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At the last Vintages tasting, most of the wines for release on July 8th were absent. Unfortunately, I have only a few wines to report on, but one or two of them might be worth investing in. Do read on…

971754 KENWOOD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2005, Sonoma County $16.95
Kenwood’s Sauvignon Blanc always hits the mark for me. This vintage offers notes of lemon and lime zest, a refreshing streak of grapefruit acidity and solid fruit flavours right through to the finish. Find this wine

971705 BAROSSA VALLEY ESTATES 'EBENEZER' SHIRAZ 2002, Barossa Valley, South Australia $39.95
Although this wine is far from being ready to drink, it offers a hint of what its potential may be with some cellaring. It is dark and inky. There are notes of mint, plum, Moroccan spices and blackberry. The finish is ripe and rich, and full of dark chocolate tannin. It should be really good a few years down the road. Find this wine

 

684100 WITS END 'THE PROCRASTINATOR' 2004, McLaren Vale, South Australia $14.95
At first, I note that sweet berry oak that I get from many Australian wines. However, the palate is well balanced, the oak is subtle and the dark fruit flavours rule the finish. I might buy some of this as the price is right. Or maybe I will just wait until next week to buy some! Find this wine

352468 'CUVÉE MYTHIQUE' RÉSERVE 2003, Vin de Pays d'Oc $17.95
An instant hit of earthiness, along with dried mushroom, chocolate and blackberry fruit. It is a trifle low in acid, but it is quite tasty. The finish shows a little dusty dried herbs and clove. Find this wine

685206 RAYMOND USSEGLIO CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2003 $36.95
This is one funky Chateauneuf du Pape that starts out delivering a dose of iodine and aquarium, before it slowly lets the dark ripe fruit show through. A few minutes in the glass allows it to exhibit a touch of molasses, Kalamata olive, kirsch, caramel and liquorish. It is quite ripe and prune-like on the palate. It is drinking well now, but in a couple of years it should shed the dusty tannin that lingers on the finish to reveal a wine with that alluring velvety texture. Find this wine

682740 'BARON DE LYSSART' ROUGE 2003 $13.95 Gaillac, France
I find this to be a light, clean and simple wine with a nose of blackcurrant, coffee and sandalwood that needs no time to age. There is a touch of oak on the finish along with some refreshing black fruit acidity. A pleasant quaffer. Find this wine

319384 'CARTE NOIRE' ROSÉ 2005, Côtes de Provence $13.95
This pinky/copper toned wine has an intriguing nose of anise, plum, and strawberry. The acids are steely, the fruit scores well on the palate, but fades too fast for me on the close. Find this wine

950576 MAS DES BRESSADES 'CUVÉE TRADITION' ROSÉ 2005, Costières de Nîmes $11.95
At $11.95, I find this to be one of the better deals when it comes to buying Rose. It has some earthiness coupled with aromas of rhubarb, red currant, sweet red cherry and thyme. The concentration of fruit is appealing on the mid palate, although I do note it to be a little cloying. Nonetheless, the finish is long and nicely balanced. Find this wine

BODEGAS MUGA ROSÉ 2005, Rioja, Spain $13.95
The fruit is masked by healthy doses of peppery salad greens, wet stone and mineral. Some sweet stewed plum and berry flavours do show up on the palate. There is a kick of red fruit acidity on the finish. It is an interesting wine that I might be tempted to try again. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ