Bob McDonald

9.6

Made by Tom Carson (chief winemaker at Yabby Lake) as his side project. 2013 and 2014 (the latter being Halliday’s wine of the year) of this wine were awarded Australia wide Trophies and Tom says this 2015 is just as good. Sweet red fruits (mulberry) with heaps of spice - Barb said peppery notes. A fabulous wine with impeccable balance- a perfect match with the free range chicken dish that Barb created. 98 points from James Halliday. Tom Carson for the last few years has been Chief Judge of the Royal Queensland Wine Show. His expertise shows in his winemaking. — 8 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

A week ago I posted a tasting note on the 2018 Giant Steps Nocton Vineyard Pinot Noir that had won 3 Trophies at the 2019 Royal Queensland Wine Show. This Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot repeated the 3 Trophy win at this year’s Royal Queensland Wine Show a month ago. Pale Ruby in colour - lovely aromatics - red fruited, rose petals. Wonderful palate intensity. Barely medium bodied. I wonder how this will cellar? It is so good now you wonder how much better it can get. I have been a long time admirer of Giant Steps and winemaker Steve Flamsteed who I knew from Toowoomba but what is disappointing is how the price has doubled under the new ownership. I used to pay $45 to $50 for the individual Cuvées and now a little over $90! — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Inky black in colour. Dusty and savoury. Tastes European - made from the little known and ancient Saperavi grape which originated in the former Russian state of Georgia. Ballandean Estate at Stanthorpe , the Granite Belt, have been growing Saperavi successfully for some years now. Dusty cherry/plum flavours with much savouriness. Barb loved it. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Drank this last Sunday for Mother’s Day. Arras is probably Australia’s best Sparkling producer. Of recent years certainly the most awarded. A few years ago this 2007 won Best Sparkling at the Royal Queensland Wine Show and then the Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show! The wine itself is mid Lemon in colour - low on fizz - we drank this from Burgundy glasses. Bakery aromas with Lemon Curd. 78% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Noir. The lemon/citrus flavours derived from the Chardonnay. The following day Sherbet, Honeycomb and Quince. 7 years on Lees giving a wonderful complexity and ridiculous value at only $60. I don’t know how Ed Carr can do it. — 6 years ago

Susan Hanners

8.9

Strawberry, or cranberry or plum, tangy — 7 years ago

Oliver Stephen

9.5

Delicious - Sweet, deep and textured — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

The colour is becoming more tawny since my last tasting in 2023. Lovely aromatics of red fruits and Sous Bois. Manages to combine the characteristics of both Tasmania’s Coal River Valley Pinot Noir and Steve Flamsteed’s excellent winemaking (ex Giant Steps Yarra Valley). I have previous Delectable notes on this wine. Sweet red cherry. Fleshy and supple. This wine scooped the pool at the 2019 Royal Queensland Wine Awards winning Best Pinot Noir of Show; Best Red Table Wine; Best Single Vineyard Red and Grand Champion Wine of Show. Since the acquisition of Giant Steps by the Jackson Family I’m not sure that the Nocton Vineyard is still made? Postscript: Research on line indicates that no vintage of Nocton was made after this one in 2018. — 8 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

8.9

Good lager. Most popular beer in Queensland. — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Delectable - this is the Nocton Vineyard - not available in your database. From the Coal River valley in Tasmania. Lovely aromatics of black cherry and spice. Giant Steps is based in the Yarra Valley and is owned these days by the Jackson Family from the USA. Gorgeous fruit from the terroir of the Coal River, a renowned district for Pinot Noir. An incredible show record of 3 Trophies from the 2019 Royal Queensland Wine Show. Best Pinot Noir, Best Red Table Wine and Champion Wine of the Show. At this year’s RQ Wine Show Giant Steps repeated the Trophy feat with their 2022 Sexton Vineyard (Yarra Valley) Pinot Noir winning the same Trophies. The same award winning wine making team except for Steve Flamsteed who is now a consultant to the Jackson team. Amazing power on the palate of the Nocton - Asian spices, somewhat voluptuous finishing with silky tannins. — 3 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.0

Lychee bomb!!!! 💣
Reminiscent of flat Passiona.
Tasty and drinkable. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Aromatic notes of black cherry with some spice and pepper. On the palate plump black cherries and spice with medium intensity and palate weight. Could be the QPR of the year at $9.90 and a Trophy Winner from Royal Queensland Wine Show to boot. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

Delectable this was the Pinot Noir. Having a nice pre performance meal prior to the “Book of Mormon “ at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre - Lyric Theatre - which was hilarious I thought. The wine was young, my first 2018 Red - fresh and simple. Some foresty and red fruit aromas. Good intensity for the price. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Hard to know which was the better - the view/ambience/restaurant or the wine. Let’s start with the former. Rick Shores, the restaurant is at Burleigh Heads on Queensland’s Gold Coast which used to be on the World Surfing Tour. I highly recommend this restaurant to my Northern Hemisphere Delectable friends if you are ever down under. Asian inspired and voted #2 restaurant in Queensland in 2018. Come at lunch time or 6.15pm in the evening as we did. The red duck curry was superb as was the Whole Snapper. The wine itself- Light to mid crimson in colour. Notes of forest floor and damp undergrowth with a touch of oak. Herbal notes. On the palate sweet and savoury with maraschino cherries and incredible length. Would love to see this in 5 plus years. A classy drop. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

See previous Delectable notes from 2021 and 2022. Always a class act from Tom Carson and in the top echelon of Pinots from Mornington Peninsula. A beautiful red fruited perfume with stewed fruits. A percentage of whole bunch in the ferment. Richness on the palate with depth. A well made wine from a good vintage. Lucky I have one left. Had the last one on 6/12/24. Not showing as well as previous tastings but still pretty good. Rich red fruits. I notice this won the Stodart Trophy at the Royal Queensland Wine Show for best Young Red of Show. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Currently about 5 hours east of Melbourne in east Gippsland tasting this brilliant William Downie Pinot Noir. See several previous Delectable notes from earlier vintages. This wine manages to combine light to medium weight with medium plus intensity. Red fruited with Sous Bois. Downie is a gifted winemaker working in an excellent terroir for Pinot Noir. Would like to have more access to his wines up in Queensland. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

This won the Trophy for the best White Wine at the Toowoomba Wine Show last weekend and went on to win Champion Wine of the Show. Colour is very pale lemon. Notes of green Apple - skins and flesh, also Lime. The palate has quince and mandarin notes - quite unctuous and fleshy on the palate - low acid and medium plus intensity. Even though the winery is in the Granite Belt/Ballandean the fruit is from Chalmers Vineyard in Mildura in Victoria. The 2020 vintage in Ballandean was probably the most challenging on record with droughts, fires and record low yields. As a result, no Vermentino was harvested at Golden Grove Estate. — 6 years ago

Alice Lynn

9.0

Delicious, crisp, easily drinkable. Enjoyed very much — 6 years ago

Alexandra

9.0

I had the 2017 vintage on 30 March 2020 at home. Solid, very drinkable. — 6 years ago

Andy Thomson

9.0

Buttery and soft — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

This Queensland Rum from Bundaberg (which is Underproof UP) is more a commentary on a time and a place in ones life. In our 20s Bundy Rum and Coke was the go-to drink at Pubs and B & S (Bachelors and Spinsters) Balls out west. Many hangovers were installed after this stuff. This was more stalky and herbal and tannic (but still good) than the silky more supple West Indian and Central American rums we drink these days. I finished off half a bottle of Bundy neat and a little ice with 2 old mates on Saturday night. Great memories. This bottle commemorates 125 years of Bundaberg Rum. — 7 years ago