Climate|Vineyard|White Wine Production|Red Wine Production|Tasting Guide

Tasting Guide

Chardonnay:

• Bouquet: peach, lime, apple, buttery, melon, toasty (if oak aged), complex.
• Palate: full flavoured, enhanced by oak ageing, long finish with good ageing potential in the bottle. Usually dry.

Sauvignon Blanc:

• Bouquet: asparagus, cut grass, herbaceous, gooseberry.
• Palate: crisp acid, medium dry, long aftertaste, full varietal flavours from cooler climates, warmer climate wine fuller and softer.

Semillon: Great difference between regions.

• Bouquet: can have "wet grass" character, assertive herbaceous nose with light fruit.
• Palate: medium bodied, soft fruit, older wines have honey characters. Hot region such as Hunter Valley suited to long term cellaring.

Chenin Blanc: Flourishes in warm climate vineyards.

• Bouquet: Tropical fruit, floral, melon characters. Oak treatment adds flavour and increases cellaring potential.
• Palate: full and soft with light acid finish.

Verdelho:

• Bouquet: aromatic, floral, honeysuckle, grassy.
• Palate: full varietal flavour, lean, good ageing potential, best suited in moderate to warm climates.

Riesling:

• Bouquet: perfumed, floral, citrus fruits, some pungency from cooler areas.
• Palate: long, clean acid finish, this variety is suited to cool climates (Mt Barker/Denmark/Frankland) and ages well.

Cabernet Sauvignon:

• Bouquet: leafy, minty, cinnamon, berry, violet, capsicum, cigar box.
• Palate: full bodied, oak treatment adds complexity to palate, firm tannins, ageing will soften tannins and allow full flavour development.

Shiraz:

• Bouquet: spice, pepper, raspberry, blackcurrant, plum, raisin.
• Palate: intense, full bodied, chocolate, mouth filling flavours, firm tannins, suited to cellaring. Warm climates have pronounced berry, fruit and spice characters, cooler climate fruit shows black pepper characters and silky tannins.

Merlot:

• Bouquet: leafy, earthy, aromatic, spice, cherry.
• Palate: soft berry, plum and fruitcake flavours, fresh acid finish, rounded palate. Often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pinot Noir:

• Bouquet: strawberry, spice, gamey, leather, stewed plums, earthy.
• Palate: can be light to medium bodied, a feature of Pinot is its delicacy with good length of flavour.