Produced by Parker Estate in Coonawarra SA, this is an interesting wine, though not an overly good one. It has a slightly thinner look and feel to most good Shiraz, however, it was pleasant enough to drink with both white and red meat meals. There was the usual slightly spicy finish to the wine and the hint of berries.  However, it did not linger on the palate. A few more years in the bottle might help the wine mature further.

On 10 April 2010, this bottle was taken to dinner at a very good Thai restaurant in Canberra where the food is innovative and top quality. It was allowed to stand for about 1 hour and when poured its colour was dark purple/black with aromas of spice, smoke and berries. It is a full-bodied wine with a pleasing earthy finish and for many years it will no doubt continue to develop even further if cellared . It again proved that a good quality red can accompany any food. A top red wine from Sout... [More]

This bottle was opened for dinner with family and although it was not decanted and allowed to sit for the recommended 3 hours, after just 1 hour it was eagerly consumed by some self declared red drinkers. It did not disappoint.  The deep dark plum colour and good nose gave way to a fine array of tastes on the palette, which were strong but enjoyable with some soft tannin finish. It may have seemed too heavy a wine to accompany a main course of crusted salmon fillets but it actually worked... [More]

Riddoch Coonawarra 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent smooth red drinking extermely well now. [More]

Two evenings ago we cracked open a bottle of Henchke’s famous ‘Cyril’ label which is a fine Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) blend balanced with a hint of Merlot (15%) and Cabernet Franc (15%) and grown in the beautiful Eden Valley in South Australia, and matured for two years prior to bottling. The wine is, of course, named for the well respected winemaker Cyril Henschke (1924-1979) who pioneered the early Australian wine vintages in the early 20th century.  It is one of my favourite Australian ... [More]

Way back in 2006, our chosen anniversary wine was the 1996 Henschke Hill of Grace, which    followed our previous years’ selection of a vintage (2005) 1976 Penfolds Grange.    It might be a good time to explain what these “anniversary wines” are all about.  Way back in In    2005 Aussie Wine Guy got married (to Aussie Wine Gal?) and we decided to start a tradition.     So each year, around our anniversary (in September) we purch... [More]

In 2007 we had to make a tough choice between the outstanding 2002 Penfolds Grange and the 2002 Henschke Hill of Grace .  Having tasted a variety of previous vintages of both labels, we had decided it was too close to call.  In the end, price was the deciding factor as we were able to acquire a 2002 Hill of Grace for slightly less than a Grange. The wine is grown in Eden valley in South Australia by generations of the Henschke family.  From the official site, the following d... [More]