By April this year, Clare and Eden Valley riesling makers could hardly believe their own good luck.
They’d barely finished crowing about 2002 — the best vintage in twenty years, they said — even better than the excellent 2001s. And, here were the barely fermented 2003s looking every bit as good as the 2002s, perhaps better.
What […]
Petaluma Coonawarra 2000, about $50 to $70
Coonawarra’s warm and very small 2000 vintage produced cabernets somewhat plumper and rounder than normal for this region. The crystal-clear, blackcurrant varietal character is still there, but in the mouth the wines seem softer, the riper tannins delivering less of the variety’s astringency. Petaluma’s 2002 fits this vintage mould. […]
Boag’s Honey Porter, about $10 to $12 for 4 375ml bottles
Luscious is the word for this wonderful new Tassie brew. It’s a tad paler than some Porters – a deep, appealing, mahogany rather than black. But it’s full-bodied and complex, combining malt and roast malt flavours with fragrant hops, a terrific, drying hops bitterness and […]