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Australia

    My Column

    Scoring can be very confusing for consumers - so, what is the best way to do it?

    There will always be an element of the subjective in wine. Personal preferences are paramount, though surely we can all recognise a great wine when we see it, whether or not it is a style we enjoy? It is, of course, not so simple. One look at experts' scores for a great many wines tell a story of considerable divergence of opinion. So too, do vintage ratings. I...

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    My Today

    Mornington Peninsula Wineries – Top Ten

    Mornington Peninsula is part of what has become known as the dress circle of wine regions around Melbourne in Victoria (along with Macedon, Geelong and the Yarra Valley). Like most of these surrounding regions, a number of varieties excel but none more so than the Burgundians – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Some of Australia’s best examples of both are found here. 

    The universal problem with any Top T...

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    My Yesterday

    MY TOP 10 WINE IN THE 2016 - The difficulty for such a list is not finding ten wines; it is narrowing it down to ten.

    What criteria should be used? Wines that gave the most pleasure? Highest scoring wines? Most interesting? A wine like the new Jim Barry Assyrtiko from the Clare Valley, for example. Thoroughly enjoyable but hardly going to knock the greatest in the world off their perches, but it is the first Assyrtiko made in Australia and ...

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    Me

    Born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. A non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades.  Studied Law at Queensland Uni. On a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, someone opened a good bottle of port (I think it was Yalumba’s Galway Pipe but it is long lost in the midst of time) and so commenced a serious obsession. Studied more Law in London, then worked London, Washington DC and S...

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    Pro Me

    Email: kbgargett@bigpond.com

    Wine (also cigars/travel/food)

    1. Writing. 

    Managing Editor of “Fine Wine & Champagne, Australia/NZ” and contributor to other magazines in the Fine Wine stable 

    Wine writer for the Courier Mail (Qld) from 1999, and for the Paper's weekend magazine, 'Qweekend' from its inception in October 2005. Both as a freelance contributor until all such columns taken in-house by News Ltd.  

    Previously Brisbane Ne...

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Wine Moments

Here you can see wine moments from tastingbook users. or to see wine moments from your world.

Ken Gargett, Wine Writer (Australia)  had a tasting of  18 Wines  from  1 Producers 

Gundog Estate Hunter’s Shiraz 2021 – To be honest, if anyone mentions Gundog Estate, my thoughts immediately go to fine Semillon, not Shiraz, which is definitely an oversight on my part. Their Shiraz wines are at least as impressive as the Sems, perhaps even more so. This one hails from a pair of low-yielding, old vineyards – Will’s Hill and Tinkler’s. Fermentation is in open top fermenters before maturation for a year in French oak puncheons. Deep red/crimson in colour, the nose is all red fruits, cherries and raspberries, with lifted warm earth notes and hints of animal skins. Notes of coffee grinds and dry herbs emerge on the palate. Impressive stuff, the texture is simply gorgeous, supple and seductive. Tannins are abundant but ever-so-silky. And such length! This is a cracking red, giving pleasure now but which will surely drink superbly for the next ten to fifteen years. 94, but expect that to go even higher with time.

12h 35min ago

 Gundog Estate  has news

THE LOVE OF WINE PART 5 – GREETINGS FROM PLANET SHIRAZ Welcome to The Love of Wine Part Fiv  more ...

12h 51min ago

Ken Gargett, Wine Writer (Australia)  had a tasting of  30 Wines  from  12 Producers 

John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 + other Australian new releases – One of our most iconic wines and a world famous Cabernet. It would be most people’s choice as the pinnacle from Coonawarra, every year. First made from the 1982 vintage, early examples from top years like 1982, still drink like a dream. From a stunning vintage like 2021, who knows the lifespan. The wine spent 16 months in a mix of French oak, 48% hogsheads and 52% barriques. 

An inky opaque maroon colour here, the nose gives us chocolate, blackberries, tobacco leaves, soy, licorice, mint, vanilla and dried herbs. This is impressively concentrated and balanced at the same time. The structure exhibits good focus, great length and fine, silky tannins. On the palate we see notes of coffee beans, root vegetables and mocha. This wine has power. It will give pleasure for twenty years, more if you want. 97.

1m 28d ago

Ken Gargett, Wine Writer (Australia)  had a tasting of  16 Wines  from  4 Producers 

Château Musar 2015 / The vines that provided the grapes they were able to harvest were between 50 and 70 years of age. Ruby/garnet in color, the nose is dominated by red fruits with spicy notes, leather, bay leaves, warm earth and tobacco box hints. Attractive cherry notes on the palate. Serious concentration, balance, and intensity that travels the full length of the wine. Good complexity is already evident, and it finishes with plenty of grip. Unquestionably, a good future. Sure, perhaps a little more rustic than those who like the squeaky clean may prefer, but this is a wine full of interest. The longer you can give it in your cellar, the better. 94 for me, though this should improve with time.

2m 22d ago

Ken Gargett, Wine Writer (Australia)  had a tasting of  21 Wines  from  1 Producers 

Penfolds Grange 2018 – For me, it is simply one of the greatest young Australian wines I have seen. Truly stunning. It is a classic and cracking Grange. 

Like most Granges, a dollop of Cabernet is added to the Shiraz – this time just 3%. Multi-regional but Barossa dominant (69%), with material from McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley, the wine spent 18 months in new American hogsheads. 2018 was simply an outstanding vintage for South Australia. We have seen it with many wines and now we see it here with the Grange. 

Deep magenta in colour, near opaque. The immediate impression here is of great intensity but even more so, impeccable balance. A glorious nose, complete and complex. Black fruits are to the fore, and there is certainly oak evident, but of the finest quality and integrating superbly. The palate is fresh but dense and yet supple and seamless and with such length. Powerful, yet it sings and dances. The tannins are abundant yet so lace-like and silky that they are near invisible. Such an incredibly long finish, with the intensity maintained for the full length. Chocolate notes emerge on the finish. This should sail through 50 to 60 years in good cellars and could probably do up to 80 – not that this will be relevant to many of us. What was fascinating was that after tasting and scribbling notes, I realised that I had hardly identified any specific flavours, such is the overall balance and the way that nothing dominates to any extent, the wine already being such a complete entity. Retracing steps and with further investigation, look for mocha, blackberries, coffee bean notes, cassis, licorice, chocolate, charcuterie, beef stock and soy. Every taste brought forth new and evolving flavours. This is a truly magnificent wine, well on its way to becoming a legend. Not just a legendary Grange, but a legend in the world of wine. 100p.

3m 9d ago

Ken Gargett, Wine Writer (Australia)  had a tasting of  12 Wines  from  8 Producers 

The 1996 Salon, a famous blanc de blancs. Still so fresh and young, this will outlive most of us. My notes were simple: “Lord, take me now. 100.” Okay, not terribly helpful technically, but you get the gist. Not sure champagne gets better, but obviously it does get different. As an aside, a week later, I had the chance to enjoy a 1990 Salon. Another great vintage and great champagne, but much more advanced and mature. Great stuff, but I’d be drinking it sooner than later. The 1996? Any time you like.

3m 13d ago

 Pierre Peters  has updated producer and wine information

4m 29d ago

Ken Gargett, Wine Writer (Australia)  had a tasting of  15 Wines  from  3 Producers 

Hugh Hamilton Loose Lips III NV – This wine goes against all the rules of conventional wisdom. A non-vintage red that blends Malbec (40%), Mataro (14%) and Grenache (8%) with the white grapes of Viognier (20%) Pinot Gris (11%) and Sauvignon Blanc (7%). Is there any other wine on the planet made up of this combination? It sounds like a trainwreck but the result is surprisingly good. Pale crimson in colour, this is soft and fragrant with notes of florals and herbs, red fruits and blackcurrant leaves. Some hints of undergrowth. Bright, fresh and exuberant with a soft, lingering finish. Drink now for a year or two. 91.

1y 1m ago

 Bec Hardy  has news

Vintage 2023 - WINEMAKING VINTAGE WRAP UP Vintage 2023 was a real rollercoaster ride; the in  more ...

1y 2m ago

 Penley Estate  has updated producer and wine information

1y 2m ago

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