Four wines

Spring Vale 2008 Melrose Pinot Noir

This Tasmanian pinot noir from Spring Vale Wines looks light but the rusty brown tinge suggests a fuller character.  It has an earthy nose hiding some some fruit (strawberries).  It has got enough body — I hate thin pinot noir — and savoury flavour profile. On the whole, not bad, but not spectacular.

Tar & Roses 2008 Pinot Grigio

I give this one a review below, but here’s a second attempt.

From the winery without a vineyard comes this pinot grigio. Not that exciting on the nose, fruit (pear, apple) with some of  the whiffiness that comes with pinot grigio. However, this is a very focussed wine, heavy and long-lasting on the  on the mid-palate, with a solid acid finish. Very worthwhile.

Tamar Ridge 2006 Reisling

An odd nose in this Tasmanian reisling: orange, but I can’t help feeling  that it’s the scent of one those citrus-powered cleaners… and I don’t want to drink that. Citrus dominates the palate with a lemon and lime attack; minerality tempers the finish. Hmm… not to sure about this one — bit too unbalanced overall.

The Black Chook VMR

I like chooks — indeed, I keep chooks — and this was basically the reason why I first bought the Black Chook Shiraz Viognier: the label’s prominent black chook appealed to me.  This triple blend of Viognier Marsanne and Roussanne is as big and mighty as its Shiraz Viognier cousin. A very fruity nose with prominent apricot and peach. Good acid and plenty of heat from the alcohol (perhaps a bit much). One of those white wines for the red wine drinker.