The Wine Blokes

2008 Mountadam Barossa Chardonnay

Here is another new release from Mountadam. The 2008 Mountadam Barossa Chardonnay has only just been bottled, and again we’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on some before the masses.
Alcohol: 14%
Blokes Notes: Lovely melon and fig on the nose with a slight hint of goosberry. Also quite a bit of spice underneath and [...]

2006 Castellare Chianti Classico

Read this at your own peril. This is what happens when you go out to dinner with good friends and it gets a little out of hand and the note pad finds its way into more boisturous hands.
You’ve been warned.
Blokes Yokes Notes: My favourite wine book as a child was the hungry caterpillar. Thank god [...]

2006 Savaterre Chardonnay

I love seeing boutique wineries that really understand how quality in the vineyard is fundamental to the wine. You see a plethora of labels that inisist they let nature take its course, use a minimilast approach, and spruke that the wines are the essence of the vineyard. In many cases it may be true, but [...]

2007 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio

Last night we ventured out into the big smoke of Adelaide and had dinner at a fantastic little restaurant call Auge with a few very close friends. We rarely all get to catch up like this so we made sure we ordered some pretty nice vino.
Tiefenbrunner is situated in southern Tyrol, Italy. This guiding principle of the Tiefenbrunner [...]

The Extremes of the Wine Industry - a synergy that can be a bumpy ride.

The recent announcement by Constellation Wines (aka BRL Hardy for Aussie folk) that it is cutting it’s operations in Australia by shutting down 3 of it’s 10 production facilities hasn’t really come as a suprise for many industry watchers. The drought, high Aussie dollar and inflation have all contributed to the company’s decision to downsize.
These reasons [...]

1987 Bridgewater Mill Riesling

Some times you find an old bottle of wine that you are sure isn’t going to be anything special, if at all drinkable. The label is old, faded, and dusty. The cork is cracked or seeping, and really you may aswell dispose of the enitre bottle without putting yourself throught he chore of disappointment. I’ve [...]

1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame

Life’s tough….. We arrived home from a very successful weekend pursuing my other passion of equestrian sport (See AlliedEquine.com), and the winning owner of one of the competition horses I ride wanted to celebrate. What better way than with a bottle of 1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. I have tried numerous vintages over the years, [...]

2008 Mountadam Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about being in the wine industry is the ability to taste new wines before anybody else, and I’m not just talking about the wine you make yourself. Quite often we have the priveledge of being some of the first to taste new vintages and, even new brands. Sometimes, right off [...]

Brunello - An Italian Classic

Brunello di Montalcino is a red Italian wine produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montalcino located about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Florence in the Tuscany wine region. Brunello, roughly translated as “nice dark one” in the local dialect, is the unofficial name of the clone of Sangiovese grown in the Montalcino region. In [...]

2005 Angelicus Panis Sparkling - Pemberton, Western Australia

As is usual on a Friday night, my parnter and I like to try something a little different, something a little unique, maybe even something a little botique. We hadn’t organised any wine for tonight so I rumuged around in the cellar and found a bottle of 2005 Panis Sparkling. I know that almost none [...]