Peppoli Chianti Classico 2003

Another Chianti Classico, this time from 2003. This was a step up from the Gabbiano we had the other night. The most remarkable difference was in the length of the palate, this wine showing a dry, finely chalky finish that, with the addition of food, extended the length of the fruit flavour most satisfyingly. Speaking of which, the fruit flavour had that nicely savoury, almost raisiny sangiovese varietal character and was very much in balance. This flavour was accompanied by dried herb and floral notes, especially on the nose. Acidity added a pleasantly sour tang to the palate, as well as enhancing the complexity of the mouthfeel. Oak was a subtle flavour influence, barely discernable. Not a worldbeater, and could have used a step up in intensity of flavour, but still, a balanced wine of attractive character.

We sacrificed this wine to some gourmet pizzas and the greasiness of the food was a little overwhelming. A more rustic, less "modern" Chianti Classico would have worked better.

Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2003

Really nice wine and a great, cost-effective alternative to mid-level Australian red wines.

Quite an expressive nose of primarily savoury notes (dried herbs and bacon, with some more feral smells hovering at the edges), with brooding black fruits in the background providing weight. On the palate, this wine was initially almost all tannins, very fine and ripe, but overwhelming. After a little while in the glass, this wine showed good balance between its savoury notes, very ripe red and black fruits (almost jammy) and fine tannins. It's nice to drink a cheap wine that displays its primarily savoury profile with pride, rather than shoving slutty ripe fruit to the forefront.

I'd like to see this again wine in a few years' time.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Johnson's Block 2003

Interesting wine, this one. It's a little ungainly at the moment, but I will be interested to see how the other three bottles in my cellar change over time.

The ingredients for a more harmonised wine appear to be present. The nose is quite forward and fruit-driven. The fruit is bright and has good intensity, if not great complexity. It's mostly raspberries with a bit of blackberry thrown in, both fresh and jammy at once, if that makes sense. On the palate, the fruit again leads the way. Tannins are very much present, not coarse exactly but a little raw at the moment. They are the sort of tannins that ache for time to soften and integrate with the wine. Acidity very much along the same lines. I'm not sure it's worth the price ($30-something) but it's a wine that I will follow with interest, because it expresses personality, and that's something that is worth a lot to me as a wine lover.

Suckfizzle Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Interesting wine, this one. It's almost like a pastiche of different wines and styles -- not to imply it lacks integrity. It's actually quite delicious in its way.

I was a bit put off by the nose, which is a predominantly meaty and stewy. It's "hot" in the sense of "overcooked," and that's not a flavour profile I tend to go for. The palate, however, is less stewed, medium bodied and has a beguiling silkiness and elegance. The wine rushes over the tongue and has an elegant lightness of touch, without sacrificing intensity of flavour. There's a greenness that almost threatens to become unbalanced, but never quite does, thanks in part to ultra fine tannins that dry the palate without feeling unripe. Most remarkable is an intense sourness that is mouthwatering and is reminiscent of pinot noir.

Two cheap Hunter reds

I put together a fairly inexpensive dozen the other day, and in amongst it were two Hunter shirazes from the 2003 vintage. We had them back to back so they were easy to compare.

Tyrrell's Stevens Shiraz 2003

Fuller bodied than a lot of Hunter shiraz but certainly a wine of its region. The flavour profile on this wine is a notch darker than a lot of shiraz from this area, perhaps owing to the drought affected vintage. I found the nose quite dumb, with a whiff of dark fruits and barnyard. It's on the palate that this wine hits you, with concentrated dark fruit flavours of the most attractive purity (sort of blueberryish), along with regional flavours of dirt and stink. Nice acidity and tannins, nothing out of balance. A chunky yet sophisticated wine in the mouth, substantial and slippery at the same time. Really enjoyed this one, it has a lot of personality.

Mount Pleasant Philip 2003

This wine is in what I understand to be a more traditional Hunter shiraz style, in that it is medium bodied, with bright red berry flavours placed within a predominantly savoury flavour profile of dust/dirt and barnyard. Really very aromatic and expressive, this wine is totally consistent from nose to palate. I think this wine showed more complexity than the Stevens (pretty awesome considering it's half the price), without perhaps the same concentration of flavour. I loved it. Usually the Philip is a bit lame but this one is great.

Two young reds

Had two very different wines last night with a chicken and haloumi salad.

Ravensworth Sangiovese 2005

A fun wine with a good whack of moderately varietal fruit flavour. I do enjoy the distinctive savouriness of sangiovese and it seems that Australian versions never quite have enough of it. They are usually so "shirazified" they end up being quite different from Italian wines. Maybe that's the point. Anyway, this one had enough of a savoury edge to bring a smile to my face. Medium bodied overall, relatively fragrant, not terribly structured but who cares?

Voyager Estate Shiraz 2003

Completely different wine. This one was very tightly wound; it's one of those wines that tastes like you're sensing everything from behind a thick veil. It's all there, but not expressing itself much. Quite nice coffeed oak frames dark fruits and a solid line from nose to back palate. Tannins and acid seem in balance, and the wine's mouthfeel is smooth, considering how tight the wine is. I still have about 1/3 of a bottle left and will try it again tonight to see how it's evolved.