Shay A

9.3

Yesterday’s Wednesday Wine Committee lunch. Normal format of 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind.

Birth year Sauternes. Classic profile. Honey roasted cashews and orange marmalade aromatics. Rich and sweet notes of apricot and peach on the palate. Powerful yet not overbearing. I called this mid ‘90s Rieussec. — 5 years ago

with Dan, Will and 2 others

Bob McDonald

9.1

Pale lemon in colour. Aromas of talc and citrus Very good palate intensity in the Lime Citrus spectrum. 2011 was a difficult year for Reds in SA but Whites fared a lot better. Probably at least another 5 years of good drinking ahead. — 6 years ago

Imani Williams

9.5

Found on sale for $8 at buschs.Black cherry and plum, one of the more tart reds I’ve had. High tannin, long grit on tongue but not in a bad way. Tobacco leather smoke flavors. Smells reminiscent of slim jims. Very interesting wine well worth the price. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee and what a fantastic line-up by John! Typical format of 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind.

Most guessed left bank Bordeaux here. It seemed the least “Cali” out of the 4 reds...not leathery, but more plum than red, black or blue fruit. Very balanced in terms of sweet fruit vs savory herbal/earthy components. — 7 years ago

with Dan, Jeff and 2 others

Kurt Phillips

9.3

Daniel brought to us. Sweeter than most reds. Easy to drink. Cheap — 7 years ago

Jugoslav Petkovic

9.9

Wow! Never thought a Spanish wine with an Italian name would kick every French wine’s ass 😉 Truly remarkable, not just for its age, but one of the best reds I’ve had! — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Clear rich Crimson in colour. Whiff of wood varnish which blew off. Spicy - not as much pepper as usual. Cherries and supple savoury tannins. Medium bodied. One of my favourite Aussie Reds in the $20 to $30 category. 2nd ranked cuvée to their much vaunted "Langi" Shiraz. Tasted again 54 weeks later with totally consistent notes. Tasted beside Salo Syrah, from the much vaunted Hawkes Bay NZ District for Syrah. I preferred the Langhi. — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Lots of fun bottles were popped at Al’s hosting this past weekend for his birthday celebration. All were served blind. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 6 reds and 1 dessert wine.

En mag. Probably the most difficult wine of the night to identify. Hardly anyone even got close to calling this cab. I was leaning Grenache or ripe vintage burgundy as I thought I was detecting a bit of whole cluster usage due to the lifted profile and stemmy/spice red fruit notes. Yet by the end of the night, the structure beefed up and the spice turned more sweet. Lovely cherry liqueur, sandalwood, baking spices and baked red fruited pie notes. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Bob McDonald

9.3

Another full bodied Wendouree from my brothers cellar. Nice and savoury with softening grainy Tannins and again the Eucalyptus kept in check. Don’t go near these Wendouree reds until at least 10 years from vintage. — 6 years ago

Amer S. Ahmed

9.0

Gorgeous floral aromas of rose and violet, matched by blackberry, cassis, sweet spice, cedar, cinnamon, dark chocolate, vanilla, and hints of red plum and cherry. On the palate, full bodied with grippy tannins but a nice smooth mouthfeel, hints of mineral and crushed rock. Pleasing to sip for an experienced wine drinker, pair with red meat and heartier dishes if less exposed to fuller reds. Will develop at least 10 years — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.1

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

One of the more crisp sparklers I’ve had. Had the chalky minerality through and through, but after a while, it gained a bruised pear note aside from the typical Granny Smith apple tartness. This will age nicely. — 7 years ago

Ernst Hierl

9.7

One of the best local reds. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

This Wine is summed up by Tobacco Leaf Liquorice Plum and Leather. 90% Temperanillo 10 % Graciano. Very savoury and dusty-a delicious red from Rioja. Wine Spectator says drink till 2024. Should drink more Spanish Reds. — 7 years ago

NatalieLynn Miller

9.6

Lunch with my LilMan!
Love this RED & I never like reds. Perfect with our Italian lunch! — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Lots of fun bottles were popped at Al’s hosting this past weekend for his birthday celebration. All were served blind. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 6 reds and 1 dessert wine.

This was en mag. WOW. Slightly cloudy in the glass. My first guess when looking at it was Marcassin, but it wasn’t waxy enough on the palate. Smelled of rich lemon cream, powdered lemon bars and juicy fruit (that should always be my key to guessing PM). A powerhouse on the palate with juicy tropical fruits, marshmallow, and sweet marzipan. Gorgeous stuff. I called this 2012 Aubert Ritchie. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.5

Today was an absolutely fantastic Friday hosting at the City Club by @Dan Fitzgerald. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert wine. Great job Dan!

The third of four Colgin’s served blind. This and the fourth were my favorites and both were different. This was much brighter and had a sweet core. Very perfumed...potpourri, violets, black cherry, cocoa dusted dates. Starts light at the entry and gains density as it hits the mid palate and finish. Retains fruit from start to finish but it’s not a show stealer, simply accompanies everything else. Total balance. My guess was between Napa Cabernet or Syrah. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 3 others

Steve Anderson

9.2

This one showed up late, after I had already started on the reds. I am not a Champagne guy, but obviously had to rinse my glass and give this a try. Very good. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee and what a fantastic line-up by John! Typical format of 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind.

Quite fruit forward at first which made me wonder domestic, but lovely yeasty notes and persistent bubbles led me to France. Very nice. — 7 years ago

with Dan, Jeff and 2 others

T C

8.9

Nice and jammy, blend of 7 reds — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Notes of mulberry - even without new oak it somehow has the Penfolds DNA of chocolate malt. Brambley savoury notes. Great to have a Penfolds red with no new oak just for a change. Still with a long future as with 90% of Penfolds Reds. Amazing to think that decades ago Penfolds released Grange and St. Henri at the same price. — 8 years ago