93 Archives - Chateau Blue

Dandelion Lionheart of the Barossa 2018

Clear, deep, ruby with a purple rim.

Clean, youthful, medium intensity nose of baked plum, cranberry, sweet spice (cinnamon, clove), hint of vanilla (suggestive of used oak).

Dry, med+ acid, med tannin, high alcohol (14.5%), med+ body, medium flavour intensity of blackberry, plum – some jamminess. Med+ finish, juicy, acid lingers a little.

This is good to very good wine (93 points), mid-priced (excellent QPR in the low to mid $20’s), can drink now but has potential for ageing up to 10 years (2030). If you drink now be sure to decant!

This is a steak and three veg kind of wine, perfect for winter quaffing.

Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2018

Dandelion Lionheart of the Barossa 2014

A clear, deep, ruby wine with thick legs. Medium+ intensity nose clean and developing with vanilla, baked plum, blackberries and a hint of cloves.

Dry with medium+ firm tannins, medium+ acid and high alcohol (14.5%). A medium+ bodied wine with long finish and flavours of jammy plum, blackberry, sweet spices and a touch of dark chocolate.

This is a very good wine (93 points), mid-priced ($27) and will drink now, but will improve to 2025. Quite young and tight at the moment so some aeration is advised.

This wine follows good vintages in 2012 and 2013 – it will suit barbecued and roasted beef / pork as well as cured meats. Will cut through big Mediterranean dishes too but will overpower lighter or subtler expressions.

Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling 2008

A great example of an aged Riesling. Clear, medium intensity and (just) gold in colour – a few pale legs evident. This is a fully developed wine with a clean, med+ intensity nose – minerality hits you first (kerosene / rubber) with grapefruit and perhaps a touch of elderflower following.

Dry, high acid and med alcohol (12%) on the palate, medium bodied with a med+ finish. Medium flavours follow the nose profile with apricot and grapefruit. The crisp acidity provides a clean finish and some lingering minerality.

This is a very good wine (93 points) which should be drunk now – it won’t improve much with further aging. Mid-priced and excellent value for money – a great match with an oily fish or roast chicken. It will even stand up against a desert – the second half of this bottle accompanied a flourless orange cake very nicely indeed! Grab it from Dan Murphy’s while you still can.

Kalleske “Merchant” Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

A clear, deep, purple wine with thin pink legs evident. On the nose clean and developing with a medium+ intensity of black fruits – blackcurrant, blackberry – and hints of black olive and aniseed. Some vanilla suggesting judicious oak treatment.

A dry wine with high, firm tannins with structure for aging. Medium+ acidity with a medium+ body and finish. Medium+ alcohol (13.5%) with juicy blackcurrant and black cherry on the palate.

This is an outstanding wine (93 points) that punches above its mid-priced category. Let the wine breath a bit before drinking and enjoy it now but it has the potential for aging 10 to 15 years.