by Martin Field
The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc 2006 – $19 \_/\_/
Marlborough, New Zealand. Nose of lychees and fruit salad. Clean lime juice palate with tangy, citric acidity to finish. Ideal aperitif style.
d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne 2006 – $13 \_/\_/
McLaren Vale, South Australia. Nose of sweet melons and dried pears. Softish, generous white with plenty of fruit sweetness and mild acid. Would suit entrée pasta dishes.
Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling 2006 – up to $15 \_/\_/\_/$
South Australia. Green-tinged, very pale. Lime blossoms and lemon sherbet on the nose. The palate shows more of the citrus and finishes crisp and dry. Will age gracefully to 2013.
Haselgrove Reserve Viognier 2006 – $25 \_/\_/\_/
Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Bouquet of dried apricots and faint vanillin oak. More stone fruits on the palate are supported by oak toastiness. Finishes firm enough to suit well-seasoned entrées.
Roundstone Gamay 2006 – $20 \_/\_/
Yarra Valley, Victoria. Gamay is the grape of Beaujolais and this wine has obviously been made after that style. Redcurrant jelly hues. Fruity juicy nose. Pleasing medium-weighted palate of ripe raspberries with an off-dry finish. Lovely lunch wine, serve cool.
Allinda Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004 – $24 \_/\_/\_/
Strawberry conserve dominates the savoury nose. A biggish (14% alcohol) pinot of mouth-filling cool climate berries over a mild tannic structure. Firm, dry and persistent on the finish.
Frog Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 – $25 \_/\_/\_/
Mudgee, New South Wales. Plummy nose with a hint of liquorice and oak. This is a generous red showing more plumminess in the mouth along with pleasant savoury aspects. Assertive tannins, upfront acidity and a long finish augur well for the dinner table.
Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 2005 – up to $40 \_/\_/\_/\_/
McLaren Vale, South Australia. Deep crimson coloured. Attractive spicy peppery nose. The palate is thick and chewy with intense blackberry fruit and mocha to follow. In a word, scrumptious.
Spitbucket rating system
Five gold spitbuckets \_/\_/\_/\_/\_/ – brilliant
\_/\_/\_/\_/ – classy
\_/\_/\_/ – first-rate
\_/\_/ – good stuff
\_/ – spit it!
An added $ or two denotes excellent value for money.