Bob McDonald

9.2

The final wine at the Downs Club Filipino Dinner on Wednesday night - the mystery wine. This was a rich full bodied red from Coonawarra ( atypical for most Shiraz from this region) and I incorrectly picked McLaren Vale. This had a closed latent brooding nose and should have had a longer decant I feel. Ripe black fruits with some liquorice and plenty of tannin. This has a long way to go to achieve some nuance and detail. A whopper for a Coonawarra Shiraz. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Mid Ruby red in colour. Somewhat closed on the nose - red fruits - cherries in particular. After a decant and an hour with regular swirling still a muted nose. On the palate savoury red cherry with medium minus acidity. At 5 years it would appear to have a huge future - this is my first of 4 bottles. Solid and latent on the palate - yet to open up but the quality is there. Main Ridge was the first licensed winery on the Mornington Peninsula in 1975. This producer not always easy to source. Had another bottle 64 weeks later on the 10th May 2022 with similar tasting notes. Perfect balance between the red fruits and a touch of charred oak. Travelling well. Try and have the next one in 2023. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Dark Ruby red almost Black in colour. Dense on nose after decanting - quite closed restrained and latent needing time and swirling to open up. After 2 hours a nice plummy earthy perfume coming through. On the palate plummy tarry notes with cherry. Dusty and discreet Barb thought. Ultra savoury with very fine grained tannins. A great match with Lamb Chops. I’m not familiar with all of the individual Cuvées of Domaine Tempier but I believe Cabassaou is regarded as top of the tree - the others being La Miguoa and La Tourtine. Medium weight with medium plus intensity. Probably the best straight Mourvèdre I’ve ever had. Footnote: It appears this is a blend of at least 90% Mourvèdre with some Syrah and a little Cinsault. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Deep Ruby in colour with a youthful purple rim. Latent aromas Latent palate. Opened this too early. Hard to agree with Richard Hemming MW’s Drinking Window of 2017-2020. Ripe fruit - Full bodied - Barb thought it was Barossa. Ripe plums and blackfruits with slightly savoury Tannins. Very self contained needing more cellaring time to shine. After a couple of hours and with vigorous swirling came liquorice notes. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Mid crimson in colour. Initial aromas after decanting of oak and vegetal notes. A little reticent. On the palate just medium weight with M plus Acid. At this age needs food. Probably just at the beginning of its drinking window - latent power, yet to blossom into its best expression. Revealed more on the 2nd night with quite a sweet palate developing. Will leave my 2nd bottle for a few years. A quality Pinot with a good future. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Pale to mid Lemon in colour. Typically lush old school Art Series Chardonnay with Nectarine And Peach and touch of Orange Peel. Profound mid palate intensity and flavours still with Latent Power and cleansing acid. Tastes like a 3 or 4 year old wine, not nearly 10 years. More Puligny Montrachet than Corton Charlemagne. Great wine. Tasted again 41 weeks later on 2nd October 2019 with consistent notes. Noticeable peaches and cream on the palate. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Rich Ruby in colour. Muted nose. I made the mistake of not decanting but ended up putting it through one of those funnel type aereators. With swirling this released black pepper, red and black berries with a note of cinnamon. The medium bodied palate was latent, tight and self contained finishing with fine sandy tannins. In hindsight I should have left this for a few years but was guided by JM’s drinking window from Wine Spectator of 2019 to 2021. This is a better class of CdR and priced accordingly. Vine age is 30 to 60 years with a small amount (2%) from young vine Cornas. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

Delectable - this is the Craighall Vineyard Pinot Noir - not offered in your choices. This wine had a lovely vibrant colour of dark crimson. Aromas of cherry but somewhat latent and still promising much. My experience with Dry River Pinots is that they need at least 10 years and I cannot understand the Drinking Window from the winery as 2019-2022. I have made a note to drink my 2nd one in 2025. This is a big full bodied concentrated Pinot with plenty of Tannin. Only 649 bottles of the Craighall made. The next day still solid, dense and ungiving - without nuance. Needs cellaring time. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Toasty oak with black fruits and liquorice. The palate latent and brooding promising a big future. A little early to be drinking this at 8 years with projected drinking windows going up to another 20 years. I love Grampians Shiraz - this is more dried black Cherry than my favourite, Mt Langhi Ghiran - the latter more pepper/spice and Northern Rhone in style. Just a personal preference. — 5 years ago

Jeremy Pollard

9.0

Surprisingly shy and restrained. Feels like it needs a lot more time to open up. It has a medium weight elegance. There’s a sense of latent power but for now it’s simply soft and approachable with a good bit of tannin structure on the finish. — 5 years ago

with Sam

Bob McDonald

9.5

From Polar’s old Australian Tasting - all tasted blind. I picked this as 2002 of the options offered. This is incredibly latent and showing much younger than 1996. Notes of dark chocolate and blackberry still with firmish Tannins. At least another 5 years in this. — 6 years ago

with James, Andrew and 1 other

Bob McDonald

9.8

No. 3 in the Vosne Romanee Grand Cru lineup. My blind tasting notes - “Concentrated Latent and Long. A huge future - amazing potential. I think DRC - La Tache?” The latter assumption proving to be wrong as that was Wine No. 1. Nevertheless the quality of the 2015 Grand Crus from Vosne Romanee are beyond question. Buy as many as you can afford. — 7 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

Mag. Way too early on this beauty but couldn’t resist. As one of my guests put it, “tighter than a [CENSORED DUE TO EXTREMELY BAD TASTE].” Massive latent power, grace and complexity that had only begun to unspool by the last few sips. Not holding my breath on finding another one of these... — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Initially ungiving on the nose - latent but the power is there. With air a rose petal note developed. On the light to medium weight palate there was Dark cherry, spice and some stalkiness. An excellent new world Pinot, considered Australia’s best - it should be for the price, but I have had better Bass Phillip Reserves. The following night, stewed fruits- a rhubarb and savoury cherry note. I have one left which I will probably drink in a year or two. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

A rich dark Ruby in colour. Initially a little closed - needed a longer decant. Dense and latent on the nose offering black and blue fruits, black pepper with an earthy minerality. A medium to full bodied palate with much yet to reveal - acid and tannin - everything here for the cellar. In 2015 this wine won the James Halliday Shiraz of the Year and 98 points from James. Honours the legendary Hunter Valley pioneer Maurice OShea when he started in 1921 in Pokolbin. This is the first of 6 and probably too early to be opening. An exceptional Shiraz in its infancy at 10 years of age and destined for a very long life. Had another bottle 117 weeks later on 8th June 2023 with similar notes. Earthy - full bodied on the palate. A much longer drinking window than suggested by Jancis of 2015 to 2025. Crllartrack said to 2046!! — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

This was the mystery wine and I had a premonition that the Sommelier was going to pick Astralis, the rich Australian Shiraz from McLaren Vale because he had just got some into the Club. “Don’t second guess the Somm”. On 2nd thoughts the La Turque would not be as rich as the Astralis. This wine was latent and ungiving - very solid - leather, bacon and pepper. — 5 years ago

Jody Scharf

9.2

Apples, light white grapes, some latent peppery spice. Color pale yellow, nose of barrel of apples. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Dense and concentrated - this wine needs years and I erred in not decanting it not giving much on the nose initially. With time and vigorous swirling aromas of Violets Liquorice Lavender Peppercorns and uncooked Bacon always with the minerality of the vineyard - the Gimblett Gravels. On the palate powerful latent flavours with so much more to give. Generally recognised as probably the best Syrah in New Zealand and if not certainly in the conversation with Craggy Range. Listed in the 1001 Wines. Very difficult to source in Australia and I ended up visiting them in January 2017 in Hawkes Bay and getting on the mailing list. 94 points now but in 3 to 5 years 97 or 98. World class Syrah without doubt. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Wine #5 in the MSD Chambolle lineup tasted blind. Like many of these reds a closed nose showing some earthy perfume but the overall message is latent power. Sweet and savoury with Medium + intensity. Another GC from the 2015 vintage with a long future. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Compact fruit driven nose initially, with oak in balance. Latent power - still needing time to totally unfurl its charms. More new world than Burgundian initially but that changed after a couple of hours in the decanter. A lovely earthy perfume emanating after 3 hours. This wine best to drink after at least 10 years of cellaring with a lengthy decant. I will drink my last one in 3 plus years. — 7 years ago