REVIEWS
WAURN PONDS ESTATE 2005 SHIRAZ
**** $$$$
I love the spicy pepper notes found in this wine, they're typical of the Geelong Region. Waurn Ponds may be a new label but they have hit the ground running with their 2005 Shiraz. I tried it over two nights and on the second it really came into its own. Forest berries combined with some soft vanillin oak and the aforementioned hint of black pepper made for a perfect partnership with a rare eye fillet steak.
Fergus McGhie, The Canberra Times
WAURN PONDS ESTATE 2005 SHIRAZ
A charming, supple and tightly focused shiraz that will doubtless please Francophiles who prefer their wine Australian. It’s fragrant, pepper and slightly musky, delivering a spicy expression of raspberries, dark plums, cherries and blackberries gently backed by restrained cedar/vanilla oak. While it lacks the length of a wine made from more mature vines, it does build on the palate towards a pleasing crescendo, finishing spicy and savoury with lingering notes of dark fruits, currants and licorice plus a refreshing acidity. (Geelong, $17.50 ex cellar, 16.7/89, drink 2007-2010).
Jeremy Oliver, 6 October 2007
WAURN PONDS ESTATE 2005 SHIRAZ
The fruit is sourced from vines grown on Deakin University campus and is ... made there too. I have a range from this producer to taste and based on this sample I'll be doing them sooner rather than later. Aromas of red and black berries, pepper and spice. It is meaty and fragrant with a little sweet tomato adding interest; a peppery Cornas style. On the palate medium bodied with black and red fruit, pepper and meaty flavours. The tannins are dry and fine and there is a sappy chalky mouthfeel that is most attractive. Finishes spicy with some sappy flavours. A stylish cool climate shiraz and a dead set bargain at the price. Rated: 91 Points
Gary Walsh, Winorama
WAURN PONDS ESTATE 2006 CHARDONNAY
Supple, fine and savoury, this attractively balanced and deliciously varietal young chardonnay marries pristine flavours of peach, pineapple, melon and citrus with dusty, cashew, buttery and vanilla-like oak and creamy, leesy complexity. Scented with honeysuckle, it’s unusually fragrant and lightly mineral. Punctuated by soft but lively acids, it’s sappy, almost succulent and certainly vibrant and generous. For the Burgundy enthusiast, it finishes long and cultivated. (Geelong, $17.50 ex cellar, 17.6/91, drink 2008-2011+).
Jeremy Oliver, 6 October 2007