Some alcoholic heat detracts from the vibrant red berry and dusty earth aromas. Medium bodied and silky smooth, the persistant finish is nice and savoury with a refreshing acidic bite.

Like the 2006 vintage, this wine is held together with acidity rather than tannin, however it seems to be missing the “x-factor” of the older sibling. Given that the balance is there now, I think this will be looking very good with a few years in the bottle.

Score: 89/100
Price: $30
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: None I could find yet…
Would I buy this wine?
Make haste and snap up some of the 2006 before it sells out!

Initially the wine was rather restained in both its aroma and fruit flavours, however if you allow sufficient decanting time, a richer and fuller experience awaits. There are aromas of cherry, raspberry and nutmeg and a medium bodied palate with decent length and fine tannins. The balance between fruits/spices and tannin/acidity hits the mark and keeps you coming back for just one more glass…

Rory needs a pat on the back for turning out a very good wine from a difficult vintage, likewise for deciding that 2007 was not the year to release a single vineyard wine, but rather declassify the fruit (grapes!) into the regional blend.

Score: 90/100
Price: $22
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: The Story Wines (read this - it’s open and spot on with the self assessment)
Would I buy this wine?
Yes, this is the style of Shiraz I like to drink and good value to boot

Mid ruby red, initially the aromas are of subtle sweet berries, though the full flavoured palate is full of red cherry, rich dark chocolate and an earthyness I rather appreciate. Acidity rather than tannin binds the whole lot together, though there is some fine tannin evident on the long finish. Smooth, easy drinking, well balanced and full of interest.

This is a wine that has polarised opinion somewhat, I feel that if you prefer your wines in a more savoury style: eg Italian or Hunter Valley, then this Grenache will hit the spot. I feel it’s a classy number and food friendly to boot.

Score: 92/100
Price: $30
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: Yelland & Papps, Torbwine
Would I buy this wine?
Yes

Initially vanilla oak dominates the nose with some briary dark fruit lurking below. On the palate this Shiraz is young and feisty with juicy dark fruits, a goodly dose of spice and a grippy tannic finish. Over a few hours, the fruit character emerged to swallow up the oak to a degree, leaving a rich and fairly enjoyable Barossa Shiraz.

I feel this is a wine that needs at least another 6 months in bottle before it’s youthful exuberance is pulled into line.

Score: 88/100
Price: $20
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: Torbwine
Would I buy this wine?
No, I found the oak a little overbearing.

The sweet aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry lure you into the full bodied palate, naturally loaded with blackcurrant flavour supported by a dash of spice and fine tannins with a little grip. Youthful, balanced and very drinkable right now, or you could cellar over the medium term.

I think it is fair to say that this is the best value for money Cabernet I have tried this year, so if you happen to spot any bottles left at retail, buy the lot and send me a few more.

Score: 93/100
Price: $16
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, sadly I only managed to get my hands on 4 bottles.

Strawberries! Plenty of them on the nose of this vibrant red Rose. The palate is certainly full flavoured when compared to its peers, presenting strawberry jam flavours up front and just enough acid to keep things in check for an off-dry finish.

I feel this is a wine that would be very popular with the average punter, however red bigots may find it a tad sweet. In short it’s a good, full flavoured Rose with the price tag you would expect.

Score: 87/100
Price: $17
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13%
Would I buy this wine?
No, although well made, I prefer a dryer Rose

Full details of the prizes can be found on the Winestar Forums, first prize is worth over $25,000.

Tickets are available online from Winestar, Boccaccio and Auswine amongst others.

Dear Mailing list,

Like everyone in Australian at present we have been monitoring the news about the devestation in Victoria and have come up with a way to help the fire victims and the couragous CFA.

Whilst we have not been affected personally with this disaster, we feel that as part of the Australian community whatever we can do to assist, we must.

We are offering a $100 per case donation of the $180 per case sale price from wine sold on the attached order form.

We propose to share this equally between the Red Cross Appeal and the CFA. The CFA came to the rescue of the Hunter Valley during the 1994 bushfires and were instrumental in saving many of our neighbour’s homes at the time.

The balance of the money will cover some of the cost of making the wine, freight and GST. If we could afford to donate the entire amount, we would.

You can take advantage of this offer by mailing or faxing back the attached order form, or by calling The Boutique Wine Centre on (02) 49987474.
Please allow up to a week for delivery for most areas.

Details on the wines offered can be found at www.meereapark.com.au and please feel free to pass this email onto friends or family that may be interested. The more wine sold, the bigger the donation!

regards

Garth Eather
MEEREA PARK WINES

The Tulloch family have been an integral part of the Hunter Valley since 1896, there are only a few families in Australia which can claim to have a history spanning over a century. Keith Tulloch, a fourth generation winemaker, worked for Lindemans and Rothbury before establishing his own boutique winery back in 1997. Having heard good things from other wine makers in the region we decided it was time to go and have sneaky peak! The Keith Tulloch cellar door is located on Hermitage Road and offers tasting from the first floor veranda overlooking the picturesque vineyards of the Hunter and the Brokenback mountain range. This setting alone makes this cellar door a must visit if you are in the Hunter.

The wines at Keith Tulloch are all refined and elegant bringing out the best the Hunter Valley has to offer. The semillon is young, with a juicy freshness and a lovely crisp balance that indicates patient cellaring will reap plenty of rewards. A taste of the merlot reveals a rich and fruity flavour with a lovely mouthfilling fine tannin that again will age nicely. Sipping the shiraz viogner allows you to discover a highly perfumed, silky drink young wine tasting of fully ripe dark berries leading into a plum, almost cherry finish. I haven’t even come to the highlight of the tasting yet!

The standout wine, without a shadow of a doubt, is the Kester Shiraz… Sourced from old dry-farmed Hunter Valley vineyards, the grapes used in this wine are fermented with a trace of Viognier in open vats for four weeks, are plunged by hand and then allowed to mature in fine french oak barrels for twenty months. The almost intoxicating nose is made up of dark berry, dark chocolate and liqorice with a subtle hint of earthiness. The palate consists of ripe berry fruit, a hint of oak and spice with a velvety richness of tannin that leaves you sure you are drinking a premium Hunter Valley shiraz. If you can resist the urge to drink this wine then cellaring for ten to maybe even twenty years holds so much potential.