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Full Bodied Reds & Fortifieds.
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Mandala Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon '14. $40.
Medium-weight. Soft and well-fruited with just enough complexity to elevate it above the norm. Currants, red and black, with tobacco and milk chocolate. Succulent finish.
Tarrahill 'Le Savant' Cabernet Sauvignon '16. $60.
97pts Halliday. Includes 15% shiraz, matured in Francois Freres French oak (30% new). This is the mirror image of the Shiraz, a wine of immense distinction, driven by the quality and style of the cabernet fruit. I cannot evaluate the impact of the shiraz, not being present at the blending trials (or any other time), but this is the epitome of Yarra Valley cabernet.
Connetable Talbot '12 St Julien, Bordeaux. $95.
Second label of Chateau Talbot. Good black fruits and nice spicy bouquet, quite fleshy and good weight for a second wine, supple and easy.
Chateau de Malleret Haut Medoc Cru Bourgois '15 Bordeaux. $55.
The wine is ripe and full of black currants from its majority of Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich and packed with generous fruit, the wine shows the progress the property has made in recent years.
Chateau de Haut Serre Malbec '14 Cahors, France. $65.
Nose of blueberry, black currants, plum, dusty road, earth and wet granite. Strong tannins in the palate form a foundation for blueberry, blackberry, earth, minerals with a touch of pepper and bramble.
Sutherland Estate Yarra Valley Tempranillo '16. $40.
Very different to most Australian tempranillos, this with more texture and structure to its darker fruits on the medium to full-bodied palate.
Sutherland Estate Yarra Valley Shiraz '16. $40.
Good, deep crimson-purple hue; a very well made, complex medium/full bodied shiraz that ticks all the boxes, with plum, blackberry, multi-spice, fine tannins and integrated French oak; the finish is fresh, and the palate long.
Luke Lambert Yarra Valley Syrah '14. $48.
Single vineyard; wild-fermented with a very complex, multifaceted bouquet and palate in typical Luke Lambert style, 40% whole bunches one of the playmakers. The result is an eagle's nest of interlocking savoury black fruits and fruit and stem tannins coming from all quarters.
Stanton & Killeen Reserve Rutherglen Durif '16. $55.
Deep, dark plum red in colour, this wine is very aromatic with notes of blue violets and wild blackberries. A very full palate with rich blackcurrant and vibrant cherry cola notes. The tannins are persistent and mouth filling, but not aggressive.
Stanton & Killeen 'Jack's Block' Reserve Rutherglen Shiraz '16. $60.
Lifted notes of brambles and blackcurrants with a hint of coffee and charry oak. Layers of bright red fruit of raspberry and boysenberry combine with dark chocolate shavings, smooth vanilla and very lengthy tannins. The acid is nicely balanced by the depth of fruit and complex structure, and selected oak ensures a rounded softness.
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Wirra Wirra 'Woodhenge' McLaren Vale Shiraz '16. $45.
Deep and intense in colour, the bouquet is similarly brooding. Aromas of dark fruit, earth, chocolate and spice. Thickly textured, almost palate coating, the flavours are all ripe fruit and warmth, the tannins inky and dry.
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Yelland & Papps 'Devote' Greenock, Barossa Shiraz '16. $50.
Elegant, juicy and full of cherry and blackberry fruit on the long, perfectly balanced palate.
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Domaine Chambeyron Vin de Pays Syrah '15 Cote Rotie, Rhone. $48.
The wine is full of redcurrant, blueberry, vanilla bean, pepper and dried herbs, as well as a dash of liquorice on the finish. Managing to weave a delicious combination of sweet and juicy with dry and savoury, the wine is lean and mid-weight yet dense, mouth filling and concentrated, with dusty tannins giving a long finish.
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Stanton & Killeen 'Classic' Rutherglen Muscat. $50 (500ml).
The colour is like dark, caramelised butter with aromas of Turkish delight, tobacco and espresso. The palate is balanced and complex with flavours iof rich raisin fruit, rose petal, dried fig and cumquat. The finish is long but not too sweet.
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Stanton & Killeen 'Classic' Rutherglen Topaque. $50 (500ml).
Light amber glass in colour with a stunning bouquet of malt, caramel, butterscotch and almonds. The palate has layers of caramelized butter, honeysuckle and dried apricots with a long finish of cold tea and marmalade.
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De Bortoli Black Noble 10 Year Old. $50 (500ml).
Amber colour with olive green hues. The nose has hints of toffee and coffee with raisins and mandarin peel. Unique and delicious flavours of rich raisin and dried date fruit with hints of citrus peel and caramel flavours. Concentrated and viscous with lingering aged complexity.
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Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen Vintage Port '05. $45 (375ml).
A multifaceted bouquet with aromas of numerous spices and fruit cadences; a very rich and complex palate with black fruits, a dash of chocolate, clean spirit and a wonderfully sweet finish. Shiraz/Durif/Tinta Cao/Tinta Roriz/Touriga Nacional.
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Fonseca 'Waterloo Edition' Reserve Port. Portugal. $60 (750ml).
A deep and youthful ruby colour, with an intense, fruity nose crammed with blackberry, blueberry, cherry and dark plum aromas. This Port's palate is full-bodied and round, with a luscious, silky, velvety texture.