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. — 2 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. — 2 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 — 3 years ago

with Brenda

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. — 4 months ago

Jennifer Penston

9.1

Dark fruits and easy to drink. Nice with steak — 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. — 2 years ago

Patrick Don Vito

9.1

Last bottle I have of the vintage smoked by the Ojai fires of 2017. — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Pepper and spice and all things nice as the saying goes as well as a violet note. Very youthful at 10 years of age. The following night a blackcurrant peppery note. Good persistence and length on the medium bodied palate. Tom Carson, the owner and winemaker of Serrat (a Catalonian word meaning close planting - in this case 8800 vines per hectare - one bottle of wine per vine). Tom is also the chief winemaker at Yabby Lake and an in demand Show Judge with a very good palate - Serrat is his private venture with French wife, Nadege. They also import a small excellent range of Burgundy. — a year 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. — 3 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. — 3 years ago