocking on the door, and a welcoming James Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Talijancich dropped everything in the midst of his pre-Christmas This bottle was sealed with a cork. busyness and was happy to show me some wines.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. The 2003 shiraz is a ripe wine with plum, prune, liquorice and spice flavours perfectly tuned to fine tannins. It's rare to find this level of

balance and palate length at this price point.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 36

the top medium-weight reds www.tysonstelzer.com

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Tempus Two Tempranillo 2004, $14, 88 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. This is a juicy, fruity, spicy, crowd-pleaser of a wine with raspberry/strawberry fruit and spice. Its dry finish has reasonable Stella Bella Skuttlebutt Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Shiraz length and is supported by fine tannins. 2004, $17, 90 points

Reliable party booze. A scuttlebutt is a ship's drinking water cask, around which everyone gathers to catch up on the local gossip. Stella Bella's Skuttlebutt 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) wines are intended to achieve a similar effect. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This is a ripe cherry/berry/plum wine with spice and leaf characters Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. lingering alongside red currants and fine tannins on a great finish. Slightly astringent oak chip tannins are evident on the end, but do Arrowfield Jot King and Alpine Valleys Merlot 2003, $15, not detract from the great value of this quaffer.

89 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This is an elegantly sculpted merlot showing more varietal character Best drinking around: 2005-2008. than you're likely to find in many other places for $15. Plum/cherry This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. fruit and stalk blend with fine tannins and slightly charry oak. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Wignalls Cabernet Merlot 2004, $17, 88 points Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. "This used to be a straight cabernet sauvignon, but we de-sexed it," Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. says Rob Wignall. Bottled just before we tasted it, this is a black and red currant accented wine with hints of mint, coffee and dark Grant Burge Barossa Vines Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, chocolate. Fine tannins linger over well-structured tannins on an $15, 89 points elegant finish. It's a well-balanced wine, looking good less than a week after bottling. Value. At this price it can be a challenge to find wines which reflect the true nature of their variety. This one does it remarkably. It's a red 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) currant/leaf/capsicum/spice/cigar box creation, structured with Best drinking around: 2006-2009. fresh bright acidity and soft, medium-grained tannins, and finishing This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. long. There's real value here. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Majella The Musician by Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Best drinking around: 2006-2008. Shiraz 2004, $17, 90 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/2/2005. Majella has for years been producing some of the best value cabernet and shiraz from Coonawarra at around the $30 price Tulloch Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $15, 92 points point. The Musician represents its first foray into the sub-$20 red wine market. My goodness, this is an awesome cabernet for $15. Splash it around at your next dinner party and anyone would think you'd spend This wine captures the same essence of its older siblings, owing its twice as much. Crunchy black currant fruit, intense cassis (black origins to the same fruit sources. In this case they see a lot less oak currant liqueur) and a hint of mint dominate a fruit-pure bouquet. and are released as a younger wine. The result is a spicy, leafy, red The palate is likewise on the mark, adding a shake of dry herbs, fine and black currant wine with rich primary fruit the clear emphasis, grippy tannins and a long finish. Wow! and just a hint of chocolate and coffee bean to give away its mild oak treatment. It boasts fine tannins and is just a touch short on the Real cabernet. Real bargain. finish. But where else will you find fruit of this calibre for $17? 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/6/2005. Symphonia Tempranillo 2004, $16, 89 points Morris Blue Imperial 2001, $17, 91 points Symphonia is a master at creative varietals at bargain prices, and The open fermenters at the historic 1859 winery at Morris are still used this is one of them. The 2004 Tempranillo is a refreshingly elegant for the top wines, including this bargain Blue Imperial. David Morris cherry/plum/strawberry wine with fine acidity and finely structured takes a hands-on approach with pedantic attention to detail in the tannins. winery, and the result is a great range of value-for-money wines. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Elegant fruit and a streak of morello cherry acidity make this a handy Best drinking around: 2005-2009. wine for food matching. It's full of lifted plum/prune/blue berry fruit This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. with fine, structured tannins. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/6/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Pikes "The Dogwalk" Clare Valley Cabernet Merlot 2003, Best drinking around: 2005-2007. $16, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. I'm a big fan of elegantly-built wines with fine structure and subtle intensity. The problem is that you usually have to fork out for them. The Wilson Vineyard Clare Valley Shiraz Cabernet 2003, Here's a refreshingly affordable contender. $17, 90 points

Black and red currants, tobacco, leaf and capsicum flavours drive This wine proves that riesling is not the only great wine that the through an elegant palate with fine tannins in balance. A well- Wilsons produce at a bargain price from their Clare Valley vineyards. crafted, varietal wine at a bargain price.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 37

the top medium-weight reds www.tysonstelzer.com

This is a well-balanced blend in which rich black cherries and plums Wines by Brad Cabernet Merlot 2002, $18, 91 points swirl around with vanillin oak, finishing in medium-grained, spicy oak Smart outfit, this one. He owns no vineyards, but if you know tannins and long, plumy fruit. Firm oak needs a couple of years to Margaret River as well as Brad does, you know where you can buy integrate. good fruit every vintage. And when you can't get fruit up to the 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) standard, it's not a problem to skip a vintage. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. The result, if you're clever, is that you can over-deliver on quality, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. which is exactly what he's achieved in his 2002 Cabernet Merlot. It's Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/11/2005. a black currant, red currant, cassis, choc mint, leaf and spice Louee Rumkers Peak Shiraz 2003, $18, 93 points flavoured blend with a touch of palate sweetness, fine tannins and a long finish. Great value wine, from a great bloke. Check it out. Hand-picked from the back shiraz block at Louee's Rylstone vineyard, high in central New South Wales' hill tops, this wine is proof 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) of the potential of the region. The worst drought in a century Best drinking around: 2005-2007. concentrated the berries, producing a wine with succulent blue This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. berry fruit, spice, star anise, tar and mint flavours. Fermented in small Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. batches in open vats and matured in French and American oak, Tim Adams Cabernet 2002, $19, 93 points which leave their stamp on the wine and dictate time in the cellar for it to integrate. Tight, mouth-filling tannins and good length. It's easy to get excited about finding great wines, but all too often Characteristic blue berry fruit is the hallmark of this vineyard. they're out of reach of most people. Nothing in the wine world gives me more of a buzz than a fantastic wine at a bargain price. Like the Outstanding value for money. Retasted in October and it's only 2002 Tim Adams Cabernet. I challenge you to find a better, more improving. varietal cabernet for $19. Thanks to an uncharacteristically cool 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) season, this thing packs an intense whack of crunchy red and black Best drinking around: 2008-2012. berry fruit, leaf, capsicum, stalk and dust. The length of finish is This bottle was sealed with a cork. nothing short of excellent and it's got the structure to hold it for a Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. decade.

I wish every $30 cabernet were as good as this $19 show-stopper! Houghton Crofters Cabernet Merlot 2002, $18, 90 points Houghton is firing on all cylinders at every price point. The Crofters 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) range represents great value in the middle of its portfolio. The Best drinking around: 2007-2012. cabernet merlot is a blend of Frankland River and Pemberton fruit This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. from Western Australia's Great Southern. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005.

Lingering red cherry/berry/plum fruit is balanced with The Wilson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $19, 91 vanilla/coconut oak and medium-grained tannins. Give it another points year to come together. An excellent bouquet of crunchy red and black currants, leaf, 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) capsicum and spice throws into a medium-bodied palate of Best drinking around: 2006-2009. elegant red berry fruits, savoury spice and medium-grained tannins. This bottle was sealed with a cork. It's a big wine, but holds its 14.5% alcohol extremely well. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Huntington Mudgee Shiraz Bin FB14 2000, $18, 91 points Best drinking around: 2007-2011. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Huntington has been churning out value reds with seemingly Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/11/2005. impossible longevity for as long as anyone can remember. Of its current releases, the standard wines stick out over the reserves for Cullen Ellen Bussell Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2003, me by virtue of their more restrained oak regime. $19, 90 points This is a spicy, earthy wine with savoury herbs, cedar and smoky I'd love to drink Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot every day, complexity. Its acidity is tight and length is persistent. There's real but I'd go broke quickly, and I'd never have the patience to wait for value here. it to be at its best! The Ellen Bussell is the answer. This unoaked 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) cabernet blend is a genuine, scaled down version of the DM. It may Best drinking around: 2008-2012. not have the length, intensity or structure of the real thing, but it has This bottle was sealed with a cork. the same black and red currant fruit, spice and leaf. This perfumed, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. fruit-driven wine has excellent, fine tannins. It's a great drink for the short-term. Bargain Cullen! Tim Adams The Fergus 2003, $18, 91 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This is a neat little grenache blend which packs red cherries and red Best drinking around: 2005-2007. berries alongside intense pepper and spice. There's a real balance This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. to its structure, with medium-grained, grippy tannins extending into Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. a long finish.

Value plus! Balnaves The Blend 2002, $19, 92 points

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Black currant and berry fruits ooze from this excellent blend of Best drinking around: 2005-2008. merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. It's leafy and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. varietal with fine tannins and good length. I challenge you to find another sub-$20 wine with fruit of this quality. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005.

the top medium-weight reds www.tysonstelzer.com

Woodlands Cabernet Merlot 2004, $20, 91 points Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2004, $20, 91 points Woodlands has been producing epic cabernets from Margaret David Powell is the mastermind behind the Torbreck phenomenon, River's Wilyabrup valley, alongside the likes of Cullen and Moss creating iconic Barossa reds at iconic prices. But you needn't spend Wood, for more than thirty years. This wine may be at the bottom a fortune to appreciate his genius. The Woodcutters Shiraz is the end of its range, but it's as much cabernet excitement as you'll ever bargain of the range. It might originate from younger vines, but it find in a bottle for twenty bucks! If you order it direct, it's a mind- carries its rhubarb/plum/black cherry fruit remarkably well, boggling $16.50 per bottle by the six-pack (www.woodlands- supported by savoury oak, fine tannins and a long finish. wines.com)! Go on! 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Dark berry fruits and black currants meld with flavours of coffee, Best drinking around: 2005-2008. chocolate, leaf and hints of cooked vegetables. Balanced oak This bottle was sealed with a cork. handling, medium-grained tannins and good length produce a Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. value-for-money wine for medium-term drinking. Retasted 11/12/05, and it's as good as ever! Howard Park Mad Fish Premium Red 2003, $20, 91 points

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) There are few wineries in the world today who can boast a range of Best drinking around: 2006-2011. wines that consistently represent the value for money that Howard This bottle was sealed with a cork. Park achieves in its Mad Fish line. There hasn't been a wine among Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. the recent releases that I cannot confidently recommend, and this Premium Red is a great example of why this is the case. The wine is Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $20, 91 points enticingly elegant and definitively varietal with 55% Cabernet Sourced from thirty- and sixty-year-old vines in a low-yielding year Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, exuding textbook with small berries, this attractively-fruited raspberry and red cherry cabernet characters of red currant, roast capsicum, coffee, leaf wine has hints of capsicum and cooked vegetable flavours, and stalk. The palate is finely structured with fine, slightly furry tannins underlaid by a fine, firm tannin structure on a long finish. and it finishes long with red cherry acidity. An elegantly fruited,

unmistakably varietal wine, this is a true premium red at a mouth- 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) watering price!

Best drinking around: 2006-2012. Walking through the Howard Park winery with its maker Mike This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Kerrigan, I was surprised to see that two-thirds of the Mad Fish Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. Premium Red was in barrel. The wine is frequently discounted to Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2004, $20, 91 points under $15, and at this price, most wines see little more than the inside of a stainless steel tank. It's set to hit the shelves around Gemtree represents a reliable shiraz at a great price. Elegant, lifted February 2006. Retasted December 15, 2005. cherry/plum fruit is held together by a tight acidity and very fine 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tannins. Give it time for the oak to integrate and the tannins to Best drinking around: 2006-2010. soften. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/4/2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Hastwell & Lightfoot Tempranillo 2002, $21, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. Hastwell & Lightfoot has been quietly doing its thing, putting out Richmond Grove Coonawarra Cabernet 2001, $20, 92 some of the best value red wines in McLaren Vale in small quantities for some time. Its Tempranillo is relatively new on the list, and when it points crossed my tasting bench in June it took me by complete surprise - Richmond Grove has a philosophy of sourcing fruit from the regions such is the quality of this wine. that do each variety best, and the result is a range of wines which The back label claims that its "a powerful fruit driven style which represent great value and consistent quality. The Coonawarra definitely is a wine made for eating." I don't often pay much Cabernet is a standout at the moment, and arguably one of the credence to back labels, but this one is spot on. It's an elegant wine best ever Cabernets from this label. of sweet cherry/berry/plum fruit, spice, savoury herbs and well- Juicy red currant and sweet cherry fruit marry elegantly with handled vanillin oak. Nicely structured tannins and good length varietally accurate capsicum and tomato leaf flavours. Tannins are complete the package and make it a great food partner. I forgot appropriately firm and fine and they stretch out into a long finish. that I was working, poured myself a glass and sat back, swirling. This You get a lot of Coonawarra cabernet character for $20 here. is what it's about!

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Juniper Crossing Cabernet Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/6/2005. Merlot 2002, $20, 92 points Hastwell & Lightfoot Cabernet Franc 2002, $22, 92 points A big wine with excellent varietal definition, tight structure and a Cabernet Franc is a blending varietal in Bordeaux, but it doesn't long finish. Dark berry fruit jostles with charry oak and leaf/capsicum often stand particularly well on its own. Every so often, though, a overtones. Very good value wine comes along to break all the rules. This is it.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Straight out of the bottle, this wine is coffee central. Rich, roasted, Best drinking around: 2005-2009. ground beans with chocolate on the side. With a few swirls, superb This bottle was sealed with a cork. red currant and red cherry fruit begins to build, over layers of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. capsicum and dust. It finishes nicely with medium-grained tannins and good length.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 39

the top medium-weight reds www.tysonstelzer.com

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/6/2005. Bloodwood Shiraz 2002, $24, 92 points Stanton & Killeen Merlot Cabernet Franc Cabernet Trend setter Bloodwood was the first producer in New South Wales' Sauvignon 2004, $22, 91 points Orange district. It remains an under-rated region, especially given the quality of its chardonnay - but this shiraz demonstrates that other I love it when a wine flies in from left-field and takes me by complete varietals are excelling as well. surprise. Like when I'm tasting the range of one of Australia's top Red berries, plums and a hint of orange fruit (it's not psycho-somatic, vintage port, tokay and muscat producers and I come upon a really it's not!) on the bouquet pre-empt a ripe, sweet, fruit-driven merlot cabernet blend which leaves me gasping! palate with savoury herb complexity, firm, fine tannins and good It's a rare thing to find a blend of predominantly merlot and length. cabernet franc, and even less likely that it would show the true, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) perfumed character of these grapes. Lifted, perfumed florals Best drinking around: 2006-2009. support red berry fruits in this finely structured blend with a lingering This bottle was sealed with a cork. fruit finish. Nine months in predominantly new American oak has Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/6/2005. done nothing to quash the fresh, fruit focus of this wine. Grab it, but be quick! www.stantonandkilleenwines.com.au Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, $25, 94 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Despite the outstanding quality of the 2004 vintage, Xanadu's new Best drinking around: 2005-2009. owners wanted all of the best cabernet to contribute to this wine, This bottle was sealed with a diam cork. with no reserve (Lagan) wine to be produced. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. The result is an outstanding wine of remarkable value. Crunchy black Bloodwood Merlot Noir 2001, $22, 92 points and red currant fruit is enveloped in huge seek-and-destroy tannins. It is none-the-less finely structured and very long. Let the cellar do its This appealing merlot runs the boundary between savoury and fruity thing for a decade. styles, mixing spicy, savoury herbs with juicy blue berry and cherry fruit, fine tannins and good length. There's value here. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2012-2019. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/6/2005. Veritas Heinrich Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2004, $25, 92 Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet 2002, $23, 93 points points There's nothing better than a cool vintage for cabernet in a warm Rolf Binder is the extroverted personality behind the iconic Veritas region, and 2002 was just that in the Barossa. The result is one of the label. When he took me through his barrel hall to sample the 2004s, best Mamre Brook cabernets to ever be created. A core of crunchy he couldn't stop raving about how good the vintage was, predicting black currant, cherry and plum fruit runs through the middle of this that while the wines are very backward now, they will be excellent in dark, concentrated wine. Hints of mint dance on a long finish, while time. What we saw in barrel certainly supported this, as did this firm, fine tannins bring up the rear. bottle of Heinrich (set for 2006 release). The vintage has pulled a wine of bright red cherry/raspberry fruit of great length, with Exceptional value grenache contributing spice, and mataro adding well-structured 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) tannins. This label is the bargain of the Veritas range.

Best drinking around: 2007-2012. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 1/4/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Redgate Bin 588 Cabernet Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2003, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. $23, 92 points Gemtree Cinnbar Grenache Tempranillo Shiraz Cadenzia I am told by some Margaret River winemakers that cabernet shiraz 2004, $25, 91 points blends don't work in this part of the world. This wine is evidence to A great blend, this one. Plums, cherries and spice interplay with the contrary. vanillin oak on the bouquet, while the palate shows fresh It presents blue berry fruits and mixed spice in a fruit-driven package berry/cherry fruit, black jubes and spice overlaying fine tannins and with fine tannins and a lingering aftertaste. bright acidity. A great, early-drinking red wine.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. Killerby Shiraz 2002, $24, 92 points Logan Wines Shiraz 2001, $25, 95 points This is a good example of Killerby shiraz in which spicy charcuterie A quick scan of this site will quickly reveal that Logan Wines is pulling and vanillin oak flavours support plum/berry/black cherry fruit with tricks on every front at ridiculously low prices. Its 2001 Shiraz is the hints of chocolate and savoury stewed tomatoes. Balanced, best of these right now, and there is phenomenal value even here at medium-grained tannins and red cherry acidity hover on a long the pointy end of the Logan pyramid. finish.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005.

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Logan's cellar door is in Mudgee, because this is where the tourists Picardy Shiraz 2003, $26, 93 points go. But don't be mistaken - the best of its fruit is pulled from Orange, Picardy is best known for its Pemberton Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including this shiraz. With fruit of such quality, it's hardly surprising. In but the real secret of the range is this shiraz. If you get yourself onto this gorgeously spicy wine, cloves, liquorice and wood sap glide the mailing list it's an absolute steal at $20 (www.picardy.com.au). through rich plum, black berry and black cherry fruit, into a superb finish, supported by fine, grippy tannins. It's a reductive style in the This is an elegant, Rhone-styled shiraz with an intriguing, spicy, white mould of France's Rhone Valley, but holds it well. The oak is perfectly pepper bouquet and a lingering red cherry and plum palate. All it supportive of the elegant fruit, with French oak predominating over needs is a few years to build mid-palate weight and to allow its fine, American. In the historic words of Darryl Kerrigan, "This is going grippy tannins to integrate. straight to the pool room!" 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2008-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Carlei Estate Yarra Valley Cabernets 2001, $26, 94 points Yacca Paddock Vineyards Adelaide Hills Dolcetto 2002, This wine has everything going right for it. The intensity of the black $25, 91 points berry fruit on the nose is second only to the blue berry fruit on the "Tar and roses" are the buzz words for the classic wines of Italy's palate. A fresh streak of mint runs right the way through to a long finish, supported by structured tannins. Piedmont region, and if you're on the hunt for Australian versions, here's a handsome option. An enticing nose of rich, black Satsuma A great wine of intensity and longevity. Grab it, put it away and lock plums, liquorice, vanilla, tar and roses launches a finely-structured it up. and well-fruited palate with firm, savoury tannins. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Ben Riggs is name behind the winemaking and Scott Hicks and Kerry Best drinking around: 2009-2013. Heysen-Hicks of "Shine" fame are the names behind the label. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Picardy Shiraz 2002, $26, 94 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. The secret to Picardy's shiraz is very low yields. The 2003 is the current release (check out my review on this site and grab some quick!) but Tower Estate Orange Merlot 2003, $25, 92 points if you can track down any 2002, it's even better.

Varietal Australian merlot is a rare creature. Great merlot should not Outstandingly perfumed on both the bouquet and palate, this wine simply masquerade as shiraz or cabernet but should have a boasts concentrated white pepper, savoury spice and chicken distinctive perfumed lift to the bouquet, a red berry fruit palate and stock nuances in an intense, grippy, finely-structured package. It has fine tannins. a long future in front of it.

Tower has hit the mark with its 2003 offering from the Orange district, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) high in the New South Wales Hilltops. There's an attractive tropical lift Best drinking around: 2008-2016. to the bouquet, leading into a palate of red berry/cherry fruit with This bottle was sealed with a cork. balanced, savoury vanillin oak. It's firmly structured with tight, fine Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. tannins and a long finish. This is a good Australian merlot at a keen price. Zema Estate Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $26,

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 points Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Zema Estate is a reliable bet for great value cabernet. This is a red- This bottle was sealed with a cork. blooded, red fruited cabernet with crunchy red currant, mint and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. leaf flavours and lingering sour morello cherry acidity enveloped in fine tannins on a long finish. Hollick Coonawarra Cabernet 2002, $26, 94 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) The cold 2002 season did not do many favours for Coonawarra. The Best drinking around: 2009-2013. word during vintage was that the fruit set was so poor that they This bottle was sealed with a cork. were playing games of "spot the grape" in the vineyards! The result Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/12/2005. for some was average wine, and not a lot of it. But there are good examples to be found (search this site), and Hollick has pulled a Meerea Park The Aunts Hunter Shiraz 2003, $26, 92 points stunner. It is definitively varietal, immensely intense, perfectly Sweet, clean red cherry, rhubarb and plum fruit, liquorice, mint and balanced and freakishly long. My tasting note reads like an firm vanillin oak highlight an intense wine with a long finish. Well- encyclopaedic "Coonawarra cabernet" entry. Black currants, structured, fine, tight tannins guarantee a good cellar life. cherries, capsicum, leaf, mint and spice with mouth-filling, medium- Retasted 11/7/05. grained tannins. I have no idea how they did it - but pour me another glass, please! 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

If you buy no other 2002 cabernet from Coonawarra, don't miss this Best drinking around: 2008-2012. one. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2014. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/1/2005.

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Stella Bella Shiraz 2004, $26, 93 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. The vineyard sources for Stella Bella Shiraz stretch as far east as Margaret River extends, adding an element of continentality to the Watershed Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot fruit. This produces a sumptuous compote of rich, ripe plum, black 2002, $27, 93 points cherry and rhubarb fruits amid intense vanilla bean spice from American and eastern European oak. Great length and fine acidity Given its Margaret River origins, it's hardly surprising that it's the provide the backbone to support the rich fruit. This wine shows the cabernet merlot that stands as the crowning jewel of the Watershed strength of the 2004 vintage. range - and the 2002 is quite a treasure. I love its crunchy black currants, spicy cherries and freshly ground coffee. Its firm structure Early 2006 release. Drink it over the medium-term. demands time in the cellar, and its fine tannins, tight acidity and 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) long finish guarantee that it will emerge a gem. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Grab it now, but don't touch it yet! Patience. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2014. Houghton Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $27, This bottle was sealed with a cork. 94 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. I absolutely love Margaret River Cabernet. A week in December of Thomas Hunter Valley / McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002, $27, 93 solid winery visits all day every day confirmed the love affair. But points she's an expensive date, and I'd quickly be broke trying to keep up! I get excited when I find great examples that we can all afford to flirt This is a spicy, intense plum/cherry-fruited shiraz with liquorice, with. leather and attractive vanillin oak. There's a touch of brett (barrel yeast infection) but it doesn't detract. Tannins are tight and fine, and This is an explosion in the mouth of perfumed rose petals with cassis the aftertaste is persistent, confirming a well-made wine which will and red currant fruit, capsicum and leaf. It's got great mouthfeel, live for a decade. balance and length, with excellent, fine tannins. A remarkable wine at a great price. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!)

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2012. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Mr Riggs Shiraz Viognier 2004, $28, 92 points De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier 2004, $27, 94 points The skilful hand of Ben Riggs leaves its mark on this wine. It's a dark, Big, ripe, alcoholic, oaky shiraz may be the hit with the critics in the vibrant purple thing, with charcuterie, smoked sausages, spice, plum US at the moment, but don't let this distract you from checking out and dark berry fruit on a long palate, structured on medium-grained, some of the more elegant, cooler climate versions of this versatile grippy tannins and fine acidity. Viognier is well-balanced and does grape. This country is pulling out some remarkable examples of this not stick out. style at great prices, and these often tend to fly under the radar. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) De Bortoli's latest Yarra Valley incarnation is just $27 at full price, and Best drinking around: 2005-2010. it will compete with good Cote Roties selling for three times as This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. much. It has a core of rich Satsuma plums, black cherries, intense Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. pepper and spice with a very Rhoney reductive savouriness. Its tannin structure is fine and full and the finish is long, with lingering Mount Horrocks Cabernet Merlot 2001, $28, 92 points cherry/rhubarb fruit and spice. Viognier is used with precision, to fulfil This is a well-structured wine with a good future ahead of it. The fruit a supportive but not obvious role. An outstanding wine, and great is in the berry/prune/plum spectrum, supported by firm vanillin oak value. with hints of liquorice, tar and toast on the bouquet. It's held in 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) check by firm, tight tannins and finishes with enduring persistence. Best drinking around: 2006-2011. Impressive wine.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. Watershed Wines Shiraz 2003, $27, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. A generously fruited palate of flesh plums and black cherries has vanillin oak flavours on the side. It has good, spicy plum fruit length Dutschke St Jakobi Shiraz 2003, $28, 92 points and only needs time for the oak to fully integrate. The hallmark of Wayne Dutschke's St Jakobi Shiraz is an intense line of 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) fresh cherry juice which runs right through the middle of the palate. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. It's in fine form in the 2003 vintage, supported by fruit cake spiciness This bottle was sealed with a cork. and plenty of American oak. Tannins are medium-grained and it Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. finished with good length.

Ashbrook Estate Cabernet Merlot 2000, $27, 92 points This is not the greatest vintage for St Jakobi, nor will it be the longest lived, but it's a fantastic wine to enjoy over the next few years. Red cherry, red currant and liquorice bouquet. The palate is 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) structured around soft red cherry and plum fruit with herbaceous Best drinking around: 2006-2010. hints. Five years from the vine it's developing well, and is ensured a This bottle was sealed with a cork. few more years of life by virtue of its fine tannins and good length. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/5/2005. Great value for an aged release Margaret River cabernet.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. 42

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Rymill Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $29, 92 Majella Shiraz 2003, $30, 92 points points Next to the 2003 Majella Cabernet, the Shiraz almost looks like an Tobacco, coffee and red berry fruits unite in a lingering palate, average wine. When put into the perspective that the Cabernet is firmly anchored on very firm tannins and tart acidity. This is a Rymill one of the most out-of-this-world wine releases this year (you must with a long future. Buy up now, but keep your hands off for the rest look it up on this site!), the Shiraz starts to look pretty smart in its own of this decade. right.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Rich, juicy Satsuma plum and black cherry fruit surges through a Best drinking around: 2011-2016. spicy, peppery plate of excellent length. Tannins are fine and soft This bottle was sealed with a cork. and tart acidity assists the structure. Vanillin oak is prominent right Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. now, but given time it will fall into line.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2003, $29, 92 points Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Juniper estate shiraz is a wine to watch, and takes a step up with This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. each passing vintage. The 2003 is the one to jump in on (due for Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/7/2005. release in late 2006 or early 2007). This spicy, stewed plum and rhubarb wine has medium-grained tannins and good length. Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet 2002, $30, 92 points

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Bin 407 has oscillated somewhat within the Penfolds Bin range over Best drinking around: 2001-2011. the past decade, emerging now from the shadow of its shiraz-based This bottle was sealed with a cork. brothers to really shine in its own right. Not for a long, long time has it Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. shone as brightly as it does in this vintage. It's another case of a cool vintage smiling on South Australian Cabernet and producing a wine Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2004, $29, 95 points of elegant red cherry fruit, intermingling with coffee, leaf, mint and Mark Messenger is the custodian of a treasured resource of thirty- liquorice. It's strung together with grippy, medium-grained tannins which provide the structure to see it well into the long-term. year-old vines on an exceptional site in the Wilyabrup Valley of Margaret River. This original Wright vineyard contains some of the 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) oldest shiraz vines in the area, which produced a 1980 shiraz that Best drinking around: 2010-2016. Moss Wood's Keith Mugford recalls as "one of the best young red This bottle was sealed with a cork. wines I have ever seen in this district." Mark is now working hard to Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005. get the vineyard performing back to its full potential. The result is that each successive recent release of Juniper Estate Shiraz has Shelmerdine Heathcote Shiraz 2003, $30, 92 points been a step up. Shelmerdine operates vineyards in Heathcote and the Yarra Valley,

When I visited Mark in December, he had just blended the 2004 into cleverly relying on the best that each region has to offer, selling most tank ready for bottling, but hadn't yet shown the wine to anyone. of its fruit but keeping a small high-quality portion for its own wines. When we tasted it, I looked at him and said, "You'd better be With such a philosophy, it's not hard to understand why its Heathcote careful. You might just change the reputation of Margaret River Shiraz is as good as it is. shiraz with this stuff!" Remarkable, juicy plum fruit and charcuterie This is a black cherry/plum wine of excellent persistence, supported spice jumps out of the glass, followed by great tannins on a long by firm coconut/vanillin oak and fine, grippy tannins, which maintain finish. There's been some criticism of Margaret River shiraz in recent a good balance with the fruit, and ensure medium-term cellaring years, prompted by young vine fruit attempting to jump on the potential. ripe/alcoholic/oaky shiraz wave. But in the context of elegant, spicy, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Rhone-shaped wines, there is a lot of potential lurking under Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Margaret River's surface, and the 2004 Juniper is proof of just what is This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. possible. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2014. d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2003, This bottle was a tank sample. $30, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. From year to year, The Laughing Magpie is one of the shiraz viogniers Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $30, 96 points not to miss. The 2003 is a dance of violets, tea, black cherries, plums and earthy complexity on a stage of fine tight tannins with a long Reach for the highlighter, get out the shopping list, this is one wine encore. Give it time to perform at its best. you've just gotta get your hands on. We are privileged to live in a country where we can get such a wine at a travesty of a price. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Majella makes Grand Cru Coonawarra at Village prices, and this is Best drinking around: 2008-2011. one of its most remarkable releases to date. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. My notes read, "Wow! Wow! Wow!" Scintillating black currant fruit absolutely engulfs any influence of oak. Fresh green capsicum, Green Point Shiraz 2003, $30, 92 points intense spice and hints of herbs flood the bouquet, pre-empting a Green Point is the still wine label of Yarra Valley producer Domaine palate of glorious morello cherry acidity, very tight tannins and Chandon, better known for its outstanding sparkling wine range. The phenomenal length. Against the impeccable backdrop of Majella Green Point label should not be overlooked, though, and the quality Cabernet history, this show-stopper is more tightly structured, more has only risen across the range in recent years. leafy/capsicumy/spicy, less sweet fruit dominant and has more potential than ever. Don't you dare drink it for a very long time. This is The 2003 is the best shiraz to be released under this label, an elegant one of the best $30 wines I have tasted in my life. and freshly-fruited wine with red cherry/raspberry fruit and spice/pepper/stalk carrying faithfully through the bouquet and 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) palate. Fine tannins, balanced acidity and good length give it a Best drinking around: 2010-2018. solid backbone. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 16/7/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 43

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Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Juniper Estate Cabernet 2004, $32, 94 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. The 2004 vintage was a good one for Juniper Estate, and winemaker Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/4/2005. Mark Messenger was excited to show me the finished wine in tank Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, $30, before bottling. It exuded awesome, lifted fruit and a fine tannin 92 points structure in an exceptionally balanced style. He's working toward less extract in the wine, and the result is quite exceptional. The 2004 Vasse Felix cabernet had just been blended and filtered 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) when I visited, although it won't be released until October 2006. Best drinking around: 2011-2016. It's a refined, well-structured wine with ripe fruit sweetness of This bottle was a tank sample. berry/cherry/plum fruit and good mid-palate weight and length. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Fine, well-structured tannins confirm a good vintage for this label.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Juniper Estate Cabernet 2003, $32, 93 points Best drinking around: 2010-2014. An excellent Margaret River Cabernet with dense black and red This bottle was a tank sample. currant fruit, menthol, spice and very firm tannins on a long finish. It's Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. beginning to close up now, but all it needs is time to come out again. This is a great value wine which will be extremely long-lived. Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $30, 93 Released around early spring 2006. points 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Wynns Black Label has long been a mainstay of commercial Best drinking around: 2013-2023. Coonawarra Cabernet, but has wavered somewhat in recent This bottle was sealed with a cork. vintages. Drastic attention in the vineyards is putting it back on Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. track.

The cool 2002 vintage has infused this wine with intense mint, Rockford Rifle Range Cabernet 2002, $33, 92 points savoury spice and leaf characters, supported by fine tannins on a I have to be honest, I was starting to lost all hope for tightly varietal very long finish. One for the cellar. cabernet in the Barossa Valley. Then the 2002 vintage came along,

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) and brought with it wines like Rockford's Rifle Range Cabernet. The Best drinking around: 2009-2018. coolest vintage on record infused unambiguous cabernet character This bottle was sealed with a cork. into the fruit. The result is a wine positively ricocheting with black and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. red currants, cassis (black currant liqueur), capsicum, black currant bud, stalk and mint. Drinking this wine is like reading the cabernet Redgate Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $30, 92 points entry in the dictionary. It finishes long, with tart acidity and fine, soft tannins. I arrived at Redgate on the day of the release of this wine, and it stood out as the highlight of the range. This is the best Rockford cabernet to date.

This is a definitively varietal cabernet, with ten percent merlot in the 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) blend. Leaf, herbs, coffee beans and tobacco support red Best drinking around: 2005-2010. cherry/berry fruit. Fine, full tannins linger on a long finish. This is a This bottle was sealed with a cork. value Margaret River cabernet which promises much in the cellar. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2003, $35, 92 points Best drinking around: 2009-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Lost somewhere in cabernet's shadow, Margaret River shiraz does Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. not enjoy nearly the reputation that it deserves. The region is capable of producing excellent, spicy, Rhone-shaped wines, as this Voyager Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2004, $30, 94 points wine demonstrates.

If there was ever a vintage to stock up on Margaret River shiraz, It is at once an elegant and an intense style, with plum and prune 2004 was that vintage, and Voyager Estate represents one of the fruit intertwining with loads of white pepper, cinnamon and clove best value opportunities you will get. spice. Fine tannins linger on a very long finish. Some whole-bunch

This is a gloriously complex shiraz in which fresh liquorice, plums and grenache adds to the blend, which sees both French and American oak. dark berries collide with white pepper, spice and hints of smoked sausages. A bright, intense and long fruit finish is held tightly on track 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) by a fine tannin structure. This is an excellent, under-priced wine with Best drinking around: 2006-2010. a big future ahead of it. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2014. Howard Park Scotsdale Frankland River Shiraz 2004, $35, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. 94 points I was the first person that Mike Kerrigan showed the finished range of Balnaves Cabernet 2001, $31, 92 points Howard Park Scotsdale and Leston wines in tank before bottling in Balnaves is a name associated with excellent, age-worthy cabernet. December 2005, and the Scotsdale Shiraz is the pick of them. Two This release represents a wine of black currant fruit with tobacco, days later I was standing with him, 250km away, in the middle of the menthol and mint hints, built on firm, medium-grained tannins. Give Scotsdale vineyard in Frankland River. It's an isolated site in the it time. middle of a family sheep and wheat farm, with the nearest neighbouring vineyard some fifteen kilometres away. The vines here 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) were just seven years old in 2004, and with fruit of this standard, the Best drinking around: 2009-2014. potential when the vines reach maturity is anyone's guess. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005.

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Richly fruited blue berry and plum flavours with excellent spicy Orlando St Hugo 2002, $35, 94 points intensity, fine tannins and great length, this is an outstanding I love St Hugo, and I drink a lot of it, although it usually needs a Scotsdale shiraz. decade to really show off what it's made of. It's a credit to Orlando's 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) vineyard resources that they can pull off a wine as good as this in a Best drinking around: 2008-2013. difficult vintage. This bottle was a tank sample. This is an intense, dusty St Hugo with mint, leaf, blue berry and red Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. berry fruit. Firm, fine tannins demand a decade to mellow.

Howard Park Scotsdale Great Southern Cabernet 2004, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) $35, 93 points Best drinking around: 2011-2017. This bottle was sealed with a cork. "This is as far south as anyone should plant cabernet in Western Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Australia," Mike Kerrigan commented as we stared over the four hectares of 1974 vines in his Scotsdale vineyard. "We only get away Canobolas-Smith Alchemy Cabernet Sauvignon, with it because the vines are thirty years old, the slope faces due Cabernet Franc and Shiraz 2002, $35, 93 points north, and we keep the yields under five tonnes to the hectare." The cool, slow growing season was obvious just by looking at the vines - The cool 2002 vintage and the careful blending hand of Murray they appeared nothing like thirty years old. Smith have united to create a delightful concoction in the latest release of the Canobolas-Smith Alchemy. The bouquet is alive with The 2004 Scotsdale Cabernet captures the vineyard. It's a savoury perfumed violets, lifted red cherries and pure red and black style with salsa spice, tomato and capsicum leaf lingering long on currants, which swirl and swarm right through the bouquet to linger the finish. Mouth-filling fruit is surrounded by textured, fine tannins. on a long finish. This is a fine, elegant wine with savoury herb 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) complexity and fine tannins. Best drinking around: 2007-2012. It's gold! This bottle was a tank sample. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2011. Mount Horrocks Cabernet Merlot 2002, $35, 95 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. If there was ever a question that the Clare Valley could pull out Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/6/2005. world-class cabernets, the 2002 vintage provides the answer, and Howard Park Leston Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon wines like this provide a lay-down-misere of a case. 2004, $35, 92 points This is a dark purple wine with an intense bouquet of black currants, cassis, tobacco and cigar box. The palate rises to the challenge of Epic, mouth-arresting tannins scream out for a long time to integrate a cool season, with intense, crunchy black currants welling up over and allow the lingering red cherry and leaf flavours to come into their own. A great vintage with a lot of potential in the cellar. hints of herbs, mint, green capsicum and spice, enveloped by grippy, firm tannins and well-handled French oak. This is triumph for 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Mount Horrocks cabernet, with outstanding length and longevity. Best drinking around: 2014-2019.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was a tank sample. Best drinking around: 2012-2017. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Cabernet Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. Sauvignon 2002, $35, 93 points Howard Park Leston Margaret River Shiraz 2004, $35, 92 Unashamedly a child of a cool vintage, this wine rides the fine line points between elegant and green, but lands of the right side. Leaf, red and black currants with fine tannins and a long, long finish. 2004 was good vintage in Margaret River. This wine had just been blended ready for bottling when I visited Howard Park in December. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) It displays plush plum, black cherry fruit and liquorice with a juicy, Best drinking around: 2011-2017. well-textured mid-palate, fine tannins and great length. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. Plantagenet Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $35, 92 points This bottle was a tank sample. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Plantagenet winemaker Richard Robson links the earthiness of his cabernet with the minerally characters of his riesling, suggesting that Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Cabernet both are related through the wide diurnal temperature variation Sauvignon 2003, $35, 94 points which produces the fine cabernet tannins.

The quality of Parker's wines in recent years has placed the estate The tannins on the 2003 are certainly fine, but also big, firm and among the very best producers in Coonawarra, and its soon-to-be- mouth-filling, commanding a long life in the cellar. Lingering red released 2003 Terra Rossa Cabernet is right on form. currant and red cherry fruit is filled out with tobacco, cedar, spice and smoky complexity. An elegantly crafted wine with enticing varietal fruit and a structure built for the long-term. Excellent black and red currant fruit, leaf and 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) mint are undergirded by fantastic firm, fine tannins surging into a Best drinking around: 2013-2019. long finish. Rated identically when retasted on 18/11/05. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2014. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005.

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Feraud-Brunel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2001, $35, 93 points Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2003, $38, 93 points It's a hit-and-miss business finding good Châteauneuf at this price on Vasse Felix is another name to add to the list of great Margaret River our side of the world, but this wine is a hit! Track it down, but don't shiraz producers. It's situated directly alongside Juniper Estate go jumping to any conclusions too quickly - it demands serious time (another name on the short list - see my review for Juniper's 2004 in the decanter to develop some palate length and to allow its shiraz on this site). reductive overtones to settle. When they do, you'll be left with an The 2003 Vasse Felix is a well-structured wine with a core of ripe, intensely savoury-spiced wine with white pepper and cedar notes. It fleshy dark fruits and great length. The bouquet exudes cherry/plum adds a delightful whiff of perfumed lavender over cherry/raspberry fruit and liquorice, which is supported on the palate by fine, long fruit, while fine tannins add structure and confirm longevity. tannins. Look out for this wine around the middle of 2006.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Best drinking around: 2008-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/2/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2003, $35, 93 points Charles Melton Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $39, 93 points Balance defines all great wines, and this wine is right on the mark. Another win for Barossa cabernet in 2002 (this is becoming Elegant fruit melds with spicy complexity, nutty/vanillin oak, tight pleasantly predictable!). Charlie's Cabernet has everything going for acidity and fine lingering tannins. Rich plums, prunes and rhubarb it: excellent red currant and red cherry fruit, capsicum, leaf and fruit swirl through pepper and savoury spice on a long finish. spice. The tannins are fantastically fine and firm and the finish is epic. Elegantly structured, richly fruited. One glass just isn't enough… If you'd given up on Barossa cabernet, this wine is yet another loud cry to call you back! 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. Sorrenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Merlot 2002, $36, 92 points Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 2002, $40, 93 points The bouquet is a beautiful whiff of lifted cabernet franc and merlot This is a spicy wine with profound ripe cherry and plum fruit intensity. perfume with red currants and pronounced tomato leaf characters, Pepper, liquorice and leather hints add interest to a long finish, ably supported on the palate by fine, firm tannins. steadied by fine, tight tannins.

A very dry vintage produced a more masculine style of cabernet, 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) promising great things in the cellar for those who are patient. Best drinking around: 2005-2012.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2012-2017. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Plantagenet Shiraz 2002, $40, 93 points After pinot noir, shiraz is the most inconsistent varietal in Great Yalumba The Menzies 2002, $36, 92 points Southern. But Plantagenet winemaker Richard Robson is determined. The cool 2002 vintage has produced an elegant cool climate "There is real potential here to make great shiraz in between Rhone cabernet with a very grippy, fine tannin structure. It displays and Australian styles." Sourcing fruit exclusively from old vineyards in characteristic cabernet characters of black currant, leaf and Mount Barker, if anyone can do it, he can. tobacco. A very good Menzies that will be long-lived. And in 2002 he certainly did. This is a very complex shiraz with

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) elegant berry/cherry fruit blanketed in layers of white pepper, spice, Best drinking around: 2009-2012. savoury herbs, wood sap and star anise. Fine tannins tie off an This bottle was sealed with a cork. intense, long palate. Excellent wine.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2017. Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2004, $38, 94 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. There's a case currently being tossed around for Margaret River Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. shiraz to be pulled out in favour of cabernet vines. The 2004 vintage is a rebuttal in itself, particularly for the established producers with Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2002, $40, 93 good vine age. "Maybe 2004 will get us back on track for shiraz in points this region?" suggested Vasse Felix's David Dowden. A savoury edge is a reflection of the cool vintage. The bouquet The 2004 Vasse Felix had only been in bottle for a few weeks, and display capsicum, geranium leaf, tomato leaf and medicinal notes my visit marked one of the first showings of this wine. Vibrant purple- with hints of smoky complexity. Crunchy red berry fruit soars long into red in appearance, a tropical fruit lift to the bouquet discloses just the firm, medium-grained tannin finish. This is a value for money one percent of viognier in the mix. The palate is complex and meaty Margaret River cabernet which needs a long time to fully reveal with rich, spicy plum/cherry fruit. An excellent, vibrant tannin itself. structure is linear, fine and firm, lingering very long on the finish. This is Retasted 8/12/05 a top vintage for Vasse Felix Shiraz, and it will be very long-lived. Mid-2007 release. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2016. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2011-2016. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005.

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Pizzini Ill Barone 2001, $40, 93 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Pizzini is responsible for a strong range on King Valley wines from Paringa Estate Shiraz 2003, $42, 92 points traditional grapes as well as an exciting range of Italian varietals. This wine is a creative and well-assembled blend of the two, with There must be few places on the planet that can create top class cabernet sauvignon and shiraz joining forces with sangiovese and pinot noir alongside excellent shiraz as well as the Mornington nebbiolo. Peninsula, and few producers who pull off both varieties as skilfully as Paringa. The 2003 Estate Shiraz is an intense spice/pepper and The result is an elegant, balanced wine with spicy plum, red currant, plum/cherry creation which is tightly structured with medium-grained leaf, tobacco, liquorice and olive flavours in a surging sea of grippy, tannins, firm acidity and good length. It's a keeper. fine, tannins. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 25/11/2005. Charles Melton Shiraz 2002, $42, 92 points Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2003, $40, 94 I love it when a cool vintage gets cheeky with shiraz fruit. There's points plenty of excellent black cherry and plum fruit here, but if you look 2003 was and outstanding vintage for Voyager Cabernet, and this carefully you'll see an interesting interplay of brambles, nettles, spice, will be a long-lived wine. Intense black currants and varietal leafy pepper and mint. The bouquet is more than enticing and the palate notes play out over an undercurrent of excellent, fine tannins. follows in form with firm, grippy tannins and juicy red berry fruit. It falls

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) away a little short at the moment, but it will likely build in the cellar, so be patient. Best drinking around: 2010-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Retasted under screw cap on May 12, 2005 and showed better fruit Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. length.

Tower Estate Coonawarra Cabernet 2003, $42, 93 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2010. With the all-knowing Len Evans at the helm, it's not surprising that This bottle was sealed with a cork. Tower Estate knows where to find great fruit. As far as cabernet Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. goes, it doesn't get much better than the Majella estate in Coonawarra. Charles Melton Nine Popes 2002, $44, 94 points

The result is a predictably classy wine, with red currants, spicy Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvedre blends are the signature of the capsicum, gooseberries and cut grass, polished off by fine, grippy Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of France's Rhone Valley, but Charlie tannins. Melton holds the crown for the best Aussie example. The cool 2002

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) vintage was especially kind to this blend, drawing out its intense Best drinking around: 2008-2012. spicy/stalky/peppery characters and merging them seamlessly with This bottle was sealed with a cork. elegant, long red berry/cherry fruit of perfect ripeness. The tannins are seductively fine and grippy, and the finish goes on and on. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Retasted May 12, 2005 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Syrah 2004, $42, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 points Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Shiraz everywhere in the English-speaking world outside Australia is This bottle was sealed with a cork. called Syrah. Who knows why? I guess we just wanted to be Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. distinguish ourselves the Americans. Label translation over, the wine presents an alluring and complex bouquet, with lifted, ripe Dalwhinnie Moonambel Cabernet 2004, $44, 96 points plum/cherry/berry fruit, savoury spice and pepper. The palate is an A brief note in David Jones' handwriting accompanied the latest accurate replica, but stepped up a notch - intense but elegant, Dalwhinnie samples. "Hope you enjoy the '04s as much as we do. with great length and fine, firm tannins. Another outstanding shiraz They are probably once in a lifetime wines." from De Bortoli. The further I get into this wine, the more it impresses me. The bouquet The fruit is sourced from De Bortoli's 1971 Dixons Creek vineyard in leads off with ripe black currants and cassis, with hints of leaf and the northern section of the Yarra Valley and matured in a mix of minerally granite complexity, opening up to complex nuances of new and old French puncheons (largish barrels) for ten months. ginger, spice and capsicum, with suggestions of candied orange 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) zest. The palate absolutely dances with fresh, juicy red currants, red Best drinking around: 2008-2014. cherries and leaf with hints of savoury spice and bitter dark This bottle was sealed with a Cork. chocolate oak. Then time freezes as the tannin structure begins to Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. reveal itself. An exquisitely glorious bed of fine-as-paper, mouth-filling tannins linger on a never-ending finish. These are some of the most Charles Melton Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $42, 94 points amazing tannins that I have ever encountered. This wine easily ranks The 2002 vintage put an end to my standoff with Barossa Cabernet, among the greatest Dalwhinnie Cabernets of all time. I guess you might say that it's a "once in a lifetime wine." and with wines like this to follow it up, I am now resolutely on its track. This is an intense, dark, brooding wine with concentrated mint, 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) leaf, and dark chocolate flavours trailing on forever through rich Best drinking around: 2009-2019. black currant fruit. The intensity of the wine is derived from an This bottle was sealed with a cork. extremely small crop, the lowest in recent years for Melton. An Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/12/2005. exquisite Melton cabernet, equal to the best.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 47

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Lake's Folly Cabernets 2003, $45, 95 points The bouquet is rich and concentrated with ripe plums, spicy plum pudding and chocolate oak. In time it swirls up to a heady When I'm asked what varieties the Hunter Valley does best, I tend to crescendo of complex ginger, fresh shiny liquorice, marzipan, dried answer, "Semillon, chardonnay and shiraz… Oh, and Lake's Folly orange zest and pine nettles. After such an introduction the palate is Cabernet!" Whether it's the perfect site, the old vines or the time- surprisingly - and so very welcomely - elegant and poised. A surging honoured traditional winemaking techniques, this wine remains a line of fresh red cherry and plum fruit zings through the middle amid stand-alone icon of the region. fine, ever-so-tight tannins and on to a finish which just goes on and The 2003 is an elegant example with crushed, dry, savoury herbs on. The fruit has been picked at the optimum second of ripeness, and superbly structured red berry/cherry/plum fruit. Spice and earth capturing a ripe flavour profile, tight, fresh acidity and fine tannins. waft through the bouquet while the palate boasts a long finish, It's an impossible wine to sum up, except to say: "David was right." supported by fine, grippy tannins. This is a spectacularly varietal 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) cabernet with a long life ahead of it. Best drinking around: 2007-2015. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2010-2018. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Annie's Lane Copper Trail Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $49, 94 points Zema Estate Coonawarra Family Selection Cabernet The cool 2002 vintage blessed the cabernet fruit of the Clare Valley, Sauvignon 2002, $45, 94 points producing some remarkable wines. This is one of them. The tasting note for this wine reads something like a dictionary entry The bouquet is a glorious mass of red wine jubes, liquorice, stewed for cabernet sauvignon. Juicy black currant and red currant fruit plums and mint. On the palate, it is every bit as delightful, and more, rides over chocolate oak on a long, surging finish. The cool 2002 with black cherries and dark Satsuma plums folded into layers of season has left its mark in leafy notes and huge, fine, mouth- cashew nut oak. The tannins are framed for the long-haul, very fine arresting tannins - but there's no suggestion of unripeness. This is a and mouth-arresting, the only tell-tale varietal character. A grand great Zema FS with a huge future ahead of it. Don't touch! finish. A grand wine. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2012-2022. Best drinking around: 2012-2017. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/10/2005. Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Abercorn Reserve Shiraz 2003, $50, 94 points 2003, $45, 94 points "I grow tannins, not fruit," says Tim Stevens of his Abercorn shiraz. Great cabernet vines respond well to cooler years, and its proximity "Structured wines are great food wines, and our cool nights give to the ocean provides this vineyard with a moderating influence loads of fine tannins." which tempers the extremes. The result is a flavour profile of leaf and spice underlaying black berries and black currants. The palate is The 2003 Reserve Shiraz is a case in point, with fantastic fine tannins intensely fruited, tightly wound and finely structured with a grand pulling together a very long finish. He's come up with some superb finish of lingering fruit and fine, firm tannins. Just give it time. fruit characters at the same time, with a lifted red cherry/berry/plum bouquet ushering in a dense, stewed plum, black cherry and Early 2006 release. rhubarb palate. What a wine!

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2017. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/6/2005. Taltarni Cephas Shiraz Cabernet 2002, $46, 94 points Brookland Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1999, $50, When shiraz and cabernet work together this well, it leaves me 94 points puzzled as to why we don't see more of the blend in this country. 1999 was an epic vintage in Margaret River, arguably the best in the This is an extremely well-balanced wine with bright red cherry liqueur past decade. The opportunity to source great wines from such and dark plum fruit flavours layered over vanillin oak. It's held vintages at reasonable prices is a rare thing six years down the track, together by firm, fine tannins and great length. Taltarni have tightly so get on to Brookland Valley's cellar door and grab your share of captured the essence of top quality fruit in this wine, and it's poised this aged release (www.brooklandvalley.com.au). for a long life. Intense fruit in the plum and black cherry realm is nicely balanced 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) with cashew nut oak and chocolate flavours. Plenty of grippy, firm, Best drinking around: 2009-2017. fine tannins linger on a long finish. Definitely a long-term proposition. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2013. Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2004, $48, 96 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. The call came while I was mid-way between wineries in the Swan Valley. It was Dalwhinnie winemaker David Jones. "Tyson, I've sent you some samples and I'm keen to know what you think. I'm really excited about these wines, mate." I've heard David rave about wines, and I've seen him disappointed about wines, but never before have I heard him this excited.

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Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $51, Giaconda Cabernet 2004, $55, 94 points 92 points “I like Bordeaux – I drink a good bit of it,” Rick Kinzbrunner told me In typical Leeuwin form, this is a well-structured, long-term cabernet from his rocking chair as I shoved my nose into his latest cabernet with grippy, fine, firm tannins and a monumental finish. The bouquet creation. He need hardly have spoken. This dark purple-red wine displays capsicum, cigar box, savoury spice and bitter dark simply oozes Bordeaux class in its textbook cabernet bouquet of chocolate overlaying black currant fruit, while the palate exudes crunchy black currants, cassis, beautifully refined coffee, and hints of lifted red currant, red cherry, mint, tobacco and leaf flavours mint, leaf and green pea. It’s a blend with some 7.5% merlot and 5% supported by chocolatey oak and a hint of eucalypt on the end. An cabernet franc – not sufficient to be declared on the label, but intensely fruited wine, this is a great vintage for LEASCS. certainly enough to make themselves known through an enticing, perfumed lift to the bouquet. You could sniff this wine for a long Retasted 8/12/05 time, if the palate weren’t equally seductive. There is a little more 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) oak apparent, but it’s well-balanced and only needs time to Best drinking around: 2011-2016. integrate. Firm, medium-grained tannins and a remarkable finish This bottle was sealed with a cork. guarantee a cellaring special. Giaconda Cabernet has been under- Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/11/2005. rated for a long time, and this ranks among the best yet. Get in quick – there are only about 200 dozen up for grabs.

Charles Melton Nine Popes 2003, $51, 94 points Nine Popes is a legend in the ranks of Aussie Grenache blends. The 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 2003 is a voluptuous example, oozing with rich plum, black cherry Best drinking around: 2010-2020. and spice, in a cage of vanillin oak. It comes to life on the finish, with This bottle was a tank sample. surging dark chocolate and coffee sailing on forever in a sea of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. grippy tannins. Hanging Rock Shiraz 2001, $55, 93 points 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Hanging Rock's John Ellis is a master at the age-worthy shiraz game. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This is a cherry/plum wine with firm, charry oak in a balanced, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. restrained style. Tight acidity, firm tannins and excellent length Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. confirm a long life.

Coldstream Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $52, 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 points Best drinking around: 2009-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. I first tasted the 2001 Coldstream Reserve at a Divine tasting Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. conducted by editor Andrew Wood, in an attempt to demonstrate that the Yarra Valley is doing a better job of cabernet than it is of Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet 2002, $57, 95 points pinot noir (and it is). This wine was better than any of the pinots presented, and better than all of the other cabernets, for that Kym Tolley is fanatically particular about his reserve cabernet. When matter! It's gloriously varietal and ricochets with black currant and I asked him why he would not be releasing a 2003, he replied simply, cassis fruit, cigar box, leaf and dust. The line from bouquet through "It just didn't excite me." No other reason. I tasted the 2002 with him on its release, and it sure did excite me! palate to finish is seamless, and held taut by tight, structured tannins. Patience! The cool 2002 vintage hit Coonawarra hard, with Penley's best

This is what Yarra Valley cabernet is all about. cabernet vineyards yielding just three-quarters of a tonne per acre, merely one-quarter of their usual crop. The rows were picked 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) selectively to obtain the best fruit at optimum ripeness. The result is a Best drinking around: 2009-2015. triumph for a tough year: A textbook Coonawarra Cabernet with This bottle was sealed with a cork. black currant, cassis, leaf, tobacco, firm tannins and superb length. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Grosset Gaia 2002, $55, 94 points Best drinking around: 2009-2019. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Intense black currants, black berries, leaf and mint swell up in the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. mouth amid excellent, fine, mouth-filling tannins. This is a great Gaia with a monumental finish. An elegant, epic wine which will be long- Abercorn Grower's Revenge Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2003, lived. $60, 93 points 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) As with all premium wine-growing regions, there is a diligent band of Best drinking around: 2009-2015. small growers in Mudgee who sell their fruit to the large wine This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. companies. As the story goes, the big boys were refusing to admit to Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. the quality of the fruit, so the growers decided to get their revenge and sell it to someone else to prove just how good it was. Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $55, 93 points That someone else was Abercorn, and the result was the Grower's Revenge Shiraz Cabernet Merlot. As is typical of Abercorn's top shelf 2002 kicks another cabernet goal in the Clare Valley in this profound wines, this is a classy result, with excellent mulberry and black currant black currant and cassis incarnation. Its intense fruit leaves room for fruit overlaying a stunningly fine, mouth-filling tannin structure. Hints mint and leaf to poke between the staves of its coffee-like oak of mint and chocolate fill out the picture and culminate in a very flavours. It's all encompassed in firm, medium-grained tannins on a long finish. Revenge has never before tasted so good! long finish. A great St Andrews, ripe for drinking in the next decade.. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2010-2016. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/6/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/9/2005.

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Orlando Lawson's Padthaway Shiraz 2000, $60, 95 points Vasse Felix Heytesbury 2002, $65, 94 points The Lawson's vineyard produces one of the most distinctive, 2002 was a cool vintage in Western Australia, as it was across most of recognisable shirazes in Australia. The defining feature is mint. Australia. Added to the challenge is the fact that close to half of this Regardless of the vintage or the age of the wine, it is always wine was sourced from the Forest Hill vineyard in the cool Mount extremely minty, and quickly polarises opinion. Barker area of the Great Southern region. To capture the cool

Behind the mint, this wine oozes with fresh plum/cherry/berry fruit season characters of the vintage without unripe tannins was a challenge, but Vasse Felix has pulled it off brilliantly in this wine. and very tight, fine tannins on a never-ending finish. This is an impeccably made, outstanding Lawson's with a huge life ahead of There is plenty of green capsicum, herbs, asparagus, green coffee it. Mint-lovers heaven. beans, leaf and mint in this wine, but it is definitively ripe, with blue

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) berry fruit and lingering red currant flavours. Very firm, lingering Best drinking around: 2010-2020. tannins, excellent length and bright acidity finish the wine off in a This bottle was sealed with a cork. balanced package. Rated identically when retasted on December Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. 11, 2005, and showing more pronounced tobacco and cedar characters.

Yeringberg Cabernets 2001, $60, 92 points 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Yeringberg has been making first-class Yarra Valley cabernet Best drinking around: 2010-2017. forever, and with wines as good as this there is no end in sight for its This bottle was sealed with a cork. rule. The 2001 has great fruit and even better structure - Intense dark Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/8/2005. berries interplay with plums, prunes, leaf and mint with a hit of vanillin oak. It's varietal, tightly structured with soft, medium-grained Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $66, 94 points tannins (which seems a contradiction but it's not) and great length From the outstanding 2001 Margaret River vintage, the only thing this of finish. wine is lacking is time in the cellar to allow the oak to integrate and

A worthy continuation of the Yeringberg dynasty. the fruit to come forward. This is an outstanding Cape Mentelle Cabernet which will be very long-lived. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2010. The bouquet is a concoction of chalky river pebbles, capsicum, This bottle was sealed with a cork. dust, tobacco, geranium, bay leaf, tomato bush, coffee and dark Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. chocolate aromas. Intense black currant and red cherry fruit is the driving force behind a beautifully structured palate, supported by Henschke Mount Edelstone 2002, $62, 95 points fine, grippy, mouth-filling tannins. Excellent length; great wine. Rated identically when retasted on December 9. When I visited Stephen Henschke on the brink of the release of this wine, he poured it for me from a cork-sealed bottle and it nearly 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) knocked me sideways. Such was the purity of its plum fruit, the Best drinking around: 20011-2021. intensity of its lifted spice and its fantastic length of finish. Just when I This bottle was sealed with a cork. was about to pronounce it the best Mount Edelstone I'd ever tasted, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/8/2005. he went and poured another wine which was even more intense, with more lifted fruit and an even longer finish. It turned out to be Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $75, 94 points the same wine, from a screw-capped bottle. This is an eminently ageworthy, textbook cabernet from a cool

The cool 2002 vintage yielded just one tonne per acre of fruit from vintage. Lingering red berries, excellent red currants and mulberries the Mount Edelstone vintage, producing one of the most finely with hints of leaf and herbs, opened up to crunchy red and black structured and elegantly intense wines this label has ever seen. Seek currant fruits with bramble and asparagus notes. Excellent length of finish and firm, fine tannins confirm its long-term potential. it out - under screw cap, of course!

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2017. Best drinking around: 2012-2019. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2004, $65, 96 points Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $90, 95 points When I visited Tim Kirk, I was struck by the line-up of empty bottles of the great Cote Roties lined up at his Clonakilla cellar door. It made Another great Diana Madeline, with characteristic, refined fruit and perfect sense when I tasted his 2004 Shiraz Viognier. The wine is very monumental structure and length. Intense black and red currants Cote Rotie in style, with intense spice, pepper and cherry/plum fruit. and red cherries swirl with hints of nettles, spice, herbs, mint and cinnamon. Cashew nut French oak (50% new) is firm, but pushed Viognier takes a subtle role in this wine. Tim compares its use with into its rightful second place by the fruit. All it needs is time for the that of oak, in that it must be supporting and not dominating. It does oak to integrate and the very persistent, firm, fine tannin structure to add a beautiful perfume to the bouquet, supporting the vibrant soften. Impressive. pepper and spice characters and the incredible complexity of shiraz fruit. The wine is perfectly balanced and remarkably poised, 72% cabernet, 22% merlot, 4% petit verdot, 4% malbec. It was with fine tannins and a long finish. It ranks among my greatest shiraz showing even better when retasted on 10/12/05. experiences of the year. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!)

96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) Best drinking around: 2013-2023. Best drinking around: 2005-2008 or 2010-2014. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 25/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005.

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Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2004, $90, 95 points Sneak previews at fully blended tank samples can be a highlight of visits to wineries. The 2004 Diana Madeline was in tank and ready for bottling when I visited in December, and the wine looked quite outstanding.

In all but the most challenging vintages, Cullen Cabernet Merlot manages to balance itself perfectly in that precarious place where elegant red fruits are perfectly harmonised with monumental tannins. The 2004 nestles securely into that position, with excellent, perfumed red cherry, red currant, raspberry, plum and rhubarb fruits and long, firm, gloriously fine tannins. A great DM that will be very long-lived. May/June 2006 release.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2019. This bottle was a tank sample. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Dalwhinnie Eagle Series Shiraz 2001, $148, 95 points Eagle Series is the single vineyard shiraz that flies at the top of the Dalwhinnie portfolio. It ranks at the elegant end of Australia's super- super premium shiraz pool and is consistently one of the best wines that this country produces.

The first thing to strike you about the 2001 Eagle Series is a lifted floral musk oil perfume on the bouquet, surrounding spice, pepper and blue berry aromas. The palate is complex, with impossibly intense white pepper, black currants, cinnamon and liquorice. This is a wine of paradoxes, pushing the boundaries of intensity, within a definitively elegant style. Its tannins are characteristically fine and firm, and will see the wine out through two decades. It would warrant a higher score if the finish were longer - it may well build with time.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2011-2021. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005.

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It's a fiery thing, full, vibrant red-purple in appearance, with a the top big reds concentrated bouquet of spice, cinnamon, plum/cherry fruit, dark chocolate and suggestions of delicatessen meats. The palate follows true to form, with dense black cherry and prune fruit, intense Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. spice and balanced vanillin oak. Tannins are finely balanced and there's good fruit length, although it does have some alcohol heat Huntington The Four Seasons Cabernet Shiraz Bin HB61 on the finish (yes, that does say "16.0%" on the bottle!) - but it has the fruit to balance it. A "larger than life" Clare Shiraz for heroic bargain 2001/2002, $10, 88 points hunters! There's as much Huntington structure packed into this wine as you'd 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) ever expect to find for $10. Earth, plums and herbs fill in the gaps Best drinking around: 2006-2010. between those fine, tight tannins. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. If you're after guts for your ten bucks, you ain't gonna get any better Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/4/2005. than this. Strap yourself in. Yeehaa! Old Gunyah Road Shiraz 2002, $22, 93 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. The Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia is a little-discussed This bottle was sealed with a cork. area in the wine world, but wines like this will soon put it on the map.

Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Excellent fresh-off-the-tree Satsuma plums highlight this juicy, fruit- driven wine, offset by prune and spice aromas. It's an intense, dark Pertaringa McLaren Vale Two Gentlemen's Grenache purple wine in which balanced vanillin oak and fine tannins ride 2003, $18, 93 points strong behind the fruit.

Australian grenache can be something of a mixed bag, but when it 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) comes to good ones it's hard to go past McLaren Vale. This wine is Best drinking around: 2006-2012. packed with juicy, fresh raspberry/cherry/plum/rhubarb fruit and a This bottle was sealed with a cork. decent fist full of spice, pepper, savoury herbs and earth. Unlike Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. some from this hot vintage, its alcohol is kept in check (14.0%), although it does still show itself in a little heat on the finish. An Morris Durif 2002, $22, 91 points attractively structured wine with fine, tight tannins and balanced Morris crafts well-priced durifs, built for the cellar. David Morris tells acidity. me he's currently drinking the 1985, 1986, 1995 and 1996 vintages, A grenache worth looking for, especially at a price like this. but happily hoes into current releases as well.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Savoury spice, attractive berry/plum/cherry fruit and coffee flavours Best drinking around: 2005-2008. are supported by vanillin oak and fine tannins on a long finish.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/1/2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2015. d'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 2003, $19, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. When I met with d'Arenberg Marketing Manager Mark Bolton to look at the latest releases, we got to talking about alcohol levels. "Pretty Mr Riggs The Gaffer Shiraz 2004, $22, 90 points well everything is 14.5% at d'Arenberg," he told me. I laughed and A big shiraz for a little price. The bouquet is a swirl of succulent black promised him I'd quote him on it one day. Funny at the time, but I've cherries, blood plums, spice and savoury complexity while the kept an eye out since, and he's downright correct! A bit much for palate is all fresh black cherries, rhubarb leaf and fine vanillin oak. It the whites, perhaps, but when a wine holds its alcohol as well as the comes together in a long finish with fine, grippy tannins. This is a big, 2003 Footbolt Shiraz, you'd never notice. inky, succulently fruited wine but has the balance to pull it off. "Foot trod and basket pressed" is the boast of the front label of this Named after Ben Riggs great, great, great grandfather who settled wine - hard to believe at $20, but there it is. This is a rich and intense in Gawler in South Australia in 1855. wine with plum/cherry/raspberry/rhubarb fruit, loads of spice and Retasted 15/11/05 dark chocolate notes. It finishes with a hit of cherry liqueur alcohol and a nice lick of vanillin oak. There's length to boot, plenty of spicy 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) goodness and finely balanced tannins. A good vintage for Footbolt, Best drinking around: 2006-2009. this is a party-friendly, fruit-driven wine. Rated identically when This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. retasted on 19/8/05. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Hanging Rock Cambrian Rise Shiraz 2002, $27, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2011. Hanging Rock is renowned for its intense Hanging Rock Shiraz, but it This bottle was sealed with a cork. recent years the rise of its Cambrian Rise Shiraz at half the price has Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. attracted my attention. With less oak, the fruit is given a chance to Fire Block Old Vine Shiraz 2002, $20, 92 points stand up and strut its stuff. In the 2002 release, this is a good thing, because there really is some classy fruit to be shown off. Plums and This wine is the definition of the wine bargain hunter's lucky day. black cherries are the dominant flavours, supported by charry oak, Clare Valley shiraz, dry grown from 1926 vines, sealed with a screw firm fine tannins and good acidity. I like it a lot! cap and practically given away for twenty bucks. If you like big reds at little prices, line up for this one. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005.

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Hanging Rock Cambrian Rise Shiraz 2003, $27, 92 points Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2002, $45, 94 points Dark, vibrant purple in appearance, the bouquet is rich with plums, This is Block 6 beyond all proportions. The exceptional 2002 vintage black cherries, liquorice ad milk chocolate oak. A big, dense, has done strange things, pushing the alcohol out to a monstrous berry/plum fruited palate, with 14.5% alcohol, is drawn into tight fifteen percent, but at the same time infusing the wine with cool form by tart acidity and fine sandpaper tannins. This is another eucalypt, pepper and spicy wood sap flavours. Swathes of vanillin triumph for John Ellis' Cambrian rise, but it needs a long time to oak come in waves over lingering cherry, plum and raspberry fruit soften and show its best. with dark chocolate and black coal. This is a spicy and intense wine

A blend of several vineyards from the Cambrian soils of the slopes of even by Block 6 standards, but against the back-drop of a vertical the Mt Camel range. line-up it still looks strangely restrained and elegant. A wine of contradictions. I'll happily sit with a bottle in bemused wonderment!

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2011-2015. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a diam cork. Best drinking around: 2007-2013. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 25/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/10/2005. Kay Bros Amery Hillside Shiraz 2002, $33, 91 points The standout of a vertical tasting of recent vintages of Hillside, the Kalleske Old Vine Grenache 2003, $45, 92 points 2002 is a big, 15% wine with sweet caramel oak and intense At 15.5% alcohol, this is a big, black wine for heroes. It's cherry/plum fruit which falls away a little on the end, allowing the concentrated and brooding, with black pastille fruit, spice and lifted alcohol to poke out. A smooth fruit-powered palate with supportive perfume. A well-finished wine with a lingering, grippy tannin liquorice and vanilla bean oak is threaded to a backbone of fine structure. tannins. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/1/2005. Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2001, $45, 93 points Samuel's Gorge McLaren Vale Grenache 2003, $35, 92 Block 6 is the child of 100-year-old vines. The 2001 is a grand points example, it's a huge, brooding but balanced wine which needs time I record all of my wine notes on a pocket pc that does its best to to come together. translate my handwriting into text. The recognition software came Black cherry and plum fruit is supported by coffee oak and dark up with "Grenade" in place of "Grenache" for this wine. Quite right! chocolate flavours with savoury complexity on the side. It's a It's an explosion in the mouth of fruit and spice intensity. No less than complex but restrained wine with firm, fine tannins and tangy 15.8 percent alcohol (sheesh!), this is a porty wine but somehow acidity. keeps its balance with fine tannins on a very long finish. There's 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) plenty of spicy interest along the way, with wood spice, fruitcake, Best drinking around: 2008-2015. coconut, milk chocolate and brandied plum fruit. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Pull out the key, throw it down and run for cover! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/10/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Cape Mentelle Zinfandel 2003, $47, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. At a colossal 16.3% alcohol, this is a wine to approach with caution! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Australia's track record with Zin is a little patchy, but this label sets the standard. Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2004, $39, 93 points Stewed Satsuma plums, rhubarb, sweet plum pudding, spice and a Troy Kalleske is a master at capturing rich, ripe fruit and somehow vintage port character describe the bouquet. The palate is ripe and taking it to the bottle in balance. This is a full fifteen percent wine, slightly sweet, with intense and somewhat raisined plum and prune but it holds it well, amidst its rich and lush plum/cherry fruit, pepper, fruit. It's a juicy, ripe style with firm, fine tannins and good length. The savoury spice, coffee and dark chocolate flavours. Great tannins fruit weight and acidity are enough to hold its high alcohol in check. and length; this is an extremely drinkable wine. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. Pikes The EPW Reserve Shiraz 2002, $48, 93 points Dutschke Oscar Semmler 2003, $45, 94 points This is a shiraz of colossal proportions with an impenetrably dark Oscar Semmler is the reserve shiraz in the Dutschke line up, always purple-red hue. Black coal, surging vanillin oak and black fruits are exhibiting the excellent fruit quality that this producer has become spiced up with smoky smallgoods, smoke house ham, chocolate renowned for, and with more oak and structure than the standard St and savoury complexity. A small (2%) viognier addition is well Jakobi release. The 2003 Oscar is complex and intense, oozing pure handled and nicely integrated. This dense wine is tied down with plum/prune/blueberry/red cherry fruit and savoury spice. Tannins firm, medium-grained tannins and it finishes with good length. A are fine, acidity is tight and fruit length is excellent. This is a huge wine, certainly, but not over the top, and with a well- balanced wine which holds is 14.5% alcohol with remarkable poise. mannered structure. It's destined for a good life in the cellar. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2012. Best drinking around: 2007-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/5/2005.

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Summerfield Reserve Shiraz 2003, $50, 94 points Best drinking around: 2011-2017. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Summerfield is a "red wine for heroes" producer, consistently Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 12/9/2005. extracting wines of colossal proportions from its Pyrenees estate in central Victoria. They don't get much bigger than the 03 Reserve Majella The Malleea 2002, $65, 95 points Shiraz! Vibrant purple-black in hue, it's choc-full of top quality, intense, rich black plum/berry/cherry fruit with notes of chocolate, The Malleea is Majella's flag ship wine, and it's one tough job to stay coffee, spice and pepper in a typical Pyrenees shiraz "plum out in front of a fleet as outstanding as the Majella range - especially pudding" mixture. What sets this wine apart from others of similar when the standard cabernet has the arsenal to sink most wines of proportions is its seamless balance. It's a full fifteen percent alcohol, double its price! I buy the cabernet by the box and The Malleea by the bottle. but holds it remarkably well, thanks to the intensity of its fruit, the structure of its tannins and the length of its finish. The 2002 is a powerful wine which holds its own in the ranks. Crunchy

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) red currants swirl around cassis, leaf, iodine, spice and mint on a very Best drinking around: 2008-2011. long palate with hints of sappy eucalypt, savoury delicatessen, white This bottle was sealed with a cork. pepper and spicy oak. Fine, firm, mouth-filling tannins guarantee Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/3/2005. exceptional longevity. This is one of the greatest Malleeas to date, but it needs a decade to truly reveal itself.

Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Shiraz 2003, $55, 93 points 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This is the first Wallcliffe Shiraz to be released. Its concentrated fruit is Best drinking around: 2012-2020. sourced only from thirty-three year old vines. A heat spike in March This bottle was sealed with a cork. produced concentrated fruit, making the wine a richer, riper style Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. which could handle 100% new French oak. More elegant fruit in the two successive vintages has allowed the oak to be wound back a Houghton Gladstones Margaret River Cabernet 2004, $70, little. 96 points

The bouquet highlights rich plum and black cherry fruit with dark Set to rival the greatest vintages under this outstanding label, the chocolate oak, introducing a concentrated palate with Christmas 2004 is a definitive, textbook cabernet with crunchy black currant, pudding spice and medium-grained tannins on a very long finish. red berry and cassis fruit enveloped in tight leaf, capsicum and Sour morello cherry fruit and firm acidity temper its 14.5% alcohol tobacco flavours. Massive, beautifully structured tannins and kick on the end, but it remains a balanced and well-made wine. phenomenal length give it the poise to live almost an eternity.

Retasted December 9, 2005. This wine is a long way off release, but it's an even longer way from

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) being ready to drink. Buy up, put it away, and invite me over in Best drinking around: 2007-2013. fifteen years. This wine will blow your mind.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 5/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2014-2024. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Mitolo GAM Shiraz 2004, $56, 95 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. You don't have to read far through these pages to realise that the greatest, elegant, cool climate wines are very much my scene. But Mitolo Savitar McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004, $73, 96 points my wine diet at home is an eclectic collage of all wine styles, and According to Frank Mitolo, Savitar is "a mythical dragon-like every now and then a monster comes lurking which absolutely rocks monster." His top shiraz is appropriately named. This is the stuff of my world. mythical legends. An explosively intense palate ricochets with black

Fifteen percent alcohol, loads of oak, colossal fruit - bang, bang, cherry, plum, coffee, dark chocolate and exotic spice. But just when bang! This is a rich plum, black cherry and spice wine, packed with you think this fifteen-percent-alcohol-dragon is about to breathe fire, liquorice, coffee, dark chocolate and extremely well-handled it swoops into a richly concentrated finish, held on a taut leash of vanillin oak on a long finish with excellent palate linearity. It's a firm, fine tannins and tight acidity, before making its way into the looming monster with great, firm, tight tannins, but just when it looks sunset in a never-ending-story of a finish. Jump on board for one set to pull a King Kong throat-grab, it reaches out and shakes your wild, white-knuckle ride! hand with elegant poise. It needs a long time to show at its most 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) gentlemanly best. Best drinking around: 2010-2020.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2011-2017. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Peter Lehmann Stonewell 1994, $75, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. There's something about big reds from the 1994 vintage in South Saltram No 1 Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2002, $60, 93 points Australia. They're going on and on in the cellar and showing little sign Working vintage in the Barossa in 2002 was a unique opportunity. of slowing down. The Lehmann Stonewell is only just entering its The coolest vintage in a century and the driest in a half-century drinking window now, and a glorious time of life it is. It still needs a produced some of the biggest, most brooding reds that the Barossa long time in the decanter for its plum/prune/cherry and dark has seen. chocolate flavours to rise up to match its vanilla/coffee/charry oak. Definitive Barossa shiraz in its prime! The 02 Number 1 is a jet black wine with a vibrant purple rim. Plum and black cherry fruit lurks behind intense coffee/chocolate/vanillin 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) oak on a meaty/gamey bouquet. Firm, charry vanilla/caramel oak Best drinking around: 2005-2009. is the first thing to hit on the palate as well, making way for rich, This bottle was sealed with a cork. sweet plum/prune fruit with liquorice complexity. This is a Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/4/2005. concentrated, oaky wine with great length and solid, medium- grained tannins. Go for it if you're game, but give it plenty of time first.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 54

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Woodlands Emilie May Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $79, 94 Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. points Wolf Blass Black Label 2002, $130, 94 points A quick cellar door tasting at Woodlands with Stuart Watson late on 2002 was a freakish vintage in the Barossa. The coldest in 100 years a Sunday afternoon overflowed into a climb through the barrel hall, and the driest in 50 . The result was intensity and concentration of then dinner... and the ensuing drinking well into the night. As the fruit like never before. The 2002 Black Label is nothing less. It boasts corks were pulled on old Margaret Rivers and old Bordeauxs, the crunchy berry fruits, plums and cherries with chocolatey vanillin oak. conversation turned to a comparison of the two regions. With his The structure rises to match the proportions of the looming fruit, with international palate, Stuart is not afraid to build Bordeaux-like full, fine, firm tannins and juicy acidity. In the words of its maker, Chris longevity into his cabernets. Hatcher, this "will be a cracker of a wine." Too right. Just don't crack The 2002 Emilie May is a firmly-structured wine which demands at it for a decade. least a decade before it should be approached. The cool season 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) has infused geranium leaf, spice, coffee and tobacco aromas, but Best drinking around: 2012-2022. has not shaken the amazing red currant and red cherry fruit from its This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. lingering palate. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2012-2017. Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2002, $165, 95 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Wolf Blass has been doing great things with the Platinum label since Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. its launch with the 1998 vintage, but the 2002 release brings this wine to a new layer of the stratosphere. The vintage was like no other in Woodlands Kevin Cabernet 2001, $80, 95 points history in the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills, infusing the fruit with Woodlands winemaker Stuart Watson is a self-confessed student of a berry/cherry/plum concentration laced with liquorice, black the "Dennis Denudo principle of winemaking: Go with the vibe." The pastilles and spice. The palate follows through true to form, adding result is a range of wines which are the voice of their vineyard savoury smallgoods complexity with very firm, fine tannins and a sources. never ending finish. This is polished Platinum at its shining best.

Woodland's 1973 vines have produced a wine of intense, ripe black 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) currant and cherry liqueur with textbook cabernet overtones of Best drinking around: 2012-2017. tobacco, leaf, cigar box, spice and smoky oak. Excellent, fine This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. tannins linger on a forever-and-ever finish. Grab a case quickly Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. (there were only 200 made) but wait until the next decade to be stunned by what emerges. It scored an identical, stellar rating when Torbreck The Run Rig Shiraz Viognier 2002, $225, 94 points I retasted it on December 11, 2005. If the Descendant is the Torbreck shiraz viognier that tastes like shiraz

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) and viognier, then The Run Rig is the shiraz viognier that tastes like Best drinking around: 2011-2021. shiraz viognier (check out my 2003 Descendant note, where all is This bottle was sealed with a cork. explained). At three percent, the viognier dutifully plays its Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. supporting role here, adding just the slightest hint of apricot perfume and presenting the shiraz at its unashamed best. This is a dark, Houghton Jack Mann Frankland river Cabernet Malbec vibrant, brooding wine of deep cherry/plum/rhubarb/spice fruit, 2004, $100, 95 points fantastic firm, fine tannins and an enduring finish. Patience.

I got a sneak preview of this wine at Houghton's Swan Valley winery. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Remarkable lifted red cherry and succulent red currant fruit Best drinking around: 2008-2014. balances impeccably with coconut/vanillin oak and outstanding, This bottle was sealed with a cork. fine, long tannins. Fantastic, lingering plum/cherry fruit glides through Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. the finish.

A benchmark vintage in the Great Southern, this may well be among the best Jack Mann's yet, although it's still years off release.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2020. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Kalleske Johann Georg Old Vine Shiraz 2003, $100, 94 points Troy Kalleske is a gun young producer who is turning heads at the moment with the intensity of his red wines from the Greenock subregion of the Barossa Valley. Pulling in at 15.5% alcohol, the 2003 Johann Georg Old Vine Shiraz is about as big as they get. When I visited Troy in March, he showed me the gnarled old 1875 vines from which the fruit is extracted before it spends two years in French and American oak barrels. The result is a dark, vibrant purple beast of out-of-this-world proportions. Rich berry/cherry/prune fruit swirls with spice and vanillin oak. For all of its intensity it lacks nothing in balance, with well-structured grippy tannins and tart acidity holding it together. Leave if for five years, then go for it - if you're game!

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2016. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

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92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) the top sparkling wines Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a crown seal. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. Domaine Chandon ZD 2002, $34, 92 points Bay of Fires Tigress Pinot Chardonnay NV, $22, 90 points Domaine Chandon has again made a strong impact with its zero dosage release. Striking packaging, striking wine. It's a light, A perfumed bouquet of sweet stone fruits and lemons is replicated refreshing, dry style with complex biscuit and lemon juice flavours accurately on a palate with a tight acid structure and a short finish. and minerally, river stone acidity on a long, focused finish. This is an attractively fruit-driven, value-for-money bubbly in an Impressive. appealing style. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a crown seal. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2004. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Domaine Chandon Tasmanian Cuvee 2002, $34, 93 points Houghton Pemberton Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2000, $24, 93 points When it comes to top Aussie sparkling wine material, Tassie is firing on all cylinders at the moment. Vineyard sources in the south of Tassie The cool Pemberton region in Western Australia's southwest is not are increasingly supplying the core fruit for Hardys Arras and our nearly as renowned for sparkling wines as this wine suggests that it other top drops. It came as no surprise that Domaine Chandon's should be. Tasmanian Cuvee topped the list of its current releases when I lined

It's a complex citrus and stone fruits style with red apples, a creamy them up recently. bead, fine, firm structure and a long finish. Made by Hardys sparkling Elegantly balanced lemon and dried peach flavours with an king Ed Carr, this is a classy Australian bubby, representing attractive hint of cellar mushroom on the finish. It has some bready outstanding value for money. autolytic flavours (from the lees - dead yeast cells) and beautifully

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) balanced sweetness. Very classy Aussie bubbles, this was my pick for Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Christmas drinking in my December Style Magazine feature.

This bottle was sealed with a cork. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Logan Wines Vintage "M" Cuvee 1999, $25, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. If you're parting with $25 for fizz, you've gotta track down Logan's "M" Cuvee. It's got a creamy bead and the nutty, honeyed richness Cloudy Bay Pelorus Vintage 2000, $40, 91 points that you would expect from six years of age (that's right!), perfectly Pelorus Vintage has stepped up in 2000, with a wine of steely acid married with fresh stone fruits, candied citrus rind and biscuity yeast structure, good length and fine lemon, white peach, apricot, red complexity. It finishes brilliantly with lingering acidity. Retasted apple and pear fruit. Nutty, funky wild yeast characters provide October 8, with identical ratings. plenty of interest. This is complex but elegant fizz with fine lemony

An absolute bargain for mature fizz! acidity, good length and soft sweetness. Great drinking!

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Retasted June 13, 2005, with similar notes.

Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/7/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. Curly Flat Macedon NV, $27, 92 points When I first tasted this wine with its maker, Phil Moraghan, he Piper's Brook Kreglinger 1998, $44, 93 points commented, "This was an experiment, and, quite frankly, one I was This is an elegant and restrained bubbly with lemon, apple, stone prepared to let go - until we first saw it in the glass." Seeing it for the fruits and dried peaches. Attractively structured with tight acidity, a first time myself, it was pretty clear that he was on to something fine bead and a gloriously long finish; it's a sweeter style but special. This is a complex biscuity/nutty/dried peach style with fresh beautifully balanced. I like it a lot! lemon sherbet fruit, good acidity and a long finish. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Definitely not one to let go! Best drinking around: 2005-2008. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/2/2005. Hanging Rock Cuvee X Brut NV, $45, 93 points Oakridge Yarra Valley Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2001, $30, Hanging Rock is responsible for one of the most decadent and age- worthy sparkling wines in Australia. It's a blend of vintages, 92 points fermented in old oak and released as an aged wine, as soon as its I love the marriage of tight elegance and rich complexity in quality maker John Ellis deems it ready, and no sooner. sparking wines with a little age, but it's a hard thing to find without The tenth release is a complex concoction of juicy nectarine, tart spending a small fortune. Oakridge has captured it masterfully here. citrus and black pitch with great structure, tight acidity and This is an elegant bubbly with excellent poise and balance. Almost excellent length. Give it another five years yet, John! three years on yeast lees has produced biscuity, yeasty complexity 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) which overlays apple and stone fruit flavours. A generous, creamy Best drinking around: 2009-2012. bead marries with fine, lemony acidity on a lingering finish. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

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Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz 1995, $50, 92 points Duval-Leroy Fleur Rosé de Saignee NV, $85, 94 points Sparkling shiraz is a decadent thrill, especially when cracked at the A refreshing, delicate and sensuous rosé champagne with right age. Too often the cork is popped far too young, but you can't strawberry and raspberry fruit, complex spice and green strawberry get it wrong when you can buy a ten year old wine straight off the acidity which lingers on a long finish. shelf (well done, Leasingham!). The 1995 Classic Clare is really 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) shining right now, with fruit pastilles, plum/cherry/berry fruit, vanillin Best drinking around: 2005-2015. oak and earthy complexities. That said, it's only going to get better, This bottle was sealed with a cork. so don't be afraid to put it aside for up to another decade. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/10/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2015. Duval-Leroy Fleur Blanc de Chardonnay 1998, $95, 94 This bottle was sealed with a cork. points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. Duval-Leroy is the last large Champagne house remaining under private ownership. It has vineyard sources in every village in Cote de Hardys Arras Chardonnay Pinot Noir 1999, $50, 92 points Blancs, from which chardonnay for this wine is sourced.

Arras is top shelf Aussie bubbles, with southern Tasmanian fruit This is a very fine and elegant wine with complex pear, lemon, green showing fine lemony acidity and complex stone fruit characters. apple and glace peach flavours. It offsets sugar cane sweetness Roast hazelnuts and nutty, biscuity complexity fill out a long finish, with a refreshing, dry finish. supported by a tightly acidic structure. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2013. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Duval-Leroy Paris NV, $115, 95 points Charles Melton Sparkling Red NV, $60, 95 points Truly great champagne needs time to blossom, as is proven by wines 2005 disgorgement. An exceptional wine with blue berry, black such as this one in its youth. Its structure is tightly mouth-arresting cherry and plum fruit surging through chocolate and liquorice now, but it will glimmer in a decade. This is a spicy style with flavours in a gently sweet palate with gorgeously fine tannins. cinnamon and cloves offset by tart green apples, lime and honey Charlie reckons it will take ten or twenty years to show at it's best, dew fruit. The wine is as elegantly and intensely crafted as its but I love this wine because it is so delightful right now. There's no gorgeous embossed bottle. Both are quite a work of art. This is the way it would last that long in my house! best value wine of the Duval-Leroy range.

Great sparkling reds like this represent one of Australia's unique 60% pinot noir, 40% chardonnay. contributions to the world of wine. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2020. Best drinking around: 2005-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Charles Heidsieck Brut Vintage 1985, $150, 97 points Laurent Perrier Brut 1996, $65, 94 points There's no question: Champagne is one of my favourite drinks in the Elegance is a hallmark of all great Champagnes, and Laurent Perrier world. There is nothing else that rivals the magic of mature vintage does it with considerable style. This is a tightly wound, steely- Champagne. I reckon it takes about two decades for a decent structured wine which needs a long time to spring to life. At the vintage to really sparkle. I dug up this Heidsieck for a small group of moment it displays restrained hints of lemon, butter, almond, white friends on the eve of my 30th birthday, and it was the wine of the peach and honey. night, if not the wine of the year. You'd never guess its age from its You can't go wrong with 1996 Champagne - it's a sure winner and a light straw appearance or its fresh palate acidity. The only clue that guaranteed keeper. Just be patient, and do keep those hands off it! it's just a decade younger than I am is the complexity of its gorgeous I wish you more success than I've had - my first six-pack disappeared pear and cinnamon flavours, which linger on forever. A glass of this somehow. Did I say I love this wine? left me feeling at least a decade younger!

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Seek out a decent twenty-year-old Champagne, seriously. This one is Best drinking around: 2008-2016. sublime.

This bottle was sealed with a cork. 97 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1990, $65, 93 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/7/2005. Love or hate the style, Seppelt does a great sparkling shiraz. I happen to love it, and the 1990 is a good one. It's leathery, earthy Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne 1995, $270, 95 points and simultaneously fruity, with liquorice, dark chocolate and mint for I was privileged to attend the first dinner with Carol Duval-Leroy to the fun of it. After a decade and a half, it still carries some fresh mark the launch of the Duval-Leroy range into the Australian market primary red cherry and plum fruit - gotta love the way that the this year. This wine was the highlight of the night. It’s sourced entirely bubbles sustain the life of these wines! I've tasted this label at fifty from Duval-Leroy's own Grand Cru vineyards, with its chardonnay years of age, but for me a great vintage is at its best as a thirty-year- component (76%) vinified in individual batches in small old oak old. While you're waiting for those vintages, hoe into the 1990 - it's a barrels. It then spends a minimum of seven years in bottle. treat right now.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 57

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Beautiful, lifted floral aromatics with lime glimpses glide into a very fine, complex palate of glace lemon rind, with a generous bead. Tight, metallic, razor-edge acidity makes the wine look nothing like a decade old, and screams out for at least as long again before it should be approached. This is a remarkably ageworthy champagne with an endless finish. Spoil yourself if you will, but not in this decade!

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2015-2030. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/10/2005.

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the top sweet and fortified Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/5/2005. Dutschke The Tokay NV, $20, 94 points wines The quality of his red table wines are something in themselves, but it is with his fortifieds that Wayne Dutschke has really made a name for

himself, particularly in the United States. With wines like this Tokay, it's Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. little wonder.

Golden tawny in appearance, the bouquet is rich with cumquat Delgado Zuleta Manzanilla La Goya Jerez Sherry NV, $16, marmalade, toffee, caramel, spice and coffee. The palate is a 89 points perfect replica, with superb length, tight acidity and real freshness to balance its rich complexity. Here's a smart way to present a sherry: shove it in a stubby (half bottle) - because you never finish a full bottle anyway - and whack 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) a screw cap on it to preserve its delicate freshness. Brilliant! Why Best drinking around: 2005+. don't more producers do this? This bottle was sealed with a screw. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/5/2005. Then put a bargain price on it. Oh, and the wine's pretty smart as well, in a light, refreshing style with nutty complexity and a long Juniper Estate Cane-cut riesling 2004, $24, 92 points finish. At this price, you can afford to drink the real thing. This wine came about because Mark Messenger was reluctant to 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) leave his riesling fruit on the vines when rain was threatening during Best drinking around: 2005-2006. vintage. He figured the risk would be removed if the canes were cut This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. - hence this cane-cut riesling! The wine was tank fermented before Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. maturation in old oak for nine months.

Campbells Rutherglen Tokay NV, $18, 92 points It boasts apricot and lemon blossom with candied fruit and excellent acid balance and poise. Rutherglen tokay can sometimes be shunned for its richer and more intense muscat brother, but a great tokay is no less intellectual a 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) partner for swirling in front of the fireplace. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. This bottle was sealed with a diam cork. This is an intense wine with classic tokay tea leaves, raisins, spice and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. rich, sweet fruit length. It represents great value at this price.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Stanton & Killeen Classic Muscat NV, $25, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005+. I spent a few days in Rutherglen in September, on the trail of some of This bottle was sealed with a cork. the most incredible fortified wines on the planet. This wine made the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. whole trip worthwhile. After scores of grands and rares at mind- boggling prices, I am excited to announce that I've found you the Bimbadgen Myall Rd Botrytis Semillon 2004, $19, 94 points one wine that hits the mark at a price you can afford - but wait, Picked at a whopping 32 baume (translation: very ripe and very there's more - it's in a 500mL bottle. This is a true grand muscat at a sweet!), this is an intense apricot-powered dessert wine. The classic price (get it?). bouquet is quite delightful with fresh, intense lemon/marmalade Aged in small wood for an average of twelve years, the nose is an and tropical fruit over a buttery smoothness. The palate adds an alluring blend of raisins and smoky rancio complexity. Thick and interesting touch of mushroom complexity and great length. It viscous on the palate, dried peach flavours swell into a long finish. doesn’t have the acidity or structure to age long, but it's lacking For bang for your buck, you won't find more than this in a muscat nothing now, so dig in! from anywhere. It's a wicked dose of fortified charge!

Value plus! 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005+. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling 2004, $28, 95 points Tempus Two Botrytis Semillon 2002, $20, 92 points Every year, Stephanie Toole's Cordon Cut Riesling ranks among my A glorious, intense bouquet of apricots, tropicals and marmalade favourite dessert-style wines. I don't know how she does it, but the oozes over the rim of the glass, backed up by a palate by fine, soft wine just seems to get better with each vintage, and the 2004 is acidity and good length. There is quality Griffith fruit in this enticing, nothing less than sublime! When I first encountered it at cellar door drink-me-now sticky. Funky packaging, tricky wine. the bouquet was so enticing that it took me quite some time to get

past it and taste the wine. It boasts intense apricots and grapes with 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) hints of butter and mushroom, alluding to the richness and Best drinking around: 2005-2008. complexity of the most sublime "vendange tardives" wines from the This bottle was sealed with a cork. Alsace region of France. After such an introduction, the palate Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. doesn't disappoint, with intense, long grape/apricot/peach fruit and rich sweetness, perfectly balanced by tight acidity. In the midst of all Dutschke The Muscat NV, $20, 93 points this, it exudes an elegance which cements its place among the Red-tawny with a brown rim; the Muscat is all candied orange peel, great sweet wines of the world. toffee and chocolate on the bouquet. A rich palate follows, with 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) bright orange peel freshness, spicy complexity and a lingering finish. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Great value. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2005+. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

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Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling 2005, $33, 95 points Chambers Rosewood Grand Rutherglen Muscat NV, $50, Balance is the key word for sweet wines, as with all wines, but it just 94 points seems to be a harder thing to find in this style. Too sweet and it's There are great Rutherglen muscats at every price point, from less sickly, too little acidity and it's cloying, too confectionery, too simple, than $20 up to many hundreds. Pick your budget, find your wine on too short, too boring… Stephanie is my hero for consistently putting this site and you won't go wrong. If $50 is your point, Chambers' out a sweet wine which leaps over ever every hurdle. Grand is your pick.

Step up to the blocks, the 2005 is an Olympian of a cordon cut This is an intensely rich, raisined style on the bouquet with tar and riesling. Utterly unctuous apricot, peach and tropical fruits sail on vegemite hints. The palate is complex, sweet and viscous with forever through a cheer of tight acidity and sugary sweetness. On incredible length and intensity. top of the track record of this label, the 2005 places this wine as my 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) number one Australian dessert wine. Another victory, Stephanie! Best drinking around: 2005+. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2015. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. Sanchez Romate Jerez Pedro Ximenez Cardenal Cisneros NV, $52, 93 points Campbells Liquid Gold Classic Tokay NV, $40, 93 points Unctuous, rich and intense, this wine is a sweet syrup of grape, fig A step up from Campbell's Rutherglen Tokay in every way. A little and dark chocolate flavours. The perfect partner to decadent more than double the price gets you into a nuttier and richer wine chocolate sinfulness! with more pronounced rancio complexity. The balance is outstanding, with fresh marmalade fruit offsetting complex, toffeed 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) richness. An impressive tokay. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2005+. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Rockford Shiraz VP 1998, $60, 94 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. It's a shame that the popularity of VP (vintage port-style) wines McWilliams Show Reserve Amontillado NV, $40, 93 points doesn't match their quality, because in a warm vintage like 1998 in a warm region like the Barossa, a wine like this absolutely sings. It's When it comes to sherry styles, I can't go past the complexity of a intensely spicy, with white pepper, excellent plum/prune fruit and rich amontillado. For a good example, seek out this McWilliams. Its fine tannins which linger on and on. A very good VP. flavours reflect roasted bitter hazelnuts with honeyed sweetness and Only 100 dozen made. a dry finish. Tightly structured and a finish that goes on and on.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2010-2020. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 1992, $40, 93 points Morris Old Premium Rare Liqueur Muscat NV, $70, 95 Stanton & Killeen's Vintage Port was a bigger wine a decade ago points than it is now, seeing more shiraz in the blend and more time in oak. By the end of the presentation dinner at this year's Rutherglen Wine These wines demand twenty years to show at their best, especially in Show, the room was chuckling. Mick Morris had left his table, a great year like 1992. dragged his chair forward and claimed a front row position. Morris wines had cleaned up so many trophies for its fortified range that Thirteen years on, this is a beautiful blend of cassis fruit, spice and the patriarch of the family was worn out from walking the length of leather with very firm, fine tannins that demand more time yet to the room to collect yet another! Morris took out virtually every trophy soften. that night - for another year running. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Local word has it that Morris holds the largest reserves of old muscat Best drinking around: 2012-2017. in Australia. If the standard of its Old Premium Rare Liqueur Muscat is This bottle was sealed with a cork. anything to go by, it just might be true. The wine also happens to be Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. an absurd bargain for what it represents. Dark brown with a golden Ballandean Estate Salvatore's Tawny Port NV, $40, 93 rim; fresh raisins perfectly balance mixed spice and old smoky wood points spice. Gloriously potent, with a remarkable, never-ending finish, this is true rare muscat at a grand price. Savour it by the drop. Queensland has been shuffling for some time to find its place in the wide world of wine, and with varying success. Experimentation is an 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) important part of the process for any region seeking to establish Best drinking around: 2005+. itself, and when a wine jumps out as particularly outstanding, there is This bottle was sealed with a cork. a lesson to be learnt, and everyone should stop and take notice. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005.

Ballandean's Salvatore's Tawny Port stopped me in my tracks. It has Stanton & Killeen Grand Muscat NV, $75, 94 points layers of concentration, intense spicy raisin fruit, dark chocolate and At an average age of twenty-five years, this is a very intense and profound length. This is no average tawny port - it's a single barrel complex wine in which nutty wood spice is perfectly offset by sweet averaging between fifteen and twenty years of age. This is sunshine raisins. It sits closer to the rare end of the market than most in a bottle like the sunshine state has never before created. Rutherglen grands.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) It's a great wine - although I don't know why you wouldn't buy three Best drinking around: 2005-2010. bottles of Stanton & Killeen's Classic Muscat instead! This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/6/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 60

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Best drinking around: 2005+. 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005+. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Campbells Grand Tokay NV, $94, 94 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Campbells Tokays have a signature freshness right through the Dutschke Sun Dried Shiraz 2005, 95 points range, and it's a defining feature again in this wine, as we edge Every so often I come across a wine from left-field which is close to the top of the pyramid. It integrates perfectly with the rich completely different in style to anything else. Usually there is very rancio and roast nuts characters that the wine has built with age. good reason for which no one else has attempted it, and we never There are also hints of liquorice, tar and sweet spices, finishing with hear about it again. But occasionally a freak wine surfaces which lingering, signature tokay tea leaves. It's quite a step up the colour absolutely blows me away. Dutschke's Sun Dried Shiraz was such a intensity scale from the Rutherglen and Classic releases, and the wine. palate follows true. True to name, the grapes are dried in the sun before fermentation. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) The result is like nothing else, so think of it this way: Imagine a sweet Best drinking around: 2005+. vintage port sloshed together with potent, fresh black currant cassis This bottle was sealed with a cork. and a scoop of jet black grapes still bubbling in the fermenter. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Picture all this in an intense concoction with fine, grippy tannins and Chambers Rosewood Special Tokay NV, $100, 95 points balanced sweetness. There you have it. Very unique and very special! [This sample was tasted from screw cap, but the standard This is an absolutely decadent wine in every way, and is the perfect release is under cork.] thing to seduce the hopeless sweet-tooth. The bouquet launches with dark, rich tea leaf, tar and vegemite complexity, throwing into 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) a rich palate with a toffee/caramel streak over a long finish. Try it Best drinking around: 2005-2015. with the most wicked chocolates you can buy! Special, alright. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/5/2005. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005+. Hugel Riesling Vendange Tardive 1990, 94 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. The region of Alsace along the French-German border makes sweet Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. wines to rival many of the great dessert wines of the world. Campbells Rare Muscat NV, $106, 95 points Opportunities to taste these wines from great producers such as Hugel are a privilege. Next time you find yourself in north-eastern Victoria, get on over to Campbells. The winery and tasting room merge to form a masterful Fresh peach fruit swirls with marshmallow and mushroom complexity synergy of an 1870s barrel hall and a modern visitors centre. It’s a in a softly sweet style with fine acidity. Very youthful for a fifteen- year-old. Excellent wine. philosophy that applies equally to the wines, which display a remarkable integration of their own, as youthful freshness melds with 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) the decadent complexity that only comes from half a century in the Best drinking around: 2005-2010. cellar. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

No other wine in the Campbells range exhibits this as effortlessly as Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. the Rare Muscat. It's a mouth-coatingly viscous concoction of wood spice, nuts and buttery smoothness with perfectly balanced sweetness and the kind of finish that won't let you forget it for a long time. This is an incredible muscat, and one of the few rares that is approachable enough to enjoy the whole glass (and the next!).

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005+. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Campbells Rare Tokay NV, $106, 94 points Dark black/brown with a gold rim; the bouquet is a spicy mash of pureed raisins, sliding into a viscous and potent palate with spicy nuts and rich vegemite complexity. A powerful finish holds a bitey hint of bitter hazelnuts. It's an incredible hulk of a tokay which must be approached with caution. Consider yourself warned!

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005+. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Chambers Rosewood Rare Tokay NV, $200, 96 points If you're after a rare muscat, reach for the Campbells before the Chambers. But if you want to be transported off this planet, go for Chambers Rare Tokay!

Its colour is nothing less than black, with a sparkle of gold on the rim. Dark chocolate, intense nuts and spice are enveloped in an impossibly intense and never-ending palate with wisps of smoke and layer upon layer of depth. A very small dose is all it takes. Beam me up! 61

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89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) the top back-vintage wines Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/5/2005. Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. Mitchell Riesling 2000, $20, 91 points d'Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre The final wine in a five-vintage flight of screw-capped Mitchell 2003, $12, 91 points rieslings, this is a living example of just how well a wine can age under screw cap. Incidentally (as if it somehow needed to prove a Fresh rhubarb, plums and spice accentuate this spunky blend. point) the bottle of 1999 which followed was a case of just about Always great value! every cork fault in the book - brown colour, oxidised flavour, woody,

Check out the review on this site for the 2004 (current release). mouldy, flat fruit, short finish and slight cork taint. By comparison, the 2000 under screw cap showed classic riesling maturity in its kerosene, 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) complex developed citrus rind, toast and honey flavours. An Best drinking around: 2005-2007. attractively balanced and structured wine with fine acidity and This bottle was sealed with a Zork. good length. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Leasingham Bastion Riesling 2003, $13, 89 points Best drinking around: 2005-2008. In its Bastion range, Leasingham has pulled out some of the best This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. value wines on the market. This riesling is right on form. It boasts Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. tropical fruits and nicely balanced acidity. It's a sweeter, simpler Mitchell Riesling 2001, $20, 93 points style, but at this price you simply can't go wrong!

2001 was a hail year according to Andrew Mitchell. But you'd never 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) guess it from the wine. This is a classic Mitchell Riesling and it's just Best drinking around: 2005-2008. starting to come together! I love it when riesling gets to that point This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. where secondary marmalade, orange rind, honey, toast, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. butterscotch and kero perfectly marry with primary lemon/lime/tropical fruit. This wine pulls off the union brilliantly, with Neagles Rock Clare Valley Riesling 2002, $18, 92 points awesome fruit intensity, tight acidity and excellent length. I love it The quality of the 2002 vintage screams through in the candied right now, but it will happily hold out for the rest of the decade. lemon rind and fine acidity which linger in this wine. A few years of 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) bottle age have allowed a kerosene character to develop, but it's Best drinking around: 2005-2011. got a long life ahead of it yet. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Mitchell Riesling 2002, $20, 91 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. I tasted this wine with Andrew Mitchell at cellar door in the middle of the 2005 vintage. 2002 was a classic cool season in the Clare, and Phillips Brook Estate Riesling 2002, $18, 93 points the word on the ground was that 2005 might be just as good. The hallmark of Great Southern riesling is a fine trail of minerally Certainly one to look out for! The 2002 Mitchell will be a fifteen year acidity on a lingering finish, as exemplified in the first release of the wine, with a tight, astringent, minerally acid backbone. It's looking a Phillips Brook Estate Riesling. bit awkward and closed up right now, with some toasty/woody/lanolin characters beginning to close in on its tropical Its minerally structure is completely unruffled by three years of bottle and peach fruit. All they need is time to take over, and it promises to age, which have added complex toasty/honeysuckle flavours to its emerge an excellent wine. My score reflects its current status. Oh lemony palate. yes, it will improve. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Don't you dare touch it yet! Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2017. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Phillips Brook Estate Riesling 2003, $18, 93 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. Check out my rant on the 2005 vintage of this wine (on this site). The 2003 is every bit as good. Mitchell Riesling 2003, $20, 94 points 2003 was a hot vintage across most of Australia, and the Clare Lime, lemon and white peach fill out a very long palate with a great Valley was no exception. The result in this wine is that the fruit shows structure of excellent, fine, minerally acidity. more apricot and tropical flavours than is typical of this label. But it's 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) by no means any less a wine! The fruit was picked at just the right Best drinking around: 2005-2010. moment to maintain a hit of lemon and lime and a great streak of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. classic, tight Clare Valley acidity. It's got a fine, long finish as well. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. Drink it a little earlier, while the 2002 and 2004 are doing their thing in the cellar.

Tintagel Semillon 2001, $18, 89 points A glorious hit of fresh apricots!

Ripe yellow in appearance, the nose boasts butter, toffee, lanolin 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) and lemon with some green cut grass notes. On the palate, it's rich Best drinking around: 2005-2011. and mature with butter, toast and zesty lemon giving tight acidity This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. and good length. The acid will hold it for a while, but it's drinking well Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. now.

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Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2002, $20, 92 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Intense cherry/plum fruit has been kissed by the cool 2002 season Leasingham Classic Clare Riesling 1998, $30, 94 points with a large dob of mint, trailing off into a long, finely-structured finish. The Classic Clare Riesling is at the top of the Leasingham riesling hierarchy, and rightfully so when it is as impressive as this. At seven 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) years of age, this wine oozes complex stone fruit and dried fruit Best drinking around: 2007-2012. flavours, supported by balanced acidity, and finishing long. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. Three bottles were opened at this tasting. The first was oxidised and mushroomy, the second was dusty from the cork, and the third was Leeuwin Estate Riesling 1998, $22, 94 points as described above. Another case for why we now use screw caps.

An excellent Leeuwin Riesling with a honeyed and toasty palate, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) rich with exotic baked peaches and a long finish with fine acidity. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Seppelt GR72/73 Seppeltsfiled Show Vintage Shiraz 1982, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. $30, 95 points Orlando Steingarten riesling 1998, $25, 94 points There is only one problem with great vintage port style wines: Most The Eden Valley is one of the top riesling regions of the world, the tend to take twenty years to hit their straps. This is an undervalued Steingarten is always a good example, and the 1998 ranks among and under-appreciated style, which means that there are always the best. Classic Eden riesling is always fine and minerally in phenomenal bargains kicking around at auction. This bottle was one structure, and this wine is tightly wound and very long. It has youthful of them, and it was an absolute delight. Dark chocolate ripples hints of lemon, citrus rind and dried peaches, with bottle age across an intense palate with plum/cherry fruit, coconut and brandy contributing notes of marmalade, toast and petrol. spirit. At this age, the tannins are perfectly fine and balanced. A fantastic package is perfectly completed by a long, lingering finish. It's just hitting the peak of its maturity now, so get stuck in. Stunner! Wow!

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) If you see any of this treasure at auction, snap it up (or I will!). Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Howard Park Riesling 1997, $25, 94 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. A very tropical riesling with lychees, a touch of perfumed rose water Leasingham Classic Clare Riesling 2002, $30, 96 points and some toasty bottle age characters. The highlight is its fine, tight, lime juice acidity which lingers on a long, dry finish. This acidity also My encounter with this wine ranks among my most profound guarantees a few more years of life. experiences of the year. It found me in the middle of the Rutherglen Wine Show Exhibitor's tasting, and left me floating in a daze for the It showed just as well when retasted on December 13, 2005. rest of the day.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) It's still a vibrant, light straw-green colour, even at three years of age. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. The bouquet is intense and lifted, in that phase where toasty This bottle was sealed with a cork. complexity creeps in on youthful lemon and pear aromas. The Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. palate is every bit as remarkable, with the support of a spine of firm, Orlando Steingarten Riesling 1996, $25, 94 points fine, minerally acidity juxtaposed cleverly with supple, buttery smoothness and a finish that simply never ends. Utterly incredible! Riesling is such a versatile grape. Its personality changes completely as it metamorphosises from youth to maturity , preferring all together 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) different company at the dining table. I'll happily keep company Best drinking around: 2005-2017. with it in any guise, especially if it's as good as this mature This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Steingarten! At nine years of age, it's still a vibrant yellow in colour Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. and flavour, with shades of lemon, butter, citrus rind, toast and Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $30, 94 points camphor on a complex nose and palate. Soft, fine, minerally acidity lingers on a long finish. The 2002 vintage was a difficult one in Coonawarra, plagued by poor fruit set and a cool ripening season. Prior to its release, Majella's At its glorious best! 2002 Cabernet looked to me like it might have suffered at the hands 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) of the elements, appearing at the unripe/astringent end of the Best drinking around: 2005. Majella spectrum. O me of little faith!

This bottle was sealed with a cork. This wine has integrated magnificently in the past eighteen months, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/1/2005. with red berry fruits coming forward in the mix to contribute fantastic Meerea Park The Aunts Hunter Shiraz 1998, $26, 94 points red currant and red cherry fruit flavours. Cassis, mint and leaf fill out a palate which is skewered into line by a spear of cool 2002 acidity. Seven years off the vine, Meerea Park's The Aunts Shiraz is maturing It is a wine of great length and outstanding potential. slowly and elegantly. The bouquet is amassed with complex cherry/plum fruit with mint, liquorice, chocolate, earth and vanillin 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) oak. Secondary plum/cherry fruit on the palate makes way for the Best drinking around: 2010-2015. savoury complexity of cooked vegetables and leather. Fine, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. balanced tannins are still in fine form on a long finish. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 63

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Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $30, 96 points Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1996, $30, 94 points The release of Majella's 2003 cabernet ranks among my most The great 1996 vintage produced a Majella Cabernet which looms exciting wine moments of the year. You cannot conceive how out of a vertical line-up with larger proportions than the pack. Berry, ecstatic I was when the venerable Prof Lynn then rocked up in leafy cabernet fruit surges into a long finish. Its tannins are still firm Brisbane with 25 of his wines in tow! Shiraz, Cabernet and Malleea and fine, confirming that this is a wine that will still improve in the from the last fifteen years were flying in all directions, and this wine cellar for some years. stood out as the absolute winner of them all. An excellent Majella Cabernet that will reward the patient.

There's no point in embellishing my notes - here's exactly what I 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) wrote at the time: Very dark, vibrant purple in appearance. Best drinking around: 2007-2012. Awesome black currant and cassis nose. Intense fruit with fine, firm This bottle was sealed with a cork. tannins and phenomenal palate length. Awesome fruit line. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Amazing structure. QED.

96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1994, $30, 94 points Best drinking around: 2011-2016. The first Majella Cabernet ever and - oh my goodness - what a way This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. to start! Of course, there was nothing new about the fruit sources, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. with Majella already having established a reputation as one of Coonawarra's most significant premium contract grape growers. The Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, $30, 94 points vines date back to the 1970s and were planted from cuttings taken Every one of the last six releases of Majella Cabernet have secured from the best vines in the area at the time. a place in my "love it" list this year. What a night it was when Prof Prof Lynn tells me that this wine very nearly missed out on winning the Lynn lined them all up in one cracking vertical tasting! These wines Jimmy Watson trophy. Whatever, there's no denying that the wine is are a mind-blowing experience that every Australian wine lover a winner more than a decade later. Roast capsicum, vegetables should actively seek out. and spice smear together with smoky complexity into a fantastically The 2000 falls in the middle of Majella's magic mile of a cabernet long finish. It still holds the fine tannin structure to guarantee a few vertical. Intense black currants are the highlight of a leafy, dusty more years of life. bouquet and a structured, long palate. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Best drinking around: 2010-2015. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Majella Shiraz 1996, $30, 92 points Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, $30, 93 points Majella's shiraz tends to end up opposite the cabernet in my tasting The longevity of Majella's cabernets is consistently outstanding. This is book and it always seems to come across like the clever little kid a wine that demands a decade before it really comes into its own, looking up to its genius older brother. Not that it isn't not a good wine and the greatest vintages will live another decade again. in itself, and certainly in recent years it has been giving its sibling

The 1999 will rank among the longest-lived of them all, the cool some level of competition. The best of the earlier years are still drinking reliably, and the 1996 is a good one. vintage conditions lending a leafy element to its exciting red berry fruit. This is a wine of great length and very firm and tight tannins. It's The rim of the wine boasts an amazingly primary purple hue after already six years old and it needs almost as long again before it's almost a decade, and the blueberry and plum fruit on the bouquet drinking at its luxurious best. and palate prove that its youthfulness runs deeper than appearances. Vanillin oak is still showing and the finish lingers long. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2019. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1998, $30, 95 points Epic vintage. Epic wine. There is some debate over whether the Majella Shiraz 1994, $30, 93 points great 1998 South Australian red wine vintage is all it was cracked up The 1994 is the greatest of the earlier Majella Shiraz vintages and it to be. But the debate doesn't touch Coonawarra, and it is wines like also happens to be the first year in which more new oak was this that explain why. purchased for the blend. The vanillin characters lent by the oak are

This was the last Majella Cabernet made at Brands before Majella's still there, but do allow the youthful, primary plum/cherry fruit to speak loud and clear on a long finish. own impeccable winemaking facility was built on its own turf. The standard of the wines before and after are proof that nothing was A great wine to unearth over the next few years. lost in the move. This is a dark, vibrant purple wine exhibiting a 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) seamless balance between intense cherry/plum fruit, vanillin oak Best drinking around: 2005-2008. and liquorice/spice complexity. Cassis is the defining feature of a This bottle was sealed with a cork. long finish. This is the youngest Majella Cabernet which can Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. confidently be opened for a special occasion this year.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Juniper Estate Cabernet 2001, $32, 94 points Best drinking around: 2005-2013. Juniper Estate is attracting quite some attention as the revitalisation This bottle was sealed with a cork. and expansion of the Wright winery in Margaret River, not only for its Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. size but also for the quality and value of its wines.

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The Estate Cabernet sits securely at the top of the hierarchy, and for Eagle Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc good reason. Sourced exclusively from twenty-eight-year-old estate 2001, $35, 93 points plantings, the 2001 is this third release and the best yet. A great vintage in Margaret River has created a wine of sublime structure Eagle Vale is a small producer located about as far south as and intense fruit. Capsicum, black cherries, prunes, liquorice and Margaret River extends. With an operator as passionately iodine intermingle with tight tannins, fine acidity and a never- enthusiastic and as fastidiously particular as Frenchman Guy ending-story of a finish. A great, age-worthy Margaret River Gallienne, it's little wonder that good things are starting to happen. cabernet at much less than a Margaret River price! Keep your eye on this producer, as the vines develop extra age to build the mid-palate weight and length. There's plenty of potential 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) here. Best drinking around: 2009-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. They say that the first crop is often a freakishly good one, and Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. coupled with a great vintage, the 2001 Cabernet blend is Eagle Vale's best wine yet. Bright red cherry, red currant, blue berry and Grosset Watervale Riesling 2000, $33, 93 points plum fruit interplays with liquorice and spice complexity. Excellent oak integration; red cherry acidity and fine tannins linger on the Lemon zest, grapefruit and spice, with lingering, fine acidity. It's palate. nicely balanced and integrating well.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2016. Best drinking around: 2006-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2000, $39, 93 points Grosset Watervale Riesling 1999, $33, 93 points Primary grapefruit juice is making way for kerosene and spice Secondary and complex, with honey, toffee, almonds, spice and flavours in a wine structured on fine, minerally acidity, with a great blood orange. Fine acidity gives it life. finish.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. Howard Park Chardonnay 2001, $35, 96 points Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2001, $39, 95 points It has long been a criticism of Australian chardonnay that it does not Lemon zest and grapefruit define a fine, minerally wine with an stand the test of time. I have tasted great examples at four, six, outstanding finish. This is a great Polish Hill, still in nappies - don't eight, ten,… twenty years of age but almost always felt that they touch it! would have been better consumed within their first few years. There 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) are a few notable exceptions. Best drinking around: 2008-2016.

At four-and-a-half years of age, this wine shimmers with exceptional This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. grapefruit and peach, married with cashew nut oak, butterscotch Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. and toffee. Its long finish carries fine acidity. Even at this age, it ranks among the most remarkable Australian chardonnays I have tasted, Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1996, $40, 94 points and it will hold its head high for a good few years yet. It walked all A remnant of the Penfolds red wine screw cap trial, and recorded over a top Chablis Grand Cru served on the same night. here as evidence of the way in which a big, tannic red wine can mature under a screw cap. 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Plum and dark berry fruits are supported by spice, chocolate and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. coffee flavours. The bouquet and palate are integrating beautifully, Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. with fine tannins coming into balance and making way for lingering red cherry acidity on a long finish. Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2002, $35, 96 points 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) A remarkable wine from the vintage of a lifetime. Three years on, Best drinking around: 2009-2016. soft kerosene hints are developing between its fresh lemon rind and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. pineapple flavours. Excellent minerally acidity is integrating Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 25/10/2005. beautifully. This will be an extremely long lived riesling, of the highest standard. Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001, $40, 93

Going through my database of notes, I did a double-take on seeing points a $35 wine with a 96 point score. Of course, it's Grosset riesling! I adore Voyager's cabernet, and it always represents good value,

96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) particularly in a great vintage like 2001. It boasts crunchy black Best drinking around: 2009-2022. currants, lifted, perfumed black cherry fruit and tomato leaf with This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. hints of coffee and chocolate on an enticingly lifted bouquet. The Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 25/10/2005. palate is dusty, spicy and held in tight form by big, grippy tannins, let down only by a slightly dried out finish.

When I retasted it on August 15, the palate had opened up to more pronounced black and red currant fruit with tomato leaf complexity, and a more persistent finish. It's destined for great things.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2009-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. 65

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Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Curly Flat Pinot Noir 1998, $44, 94 points Semillon 2001, $43, 95 points The inspiration for the Curly Flat name comes from a Michael Leunig I sat in the middle of Janice McDonald's winery, the open bottle of cartoon, which winemaker Phil Moraghan describes as "an almost 2003 Suckfizzle SBS in front of me, my jaw somewhere near the painful insight into the human condition." As the story goes, Leunig ground. I asked how long this wine would live in the cellar and she created a place called "Curly Flat," which had a vineyard. disappeared to find the 2000 and 2001. Moraghan set out to create the real thing. When it comes to pinot, he has certainly achieved the real thing! His 1998 is an absolute Janice regards the 2001 as the best SASBS to date, and who am I to winner. It's beautifully perfumed, spicy and herbaceous with star argue with that? Still fresh and young at four years of age, the anise, blue berries and three of the fundamentals of all great reds: bouquet is spicy and herbaceous with cut grass and wisps of smoky great length, fine tannins and tight acidity. complexity. A toasty, spicy palate boasts camphor and wood sap flavours in a grassy style. Awesome, fine, minerally acidity holds out You'd be flat our creating an Australian pinot which was much on a long, long finish. A brilliant wine in a very backward style which better, even in an imaginary world! still has a long life ahead of it. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!)

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/3/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc 2001, $45, 92 points Semillon 2000, $43, 94 points From a vineyard near the sea on the south-western coast of Western According to Janice McDonald, Suckfizzle Augusta is intended to Australia, the bouquet of this wine shows notes of salt bush, herbs, grab attention and be a bit of fun. It owes it's name to Lord leaf, asparagus, tobacco and coffee. The palate is fleshy with red Suckfizzle, the infamous fictional character of 14th century monk currants, spicy fresh tobacco and earth. It's firmly structured with Rabelais. mouth-filling, medium-grained tannins on a long finish and it needs time for its oak to integrate. The wine commands attention in its own right. After five years of life, the 2000 is developing a soft, rounded palate with the aged 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) complexity of toast, camphor, spice and herbs adding to its soft Best drinking around: 2009-2013. rosewater flavour profile. For all that, it's still fresh and lively with fine This bottle was sealed with a cork. acidity, despite a warmer ferment initially producing a fatter style. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005.

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Lake's Folly Cabernets 2000, $45, 95 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. It was the 1969 vintage that proved the longevity of this label to me This bottle was sealed with a cork. some years ago. There has only been one vintage since that comes Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. close to the sublime '69 experience, and it was this bottle of 2000. Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1998, $43, 96 points Winemaker Rodney Kempe reckons that only the 2005 vintage "might give this wine a shake." Great Hunter semillon tends to be an astringent wild child in its youth, with spine-chilling acidity and steely structure. Given time to This is a reluctant, introverted cabernet which has no desire to come blossom to full maturity, it can develop into a gloriously complex, out and play just yet. If you're patient, it might just let on a hint of its toasty sensation. The 1998 vintage blessed Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon, black and red currant fruit, liquorice and herbs. There's no mistaking and it has taken seven years for the wine to show just good Hunter its tight, fine tannins and very long finish, but you'd better leave it to semillon can get. Lemon and butter leap out of the glass, with stew for at least another four years if you really want to see what's toasty/nutty/cedar complexity lurking behind. It has tight acidity on going on under the surface. A serious Folly, not to be toyed with. a creamy finish that goes on and on forever. 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!)

I first tasted the 1998 Vat 1 at Tyrrells' cellar door in the middle of Best drinking around: 2009-2018. winter, with snow on the nearby mountains, while it was blowing a This bottle was sealed with a cork. gale outside. The wine immediately gave me goose-bumps that Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. had nothing to do with the weather! This is one of the great wines of the year. Lake's Folly Cabernets 2001, $45, 94 points This is a great vintage of Lake's Folly Cabernets, exuding black and 96 out of 100 points. (Exceptional wine!) red currant fruit, plums and crushed, dry, savoury herbs. It finishes Best drinking around: 2005-2009. very long with fine firm tannins which scream out to be left in the This bottle was sealed with a cork. cellar. It's four years off the vine already, and it needs at the very Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. least as long again.

Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2000, $44, 93 points 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Phil and Jenny Moraghan describe themselves as "just simple Best drinking around: 2009-2016. farmers - but farmers who like to see the end product on the table, This bottle was sealed with a 45. and people enjoying it." They certainly saw a lot of enjoyment at the Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. dinner I attended at which they served this wine! It's at its peak now, with its blue berry, sarsaparilla and liquorice flavours in fine form, with Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2002, $48, 94 points amazing persistence, all wrapped in soft, finely structured tannins. This was my shiraz of the year last year, and it's in fine form six months later. Some reductive, spicy, peppery notes lead into a herbaceous 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) palate of nougat, fine tannins and a long finish. It's purring along Best drinking around: 2005-2006. very nicely. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/3/2005. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 2/6/2005. 66

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Petaluma Coonawarra 1991, $50, 94 points Petaluma Coonawarra 2000, $50, 94 points This vintage has come into superb balance in the past few years, There's almost always a proportion of merlot in the Petaluma and is really hitting a spectacular peak now. Some black Coonawarra mix, but this vintage contains a full fifty percent. This is berry/plum/cherry fruit still lingers, filled out with complex overtones the style of the right bank of Bordeaux, and this Petaluma pulls a of coffee and cigar box, strung together by fine soft tannins. This is class act in reflecting the same. It has black currant fruit of the what Coonawarra cabernet is all about, and the 1991 vintage goes highest standard, with nuances of red cherries, coffee and down as a real classic! chocolate. Its length is quite superb, although it finishes a touch oaky

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) right now. Give it a few years for the oak to integrate and you'll have something very special on your hands. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Petaluma Coonawarra 1995, $50, 94 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. As a ten year old wine, I have not tasted a Petaluma Coonawarra displaying the fruit intensity of the 1995. The red currant and red Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2003, $51, 93 cherry power are quite superb, as are its length and fine tannin points structure. It has some mint/leaf/herb notes to add complexity. What Michael Brajkovich is a master of elegant, steely structured a wine! chardonnay, and it is in this label that he really shows off just how

good New Zealand chardonnay can get. It's a spicy white peach 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) and nectarine wine with well-measured oak, fine acidity and Best drinking around: 2005-2007. excellent length. This is my favourite style of chardonnay, and the This bottle was sealed with a cork. 2003 Kumeu is a winner! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. In a vertical line-up of this wine in June 2005, this vintage showed as Petaluma Coonawarra 1996, $50, 95 points a more funky, Burgundian Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay, in a composty/gamey/farmyardy style with tight, minerally structure. I lined up a decade of vintages of this wine, assembled a dozen mates and took them to a friend's luxury beach house on South 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Stradbroke island off the Gold Coast early in the new year. Tough Best drinking around: 2005-2009. business, this! The 1996 was the wine of the weekend. It has This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. profound black currant and black berry fruit with a lick of coffee Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. and a twist of liquorice. It's got everything that a great wine must have: huge length, fine firm tannins and balanced acidity. Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2002, $51, 95

This is classic Coonawarra cabernet at its stunning best. It'll transport points you to a resort island no matter where you encounter it! I've reviewed many vintages of this wine on this site, and I've loved

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) them all, but none as much as the 2002. Mate's Vineyard Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Chardonnay is always tightly sprung, but in this year it struck new This bottle was sealed with a cork. levels of restraint, refinement and longevity. It has flinty, river pebble Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. structure, complex citrus/melon/tropical fruit and a slight (appropriate) gunflinty reductive note. It doesn't finish there, Petaluma Coonawarra 1998, $50, 94 points because the length is of such proportions that you could almost forget that you've swallowed the wine. Wines like this define great vintages. It is intensely fruited, with black currants, black berries, plums and a lifted hit of morello cherries. The This is a standout vintage of one of the benchmark chardonnays of nose is quite superb, and the palate nothing less, with excellent the southern hemisphere. length and fine, firm tannins, verging on a touch of bitterness on the 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) finish. All it asks for is time to come together. Best drinking around: 2006-2012. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/1/2005. Majella The Malleea 1996, $65, 93 points This is where The Malleea began. Prof Lynn is proud to tell the story of Petaluma Coonawarra 1999, $50, 94 points how he refused to let his winemaker Bruce Gregory make a The great 1990/1991 vintage debate has now become the shiraz/cabernet blend. So Bruce made it anyway, put it on the 1998/1999 debate. My money is on the 1991 and the 1999. This wine tasting bench in the winery, had them admit that it blew them away is still a baby, with its glorious black currant and stewed plum fruit at before he would tell them what it was, and the rest is, well... the its adolescent best. There is a perfumed lift from the merlot in the history of The Malleea. blend, and a spicy/dusty/herbaceous undertone, thanks to a cooler Close to a decade on, the wine is still blowing people's minds. Very vintage. Its finely structured tannins need a few years of solitary long, sweet blueberry/cherry/plum fruit is integrating beautifully with confinement to settle. As soon as they do, this will be a riveting wine! leaf and capsicum flavours. It's only just entering its drinking window 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) now, and its firm, tight tannins ensure that there is no rush.

Best drinking around: 2009-2013. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Majella The Malleea 1997, $65, 94 points

1997 will never rank among the greatest vintages in Coonawarra, but you'd never guess it from this wine.

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Eight years on and it's tight and fine with leafy fruit and gravely At six years it was looking amazingly youthful, with tight fine acidity, tannin structure. Given a few more years, it will emerge a much soft peaches and cream fruit and a very long finish. It was balanced more placid dinner guest. and integrated, with just a touch of alcohol heat on the finish (not surprising at 14.5%). This wine will happily live on. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2007-2015. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 8/4/2005. Majella The Malleea 1998, $65, 94 points This wine is a lay-down misére! Great producer, outstanding vintage, Wolf Blass Black Label 1998, $130, 94 points top shelf label - you just can't go wrong. A great vintage for black label, at seven years of age this wine still

Black and blue berry fruit is integrating well with mint, coffee and shows fresh, bright red cherry fruit with dark plum and prune rippling chocolate. The tannin structure is still very firm and fine, screaming through the palate. Firm, charry, vanillin oak needs a few more years out for more time. to integrate, but the fruit holds out over a long finish, and the structure is built for the long-haul. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2018. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2008-2018. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. Majella The Malleea 1999, $65, 94 points Dalwhinnie Eagle series shiraz 1998, $148, 95 points Another twenty-year Malleea, but this time you'll need to wait more than ten years before you make a start. The cool 1999 vintage David Jones is the master behind the exceptional Dalwhinnie range blessed this wine with excellent red berry/cherry fruit, dusty, fine, firm from the Pyrenees in Victoria, and the Eagle shiraz is his "piece de tannins and fantastic length. resistance". The 1998 is a spicy, peppery, plum pudding creation with signature fine tannins and a finish that is nothing less than epic. This may well prove to be one of the longest-lived Malleeas, and if you're patient you'll thank me for the tip one day (in a very long Utterly elegant and utterly decadent in the same mouthful. A paradox that takes a master like David Jones to craft. time!).

94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2011-2019. Best drinking around: 2007-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. Majella The Malleea 2000, $65, 95 points Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 1998, $165, 94 points Australia invented the shiraz/cabernet blend and has championed The first ever vintage of Platinum, and what a way to start! Seven it on the world stage for years. But do a quick check and you'll find years later and the single vineyard fruit quality is still shining, in an that in the grand scheme of things, there really aren't that many intense, meaty plum/cherry style with charry vanillin oak, savoury spice and great length. examples made these days. The Malleea is proof of the heights that the blend can reach, and the 2000 is right at the pinnacle. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!)

Palate-enticing plum and dark berry fruit melts into swirls of Best drinking around: 2006-2012. chocolate and coffee, supported by vanillin oak and a never- This bottle was sealed with a cork. ending-story of a finish. This is what The Malleea is all about! Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Chapoutier Vin de paille 1999, $200, 94 points Best drinking around: 2010-2017. A unique and very limited wine, Chapoutier crafts this outstanding This bottle was sealed with a cork. sweet wine from dried Marsanne grapes grown on the slopes of Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Hermitage.

Vasse Felix Heytesbury 1999, $65, 95 points A delightfully unctuous wine with outstanding length and An intense black currant-fruited wine of exceptional length and complexity. Rich vanilla, hazelnuts, macadamias, sultanas, quince structure. It has developed into the mocha/chocolate realm but is paste and toffee meld together on a palate which appears more mature than it is. looking a little forward in its progress at the moment. Not to worry - all the more reason to get stuck in now (which I know you will be 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) very happy to do!). Best drinking around: 2005-2008.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 21/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Chapoutier Le pavillon Ermitage 2000, $330, 95 points Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. This wine surfaced in the midst of a discussion of Australian and Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay 1999, $80, 93 points Rhone shiraz styles in Rick Kinzbrunner's Giaconda office.

Consistently among the best chardonnays in Australian, the Leeuwin Spicy, savoury and dusty, this wine just keeps on opening up with Art Series ranks among my favourite young chardonnays. Aussie time in the glass. Cherry fruit swells up amidst slightly sappy new chardy doesn't tend to age well, and all of the older bottles of Art wood to reveal tremendous fruit complexity. An incredibly intense Series that have surfaced have done nothing to change this and long but elegant, savoury finish is supported by flinty tannins. This impression for me. Until this one. is a profound wine that effortlessly demonstrated the Rhone shiraz style that Rick intended to highlight.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2010-2020.

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This bottle was sealed with a cork. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 24/10/2005. Yalumba Pewsey Vale Riesling 1980, 95 points I showed this wine to a media group in Tokyo with Jeffrey Grosset this year, and include it here to demonstrate just how riesling can develop under a screw cap.

A phenomenal old wine of remarkable poise and balance, with a light, glowing yellow hue. Toasty marmalade, lemon butter, spice, honeysuckle and cedar hints are underlaid by a fine, soft sheet of dancing acidity. At twenty-five years of age, this complex wine maintains a long finish. It will drink happily for at least another seven years. This is the best old riesling I have experienced.

95 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Love it! Tyson Stelzer, 25/10/2005.

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Arrowfield Sophie's Bridge Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $12, 88 the runner-up wines points There are some great value Sauvignon Blancs drifting around at the Ordered by price. See page 113 for full alphabetical listing. moment, and this is one of them. It's a grassy, steely and tightly structured, fresh style ideal for quaffing right now.

Lindemans Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, $9, 85 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. The Bin 45 is the pick of the 2005 reds in the Lindemans bin range. Its This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. varietal origins are faithfully betrayed in leaf, mint and coffee Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. flavours that overlay its plummy fruit. A dark purple wine with powdery tannins and a short finish. Yalumba Shiraz Viognier 2004, $12, 89 points

Reliable quaffing at a ridiculous one-digit price. Yalumba has been a master of shiraz viognier for years, and its

85 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) experience permeates right down its range to this entry-level $12 Best drinking around: 2005-2007. bargain. The shiraz contributes spicy stewed plums and black This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. cherries, while the viognier adds tropical fruit hints. This is a sweet, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. ripe red to please the crowd - and at this price you can afford enough to please quite a crowd!

Buckland Gap Shiraz Cabernet 2003, $9, 87 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This is the wine to drink when you run out of Buckland Gap's Best drinking around: 2008-2008. remarkable $9 cabernet merlot. This one hasn't nearly the interest of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. its sibling, but for your $9 you get a two-year-old plum/berry/cherry Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/9/2005. fruited wine with a touch of tobacco - and that's more than you'll find elsewhere on the $9 shelf. Plantagenet Hazard Hill Shiraz 2003, $12, 86 points

87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Dusty, spicy black cherry and plum fruit comes together with fine tannins in a short and simple but pleasant and balanced quaffer. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a synthetic cork. 86 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/11/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Cabernet 2004, $9, 85 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. You can't buy a decent red wine for $9. Period. But if you're stuck in the bottle shop with $9 to your name, the Eaglehawk Cabernet Glenburnie Riesling 2004, $12, 87 points would be a reasonable resort. It's got some varietal red berry, Lime cordial and lemon fruit flavours on a slightly sweet but tightly capsicum and leaf notes and fine tannins. It might be sweet, short acidity palate with good length. The acidity on the finish is a little and simple, but hey, you did only spend $9. hard.

85 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/5/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/9/2005. Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Shiraz 2002, $10, 87 points Richmond Grove Black Cat Shiraz 2004, $14, 88 points There's a lot in this bottle for your ten bucks. Plum, cherry, spice, fine This is a spicy, peppery concoction showing good fruit density of tannins, and a few years of bottle maturity. They can't be making plum, black cherry and violet flavours. It's an early-drinking style with money on this stuff, but this is all to your gain! Quaff on! soft tannins.

Value. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2002, $14, 86 Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Merlot 2002, $10, 87 points points It seems that every second person I meet these days says they're Sweet, dark berry/cherry/plum fruit with slightly coarse tannins and into merlot. Usually what they're referring to is something dreadfully average length. Often discounted, and good value. cheap which bears as much resemblance to merlot as the cask of 86 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) shiraz that they gave up on the previous week. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. If merlot's what you're up for and double-digit price tags look This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. daunting, I have just the thing for you. The Apple Tree Flat has Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/2/2005. plum/cherry fruit and some savoury complexity on the finish. It's screw-capped for peace of mind as well. What more could you ask Tulloch Verdelho 2005, $14, 88 points for ten bucks? Grapey, peachy and spicy on the bouquet; the palate is all apricots and meal with a long, lemony finish. This is a sweet, fruity quaffer. 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/11/2005.

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Richmond Grove Weathervane Cabernet Merlot 2004, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. $14, 87 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. If you like minty cabernets, this wine is a winner. Berry/cherry/plum Galafrey Unoaked Chardonnay 2004, $15, 89 points fruit with chocolate oak and grippy, furry tannins. Tropical fruits, apricots and honey with fine, tight acidity and a 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) lingering finish. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Seppelt Victoria Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $15, 88 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. Sauvignon Blanc is all the rage at the moment, and if this is what Tulloch Shiraz 2002, $15, 88 points you get for your $15, it's little wonder! This is a value-for-money Plum/cherry fruits mingle with spicy pepper and earth in a lemon/herbaceous wine with sound varietal definition, ideal for herbaceous style with leather hints, fine tannins and a decent finish. quaffing right away. All said, the wine is a bit thin, but reasonable value. Put it back on Warning: Dangerously quaffable! the shelf and buy the 2003 cabernet instead (also reviewed on this

site). 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Seppelt Victoria Riesling 2004, $15, 89 points A lemon and grapefruit-accented riesling with fine acidity lingering Jimbour Station Verdelho 2005, $15, 88 points on a persistent finish. A reliable pick for medium-term quaffing. Lifted, perfumed and tropical with green apple and citrus fruits, fine,

zingy acidity and a clean finish. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. Phillips Brook Estate Nine Redgums Clairet 2004, $15, 88 points Kangarilla Road Chardonnay 2004, $15, 88 points This is a soft red for white wine drinkers. It's light bodied with virtually A sweet, tropical, melon wine with a long finish and a good zing of zero tannins and lifted red currants, red cherries, herbs and spice on lemon acidity to pull its 3.5g/L of residual sugar into line. the bouquet. The palate is fruity and smooth with good mid-palate 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) fruit weight and balanced acid, but finishes short. Give it a light chill Best drinking around: 2005-2007. and don't think too hard. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Huntington Estate Mudgee Semillon 2004, $15, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. Lanolin, lemon and cut grass are the prominent characteristics of this finely structured, long semillon from Mudgee. Chambers Rosewood Old Cellar Vintage 2002, $15, 88 Nice wine, but look up the 2005 on this site - and buy it instead! points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) A dark purple vintage-port-style wine with spice, dried fruits and fine Best drinking around: 2005-2010. tannins; it's worth a quaff @$15 for a full bottle. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2010-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Logan Wines Weemala Gewurztraminer 2005, $15, 88 Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. points Logan Wines Weemala Merlot 2002, $15, 89 points This is a juicy, ripe-fruited gewürztraminer from the Orange region in NSW. The bouquet and palate are generous, with tropical, pear and Logan Wines' Weemala range is a reliable choice in the quaffing peach fruit, fine acidity and good length. stakes. This is a spicy, red berry and plum-fruited merlot from Mudgee and Cowra fruit, supported with fine, tight tannins and a 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) long, savoury herb finish. Rated identically when reetasted on Best drinking around: 2005-2006. December 23, 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/12/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Seppelt Victoria Chardonnay 2004, $15, 88 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This is a well-balanced chardonnay with white peach and melon Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. fruit offset by caramel oak with a backbone of fine acidity. Enjoy it young and fresh. Tulloch Verdelho 2004, $15, 88 points It's tropical, it's sweet, it's fresh and there's a squeeze of stone fruits 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and citrus along the way. OK, so it hasn't got a lot of structure, but Best drinking around: 2005-2006. for $15 it's a fair quaff. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. 71

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Paringa Estate Peninsula Chardonnay 2004, $15, 90 points Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Sauvignon Blanc 2005, In a slightly sweet style, with white peach fruit and fine, balanced $15, 89 points acidity, this is a big, full-bodied chardonnay, with good length. It's a Ferngrove's SB is a balanced, easy drinking tropical fruit and lot of intensity for $15. herbaceous style with good length. Value.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Penny's Hill Red Dot Chardonnay Viognier 2005, $15, 89 Summerfield Trebbiano 2004, $15, 88 points points A tropical/lemon/candied-citrus-rind trebiano with tart, fine acidity Sweet, tangy and tropical, this aromatic wine has loads of ripe and good length passionfruit and apricot fruit with a fine, zingy finish. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a zork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/1/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Heritage Wines Barossa Semillon 2002, $15, 88 points Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre Barossa semillon has never been a highlight of my tasting rounds, but 2002, $15, 88 points in 2002, Heritage Wines did a half-decent job of it. Three years on, it Sweet, ripe plum/cherry/berry fruit with spice, hints of mint and fine shows butter, lemon, cedar and lanolin flavours. This is a firm, big tannins on a long finish. style, but it is held together by well-structured acidity and good length. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/11/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Chardonnay 2005, $15, 89 points Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet 2003, $15, 86 points Melon and white peach fruit in a straightforward, slightly sweet style, This is a simple, medium-weight but attractively varietal wine, with but with the lingering acidity to hold its head up. dusty capsicum, berry fruit and fine, powdery tannins. Not a bad way to part with $15. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 86 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/5/2005. Arrowfield Jot Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2004, $15, 89 Chatsfield Wines Riesling 2004, $15, 89 points points A tight and fine riesling with an array of citrus and tropical fruits and This is a fruit-focused chardonnay with white peach and stone fruits peach hints. This is a firm, ageing style with fine acidity. Value. overlaying balanced vanillin oak and soft acidity. It's not one to www.chatsfield.com.au. keep, but represents value-for-money early drinking. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Logan Wines Weemala Shiraz Viognier 2003, $16, 89 points Houghton Moondah Brook Cabernet Rosé 2005, $15, 89 points Crafted from Central Ranges fruit, this wine is characterised by intense black cherry, Satsuma plum and pepper, with savoury herbs A refreshing rosé style with excellent strawberry and red currant fruit and vanillin oak surfacing on the palate. It has fine tannins but and hints of leaf and spice. It is a touch sweet, but finishes dry and finishes short. clean. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. Brookland Valley Verse 1 Chardonnay 2004, $16, 88 points Robert Channon Wines Singing Lake Chardonnay Peach and tropical fruits with fine acidity and a short finish. Verdelho 2004, $15, 88 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) A lifted, perfumed tropical/peach/apricot wine with a rounded, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. semi-sweet palate with good length and appeal. It lacks structure, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. but represents good value as a sweeter wine at this price. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005.

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Cartwheel Western Australia Cabernet Merlot 2003, $16, This is a balanced wine with good fruit weight. It's a touch sweet for 89 points me, but will appeal to many. The 2005 is even better (also reviewed on this site). There's strong varietal character here, with spicy red currant/leaf/eucalypt flavours, balanced acidity and fine tannins. It 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) falters a little on the finish, but at this price you'd be harsh to fault it. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. It really hits the mark as a drink-soon bistro-style wine. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/3/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Hanging Rock Perricoota Verdelho 2004, $16, 89 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Verdelho rarely rises to any great heights in Australia, but here's a Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 1/3/2005. reasonable example if you find yourself possessed to track one Brookland Valley Verse 1 Shiraz 2003, $16, 86 points down. It's a sweet lemon/orange/peach style with balanced acidity on a lingering finish.

A simple but balanced wine with good spicy intensity overlaying plum/cherry fruit and pepper. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

86 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Brookland Valley Verse 1 Rosé 2005, $16, 88 points Tyrrells Lost Block Unwooded Chardonnay 2004, $16, 88 A straightforward rose petal and strawberry wine with a short finish points and balanced sweetness.

A simple melon and peach-fruited chardonnay with attractive, 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) balanced acidity and a lingering finish. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Woody Nook Kelly's Farewell Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. 2005, $16, 89 points Bimbadgen Semillon 2005, $16, 89 points This is a tight, herbaceous style with asparagus, cut grass and passionfruit flavours and a long finish. This is a soft, straightforward semillon, and a great choice for drinking young and fresh if you're not into racy acidity. It's got what you'd 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) expect from Hunter semillon: Grass, lemon sherbert and good length Best drinking around: 2005-2006. in an elegant, soft-acid style. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Sauvignon Blanc Semillon This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Viognier 2005, $16, 89 points There's nothing scrubby about this sweet, tropical style with tangy Bethany Barossa Riesling 2004, $16, 90 points lemon acidity and a long, cut grass finish. Classy quaffing.

This is a clean, fresh riesling with a floral bouquet of lemon, lime and 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) sherbert sweetness introducing a tropical fruit, nectarine and Best drinking around: 2005-2006. orange rind palate with fine, lingering acidity and a touch of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. residual sweetness. It's a fine riesling to enjoy right now. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 1/11/2005. It was already showing a touch of secondary development when retasted on October 7, 2005. Cartwheel Western Australia Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004, $16, 89 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. A tropical, herbaceous and orange rind blend which comes across This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. a little candied by virtue of its level of residual sugar. It gets always Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/6/2005. with it, thanks to balanced, soft acidity.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Brookland Valley Verse 1 Cabernet Merlot 2003, $16, 87 Best drinking around: 2005. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. The stand-out among the 2003 Verse 1 releases, this red berry-fruited Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 1/3/2005. wine shows hints of leaf, spice and tobacco. It has balanced, fine tannins, but would benefit from more fruit weight. Geoff Merrill Liquid Asset McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache Viognier 2003, $16, 88 points 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This is a big (14.5%), intensely fruited, spicy wine with plum, prune and This bottle was sealed with a cork. black cherry fruit and balanced vanillin oak. It's a little short and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. simple, but represents bang for your buck at this price.

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Mad Fish Riesling 2004, $16, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. A tropical fruit and sweet lemon blossom bouquet leads into a This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. lemon/peach/tropical/citrus-rind palate with tight, fine acidity and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/11/2005. good length.

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Villa Bianchi Verdicchio dei Castali de jesi DOC Umani Save up for Rochford's Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir instead (see the review of the 2002 on this site). Ronchi 2003, $16, 88 points A yeasty/funky/mushroom/malt style with lifted perfume, butter, 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) nectarine/lemon fruit. A well-structured wine. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Castle Rock Estate Chardonnay 2000, $17, 88 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/1/2005. Honey butter and cashew nuts on the bouquet. The palate has Gum Bear Wines Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $17, secondary peach fruit, nutty complexity and fine acidity, although the fruit is falling away now. Still available at cellar door 88 points (www.castlerockestate.com.au). Silly name, nice wine. If you're chasing a sweet sauvignon blanc, 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) give this a burl. It's a grassy, tropical thing with plenty of residual Best drinking around: 2005. sugar, but it has the acidity to keep its balance. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. De Bortoli Gulf Station Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004, $17, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/11/2005. 88 points Cape Mentelle Marmaduke 2003, $17, 88 points Pineapple and melon fruits supported by hazelnut oak on a tangy palate with soft sweetness and good acid cut. This is an enjoyable quaffer with spice, plum/berry/cherry fruit and good length, albeit a little hollow on the mid-palate. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Castle Rock Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $17, 89 points Campbells Riesling 2004, $17, 88 points A softly structured, fruity sauvignon with fine acidity and good length. Asparagus and pungent tropical fruit hints support a A lifted lime blossom and nectarine nose leads into a lemon and herbaceous bouquet. lime palate with a short finish. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Rochford V Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2003, $17, 89 points Rymill Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $17, 88 points This is an appealing chardonnay with finely structured acidity, Soapy florals with fine lemon fruit and lingering acidity. tropical fruits and some funky yeast complexity. It's a little on the 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) simple side, but represents value at this price.

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. The Wine & Truffle Company Chardonnay 2004, $17, 88 Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. points Nepenthe Unoaked Chardonnay 2005, $17, 88 points This is a rich, ripe chardonnay in which sweet melon, nectarine and Rich and spicy peach and melon fruit define the bouquet; the peach fruit is balanced by spicy vanillin oak and tangy, lemony palate has melon and citrus fruit, a tangy finish and good length. acidity. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 4/11/2005. Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Rosé 2005, $17, 88 points Stella Bella Skuttlebutt Chardonnay Semillon Sauvignon A blend of malbec and grenache, this is a spicy Blanc 2005, $17, 88 points strawberry/raspberry wine with a sweet, confectionery mid-palate A herbaceous, cut grass and gooseberry bouquet leads into a soft, and balanced acidity holding it together on the end. light palate with fine acidity. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Fermoy Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $17, 88 points Rochford V Pinot Noir 2003, $17, 88 points A sweet, tropical nose leads into a ripe but fully dry palate with This is a simple cherry/berry pinot noir with a hint of earth. It's a bit herbal hints on the finish. Fine, lingering, lemony acidity builds a firm toward the short/simple/thin end of the spectrum, but shows better structure. than average varietal definition at this price point. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

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Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Rosemount Estate Hill of Gold Mudgee Chardonnay 2004, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. $18, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. 2004 was a great vintage for whites in Mudgee and this wine shows Devil's Lair Fifth Leg White 2005, $18, 89 points it. Intense grapefruit, melon and peach fruit is enveloped in nutty vanillin oak. Acidity is tight and the finish is long. Cut grass, gooseberries and capsicum on the bouquet lead into a tropical palate with fine acidity and good length. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Louee Nullo Mountain Riesling 2004, $18, 90 points Veritas Barossa Valley Cabernet Merlot 2004, $18, 89 This is a slightly sweet but elegant riesling style, with a lifted floral, points lemon and lime blossom bouquet opening into an apricot and peach palate with fine acidity. "This is cabernet merlot with a shiraz mentality," according to its maker, Rolf Binder, the name behind the iconic Veritas winery in the This is a good wine, but not a patch on its successor. Check out the review of the 2005 on this site, then get on the horn to secure a case! Barossa Valley. He's spot on about this intense Barossa blend with sweet berry/cherry/plum fruits, fine tannins and good length. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. Yellowglen Vintage Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2004, $18, 90 Watershed Shades Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, points Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Franc 2003, $18, 88 points An enjoyable, simple orange citrus bubbly with a bready/yeasty A red-currant-fruited blend showing unmistakable cabernet varietal nose, suggestions of nectarines on the palate and balanced, soft acidity, good length and medium sweetness. character and leafy overtones, structured with attractive medium- grained tannins and finishing with good length. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

If you are partial toward a touch of sweetness in a fruit-driven red, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. this is your wine! This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Watershed Wines Shades 2003, $18, 89 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. This blend of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot and a touch of Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. cabernet franc is a reliable, red berry/cherry-fruited quaffer. Hints of McWilliams Early Release Elizabeth Semillon 2002, $18, 90 leaf are supported by medium-grained, slightly angular tannins on its lingering, fruity palate. points

A lemon, lanolin-styled semillon with good longevity, but finishing a 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) little short. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Rockford Eden Valley Riesling 2002, $18, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Rockies' 2002 Eden Riesling is a tight wine from a top region in a Veritas Christa Rolf Shiraz Grenache 2004, $18, 89 points great vintage, boasting lime, citrus rind and tight, fine acidity. It would likely score higher if it weren't for the corky wood flavours Made by Christa Deans and brother Rolf Binder, this is a ready-to- (from the cork) on the bouquet and palate. Still a value-for-money drink sweet, ripe, juicy plum/cherry/berry-fruited wine with soft wine. tannins and low acidity. Where's the screw cap? Get with the program, Rockford! 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. Rosemount Estate Hill of Gold Mudgee Cabernet 2003, $18, 89 points Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $18, 91 This is a vibrant concoction of red currants and other red berries, points with savoury complexity from red capsicum and coffee flavours. A The nose is intensely grassy with gooseberries and complex sweaty firm, fine and tight varietal cabernet which needs a few years to black currant bud overtones. The palate is quite herbaceous with a temper itself. lifted lavender note. This is a big, rich Savvy with a full, rounded mid- palate. It's got great length but lacks the zingy freshness that sets 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) apart the best examples of the style. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/8/2005.

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Sandalford Protégé Classic Dry White 2005, $18, 88 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. White peach, tropical fruits and lemon flavours describe this simple Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. quaffer with fine, lingering acidity.

Water Wheel Bendigo Shiraz 2003, $18, 91 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Vintage for vintage, Water Wheel produces one of the best value This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. shirazes in Australia. In the heat of 2003, the wine reached 15.5% Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. alcohol, but it manages to hold its own with commendable poise, balancing its heady alcohol with black plum and red cherry fruit and Pettavel Evening Star Geelong Riesling 2004, $18, 89 medium-grained grippy tannins. At this level of alcohol, there is points always a real risk that a wine will look cooked, over-ripe and lacking in acidity. The Water Wheel straddles all three hurdles and boasts This is a fleshy peach/apricot riesling with gentle sweetness and a firm, full acidity and good length, let down only by a little extractive touch of bottle-developed kerosene complexity. tannin bitterness on the finish.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2006-2012. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/11/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/2/2005. Gapsted Ballerina Canopy Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $18, 91 points Ballandean Estate Family Reserve Viognier 2003, $18, 88 An attractively perfumed nose with herbs and cut grass. The palate points is built on tropical fruits, with a long finish and great acid structure. An oaked viognier with apricot, peach, fig and toffee flavours. The oak contributes a touch of vanilla to a softly-structured wine with fine 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) acidity. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Ingoldby McLaren Vale Rosé 2005, $18, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/6/2005. A juicy, fruity, quaffing rosé with fresh strawberry and raspberry jam flavours. It holds its hit of 14.5% alcohol extremely well. The wine is Eagle Vale Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $18, 90 points made entirely from grenache, which lends a hint of spice to the A dusty, gooseberry style with soft residual sugar, good length and finish. fine acidity, in a friendly, easy-drinking mould.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/8/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. Chambers Rosewood Old Tawny NV, $18, 89 points Bethany Cabernet Franc Rosé 2005, $18, 89 points This is an intense, fruity-styled port with layers of aged rancio This is a refreshing new guise for the Cabernet Franc fruit from character and a long finish. Bethany's vineyards in the foothills of the Barossa Ranges. The varietal character of the fruit is accurately captured in its red 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) currant, leaf and cut grass aromatics and its lingering red cherry Best drinking around: 2005+. palate. This is a fresh and well-balanced style with clear varietal This bottle was sealed with a cork. definition. A welcome new addition to the Bethany line-up. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Lambert Vineyards Riesling 2004, $18, 89 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. A lifted, lavender-floral style with lime and tropical fruits reaching This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. long into the finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/11/2005.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Plantagenet Omrah Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $18, 89 Best drinking around: 2005-2008. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. The cabernet is the best of the 2003 Omrah reds. It's a varietally correct wine in which black currant and red cherry fruit carries Glenburnie Pinot Noir 2001, $18, 88 points nuances of cedar, tobacco, leaf and savoury spice.

Spice, cherries and plums dance around a strawberry palate, 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) underlaid with fine tannins and wood spice. Best drinking around: 2005-2007.

Only 150 cases were made. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Tatachilla Keystone Cabernet Sangiovese 2003, $18, 89 This bottle was sealed with a cork. points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/9/2005. Next time you're looking for a wine to guzzle with a big pizza, this is We're Wines Shiraz 2003, $18, 88 points your number. It's got black currants, roasted capsicum, dried herbs and olives - and that's the wine, not the pizza. The tannins are a bit Spice, red berries and red cherry fruit sits atop vanillin oak and fine harsh when the wine is going solo, but the pizza will handle that. tannins. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 76

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Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Alkoomi Frankland River Riesling 2005, $19, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Alkoomi's 2005 riesling vintage was a small one, yielding small berries Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/6/2005. with high acidity. The result is a tightly acidity style with rounded Annie's Lane Clare Valley Chardonnay 2005, $18, 88 tropical, lemon, white peach fruit and a touch of spice on the points bouquet. The green apple palate is built on lingering, fine, minerally acidity. An elegant melon/citrus-driven chardonnay with fine acidity and Give it a year for its bracing acidity to settle. good length. It's a balanced, well-made chardonnay for early drinking. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2011. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. Juniper Crossing Chardonnay 2003, $19, 88 points Annie's Lane Riesling 2005, $18, 89 points This is a sweet, fruity chardonnay with butter, lemon, tropical and stone fruits. It's quite a broad style, but it's got balance, and the oak Light yellow in appearance, the bouquet boasts fine lychee, pear, handling is appropriate. white peach and lemon cordial aromas. The palate follows the same line, with a slightly sweet and broad mid-palate, pulled into 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) firm on the finish by fine, lingering, minerally acidity. It's a pleasant, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. early-quaffing style. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Glenguin Estate The Old Broke Block Semillon 2004, $19, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/11/2005. There's seven percent viognier in this soft, slightly sweet semillon with Campbells Rutherglen Muscat NV, $18, 89 points lemon/lanolin characters, fine acidity and good length.

At the shoestring end of the Campbells range, the Tokays have it all 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) over the Muscats. If you've got $18 to spend, stop right here and Best drinking around: 2005-2008. look up my review of Campbell's Rutherglen Tokay. But if you This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. happen to be allergic to tokay, or your local just won't stock the Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. stuff, the muscat is not bad for a fresh, sweet, rose hip and sultana alternative. Killerby Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $19, 90 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Fresh lemon and tropical fruits with fine, balanced acidity and good Best drinking around: 2005+. length. A blend of Geographe semillon and Margaret River This bottle was sealed with a cork. sauvignon blanc. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Meerea Park Epoch Semillon 2004, $19, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. A finely structured, earlier-drinking semillon with balanced Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. sweetness, lemon blossom and lanolin flavours on a long finish.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Tatachilla Keystone Shiraz Viognier 2003, $19, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. If you're looking for bang for your buck, get a hit of this. When I This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. tasted it I couldn't help but crack up laughing (seriously) at the Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. sheer, looming size of it. This is a huge, dense, 15% alcohol, inky fluorescent purple mass of seething prunes, liquorice and vanillin oak Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $19, 90 points with a twist of orange rind from the viognier, screaming out for dear Sweaty, funky tinned asparagus and fresh-from-the-vine beans life. Every ounce of flavour has been squeezed out of the grapes, define the lifted bouquet and intense palate of this wine. It's a making the wine extractive, with big tannins, although it's not different incarnation of Marlborough savvy, but will appeal to some. unbalanced. Approach with caution!

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/6/2005. Kalleske Clarry's Barossa Red 2004, $19, 89 points Tim Adams Shiraz 2003, $19, 89 points A spicy plum/cherry/prune-fruited blend of 80% grenache and 20% A cherry/berry/plum-fruited shiraz with lifted savoury perfume on the shiraz. Fine, soft tannins and average length line it up for early nose and stalky spices on the palate. Palate length is quite good; full drinking. grippy tannins dictate a few more years in the cellar.

A pleasant quaffer. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2011. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. FUSE Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003, $19, 88 points A varietally true, spicy, black jube/liquorice/plum wine with pepper, vanillin oak, sweet fruit and good length. Hot alcohol dominates a little on the finish.

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88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. Louee Petit Verdot 2003, $19, 90 points Hand picked Rylstone fruit with black cherry, plum and spice flavours Ashbrook Estate Riesling 2005, $19, 88 points was fermented in small open vats and worked over by hand before Lime, white peach and nectarine fruit and spice with fine acidity maturation in a single large American oak cask. There’s plenty of and some nutty complexity on the finish. firm vanillin oak supporting the fruit, underlined by fine, grippy tannins. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. Amberley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $19, 88 points Gooseberries and tropical fruits in a simple, candied style. Ashbrook Estate Semillon 2005, $19, 89 points

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) An intense wine with clean, fine acidity, a softly sweet middle-palate and a long finish. Pomegranate and cut grass flavours with spice. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Xanadu Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $19, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. Half of the semillon in this blend has been barrel fermented, giving a savoury tone to this tropical wine. Zingy, lemony acidity holds the Chrismont Wines LaZona Marzemino Frizzante NV, $19, 90 finish together. points

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) If you're chasing a sweet red with plenty of fruit and a smooth Best drinking around: 2005-2006. structure, here's a wine like nothing else you're experienced. An This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. utterly enticing bouquet of lifted violets, red berry fruit cocktail Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. throws to a sweet, softly spritzig palate with sweet, succulent mulberry fruit, savoury hints and fine tannins.

Amberley Estate Chardonnay 2004, $19, 89 points King Valley fruit. Serve it a little chilled. A buttery, sweet palate with melon, tropical, peach and lemonade 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) fruit, fine acidity and good length. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Retasted 8/12/05 This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay 2002, $20, 88 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. A sweet, fruity butter/melon chardonnay with good length.

Alkoomi Frankland River Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $19, 88 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. A tight, zingy acidic style with lingering acidity. Kiwi fruit, herbs and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. cut grass flavours. There are soft, pungent asparagus hints on the bouquet. The fruit falls short on the finish. d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache 2002, $20, 89 points

A good partner to oysters. Intense plum/cherry/berry fruit with spice and earth; this is a rich,

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) intense grenache with good fruit length and fine, dusty tannins. A Best drinking around: 2005-2006. good value grenache for those who enjoy a spirity, porty style with a hot finish (not me!). This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2007. FUSE Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2003, $19, 89 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Another bargain from FUSE (check out their 2004 Sem Sauv Blanc, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/8/2005. and 2003 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre, also reviewed here). This is a light-bodied, varietal pinot noir with red berry/cherry fruit, soft Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz 2001, $20, 91 sweetness, spice, and a lingering finish. points

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Currency Creek fruit combines Best drinking around: 2005-2007. to create a larger-than-life wine at a value-for-money price. Firm, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. charry vanilla/coffee oak holds the sweet blue berry/plum/liquorice Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. fruit captive right now. For all that, it's balanced and only needs time in the decanter for its fruit to spring forth.

Plunkett Strathbogie Ranges Chardonnay 2004, $19, 89 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2005-2009. A peaches & cream, melon, grapefruit and orange rind This bottle was sealed with a cork. chardonnay with toasty vanillin oak which needs six months to Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. integrate.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2008. 78

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d'Arenberg The Last Ditch Viognier 2004, $20, 87 points Arrowfield Show Reserve Riesling 2004, $20, 89 points Tropical, mandarine, nectarine and persimmon fruit on a smooth This is in the extreme floral riesling style, with lifted lemon blossom and slightly sweet palate is supported by fine acidity and slightly hot supported by a well-structured palate which falls away a little short. alcohol. Old barrel fermentation adds some interesting savoury 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) complexity. I'm not into heavy whites, but give it a shot if this is your Best drinking around: 2005-2007. style. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Wignalls Chardonnay 2004, $20, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/5/2005. Figs, cashew nuts, vanilla bean and spice… there's plenty of oak, but the fruit manages to cut through, with good length and fine, Maglieri Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $20, 90 points minerally acidity.

A hot 2003 made for high alcohols, pushing both the Maglieri shiraz 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and cabernet to 15%. The cabernet is the pick of them (with the Best drinking around: 2005-2007. shiraz narrowly missing my list - it's a bit oaky and extractive). The This bottle was sealed with a cork. cabernet boasts plum/berry fruit, savoury herbs, cooked vegetables Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. and tight, fine tannins.

Tim Adams Botrytis Riesling 1999, $20, 91 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2008. The difference between an average Australian sticky and a good This bottle was sealed with a cork. Australian sticky often gets down to one thing: acid balance. In this Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/6/2005. country, it's easy to find intense fruit and sugar, but harder to get the structure right. I love the balance that Tim Adams has obtained in Tollana Bin TR16 Shiraz 2004, $20, 90 points this wine between fine, full acidity and rich sweetness. Even at six A blend of Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley fruit, this is a rich and years of age, the fruit is still intense and alluring, showing the full intense shiraz displaying blue berry, black pastille and spice aromas richness of botrytis influence, with apricots, peaches and marmalade. It would score higher if the finish were a little longer. on the bouquet. The palate adds plum, black cherries and vanillin oak amid fine tannins. Give it a few years to come together. Good now, and will live long.

It fell away a little short on the finish when retasted on 14/12/05, but 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) may just need time to settle. Best drinking around: 2005-2012.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Phillips Brook Estate Cabernet Merlot 2004, $20, 88 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. Fruit from 1975 cabernet vines is blended with younger vine merlot St Hallett Faith Barossa Shiraz 2004, $20, 89 points and a touch of cabernet franc. Lifted violets, herbs, leaf and dry Faith is a reliable, varietal Barossa shiraz. This release is a dark, vibrant savoury spice add to the complexity of berry/cherry fruit on the palate. The acid is a touch volatile on the finish. purple example with plum and rhubarb fruit on a platform of medium-grained tannins and milk chocolate/vanillin oak. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. Heemskerk Riesling 2000, $20, 91 points Juniper Crossing Cabernet Merlot 2003, $20, 89 points Tasmania's Tamar Valley is proof that you don't have to be on the A earlier drinking wine with capsicum, cooked vegetables and mainland to produce decent Aussie riesling. This one has tropical and orange fruits and fine acidity. berry/cherry fruit with leaf and fine tannins and a touch of meaty/horsey complexity (brettanomyces yeast infection). 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

Retasted 8/12/05. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris 2004, $20, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. Lambert Vineyards is a small producer in the Canberra District, Kangarilla Road Shiraz 2003, $20, 89 points responsible for a range of wines, of which the whites are the highlight. Lifted perfume, dust, eucalypt, plum/cherry fruit and firm, charry oak are the defining features of a savoury bouquet, making way for a The 2004 Pinot Gris is among the best of them, in an elegant and finely-structured style with tropical/citrus/pear fruit. spicy plum/cherry palate with firm tannins, average length and a touch of alcohol heat. Dark plum, prune and black cherry fruit was 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) more prounced and showing more persistent length when it was Best drinking around: 2005-2007. retasted on October 12, 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Woodlands Chardonnay 2005, $20, 88 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. A perfumed, floral and fresh chardonnay with melon, white peach and tropical fruits built on a finely acidic structure.

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 79

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Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Louee Five Peaks 2003, $20, 90 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. A dusty/spicy blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. petit verdot and shiraz, each fermented and matured separately Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Shiraz "Jacko's Blend" 2002, before blending. Black currant and black cherry fruit is supported by $20, 89 points fine, tightly structured tannins and firm oak. The fruit is elegant and it finishes long. An attractively spiced wine which holds its 14.5% alcohol well. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Savoury salami, plum and black cherry flavours marry with vanillin Best drinking around: 2007-2011. oak and medium-grained tannins. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Thomas Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/11/2005. A fresh, tight blend of lemony Hunter Valley semillon and grassy Clonakilla Muscat NV, $20, 89 points Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc. It has a touch of residual sugar to fill it out, but is held in check by balanced acidity, finishing long. A spirity, fresh style with sweet strawberry jam notes. The solera goes 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) back to 1978, but the wine seems to lack smooth, aged depth. It's Best drinking around: 2005. not short of intensity or length. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005+. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Kangarilla Road Viognier 2004, $20, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. A slightly sweet but fresh and friendly style with stewed apricots, honeysuckle, orange peel and mealy characters. Evans and Tate Margaret River Semillon 2002, $20, 91 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. As this semillon ages, it is metamorphosising from the cut grass, spice This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. and nettles of its youth to the lanolin, asparagus and toast of Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. maturity. It's currently in an awkward in-between phase and needs a couple more years to fall out of it. It displays good palate texture, Framingham Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 90 length and fine acidity. points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Gooseberries and pungent tropical fruits with tight acidity on a fresh, Best drinking around: 2001-2010. zingy finish that lingers long. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Juniper Crossing Chardonnay 2004, $20, 88 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. This barrel fermented wine has toasty toffee with stone fruits and melon, fine acidity and a long finish. It's a slightly sweet, ripe style. Ashbrook Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 90 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Pungent tropical fruits and fine citrus with minerally acidity on a long Best drinking around: 2005-2006. finish. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. d'Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $20, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. For a warm region in a hot vintage, d'Arenberg have done a good Mount Riley Savee Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc NV, $20, 90 job of pulling a varietal cabernet at an affordable price. Black points currants, capsicum, earth and vegetables define the bouquet, with hints of dust and coffee on the side. The palate runs on black Here's something from left-field - a sparkling savvy. It's a tricky style currants and capsicum, with mouth-coating, firm, fine tannins and with a fine bead, lemon-scented fruit and a touch of residual sugar. A little short on the finish, but worth checking out. good length.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/8/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Kay Bros Amery Merlot 2002, $20, 88 points We're Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $20, 91 points Sweet red currants and spice with firm, grippy tannins and a sweet We're wines is a small producer creating a range from 1998 vines at black jube finish. the northern end of Margaret River. One to watch, particularly as the vines develop some maturity. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2009. This is a grassy, herbaceous sauvignon blanc with juicy, lingering This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. nectarine, peach and tropical fruits. It holds a surprising 14.6% alcohol, but has the fruit intensity and lemony acidity to cover it. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/10/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. 80

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Goundrey Offspring Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $20, 89 Tollana Bin TR222 Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, points $20, 89 points A straightforward, quaffing wine with a dusty, spicy palate of leaf An alluring, definitively varietal bouquet of red currants, cassis, and mint flavours with firm, fine tannins and good mid-palate fruit capsicum, leaf and mint with hints of tobacco throws into a tight balance. palate with fine, furry tannins which need time to settle. It's an

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) attractive red-berry-driven style, although a bit thin on the mid- palate and finish. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Retasted 27/12/05.

Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Gemtree Uncut shiraz 2001, $20, 92 points Best drinking around: 2008-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Complex cherry/plum fruit with good weight, fine, firm tannins and a Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/9/2005. long finish.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Bowen Estate Chardonnay 2004, $20, 91 points Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed from just 1 acre, this is a This bottle was sealed with a cork. citrusy wine with melon, grapefruit, fine acidity and good length.

Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Merlot 2002, $20, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Kissed by the cool 2002 vintage, this is a balanced, leafy, minty, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. spicy merlot with dense black plum and cherry fruit, fine tannins and a long, minty finish. Goundrey Offspring Chardonnay 2003, $20, 88 points

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) A full flavoured chardonnay with soft, fine acidity, the bouquet Best drinking around: 2006-2011. shows cashew nut oak and leesy complexity, introducing a palate This bottle was sealed with a cork. with a creamy texture (again from ageing on yeast lees, since the Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/11/2005. wine has seen no malolactic fermentation). The finish is toasty and toffeed. Langmeil Eden Valley Riesling 2005, $20, 91 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Sourced from forty-year-old Eden Valley vines, this zesty lemon- Best drinking around: 2005-2006. blossomed riesling has great length and fine acidity. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Glenburnie Tumbarumba Pinot Noir Chardonnay 1998, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 4/11/2005. $20, 88 points Glenburnie is a small Tumbarumba producer which has been Evans and Tate Margaret River Shiraz 2003, $20, 89 points growing fruit for Southcorp (now Fosters) and Domaine Chandon Rich black plums and cherries with vanillin oak and grippy, powdery since 1994. From 1998, some of its fruit has made its way into its own tannins. Lingering red cherry acidity slides through the finish. Good labels. fruit concentration at this price point. This is a soft, sweet bubbly with yeasty/bready autolytic characters 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and candied lemon peel and dried pear flavours. Good length and Best drinking around: 2006-2009. a fine bead confirm a well-made wine. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Arrowfield Show Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $20, This bottle was sealed with a crown cap. 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/9/2005. Red currant and spice are filled out by integrated vanillin oak on a Seresin Marama Sauvignon Blanc 2003, $20, 89 points palate of good length and medium-grained tannins. This is another spicy/sweaty/pungent sauvignon blanc from Seresin, 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) with tropical fruits, baked peaches and a tight line of fine lemony Best drinking around: 2006-2009. acidity to keep it in check. The sulphur dioxide makes itself known.

This bottle was sealed with a cork. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. Kay Bros Amery Cabernet 2002, $20, 88 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Red and black currant, leaf and mint flavours overlay fine, firm tannins. La Purisma Estio Rosado 2004, $20, 88 points

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This is a strawberry-powered rosé with a savoury palate and a dry, Best drinking around: 2006-2009. tart green strawberry finish which would slice effortlessly through rich This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. antipasto dishes. It's toned for dancing with dinner.

Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/10/2005. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 4/10/2005.

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Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $20, 91 points Juniper Estate Margaret River Semillon 2005, $22, 90 points This is a full-bodied sauvignon blanc, firmly in the sweaty/pungent A well-structured and nicely balanced wine, it's toasty lemony and style. It's intense and long, but has the acidity to hold itself together. buttery, with fine acidity and good length. Half of it is barrel fermented in one-third new oak and a quarter sees only wild yeast. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Penley Estate Phoenix 2003, $20, 90 points Smeared black currant and plum fruit with hints of capsicum and Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2003, $22, 89 points spice on a lingering finish. It's drinking happily already, but medium- A minerally, flinty and lean chardonnay with excellent structure, a grained tannins ensure that it will see out a few more years. touch of yeast funk and a short finish. Enjoy it young.

Retasted 21/10/05, and rated identically. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/4/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Galafrey Mount Barker Cabernet 2000, $22, 90 points Geoff Merrill Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $20, 88 points After five years this wine has developed a complex bouquet of A blend of McLaren Vale and Coonawarra fruit, spice, red berries mulberries, red currants, spice, tobacco and coffee. The long palate and capsicum on the bouquet throws to a mint/leaf palate with milk has fine tannins and lingering acidity but is a little hollow in the middle. chocolate oak and grippy tannins. The high alcohol (14.5%) takes over from the fruit on the finish. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/11/2005. Chrismont Wines LaZona Marzemino 2004, $22, 87 points Angoves Coonawarra Vineyard Select Cabernet A complex bouquet of sarsaparilla, star anise, cloves, cinnamon and Sauvignon 2003, $20, 89 points savoury spice introduces a tart palate with savoury berry fruit. The profoundly sour palate of this wine should not be approached Red and black currant fruits and mint with dark chocolate oak and without food. Even then, exercise caution. quire raw tannins. Give it a few years to soften.

Marzemino is a northern Italian varietal rarely found in Australia. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2011. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/10/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. Leeuwin Estate Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004, Rochford R Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004, $22, 91 points $21, 91 points Rochford's R Yarra Valley 2004 is a nutty, buttery, complex A gentle, elegant SBS displaying gooseberry, cut grass and lemon chardonnay with fine citrus and melon fruit, tight acid and a great fruit finished with fine, balanced acidity. The mid-palate is light, but it finish. For a touch over $20, reach for this Rochford. builds on the finish. Roll on to the 2005 instead. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Pikes Clare Valley Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2002, $22, Kangarilla Road Shiraz Viognier 2004, $21, 89 points 89 points This is a wine which wears its eight percent viognier on its sleeve, This is a spicy blend with lifted nutmeg, dusty, savoury spice and showing lifted, floral apricot notes on the bouquet and sweet sweet fruit in the blue berry / plum / black jube realm. Firm tannins tropical and orange rind characters on the palate. It's all a little hold it together, and the finish is long, although a little hot (14.5% much for its plum fruit, but it does have great, fine, long tannins and alcohol). good length. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. Yarra Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $22, 92 points Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $21, 89 points Sweet berry/cherry/plum fruit, savoury spice, balanced vanillin oak, A pungent, rich sauvignon blanc with a fleshy mid-palate, tropical fine tannins and quite good length. Smart. and citrus fruits and balanced acidity on the finish. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2010. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005.

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Howard Park Mad Fish Shiraz 2003, $22, 90 points Best drinking around: 2006-2014. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Berry, cherry and plum fruits dominate the nose, supported by spice Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. and pepper. The palate is driven by blue berry fruit, hints of herbs and fine, slightly powdery tannins. Firm, fine acidity lingers on the Heathcote Winery Mail Coach Shiraz 2003, $22, 90 points finish. Heathcote is the perfect place for shiraz, and the Mail Coach from 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Heathcote Winery tends to always be a good one. The 2003 vintage Best drinking around: 2006-2011. was a hot one, which made for high alcohols (15.0% here) and ripe This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. fruit. There is dusty, dried herb savouriness here and sweet black Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. cherry/plum fruit wrapped in firm tannins.

Jamieson's Run Coonawarra Country Selection Cabernet 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 2003, $22, 91 points Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. A new family in the Jamieson's Run clan, the Country Selection Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/6/2005. range tucks in between the $16 core range and the $40-$50 Winemaker's Reserve. It's a welcome addition, consisting of a Mount Horrocks Chardonnay 2004, $22, 90 points chardonnay, a shiraz and, the pick of them, this cabernet There is not a wine amiss across the entire Mount Horrocks range, sauvignon. with all of last year's releases scoring 90 points or more in my notes The warm, early ripening season of 2003 faded into a cool, slow- and rocketing straight into my "best of" list - a rare and laudable ripening February-March which coaxed cool climate characters of achievement for any winery! Relatively speaking, this makes the leaf, sage, savoury dried herbs, capsicum and red berries out of the chardonnay the least of their wines in my tasting book, but it's still a fruit. This is an attractive, varietal wine, well-poised and balanced fine wine that I'd more than happily drink. It's a melon/peach/butter with fine tannins, tart acidity and lingering cherry/berry fruit. creation with tight lemony acidity and good length, let down only

by the intensity of its vanillin oak (but it is quality oak, to be sure). 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/8/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. Juniper Estate Semillon 2004, $22, 90 points A well-balanced semillon with good length, fine acidity, lemon, Mount Horrocks Semillon 2004, $22, 91 points toast and vanillin oak. I had no idea that the Clare Valley could pull off semillon this good,

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) but here it is, and it's hardly surprising that it's Mount Horrocks who Best drinking around: 2005-2007. are responsible for it. The bouquet exudes all of the classic semillon This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. aromas - lemon, lanolin, plus hints of petrol, all constrained within a Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. minerally skeleton. It's stony/minerally on the palate as well, with vanillin oak and tight, fine acidity, excellent length and firm structure.

Dutschke Willow Bend Merlot Shiraz Cabernet 2003, $22, All it needs is time to come together, and it may just score higher 89 points when it does.

A warmer vintage in the Barossa produced a shorter-lived Willow 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Bend. The nose opens with a hit of spicy American oak with Best drinking around: 2007-2012. plum/berry/cherry/prune fruit lurking behind. The palate shows This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. ripples of richer fruit, supported by firm oak which demands a little Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. time to integrate - but will the fruit hold out? Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2003, $22, 89 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Lingering fresh red cherry fruit is balanced by nutty oak and fine Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/5/2005. tannins.

The Wilson Vineyard DJW Clare Valley Riesling 2005, $22, 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. 91 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. A lifted lemon blossom and red apple fruit bouquet leads into a fine, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. sweet pear, apple and lemon/lime palate with average length and balanced acidity. This is an attractively perfumed lively, fresh and Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2004, $22, 89 points floral riesling which will appeal if you enjoy a touch of sweetness on This is a tightly structured, austere chardonnay with flavours of white the palate. peach, stone fruit and spice, fine, sour acidity, good length and a 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) yeasty/bubblegum character. Retasted April 8, 2005.

Best drinking around: 2005-2010. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/8/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Howard Park Mad Fish Gold Turtle Shiraz 2004, $22, 91 points The Wilson Vineyard Riesling 2004, $22, 91 points A slightly more up-market Mad Fish variant, the winemaking brie on The Wilson Vineyard is a little producer pulling out some great wines this wine was to over-deliver. A touch of viognier is integrated very which don't receive nearly the attention that they deserve. well into this red cherry/berry/plum wine with spice, pepper and Especially when they're as good as the 2004 riesling. This is a finely firm, fine tannins. Red cherry acidity lingers long. structured wine with lime blossom, lemon sherbert and candied

lemon peel fruit, firm acidity and good length. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 83

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Give it a year to come together. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2004, Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. $22, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. Wolf Blass is moving toward a more elegant style of chardonnay with less oak, a trend that was apparent in a vertical tasting of this wine in The Wilson Vineyard DJW Clare Valley Riesling 2004, $22, the Barossa Valley in March. It's a move that is totally welcome, and 90 points the 2004 is the best of the recent vintages as a result. It's restrained A sweeter wine than the standard Wilson Vineyard release, with a and fruit-powered, with white peach, lemon and peach blossom touch more residual sugar on the palate and sweet tropicals and and fine acidity. A balanced, rounded chardonnay to drink young. confectionery on the nose. The DJW boasts intense lemon fruit, a It unfortunately falls away a little quickly on the finish, bringing it in at a lower score than it might otherwise deserve. herbaceous hint and classic, firm Clare Valley acidity. Retasted April 22, with an identical rating. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. Leasingham Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec 2000, $22, 89 points Cabernet Malbec has been a Clare Valley specialty for a long time, Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 2000, $22, 91 points and Leasingham's Bin 56 has always been a great value example to Stanton and Killeen's Vintage Port has been a classic for years. This tuck away in the cellar. The 2000 vintage may not be the best release is a spicy, savoury, black-currant fruited wine laced with dry example ever, but it's got attractive dark berries, firm tannins and spice and tomato leaf. Nicely balanced tannins finish it off well. the kind of structure that guarantees longevity. The fruit falls away a Since 1997, the blend has seen more of the traditional Port varietals little on the finish and it looks like it might carry a hint of touriga, tinta cao and tinta barroca, with less emphasis on shiraz and brettanomyces (subtle yeast spoilage). durif. The result is a lighter, more approachable wine. Released in 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) November 2005.

Best drinking around: 2008-2011. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2010-2015. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 2005, $22, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. A new direction for Stanton & Killeen VP. The wine has previously Logan Hannah Rosé 2004, $22, 91 points seen 18 months in wood, and here I was with a bottle open in front Can Peter Logan get a single wine wrong? Not among his current of me just months after vintage. The 2005 didn't actually see any releases - I tasted more than a dozen at cellar door, and every single wood at all. The blend has changed, too, with a heavier emphasis one went straight to my list of recommended wines. on port varietals. Is this lighter, more youthful style a change for the Unprecedented! How does he pull it off? I have no idea, but top better? You be the judge - grab a bottle and try it next to the 2000 class, cool climate Orange region fruit must have something to do (also reviewed on this site). with it. Like the shiraz and pinot that come together in this rosé.

This is a spicy, rich and intense VP with fine tannins and a strong fruit- The result is a sweet little strawberry/raspberry/cherry thing with focus in the lifted black currant and cassis realm. standout structure and length which really hit the gong.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2010-2018. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a Diam Cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Shiraz Viognier 2003, Cabernet Franc 2003, $22, 91 points $22, 91 points An excellent varietal nose with leaf, coffee, capsicum, vanillin oak Wolf Blass Gold label Riesling has been a household name for years, and red berry/cherry/plum fruit opens into a palate with remarkable so when it came time for Wolf Blass to slot a new range of wines consistency and medium length, but finishing with dominant under its Grey Label, an extension of the Gold Label seemed to be mocha/woody oak and coarse oak tannins. the logical choice. Go easy on the oak! This is a spicy, peppery shiraz viognier showing some lifted viognier 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) perfume on an enticing bouquet, and attractive berry/cherry/plum Best drinking around: 2006-2011. fruit on the palate. The fruit drops away a little suddenly on the finish, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. making way for dominant, woody oak and coarse oak tannins.

Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/3/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Penny's Hill McLaren Vale Cadenzia Grenache 2004, $22, Best drinking around: 2006-2011. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 87 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/3/2005. This is a sweet, rich wine which still has some residual sugar lurking even after the yeast have pulled a full 15.0% alcohol. It's a syrupy We're Estate Semillon 2005, $22, 90 points style with dried apricot and plum fruit and plenty of spice on the Partially barrel-fermented, this is an intense and fine semillon on the finish. bouquet with an austere, lemony acid finish to the palate. Nectarine

87 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and white peach fruit would benefit from time to build palate Best drinking around: 2005-2007. intensity.

This bottle was sealed with a zork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 84

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Best drinking around: 2009-2013. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. Yarra Ridge Pinot Noir 2003, $22, 91 points Voyager Estate Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc 2005, A pinot noir firmly focused on structure rather than fruit, this wine $22, 89 points boasts fine, grippy tannins and tart acidity with elegant red currant A cut grass, herbaceous style with fine acidity and a sweet, slightly fruit. It's an attractive, savoury style, although it finishes a touch short confectionery finish. at the moment. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) A keeper. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/11/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Pepperjack Chardonnay 2004, $23, 90 points Lark Hill Riesling 2004, $22, 88 points Fruit for this wine is sourced primarily from the cool heights of Eden Valley, and the wine is all the better for it. It's an intense, full-bodied With an elevation of 850m, David Carpenter's Lark hill vineyard is peaches-and-cream style with roast nuts and vanilla from well- one of the highest in the Canberra district. handled oak. Good length, but the acid structure is soft, so it's not

Tropical fruits and lime cordial define a slightly sweet, confectionery one to keep. palate with good length and fine, minerally acidity. German yeast is 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) used to enhance the mineral structure and play down the aromatic Best drinking around: 2005. florals. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2003, $23, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. In its riesling, the Clare Valley is responsible for one of the most undervalued wines of the world. Year in, year out Petaluma Hastwell & Lightfoot Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $22, 91 produces one of the best. While the warm vintage 2003 isn't a patch points on the stellar 2002 (what an act to follow!), it is still a very classy wine. There's firm vanillin oak on the nose and palate, but behind it lurks It is perfumed with lemon sherbet, lime and tropical fragrances and an abundance of rich plum/cherry fruit, liquorice and savoury spice. finishes long. The vintage leaves its mark in a touch of sweetness and a little hardness on the end. Still a great wine at a steal of a price! Tannins are medium-grained and the length is superb. This is a well- crafted wine for those who don't mind overt oak. Give it a couple of 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) years to integrate. Best drinking around: 2005-2006 or 2008-2010.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Summerfield Tradition 2003, $23, 88 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/6/2005. From a little producer of big wines in Victoria's Pyrenees region Logan Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $22, 90 points comes this spicy blend of cabernet, shiraz and merlot with red berry The icy tentacles of the Orange district have worked their magic on fruit, nettles, chocolatey oak and a lifted whiff of rose petals. A pleasant wine to hoe into in the next few years. yet another Logan wine. This Sauvignon Blanc is an intense passionfruit, cut grass and dry herb wine with a hint of barrel ferment 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) filling out the mid-palate, and contributing just a touch of Best drinking around: 2005-2009. sweatiness. Fine, minerally acidity and good length confirm a classy This bottle was sealed with a cork. wine. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/1/2005.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Coldstream Hills Merlot 2003, $23, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Packed with berry/cherry/plum fruit with spice, pepper, eucalypt Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. and coconut oak. It is tightly structured with fine, grippy tannins and tight acidity but the oak is looking a touch firm at the moment and it Preveli Chardonnay 2004, $22, 89 points finishes a little angular. Needs time.

Sweet and ripe peaches and tropical fruits in a honeyed style with 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) nutty complexity. Best drinking around: 2008-2013.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Rochford Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot 2001, $23, 90 Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. points Wolf Blass Gold Label Mount Gambier Sauvignon Blanc Black currant and cherry fruit with dusty/savoury/leafy nuances, 2005, $22, 89 points barnyard hints and attractive fine tannins.

Low yielding, cool climate vineyards in South Australia's southern 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Mount Gambier area have produced a wine with pungent citrus, Best drinking around: 2008-2010. green pea and tropical fruit flavours. This is a softly structured but This bottle was sealed with a cork. balanced sauvignon blanc with a lingering finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 85

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Redgate OFS Semillon 2003, $23, 91 points Vasse Felix Margaret River Chardonnay 2004, $23, 89 A well-made example of the grassy Margaret River semillon style, points with herbs, marzipan, tight acidity and good length. This is a soft, fruity chardonnay with ripe white peach, nectarine,

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) melon and orange citrus fruit, tempered cashew nut French oak and Best drinking around: 2005-2008. cinnamon spice. It's a slightly sweet style with finely structured acidity This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. and reasonable length. It showed fuller-bodied, more intense Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. characters when retasted on December 11, 2005.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2003, $23, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This is a good value, spicy Barossa shiraz with attractive, intense This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. cherry-plum fruit and pepper extending through a long finish. Fine, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/7/2005. slightly stalky tannins and tart acidity provide balanced structure, while its 14.5% alcohol gives it a touch of heat on the finish. A few Wolf Blass Gold Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon years will give the oak time to integrate. 2003, $23, 91 points

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Behind the Gold Label is a well-structured Coonawarra cabernet Best drinking around: 2008-2011. with sound varietal character, fine grippy tannins, firm acidity and a This bottle was sealed with a cork. long finish, promising good longevity. Cherry liqueur and black plum Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/2/2005. fruit marries with tomato loaf, coffee and chocolate flavours.

Frankland River Estate Poison Hill Vineyard Riesling 2005, 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. $23, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This is a 100 case, limited-release cellar door wine produced from Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. just two hectares of twenty-year-old vines. It's picked and fermented in exactly the same way as the Isolation Ridge and Cooladerra St Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot 2004, $24, 89 rieslings, to allow the vineyard differences to shine. Taste them at points cellar door, and soil samples will be lined up in front of you to display This is a spicy cab merlot with black currants, plums and squashy red the contrasting styles. berries. The tannins are a little angular on the finish. Give it time to Grown on white, clay-based soils, this is a red apple, peach and soften and come together. pear-fruited wine in a rounded but elegant style with soft, fine, 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) minerally acidity. Best drinking around: 2008-2010. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2001, $24, 91 points This is a wine which is currently mid-way between the tropical and Mt Rosa Wines Pinot Gris 2003, $23, 88 points lemon/lime/peach fruit of its youth and the kerosene/toast Here's something different for New Zealand pinot gris - the Mt Rosa complexity of maturity. Fine acidity and good length confirm that it edges toward more of a French style, leaning more on phenolics will truly blossom given a little more time. than acidity for its structure. It pulls this off quite respectably, and 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) boasts a perfumed, pear-packed bouquet and a hit of residual Best drinking around: 2006-2008. sugar on the palate. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 1997, $24, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. A Julius just entering the prime of its life, with lingering hints of lemon and tropicals making way for toast, honey, marmalade and Domaine Chandon Pinot Shiraz NV, $23, 90 points camphor. It's got the acidity and length to make for great drinking Domaine Chandon's bubbly red is a softly sweet, attractive quaffing over the next four years. style with plums, black cherries, spice, fine tannins and a persistent Retasted on May 12, 2005, showing quite pronounced reductive finish. characters that the first bottle did not suggest. Bottle variation may 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) be the issue here.

Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Saltram Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $23, 88 Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. points Ballandean Estate White liqueur muscat NV, $24, 90 points Red cherry, raspberry and black berry fruit with appropriately Averaging twelve years of age, this is a rich, varietal stalky hints and dusty spices. It has tart acidity, slightly raisiny/marmalade/tropical muscat with a fresh, intense and long coarse tannins and reasonable length. palate.

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2010. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/2/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/6/2005.

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Thomas Braemore Semillon 2004, $24, 90 points Howard Park Mad Fish Carnelian p76-40 2003, $24, 89 A fresh lemon, lanolin and citrus-infused semillon with fine, well- points structured acidity. It falls away a little on the finish. Carnelian is a grape varietal, not to be confused with a small lizard

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) with technicolour talents. The wine is a little more predictable, with a Best drinking around: 2005-2009. constant vibrant purple-red hue and attractive red berry, cherry, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. liquorice and savoury spice flavours. Carnelian is a very tannic wine, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. with its grip completely overwhelming; and tart, firm acidity adding to the structure. For what it's worth, it's got an attractive, lingering Piggs Peake Wiggly Tail Marsanne 2004, $24, 90 points finish.

A herbaceous wine with a slight green nose and a tight, long, This is a take-no-captives assassin. Approach with extreme caution! lemony palate. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2008. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/2/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Bethany Cabernet Merlot 2002, $24, 90 points Piggs Peake Wiggly Tail Marsanne 2005, $24, 91 points Red currants fruit with varietal leafiness and mint is supported by fine, Strange name, nice wine. Twenty-five percent of it spends two soft tannins and good length. An approachable style for early drinking months in Russian oak to give it some added depth. The result in 2005 was a light straw-green wine, lemon-scented with lifted 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tropicals and a tightly structured, long, fine palate. Best drinking around: 2005-2008.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw. Red Nectar Cabernet 2004, $25, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. A dark purple wine in which red currants, cassis (black currant Carrick Chardonnay 2003, $24, 90 points liqueur) fruit and spice make way for fine grippy tannins on a long finish. An attractive style; made by Troy Kalleske. Well-structured acidity is the first thing I look for in chardonnay, along with quality fruit. This wine has both, in the 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) peach/butter/spice/toffee realm. Good length finishes off a nice Best drinking around: 2007-2010. package. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Kumeu River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $25, 90 This bottle was sealed with a screw. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. points A slightly sweaty gooseberry-styled sauvignon blanc, with spicy Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2003, $24, 89 points green passionfruit. It's got good length and tight acidity within a Starting to develop early, with lemon/marmalade citrus making way slightly broad style. for toast/honey development. It's entering an awkward in-between 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) phase already, its soft acidity suggesting that it will be an early Best drinking around: 2005. developer. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Chatsfield Wines Reserve Shiraz 2003, $25, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/5/2005. Cofields first reserve shiraz is sourced from estate vines planted in 1985. Ripe plum, prune and black cherry fruit is balanced by Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2002, $24, 91 points chocolatey oak and fine, tight tannins. www.chatsfield.com.au

In a vertical line up of Julius, this wine gives the impression of a later- 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) picked style, with apricot, botrytis and sweet lemon/lime fruit and a Best drinking around: 2006-2011. camphor character entering from the side. It's supported by This bottle was sealed with a cork. excellent, tart acidity which guarantees a good life ahead. Give it a Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. few more years.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Telmon Rodriguez Gabo do XIL Godello 2004, $25, 91 Best drinking around: 2007-2011. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This is a tight, guava and mandarine-fruited wine in an elegant style Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/5/2005. with finely structured acidity lingering on the finish. It's a refreshing taste of Spain. Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2000, $24, 92 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This is Julius at its gloriously mature, best behaviour. Complex Best drinking around: 2005-2006. secondary characters of camphor, toast, smoke and marmalade This bottle was sealed with a cork. are balanced by a streak of tropical/apricot/lemon fruit which trails Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 4/10/2005. out into a long finish, supported with fine acidity.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Morgan Vineyards 2002, $25, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This is a greener style of cabernet sauvignon, as evidenced by its This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. varietal capsicum, leaf, dust and Asian spices. For all that, there is Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/5/2005. some intense berry/cherry fruit. Let it settle for a few years.

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90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Carrick Pinot Noir 2003, $25, 92 points Best drinking around: 2008-2010. A step up from the 2002 (which I also liked), this wine carries the This bottle was sealed with a cork. same berry/cherry/plum fruit and adds a touch of stalk, fine tannins Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. and good length.

Clonakilla Cabernet Merlot 2003, $25, 89 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2007. Red berry and cherry flavours are overlaid by a gamey overtone This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. and hints of mint, with very grippy, fine tannins. It finishes with good Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. length.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Pizzini Arneis 2004, $25, 89 points Best drinking around: 2009-2013. Arneis is not a variety we see much of in Australia, but King Valley This bottle was sealed with a cork. producer Pizzini does it well. The 2004 shows attractive fruit and good Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. structure, with citrus rind, peach and pear on an earthy/mealy bouquet leading into vanilla bean, red apple, lemon and peach on Redgate Shiraz 2003, $25, 89 points the palate. It's got good phenolic structure and reasonable length. This is a big, well-structured shiraz with medium-grained oak tannins Worth a look next time you're chasing something different. and loads of pepper and spice. Plum and black cherry fruit is balanced with vanillin oak, but it looks fruit-thin on the mid-palate 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and finish. Best drinking around: 2005-2006.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Mount Langi Ghiran Riesling 2005, $25, 88 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. A softly sweet confectionery wine with lemon, tropical fruits and orange rind. An early-drinking quaffer. Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2003, $25, 90 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. An intense, fresh, unoaked, sweetly fruit-powered This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. plum/blackberry/black currant blend with fine fruit tannins and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 4/11/2005. average length. If you're after a red to please white drinkers without offending anyone else, give this a whirl. Brokenwood Beechworth Pinot Gris 2005, $25, 91 points

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) A pungent melons and tropical fruits nose precedes a ripe pear and Best drinking around: 2005-2006. orange/lemon palate with fine acidity and a long finish. A fresh and This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. lively wine with elegant, fine acidity and a touch of alcohol heat on Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. the end.

Carrick Pinot Noir 2002, $25, 91 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. There's not much that can beat the aroma of a great pinot noir. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. And the bouquet of the 02 Carrick is a force to be reckoned with. I Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/10/2005. love its perfumed red berry and black cherry fruit, interplaying with savoury spice. I could sniff it forever! The palate is all of the same Penfolds Bin 138 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003, $25, 90 with really fine tannins, although it finishes a touch short. points

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) An attractive cherry/berry-fruited wine with chocolatey oak, firm, Best drinking around: 2005-2007. grippy tannins and good fruit length.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2012. Bleasdale Frank Potts 1998, $25, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Dark berry fruits and mint have integrated nicely with vanillin oak, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005. structured with fine, grippy tannins and finishing with good length. Sandalford Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $25, 90 points A classic wine hitting its straps right now. A well-balanced, fruit-driven SBS with gooseberries, lemon and 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tropical fruits overlaid with grassy asparagus and herb notes. It Best drinking around: 2005-2006. finishes strong but dips a fraction on the mid-palate. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Best drinking around: 205-2006. Merricks Creek Pinot Noir 2003, $25, 90 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. Not long ago it was a challenge to find good pinots for $25. This is a ripely-fruited example sweet cherries, strawberries, raspberries, rose d'Arenberg The Cadenzia Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre buds, spice and stalk. Balanced vanillin oak and soft, grippy tannins 2003, $25, 91 points provide supporting structure, culminating in a long finish. There's value here. There's just two percent viognier in the mix, and it adds attractive apricot floral notes over meaty complexity and 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) raspberry/rhubarb/red cherry fruit. A spicy wine which holds its 14.5% Best drinking around: 2005-2007. alcohol extremely well. Tight tannins, good length, balanced acidity, This bottle was sealed with a cork. good wine. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005. Rated identically when retasted on 25/8/05.

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91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Gralyn Estate Rosé 2005, $25, 91 points Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Shiraz, grenache and cabernet grapes come together in this This bottle was sealed with a Zork. strawberry/raspberry and spice rosé with lingering red cherry fruit. It Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. strikes a good balance between fine acidity and soft sweetness. It's firmly at the expensive end of the rosé market. Gemtree Bloodstone Tempranillo 2004, $25, 90 points This is a big, ripe, fruit-powered tempranillo for shiraz addicts. It's got 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) loads of rich, black cherry, plum and spice fruit with big, fine tannins, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. supportive acidity and good length. Balanced vanillin oak sits This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. behind the fruit. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Oakridge Pinot Noir 2002, $25, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2009. A nicely structured wine with tight, fine tannins, berry/cherry fruit, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. liquorice and a hint of a savoury/smoky overtone. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 5/10/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Villa Maria Taylor's Pass Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $25, 91 Best drinking around: 2006-2008. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Packed with intense flavour, this wine boasts sweaty, spicy tropicals and gooseberries, finishing with good length. Michael Unwin Acrobat Shiraz 2002, $25, 89 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) An intense, spicy shiraz with elegant cherry/berry fruit, herbaceous Best drinking around: 2005. notes and firm, dusty tannins. It carries well-balanced oak but the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. fruit finishes a little thin. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Peter Lehmann The King Port 1987, $25, 91 points Best drinking around: 2007-2011. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. You've got to give it to Peter Lehmann for releasing this stuff at this Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. age - it makes my twenty year rule for vintage port style wines all the more achievable! This wine is a few years early, and while I enjoy its Oakridge Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2003, $25, 88 points intense black currants, prunes, liquorice and mint flavours, it's still looking a touch spirity and will be all the better with a few more Red cherries, strawberries and vanillin oak dominate a firmly- years. structured palate with grippy tannins and a short finish. It needs time for the tannins to soften, in the hope that the fruit will hold out. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2012. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2006-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/6/2005. Red Nectar Barossa Shiraz 2004, $25, 90 points Robert Channon Wines Verdelho 2004, $25, 89 points If you're chasing a fruit-focused Barossa Shiraz to get into right now, the 2004 Red Nectar is a respectable place to start. It's a medium- A rich, sweet wine with lifted apricot, tropical mango and orange weight wine with fine grippy tannins and black cherry fruit that goes blossom. The mouth feel is sweet, rich, verging on oily and lacking in acidity, but it finishes with good length. Drink it early. on and on.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Moorilla Estate Riesling 2004, $25, 90 points Shelmerdine Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2003, $25, 91 points A tightly structured, sweet lime and tropical fruit riesling with firm Made from the fruit of twenty-year-old vines in the upper Yarra green apples, minerally, racy acidity and a long finish. Valley, this is an attractively cherry-fruited pinot noir with menthol, spice and fine, firm tannins. Where's the screw cap? Give it a couple of years for its firm structure to tame. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2012. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. Shelmerdine Heathcote Cabernet 2003, $25, 91 points Hardys Sir James Vintage Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2001, Typical of Heathcote, this is a dark purple cabernet with dusty black $25, 88 points currant fruit and firm oak. It carries a touch of yeasty complexity, firm medium-grained tannins and a long finish. This is a refreshing bubbly with fresh lemon fruit, autolytic (yeasty) complexity, lingering acidity and a slightly sweet finish. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

Best drinking around: 2009-2013. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005.

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Yarra Burn Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier 2001, Logan Wines Cabernet Merlot 1999, $25, 90 points $25, 88 points This is a good example of a bottle-matured Orange district blend, A lemon-focused bubbly with lemon rind, lemon sherbert and white boasting all that you would expect from a middle-aged cabernet. peach fruit in a fine, fragrant style with medium length. It's elegant Secondary capsicum, earth and tobacco hints on the bouquet but full-bodied and slightly confectionery. open into a berry-fruited palate with assertive, fine tannins.

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. Houghton Pemberton Chardonnay 2003, $25, 89 points Giant Steps Pinot Noir 2003, $25, 90 points A big but softly structured chardonnay with spicy grapefruit and Giant's 2003 pinot is an attractive red cherry wine with a touch of melon fruit, firm oak and good length. sweet confectionery character, spicy vanillin oak, well-structured tannins and a long finish. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $25, 89 points Gloucester Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $25, 90 A limited production wine from Albany, Margaret River and Pemberton fruit. points

Cut grass, gooseberries and lemon highlight a pungent and intense Black and red currant and red cherry fruit, chocolate and leaf rise bouquet. The palate is soft but tight with grass, gooseberries, lemon up on the bouquet. The palate is built on fine, balanced tannins and and fine acidity. ripe cherry/raspberry fruit with savoury herb hints on the finish. It's light-bodied in the fruit department, but an attractive wine. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2007-2009. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. Brokenwood Beechworth Nebbiolo 2004, $25, 90 points d'Arenberg The Noble Riesling 2001, $25, 89 points This is a unambiguously varietal nebbiolo, displaying tar, roses, plum fruit, firm tannins and a persistent finish. A delightfully spicy bouquet of intense apricots, tropical fruits and toffee slides into a palate of ripe peach fruit with a 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) confectionery/toffee finish. It's got the acidity to hold it together, Best drinking around: 2008-2011. but, as is all too often the case for botrytis riesling, it falls away short This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. on the finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Xanadu Shiraz 2004, $25, 91 points Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. An attractive, fleshy, sweetly-fruited palate displays rich plum, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/6/2005. rhubarb and spice flavours. Fine tannins kick in on a long finish.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Yarra Burn Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $26, 90 points Best drinking around: 2006-2009. An earthy/funky style with sweet black currant/cassis/raspberry fruit, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. butter menthol, vanillin oak and spice. Complex but a little scatty. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Bloodwood Schubert Chardonnay 2002, $25, 92 points Best drinking around: 2007-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This is a rich chardonnay at the butter/honey/toast/vanillin oak end Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. of the spectrum, but is held in check by fine, tight Orange (region) acidity. Enjoy it young. Fermoy Estate Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) $26, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Briary, leafy, with red berry fruits and spice; medium-grained tannins This bottle was sealed with a cork. and a long finish. Good front-palate fruit weight but the mid and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/6/2005. back are a little light-on.

Tyrrells Reserve Stevens Semillon 2001, $25, 90 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) A lesser vintage of Stevens, this is an elegant semillon in a softly- Best drinking around: 2007-2010. structured style ready for drinking over the next couple of years. It This bottle was sealed with a cork. shows flavours reminiscent of orange and lemon, lanolin and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. nuances of woodspice, finished off with fine acidity. Campbells Limited Release Chardonnay 2003, $26, 90 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Attractive peach fruit length is the feature of this buttery, creamy Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. and spicy chardonnay. Balanced cashew nut French oak and vanillin American oak are apparent, and will benefit from a year to integrate. Fine, minerally acidity confirms that it has the guts to hold out until then.

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90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Zema Estate Coonawarra Shiraz 2003, $26, 89 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Black plum, prune and spice with vanillin oak and fine, mouth- This bottle was sealed with a cork. gripping tannins. Tart acidity marks the finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Starvedog Lane Chardonnay Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier Best drinking around: 2008-2012. 2000, $26, 90 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/12/2005. A fresh, fine, fruity aperitif style to match oysters, this is an attractively perfumed wine with fine lemon fruit, yeasty/nutty Moorilla Estate Chardonnay 2002, $26, 90 points complexity, a balanced structure and long finish. Fine, racy acidity is the highlight of this lemon, tropical, melon and 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) nutty chardonnay which finishes a touch short. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Picardy Merlot Cabernet 1997, $26, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. This "first crop" wine shows developed black and red currant fruit Brookland Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $27, 91 points intertwined with capsicum, vegetables, coconut, spice and smoky complexity. Grippy, medium-grained and slightly coarse tannins Quite a ripe sauvignon blanc with a well-textured mouthfeel and linger on a long finish which is beginning to dry out. Drink soon. good structure, this is a juicy wine with peach, apricot, nectarine and paw paw fruit, fine minerally acidity and a lingering finish. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. St Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet 2003, $26, 90 points Hanging Rock Gralaine Merlot 2001, $27, 90 points This is a dark, vibrant purple wine with intense black currant, black pastille and dark plum fruit supported by mint, chocolate and dusty A dark-berry fruited merlot with firm oak contributing tight fine tannins and finishing long. oak flavours. It's a rich, ripe cabernet with firm, dusty tannins and a slight hollowness on the back-palate. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/9/2005. Hanging Rock The Jim Jim Sauvignon Blanc 2004, $27, 89 St Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot 2003, $26, 90 points points This is an intense, pungent sauvignon blanc with soft acidity and Ripe, sweet red currant and red jube fruit is coupled with flavours of good length. It's an appealing, early-drinking style (although it isn't cheap). capsicum, leaf, vegetables and spice in a finely-structured palate with a lingering finish. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/9/2005. Deisen Landscape Autumn Song Grenache 2003, $27, 91 Red Hill Blanc de Blanc 2001, $26, 89 points points This is a guaranteed party winner. It's a straw colour with a gentle In technical terms, the difference between port and red wine is that salmon pink hue in an attractive fruit-focused style with fine port has brandy spirit added before fermentation has finished. But perfumed lemon, spicy poached pears and lifted stone fruits. There's these days, it seems that alcohols are pushing so high that you can a touch of yeast lees complexity on the long finis. It's softly structured end up with a port-style wine without any need for added spirit. This with little acid, making it a better partner with a party than a meal. straight grenache pulls a full 16.5% alcohol! You've been warned. It tastes spicy, porty and sweet, with cloves, cinnamon and fresh Retasted 30/10/05 ginger biscuits. For all that, it's an approachable style with medium- 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) grained tannins and good length. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Only one barrel was made, but in these proportions it will go a long This bottle was sealed with a cork. way! Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) St Huberts Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004, $26, 88 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Red berry and red cherry fruit with stalky complexity and grippy This bottle was sealed with a cork. tannins on the finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/6/2005.

88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Frankland River Estate Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2003, $27, 89 Best drinking around: 2006-2008. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. A pepper, spice, herbs and earth wine with gamey hints. The palate is fine and tight with grippy, fine, firm tannins and good length. It's a spicy style but lacks mid-palate fruit weight.

Very deliberately, and rightfully, a cool climate shiraz style. 91

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89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2009-2012. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Wignalls Chardonnay 2005, $27, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Bottled just six days before my visit, this was the first tasting of the Watershed Margaret River Shiraz 2003, $27, 91 points finished, bottled wine. When I asked when it would be released, Rob Wignall grinned and said, "right now!" This wine boasts attractive plum and black cherry fruit with spice, liquorice, meaty notes, vanillin oak, medium-grained tannins and The palate is tight, fine and closed up, but does reveal flavours of good length. figs, cashew nuts and vanilla bean spice. It's fine and tightly

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) structured with hints of wild yeast complexity. Rob is confident that Best drinking around: 2005-2008. this is the best chardonnay he's ever made, and the quality of the This bottle was sealed with a cork. fruit in his unwooded example from the same vintage certainly Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. testifies to the standard of the season. This wine may well warrant a higher score when it recovers from its recent bottling.

Ashbrook Estate Shiraz 2002, $27, 90 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) An elegant shiraz with a spicy plum/cherry fruit nose and a spicy Best drinking around: 2006-2011. cinnamon and herb palate. Big, fine tannins overshadow the fruit on This bottle was sealed with a cork. the mid-palate and finish. Give it a few years to come together. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/12/2005.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Majella Sparkling Shiraz 2004, $28, 91 points Best drinking around: 2007-2010. A liquorice, dark chocolate and plum bouquet carries hints of mint. This bottle was sealed with a cork. The palate is well-structured and beautifully balanced with grippy Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. tannins, but finishes a little short at the moment. It will benefit from a few years to come together and build some complexity and length. Tim Smith Wines Barossa Grenache Mataro Shiraz 2004, $27, 92 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2012. Excellent, fresh red cherry and dark berry fruit is balanced by vanilla This bottle was sealed with a crown seal. and cinnamon spice. It draws out long into a lifted, bright, fruity Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/12/2005. finish.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Howard Park Leston Margaret River Shiraz 2003, $28, 90 Best drinking around: 2005-2007. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Slightly jammy, sweet, rich blue berries, plums and cherries mingle Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. with liquorice and dusty vanillin oak to form an approachable wine Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2004, $27, 89 points with fine, tight tannins and savoury dried herbaceousness. Short finish. A chardonnay demonstrating considerable poise and balance, with Retasted August 10 and December 15, 2005. elegant lemon, melon and hints of sweet fresh corn, underlaid with yeast hints and firm, fine acidity 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2011. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/7/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Ten Minutes by Tractor Chardonnay 2002, $28, 90 points Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2003, $27, 92 points This is a tropical-focused chardonnay with fairly sweet fruit, but supported by a good acid spine and a long finish. A lifted floral bouquet precedes a strawberry palate with fine, tight tannins and very good persistence. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Stella Bella Tempranillo 2004, $28, 91 points Watershed Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2003, $27, Coffee and chocolate swirl around spicy, ripe plum fruit while 91 points eastern European oak makes its presence known through coconut flavours and big, firm, mouth-filling tannins. It demands time to tame Red berry and red cherry fruit rides alongside of coffee bean, leaf its wild oak side. and tobacco complexity on a lingering palate structured on fine tannins. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV, $28, 88 points Seville Estate Chardonnay 2002, $27, 91 points Pelorus' NV is an elegant bubbly of stone fruits, citrus and yeasty, biscuity notes. Its a dry style with good acidity and length', but An intensely fruit-driven chardonnay with sweet, persistent melons, comes across as quite simple and lacking a little in weight. grapefruit and white peach. The oak contributes a touch of toffee. This is a very approachable style to drink young. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 92

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Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/6/2005. Jimbour Station Ludwig Leichhardt Reserve Merlot 2002, Langmeil Three Gardens Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre $28, 90 points 2003, $28, 91 points Living in Queensland, I taste our local wines whenever opportunity arises, but the reality remains that it is only the occasional wine that Spicy raspberry/cherry/plum fruit is supported by chocolatey oak makes it into my list of recommendations. As far as red wines go, and a finish with good length. A friendly, early drinking blend. Queensland is having more success with merlot than any other 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) varietal at the moment, and this wine is a good example. Spicy blue Best drinking around: 2005-2008. berries kick around with mocha oak, finishing with tight fine tannins This bottle was sealed with a cork. and firm acidity.

Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Canobolas-Smith Chardonnay 2001, $28, 91 points Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This is a fresh, white peach and grapefruit chardonnay with nutty Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005. oak, and tight, fine acidity providing excellent structure and balance. It is developing very slowly and has maintained Framingham Marlborough Pinot Noir 2004, $28, 88 points remarkable freshness and life for a four-year-old chardonnay, Red berry fruit in a savoury, spicy frame with good length and soft guaranteeing that it will live at least as long again. tannins. A more persistent finish would have secured a higher score. 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.)

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/6/2005. Mount Horrocks Shiraz 2001, $28, 91 points Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz 2003, $28, 91 points An intense nose of prunes, plums and tarry/charry vanillin oak leads Quality cherry/berry/plum fruit lingers on a long finish, structured with into a tightly wound palate displaying red berry/cherry/plum fruit, a full serving of oak, firm, fine tannins and very good length. custardy vanillin oak and medium-grained tannins.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 28/3/2005. Stella Bella Sangiovese Cabernet 2004, $28, 89 points St Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $28, 92 points A rich black cherry and plum fruit bouquet precedes a savoury A tight, fruit-driven cabernet with balanced ripe cherry/plum fruit, tomato leaf, spicy vanillin oak, fine tannins and good length. palate with fine, grippy, drying tannins. It carries fleshy plum fruit length but the tannins are disjoint on the finish. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2009-2011. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Stella Bella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $28, 90 points Mount Riley Seventeen Valley Chardonnay 2002, $28, 91 Red currants, black currants, leaf and capsicum define this varietally points distinctive wine, structured on medium-grained tannins and a long finish. It would score higher with stronger mid-palate fruit weight. This is an intense chardonnay with smooth, buttery peach fruit, spice and toffee plus a hint of oak-derived caramel. Drink it young. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Woody Nook Shiraz 2001, $28, 90 points Battle of Bosworth Shiraz 2003, $28, 91 points Rich plum and black cherry fruits are supported by medium-grained tannins and woody vanillin oak on a long finish. A monster shiraz in every way, but balanced. Cordon cut shiraz fruit, fermented on viognier skins, has produced a very ripe, dense, sweet 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) and liqueured wine with vanillin/coconut oak, spice and a slightly Best drinking around: 2005-2008. hot finish (14.5% alcohol). It has the fruit length and acidity to hold its This bottle was sealed with a cork. own. If you're into big, sweet shiraz, put on your armour and go into Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. battle with this thing! Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2003, $28, 90 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) A tightly structured, savoury pinot noir with elegant berry/cherry fruit Best drinking around: 2005-2008. resting in a savoury palate with fine tannins and lingering acidity. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Savoury strawberry flavours linger on a long finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005.

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Paringa Estate Chardonnay 2002, $28, 92 points Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $29, This is a rich, complex chardonnay, throwing ripe melon and tropical 91 points fruit in amongst toffee, honey, butter and some funky yeast The 2003 vintage was a warm and quick season, producing slightly complexity. It's got good length, tight acidity and quite a hit of coarse tannins from some areas. Blending from vineyard sources sulphur dioxide (standard wine preservative). across the region has produced a good result in this wine.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Dark chocolate and hazelnut oak melds with cherry/plum/berry fruit Best drinking around: 2005-2007. with suggestions of leaf and herbs. It finishes with medium-grained This bottle was sealed with a cork. tannins and good length. It will benefit from time to soften. Rated Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. identically when retasted on December 11, 2005.

Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2003, $28, 91 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. A glowing golden yellow chardonnay with tropical, melon and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/8/2005. orange fruits offset by hazelnut oak. A rich, sweet mid-palate is balanced by a fine, fresh finish. Cape Mentelle "Trinders" Cabernet Merlot 2003, $29, 91

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Cape Mentelle "Trinders" is a reliable Margaret River Cabernet This bottle was sealed with a cork. Merlot, and the 2003 is in fine form. Black and red currants and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. cherries flesh out a crunchy chunk of capsicum, surrounded by leaf, mint and menthol flavours. It keeps its 14.5% alcohol hidden up its Rockford Rod & Spur Cabernet Shiraz 2002, $29, 91 points sleeve and has the acid frame to hold it in the cellar. Balanced oak, Another Barossa cabernet blessed by the cool 2002 vintage, the fine tannins, fair length. Rod & Spur displays elegant, varietal cabernet characters of Retasted December 9, and holding its form impeccably attractive red berries, leaf, fine tannins, tight acidity and good length. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. A wine to enjoy over the next few years. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva 2001, $29, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. It doesn't take a genius to figure that Italian wines are the best thing with Italian food, and this Chianti is what I'd be reaching for. It's got Taylors Jaraman Coonawarra/Clare Valley Cabernet the acid to cut through anything you throw at it. This is a savoury 2002, $29, 92 points cherry/berry/plum style with a flavour spectrum of spice, pine sap, Excellent, intense red and black currant fruits mingle with capsicum, herbs and walnuts. There's a fitting touch of brettanomyces (barrel mint and dry green herbs. Medium-grained tannins fill out a long yeast infection) and a lingering finish finish. A touch of brettanomyces gives a little hardness to the finish 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) but does not detract from the fruit intensity. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2009-2013. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/8/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/9/2005. Watershed Wines Awakening Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $29, 91 points Keith Tulloch Syrah Viognier 2002, $29, 88 points Lingering red currant and red cherry fruit is the highlight of this well- A stint with Jaboulet in France's Rhone Valley taught Keith Tulloch all structured wine with very fine, mouth-filling tannins. Tobacco and about the role of viognier in shiraz. Perhaps that's why this wine can coffee bean flavours add to the long finish, although it is a little boast a full nine percent viognier (quite a large percentage by hollow on the mid-palate. normal standards) and not show any off-putting tropical/apricot characters? 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2011. Instead, this is a wine firmly focused on structure, with dusty vanillin This bottle was sealed with a cork. oak and medium-grained tannins. It's an earthy style with Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. liquorice/prune fruit which falls away a little on the mid- and back- palates. Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2002, $29, 90 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) An elegant and deeply fruited wine with plums, spice and savoury Best drinking around: 2008-2012. herb complexity. The vanillin oak needs time to integrate, but the This bottle was sealed with a cork. fine tannins and long fruit finish suggest that the wine will hold out Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. while it does.

Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2001, $29, 90 points Retasted 8/12/05 and showing more pronounced green/sappy characters. Lifted violets, chocolate and vanillin oak fill the nose. The palate is driven by plum/prune fruit which falls away on the finish to leave 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) firm, fine tannins. Best drinking around: 2007-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005.

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T'Gallant Tribute Pinot Noir 2004, $29, 89 points I taste thousands of wines every year, which means that I can be extremely fussy about what I buy myself. Majella Cabernet is one of A great bouquet of rich black cherries and cinnamon sticks throws the very few wines that gets a place in my cellar every year, and the into a palate of stalky red berry/cherry fruit and a slightly astringent proof of its consistency is evidenced in the poorer years. finish. This is a case of a bouquet delivering cheques that the palate can' quite manage to cash. The 1997 is the least of the wines released under this label in almost a decade, but it's still a drink which I really enjoy. Primary capsicum, 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) leaf, mint, and vanillin oak flavours have made way for the spice Best drinking around: 2005-2008. and vegetal characters of maturity. This is an earlier-developing This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Majella which has hung on to its attractive, fine tannin structure and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. palate length.

Lawson's Dry Hills Chardonnay 2002, $29, 91 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) An attractive buttery/spicy style with intense peach fruit, Best drinking around: 2005-2007. toffee/honey complexity, caramelly oak, balanced acid structure This bottle was sealed with a cork. and good length. Not a keeper, but who's counting when it's Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. drinking this well right now? Keith Tulloch Botrytis Semillon 2001, $30, 92 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This is a rich, viscous dessert wine in a sugary, golden treacle mould, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. with toffee, caramel, marmalade and apricot fruit and a hint of This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. smoky complexity. It's got great length, but it's not a tightly acidic Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. style, so is best suited for early drinking.

Henschke Green's Hill Lenswood Riesling 2003, $30, 91 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2005. Green's Hill sits alongside Julius in the riesling segment of Henschke's This bottle was sealed with a cork. portfolio; the former a more friendly, approachable and softly Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. structured wine to drink young. The 2003 exudes lifted peach Majella Shiraz 1993, $30, 92 points blossom and fresh tropical fruit with soft fine acidity on a long finish. Hardly regarded as a great vintage in Coonawarra, Majella's 1993 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Shiraz demonstrates just how well a poorer season can perform in Best drinking around: 2005-2007. the hands of a great producer. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Plums, cherries, liquorice and spice jump out of the glass, while the palate exudes intense blueberry fruit over a complex, smoky Green Point Shiraz 2004, $30, 91 points background with a lasting aftertaste.

This is an unashamedly spicy/reductive shiraz, and it all the better for 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) it. The bouquet is a complex mix of peppery German sausages, Best drinking around: 2005-2006. vanilla, plum and black cherry fruit. On the palate, spicy red berries This bottle was sealed with a cork. and cherries kick around with grippy banana peel tannins on a long Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. finish. Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1995, $30, 84 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Included here for completeness only, this is not a wine that I would This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. recommend, but after lining up every vintage of Majella Cabernet Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/11/2005. ever produced, even the least of them deserves a token place in the hall of fame.

The Lane Gathering Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005, $30, An aldehyde and iodine nose and a flat, oxidised palate suggest 91 points that this wine fell apart some time ago.

Australian winemakers are increasingly putting small portions of 84 out of 100 points. (OK wine.) sauvignon blanc semillons blends through barrel ferment, but there Best drinking around: 2003. are few examples which see the entire blend fermented in this way. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

Fully fermented in French oak, this is a lemon and white peach- Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. accented wine with spicy asparagus characters. Bald Hills Pinot Gris 2005, $30, 89 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Lychees, lifted florals and tropical fruits on the bouquet. The palate Best drinking around: 2005-2006. has elegant flavours of lychees and rose petals with tight, fine, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. lingering acidity. The fruit falls away a little on the finish, making the Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. alcohol and grippy phenolics obvious.

Scotchmans Hill Geelong Pinot Noir 2003, $30, 90 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This is an attractive cherry/berry-powered pinot with fine, grippy Best drinking around: 2005-2006. tannins and a long finish. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/11/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Ravenswood Lane Pinot Gris 2005, $30, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. A single vineyard Adelaide Hills wine from nine-year-old vines. Pear Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. spirit and cinnamon spice is supported by fine acidity.

Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, $30, 91 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2007. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005.

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Kumeu River Pinot Gris 2004, $30, 89 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/10/2005. An elegant and attractive white peach/pear/lemon-styled pinot gris which wants to be enjoyed young. De Bortoli Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2001, $30, 90 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) There's a twist of orange rind to fill out the plum/cherry fruit of this Best drinking around: 2005. finely structured pinot noir. It has soft fruit and a strong finish. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Eagle Vale Shiraz 2003, $30, 90 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. This is a spicy, peppery shiraz with dark berry fruits. It begins strong but falls away on the finish. This is a label to watch as Eagle Vale's Petersons Botrytis Semillon 2004, $30, 90 points vineyards develop some maturity. A lightly-coloured, elegant botrytis style with lots of sugary sweetness, 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tropical and peach fruit, buttery nuances, balanced acidity and Best drinking around: 2006-2010. good length. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Huntington Estate Mudgee Cabernet Sauvignon Bin FB13 This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 2001, $30, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 7/10/2005. If mouth-arresting tannins and loads of oak are your bag, let this d'Arenberg The Feral Fox Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2003, dusty, earthy bruiser have a go at you. It tastes of wood spice, dried $30, 90 points herbs and cedary oak. Given some time to brood in the decanter, look out for cherry/berry fruit and savoury olives. A sweet, fruit-driven pinot noir with strawberries, stewed plums and spice. For the safety of all present, wait at least five years before unleashing it (and preferably ten years!). Not a wine to spend too long thinking about, but it's got good length and will appeal if you enjoy a slightly sweeter style. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2011-2016. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Grant Burge Filsell Barossa Shiraz 2003, $30, 90 points Munari Heathcote Merlot 2004, $30, 92 points A rich, ripe and sweet cherry/plum fruited wine with spice, pepper, coffee and vanillin oak. Tannins are soft and a balanced morello Intense and long berry, cherry, rhubarb, black pastille and green cherry acidity balances the sweet fruit. This is a wine to enjoy young. gauge plum fruit smears out long on a spicy palate with smoky delicatessen notes. This is a very fruit-focused merlot with smooth, 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) medium-grained tannins. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. DeBortoli Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $30, 91 Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/10/2005. points Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2002, $30, 92 points Impressive black currant fruit is the feature of this wine, with prune, A well-balanced wine with spicy orange peel, red berry fruit and mint and chocolate undertones. I love the nose and the palate finely structured acidity. Nice! length, although the oak tannins on the finish are aggressive. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2009-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Majella Shiraz 1992, $30, 90 points Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $30, 91 points It might be approaching the end of its innings, but there's still life kicking around in this wine. Spice, blueberries and a sweet fruit core This is a spicy, leafy cabernet with generous dollops of peppermint fight off the vegetative complexity of old age. and medium-grained tannins. It begs for time in the cellar to integrate, but will come together nicely when it does (which begs There's still plenty of drinking pleasure left in the bottle, but get in soon. the question of why it is an on-premise only product). A cabernet for mint-lovers! 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/11/2005. Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Noir 2002, $31, 91 points Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2004, $30, 90 points Marlborough is hardly renowned for its pinot, but wines like this A sweet and comfy wine with soft tannins, rich black jubes and demonstrate that there is certainly potential. Dark berries, spice, fine tannins and good length; it finishes just a little spirity. luxurious, sweet blue berries.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 96

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This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Henschke Keyneton Estate Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2001, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. $32, 90 points Juniper Estate Cabernet 2000, $32, 91 points A red cherry/berry fruited Keyneton with medium-grained tannins and good length. It needs time for the vanillin oak to come into Black currants and black berries interplay with coffee and charry balance. oak on an enticing bouquet. A savoury herb palate finishes long, with excellent, firm, mouth-filling tannins which demand some time 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) to soften - but the fruit is ready for action right now. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Juniper Estate Cabernet 2002, $32, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. Mint and leaf with dark chocolate and big, firm tannins which Cillar de Silos Silos Cosecha 2004, $32, 92 points overwhelm the fruit a little on the finish. A vibrant red-purple hue; the bouquet is a mass of juicy raspberries, 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) plump red cherries and spice. The palate is the same with dry herbs Best drinking around: 2009-2013. and fine, grippy tannins sprawling out into a long finish. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Wedgetail Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $32, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. This is a definitively varietal cabernet with red and black currant fruit, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/8/2005. mint, leaf and dust on the nose and palate, and a touch of Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvee 2000, $32, 91 points asparagus/corn. Structurally it's got everything in the right place to guarantee a good life expectancy: Fine, tight tannins, good length A clean, fine apricot/peach/nectarine bubbly with lemony acidity and tart acidity. lingering on a long finish.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Lost Valley Shiraz 2002, $32, 89 points Hanging Rock Rowbottoms shiraz 2003, $33, 90 points Lost Valley is high on the slopes of Mt Tallarook in the Upper A spicy, peppery wine with eucalypt, vanillin oak and suggestions of Goulburn area, the altitude showing itself in this wine as Chinese five black cherries, liquorice and dark chocolate trailing off into tart spice, black pepper and herbs. The fruit is ripe, in the plum/cherry acidity and fine tannins. It doesn't have the mid-palate weight of spectrum with nuances of smoky delicatessen salami. It's a little Hanging Rock's Cambrian Rise or Heathcote Shiraz, but this is an awkward but finishes long and with balanced, grippy tannins. attractive, spicy alternative.

89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a diam cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/4/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/12/2005. Picardy Pinot Noir 2003, $32, 91 points Eppalock Ridge Heathcote Cabernet Merlot 2003, $33, 90 This is an elegant, fine and spicy pinot noir with red cherry, red points currant and stalk flavours. Finely structured, grippy tannins hover on Black currant and blue berry fruit with spice is supported by slightly a firmly finish with medium length. extractive fine, firm, grippy tannins, finishing with good length.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2010. Best drinking around: 2008-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/8/2005. Metier Schoolhouse Vineyard Yarra Valley Chardonnay Brokenwood Wade Block 2 McLaren Vale Shiraz 2003, 2002, $32, 90 points $34, 92 points A spicy white peach, nectarine and melon chardonnay with hints of Full red-purple in appearance, this is a savoury, spicy wine on the bubble gum wild yeast complexity. It has good length and well- bouquet, with plum pudding, vanillin oak and red berry fruits. Spicy structured acidity. white pepper and coffee join the party on the palate, with plum fruit

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) and spicy minced dried fruits. Bitter dark chocolate and grippy tannins bring up the rear. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Juniper Estate Cabernet 1999, $32, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/10/2005. The first vintage of Juniper Estate Cabernet, and an excellent beginning. Complex capsicum, vegetables and rich dark berry/cherry/plum fruit make for a great bouquet. Palate fruit is softening while the tannins remain firm and a little extractive.

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Domaine Chandon Blanc de Blancs 2002, $34, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Delicate lemon fruit is poised in the midst of a biscuity, yeasty, Redgate Chardonnay 2004, $35, 91 points minerally plate with a fine bead and a long finish. It ends in slightly confectionery sweetness. A buttery, creamy bouquet of melon, white peach and cashew nut oak throws into an appley palate with fine acidity and good length. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This wine has not seen any malolactic fermentation, so would benefit Best drinking around: 2005-2007. from a year for its acidity to soften. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2009. d'Arenberg The Galvo Garage 2003, $35, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc from McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. Grilled capsicum, Annie's Lane Coppertrail Riesling 2005, $35, 92 points spice and leaf float through black currant and plum fruit on a long intense palate, structured by grippy, slightly coarse tannins. The finish A fresh, clean bouquet is a stroll through green apple orchards with is tempered by firm acidity. This is a big cabernet blend in every lemon, lime and soft tropical fruits along the way. The palate is built on soft, fine, minerally acidity. sense.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Get into it right now or over the next few years, and chill it right down to fridge temperature to bring the acid up. Best drinking around: 2009-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Beechworth Viognier 2004, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/10/2005. $35, 91 points Pepper Tree Reserve Semillon 1999, $35, 90 points A perfumed apricot blossom and apricot kernel bouquet opens into a palate of very good length with an excellent mouth feel achieved This is an aged release from Pepper Tree. It's an amazingly light through barrel fermentation in old wood. The alcohol shows itself in straw-green colour, indicative of its youth flavours. The bouquet and a little more heat on the finish than might normally be expected for palate exhibit lemon, cut grass and camphor characters, just a 14.0% wine. starting to develop into toasty complexity. It's not there yet, and the fruit appears to be in a little flat spot in its development. Give it a 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) year or two to allow the fine acid to pull it together. It's an elegant Best drinking around: 2005. wine with a long finish but in something of a sour style. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2003, $35, 90 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. A fragrantly perfumed bouquet of rose florals, red cherries and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/6/2005. cassis leads into a spicy, herbaceous red-fruited palate with fine Amberley First Selection Chardonnay 2004, $35, 90 points tannins, tight acidity and savoury, cashew oak. It rides the boundary of ripeness, but pulls in on the right side. Amberley is heading for a more elegant chardonnay style, and its

latest release, due to hit the shelves in early 2006, is proof that this is a 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) good move. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This is a lemon-fruited wine with soft tropical characters and fine This bottle was sealed with a cork. acidity. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/3/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Shaw and Smith M3 Vineyard Chardonnay 2003, $35, 92 Best drinking around: 2005-2008. points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. Shaw and Smith's M3 Chardonnay receives the "full works" treatment, including hand picking, whole bunch pressing, barrel Amberley First Selection Cabernet 2001, $35, 92 points fermentation, lees stirring and malolactic fermentation. The result is a rich wine with butter, melons and over-ripe oranges with toffee and 2001 was an outstanding vintage for Margaret River Cabernet, and if caramel nuances. It's a full-bodied chardonnay with balanced you missed it then this is the wine for you. It's not due for release until acidity and a long finish and is drinking at its best now. late 2006, but will need at least another few years before it's at its prime. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Leaf, herbs and red berries come together in the bouquet, while the This bottle was sealed with a cork. palate boasts elegant, persistent red berry and cherry fruit. The front- Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. palate fruit weight is strong, and red cherry acidity lingers alongside fine, firm tannins and coconutty/peanutty oak on the finish.

Samuel's Gorge Shiraz 2003, $35, 91 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Impenetrable black-purple in appearance, the nose is restrained Best drinking around: 2009-2013. and brooding with intense black fruits. Liquorice and spice come This bottle was sealed with a cork. into play on the palate, over layers of slick, intense black fruits and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/12/2005. fine firm oak tannins. It carries a whopping 15.4% alcohol. Balanced acidity keeps it all in check, but the fruit shows hollowness on the Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2003, $35, 91 points middle and a short, slightly extractive finish. Plum/berry fruit, earth, spice, leather and forest floor characters can

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) be detected on the nose. The palate has plenty of vanillin oak, Best drinking around: 2006-2009. cherry/berry fruit and very chewy, fine tannins. Stalky notes add interest to a long finish. This bottle was sealed with a cork.

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91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Frankland River Estate Olmo's Reward 2002, $35, 89 points Best drinking around: 2007-2010. Judi and Barry Callum spent three years working at a left bank This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Bordeaux producer, but quickly fell in love with the Cabernet Franc Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/10/2005. dominant wines of the right bank. This wine is a Cabernet Franc Seville Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $35, 91 dominant Bordeaux blend. It's named after Harold Olmo, the points Californian viticulturist who first recommended Bordeaux varietals for the Frankland River and Margaret River regions in the 1950s. The wine Seville Estate is doing great things across its range, and the reserve has been dubbed "Bordeaux from the Bush" in the US. wines are at the top of the Seville tree. The 2003 Cabernet displays Intense and complex savoury spice, star anise, black berries and red menthol, orange cordial and berry/cherry fruit on the nose, followed wine jubes plunge quickly into fine, firm tannins. by a rich palate of sweet black berry and plum fruit and soft tannins. A fruit-powered, earlier drinking style which falls away a touch on 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) the finish. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Picardy Chardonnay 2004, $35, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. The cool Pemberton vineyard of Picardy produces a very tightly- Howard Park Leston Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon structured chardonnay, with excellent mouth presence, built around 2003, $35, 92 points fine, lemony acidity and good length. Rich white peach, lemon and tropical fruit, cashew nut oak and a bacon fat hints fill out a To me this represents a lesser vintage for Leston Cabernet, displaying balanced wine. black currants, green coffee beans, asparagus, leaf, dark Rated identically when retasted on December 14, 2005. chocolate and savoury spice on a firm, finely structured palate with tight, intense, fine tannins and lively acidity. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

Retasted December 15, 2005. Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2013. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Brookland Valley Chardonnay 2003, $35, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/8/2005. A well-balanced and well-made chardonnay with restrained peach Cape Mentelle Walcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2002, and nectarine fruit of medium length with fine, lingering acidity, supported by toasty cashew nut oak which builds on the finish. $35, 90 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This wine sits firmly at the complex end of the sauvignon blanc pool, Best drinking around: 2006-2008. with barrel ferment adding characters of furniture wax, wood spice This bottle was sealed with a 2003. and tobacco. At the same time, it does a great job of retaining its Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. primary sauvignon blanc flavours of gooseberries, black currant bud, passionfruit and nettles, with semillon contributing a touch of Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2003, $35, 92 points lemon. A tightly structured wine with good length. This is the "big" chardonnay in the Vasse Felix family. Big This is one of Australia's best sauvignon blanc blends in the complex, cashew/toast characters from French oak, big nutty/butter/melon barrel-fermented style. complexity from ten months on yeast lees, big honey and stone fruit 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) flavours and an epic finish. It's tempered by fine white peach and Best drinking around: 2005-2009. lemon citrus fruit.

This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. An excellent chardonnay for those who appreciate overt oak. It just Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. needs time to integrate.

Howard Park Scotsdale Frankland River Shiraz 2003, $35, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Sweet blue berry and plum fruit on the bouquet with liquorice and Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/7/2005. herbs; tight acidity and red cherry fruit on the palate. Tight, fine, drying tannins but lacking fruit intensity. Jansz Vintage Cuvee 2000, $36, 90 points

Retasted 15/12/05. A fruit-driven bubbly displaying tropical and dried fruits and candied

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) orange. The long finish is held together by a tight line of lemony acidity and there is some yeasty complexity on the end. Best drinking around: 2009-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. A pleasant aperitif, although not a complex wine for this price point. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/7/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Baileys of Glenrowan 1920s Block Shiraz 2003, $35, 92 Best drinking around: 2005-2006. points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. This is a dark, vibrant purple shiraz with great fruit concentration and firm structure. Flavours are reminiscent of plum and black cherry fruit Yalumba The Menzies 2000, $36, 91 points with spice and a hint of pine sap, balanced with vanillin oak. Red and black currant fruits with excellent, spicy length. Medium-grained tannins and excellent length. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2011. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. 99

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Grant Burge Balthasar Barossa Shiraz Viognier 2003, $36, 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 points Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. It's a fine art to capture viognier lift in shiraz without letting it fall into Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. tropical/apricot aromatics. This impressively spicy offering from Grant Burge pulls it off perfectly, amid fleshy plum/cherry fruit, spicy Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2004, $38, 92 points rhubarb leaf and pepper with fine, grippy tannins. A butter, melon and toffee bouquet precedes a palate of ripe A spicy shiraz for a warm vintage; quite a triumph! peach and melon fruit with very good length. Well-handled oak and

excellent, fine acidity balance the wine nicely. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/7/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Jansz Tasmania Premium Vintage Brut 2001, $37, 91 points Biscuity, lemon and apple fruit on the bouquet lead into a lingering Campbells Classic Muscat NV, $40, 91 points orange and lemon fruit palate with hints of dried peach complexity This is a very spicy, nutty muscat with roasted macadamias and a and lemon rind tang. This is a well-structured bubbly with fine, raisined finish. lingering acidity and a creamy bead. Buy the Classic Tokay instead, or save up for the Rare Muscat (see 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) the reviews for both on this site). Best drinking around: 2005-2008. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005+. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Wedgetail Pinot Noir 2002, $38, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. A well-structured, elegant pinot noir in a very spicy/savoury mould. It Woodlands Reserve Cabernet Merlot 2004, $40, 92 points has fragrant red berry/cherry fruit, brambles, Chinese five-spice and This is a big cabernet, whose medium-grained, angular, astringent French oak-derived resin/cedar nuances. tannins demand time in the cellar. Lifted red and black currant fruit, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) perfumed violets and spice come together in an enticing bouquet, Best drinking around: 2005-2010. while the palate adds leaf and herb characters. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2010-2014. Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2002, $38, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. Plums, white pepper and mixed spice combine with dark chocolate on the bouquet, while the palate focuses on spice, blue berry, plum Giant Steps Sexton Bernard Clones 95 & 96 Chardonnay fruit and woody oak. Eucalypt notes and well-structured, grippy, fine 2003, $40, 92 points tannins are apparent on the finish. The oak is a little disjoint at the moment, but it only needs time to come together. According to winemaker Phil Sexton, the Bernard Clones represent the best chardonnay vines used by Giant Steps. It follows that this 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) wine represents their best chardonnay. It's a light straw in hue, Best drinking around: 2008-2012. boasting excellent, intense but elegant white peach and grapefruit, This bottle was sealed with a cork. supported by balanced oak and finishing long. This is a chardonnay Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. of structure and classy fruit which will benefit from a little bottle age.

Sanchez Romate Jerez Don Jose Oloroso NV, $38, 91 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This is a sour oloroso with complex rancio, nutty and spicy flavours, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 5/6/2005. tart acidity and a very long finish.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Brookland Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Best drinking around: 2005. Franc 2001, $40, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Brookland Valley's 2001 premium cabernet blend is an elegantly Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. styled wine with red berry fruit, tobacco and leaf hints. Fine, lingering red cherry acidity and fine tannins define a good structure. Give it a Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2003, $38, 91 points few years to show at its best. Plum/prune cherry fruit with bitumen/tar depth, supported by well- 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) handled oak and firm, grippy tannins. It needs time to come Best drinking around: 2008-2011. together; then give it a long rest in a decanter for some sulphide This bottle was sealed with a cork. characters to blow off. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Plantagenet Shiraz 2003, $40, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. A warm year, producing a wine with higher alcohol and less spice Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. than the Plantagenet target. It's nonetheless a balanced and attractive wine with plum/cherry fruit surrounded in cinnamon spice, Sanchez Romate Jerez Amontillado N.P.U NV, $38, 90 charcuterie sausage, savoury herbs and gamey hints. Fine, grippy points tannins finish it off neatly.

Spanish Amontillado deserves a place in every cellar, and here's a 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) value-for-money contender. It's a tart style with nutty, wood spice Best drinking around: 2009-2013. and smoky complexity. Refreshing, impressive and endless. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 100

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Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. Woodlands Margaret Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $40, 92 Wolf Blass Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet points Sauvignon 2003, $40, 90 points This wine needs some prolonged swirling for its dusty and slightly vegetal aromas to make way for black currant, red cherry and plum There is no denying that Wolf Blass' Grey Label denotes big wines. fruit. As they do, spicy leaf, cedar and wood sap flavours will begin Big oak, big alcohol and big, extractive tannins. If you're into this to build on a long finish. Its very firm, fine tannins demand time to style (I'm not), this wine is a winner with its long finish, prune/currant soften. fruit, dark chocolate oak and a touch of capsicum and tomato leaf (just to confirm that this is a cabernet, after all!). 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2009-2013. Retasted March 31, 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 2003, $40, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. A vibrant, dark purple wine with stewed Satsuma plums, juicy black cherries, raspberries and suggestions of fruit cake and orange rind. Newton Forrest Estate Cornerstone Hawkes Bay Cabernet It's an earthy/meaty wine with a hint of horse. It. Well-structured, tight Merlot Malbec 2000, $40, 89 points tannins assure cellaring potential

A very tannic wine with a long finish. Capsicum, leaf, savoury spice Retasted July 11, 2005. and river stone characters surround its dark berry fruits. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/8/2005. De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Pinot Noir 2003, Wynns Harold Vineyard Cabernet 2001, $40, 92 points $42, 92 points A new premium label from Wynns, and it's a good one! Dark berries, This is a balanced, elegant pinot noir with strawberries, blue berries, black cherries and plums are wrapped in vanillin oak with coffee, spice and a hint of stalk. Fine tannins linger on a soft finish. The wine tobacco, dark chocolate and mint hints. Quality fruit and great will benefit from a year or two, in the hope that it may build a little structure. The firm, medium-grained tannins and tight acidity more palate weight and length. guarantee that it will live almost forever. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Grab some now, but you'd want to be very brave to go anywhere Best drinking around: 2006-2008. near it in this decade! Retasted 23/9/05 This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2011-2021. This bottle was sealed with a cork. De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Chardonnay Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/1/2005. 2003, $42, 91 points Cape Mentelle Margaret River Chardonnay 2004, $40, 90 Glowing yellow in appearance, this is a rich, toasty chardonnay with a mid-palate of sweet honeysuckle and melon/peach fruit and a points clean finish with minerally acidity. It's a big, ripe chardonnay but it Built around a core of melon, lemon and white peach fruit, this wine has the acid to carry it. Drink over the next twelve months. exudes hints of wood spice, creamed corn and finishes with slightly Fruit is sourced from De Bortoli's original 1981 Dixons Creek vineyard hard, spirity alcohol. and is matured in predominantly second use French barriques.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2009. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/12/2005. Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Reserve Shiraz 1999, $40, 91 Tower Estate Barossa Shiraz 2003, $42, 92 points points A rich, ripe shiraz from a warm vintage oozing with stewed plum fruit One of the challenges with big red wines is that they are almost and spiced up with pepper and pine nettles. Tightly structured invariably released long before they are ready to drink. It's refreshing tannins and firm oak confirm a balanced wine with a long finish. to see this wine hitting the shelves right when its drinking window is 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) opening. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. After six years its fine tannins are integrating nicely with its ripe cherry This bottle was sealed with a cork. and spicy plum flavours, and dark chocolate/vanilla/coconut oak. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. Curlewis Pinot Noir 2002, $43, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Curlewis' 2002 is an elegant, well-structured pinot noir with attractive Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/11/2005. cherry/strawberry fruit and spicy, peanutty oak contributing tight, fine tannins. The acid is slightly tart, but it finishes with excellent length and just needs time for everything to fall into place.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005.

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Keith Tulloch Kester Shiraz 2001, $43, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/6/2005. "I love savoury complexity, like La Chapelle from the Rhone Valley - earthy, spicy and savoury," Keith Tulloch told me when he served this Curly Flat Pinot Noir 1999, $44, 92 points wine at his Hunter Valley cellar door. The wine certainly fits that mould: Capsicum, leather, earth, cooked vegetables and oodles of Cherry/berry/plum fruit, vanillin oak notes, tight acidity and good savoury complexity. Behind all that it's got dark berry/plum fruit, tight length. By Curly Flat standards this is a lesser pinot noir, but alongside anything else it is a fine drink. acidity, fine tannins and a very long finish. Three percent viognier is fully integrated. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

An impressive wine if you enjoy its savoury style. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Battely Shiraz 2004, $44, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Russell Bourne wasn't in town when I visited Beechworth in Merricks Creek Close Planted Pinot Noir 2003, $43, 91 September, but, as luck would have it, a couple of tanks of his 2004 shiraz arrived ready for bottling at Savaterre while I was tasting with points Keppell Smith. Bizarre things, grape vines. Put them under more stress and they The 2004 might just rank among the best Battely shirazes yet. The produce better quality (interesting principle - but don't tell your bouquet boasts intense, juicy, simmering stewed plums and a hint of boss!). It may not work wonders in the workplace, but it does for caramel oak. Excellent plum and black cherry fruit is supported by grapes. Close planting is a Burgundy trick, in which the vines are fine tannins and vanillin oak on the palate. Soft, plump fruit and planted closer together, the theory being that increased good length confirm a great early-drinking shiraz. It may well warrant competition for resources makes for better fruit. In this case, it a higher score when retasted at a time when it hasn't just been fork produces a finely structured red currant / plum / cherry wine with lifted off the back of a truck! lifted rose florals, savoury spice, fine tannins and a lot of class. It's an appealing, approachable and softly-structured style. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Retasted June 2, 2005, and developing quickly. This bottle was a tank sample. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Bald Hills Central Otago Pinot Noir 2003, $45, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. If you love pinot noir then you love Central Otago, and if you don't, then you must get out and taste the stuff. This region is the upcoming Kumeu River Chardonnay 2002, $43, 93 points Burgundy-look-alike of the southern hemisphere, and the remarkable Very persistent lemon, melon and grapefruit fruit is supported by thing is that many of its producers are new on the block, with most of gunflinty structure. the vines relatively new in the ground. Give it a little more time, and

look out! Not that some of the newcomers aren't already churning 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) out world-class wines, and this is one of them. The 2003 isn't the best Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Bald Hills Pinot yet, but I couldn't help but fall in love with its lifted This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. violets nose, red berry fruit palate and long red cherry acid finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/4/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Curlewis Chardonnay 2004, $43, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Sweet tropicals, peach and melon fruit synergise with funky yeast Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. characters, excellent tight acidity and long fruit persistence. This is a big chardonnay, but beautifully strung together. Merricks Creek Nick Farr Pinot Noir 2003, $45, 92 points 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) As fresh as a just-opened rose bud, and with the same perfume. An Best drinking around: 2005-2007. intensely red currant and red cherry-fruited pinot noir with a crunch This bottle was sealed with a cork. of savoury herbs and long, fine tannins. Nick Farr is the name behind Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. the excellent Farr Rising wines from Geelong. He also has a hand in Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon 2000, $43, 93 points the winemaking at Merricks Creek. Both labels are worth your attention, and this wine is a good example. At a slightly awkward stage in its development at the moment, with Retasted on April 22, and rated identically. a hint of bubblegum character as fine lemon/orange youthfulness starts to make way for the toast and lanolin of older age. Through all 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) this, it has a streak of fine acidity and fantastic length which will pull Best drinking around: 2005-2007. it through. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Lake's Folly Cabernets 1989, $45, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/4/2005. A Friday morning with Rodney Kempe at Lake's Folly was one of the highlights of my time in the Hunter in June, culminating in the 1989 Kumeu River Chardonnay 2001, $43, 93 points Cabernets.

Some botrytis in the 2001 vintage gives a ripe peach character to This is a complex, cooked vegetable, capsicum, coffee and savoury the wine. Otherwise it very much follows the Kumeu River mould of spice wine with a very long finish and tight tannins. It's just starting to lemon, grapefruit and minerally river stone structure with excellent dry out on the finish a little now. The fruit looks like it's near the end of length. It's starting to develop some toasty, malty aged complexity. its life, but the tannins keep on partying on.

93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. 102

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This bottle was sealed with a cork. Tempus Two Hunter Valley "Zenith Shiraz" 2003, $45, 93 Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. points Charles Melton Barossa Valley Shiraz 2003, $45, 92 points There's three percent viognier in the blend, but it's enough to contribute a ripe, tropical fruit edge over the berry/cherry/plum This is at the big end of the Melton Shiraz scale, with rich plum shiraz fruit of the bouquet. The palate follows through with coffee pudding and vanillin oak overlaying intense blue berry, black cherry hints over fine tannins, and finishes long. A big wine that calls for time and plum fruit. Rather than ending broad or hot, the finish does a to come together. refreshing back-flip and hones in tight on fine, structured tannins, firm acidity and hints of herbs. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2011. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. Eagle Vale Chardonnay 2003, $45, 91 points Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet 2001, $45, 89 points More elegant in style than the 2002, but still a big wine with soft, fine acidity. White peach and nectarine fruit is supported by This wine reflects sound varietal character in its savoury, herbaceous butterscotch, spice and cashew nut complexity on a long finish. style, with berry/cherry fruit, capsicum and leaf. Its tannins are grippy, oak is balanced and length is strong. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2008. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2006-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. Evans and Tate Redbrook Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, $45, Gabbiano Bellezza Sangiovese 2001, $45, 92 points 91 points This is a massively tannic, savoury sangiovese with cinnamon, mixed Chocolate, black berries and rich plums; this wine displays good fruit spice and tomato leaf flavours. It's got plum/cherry fruit, vanillin oak concentration and very firm, grippy and somewhat angular and and a hint of brettanomyces (barrel yeast infection) on a long finish aggressive tannins. It needs time to come together and for the tannins to tame. Due for release in mid-2007 supported by fine tannins. It has a very healthy life-expectancy!

Not to be approached this decade! 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2012-2016. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2011-2021. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/8/2005. Cullen Mangan 2004, $45, 92 points Clonakilla Viognier 2004, $45, 89 points Quite a different creature to the elegant 2003, this wine has seen a little more oak, which gives it a much firmer structure and long A viscous wine with dried apricots, lifted apricot blossom and ageing potential. Excellent plum/cherry/berry fruit and spice is apricot kernel. Soft, finely structured acidity underlines an intense, supported by fine, well-structured tannins. It falls short on the finish long palate. but is otherwise an excellent product of an unlikely blend (malbec 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and petit verdot).

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2009-2014. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Lake's Folly Chardonnay 1993, $45, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. There are very few Australian chardonnays that aren't dead after a Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2000, $45, 92 points decade. This old Folly has cedar, honey, toffee, apricot and vanillin A complex, interesting Block 6 with cherry, prune and plum fruit oak flavours while still holding on to the lemon citrus of its youth. The offset by savoury charcuterie, smoked ham, plum pudding, dark acidity is still tight, and it finishes long. chocolate and coffee flavours. The structure is built on fine, firm 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tannins and it finishes long.

Best drinking around: 2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Eagle Vale Chardonnay 2002, $45, 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/10/2005. A big, ripe chardonnay with sweet melon, butterscotch, honey and Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2002, $45, 93 points ripe peach fruit overlaying cashewy oak. It's a ripe, sweet style but is With a few years of bottle age under its belt, this finely structured balanced by fine acidity on a long finish. Folly is showing a touch of aged complexity on a funky finish. Peach and citrus fruit linger on a long. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005.

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Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz 2001, $45, 91 points Alkoomi Frankland River Jarrah Shiraz 2002, $47, 90 points Leasingham's Classic Clare range has represented reliable buying at 2002 was a cool, low yielding year, with wide variation in berry sizes. the premium end of the Clare for years. The 2001 shiraz continues The result for Alkoomi's small 1971 shiraz block was half the usual the tradition, with its vibrant purple hue and classy, long yield. berry/cherry/plum fruit. It boasts firm vanillin oak which needs a little Intense, youthful purple in appearance, the bouquet is restrained. more time to come together Plum, spice and earthy flavours come forward in a savoury, sappy, 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) woody palate.

Best drinking around: 2007-2009. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2009-2012. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/3/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Viking Grand Shiraz 2003, $45, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. At 14.5% alcohol, this wine is appropriately named. It is firmly Sanchez Romate Jerez Palo Cortado Regente NV, $47, 92 structured and intensely fruited with berry/cherry fruit, pepper and points cinnamon spice flavours, finishing with bitter, dark, chocolate. The Take Sanchez's Don Jose Oloroso and step it up a notch in intensity addition of viognier makes itself more than apparent in and you get the Palo Cortado. It's a very good nutty, smoky, apricot/tropical overtones. It should come together given a few woodspice wine. years. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005. Schild Estate Reserve Ben Schild Shiraz 2003, $45, 92 points Bimbadgen Palmers Lane Vineyard Shiraz 2003, $48, 92 points This is a wine of strong berry/cherry/plum fruit weight with fruit pastilles, liquorice, spice and savoury Hungarian oak. The bouquet is Plums, prunes, liquorice, dust and earth interplay in this grippy, finely attractively perfumed and the palate finishes long, with medium- structured shiraz of good length. It demands time to soften and come together. grained tannins

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Best drinking around: 2008-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2003, $48, 91 points Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2000, $45, 90 points 2003 was a tough, hot vintage in the Pyrenees, and before the end This is one big wine on the Folly Chardonnay scale, weighing in at of it Dalwhinnie's David Jones had lost a full seventy-five percent of 14.5% alcohol. It boasts secondary citrus and stone fruit flavours with his shiraz yield. The remainder has produced a creditable wine, the honey and toast of age surging on a long finish. Vanillin oak and albeit not up to lofty standards that this label can attain. tight acidity poke out over the fruit a little at the moment. Drink up. A spicy, white pepper, green-stem wine in a dry, leafy style, firmer in 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) structure than is typical for Dalwhinnie, with good length. It is a little Best drinking around: 2005. shy in mid-palate fruit weight. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Primo Estate Joseph Moda Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot This bottle was sealed with a cork. 2003, $46, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. Here's something different for the cabernet world. The fruit is sourced Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2003, $48, 92 points from Primo's "Virginia" vineyard in McLaren Vale and is dried and Coldstream's 2003 Reserve is an intense chardonnay, but with an concentrated for two weeks, ultimately bringing the alcohol up to elegance and balance that bring together its melon fruit and vanillin 14.9%. The result is an elegantly savoury wine with a concoction of oak; finishing long. capsicum, cooked vegetables, red berries and red cherries. Fine tannins and excellent length confirm its longevity. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2008-2013. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 3/6/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/10/2005. Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Red NV, $48, 92 points Primo Estate Joseph Moda Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot September 2003 disgorgement. Joe Grilli's sparkling Joseph is 1994, $46, 92 points legendary in the world of sparkling reds. This disgorgement has rich, lingering, bitter dark chocolate and an excellent bead. It's quite an After more than a decade, the fine grippy tannins of this wine are oaky style. still hanging on, amidst complex capsicum, savoury herbs, vegetables and green peppers. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2009. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/10/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/10/2005.

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Primo Estate Joseph Angel Gully Shiraz 2003, $48, 91 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2002, $50, 93 points points The 2002 Basket Press is an intense plum/prune concoction with Sourced from a single low yielding, dry grown Clarendon Hills black currants, spicy oak and liquorice. It displays fine, grippy vineyard planted in 1998, Joe Grilli describes this wine as targeted tannins, tart acidity, excellent balance and a long finish. At a full toward a finer, less ripe shiraz style. It sees French, American and 15.0% alcohol, it smells like a spicy vintage port style and verges on Hungarian oak. porty characters on the palate. There are many who enjoy this style, and my rating is made with these palates in mind. I've been a big This is an elegantly moulded wine with red berry/cherry/plum fruit fan of Rockford Basket Press for a long time, but this one is simply too and fine, savoury tannins. Firm acidity guarantees excellent food big for me. friendliness. A label to watch as the vines develop some maturity in the years to come. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2008-2012. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2007-2012. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/10/2005. Bald Hills Central Otago Pinot Noir 2004, $50, 92 points Moss Wood Margaret River Chardonnay 2004, $49, 90 This is a well-tempered, fruit-driven pinot noir with great length and points structure. A sweet red cherry and spicy red berry bouquet shows complex hints of undergrowth, while strawberries and a spicy Keith Mugford is working hard in the vineyard to achieve ripeness leafiness are apparent on the palate. Tart red cherry acidity and without blowing out to high alcohols. He certainly hit the target in excellent, fine tannins provide great structure. 2004, picking ripe melon/peach-fruited chardonnay at just 12.8 Give it a little time to come together. baume, with tight fine acidity.

The result is a wine showing intense bitter hazelnuts and cashewy 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) oak alongside butter and spice on the bouquet. It's a citrusy style Best drinking around: 2006-2009. with firm oak; all it needs is time to come into balance. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/9/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2009. Pepper Tree Wrattonbully Grand Reserve Shiraz 2003, $50, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 1/7/2005. Blue berry, black cherry and plum fruit, pepper and spice with Summerfield Reserve Cabernet 2003, $50, 91 points celery, eucalypt and mint notes form a complex bouquet. The palate is powerful, intense and long, finishing hot with 14.9% alcohol. Mark Summerfield parties as hard as he works. Last time I visited for This is a wine of mammoth proportions but spicy intensity, in balance Summerfield's annual vintage banquet, he was going strong almost with fine, tight tannins and good acidity. all night, then up at the crack of dawn. When I found him he was getting a work-out hand-plunging the open-vat fermenters. All the 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) sweat is for good cause when it produces wines like this. The 03 Best drinking around: 2008-2010. Reserve Cabernet shows all the hallmarks of Summerfield: Intense This bottle was sealed with a cork. fruit, high alcohol (15.0%), medium-grained tannins and good Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/7/2005. length. It's a spicy, berry/cherry/plum fruited wine with mocha/vanillin oak and a hint of malt. Picardy Tete de Cuvee Pinot Noir 2001, $50, 91 points A spicy, hazelnut bouquet makes way for a juicy, plump black berry 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) palate with savoury herb hints and grippy, fine tannins on the finish. Best drinking around: 2007-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/3/2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Talijancich Brown Muscat NV, $50, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/12/2005. The product of a solera commenced in 1961 in barrels dating from the 1930s, it is quite remarkable that the first release of this wine did Petaluma Coonawarra 1990, $50, 92 points not appear until just last year. A fully mature cabernet with a complex array of crunchy black currants, cassis (black currant spirit), toasty oak, cigar box, cooked Intense, sweet and oh so rich, this spicy raisin and honeycomb capsicum, tomato leaf and spice. I had both good and bad bottles nectar is infused with complex savoury hints and tempered with in the same month, the good ones displaying excellent fruit intensity, balanced, tart acidity. It lingers for minutes after it is swallowed, such the bad ones flat and dried out. In any case, it's not going to get is its concentration. The classy 375mL packaging is as distinctive as any better than it is right now, so drink up. its contents. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2005+. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a (solera sample). Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/1/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/12/2005. Carlei Estate Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2002, $50, 91 points This wine is packed with intense, sweet blue berry and cherry fruit which leaps out of the glass, amid a swirl of savoury spice. There's nice length to the finish, soft tannins and it will be best enjoyed young.

A crowd-pleasing style, and a good one!

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.)

Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 105

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This bottle was sealed with a cork. Gralyn Estate Chardonnay 2004, $55, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. An elegantly styled chardonnay with minerally acidity and Galafrey Reserve Cabernet 2000, $50, 91 points balanced cashew nut French oak. White peach and nectarine fruit linger on a lemony palate. A well-crafted wine at the expensive end Galafreys reserve cabernet comprises the three best barrels. It of town. spends more time in oak and receives more refining before bottling. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) A complex bouquet is composed of savoury spice, woodspice, Best drinking around: 2005-2008. mocha oak and attractive cherry/berry fruit. At five years of age, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. the palate shows glorious, primary cherry/berry fruit holding out Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. amidst chocolate/coffee/vanilla oak and firm tannins.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Devil's Lair Margaret River 2003, $55, 92 points Best drinking around: 2007-2012. A blend of cabernet and merlot, but it's not labelled as such, this This bottle was sealed with a cork. wine displays red currant and cherry fruit with hints of mint an Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 17/12/2005. eucalypt, supported by cashewy oak. It's tannins are firm, fine and grippy, with a big, mouth-filling structure that demands time to Yarra Burn Bastard Hill Pinot Noir 2003, $50, 90 points mellow.

This wine sits at the funky/barnyard end of the pinot noir spectrum, 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) but give it a stint in the decanter and it will open up to black cherry Best drinking around: 2010-2018. and red currant fruit. Tight acidity, balanced tannins and good This bottle was sealed with a cork. length confirm that the "bastard" is the hill and not the wine! Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2009. Devil's Lair Margaret River 1998, $55, 92 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Coffee, chocolate and mint with cashew oak are apparent on the Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. bouquet, while the palate shows red currant and red cherry fruit with fine tannins starting to integrate nicely. Lindemans Limestone Ridge vineyard Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet 2001, $50, 90 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Impenetrable black/purple in appearance, this inky wine's firm This bottle was sealed with a cork. vanillin oak stands before its rich plum/prune/black cherry fruit. Its Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/12/2005. firm oak tannin wall demands time to come down.

90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz 2003, $55, 92 points Best drinking around: 2011-2016. Two Hands is a master of top-class fruit, particularly in the shiraz This bottle was sealed with a cork. department. This is a sweetly-fruited plum/cherry/berry model with Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. chocolatey oak, firm, fine tannins and a long finish.

Petaluma Coonawarra 1992, $50, 92 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2008-2010. Regarded as something of a lesser vintage, this wine came up as This bottle was sealed with a cork. quite a surprise in a vertical tasting. It shows more cool climate Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. characters than most Petaluma Coonawarras, with dusty eucalypt, perfumed menthol and lifted mint, but is none the less for it. There is Meerea Park Terracotta Shiraz 2003, $55, 91 points still some red berry fruit lurking, and its structure is holding up Eight percent viognier sticks out at the moment in lifted apricot superbly, with a very long finish. aromatics, dominating the cherry/plum shiraz fruit. It needs a few Proof that lesser vintages can shine. years to fall into balance, and it certainly has the well-structured, fine, firm tannins to see out the distance. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 9/1/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Lindemans Pyrus Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2000, $50, 91 points Charles Melton Sotto di Ferro 2001, $55, 93 points Firm, chocolatey oak and grippy, medium-grained tannins support Made in the traditional Italian Vin Santo style by hanging and drying rich black currant/plum fruit, finishing long. Give it time to integrate. bunches of Pedro and Muscadelle grapes, this unctuously rich dried apricot and marmalade wine is toffeed, spicy and long. It's thick 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) and viscous in the mouth but has the balanced acidity to keep it Best drinking around: 2009-2013. from becoming cloying. This is a decadently sweet wine, ideally This bottle was sealed with a cork. partnered to the most evil desserts imaginable! Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 29/12/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2001, $51, 91 Best drinking around: 2005-2009. points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/12/2005. A golden yellow colour, developing faster than is typical for this label. It's showing toffee, sweet melon/citrus fruit, fine minerally All Saints Grand Muscat NV, $55, 91 points structure, tight acidity and a long finish. This is a complex and intense raisin, toffee and molasses-flavoured 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) muscat. It's taken from a twenty-year blend but is only bottled to Best drinking around: 2005-2007. order. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/6/2005. Best drinking around: 2005+. 106

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This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. Best drinking around: 2010-2015. Cullen Chardonnay 2003, $55, 93 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Melon, pineapple and peach fruit with tinges of butterscotch and toffee on the bouquet launch into a peach and spice palate with Hanging Rock Heathcote Shiraz 2003, $60, 92 points fine acidity. This is a well-bodied chardonnay with great length and Only Heathcote can pull fifteen percent alcohol with this level of tart weight, but it finishes fresh, clean and elegant. acidity. This is a monstrously-structured but balanced shiraz which 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) commands a long life in the cellar. Vanillin oak makes itself known Best drinking around: 2005-2007. on the bouquet, while the plum, black cherry and berry fruit of the This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. palate hides behind a wall of fine, firm tannins. Assertive but Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/12/2005. balanced oak trails away on a long finish. This is a Hanging Rock Shiraz of huge proportions in every direction. Grosset Gaia 2000, $55, 92 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Attractive black berry and black currant fruits hover amid fine Best drinking around: 2013-2018. tannins and coffee hints. This bottle was sealed with a diam cork. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 25/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2003, $60, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 26/10/2005. d'Arenberg is the master of creative wine labels, devising a host of strange names completely from left-field, which risk leaving the Mitolo Reiver Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004, $56, 94 points consumer quite bewildered. The Dead Arm is one of the easier to Pushing fifteen on the Richter (alcohol) scale, this shiraz boasts explain, derived from a disease which incapacitates one arm of the concentrated fruit, sharp focus and great balance. Pure plum and vine. black cherry fruit has the complexity of black pastilles, vanillin oak, The Dead Arm Shiraz sits at the top of the d'Arenberg tree, and is fresh liquorice, spice and coffee flavours. All it needs is time to build always a rich, black, brooding monster which insists on some years some palate length. in solitary confinement to bring itself under control. The 2003 is on 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) form, with intense plum/prune/black cherry fruit wrestling with firm Best drinking around: 2008-2013. vanillin oak and liquorice/savoury notes. This is a blockbuster wine This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. demanding time to tame its firm, medium-grained oak tannins. It Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. showed identically when retasted on September 9.

Alkoomi Frankland River Blackbutt 2002, $59, 92 points 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2010-2013. Alkoomi's flagship Bordeaux blend is built on cabernet sauvignon, This bottle was sealed with a cork. with cabernet franc, malbec and a touch of merlot. It spends two- Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/5/2005. and-a-half years in oak, half of which is new.

Black currant and plum fruits on the bouquet are supported by hints Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Shiraz 2001, $60, 91 points of asparagus, green pea, herbs and spice with some sappy oak Molasses, pitch and savoury spice assemble to form a dense and notes. The palate has good mid-palate raspberry, cherry and black concentrated bouquet, surging into a liquorice and dark currant fruit which trails off into a long finish. Fine tannins and berry/cherry/plum palate with firm, medium-grained tannins and a lingering acidity guarantee a long life in the cellar. Give it some time slightly short finish. It needs time to soften and integrate. in the decanter for its fruit to emerge from behind its herbaceous 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) complexity. Best drinking around: 2009-2014. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a cork. Best drinking around: 2010-2016. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/9/2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 16/12/2005. Sanchez Romate Jerez Moscatel Ambrosia NV, $62, 93 points Rust en Vrede Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, The intensity of this wine is clear even from a distance in its dark $60, 90 points black hue and gold rim. The bouquet is rich and haunting with A rustic cabernet with dry herbs, savoury smallgoods and smoky oak rancio, raisins, vegemite and roasted nuts, and the palate doesn't overlaying spicy berry fruit and capsicum flavours. Firm, fine tannins disappoint, structured with fine acidity and finishing with great linger on a long finish. It has developed some bottle-aged length. complexity and is ready to drink now. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Imported by Bocca Lupo Pty Ltd. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Henschke Mount Edelstone 2001, $62, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. A spicy, red cherry/plum/prune-fruited wine with charry vanillin oak, Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet 2000, $60, 91 points medium-grained tannins and good length.

Breaking the trend across South Australia, 2000 was a good vintage 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) in Coonawarra. Orlando's top Coonawarra cabernet is built around Best drinking around: 2007-2011. berry/cherry/plum fruit with hints of mint, plenty of quality oak and This bottle was sealed with a cork. firm tannins. It's in a bit of a flat spot at the moment, and while it's set Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. for release in mid-2006, it really shouldn't be touched until it's at least a decade old. 107

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Henschke Mount Edelstone 1992, $62, 91 points Yeringberg Pinot Noir 2002, $70, 90 points This wine has developed extremely well, and is hitting its peak right A savoury/spicy wine with sweet fruit, fine grippy tannins and good now. It's complex and intense, with medicinal, savoury spice and length. roast capsicum flavours extending into a long finish. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. Rockford SVS Flaxman Shiraz 1998, $70, 92 points Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1995, $65, 91 points Part of Rockford's elusive premium cellar door range, this is a wine A toasty, lemon-scented Vat 1 in a lighter style, ready to drink up which will come into its own in a few years' time. Right now the firm soon. A different bottle, also sourced directly from Tyrrells, and vanillin oak dominates a little over the prune/plum/cherry fruit, with tasted on August 11, was in much better condition, with long searing some volatile acidity and dustiness showing on the bouquet. The acidity and spicy, nutty, honeyed complexity (93 points). tannins are still grippy and the finish surges on. Give it time.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2008-2010. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/6/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. Woodlands Cabernet Franc 2004, $65, 92 points Mitolo Serpico McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, This is a very small volume, cellar door label. Black currant and red $73, 92 points cherry fruit is balanced by dusty vanillin oak and hints of dark Incredibly dark, vibrant black-purple in appearance; the bouquet is chocolate, spice and leaf. Firm, fine tannins come crashing in on a intense with roasted green capsicum, while the palate is choc-cull of long finish. Patience. roast vegetables and berry/cherry fruit, finishing long with fine 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) tannins. Best drinking around: 2009-2014. The wine is made using the traditional Italian Amarone method in This bottle was sealed with a cork. which the fruit is dried to build flavour and complexity. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Piper Heidsieck Brut NV, $65, 92 points Best drinking around: 2012-2018. If I had to choose three bottles to drink on a desert island, hands This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. down one of them would be Champagne. When it comes to non- Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/11/2005. vintage Champagne, it pays to be picky - and Piper is a good pick! I love its fresh, crisp structure in a red apple style, with peach flavours Bass Phillip Pinot Noir 2000, $75, 93 points and lemony acidity. Toasty characters fill out the middle, with Phillip Jones is a legend in Australian pinot noir. Not surprising when complex autolytic overtones (yeast fermentation characters). he produces wines of this complexity. It's a funky little thing, with perfumed violets peeking up through earthy forest floor with some For value Champagne, look for the red label. Desert island or not, strawberries on the side. This won't be long-lived by Bass Phillip pour me a glass! standards, but who's to notice when it's drinking this well right now?! 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a cork. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 8/1/2005. Majella The Malleea 2001, $65, Balnaves The Tally 2001, $80, 92 points When Prof Lynn put on a vertical tasting of every vintage of this The Tally is always a big wine built for the long-haul. The 2001 shows wine, the inevitable question was raised of when it would go to tobacco, firm oak, big, fine, full tannins and a long finish. The fruit is a screw cap. The hold up to date has been in sourcing the elaborate little shy at the moment; it just needs time to be coaxed out again. proprietary bottle with a screw thread. But we are assured that it will happen! 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2011-2017. Roll on that day, because it will spell the end of problems like this This bottle was sealed with a Cork. one: This bottle of 2001 was hopelessly lost to the dreaded cork taint. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. I have nothing more to say about it, but if you're desperate for a review, click on "download it" and look it up in last year's archives. Laurent Perrier Rosé NV, $80, 92 points Not scored. Rosé Champagne is delightfully seductive, especially when it's as This bottle was sealed with a cork. finely structured as the Laurent Perrier. This is a classic "strawberries Tyson Stelzer, 30/8/2005. and cream" style, with its tight acidity giving the impression of slightly Saltram No 1 Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2001, $68, 94 points unripe strawberries. An unashamedly, classically elegant wine (it is a Laurent Perrier, after all). The 01 No 1 is a full-bodied, dark purple Barossa shiraz of high quality 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) black pastille and liquorice fruit, vanillin oak, fine grippy tannins and Best drinking around: 2005-2008. good length. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 18/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 1/4/2005.

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Duval-Leroy Fleur Premier Cru NV, $80, 92 points Barossa Old Vine Company Shiraz 2002, $99, 92 points Rich but elegant red apple fruit with dried pear and honeyed A sweetly-fruited wine of vibrant black cherries, lingering plums and complexity, this is a fine and complex wine with fresh, lively, tangy spice with fresh, tight acidity. lemon acidity, but it finishes a little short. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Duval-Leroy uses a higher proportion of chardonnay fruit than is Best drinking around: 2006-2010. typical across champagne, producing a tight, fresh elegance This bottle was sealed with a cork. across the range. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1986, $100, 92 points Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Secondary berry/cherry fruit, spice and dry savoury herb nuances Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/10/2005. with a sweet, honeyed finish with fine, dry tannins. Showing excellent balance at a ripe old age.

Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Franc Merlot 2001, $88, 93 points Best drinking around: 2005-2009. The cool climate of the Eden Valley gives this wine an elegant red This bottle was sealed with a cork. cherry fruit streak. Chocolatey oak is balanced in the background Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 12/12/2005. and tannins are firm and fine. Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, $100, 94 points There is class here, albeit at a price. Brambles, black and red currants, leaf and coffee are the defining 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) characters of a tight and refined bouquet. The palate opens out into Best drinking around: 2006-2012. similar fruits with herbaceous, leafy undertones, fine, firm tannins and This bottle was sealed with a cork. tight acidity. The French Oak plays a supporting role behind the fruit. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 30/3/2005. This is a tightly-wound, black-currant-fruited cabernet of refinement Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Hunter Shiraz 2003, $90, and class. It may not be the greatest Moss Wood ever, but don't let that stop you! 93 points At once a richly intense and restrained style with swirls of plum fruit, 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) balanced vanillin oak and a very long finish. It has a powerful Best drinking around: 2010-2015. overtone of bees wax and boot polish. This is a savoury-styled wine This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. with complex nuances of spice, camphor and celery, with grippy, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 1/7/2005. firm, fine tannins that demand a long time in the cellar. Stanton & Killeen Rare Muscat NV, $100, 94 points Retasted 11/7/05 When I tasted this wine at cellar door, Chris Killeen told me that it 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) had recently been "freshened up" with some 1992 vintage. What Best drinking around: 2010-2017. other wine style in the world would be "freshened up" with a thirteen- This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. year-old wine?! There's an average of 35 years of age in this blend, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. and it shows it.

Campbells Grand Muscat NV, $94, 93 points Dark, smoky and spicy with wood spice flavours, its held together beautifully by fresh raisin fruit, confirming its excellent balance. This wine is packed with complexity to swirl around in the glass and stick to the sides. Dark brown in colour with a gold rim, it oozes wood 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) spice, cedar and raisins in a slightly spirity style with balanced Best drinking around: 2005+. sweetness, great intensity and good length. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005. All Saints Rare Muscat NV, $108, 93 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Sitting right in the middle of the All Saints Muscat arsenal, the Rare Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/9/2005. slots neatly into the savoury, smoky, raisiny house style of this Molino Real Moscatel 2002, $95, 93 points producer. From a fifty year blend, it is drier and more acidic than most, but boasts great length and balance. From steep mountain slopes, this is an utterly unctuous wine with intense, sweet honeycomb, butter and gorgeous, lifted florals, 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) tropical fruits and spice. It's very sweet but has the acid to balance it Best drinking around: 2005+. on a lingering finish. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Best drinking around: 2005-2015. Torbreck The Descendant Shiraz Viognier 2003, $125, 93 This bottle was sealed with a cork. points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005. There are two types of shiraz viognier in the world. Those that taste Duval-Leroy Fleur Brut NV, $96, 92 points like shiraz viognier and those that taste like shiraz and viognier (with me?). People will argue for both sides, but I tend to go for the This is a fruit-focused champagne with delicate lemon and gentle integrated version. This is not to say that there aren't good examples dried apricot fruit. It is a pleasant, refreshing aperitif style, although it of the latter, and this is one of them. Eight percent doesn't sound like finishes a bit short. a lot, but in the world of viognier it's enough to make it poke out with 70% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir. a stab of lifted apricot against the background of plum/cherry/berry

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) shiraz. This is a firmly structured wine with very firm, fine tannins and Best drinking around: 2005. good length. It demands time for the tannins to calm and the viognier to pull its head in. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/10/2005. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) 109

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Best drinking around: 2009-1013. All Saints Museum Rare Muscat NV, $435, 94 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. A complex but balanced wine in which sweet raisins hover above a Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 2/4/2005. back-drop of smoke, wood spice and savoury vegemite flavours. It's Wolf Blass Black Label 1999, $130, 92 points less over-the-top than many of its rare peers, and is all the better for it. 1999 was the first year that Black Label went to 100% French Oak, Grab a bottle or two next time you wine the lotto! and it was a timely decision given the cooler, lighter vintage. The oak still shows as a little dominant in the wine, but the 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) plum/prune/red cherry fruit holds its own, and the firm savoury Best drinking around: 2005+. tannins look set to hold it until it comes together over the next This bottle was sealed with a cork. decade. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/9/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Forrest Estate Waitaki Valley North Otago Pinot Noir 2004, Best drinking around: 2008-2016. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. A rose petal and white pepper bouquet ushers in a rich, plump, juicy sweet berry/cherry/plum palate with orange rind notes and a long Wolf Blass Black Label 2000, $130, 92 points aftertaste. This is a slightly sweet but attractive early-drinking style.

The weakest of the recent vintage of Black Label; a consequence of a poorer vintage. Nonetheless, it's a credit to the Wolf Blass 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) vineyard resources that there are still waves of spice, plum, prune, Best drinking around: 2005-2007. black pastille and liquorice rippling through the wine, with a This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. structure that will see it out for many years yet. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 13/10/2005.

92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Bird in Hand Shiraz 2002, 91 points Best drinking around: 2008-2014. A big bird shiraz with 14.5% alcohol under its wings, but plenty of This bottle was sealed with a cork. deep, black cherry, black jubes and plum fruit to hold it. Liquorice Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. and bitter dark chocolate add complexity while fine tannins fill out a long finish. Wolf Blass Black Label Shiraz Cabernet McLaren Vale, Barossa and Adelaide Hills 2001, $130, 93 points 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2010. The Black Label is at the extreme end of the Wolf Black stable in fruit This bottle was sealed with a cork. intensity, extraction and oak impact. For the first time, a shiraz- Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/10/2005. dominant Black Label (cabernet has been the higher proportion until now). 2001 was a big vintage across South Australia, and this Cofield Wines Rutherglen The Fifth Son 2003, 88 points wine is correspondingly huge. Bordeaux blend. Plum, prune and raisin fruit with big, chunky tannins At 15.0% alcohol, the 2001 is a brooding, porty, plum/prune/cherry and a hot finish. (14.4%). Good length, and no shortage of fruit beast with charry oak, liquorice and firm, savoury, grippy tannins weight. which linger on a long finish. It needs time to tame, but how a wine of these proportions will emerge on the other side of the cellar is yet 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) to be seen. Don't go near it for a very long time! Retasted 31/3/05 Best drinking around: 2008-2011. This bottle was sealed with a cork. 93 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 27/12/2005. Best drinking around: 2009-2019. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Bird in Hand Sparkling Pinot Noir NV, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 14/2/2005. Ladies, line up for this strawberry and red cherry bubbly. It's got a Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 1999, $165, 93 points gorgeous salmon pink hue and seductive sweetness, but enough length and balanced acidity to be taken seriously. Nice. A more savoury style than the Platinum norm with excellent, grippy tannins, reflecting a cooler vintage. Plum/cherry fruit, chocolate 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) and vanillin oak glide into a very long finish. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a Cork. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 21/10/2005. Best drinking around: 2007-2013. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Domaine Laroche Chablis St Martin 2003, 90 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005. A minerally Chablis with lemon and peach fruit, a touch of Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2001, $165, 94 points bubblegum funkiness (from the yeast), tight acidity and good length. An intense, complex, savoury, herbaceous, delicatessen-spicy-meat -style Platinum with great length and fine tannins. All Adelaide Hills 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) fruit. Best drinking around: 2005-2008. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 94 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/5/2005. Best drinking around: 2011-2016. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 31/3/2005.

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Mount Riley Seventeen Valley Reserve Pinot Noir 2002, 90 Rich and sweaty with tart gooseberries, cut grass and spicy points capsicum and a long finish, this is a big sauvignon blanc to partner oily seafood. A step up in intensity from Seventeen Valley's standard pinot noir; they've packed deeper, darker plum/prune fruit into the reserve, 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) and given it a generous slice of charry oak. It's got good length. Best drinking around: 2005-2006. Worth a look if you don't mind the oak. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/11/2005. 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2006-2008. Mudgee Growers Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, 91 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. Quality black currant and plum fruit with complex overtones of dust, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. leaf, mint, green herbs and spice is balanced by vanillin oak. The Craggy Range Marlborough Pinot Noir 2003, 91 points palate shows generous fruit weight, offset by fine, full tannins on a long finish. Craggy Range is exceeding expectations on all fronts, even with pinot noir in Marlborough! This is an unambiguously varietal, spicy, 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) red berry-accented example with attractive, fine tannins and a Best drinking around: 2008-2014. touch of residual sweetness. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap.

Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/9/2005. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. Domaine Laroche Chablis 2004, 88 points This bottle was sealed with a cork. A finely structured, light-bodied Chablis with lemon and grapefruit Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. and a minerally acid backbone

Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2002, 91 points 88 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006. If anyone can prove that New Zealand is capable of producing This bottle was sealed with a cork. world-class wines from Bordeaux and Rhone varietals, Craggy Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/5/2005. Range can. And it's from its Gimblett Gravels vineyards that it's pulling out the goods. This merlot is an intense, spicy wine with plum McGuigan Wines Earth Portrait Riesling 2005, 91 points fruit and a hit of vanillin oak. It takes a leaf out of Bordeaux for its Lifted lemon blossom and green pea aromas precede a lemon structure, emphasising big, fine tannins. It's a touch extractive on the citrus palate with finely structured acidity and a long finish. finish, but just give it time. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007 or 2009-2013. Best drinking around: 2008-2012. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 23/9/2005. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Domaine Laroche Les Vaudevey Premier Cru Chablis Terravin Sauvignon Blanc 2004, 91 points 2003, 93 points A pungent, sweaty, tropical sauvignon blanc with good length, pulled into form by a tight spine of lemony acidity. Great Chablis is always elegant, restrained and tightly structured. This is a very good example, with fresh white peach and a firm 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) mineral backbone. Best drinking around: 2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. 93 out of 100 points. (Excellent wine!) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2015. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Terravin Hillside Selection Pinot Noir 2003, 92 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/5/2005. In a similar mould to the standard Terravin pinot, this is an elegant Domaine Laroche Les Fourcharmes Premier Cru Chablis wine with cherry/berry/plum/prune fruit and fine tannins. The oak 2002, 92 points regime has been increased here, contributing to its tight structure and adding dusty overtones to the bouquet. Give it time. A tightly-wound Chablis with elegant lemon fruit, bubblegum yeast complexity, firm minerally acidity and a long finish. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Best drinking around: 2007-2009. 92 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Best drinking around: 2005-2010. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 19/5/2005. Ridgeline Cabernet Merlot 2002, 91 points Chateau Pato DPJ Shiraz 2003, 91 points Here's something different for Yarra Valley cabernet, and it's worth checking out. The best I can do to describe it is lifted florals, red A meaty wine with earth, leather, plum and cherry fruit. Good length cherries and a slice of ripe tomato. Don't be put off, though, of finish with fine tannins and lingering cherry/berry fruit. because it's a good wine, nicely balanced, with intense fruit, soft but 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) well-structured tannins and a persistent aftertaste. Give it time to Best drinking around: 2008-2011. settle in the decanter first, or you'll be hit by cooked vegetables, This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. cedar and asparagus notes that detract. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/7/2005.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Mount Riley Seventeen Valley Pinot Noir 2003, 89 points Best drinking around: 2006-2009. This bottle was sealed with a cork. A straightforward but enjoyable pinot noir in a savoury, spicy style, Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 22/3/2005. with attractive red berry/cherry fruit and fine tannins.

Tohu Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004, 91 points 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2006.

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This bottle was sealed with a cork. 91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 20/2/2005. Best drinking around: 2005-2007. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Bethany Barossa Shiraz Cabernet 2002, 89 points Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 24/6/2005. Bethany's Shiraz Cabernet is a very approachable fruit-powered wine, boasting black currants, plums and cherries with chocolate Bald Hills Riesling 2005, 90 points oak and soft tannins. It's quite sweet, has good length and is at its I've been a fan of the New Zealand's tiny Bald Hills since I visited best now. Central Otago last year, and I'm cheering now that the wines are starting to appear on the shelves in Aus. 89 out of 100 points. (Good wine.) Best drinking around: 2005-2007. The 2005 riesling takes off from the blocks as a semi-sweet, lifted, This bottle was sealed with a cork. perfumed, tropical wine with hints of sugar syrup and bubblegum on Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 15/6/2005. the bouquet, but it takes off sleek and dry on the palate, sprinting effortlessly into a great finish. Woodlands James Cabernet Merlot 1992, 91 points 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Black berry fruit and spice lingers alongside fine acidity and soft Best drinking around: 2005-2008. tannins with the aged complexity of tobacco, cedar and cigar box This bottle was sealed with a screw cap. flavours. A good cabernet, although starting to dry out on the finish. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 10/10/2005.

91 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) Babi Soprani La Baudria Barbera d'Asti 2000, 90 points Best drinking around: 2005-2006. This bottle was sealed with a cork. Tar and roses, plums and prunes, aniseed and smoke with savoury Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 11/12/2005. complexity on the palate, firm, medium-grained tannins and tight acidity. A well-balanced wine to partner with Italian cuisine

Tempus Two Hunter Valley "Wilde" Chardonnay 2004, 91 90 out of 100 points. (Very good wine.) points Best drinking around: 2005-2012. A white peach and melon-powered chardonnay with some funky This bottle was sealed with a cork. yeasty notes, fine acid structure and good length. Drink young. Like it. Tyson Stelzer, 6/4/2005.

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alphabetical listing of all wines label price score page

Abercorn Grower's Revenge Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2003 $60 93 points 49 Abercorn Reserve Shiraz 2003 $50 94 points 48 Alkoomi Frankland River Blackbutt 2002 $59 92 points 107 Alkoomi Frankland River Jarrah Shiraz 2002 $47 90 points 104 Alkoomi Frankland River Riesling 2005 $19 91 points 77 Alkoomi Frankland River Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $19 88 points 78 All Saints Grand Muscat NV $55 91 points 106 All Saints Museum Rare Muscat NV $435 94 points 110 All Saints Rare Muscat NV $108 93 points 109 Allandale Chardonnay 2003 $18 92 points 27 Allandale Semillon 2003 $17 93 points 11 Amberley Estate Chardonnay 2004 $19 89 points 78 Amberley First Selection Cabernet 2001 $35 92 points 98 Amberley First Selection Chardonnay 2004 $35 90 points 98 Amberley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $19 88 points 78 Angoves Coonawarra Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $20 89 points 82 Annie's Lane Clare Valley Chardonnay 2005 $18 88 points 77 Annie's Lane Clare Valley Rosé 2005 $18 91 points 32 Annie's Lane Copper Trail Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $49 94 points 48 Annie's Lane Coppertrail Riesling 2005 $35 92 points 98 Annie's Lane Riesling 2005 $18 89 points 77 Arrowfield Jot Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2004 $15 89 points 72 Arrowfield Jot King and Alpine Valleys Merlot 2003 $15 89 points 37 Arrowfield Jot Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $15 90 points 9 Arrowfield Show Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $20 89 points 81 Arrowfield Show Reserve Late Picked Semillon 2002 $15 90 points 9 Arrowfield Show Reserve Riesling 2004 $20 89 points 79 Arrowfield Sophie's Bridge Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $12 88 points 70 Ashbrook Estate Cabernet Merlot 2000 $27 92 points 42 Ashbrook Estate Chardonnay 2003 $27 93 points 28 Ashbrook Estate Chardonnay 2004 $27 93 points 28 Ashbrook Estate Riesling 2005 $19 88 points 78 Ashbrook Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 90 points 80 Ashbrook Estate Semillon 2005 $19 89 points 78 Ashbrook Estate Shiraz 2002 $27 90 points 92 Babi Soprani La Baudria Barbera d'Asti 2000 90 points 112 Baileys of Glenrowan 1920s Block Shiraz 2003 $35 92 points 99 Bald Hills Central Otago Pinot Noir 2003 $45 90 points 102 Bald Hills Central Otago Pinot Noir 2004 $50 92 points 105 Bald Hills Pinot Gris 2005 $30 89 points 95 Bald Hills Riesling 2005 90 points 112 Ballandean Estate Family Reserve Viognier 2003 $18 88 points 76 Ballandean Estate Salvatore's Tawny Port NV $40 93 points 60 Ballandean Estate White liqueur muscat NV $24 90 points 86 Balnaves Cabernet 2001 $31 92 points 44 Balnaves Chardonnay 2003 $28 92 points 28 Balnaves The Blend 2002 $19 92 points 38 Balnaves The Tally 2001 $80 92 points 108 Barossa Old Vine Company Shiraz 2002 $99 92 points 109 Bass Phillip Pinot Noir 2000 $75 93 points 108 Battely Shiraz 2004 $44 91 points 102 Battle of Bosworth Shiraz 2003 $28 91 points 93 Bay of Fires Tigress Pinot Chardonnay NV $22 90 points 56 Best's Wines Riesling 2005 $20 91 points 16 Bethany Barossa Riesling 2004 $16 90 points 73 Bethany Barossa Shiraz Cabernet 2002 89 points 111 Bethany Cabernet Franc Rosé 2005 $18 89 points 76 Bethany Cabernet Merlot 2002 $24 90 points 87 Bimbadgen Myall Rd Botrytis Semillon 2004 $19 94 points 59 Bimbadgen Palmers Lane Vineyard Shiraz 2003 $48 92 points 104 Bimbadgen Semillon 1999 $30 94 points 22 Bimbadgen Semillon 2001 $25 92 points 20 Bimbadgen Semillon 2005 $16 89 points 73 Bimbadgen Verdelho 2005 $16 90 points 11 Bird in Hand Shiraz 2002 91 points 110 113 THE TOP 500 WINES 2005-2006

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Bird in Hand Sparkling Pinot Noir NV 89 points 110 Bleasdale Frank Potts 1998 $25 91 points 88 Bloodwood Merlot Noir 2001 $22 92 points 40 Bloodwood Schubert Chardonnay 2002 $25 92 points 90 Bloodwood Shiraz 2002 $24 92 points 40 Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvee 2000 $32 91 points 97 Bowen Estate Chardonnay 2004 $20 91 points 81 Brindabella Hills Riesling 2004 $20 92 points 16 Brokenwood Beechworth Nebbiolo 2004 $25 90 points 90 Brokenwood Beechworth Pinot Gris 2005 $25 91 points 88 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Hunter Shiraz 2003 $90 93 points 109 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2003 $35 91 points 98 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon 1999 $35 94 points 23 Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Beechworth Viognier 2004 $35 91 points 98 Brokenwood Semillon 2005 $17 92 points 11 Brokenwood Wade Block 2 McLaren Vale Shiraz 2003 $34 92 points 97 Brookland Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1999 $50 94 points 48 Brookland Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc 2001 $40 91 points 100 Brookland Valley Chardonnay 2003 $35 92 points 99 Brookland Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $27 91 points 91 Brookland Valley Semillon 2005 $30 93 points 23 Brookland Valley Verse 1 Cabernet Merlot 2003 $16 87 points 73 Brookland Valley Verse 1 Chardonnay 2004 $16 88 points 72 Brookland Valley Verse 1 Rosé 2005 $16 88 points 73 Brookland Valley Verse 1 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $16 92 points 11 Brookland Valley Verse 1 Shiraz 2003 $16 86 points 73 Buckland Gap Cabernet Merlot 2002 $9 89 points 36 Buckland Gap Shiraz Cabernet 2003 $9 87 points 70 Campbells Classic Muscat NV $40 91 points 100 Campbells Grand Muscat NV $94 93 points 109 Campbells Grand Tokay NV $94 94 points 61 Campbells Limited Release Chardonnay 2003 $26 90 points 90 Campbells Liquid Gold Classic Tokay NV $40 93 points 60 Campbells Rare Muscat NV $106 95 points 61 Campbells Rare Tokay NV $106 94 points 61 Campbells Riesling 2004 $17 88 points 74 Campbells Riesling 2005 $17 91 points 12 Campbells Rutherglen Muscat NV $18 89 points 77 Campbells Rutherglen Tokay NV $18 92 points 59 Canobolas-Smith "Shire" Reserve Chardonnay 2002 $35 92 points 30 Canobolas-Smith Alchemy Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz 2002 $35 93 points 45 Canobolas-Smith Chardonnay 2001 $28 91 points 93 Cape Mentelle "Trinders" Cabernet Merlot 2003 $29 91 points 94 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $66 94 points 50 Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2004 $38 94 points 30 Cape Mentelle Georgiana 2005 $15 92 points 9 Cape Mentelle Margaret River Chardonnay 2004 $40 90 points 101 Cape Mentelle Marmaduke 2003 $17 88 points 74 Cape Mentelle Marsanne Viognier 2004 $19 92 points 15 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $24 93 points 19 Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2003 $35 92 points 44 Cape Mentelle Walcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2002 $35 90 points 99 Cape Mentelle Walcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003 $33 92 points 23 Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Shiraz 2003 $55 93 points 54 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel 2003 $47 92 points 53 Carlei Estate Yarra Valley Cabernets 2001 $26 94 points 41 Carlei Estate Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2002 $50 91 points 105 Carlei Tre Bianchi 2004 $24 93 points 19 Carrick Chardonnay 2003 $24 90 points 87 Carrick Pinot Noir 2002 $25 91 points 88 Carrick Pinot Noir 2003 $25 92 points 88 Carrick Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $19 93 points 14 Cartwheel Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004 $21 93 points 17 Cartwheel Western Australia Cabernet Merlot 2003 $16 89 points 73 Cartwheel Western Australia Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004 $16 89 points 73 Castle Rock Estate Chardonnay 2000 $17 88 points 74 Castle Rock Estate Riesling 2005 $18 92 points 14 Castle Rock Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $17 89 points 74 Chambers Rosewood Grand Rutherglen Muscat NV $50 94 points 60 Chambers Rosewood Old Cellar Vintage 2002 $15 88 points 71

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Chambers Rosewood Old Tawny NV $18 89 points 76 Chambers Rosewood Rare Tokay NV $200 96 points 61 Chambers Rosewood Special Tokay NV $100 95 points 61 Chapoutier Le pavillon Ermitage 2000 $330 95 points 68 Chapoutier Vin de paille 1999 $200 94 points 68 Charles Heidsieck Brut Vintage 1985 $150 97 points 57 Charles Melton Barossa Valley Shiraz 2003 $45 92 points 103 Charles Melton Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $39 93 points 46 Charles Melton Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $42 94 points 47 Charles Melton Nine Popes 2002 $44 94 points 47 Charles Melton Nine Popes 2003 $51 94 points 49 Charles Melton Rose of Virginia 2004 $19 93 points 33 Charles Melton Shiraz 2002 $42 92 points 47 Charles Melton Sotto di Ferro 2001 $55 93 points 106 Charles Melton Sparkling Red NV $60 95 points 57 Chateau Pato DPJ Shiraz 2003 91 points 111 Chatsfield Wines Reserve Shiraz 2003 $25 90 points 87 Chatsfield Wines Riesling 2004 $15 89 points 72 Chrismont Wines LaZona Marzemino 2004 $22 87 points 82 Chrismont Wines LaZona Marzemino Frizzante NV $19 90 points 78 Cillar de Silos Cosecha 2004 $32 92 points 97 Cleanskin Reserve Chardonnay AG03 Central Ranges 2003 $9 87 points 26 Cleanskin Reserve Pinot Noir AH72 Mornington Peninsula 2004 $10 88 points 32 Clonakilla Cabernet Merlot 2003 $25 89 points 88 Clonakilla Muscat NV $20 89 points 80 Clonakilla Riesling 2005 $22 93 points 17 Clonakilla Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $18 92 points 14 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2004 $65 96 points 50 Clonakilla Viognier 2004 $45 89 points 103 Clos Clare Riesling 2004 $20 93 points 15 Cloudy Bay Marlborough Chardonnay 2003 $40 93 points 30 Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV $28 88 points 92 Cloudy Bay Pelorus Vintage 2000 $40 91 points 56 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2003 $35 90 points 98 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $33 96 points 23 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $33 94 points 23 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2002 $45 92 points 24 Cofield Wines Rutherglen The Fifth Son 2003 88 points 110 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2004 $27 89 points 92 Coldstream Hills Merlot 2003 $23 90 points 85 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2003 $27 92 points 33 Coldstream Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $52 94 points 49 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2003 $48 92 points 104 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2002 91 points 111 Craggy Range Marlborough Pinot Noir 2003 91 points 111 Cullen Chardonnay 2003 $55 93 points 107 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2004 $90 95 points 51 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $90 95 points 50 Cullen Ellen Bussell Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2003 $19 90 points 38 Cullen Mangan 2003 $45 92 points 34 Cullen Mangan 2004 $45 92 points 103 Curlewis Bel Sel Bellarine Selection Pinot Noir 2003 $25 92 points 33 Curlewis Chardonnay 2004 $43 93 points 102 Curlewis Pinot Noir 2002 $43 92 points 101 Curlewis Reserve Pinot Noir 2002 $70 94 points 35 Curly Flat Chardonnay 2002 $35 93 points 29 Curly Flat Macedon NV $27 92 points 56 Curly Flat Pinot Noir 1998 $44 94 points 66 Curly Flat Pinot Noir 1999 $44 92 points 102 Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2000 $44 93 points 66 Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2002 $44 94 points 34 Dalwhinnie Chardonnay 2003 $30 93 points 29 Dalwhinnie Eagle series shiraz 1998 $148 95 points 68 Dalwhinnie Eagle Series Shiraz 2001 $148 95 points 51 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Cabernet 2004 $44 96 points 47 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2002 $48 94 points 66 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2003 $48 91 points 104 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz 2004 $48 96 points 48 d'Arenberg The Cadenzia Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003 $25 91 points 88 d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache 2002 $20 89 points 78

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d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2003 $60 92 points 107 d'Arenberg The Feral Fox Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2003 $30 90 points 96 d'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 2003 $19 92 points 52 d'Arenberg The Galvo Garage 2003 $35 91 points 98 d'Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $20 90 points 80 d'Arenberg The Last Ditch Viognier 2004 $20 87 points 79 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2003 $30 92 points 43 d'Arenberg The Noble Riesling 2001 $25 89 points 90 d'Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003 $12 91 points 62 d'Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2004 $12 89 points 36 De Bortoli Gulf Station Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004 $17 88 points 74 De Bortoli Gulf Station Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004 $17 88 points 32 De Bortoli Gulf Station Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $17 90 points 12 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004 $27 92 points 28 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2001 $30 90 points 96 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Chardonnay 2003 $42 91 points 101 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Pinot Noir 2003 $42 92 points 101 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Syrah 2004 $42 94 points 47 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier 2004 $27 94 points 42 DeBortoli Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $30 91 points 96 Deisen Landscape Autumn Song Grenache 2003 $27 91 points 91 Delgado Zuleta Manzanilla La Goya Jerez Sherry NV $16 89 points 59 Devil's Lair Chardonnay 2004 $38 92 points 30 Devil's Lair Fifth Leg White 2005 $18 89 points 75 Devil's Lair Margaret River 1998 $55 92 points 106 Devil's Lair Margaret River 2003 $55 92 points 106 Domaine Chandon Blanc de Blancs 2002 $34 91 points 98 Domaine Chandon Pinot Shiraz NV $23 90 points 86 Domaine Chandon Tasmanian Cuvee 2002 $34 93 points 56 Domaine Chandon ZD 2002 $34 92 points 56 Domaine Fourrier Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Rouges 2002 $75 95 points 35 Domaine Laroche Chablis 2004 88 points 111 Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots 2002 $125 95 points 25 Domaine Laroche Chablis St Martin 2003 90 points 110 Domaine Laroche Les Fourcharmes Premier Cru Chablis 2002 92 points 111 Domaine Laroche Les Vaudevey Premier Cru Chablis 2003 93 points 111 Dutschke Oscar Semmler 2003 $45 94 points 53 Dutschke St Jakobi Shiraz 2003 $28 92 points 42 Dutschke Sun Dried Shiraz 2005 95 points 61 Dutschke The Muscat NV $20 93 points 59 Dutschke The Tokay NV $20 94 points 59 Dutschke Willow Bend Merlot Shiraz Cabernet 2003 $22 89 points 83 Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne 1995 $270 95 points 57 Duval-Leroy Fleur Blanc de Chardonnay 1998 $95 94 points 57 Duval-Leroy Fleur Brut NV $96 92 points 109 Duval-Leroy Fleur Premier Cru NV $80 92 points 109 Duval-Leroy Fleur Rosé de Saignee NV $85 94 points 57 Duval-Leroy Paris NV $115 95 points 57 Eagle Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc 2001 $35 93 points 65 Eagle Vale Chardonnay 2002 $45 91 points 103 Eagle Vale Chardonnay 2003 $45 91 points 103 Eagle Vale Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $18 90 points 76 Eagle Vale Shiraz 2003 $30 90 points 96 Eppalock Ridge Heathcote Cabernet Merlot 2003 $33 90 points 97 Evans and Tate Margaret River Classic Rosé 2005 $16 90 points 32 Evans and Tate Margaret River Classic Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 92 points 16 Evans and Tate Margaret River Semillon 2002 $20 91 points 80 Evans and Tate Margaret River Shiraz 2003 $20 89 points 81 Evans and Tate Redbrook Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $45 91 points 103 Feraud-Brunel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2001 $35 93 points 46 Fermoy Estate Chardonnay 2003 $22 92 points 27 Fermoy Estate Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $26 90 points 90 Fermoy Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $17 88 points 74 Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Chardonnay 2005 $15 89 points 72 Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Riesling 2004 $15 91 points 8 Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $15 89 points 72 Ferngrove Estate Premium Range Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $15 91 points 9 Fire Block Old Vine Shiraz 2002 $20 92 points 52 Flying Fish Cove Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 91 points 15 Forrest Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 92 points 15

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Forrest Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 92 points 16 Forrest Estate Waitaki Valley North Otago Pinot Noir 2004 92 points 110 Framingham Marlborough Pinot Noir 2004 $28 88 points 93 Framingham Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 90 points 80 Frankland River Estate Cooladerra Vineyard Riesling 2005 $23 93 points 18 Frankland River Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2005 $23 94 points 18 Frankland River Estate Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2003 $27 89 points 91 Frankland River Estate Olmo's Reward 2002 $35 89 points 99 Frankland River Estate Poison Hill Vineyard Riesling 2005 $23 91 points 86 Frankland River Estate Rocky Gully Riesling 2005 $16 92 points 10 FUSE Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2003 $19 89 points 78 FUSE Adelaide Hills Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $19 92 points 14 FUSE Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003 $19 88 points 77 Gabbiano Bellezza Sangiovese 2001 $45 92 points 103 Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 $29 91 points 94 Galafrey Mount Barker Cabernet 2000 $22 90 points 82 Galafrey Mount Barker Riesling 2004 $15 90 points 8 Galafrey Mount Barker Riesling 2005 $15 91 points 8 Galafrey Reserve Cabernet 2000 $50 91 points 106 Galafrey Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $15 92 points 8 Galafrey Unoaked Chardonnay 2004 $15 89 points 71 Gapsted Ballerina Canopy Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $18 91 points 76 Gapsted Tobacco Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $12 86 points 36 Gartelmann Hunter Estate Benjamin Semillon 2005 $18 91 points 13 Gemtree Bloodstone Tempranillo 2004 $25 90 points 89 Gemtree Cinnbar Grenache Tempranillo Shiraz Cadenzia 2004 $25 91 points 40 Gemtree Citrine Chardonnay 2005 $15 90 points 26 Gemtree Uncut shiraz 2001 $20 92 points 81 Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2002 $20 92 points 63 Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2004 $20 91 points 39 Geoff Merrill Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $20 88 points 82 Geoff Merrill Liquid Asset McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache Viognier 2003 $16 88 points 73 Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Merlot 2002 $20 91 points 81 Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Reserve Shiraz 1999 $40 91 points 101 Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Shiraz "Jacko's Blend" 2002 $20 89 points 80 Geoff Merrill McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2002 $15 88 points 72 Giaconda Cabernet 2004 $55 94 points 49 Giaconda Chardonnay 2004 $96 95 points 31 Giaconda Pinot Noir 2004 $67 92 points 35 Giant Steps Pinot Noir 2003 $25 90 points 90 Giant Steps Sexton Bernard Clones 95 & 96 Chardonnay 2003 $40 92 points 100 Glenburnie Pinot Noir 2001 $18 88 points 76 Glenburnie Riesling 2004 $12 87 points 70 Glenburnie Tumbarumba Pinot Noir Chardonnay 1998 $20 88 points 81 Glenguin Estate The Old Broke Block Semillon 2004 $19 90 points 77 Gloucester Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $25 90 points 90 Gloucester Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $16 89 points 10 Gloucester Ridge Unwooded Chardonnay 2005 $16 88 points 10 Goundrey Offspring Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $20 89 points 81 Goundrey Offspring Chardonnay 2003 $20 88 points 81 Gralyn Estate Chardonnay 2004 $55 92 points 106 Gralyn Estate Rosé 2005 $25 91 points 89 Grant Burge Balthasar Barossa Shiraz Viognier 2003 $36 91 points 100 Grant Burge Barossa Vines Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $15 89 points 37 Grant Burge Filsell Barossa Shiraz 2003 $30 90 points 96 Green Point Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $21 92 points 16 Green Point Shiraz 2003 $30 92 points 43 Green Point Shiraz 2004 $30 91 points 95 Grosset Gaia 2000 $55 92 points 107 Grosset Gaia 2002 $55 94 points 49 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2000 $39 93 points 65 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2001 $39 95 points 65 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2002 $35 96 points 65 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2004 $39 93 points 24 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2005 $35 95 points 23 Grosset Watervale Riesling 1999 $33 93 points 65 Grosset Watervale Riesling 2000 $33 93 points 65 Grosset Watervale Riesling 2004 $33 93 points 23 Gum Bear Wines Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $17 88 points 74 Hanging Rock Cambrian Rise Shiraz 2002 $27 93 points 52

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Hanging Rock Cambrian Rise Shiraz 2003 $27 92 points 53 Hanging Rock Cuvee X Brut NV $45 93 points 56 Hanging Rock Gralaine Merlot 2001 $27 90 points 91 Hanging Rock Heathcote Shiraz 2003 $60 92 points 107 Hanging Rock Perricoota Verdelho 2004 $16 89 points 73 Hanging Rock Rowbottoms shiraz 2003 $33 90 points 97 Hanging Rock Shiraz 2001 $55 93 points 49 Hanging Rock The Jim Jim Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $27 89 points 91 Hardys Arras Chardonnay Pinot Noir 1999 $50 92 points 57 Hardys Sir James Vintage Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2001 $25 88 points 89 Hastwell & Lightfoot Cabernet Franc 2002 $22 92 points 39 Hastwell & Lightfoot Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $22 91 points 85 Hastwell & Lightfoot Tempranillo 2002 $21 92 points 39 Heathcote Winery Mail Coach Shiraz 2003 $22 90 points 83 Heemskerk Riesling 2000 $20 91 points 79 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Merlot 2001 $88 93 points 109 Henschke Green's Hill Lenswood Riesling 2003 $30 91 points 95 Henschke Joseph Hill Gewürztraminer 2004 $28 92 points 21 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 1997 $24 91 points 86 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2000 $24 92 points 87 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2001 $24 91 points 86 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2002 $24 91 points 87 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2003 $24 89 points 87 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling 2004 $24 93 points 19 Henschke Keyneton Estate Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2001 $32 90 points 97 Henschke Mount Edelstone 1992 $62 91 points 108 Henschke Mount Edelstone 2001 $62 92 points 107 Henschke Mount Edelstone 2002 $62 95 points 50 Heritage Wines Barossa Semillon 2002 $15 88 points 72 Hoddles Creek Estate Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004 $17 92 points 26 Hoddles Creek Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004 $17 91 points 32 Hollick Coonawarra Cabernet 2002 $26 94 points 41 Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Merlot 2004 $12 88 points 36 Houghton Chardonnay 2005 $12 88 points 26 Houghton Crofters Cabernet Merlot 2002 $18 90 points 38 Houghton Crofters Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $15 92 points 9 Houghton Frankland River Riesling 2002 $20 91 points 15 Houghton Gladstones Margaret River Cabernet 2004 $70 96 points 54 Houghton Jack Mann Frankland river Cabernet Malbec 2004 $100 95 points 55 Houghton Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $27 94 points 42 Houghton Moondah Brook Cabernet Rosé 2005 $15 89 points 72 Houghton Pemberton Chardonnay 2003 $25 89 points 90 Houghton Pemberton Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2000 $24 93 points 56 Houghton Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 91 points 15 Houghton Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $12 89 points 7 Houghton White Classic 2005 $12 90 points 7 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $75 94 points 50 Howard Park Chardonnay 2001 $35 96 points 65 Howard Park Chardonnay 2004 $35 95 points 29 Howard Park Leston Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $35 92 points 99 Howard Park Leston Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $35 92 points 45 Howard Park Leston Margaret River Shiraz 2003 $28 90 points 92 Howard Park Leston Margaret River Shiraz 2004 $35 92 points 45 Howard Park Mad Fish Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2005 $18 90 points 32 Howard Park Mad Fish Carnelian p76-40 2003 $24 89 points 87 Howard Park Mad Fish Chardonnay 2004 $22 92 points 27 Howard Park Mad Fish Gold Turtle Shiraz 2004 $22 91 points 83 Howard Park Mad Fish Premium Red 2003 $20 91 points 39 Howard Park Mad Fish Riesling 2005 $15 93 points 9 Howard Park Mad Fish Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $18 91 points 12 Howard Park Mad Fish Shiraz 2003 $22 90 points 83 Howard Park Riesling 1997 $25 94 points 63 Howard Park Riesling 2004 $25 92 points 20 Howard Park Riesling 2005 $22 94 points 17 Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $25 89 points 90 Howard Park Scotsdale Frankland River Shiraz 2003 $35 90 points 99 Howard Park Scotsdale Frankland River Shiraz 2004 $35 94 points 44 Howard Park Scotsdale Great Southern Cabernet 2004 $35 93 points 45 Hugel Riesling Vendange Tardive 1990 94 points 61 Huntington Estate Mudgee Cabernet Sauvignon Bin FB13 2001 $30 91 points 96

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Huntington Estate Mudgee Semillon 2004 $15 89 points 71 Huntington Estate Semillon 2005 $15 90 points 9 Huntington Mudgee Shiraz Bin FB14 2000 $18 91 points 38 Huntington The Four Seasons Cabernet Shiraz Bin HB61 2001/2002 $10 88 points 52 Ingoldby McLaren Vale Rosé 2005 $18 90 points 76 Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling 2005 $16 92 points 10 Jamieson's Run Coonawarra Country Selection Cabernet 2003 $22 91 points 83 Jansz Tasmania Premium Vintage Brut 2001 $37 91 points 100 Jansz Vintage Cuvee 2000 $36 90 points 99 Jim Barry The Florita Clare Valley Riesling 2004 $25 96 points 20 Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2004 $15 93 points 8 Jimbour Station Ludwig Leichhardt Reserve Merlot 2002 $28 90 points 93 Jimbour Station Verdelho 2005 $15 88 points 71 Juniper Crossing Cabernet Merlot 2003 $20 89 points 79 Juniper Crossing Chardonnay 2003 $19 88 points 77 Juniper Crossing Chardonnay 2004 $20 88 points 80 Juniper Crossing Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $16 91 points 10 Juniper Crossing Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $16 90 points 11 Juniper Estate Cabernet 1999 $32 91 points 97 Juniper Estate Cabernet 2000 $32 91 points 97 Juniper Estate Cabernet 2001 $32 94 points 64 Juniper Estate Cabernet 2002 $32 91 points 97 Juniper Estate Cabernet 2003 $32 93 points 44 Juniper Estate Cabernet 2004 $32 94 points 44 Juniper Estate Cane-cut riesling 2004 $24 92 points 59 Juniper Estate Margaret River Semillon 2005 $22 90 points 82 Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2001 $29 90 points 94 Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2002 $29 90 points 94 Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2003 $29 92 points 43 Juniper Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2004 $29 95 points 43 Juniper Estate Semillon 2004 $22 90 points 83 Kalleske Clarry's Barossa Red 2004 $19 89 points 77 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2003 $38 91 points 100 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2004 $39 93 points 53 Kalleske Johann Georg Old Vine Shiraz 2003 $100 94 points 55 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache 2003 $45 92 points 53 Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $20 91 points 39 Kangarilla Road Chardonnay 2004 $15 88 points 71 Kangarilla Road Shiraz 2003 $20 89 points 79 Kangarilla Road Shiraz Viognier 2004 $21 89 points 82 Kangarilla Road Viognier 2004 $20 89 points 80 Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2000 $45 92 points 103 Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2001 $45 93 points 53 Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2002 $45 94 points 53 Kay Bros Amery Cabernet 2002 $20 88 points 81 Kay Bros Amery Hillside Shiraz 2002 $33 91 points 53 Kay Bros Amery Merlot 2002 $20 88 points 80 Keith Tulloch Botrytis Semillon 2001 $30 92 points 95 Keith Tulloch Chardonnay 2003 $28 94 points 28 Keith Tulloch Kester Shiraz 2001 $43 91 points 102 Keith Tulloch Semillon 2003 $26 92 points 21 Keith Tulloch Semillon 2004 $26 93 points 21 Keith Tulloch Syrah Viognier 2002 $29 88 points 94 Killerby April Classic Premium Dry Red 2003 $10 87 points 36 Killerby April Classic Premium Dry White 2005 $10 87 points 7 Killerby Chardonnay 2002 $30 93 points 29 Killerby Chardonnay 2005 $30 93 points 29 Killerby Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $19 90 points 77 Killerby Shiraz 2002 $24 92 points 40 Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $18 91 points 75 Kumeu River Chardonnay 2001 $43 93 points 102 Kumeu River Chardonnay 2002 $43 93 points 102 Kumeu River Chardonnay 2004 $43 91 points 30 Kumeu River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $25 90 points 87 Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2001 $51 91 points 106 Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2002 $51 95 points 67 Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2003 $51 93 points 67 Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2004 $51 94 points 31 Kumeu River Pinot Gris 2004 $30 89 points 96 Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2003 $22 89 points 82

119

alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2004 $22 89 points 83 Kym Tolley Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Bin End 2004 $10 90 points 36 La Purisma Estio Rosado 2004 $20 88 points 81 Lake's Folly Cabernets 1989 $45 92 points 102 Lake's Folly Cabernets 2000 $45 95 points 66 Lake's Folly Cabernets 2001 $45 94 points 66 Lake's Folly Cabernets 2003 $45 95 points 48 Lake's Folly Chardonnay 1993 $45 91 points 103 Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2000 $45 90 points 104 Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2002 $45 93 points 103 Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2004 $45 94 points 31 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay 2002 $20 88 points 78 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris 2004 $20 90 points 79 Lambert Vineyards Riesling 2004 $18 89 points 76 Langmeil Eden Valley Riesling 2004 $20 92 points 15 Langmeil Eden Valley Riesling 2005 $20 91 points 81 Langmeil Three Gardens Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2003 $28 91 points 93 Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz 2003 $28 91 points 93 Lark Hill Chardonnay 2002 $28 92 points 29 Lark Hill Riesling 2004 $22 88 points 85 Laurent Perrier Brut 1996 $65 94 points 57 Laurent Perrier Rosé NV $80 92 points 108 Lawson's Dry Hills Chardonnay 2002 $29 91 points 95 Lawson's Dry Hills Gewürztraminer 2004 $24 93 points 20 Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Noir 2002 $31 91 points 96 Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $18 95 points 13 Leasingham Bastion Riesling 2003 $13 89 points 62 Leasingham Bastion Riesling 2005 $13 90 points 7 Leasingham Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec 2000 $22 89 points 84 Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling 2004 $18 91 points 13 Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet 2001 $45 89 points 103 Leasingham Classic Clare Riesling 1998 $30 94 points 63 Leasingham Classic Clare Riesling 2002 $30 96 points 63 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz 2001 $45 91 points 104 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz 1995 $50 92 points 57 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay 1999 $80 93 points 68 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $51 92 points 49 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2003 $76 95 points 31 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay 2004 $29 92 points 29 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Classic Dry White 2005 $18 93 points 12 Leeuwin Estate Riesling 1998 $22 94 points 63 Leeuwin Estate Riesling 2004 $22 92 points 18 Leeuwin Estate Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004 $21 91 points 82 Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 2005 $15 91 points 8 Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling 2005 $15 93 points 8 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling 2005 $30 95 points 22 Leo Buring Mount Barker Riesling 2005 $28 93 points 22 Leo Buring Single Vineyard Watervale Riesling (tank sample) 2005 $28 94 points 22 Lindemans Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $9 85 points 70 Lindemans Limestone Ridge vineyard Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet 2001 $50 90 points 106 Lindemans Pyrus Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2000 $50 91 points 106 Lindemans Reserve Padthaway Shiraz 2004 $13 89 points 36 Logan Hannah Rosé 2004 $22 91 points 84 Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Chardonnay 2004 $10 89 points 26 Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Merlot 2002 $10 87 points 70 Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $10 88 points 7 Logan Wines Apple Tree Flat Shiraz 2002 $10 87 points 70 Logan Wines Cabernet Merlot 1999 $25 90 points 90 Logan Wines Chardonnay 2001 $25 94 points 28 Logan Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $22 90 points 85 Logan Wines Shiraz 2001 $25 95 points 40 Logan Wines Vintage "M" Cuvee 1999 $25 92 points 56 Logan Wines Weemala Chardonnay 2001 $15 89 points 26 Logan Wines Weemala Gewurztraminer 2005 $15 88 points 71 Logan Wines Weemala Merlot 2002 $15 89 points 71 Logan Wines Weemala Pinot Noir 2003 $15 89 points 32 Logan Wines Weemala Shiraz Viognier 2003 $16 89 points 72 Lost Valley Shiraz 2002 $32 89 points 97 Louee Five Peaks 2003 $20 90 points 80 Louee Nullo Mountain Late Picked Riesling 2004 $18 94 points 13

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Louee Nullo Mountain Pinot Gris 2005 $18 92 points 13 Louee Nullo Mountain Pinot Noir 2004 $20 90 points 33 Louee Nullo Mountain Riesling 2004 $18 90 points 75 Louee Nullo Mountain Riesling 2005 $18 94 points 13 Louee Petit Verdot 2003 $19 90 points 78 Louee Rumkers Peak Shiraz 2003 $18 93 points 38 Louee Tongbong Chardonnay 2004 $18 90 points 26 Mad Fish Riesling 2004 $16 91 points 73 Mad Fish Western Australia Riesling 2005 $16 91 points 11 Maglieri Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $20 90 points 79 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 $30 94 points 64 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 $30 84 points 95 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 $30 94 points 64 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 $30 91 points 95 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 $30 95 points 64 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 $30 93 points 64 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 $30 94 points 64 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $30 96 points 64 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $30 94 points 63 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $30 96 points 43 Majella Riesling 2005 $16 91 points 11 Majella Shiraz 1992 $30 90 points 96 Majella Shiraz 1993 $30 92 points 95 Majella Shiraz 1994 $30 93 points 64 Majella Shiraz 1996 $30 92 points 64 Majella Shiraz 2003 $30 92 points 43 Majella Sparkling Shiraz 2004 $28 91 points 92 Majella The Malleea 1996 $65 93 points 67 Majella The Malleea 1997 $65 94 points 67 Majella The Malleea 1998 $65 94 points 68 Majella The Malleea 1999 $65 94 points 68 Majella The Malleea 2000 $65 95 points 68 Majella The Malleea 2001 $65 108 Majella The Malleea 2002 $65 95 points 54 Majella The Musician by Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2004 $17 90 points 37 Marc Bredif Vouvray 1986 $35 94 points 24 McCrae Mist Pinot Noir 2004 $15 91 points 32 McGuigan Wines Earth Portrait Riesling 2005 91 points 111 McWilliams Early Release Elizabeth Semillon 2002 $18 90 points 75 McWilliams Hanwood Chardonnay 2005 $12 87 points 26 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 1999 $45 95 points 24 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005 $47 95 points 25 McWilliams Show Reserve Amontillado NV $40 93 points 60 Meerea Park Alexander Munro Individual Vineyard Semillon 1999 $27 94 points 21 Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 2002 $40 93 points 46 Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 2003 $40 92 points 101 Meerea Park Epoch Semillon 2004 $19 91 points 77 Meerea Park Terracotta Semillon 1999 $30 95 points 22 Meerea Park Terracotta Shiraz 2003 $55 91 points 106 Meerea Park The Aunts Hunter Shiraz 1998 $26 94 points 63 Meerea Park The Aunts Hunter Shiraz 2003 $26 92 points 41 Merlot 2002 $20 92 points 39 Merricks Creek Close Planted Pinot Noir 2003 $43 91 points 102 Merricks Creek Nick Farr Pinot Noir 2003 $45 92 points 102 Merricks Creek Pinot Noir 2003 $25 90 points 88 Metier Schoolhouse Vineyard Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2002 $32 90 points 97 Michael Unwin Acrobat Shiraz 2002 $25 89 points 89 Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $30 91 points 96 Mitchell Riesling 2000 $20 91 points 62 Mitchell Riesling 2001 $20 93 points 62 Mitchell Riesling 2002 $20 91 points 62 Mitchell Riesling 2003 $20 94 points 62 Mitchell Riesling 2004 $20 94 points 15 Mitolo GAM Shiraz 2004 $56 95 points 54 Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2004 $30 90 points 96 Mitolo Reiver Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004 $56 94 points 107 Mitolo Savitar McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004 $73 96 points 54 Mitolo Serpico McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $73 92 points 108 Molino Real Moscatel 2002 $95 93 points 109 Moorilla Estate Chardonnay 2002 $26 90 points 91

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Moorilla Estate Riesling 2004 $25 90 points 89 Moorilla Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $28 94 points 21 Morgan Vineyards 2002 $25 90 points 87 Morris Blue Imperial 2001 $17 91 points 37 Morris Durif 2002 $22 91 points 52 Morris Old Premium Rare Liqueur Muscat NV $70 95 points 60 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 $100 92 points 109 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $100 94 points 109 Moss Wood Margaret River Chardonnay 2004 $49 90 points 105 Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $24 92 points 19 Mount Horrocks Cabernet Merlot 2001 $28 92 points 42 Mount Horrocks Cabernet Merlot 2002 $35 95 points 45 Mount Horrocks Chardonnay 2004 $22 90 points 83 Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling 2004 $28 95 points 59 Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling 2005 $33 95 points 60 Mount Horrocks Semillon 2004 $22 91 points 83 Mount Horrocks Shiraz 2001 $28 91 points 93 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2004 $22 93 points 17 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2005 $28 94 points 21 Mount Langi Ghiran Riesling 2005 $25 88 points 88 Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $15 92 points 8 Mount Riley Savee Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc NV $20 90 points 80 Mount Riley Seventeen Valley Chardonnay 2002 $28 91 points 93 Mount Riley Seventeen Valley Pinot Noir 2003 89 points 111 Mount Riley Seventeen Valley Reserve Pinot Noir 2002 90 points 110 Mr Riggs Shiraz Viognier 2004 $28 92 points 42 Mr Riggs The Gaffer Shiraz 2004 $22 90 points 52 Mr Riggs Watervale Riesling 2005 $21 93 points 17 Mt Rosa Wines Pinot Gris 2003 $23 88 points 86 Mudgee Growers Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 91 points 111 Munari Heathcote Merlot 2004 $30 92 points 96 Neagles Rock Clare Valley Riesling 2002 $18 92 points 62 Neagles Rock Clare Valley Riesling 2004 $18 92 points 12 Neagles Rock Frisky Filly Reserve Riesling 2004 $30 92 points 22 Nepenthe Tryst Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon/Pinot Gris 2005 $15 93 points 8 Nepenthe Tryst Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2004 $15 91 points 10 Nepenthe Unoaked Chardonnay 2005 $17 88 points 74 Newton Forrest Estate Cornerstone Hawkes Bay Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2000 $40 89 points 101 Oakridge Chardonnay 2003 $25 92 points 27 Oakridge Pinot Noir 2002 $25 90 points 89 Oakridge Yarra Valley Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2001 $30 92 points 56 Oakridge Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2003 $25 88 points 89 Oakridge Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 93 points 16 Old Gunyah Road Shiraz 2002 $22 93 points 52 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet 2000 $60 91 points 107 Orlando Lawson's Padthaway Shiraz 2000 $60 95 points 50 Orlando St Helga 2005 $16 91 points 11 Orlando St Hugo 2002 $35 94 points 45 Orlando Steingarten Riesling 1996 $25 94 points 63 Orlando Steingarten riesling 1998 $25 94 points 63 Orlando Steingarten Riesling 2004 $25 94 points 20 Oxford Landing South Australia Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $7 88 points 7 Paringa Estate Chardonnay 2002 $28 92 points 94 Paringa Estate Peninsula Chardonnay 2004 $15 90 points 72 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2002 $55 93 points 34 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2004 $55 95 points 34 Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2003 $80 95 points 35 Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2004 $80 94 points 35 Paringa Estate Shiraz 2003 $42 92 points 47 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $35 93 points 45 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $35 94 points 45 Pauletts Polish Hill River Riesling 2004 $18 94 points 12 Penfolds Bin 138 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003 $25 90 points 88 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1996 $40 94 points 65 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet 2002 $30 92 points 43 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2002 $14 86 points 70 Penley Estate Phoenix 2003 $20 90 points 82 Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet 2002 $57 95 points 49 Penny's Hill McLaren Vale Cadenzia Grenache 2004 $22 87 points 84 Penny's Hill Red Dot Chardonnay Viognier 2005 $15 89 points 72

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Pepper Tree Reserve Semillon 1999 $35 90 points 98 Pepper Tree Wrattonbully Grand Reserve Shiraz 2003 $50 91 points 105 Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2003 $23 91 points 86 Pepperjack Chardonnay 2004 $23 90 points 85 Pepperjack Grenache Rosé 2004 $24 90 points 33 Pertaringa McLaren Vale Two Gentlemen's Grenache 2003 $18 93 points 52 Petaluma Coonawarra 1990 $50 92 points 105 Petaluma Coonawarra 1991 $50 94 points 67 Petaluma Coonawarra 1992 $50 92 points 106 Petaluma Coonawarra 1995 $50 94 points 67 Petaluma Coonawarra 1996 $50 95 points 67 Petaluma Coonawarra 1998 $50 94 points 67 Petaluma Coonawarra 1999 $50 94 points 67 Petaluma Coonawarra 2000 $50 94 points 67 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2003 $23 91 points 85 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2005 $23 92 points 18 Peter Lehmann Stonewell 1994 $75 92 points 54 Peter Lehmann The King Port 1987 $25 91 points 89 Petersons Botrytis Semillon 2004 $30 90 points 96 Pettavel Evening Star Geelong Riesling 2004 $18 89 points 76 Phillips Brook Estate Cabernet Merlot 2004 $20 88 points 79 Phillips Brook Estate Nine Redgums Clairet 2004 $15 88 points 71 Phillips Brook Estate Riesling 2002 $18 93 points 62 Phillips Brook Estate Riesling 2003 $18 93 points 62 Phillips Brook Estate Riesling 2005 $18 93 points 12 Phillips Brook Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $18 91 points 12 Picardy Chardonnay 2004 $35 91 points 99 Picardy Merlot Cabernet 1997 $26 89 points 91 Picardy Pemberton Pinot Noir 2002 $24 94 points 33 Picardy Pinot Noir 2003 $32 91 points 97 Picardy Shiraz 2002 $26 94 points 41 Picardy Shiraz 2003 $26 93 points 41 Picardy Tete de Cuvee Pinot Noir 2001 $50 91 points 105 Picardy Tete de Cuvee Pinot Noir 2002 $50 93 points 34 Pierro Margaret River Chardonnay 2004 $65 94 points 31 Piggs Peake Viognier 2005 $24 93 points 19 Piggs Peake Wiggly Tail Marsanne 2004 $24 90 points 87 Piggs Peake Wiggly Tail Marsanne 2005 $24 91 points 87 Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2003 $28 91 points 94 Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2003 $28 90 points 93 Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 91 points 16 Pikes "The Dogwalk" Clare Valley Cabernet Merlot 2003 $16 92 points 37 Pikes Clare Valley Riesling 2005 $20 94 points 16 Pikes Clare Valley Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2002 $22 89 points 82 Pikes Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $17 90 points 12 Pikes The EPW Reserve Shiraz 2002 $48 93 points 53 Pikes The Merle Reserve Clare Valley Riesling 2005 $34 94 points 23 Piper Heidsieck Brut NV $65 92 points 108 Piper's Brook Kreglinger 1998 $44 93 points 56 Pizzini Arneis 2004 $25 89 points 88 Pizzini Ill Barone 2001 $40 93 points 47 Pizzini King Valley Riesling 2004 $17 91 points 12 Plantagenet Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $35 92 points 45 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $12 89 points 7 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Shiraz 2003 $12 86 points 70 Plantagenet Omrah Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $18 89 points 76 Plantagenet Omrah Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $18 93 points 14 Plantagenet Riesling 2005 $19 92 points 14 Plantagenet Shiraz 2002 $40 93 points 46 Plantagenet Shiraz 2003 $40 92 points 100 Plunkett Strathbogie Ranges Chardonnay 2004 $19 89 points 78 Preveli Chardonnay 2004 $22 89 points 85 Primo Estate Joseph Angel Gully Shiraz 2003 $48 91 points 105 Primo Estate Joseph Moda Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1994 $46 92 points 104 Primo Estate Joseph Moda Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2003 $46 92 points 104 Primo Estate Joseph Pinot Grigio d'Elena 2005 $24 92 points 19 Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Red NV $48 92 points 104 Ravenswood Lane Pinot Gris 2005 $30 91 points 95 Ravenswood Lane Single Vineyard Viognier 2005 $30 92 points 22 Red Hill Blanc de Blanc 2001 $26 89 points 91

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Red Hill Classic Release Chardonnay 2002 $30 94 points 29 Red Nectar Barossa Shiraz 2004 $25 90 points 89 Red Nectar Cabernet 2004 $25 91 points 87 Redgate Bin 588 Cabernet Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2003 $23 92 points 40 Redgate Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $30 92 points 44 Redgate Chardonnay 2004 $35 91 points 98 Redgate OFS Semillon 2003 $23 91 points 86 Redgate OFS Semillon 2005 $23 92 points 18 Redgate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $19 91 points 15 Redgate Shiraz 2003 $25 89 points 88 Richmond Grove Black Cat Shiraz 2004 $14 88 points 70 Richmond Grove Coonawarra Cabernet 2001 $20 92 points 39 Richmond Grove French Cask Chardonnay 2005 $14 89 points 26 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 1998 $15 92 points 8 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2004 $16 91 points 10 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2005 $16 92 points 9 Richmond Grove Weathervane Cabernet Merlot 2004 $14 87 points 71 Ridgeline Cabernet Merlot 2002 91 points 111 Robert Channon Wines Singing Lake Chardonnay Verdelho 2004 $15 88 points 72 Robert Channon Wines Verdelho 2004 $25 89 points 89 Rochford Macedon Ranges Chardonnay 2003 $27 94 points 28 Rochford Macedon Ranges Pinot Gris 2004 $27 92 points 21 Rochford Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2002 $41 93 points 34 Rochford R Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004 $22 91 points 82 Rochford V Pinot Noir 2003 $17 88 points 74 Rochford V Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2003 $17 89 points 74 Rochford Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot 2001 $23 90 points 85 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2002 $50 93 points 105 Rockford Eden Valley Riesling 2002 $18 90 points 75 Rockford Rifle Range Cabernet 2002 $33 92 points 44 Rockford Rod & Spur Cabernet Shiraz 2002 $29 91 points 94 Rockford Shiraz VP 1998 $60 94 points 60 Rockford SVS Flaxman Shiraz 1998 $70 92 points 108 Rosemount Estate Giants Creek Chardonnay Viognier 2004 $20 92 points 27 Rosemount Estate Hill of Gold Mudgee Cabernet 2003 $18 89 points 75 Rosemount Estate Hill of Gold Mudgee Chardonnay 2004 $18 91 points 75 Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz 2001 $20 91 points 78 Rust en Vrede Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $60 90 points 107 Rymill Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $29 92 points 43 Rymill Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $17 88 points 74 Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet 2002 $23 93 points 40 Saltram No 1 Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2001 $68 94 points 108 Saltram No 1 Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2002 $60 93 points 54 Saltram Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $23 88 points 86 Samuel's Gorge McLaren Vale Grenache 2003 $35 92 points 53 Samuel's Gorge Shiraz 2003 $35 91 points 98 Sanchez Romate Jerez Amontillado N.P.U NV $38 90 points 100 Sanchez Romate Jerez Don Jose Oloroso NV $38 91 points 100 Sanchez Romate Jerez Moscatel Ambrosia NV $62 93 points 107 Sanchez Romate Jerez Palo Cortado Regente NV $47 92 points 104 Sanchez Romate Jerez Pedro Ximenez Cardenal Cisneros NV $52 93 points 60 Sandalford Element Classic White 2005 $12 89 points 7 Sandalford Protégé Classic Dry White 2005 $18 88 points 76 Sandalford Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $25 90 points 88 Savaterre Chardonnay 2004 $50 95 points 31 Savaterre Pinot Noir 2004 $50 92 points 34 Scarborough White Label Selection Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2004 $25 92 points 27 Schild Estate Reserve Ben Schild Shiraz 2003 $45 92 points 104 Scotchmans Hill Geelong Pinot Noir 2003 $30 90 points 95 Scotchmans Hill Swan Bay Geelong Pinot Noir 2004 $18 89 points 33 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2005 $25 93 points 20 Seppelt GR72/73 Seppeltsfiled Show Vintage Shiraz 1982 $30 95 points 63 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1990 $65 93 points 57 Seppelt Victoria Chardonnay 2004 $15 88 points 71 Seppelt Victoria Pinot Noir 2004 $15 87 points 32 Seppelt Victoria Riesling 2004 $15 89 points 71 Seppelt Victoria Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $15 88 points 71 Seresin Marama Sauvignon Blanc 2003 $20 89 points 81 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 91 points 82 Sevenhill Cellars Riesling 2005 $19 92 points 14

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Seville Estate Chardonnay 2002 $27 91 points 92 Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2002 $30 92 points 96 Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2003 $27 92 points 92 Seville Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $35 91 points 99 Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2003 $35 93 points 46 Shaw and Smith M3 Vineyard Chardonnay 2003 $35 92 points 98 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $25 92 points 20 Shelmerdine Heathcote Cabernet 2003 $25 91 points 89 Shelmerdine Heathcote Shiraz 2003 $30 92 points 43 Shelmerdine Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2003 $25 91 points 89 Shelmerdine Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 91 points 16 Skillogalee Riesling 2005 $19 91 points 14 Sorrenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Merlot 2002 $36 92 points 46 Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2004 $38 92 points 100 Sorrenberg Gamay 2004 $34 92 points 34 St Hallett Faith Barossa Shiraz 2004 $20 89 points 79 St Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $28 92 points 93 St Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet 2003 $26 90 points 91 St Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot 2003 $26 90 points 91 St Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot 2004 $24 89 points 86 St Huberts Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2005 $25 92 points 27 St Huberts Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004 $26 88 points 91 St Huberts Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $24 94 points 19 Stanton & Killeen Classic Muscat NV $25 93 points 59 Stanton & Killeen Grand Muscat NV $75 94 points 60 Stanton & Killeen Merlot Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $22 91 points 40 Stanton & Killeen Rare Muscat NV $100 94 points 109 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 1992 $40 93 points 60 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 2000 $22 91 points 84 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 2005 $22 91 points 84 Starvedog Lane Chardonnay Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier 2000 $26 90 points 91 Stella Bella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $28 90 points 93 Stella Bella Chardonnay 2003 $25 93 points 27 Stella Bella Sangiovese Cabernet 2004 $28 89 points 93 Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $22 92 points 17 Stella Bella Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 90 points 16 Stella Bella Shiraz 2004 $26 93 points 42 Stella Bella Skuttlebutt Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Shiraz 2004 $17 90 points 37 Stella Bella Skuttlebutt Chardonnay Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $17 88 points 74 Stella Bella Tempranillo 2004 $28 91 points 92 Stella Bella Viognier 2004 $25 91 points 20 Stevens Brook Estate Verdelho 2005 92 points 25 Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $45 92 points 66 Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $45 94 points 48 Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2000 $43 94 points 66 Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2001 $43 95 points 66 Suckfizzle Augusta Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003 $43 95 points 24 Summerfield Reserve Cabernet 2003 $50 91 points 105 Summerfield Reserve Shiraz 2003 $50 94 points 54 Summerfield Tradition 2003 $23 88 points 85 Summerfield Trebbiano 2004 $15 88 points 72 Symphonia Tempranillo 2004 $16 89 points 37 Talijancich Brown Muscat NV $50 92 points 105 Talijancich Shiraz 2003 $13 89 points 36 Talijancich Shiraz 2004 $13 88 points 36 Taltarni Cephas Shiraz Cabernet 2002 $46 94 points 48 Tatachilla Keystone Cabernet Sangiovese 2003 $18 89 points 76 Tatachilla Keystone Shiraz Viognier 2003 $19 91 points 77 Taylors Jaraman Coonawarra/Clare Valley Cabernet 2002 $29 92 points 94 Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $55 93 points 49 Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Shiraz 2001 $60 91 points 107 Telmo Rodriguez Basa Verdejo 2004 $21 91 points 17 Telmon Rodriguez Gabo do XIL Godello 2004 $25 91 points 87 Tempus Two Botrytis Semillon 2002 $20 92 points 59 Tempus Two Hunter Valley "Wilde" Chardonnay 2004 91 points 112 Tempus Two Hunter Valley "Zenith Shiraz" 2003 $45 93 points 103 Tempus Two Tempranillo 2004 $14 88 points 37 Ten Minutes by Tractor Chardonnay 2002 $28 90 points 92 Ten Minutes by Tractor Pinot Noir 2002 $32 93 points 34 Ten Minutes by Tractor Reserve Chardonnay 2003 $39 93 points 30

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Ten Minutes by Tractor Rosé 2004 $20 90 points 33 Terravin Hillside Selection Pinot Noir 2003 92 points 111 Terravin Pinot Noir 2003 92 points 35 Terravin Sauvignon Blanc 2004 91 points 111 T'Gallant Tribute Pinot Noir 2004 $29 89 points 95 The Lane Gathering Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $30 91 points 95 The Lane Off the leash Finn no oak white 2005 $23 92 points 19 The Lane Ravenswood Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $25 93 points 20 The Wilson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $19 91 points 38 The Wilson Vineyard Clare Valley Shiraz Cabernet 2003 $17 90 points 37 The Wilson Vineyard DJW Clare Valley Riesling 2004 $22 90 points 84 The Wilson Vineyard DJW Clare Valley Riesling 2005 $22 91 points 83 The Wilson Vineyard Polish Hill River Riesling 2005 $22 92 points 17 The Wilson Vineyard Riesling 2004 $22 91 points 83 The Wine & Truffle Company Chardonnay 2004 $17 88 points 74 The Wine & Truffle Company Reserve Chardonnay 2004 $25 91 points 28 Thomas Braemore Semillon 2004 $24 90 points 87 Thomas Hunter Valley / McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002 $27 93 points 42 Thomas Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 90 points 80 Tim Adams Botrytis Riesling 1999 $20 91 points 79 Tim Adams Cabernet 2002 $19 93 points 38 Tim Adams Pinot Gris 2004 $18 90 points 13 Tim Adams Riesling 2004 $18 92 points 14 Tim Adams Shiraz 2003 $19 89 points 77 Tim Adams The Fergus 2003 $18 91 points 38 Tim Smith Wines Barossa Grenache Mataro Shiraz 2004 $27 92 points 92 Tintagel Semillon 2001 $18 89 points 62 Tohu Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004 91 points 111 Tollana Bin TR16 Shiraz 2004 $20 90 points 79 Tollana Bin TR222 Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $20 89 points 81 Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2003 $25 90 points 88 Torbreck The Descendant Shiraz Viognier 2003 $125 93 points 109 Torbreck The Run Rig Shiraz Viognier 2002 $225 94 points 55 Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2004 $20 91 points 39 Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Eden Valley Riesling 2005 $23 92 points 18 Tower Estate Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $32 93 points 23 Tower Estate Barossa Shiraz 2003 $42 92 points 101 Tower Estate Clare Valley Riesling 2004 $26 93 points 21 Tower Estate Coonawarra Cabernet 2003 $42 93 points 47 Tower Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2004 $28 93 points 28 Tower Estate Hunter Valley Semillon 1999 $26 94 points 21 Tower Estate Hunter Valley Semillon 2005 $26 93 points 21 Tower Estate Hunter Valley Verdelho 2004 $24 92 points 19 Tower Estate Orange Merlot 2003 $25 92 points 41 Tulloch Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $15 92 points 37 Tulloch Hunter Semillon 2004 $15 91 points 9 Tulloch Julia Semillon 2003 $35 93 points 24 Tulloch Shiraz 2002 $15 88 points 71 Tulloch Verdelho 2004 $15 88 points 71 Tulloch Verdelho 2005 $14 88 points 70 Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz 2003 $55 92 points 106 Tyrrells Lost Block Semillon 2004 $16 91 points 10 Tyrrells Lost Block Unwooded Chardonnay 2004 $16 88 points 73 Tyrrells Old Winery Semillon 2004 $12 91 points 7 Tyrrell's Reserve HVD Semillon 1995 $70 94 points 25 Tyrrells Reserve Stevens Semillon 2001 $25 90 points 90 Tyrrells Trigger Block Gewürztraminer 2005 $16 92 points 10 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1995 $65 91 points 108 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1998 $43 96 points 66 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1999 $43 95 points 24 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon 2000 $43 93 points 102 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2002 $43 95 points 24 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2004 $43 94 points 24 Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay 2003 $43 93 points 31 Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay 2004 $43 93 points 30 Valminor Rias Baixas Albariño 2004 $36 90 points 24 Vasse Felix Heytesbury 1999 $65 95 points 68 Vasse Felix Heytesbury 2002 $65 94 points 50 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2003 $35 92 points 99 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2004 $35 94 points 29

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2003 $22 89 points 83 Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $29 91 points 94 Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $30 92 points 44 Vasse Felix Margaret River Chardonnay 2004 $23 89 points 86 Vasse Felix Margaret River Semillon 2005 $23 93 points 18 Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2002 $38 92 points 100 Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2003 $38 93 points 46 Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2004 $38 94 points 46 Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $19 90 points 77 Veritas Barossa Valley Cabernet Merlot 2004 $18 89 points 75 Veritas Christa Rolf Shiraz Grenache 2004 $18 89 points 75 Veritas Heinrich Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2004 $25 92 points 40 Viking Grand Shiraz 2003 $45 92 points 104 Villa Bianchi Verdicchio dei Castali de jesi DOC Umani Ronchi 2003 $16 88 points 74 Villa Maria Taylor's Pass Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $25 91 points 89 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001 $40 93 points 65 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2002 $40 93 points 46 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2003 $40 94 points 47 Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2004 $38 93 points 30 Voyager Estate Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $22 89 points 85 Voyager Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2004 $30 94 points 44 Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $22 94 points 17 Water Wheel Bendigo Shiraz 2003 $18 91 points 76 Watershed Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2002 $27 93 points 42 Watershed Margaret River Shiraz 2003 $27 91 points 92 Watershed Shades Margaret River Cab Sauv, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Franc 2003 $18 88 points 75 Watershed Wines Awakening Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $29 91 points 94 Watershed Wines Awakening Chardonnay 2004 $29 93 points 29 Watershed Wines Awakening Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $29 92 points 22 Watershed Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2003 $27 91 points 92 Watershed Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 $18 91 points 13 Watershed Wines Shades 2003 $18 89 points 75 Watershed Wines Shiraz 2003 $27 92 points 42 Wedgetail Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $32 92 points 97 Wedgetail Pinot Noir 2002 $38 92 points 100 We're Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $20 91 points 80 We're Estate Semillon 2005 $22 90 points 84 We're Wines Shiraz 2003 $18 88 points 76 Wignalls Cabernet Merlot 2004 $17 88 points 37 Wignalls Chardonnay 2004 $20 89 points 79 Wignalls Chardonnay 2005 $27 90 points 92 Wignalls Unwooded Chardonnay 2005 $17 90 points 11 Wines by Brad Cabernet Merlot 2002 $18 91 points 38 Wines by Brad Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $18 91 points 13 Wirra Wirra Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2004 $27 93 points 28 Wirra Wirra Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $22 94 points 17 Wirra Wirra Hand Picked Riesling 2005 $17 90 points 12 Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Rosé 2005 $17 88 points 74 Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Viognier 2005 $16 89 points 73 Wither Hills Pinot Noir 2003 $27 92 points 33 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $20 94 points 15 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $21 89 points 82 Wolf Blass Black Label 1998 $130 94 points 68 Wolf Blass Black Label 1999 $130 92 points 110 Wolf Blass Black Label 2000 $130 92 points 110 Wolf Blass Black Label 2001 $130 93 points 110 Wolf Blass Black Label 2002 $130 94 points 55 Wolf Blass Black Label Shiraz Cabernet McLaren Vale, Barossa and Adelaide Hills 2001 $130 93 points 110 Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Cabernet 2004 $9 85 points 70 Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2003 $22 91 points 84 Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2004 $22 89 points 84 Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2005 $22 91 points 27 Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Shiraz Viognier 2003 $22 91 points 84 Wolf Blass Gold Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $23 91 points 86 Wolf Blass Gold Label Mount Gambier Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $22 89 points 85 Wolf Blass Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $40 90 points 101 Wolf Blass Icon Chardonnay 2003 94 points 31 Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 1998 $165 94 points 68 Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 1999 $165 93 points 110 Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2001 $165 94 points 110

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alphabetical listing of all wines www.tysonstelzer.com

Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2002 $165 95 points 55 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet 2003 $15 86 points 72 Woodlands Cabernet Franc 2004 $65 92 points 108 Woodlands Cabernet Merlot 2004 $20 91 points 39 Woodlands Chardonnay 2005 $20 88 points 79 Woodlands Emilie May Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $79 94 points 55 Woodlands James Cabernet Merlot 1992 91 points 112 Woodlands Kevin Cabernet 2001 $80 95 points 55 Woodlands Margaret Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $40 92 points 101 Woodlands Reserve Cabernet Merlot 2004 $40 92 points 100 Woody Nook Kelly's Farewell Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $16 89 points 73 Woody Nook Shiraz 2001 $28 90 points 93 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $30 93 points 44 Wynns Chardonnay 2004 $16 90 points 26 Wynns Harold Vineyard Cabernet 2001 $40 92 points 101 Wynns Riesling 2005 $16 89 points 11 Xanadu 25th Anniversary Show Reserve Semillon 2000 $25 91 points 20 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $25 94 points 40 Xanadu Chardonnay 2004 $25 93 points 28 Xanadu Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004 $19 90 points 78 Xanadu Shiraz 2004 $25 91 points 90 Yacca Paddock Vineyards Adelaide Hills Dolcetto 2002 $25 91 points 41 Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2005 $22 92 points 18 Yalumba Pewsey Vale Individual Vineyard Selection Eden Valley Gewurztraminer 2005 $23 93 points 18 Yalumba Pewsey Vale Individual Vineyard Selection Eden Valley Riesling 2005 $17 93 points 11 Yalumba Pewsey Vale Riesling 1980 95 points 69 Yalumba Shiraz Viognier 2004 $12 89 points 70 Yalumba The Menzies 2000 $36 91 points 99 Yalumba The Menzies 2002 $36 92 points 46 Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier 2004 $50 93 points 25 Yarra Burn Bastard Hill Pinot Noir 2003 $50 90 points 106 Yarra Burn Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $26 90 points 90 Yarra Burn Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier 2001 $25 88 points 90 Yarra Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 $22 92 points 82 Yarra Ridge Pinot Noir 2003 $22 91 points 85 Yellowglen Vintage Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2004 $18 90 points 75 Yeringberg Cabernets 2001 $60 92 points 50 Yeringberg Pinot Noir 2002 $70 90 points 108 Zema Estate Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 $26 92 points 41 Zema Estate Coonawarra Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 $45 94 points 48 Zema Estate Coonawarra Shiraz 2003 $26 89 points 91

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