From an excellent lunch yesterday at a nearby Cuban restaurant. A
great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling 2003 (Margaret River)
Light yellow in colour. Lots of lime, grapefruit, minerals and some
petrol and floral notes on the nose. Light bodied with lemon oil,
citrus fruits and minerals on the palate and decent acidity. Nice, but
it started to fade a little in intensity with some time.

Charles Cimicky Signatures Shiraz 1998 (Barossa Valley)
Dark red-purple colour. A little closed at first, but it opened with
time to show blackberries, plums, chocolate, spices and a little
menthol on the nose. Full bodied and concentrated on the palate with
sweet dark fruits, pepper, chocolate and caramel with soft tannins and
a long finish. Very smooth, balanced and enjoyable.

Wynn's Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Limited Release Cabernet
Sauvignon 1998 (Coonawarra)
Dark red colour. Really gorgeous complex nose with lots of cedar,
leather, cassis, plums, and some minty herbal notes. Medium to full
bodied on the palate and very elegant with more cedar, cassis and
savoury red and dark fruit flavours. Plenty of structure still there,
with really good acidity and fairly firm tannins showing on the back
palate. Finish is medium length. This was drinking really beautifully
with lots of primary fruit still showing and some developed nuanced
characteristics starting to emerge. I'd imagine this has a long life
still ahead of it. Sadly my only bottle.

Greenock Creek Seven Acres Shiraz 1998 (Barossa Valley)
This was a real surprise for me - my first experience with a Shiraz
from Greenock (I'd only tasted one of their Cabs before), and from the
reviews/hype about them, I expected a massive blockbuster Shiraz with
lots of concentration, density and alcohol. The label said 12.6% (the
Wynn's was 13.3), and this was a gorgeous blend of power and elegance.
Tremendous nose with leather, caramel, blackcurrants, red and dark
fruits, spice and some floral notes with just a faint hint of VA. Full
bodied but beautifully balanced on the palate with more caramel,
plums, blackberries, red fruits and spices with a smooth texture and a
medium-long finish. Lovely.