Tasting notes from participants in the UK Forum. 36 people tasted exactly the same wine during one week of late January 2001 and marked the wine using a 20-point scale. The notes are presented in ascending order of total points scored.
You can read how the the Palate Calibration Exercise came about, how it was organised and see various statistics on the PCE Report page.
Rosemount (Australia) Shiraz-Cabernet 2000
| Nayan Gowda, UK – 6 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Deep ruby/blood red core. Medium+ depth. Medium Purple Rim. Noticeable tears. Clear 2 Points
|
Clean. Confected red fruits. Like cheap tinned jam. Quite One Dimensional. 2 points
|
Strange palate. Like tasting two different wines at the same time. Getting both raspberries and black berries but the flavours have not melded. Moderate Acidity. Low tannins. Quite soupy. 1 point
|
A very simplistic wine. No development as yet. No real future. Needs more tannin and acidity to lose the soupy feel. Not in balance. 1 point
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] Good exercise; Shame about the wine. I really don’t feel that these two grapes belong together in the same bottle.
|
| Susan Armstrong, UK – 7 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Obviously young. Nice red colour. 2 points
|
Not much nose. Sweet. Unprepossessing, nondescript, bubble gum, vanilla extract. 2 points
|
Quite acidic and yet sweet. No length. Can’t get past the sweetness to taste anything else. 2 points
|
Yuk. Not worth anything like its price. 1 point
|
| [buy] no [value] no |
| Bryan Collins, UK – 7 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Uniform dark purple, little change at the rim. Fairly clear. Doesn’t LOOK interesting! 1 point.
|
Very forward fruits – blackcurrant, plum, and, unexpectedly, raspberry. Slight medicinal undercurrent. Other than that, nothing but fruit. Not subtle, not hinting at any complexity. 2 points
|
More blackcurrant and other soft fruits. The medicinal smell has carried forward onto the palate and leaves a faint but somewhat unpleasant (to me) aftertaste. No tannins in evidence, soft and light overall. The forward fruit doesn’t appear to be backed up by any underlying structure. 2 points
|
Fruity but uninteresting. Nothing to indicate much in the way of aging potential although I suppose a year or so might calm the fruit down a little. Overall just too obvious and one dimensional. £6.79 buys better than this. 2 points.
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] If you want a basic Aussie Cab/Shiraz, there’s plenty else of about the same quality at less money. If you want to spend about £7 on a fruity and forward style, buy a Beaujolais and get at least a little class.
|
| Paul Kutarski, UK – 7 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
2 Points
|
Initial nice strong whiff of fruit when the cork was pulled but then nose was disappointing – acidic dark fruit. 2 points
|
slightly tart with ‘artificial’ fruit flavour – mainly blackcurrant – with slightly bitter spice edge. 2 points
|
I felt this wine was unbalanced and had no finesse nor potential. I certainly wasn’t particularly disappointed when the bottle was empty. 1 point.
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] I tried to approach this wine with an open mind – I feel that the couple of negative remarks about this wine on the forum made this harder to do. I find it hard to score a wine in absolute terms and find that stating what I would be prepared to pay for a wine much easier – I would say this wine (though not to my taste) is worth maybe £4.50.
|
| Paul Armstrong, UK – 8 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Translucent cherry/purple colour. Clean and bright. 2 points
|
Initially dumb. Then bubblegum and menthol with nasty sweet chemically overtones (Melted plastic?). 2 points
|
Lipsmacking acidity. Once through that there’s a battle between intense ripe cherry flavours (good!)and sickly sweet bubblegum & caramel (bad!). 3 points
|
A sickly cloying chemical concoction. 1 point
|
[buy] no [value] no [food] Didn’t blend well with a chicken chasseur. [comments] 10 years ago I used to enjoy Rosemount wines quite a lot ( their reds, and whites such as their semillon sauvignon), but hadn’t had one for several years. I was shocked at just how unpleasant I found this wine. Not sure to what extent this reflects deterioration in the product, or evolution of my palate? I guess some of each.
|
| Paul Higgins, UK – 8 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
youthful purple. 1 Point
|
clean/powerful with definite vanilla oak/dark fruit aroma. 3 points
|
very dry/full bodied/reasonable fruit/hint of pepper/medium length. 2 points
|
balanced/overall good/might improve a bit over the next year. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [food] I decided to risk a glass with a malaysian chicken satay which worked o.k. [comments] I paid 7.19 which was definitely not value for money because there is an awful lot out there costing less that is but maybe this particular rosemount blend is not for me.
|
| Chris Smith, UK – 8.5 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Medium dark, medium width purple rim, very obviously young. 1.5 Points
|
Reasonable, some vanilla, strong primary fruits – blackberry and blackcurrant. A little cinnamon spice as well. 2 points
|
First a hit of sweet primary fruit and vanillin. Medium bodied, low tannin. Medium juicy acidity. Surprisingly long, if one-dimensional – ‘Ribenary’ finish. Alcohol not over-dominant. 3 points
|
Well made, well structured and good balance, but lacks interest, complexity and nuances. A straightforward inoffensive quaffing Aussie red, perhaps a little expensive at £5.99. Should improve for 6-12 months in bottle but possibly not beyond that. 2 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] no
|
| Paul Anderson, UK – 9.5 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Ruby red. Bright. Clear rim. Good legs. 2.5 points
|
Quite fresh with aromas of prunes, redcurrants and cherry stones. Also whiffs of ground pepper. 3 points
|
Very sweet red berry and cherry fruit on the palate. Medium body with low acidity. Slightly peppery on a medium length, quite dry, finish with a hint of tannin. 2 points
|
A bit unbalanced with too much sweetness. Fairly one-dimensional and uninspiring. Drink over the next year. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] average [comments] A bit of a Beaujolais with 5 spoonsfull of sugar. If this is representative of mass produced, mass market wine, then it is very sad indeed.
|
| Nick Alabaster, UK – 10 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Clear mid ruby with just a hint of burgundy at the rim. Quite light for an Oz wine, along with not very youthful looking for a wine who’s grapes are less than a year old. 2 Points
|
Light vanilla sheen (hard to believe it’s genuine oak barrels !) over confected red fruits (mainly raspberry) with a hint of spice. 3 points
|
Indistinct mixed fruits (slightly more suggestion of cabernet but not blackcurrant), again a covering of unsophisticated oak, but overall a nice mouthfeel – no doubt a combination of the high alcohol (13.5) and residual sugar. Unobtrusive acid and tannin. Soft and lacking strucure and length, even at this price range. Wasn’t drunk with food, I expect it to be worse for it. 3 points
|
A simple wine which while made suscessfully in a non-critical easy drinking style, has little of interest beyond simple fruit and oak (and for me personally, the confected fruit is off putting). I suspect it’s best drunk within a year and for me represents poor QPR at £6.70 as, for example, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet is the benchmark in that price range and they are Worlds apart. At between £5-7, Australia produces wine on a similar scale of production which seem more characterful, structured and enjoyable to drink than this one. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [food] It was brought to the table but the confected note seemed worse and in-appropriate to enjoy with food. [comment] My score here adds up to 10 but I’d still say the wine was ‘fair’. i.e. no real faults but uninteresting to drink. The wine was drunk single blind.
|
| Peter Miller, UK – 10 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Paler than expected for a young Shiraz/Cab S. Appeared a little thin to me and the colour was shallow for such a young wine. 1.5 Points
|
Blackcurrants / Cassis on the nose but perhaps a little flat. Noticed an element of ‘cordial’ in the nose which was young, quite fresh and a little minty. However I would not have instantly recognised either grape in a blind tasting! 3 points
|
Not too dry, mid bodier rather than full and with a sweetish element. Little tannin but a fair balance of acidity. Sweet cherries on the palate but again a little thin and bland. 3 points
|
This was not a complex wine. I felt it was a little bland overall with little or no ‘depth’ and not much interest to the wine. No doubt an example of reasonable mass produced wine that suits a broad market. Less than elegant overall and I felt there should be more to it for £6-7 a bottle. 2.5 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] My wife tasted this with me and felt the same! We both thought that there was little in this wine that was offensive but neither was there anything of interest or complexity.
|
| Stephen Pickles, UK – 10 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
clear light ruby -seemed a little thin. 2 Points
|
sharp red fruits – redcurrant / raspberry. 3 points
|
light soft tannin, touch of cassis, sweet shortish finishwith a touch of pepper. 3 points
|
Simple, very average although balanced. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] Not good value, there is plenty of interesting wine to be had at this price.
|
| Gerry Ruben, Tenerife – 10 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
2 Points
|
3 points
|
3 points
|
2 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [food] We tried half the bottle on it`s own and then later with dinner. This consisted of Guacamole, and Spanish Salami, Chicken Breasts sauted in garlic, with French Beans Corn and musherooms.There was a slight improvement in the body of the wine, but it was still a very light weight experience. [comments] There were the usual flavours one would expect from the Syrah Cabernet combination, but it still tasted of being a manufactured wine, for a specific market.
|
| Murray, Australia – 11 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Medium-full depth red-purple colour, no crust from the bottle. 3 Points
|
Very berry dominant, not overly ripe with drak red berry, a bit of spice, a touch of alcohol overtones. The nose is a touch of on simple side. 3 points
|
Acid on the foertase, simple flavours ogain of red berry, spice with just a touch of chocolate. Farily straightfoward front to back, a touch of coarse tannin and a slightly hot medium/short finish. 3 points
|
A wine made to a receipe and a price, made for early-mid drinking definately not structured for the cellar. The value for money is not really there, even at $9Aus. For that I can get a GREAT reisling. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] average [comments] Fairly straightfoward nondescript wine.
|
| Martin Brown, UK – 11 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Ruby colour, bright, clean and good legs. 3 Points
|
Pleasant dark berry fruits, oaky, a hint of eucelyptus, fresh and medium development. 5 points
|
Dry, medium bodied, high tannin and acidity. Fruit not forthcoming, fairly oaky, moderate length. 2 points
|
I found the wine too acidic and oaky. There was litte fruit and no finesse in the wine. Unsure whether wine will develop i.e fruit will come forward with more balance between tannins and acidity. 1 point
|
[buy] no [value] no [food] Tried again 18 hours later with food. Wine tasted only slightly more approachable.
|
| Tom Cannavan, UK – 11 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Medium to dark ruby with crimson core. Not especially bright. 2 Points
|
Lush, jammy, dark berry aromas. There is good depth, with a chocolaty richness and sweet oak, some brighter cherry fruit and hints of spice. Commercial. 4 points
|
Cool and rather astringent acids on the palate with jammy fruit and a rather cloying sweetness. Hollow mid palate with disjointed acidity and sweetness. Some sweet, caramelly fruit and plenty of oaky spice, but rather too confected and lacking tannic balance. 2 points
|
This seems an odd blend of aggressive acids, jammy fruit and overblown spiciness, without enough real fruit quality and little structure. Decent enough quaff at £5 – but I personally wouldn’t buy it even at that. 3 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [food] better 4 hours later with a Sunday roast. [comments] In previous tastings of this I’ve noticed a sickly sweetness that I really didn’t like, without enough bite to make it attractive to me. It’s also rather expensive for what it is.
|
| David Morgan, UK – 11 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Medium depth light purple/blue rim with brick red main colour. clear and bright. Viscosity slight. 3 points
|
Medium berry fruit aromas with no obvious fruit. Light hints of white pepper on the bouquet.Clean nose if somewhat made up. Soft nose with no major potential to develop. Nothing wrong with the Nose though Lacking any shiraz or cabernet suggestions except light white pepper? 4 points
|
Dry, light to medium body with no noticeable signs of tannins. Acidity blends in well with the attractive soft berry fruit. The length is clean and soft but is rather uninteresting with a short finish. Forr the mass market this will be very accepted but too easy for me. 3 points
|
This is a soft and easy drinking wine that is balanced with soft fruit and very low tannins and light acidty. The finish leaves a soft pleasureable taste that some will find attractive. Medium length. Lacks complexity but is not made that way. No elegance or finesse in a wine of this style. Drinking well now and the lack of tannins suggest that it is drinking well now and should not get any better. It should keep for 12 -18 months but who would want to as it is unlikely to improve. Not my cup of tea as it lacks any structure of the two grapes that are shown on the bottle. So my points system is based on not my style rather than it be judged as a commercial wine. 1 point
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] Sound commercial wine and the public will buy it. For my taste palate it lacked bigness roundness and body. Would have liked some more tannins in the flavour to give it more structure.
|
| Mark Pearce, UK – 11 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Even, purply red, just a hint of cloudiness. 2 Points
|
Black fruits and spice (pepper?), slightly lifted notes at first, which became dominant 3/4 hour after opening, but then blew off to leave the fruit. 3 points
|
Dry, black fruits, pepper, moderate tannins, fairly simple palate. 3 points
|
Not enough fruit or complexity to make this an interesting wine, but sound enough. 3 points
|
[buy] no [value] average [food] The second half of the bottle was drunk with roast vegetables on toasted ciabatta. Whilst there was no clash, the wine was no more intersting with food. [comment] A total of eleven points feels a bit mean. I didn’t really dislike the wine, but its very simple and basically dull.
|
| Joan May, UK – 12 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
white at edges, clear cherry colour. Slightly viscous. 3 Points
|
hard to distinguish any smell at all. 2 points
|
sweet forefront, soft but refreshing acidity. Medium weight, medium aftertaste. refreshing light wine. 4 points
|
enjoyable, but seems less than the sum of its parts. It hasn’t got that spicy lushness of Shiraz, or the class of Cabernet. Sort of wine you’d be delighted to have at a work event, but you’d want a more exciting wine at home. 3 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] no [food] After tasting it on ots own we had it with food, ratatoiulle and french bread. Pleasant, quaffable but thats all. [comments] Yes – the lousy rotten wide lip broke my folding screwpull – you owe me, Tom Cannavan!
|
| Peter May, UK – 12 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
dark bright garnet. 3 points
|
hard to distinguish any smell at all. 2 points
|
sweet forefront, soft but refreshing acidity. Medium weight, medium aftertaste. refreshing light wine. 4 points
|
enjoyable, but seems less than the sum of its parts. It hasn’t got that spicy lushness of Shiraz, or the class of Cabernet. 3 points.
|
[buy] no [value] no [comments] Sort of wine you’d be delighted to have at a work event, but you’d want a more exciting wine at home. The lousy rotten wide lip broke my folding screwpull – you owe me, Tom Cannavan!
|
| Hugh Millar, UK – 12 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Deep ruby, bright and clear, decent legs. 3 points
|
Clean, very light bouquet, though pleasing enough. 3 points
|
Smooth, quite dry, softly tannic, & medium-bodied. Balanced acidity, lightly peppery, very young, medium length. Rather anonymous palate, though not unpleasant. 3 points
|
Well balanced, with clean finish. Correct & quite pleasant. Very little complexity and of doubtful potential over time. 3 points
|
| [buy] no [value] no [comment] Probably wouldn’t buy it again, though I have regularly bought Rosemount wines in the past and have enjoyed them. I was rather taken aback at the price, having started on Rosemounts at about £3.99 perhaps 4-5 years ago. Nowadays, I believe that similar quality is achievable from regional French at perhaps half of the £6.79 paid for the Rosemount. That said, and ignoring price altogether, the wine was enjoyable if unchallenging, and would, I reckon, be a very good dinner party wine where quantity was involved! Perhaps a drinking wine rather than a tasting wine! |
| Yixin Ong, UK/Singapore – 12 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Fairly dark saturated red/purple (ruby?), bright, no evident faults. 2.5 Points
|
Simple confected red fruit, some currant notes, not very attractive, syrupy, and some spiciness. 3.5 points
|
Full bodied but not a whole lot of flavour, balance is not too bad, although it comes across as a bit fat and too soft, slightly cloying with the simple sweet fruit. Not a very elegant or long finish. 3.5 points
|
A simple, very uninteresting wine, no obvious faults, but not a style I particularly enjoy. 2.5 points
|
[buy] no [value] no [comment] We tasted this blind and although I didn’t pick it out as a Rosemount, I did place it in Australia, and didn’t like it very much. Because it wasn’t oaky, I found it less offensive than a Languedoc we had. To be fair, a lot of the difference does come down to personal preferences.
|
| Richard Sammut, UK – 12 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Ruby / purple. Dense. 2 points
|
Spicy / peppery. Blackcurrant / brambly. Harsh alcoholic note. 4 points
|
Jammy. No tannins. 4 points
|
Unbalanced – too fruity and not enough structure. Uncomplex. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] no
|
| Dave Sansom, UK – 12 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Good colour, quite viscous. 3 Points
|
Closed,slightly vegetal. 2 points
|
Good depth of fruit, lightly spiced, medium weight, smooth tannins. 4 points
|
Good balance, smooth finish but a litte short. 3 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] average [comments] Competently made commercial wine.
|
| Jim Hosie, UK – 12.5 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
2.5 Points
|
soft,almost sweet caramel nose with pepper & pepper? 5 points
|
not as good as the nose & dies quite quickly. 2 points
|
3 points
|
[buy] yes [value] yes [food] improved with shepherd’s pie.
|
| Stephen Farris, Canada – 13 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Deep inky purple with some ruby highlights, only transparent at the very rim. No fading at the rim at all. Clear, moderately viscous. 2.5 points
|
Little aroma at present, obviously very young and not developed. Very simple and clean. 3.5 points
|
Clean and fresh. Dry, medium bodied, low tannin, strong acidity, prominent fruit. The fruit is a mixture of simple berries, vaguely reminiscent of a McDonalds fruit pie (not entirely a compliment!) A bit short. Not a “wine soup” like some more costly Aussie reds. No wood 4 points
|
Relatively good balance tending to the acid when tasted without food, little complexity, Straightforward and not much finesse. There isn’t much potential for growth. What you taste is what you’ll get. The definition of a cheap and cheerful quaffer. 3 points
|
[buy] yes [value] average [food] This tastes better with food than without it. We had it with mild cheddar cheese that absorbed some of the acidity but allowed the fruit to continue. [comments] I’ve had this wine in previous vintages (when, to my memory, it seemed fuller than the 2000 vintage) It is a fine choice to go with barbecued hamburgers at the end of a long summer day. The acidity cuts through any greasiness of the hamburgers and the simple fruit flavours of the wine stand up to the smoky flavours of the burgers and the ketchup etc. When tasted at dusk by a northern lake with the bouquet of white pine and cedar in the background and with, perhaps, the cry of a loon echoing down the lake, this is a pretty good wine. But then, under those circumstances what wine wouldn’t be?
|
| Jamie Goode, UK – 13 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
3 Points
|
3 points
|
4 points
|
3 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] no [comments] Australia’s answer to Beaujolais: gluggable, ripe, sweet blackcurrant fruit is joined on the palate by a touch of spice and good balancing acidity. Nicely balanced and quite tasty, but not a wine to ponder over. Good value at the offer price of £4.99; rather overpriced at standard RRP of £6.79. Not a repeat purchase for me, but a good safe choice if there’s nothing more interesting on offer.
|
| Martin Wright, UK – 13 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Clear & bright, medium intensity ruby red, purple at rim. 3 points
|
Clean pronounced black fruit aromas with a hint of black pepper. Youthful. 4 points
|
Dry, medium body with balanced acidity and tannins. Pronounced blackberry, bilberry and blackcurrant fruit with some black pepper spice. Medium-high alcohol, medium-long finish. 4 points
|
Good quality, well balanced young wine with a rounded finish but lacking complexity. Ready for drinking now, but enough structure to improve over the next few years. 4 points
|
[buy] yes [value] average
|
| Sue Courtney, New Zealand – 14 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
No faults in appearance. A bright, youthful wine of medium-deep intensity with purple/pink hues. 3 Points
|
Clean, fruity aroma of dark berry fruits and spice with suitable development for a wine of this age. 5 points
|
A slightly sweet, light bodied wine with soft fruity tannins, low acidity, raspberry and ribena-like flavours, a flash of peppery spice but also a slightly stalky, greenish charry component that accompanies the blackcurrant jelly-like flavour on the finish. 4 points
|
Lacks in substance and concentration. A simple, forward and fruity wine with unbalanced sweetness and a short finish. 2 points
|
[buy] no [value] average [comments] The cost in NZ$ was $11.95 which offers satisfactory value for that price bracket. My neighbour loves this type of wine – soft and slightly sweet. The wine has a gold medal sticker on it from the Cowra show, which was judged in June 2000. That cannot have been the finished product, but maybe it was. Whatever, it must have had a cheeky allurement to the judges 8 months ago which it lacks today.
|
| Graeme Gee, Australia – 14 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Crimson red colour. Clear and bright – no cloudiness, but no great depth either. Not glowing! Can’t really fault it, though 3 Points
|
Very fresh bouquet of red roses and cherries, with a hint of musk, and a dash of spearmint. Nose is very clean – no secondary characters to speak of. Very little evidence of oak (a few chips, maybe?) Clean and pleasant, but simple. 4 points
|
cheery fruit on palate, with planty of tingley acid. Quite dry -a little fruit sweetness, but I wasn’t otherwise aware of residual sugar. Clean and fresh, but all front palate. Barely any tannin noticeable at all. Strongly acid finish, but really quite short. Again, no real faults, but nothing special. 4 points
|
Almost total absence of tannin affects the balance of the wine. Pleasant and clean, but the lack of balance killed any complexity it may have had. Just a simple wine. Some of the initial fruit may settle down in a year or two, and make it a slightly more satisfying wine, but drink before 2003 in any case! Acceptable, but not memorable. 3 points
|
[buy] no [value] average [food] I did taste the 2nd half with pan-fried beef & oven chips. Didn’t really add anything to the food, nor was the food able to bring some extra dimension to the wine. [comments] Wine tasted Jan 27 at around 16C. (20C in flat, 20mins in fridge. Summer in Sydney!) Notes from ISO, but I tried it in Riedel Vinum Shiraz afterwards, which only seemed to heighten the acid. No benefit there! Price (bought last week) was A$9.80 = Stg3.60. The days of a decent $10 wine are almost gone – this wine is about $3 below what I consider my ‘quaffing’ territory. A great wine to demonstrate how much better you can do for, say, $15.
|
| Sean Mackay, UK – 14 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Deep purple red. 2 Points
|
Attreactive, powerful blackcurrant, with a woody spiciness. 4 points
|
Soft tannin, medium bodied and slightly surrupy. Flinty, blackcurrants and spice. 4.5 points
|
Pleasant enough. 3.5 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] average
|
| Neil Courtney, New Zealand – 14.5 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Bright and clear, deep red with purple tones. 3 points
|
Black fruits and a little white pepper. Good intensity. 4.5 points
|
Fine tanins, low acidity. Dry with some apparent sweetness from the fruit. Blackberry and blackcurrent. Little short on the finish. 4 points
|
Reasonable balance, not very complex, but a reasonable quaffer. Reasonable value for money. 3 points
|
| [buy] no [value] average [comment] When is the next Exercise scheduled for? Great idea, and I hope you get some good statistics out of it! A little more up-market wine next time, perhaps? |
| David Mattner, Australia – 14.5 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
medium deep, crimson red, purple/crimson rim. 2.5 Points
|
Fruit driven, dark berries, plum, spice, hints of mint and green bean. 4.5 points
|
soft fruit driven palate, filling out in the middle with good length. 4.5 points
|
nice balance but simple wine, not a lot of point keeping – enjoy now. 3 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] yes [food] Had with child friendly bacon and tomato pasta. Simple food with simple wine. Quite a good match actually. [comment] Liked this a lot more than I thought I would and would recommend as a cheap quaffer. Cost me AUD9.00. However, I would probably not buy again – Life’s too short…
|
| Melvyn Crann, UK – 15 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Vividly youthful. 3 points
|
Up-front spicy fruit. 4 points
|
Sweet attack with some hint of violets, which folows through to the finish. Low tannin. Sweetish fruit with a lingering finish with floral hints. 4 points
|
An easy-drinking wine, designed for early consumption, with some attractive characteristics. 4 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] average [comment] The component scoring system doesn’t work (but that’s generally true of supposedly analytical scoring systems) because it’s impossible to get to the desired final score without overmarking on the components.
|
| Simon Goldberg, UK – 15 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Medium deep, ruby, clear, bright, lowish viscosity. 3 points
|
Intense blackcurrant, smoky, tarry, raspberry, youthful. 5 points
|
Bone dry, firm acid, follows nose, soft tannin, stalky, full fruit, medium body , short finish. 4 points
|
Fairly well balanced, accessible, not much finess, bitter aftertaste. 3 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] average [food] It worked quite well with my Saucisson and Swiss cheese hors d’oevre, as well as my peri-peri chicken main course. [comments] I found I got bored with it quite quickly after dinner. It is remarkably accessible for such a young red wine, but I do not think it will improve much with age.
|
| Vanessa Sammut, UK – 16 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Ruby red. Dense and dark. 3 Points
|
Spicy. Blackcurrant / ribena. Tropical fruit / melon. 5 points
|
Dry. Short-lived. 4 points
|
Taste doesn’t deliver on the aroma. Uncomplex. 4 points
|
[buy] maybe [value] no
|
| Jane Howard, UK – 18 points |
| nose |
palate |
conclusion |
Clear ruby red. 3 points
|
Very fruity and fresh. Perfumed and clean. 5 points
|
Cherry pie with cream. Some acidity and tannins. Long length. A definite “hot” mouth feel that indicates to me high alcohol. 5 points
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A delicious wine that was great on its own. Would probably be even better with food (I’m going to find out soon) I think the two grape varieties worked well together to produce a well-balanced wine. 5 points
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[buy] yes [value] yes [comments] Normally I wouldn’t try this wine as I am not a lover of Cab. Sauvignon but with the Shiraz it worked really well. I will definitely buy again and recommend.
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