Bob McDonald

9.6

Made by Tom Carson (chief winemaker at Yabby Lake) as his side project. 2013 and 2014 (the latter being Halliday’s wine of the year) of this wine were awarded Australia wide Trophies and Tom says this 2015 is just as good. Sweet red fruits (mulberry) with heaps of spice - Barb said peppery notes. A fabulous wine with impeccable balance- a perfect match with the free range chicken dish that Barb created. 98 points from James Halliday. Tom Carson for the last few years has been Chief Judge of the Royal Queensland Wine Show. His expertise shows in his winemaking. — 8 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Nice aromas of mint (not positive but this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is probably mainly from Coonawarra) and cassis, black currant aromas. Medium bodied with an inner core of latent strength, inherent in most Penfolds Reds. Tastes way younger than 13 years and will cellar for at least another 10 to 15 years or more. Postscript: I thought this statement was appropriate from Penfolds First Chief Winemaker and the creator of Grange, Max Schubert said, “Penfolds different cuvées may differ in character Year by Year, but all bear an unmistakable resemblance and relationship to each other. “ This is pertinent when tasting Bin 407. — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

No notes made at the time and it was tasted a week ago. This is one of the Cuvées produced by Jim Chatto who was once the chief winemaker at Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley and now makes award winning Pinot Noir in Tasmania. Delectable. This is BIRD Pinot Noir. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

See several previous tasting notes for this wine. This was made back in the day when Hunter Valley reds had strayed from their medium bodied, savoury, sweaty saddle origins to being riper and more full bodied like a South Australian Red. This was declared in a speech by Chief Winemaker at the time, Jim Chatto, at a dinner I attended at the winery. Also plenty of oak still evident at 15 years of age. I prefer the original Hunter Valley style which Mount Pleasant has wisely reverted to utilising the wonderful old vine fruit at its disposal. Tasted again 35 weeks later on 26th March 2022. Nothing to add to the note here. A Hunter Valley wine trying to look like a South Australian wine back in 2006 with ripe fruit and oak. Thankfully HV reds have returned to the medium weight savoury long living style that Maurice O’Shea made in the 1950’s. — 5 years ago

Erik Michielsen

9.3

Beautiful and elegant. The nose is so pretty (like Big Chief). Dark fruit - well integrated - and oh the long licorice run. Don’t ever - ever - go to Barcelona without making the trip to Priorat / Gratallops. — 5 years ago

with Debbie

Bob McDonald

9.2

No formal notes - dining with friends at a BYO Italian restaurant in Surfers Paradise. Interesting background story - this is made by Australian winemaker, Dave Fletcher, in the old Barbaresco train station. Dave is one of the chief winemakers at Ceretto. Ceretto allow him to make wine under his own label on the side. A well made correct medium bodied rendition showing red fruits and fine powdery tannins. A great match with Fettuccini Puttanesca. — 5 years ago

Laura McLaughlin

10

Delicious and bold — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

A perfect balance between oak and fruit (blackberry) from this Barossa Shiraz. Great winemaking from John Duval who has quite the CV. John was Chief Winemaker at Penfolds from 1986 until 2002 being only the 3rd custodian of Penfolds Grange after Max Schubert (creator of Grange) and Don Ditter. In 2020 this wine received Shiraz of the Year and 99 points from the James Halliday Wine Companion. The product of old vines in the Barossa. Luscious but in balance and overall - delicious. — 8 months ago

Patrick Don Vito

9.1

Last bottle I have of the vintage smoked by the Ojai fires of 2017. — 3 years ago

Jennifer Penston

9.1

Dark fruits and easy to drink. Nice with steak — 3 years ago

Tom Garland

9.5

2010 Bordeaux zoom tasting with Lisa Perrott-Brown, editor in chief for RP Wine Advocate. The wines have been shut down, some waking up...big wines with volume turned up on everything (tannin, acidity, alcohol), structured, and should cellar for many years.

2010 Pichon Baron.  RP 96
2010 Leoville Las Cases.  RP 97
2010 Palmer.  RP 96
2010 Pape Clement.  RP 100
2010 Figeac.  RP 97
2010 Trotanoy.  RP 97 — 5 years ago

with Brenda

Bob McDonald

9.3

Medium to full crimson in colour. I love GSM - or as this wine is SGM with Shiraz predominant. Spicy Tarry red berry aromas. All the varieties blend well here but overall it is very Barossa. John Duval, the winemaker, was once Penfolds Chief Winemaker from 1986 to 2002. There have only been 4 Penfolds Grange winemakers - Max Schubert (creator in 1951), Don Ditter, John Duval and now Peter Gago the current Chief Winemaker since 2002. A wine that goes well with food or has the substance to do equally well on its own. — 5 years ago

Michael Seely

9.6

This old vine Howell Mt Zin is emblematic of perfection. In honor of Bernie, the commander in chief! — 7 years ago

with Jeff and Joe

Matthew Bromeland

9.0

Very good. Unique flavor. Robust. Almost smokey on the front end. Deep fruit notes. Gift from Chief Newsham. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

A beautiful top shelf Margaret River Cabernet drinking well at 16 years of age. Deep Ruby in colour. You would never know it was that age from the colour. My 2nd last bottle. A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Trademark herbaceous notes with mulberry and spice. 2008 was a hot and dry vintage in Margaret River. Severe winds at flowering drastically reduced the crop to the lowest yet recorded - under 1 tonne per acre. Shelley Anne named after Stuart Watson’s wife. Stuart is the chief winemaker and one of the owners. Had my last bottle on 2nd April 2026. Starting to think these top Woodlands Cabernets are better earlier in life when there are more black fruit cassis characters. Good nevertheless but certainly not improving. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

One of Australia’s best Cabernets. Sue Hodder who is Wynns’ chief winemaker told me that only the best 2% of their wide resources of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes goes into John Riddoch. I guess it explains the continuing high quality of Black Label (the next Cabernet down in the Wynns range and an unbelievable bargain). Sue was the chief winemaker in 2008 when she made this wine and remains the chief winemaker at Wynns. See previous Delectable note as things haven’t changed much. Coonawarra Mint, cassis and blackcurrant. A full bodied palate with fine persistent tannins. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

See previous note. Quite pale in colour - transparent - a gorgeous nose, quite Burgundian. Touch of burnt ash and strawberry on the nose initially - after time in the decanter more cherry and red florals. Tom Carson is the chief winemaker at Yabby Lake and Serrat is his personal project. Tom and his French wife Nadege also import a range of excellent Burgundies. This wine has the colour, the weight and the texture of a good red Burgundy. Had the last bottle 75 weeks later on 28th February 2024 with similar notes. Many Burgundian traits - intensity without weight. Light in colour and body. Excellent winemaking from Tom Carson. 91 points. — 4 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.7

Among everyday wine drinkers, Syrah gets a bad rap. No one is exactly sure why this is, but many (myself included) think the blowsy Shiraz craze of the early aughts has something to do with it. Serious wine lovers know, however that Syrah is one of the world’s greatest red grapes, provided it is planted on the right sites and harvested at the right time (both of which, it must be said, are not so common in California). There are an increasing number of benchmark bottling a of Syrah in California, this one perhaps chief among them. The Arnot-Roberts guys, @duncanarnot and Nathan Lee Roberts (not on IG?) have been making arguably California’s most profound cold-climate Syrah from the Que Syrah vineyard way out on the Western Sonoma Coast for many years now. When I say cold, I mean really cold. Fog drenched, windy as hell, just a stone’s throw from the ocean, this vineyard gets ripe at like 12.2% -12.8% alcohol or it doesn’t get ripe at all. And the wines it makes…. Crunchy blue fruit, bloody meat and rusty nails, dried flowers and powdery refined tannins. With age bacon fat and leather emerge. All draped in a saline umami jacket that makes the mouth water. I can only buy a couple of bottles of this a year, but each one is a battle between drink and hold. So I split the difference. I decided to open this one up and both regretted it (it will improve for another decade) and luxuriated in it. May you be so lucky to have similar problems. — 5 years ago

Sherri Cornett

9.2

I think Abby suggested this one as a sub for The Chief. Very good,balanced, interesting. Would buy again. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Pale Lemon in colour. Some initial caramel notes, light fruited and light weight from the cool climate Orange district. On the palate under ripe nectarine with grapefruit notes - quite a delicate Chardonnay with light acids. Has Medium intensity for Its light palate weight. Philip Shaw has quite the CV as a winemaker. From Chief Winemaker at the huge Lindemans, headhunted by the Oatleys to be Chief Winemaker at Rosemount which became a world wide brand before being sold to Southcorp (now Treasury) for a fortune to the Oatleys, and a stint with Treasury all the while developing his vineyard at Orange now run by his sons and he has gone on to his next venture. He has collected International Winemaker of the Year twice in 1988 and 2000. — 6 years ago