Various

A lot of wine to taste at the moment. Here's an attempt to put a dent in the pile,

Best's Great Western Riesling 2009 $22

It is always a pretty good sign of how a winery is travelling when their sample mail out includes 2008 reds and 2009 whites, and the year is 2009. Demand is obviously strong, which comes as no surprise with regard to Best's, one of the great Australian wine names.

This is delicious. Zesty and with plenty of zip. Flowers,lemons,citrus and a river pebble/stoniness on the nose and palate as it starts to open up on the second day. Acidity is assertive, but it should be at this age, and with salt and pepper squid this was really singing. Will age, but this is bloody hard to resist right now, especially with food. 92 points, 2009+

Jip Jip Rocks Unwooded Chardonnay 2009 $18

Nicely put together. Citrus, honeydew and pear skin aroma's. Mid weight Chardonnay texture in the mouth, with citrus and green melon flavours. Gentle finish. 87 points, 2009+

David Hook Hunter Valley Barbera 2007 $25

The Italian varietal Barbera looks to have a future in the Hunter Valley. There are some nice examples starting to pop up, Margan is one that comes immediately to mind, and this wine from David Hook also looks the goods.

There's some regional earthiness here on the nose and palate which is particularly attractive, and complements the naturally medium bodied nature of the grape. Some sweet/sour elements too, which taste better than they sound and are part of the overall interest of the wine. Slightly tangy red and sour cherry flavours, if you are looking for a specific chracter- another year in bottle will serve it well, then drink it over the following five. 90 points, 2010+