Cullen Margaret River Mangan Vineyard Merlot/Malbec/Petit Verdot 2013

As far as Bordeaux blends go, for me its the Right side of the Gironde that floats my boat; Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot et al. In Australia this is also the case, with the left side of Australia - Margaret River in particular. And Cullen are at the forefront as usual. The Cullen Margaret River Mangan Vineyard Merlot/Malbec/Petit Verdot 2013 is everything I love about Merlot blends - blueberries, graphite like tannins, green peppercorns and super finely balanced cut-throat acid.
This is probably not for the people who have poo-pooed Merlot because of either a stupid movie or a stupid duo, so if you follow the the latter two, good!!! Leave this to people who purely and simply love good wine.

Drink with rare kangaroo fillet
Drink till 2019
94
Screwcap 12.5%v/v $30-$33

Château Bel Air Saint-Estéphe 2009

Saint-Estéphe. Think the kid at school who always got bullied. When they grew up they became people like Bill Gates, Quentin Bryce and Tim Winton. Saint-Estéphe. The sub-region on the Left Bank that always gets overlooked, but then, Schazamm!!! In your face Haut-Medoc and Paulliac.

Two days later. 

The Château Bel Air Saint-Estéphe 2009 is super sexy on day 1, getting spesh day 2 - just a wee sip though, and all baby-got-back on day 3. Today. Baby-got-back indeed.  The nose is all coco powder with a tinge of pepper corn - think the big tree on Barrow Street in Brunswick if you are in the area. More chocolate on the primary palate with achingly precise cassis and cedar pushing through. Seriously, a great wine now and plenty down the track and a possible new club house leader

Bullies out there, suck on this!!!

Drink with char grilled lamb
Drink till 2020+
98
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $58 Seddon Wine Store

A. Rodda Beechworth Cuvée De Chez 2011

Picture the scene if you will.

The camera pans in slowly with clouds lifting from the floor - (narrative)There is a chill in the air. Winter is here (narrative fades). there is a shadowy figure in the foreground with camera now focusing on its silhouette.

Camera pans right suddenly; the silhouette emerges from the cloud; there is a scream somewhere in the distance; the camera searchers for the scream but is drawn to the silhouette. A leg appears, but just the leg. It has a boot and a sock rolled down over the top. There is a ball, a soccer ball.The leg draws back and the camera is now firmly fixed on the leg. A scream enters the air again but the camera does not budge from the leg. The leg move but moves too quick and just like that the ball comes hurtling towards the camera and it smashes with furious force.

The camera is now filming with faint clarity while on its side laying on the ground. The cloud again appears. There is another scream but it is now drowned out by an evil laugh.
Camera fades .....

Thanks for humouring me. The A. Rodda Beechworth Cuvée De Chez 2011 is all dark and mysterious, is made for the cooler months and is made by a guy with a laser sight on his left leg that can find your head from any corner of the winery. Yes Adrian, my head remembers the ball very well ya mongrel!!!

Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Petit Verdot (16%), Malbec (13%) and Merlot (12%) this wine is a ripping example of what a Left Bank wine looks like when it is made here, not Bordeaux. Cassis and bitter chocolate dominate the nose with a faint but ever present waft of dusty tannins lurking in the background. The palate is an instant hit of soft furry tannins and blue fruit that is quickly gobbled up by more cassis and bitter chocolate with acid holding everything in sway. An awesome wine and certainly one to look out for at the pointy end of winter. And watch out for his left leg too!!!

A. Rodda Beechworth Cuvée De Chez 2011, the quintesential Christopher Lee of the wine world. Exit stage right....

Drink with bloody lamb chops

Drink till 2019

97

Screwcap 13%v/v $34 Seddon Wine Store

Château Léoville-Poyferré Saint-Julien 1996

This was quite special. The Château Léoville-Poyferré Saint-Julien 1996 was opened at about 9am, double decanted, and finally left to sit for about 6 hours before emptied and used to wash down a Côte du Boeuf. Intense is a word that can describe just about every facet of this wine, but i will just say that this wine has plenty left in the tank, something that Left Bank wines take from the 1996 vintage and Right Bank unfortunately do not. Super tort tannins are ever present, with the wine moving through a wave of flavour and aroma profiles; mocha, black and blue berries, leather, dry spice and plenty more but the cocktail napkin I wrote my notes on got a bit smudged so that's all there is. Super sexy it was.

Drank with Côte du Boeuf - medium rare
Drink till 2030+
98
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $$$

Domaine A Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

In my endeavour as Business Development Manager for Vranken-Pommery-Monopole in Australia, one of my tasks is to go out there and source quality producers for our domestic (including NZ) wine portfolio. Real tough job that one! Over the past twelve months I am happy to say that I have managed to bring in Paradigm Hill, Ostler Vineyards, Blue Poles Vineyard and Vinea Marson. My task is simple; approach producers from each region, represent only one producer from each region, but most importantly approach a producer whom I really like and wine I reeeaaalllyy like. Keep it simple stupid!

So with a good chunk of the mainland and NZ sorted, my attention turned to the apple isle. For me there is one producer down there doing it spot on. All rather there is only one producer I could think of off the top my head whom I would like to represent. Domaine A. Simple. But not so simple. I also believe in not poaching producers from other wine businesses; if they wish to contact me all the good, but I like to think I have some sort of integrity.

Not long ago I posted Domaine A’s 2003 Cabernet, a wine which I believe is Australia’s best Left Bank version; a theory that has met with much guffaw I must say. Anyhoo, Matt from marketing down at Domaine A was kind enough to write me an email thanking me for the write-up. And for the write-up came a bottle of the Domaine A Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 – with a little Cab Franc, merlot and Petit Verdot. What a Stirling chap!

The wine. Dark and lush in the glass with flowing aromas of chocolate, soy sauce and cherry with licorice coming the longer in the decanter. The palate followed the nose with more cherry and chocolate with coffee imparted at the end. An amazing balance also with the acid and fine and savoury tannins. A winner, no doubt about it!

It’s interesting; however, that Domaine A markets this wine to be drunk early and the flagship wines to be cellared. In an age of second and entry level wines, Domaine A is producing two distinct wine labels that can both be struck in the premium category. Again, simple!

Drink with lamb rack
Drink till 2020
96
Quality cork 13.9%v/v from http://www.domaine-a.com.au/

I have been corrected

Some amendments if I may; the wine is in fact a Left Bank blend with Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Thanks to anon in Tasmania I now have my facts straight; and I still stick to my comment that Domaine A is the best Cabernet Sauvignon producer.

Cheerio

Tim

Domaine A Tasmanian Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Dark and rich and sexy and dark. The Domaine A Tasmanian Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 sits almost black in the glass with heavy dark chocolate wafting up the olfactory. Clean soft tannins with every sip, with each subsequent sip better than the last – sort of reminded me of The Godfather part’s I and II, the long standing question of which is better. That’s what it was like, which sip is the best. Anyway, clean tannins and clean acid all wrapped around quite ripe dark fruit, something was a little bit surprising seeing it is only 13.5%v/v. But aside of all that waffle, I’ve said it before and that is I believe Domaine A is Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon producer. It’s that simple really.

Drink with lamb shanks
Drink till 2020
96
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $70 Rathdowne Cellars http://www.domaine-a.com.au/