Hermitage

HermitageBright medium ruby. Cool, perfumed aromas of blackberry, bitter chocolate and mint. Intensely flavored, concentrated and firmly built, with bright acids lifting the berry, violet and licorice flavors. Quite youthfully unevolved but already displays impressive inner mouth perfume. Finishes with firm tannic spine. Stephen Tanzer

There is fine richness and volume to the caressing medium weight flavors that also possess a beguiling texture before culminating in a focused

An aromatic thread of star anise and graphite unwinds on the mouthwatering finish

There is very good Chablis typicity to the overtly floral nose that offers up notes of mineral reduction

it's drinking beautifully today but has another two-plus decades of evolution

It's quite oaky

this is among the Yarra’s first division

it has a compelling earthy/savory character and a long spicy finish

There is plenty of fresh citrus fruit here interwoven with orange rind and a touch of barley sugar that lend it real Barsac rather than Sauternes personality

Ready to drink but will age

A cooler and more restrained features prominent citrus nuances on the aromas of green apple

The 2008 Basket Press Shiraz comes from a vintage noted for a brutal heat wave during the harvest

it doesn t quite have the level of fleshiness and depth that is found in so many wines from Bolgheri in 2006