Golden Grove Estate

Vermentino 2020

9.5

See 3 previous Delectable notes. This was my last bottle of the best new world Vermentino I’ve had. Green apple, medium acid. Grand Champion of the Toowoomba Wine Show in 2021 when I was a Judge. Quite delicious - more full bodied than any Italian Vermentino I’ve had. The palate is quite unctuous with mandarin and quince. Even though the winery is in Queensland on the Granite Belt, the fruit comes from the Mildura (NW Victoria) warm region. — 4 months ago

Byron, Ming and 18 others liked this

Topper's Mountain Vineyard

Gewürztraminer 2015

Bob McDonald

9.2

Textbook Gewurtztraminer from the unlikely New England area near Tingha, an hour or two’s drive south of the Granite Belt but made by Mike Hayes in the latter. Aromas and flavours of Lychees and Turkish Delight with moderate acid and great length. Was a perfect match with Smoked Cod. I usually have a Pinot Noir with richer fish dishes and I had opened a cracker with the 2009 Bass Phillip Premium as well to compare but the Gewurtz was the better matchup. — 5 years ago

Ira, Eric and 15 others liked this

Ron R

This is a new one on me...

Bob McDonald

@Ron R This is a rare label Ron. Only discovered it a few years ago when I was judging at the Toowoomba Wine Show. The owner of Toppers Mountain, Mark Kirkby, is purely a grape grower or viticulturist who sends his fruit to Mike Hayes at Symphony Hill at Ballandean who makes the wine for him. Sadly for Toppers Mountain the recent bushfires have scorched his vineyard, cost him about $500K he said with a lot of time and work to recover.

Ron R

Hey @Bob McDonald, thanks so much for the insights. I hope one day to taste this juice - it reads like a real pleasure to drink. I need to get back to my Aussie wines. It’s more challenging to get the stuff off the beaten track here in the US.

Domaine Laurent Gauthier

Vieilles Vignes Grands Cras Morgon Gamay 2021

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Leans into its carbonic character, with a confectionary nose of bright cherry-plum bubble gum, loads of granite, and almost a subtle just-dug root vegetable note. In the mouth it has an initial belt of high/toned fruit, but then slims down and eases into a lean feel, with fine, chalky minerality being the last characteristic. Definitely on the lighter side but quite flavorful. Seems a little disjointed and would probably benefit from another year or so in the bottle to come together. — 7 months ago

Doug, Peter and 13 others liked this