QWine Reviews : February 2019

Samuel's Gorge Mosaic of Dreams 2016

Mosaic of Dreams, huh? So delicious! A dreamboat and then some.

Torbreck Hillside Grenache 2017

Classy Grenache. This is the second release of this wine. The fruit off this 1949 bush vine site was previously blended away. A change of the guard and new winemaker Ian Hongell would have no more of that.

O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2018

Stunning Riesling to take you on a magical ride to happiness.

Credaro Kinship Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Handfuls of fruit surge through the mouth of this beauty from Margaret River.

O'Leary Walker Polish Hill River Riesling 2018

A great Riesling off vines which have been grown organically since the 70s and were certified in 2012.

Heartland Directors' Cut Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Cabernet from Langhorne Creek with the tasty factor dialed up.

Hear Me Roar Shiraz 2018

Blending wine from a couple of regions is not a new thing, but making the contributing wines separately, blending, labelling and bottling all via donation and in the name of raising money for women in wine is certainly a new concept. Here's a wine made by women to assist women in wine.

Leeuwin Estate Prelude Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

2015 was said to be one of the best all round vintages Leeuwin Estate has experienced. This Prelude Cabernet is a respectable drink with four years already under its belt.

Hayes Family Wines Alice's Mataro 2018

Handfuls of fruit lead the charge here with minimal oak influence. Attractive red berry and red flower aromas roll out an enticing welcome mat.

d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original Shiraz Grenache 2016

When the cooler months come calling, here's a bottle of inner warmth.

Samuel's Gorge Mourvedre 2017

Like its Grenache stablemate, this Mourvedre has a delicious slurp appeal. The fruit is soft and urges to be pulled closer.

Hayes Family Wines Roussanne 2018

This grew on me. Such a lovely wine to enjoy with a meal, its generous delivery and rounded edges kept me going back for more.

Hayes Family Wines Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2018

The type of wine you'd take to a gathering with friends and it would be run dry pretty quick.

Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Rock solid Cabernet. For the money, the consumer is the winner.

Dirt Candy The Little Circus 2018

A fruit salad of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Tempranillo, Touriga and some Traminer skins. Woah, I'm pleased I took a breath before all that. There's definitely plenty going on, that's for sure. Time at the blending bench would have been fun as the end result is pretty good.

d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache 2016

Busty and bold Grenache.

Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Willowlake Pinot Noir 2017

Bam! Delish Pinot. That Oakridge train just keeps on chugging along. Seemingly unstoppable at the moment.

Hayes Family Wines Koonunga Creek Block Grenache 2018

A traditional style Grenache. There's more weight to this compared to the Glengrae Old Block. It's darker in the glass too. Some mulberry and blue fruits are secondary to the expected red fruit.

Hayes Family Wines Glengrae Old Bush Block Grenache 2018

Pretty Grenache. Swirl the glass and inhale deep.

Oliver's Taranga DJ Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

This is a Cabernet in a great place. Well played Corrina Wright.

Torbreck Woodcutters Roussanne Marsanne Viognier 2018

Delightful. There's plenty of interest to sink your teeth into here, but it's more a wine that calls for food to sit alongside.

Hayes Family Wines Sam's Grenache 2018

A blend of two vineyards from the northern Barossa. A little more time in the glass reveals its true personality.

De Bortoli La Boheme Cuvée Rosé NV

Easy drinking fizz for your lazy weekend afternoon.

Sirromet Signature Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2012

An easy drinking fizz. Not all that complicated but an enjoyable drop nonetheless.

Singlefile Great Southern Chardonnay 2018

A Chardonnay comfortably falling into the "modern" category. It's a great drink too.

Dirt Candy The Wild One Shiraz Cabernet 2018

Tidy barbecue wine. A whiff and a taste and I'm thinking about peppered steak.

Singlefile Wines Single Vineyard Fumé Blanc 2018

A soft and approachable wine sure to please.

Singlefile Run Free Chardonnay 2018

Once splashed in the glass a whiff of oyster shell had me excited.

La La Land Garnacha 2017

It's not every day you see a label with the words "Eat Me" on the front. Garnacha from Victoria's Murray Darling.

Pizzini Nebbiolo 2014

Pizzini know how to Nebbiolo. Here's a lovely wine for fans of the Italian beauty.

Oakridge Original Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Too often Chardonnay and Pinot Noir soak up the Yarra Valley spotlight, yet the region's Cabernet is first class and deserves similar praise. Here's an excellent example of that fact.

Oliver's Taranga Vine Dried Cabernet 2017

This is all about rack dried Cabernet added to freshly picked Cabernet in the fermenter inspired by the Italian Amarone style. As the back label suggests, not for the faint-hearted.

Dirt Candy The Aphrodite Touriga Rosé 2018

A looksy through the Qwine records reveals this is the first Touriga Rosé I've had the pleasure of looking at. Man, it grew on me too. Give me plates of plentiful food and a large pour for the win. Tasty stuff!

d'Arenberg The Olive Grove Chardonnay 2018

A fair Chardy which gets you change from a lobster ($20 bucks).

Meerea Park Terracotta Syrah 2017

These Hunter Valley 2017s are well worth getting hold of. Here's a beauty!

Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2018

If you've never really dipped your toe into the ocean of beauty that is Riesling, here's a clever place to start. Often priced well below it's RRP, it's a ripping bargain and such a delicious wine.

Ridgemill Estate Benny's Blend 2016

Benny seems to be a big boy with some attitude... A robust a gutsy wine for those that like 'em large.
Odd bedfellows Malbec and Merlot but they seem to play nicely and get along just fine.

Samuel's Gorge Grenache 2017

There's something about this wine which just has some wicked gravitating pull. If I had to list my ten 10 slurp factor wines, this would be in the mix hands down.

Oliver's Taranga Tempranillo 2017

Tempranillo is wine for meat eaters and this doesn't disappoint. There's plenty of action to appease and assist as you gnaw on a chunk of protein.

Redman Wines Edna Rosé 2018

Here's a podium finish for the "Breaking the Stereotype" Award. Redman Wines of Coonawarra, famous for red wines, have released their first ever Rosé as well as a Riesling in 2018. Both are available at the cellar door only, and although I'm yet to get a look at the Riesling, this Rosé made from Shiraz fruit is a beauty.

Ballandean Estate Malvasia 2018

A funny story about Malvasia...
The excitement was growing in the Ballandean Estate office and winery with the anticipated release of this wine well before it was in bottle. I'd call up Leeanne and introduce myself as Mal Vasia from Stanthorpe Smash Repairs and drag out some ridiculous conversation about her husband Mario's bashed up car - Mario is a car freak so Leeanne took it all very seriously and went along hook line and sinker - til she realised it was me and a few choice words were exclaimed. You had to be there I suppose...
This is Ballandean Estate's twelfth alternate variety and the first Malvasia to be released on the Granite Belt. Less than 200 cases of the variety were made Australia wide in 2018 with Ballandean Estate contributing 90 of them.