Brook Eden 2010 Chardonnay (4.5* $?) Straw coloured, tightly wound perfumed nose that offered the promise of interesting things to come and opened up quite a lot over time, as did (surprise, surprise) the palate. Soft across the taste buds with peaches and a hint of cream that'll presumably come through increasingly as the wine develops in the bottle. Elegant style with plenty of interest that'll be worth investigating, say, in about three months and again when the Winter 2012 Vintage Club pack arrives on the doorstep. Given the fact that it's not on sale to the public yet, and presumably won't be for a while it's not one for the summer drinking order, but further down the track…
Fermoy Estate 2008 Margaret River Merlot (4.5* $30 Sale $15) There's a dash of Shiraz in there as well but at 95% varietal Merlot this bright fragrant medium bodied style works a treat with complexity that runs from the nose right across the palate. Varietal plums and berries in gentle abundance, a nice balance of oak and tannin that delivers a lengthy finish and pleasurable drinking.
Fermoy Estate 2010 Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $22 Sale $10.85) Another crystal clear pale straw number with bright aromatics that are a bit closer to the hay and curt grass end of the spectrum than I recall from the '09, this one hits the palate with sharpish varietal character, a balanced acidity and a tinge of sugar that rounds into a lengthy finish. Under my five point scale, 4.5* means I really need to buy this, while 4* equates to I should buy this, but with eleven bottles left in the box I don't need to buy any more, do I? On the other hand 4.5 means I'll be looking very closely at the '11, n'est ce pas?
Fermoy Estate 2008 Yallingup Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (4.5* $20, sale $10) Dark red with purple notes in the glass, subtly pronounced cabernet character on the nose with some plummy merlot in there as well, berry flavours across the palate with ripe firmly rounded tannins and a lingering finish this 70% cabernet blend hit the spot rather nicely and left me regretting the fact that I only ended up with half a dozen. Somehow I doubt that I'll be able to reorder at the sale price.
Helm 2008 Cabernet Shiraz (3.5* $35) Deep coloured, high alcohol oaky nose with big fruit across the palate and tannins that take you back to the days before winemakers started using words like feminine to describe red wine, this comes across as a blast from the past which is fine in itself but the price tag won't have me lining up for more. Fine, that means an extra Riesling (or something else) in the next order.
Helm 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $25) Hand picked grapes and free run juice deliver plenty of herbaceous aromatics on the nose and intensity across the palate, a cool climate Sauvignon Blanc with varietal character and a lengthy finish. Will be back for more, most likely for a six-four Riesling-Sauv Blanc blend in the next ten-pack.
Kaesler 2010 Reid's Rasp Barossa Valley Shiraz (4.5* $16.99) Vibrant crimson with purple tones, soft rounded aromatic peppery elements on the nose that follow through across the palate and linger pleasantly, it will be interesting to see how this one handles bottle age if I can restrain myself from wolfing the rest of the box down. There's a rounded plummy complexity that generates plenty of interest in the mouth, creating an enjoyable drinking experience. Can't see stocks lasting too long at The Wine Society so I expect reordering won't be a possibility.
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