Bob McDonald

9.4

See previous note, a year ago. Funky and flinty - white peach, nougat, ripe grapefruit and mineral with well integrated French Oak - shows great finesse. From Beechworth in the gravelly soils at the foothills of the Victorian Alps which must be considered in the conversation about the best Chardonnay district in Australia when the iconic producer, Giaconda, put Beechworth on the map and many good judges believe to be the best Chardonnay in Australia. I would be surprised if any of Sentio is found outside of Australia. — 9 hours ago

Bob McDonald

8.8

I first tried this at the winery in Alba , Piedmont at the Pio Cesare Winery about 8 years ago, when I bought a dozen. Strongly encouraged by our tour leader, Peter Scudamore-Smith MW who bought a few bottles from my dozen. Scud compared it to a good Premier Cru Chablis style. On this tasting it was showing oxidised notes - also orange peel and almonds. Barb liked it more than I did. I felt its best years were behind it. Drink the last one by the end of the year. — 7 days ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

First impressions - a bit oaky. It’s a pity when some Tuscan producers prefer to use French Barriques instead of traditional large Slovenian Bottis, as is tradition and let the grapes do the talking. Mid Ruby in colour - dried earthy cherries. You can taste the extra sunshine in this vintage. Medium plus tannins to finish off. A killer of a food wine - went well with pasta. A little astringent after a few hours. — 8 days ago

Bob McDonald

8.7

See notes from 33 weeks ago. Still the same. Lacking fruit density on the middle palate. Sangiovese is prominent in the blend. Finishes with firm dry tannins and some astringency. As I said last time - Nothing to write home about. — a day ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Pale lemon yellow (surprising after 7 years of age). Nutty, cashews, a struck match funky component. More savoury than fruit driven. Medium plus palate intensity. Tastes more old world than new world. An excellent Chardonnay in perfect balance. — 2 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

See 2 previous notes on this excellent wine. Honeysuckle and ripe pear - low acid. Unctuous is the texture. Pinot Bianco appears to be underrated and probably doesn’t get much better than this. If Pinot Bianco (PB) was always like this, everyone would be growing PB. — 8 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Wanted to compare this 2016 Bourgogne Rouge with the recent Dom Bellene Vosne Romanee village wine. This was similar - very self contained and restrained. Too latent to provide an educated assessment. One dimensional and lacking in complexity - the best is yet to come. After vigorous swirling some black cherry and spice is evident. The first of 6 - try the next one in 1 to 2 years. I note that Wine Spectator had a drinking window of 2022 to 2038 which I thought was optimistic for a Village wine but it’s not once you taste it. A wonderful producer. — 11 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

A light to medium weight palate. Tasted blind Barb thought Victorian ie. Giant Steps or Bass Phillip and I must admit that could be so. Savoury red fruits, cherry, raspberry - a burnt toffee note. Soft, smooth fine tannins. A slight hint of tarriness. A good Pinot if not a little expensive. Michael McNamara one of the owners of Prince Wine Store said “one of the best Pinots in 2020”. — 2 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

See notes for 3 previous occasions. Dark dark Ruby - almost black A full bodied Margaret River Cabernet but tasting more South Australian as I said in a previous note. Dense and concentrated - 2009 was an excellent vintage in Margaret River. Juniper is not one of the icons over there but this is punching well above its price point. Tastes much younger than its 14 years. Could go on for another 5 years I feel - my last one. Masses of sweet black currant on the palate. — 7 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

I took one whiff and a taste of this and remembered why I love CdP. Red and black berries, earthy, dried herbs, raspberry and coal dust. 60% Grenache; 20% Mourvèdre; 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties Has depth and flavour but does it at just medium bodied. I didn’t realise I had a bottle in mid June 2023. I normally try to spread them out a bit. — 9 days ago