2017 DWWA: Award-winning Chinese wines – Commended

Toasty oak-dominated aromas. Similar palate, which is dominated by sweet vanillin. Modest, grippy finish

Elegant Cabernet nose with distinct oak. Blueberry fruit flavours and ripe tannins. Fresh finish.

An enticing style with oaky aromas and bold sweet notes of vanillin/plums on the palate.

Restrained cassis, vanilla, cocoa and toasty oak aromatics and flavours. Medium finish.

Youthful and powerful with a reduced cassis nose and spicy/herbal palate.

Green apple nose with some minerality. Light but rather elegant with a piquant aftertaste.

Dark, brooding fruits with black brambles and menthol. Bold layers of oak and sweet spices on the palate.

Ripe cassis and sweet oak nose. Nutmeg and slightly disjointed oak on the palate. A beast.

Cassis, sour cherry, peppermint and vanilla bean aromas and flavours. Alcohol pokes out a little on the end.

Jammy sweet fruit aroma. Commercial but very simple.

Peppery nose. Evolving with nice red fruits and sandalwood hints. Classic fine spice integration.

Appealing orchard fruit and gentle leesy characters. Zesty, fresh and well put together.

Cooked cassis fruit, sour cherry and pine nose and palate. Modest concentration and length.

Smoky aroma. Cooked raisin fruit on the tannic palate. Confected finish with imperious vanilla/toasty oak characters.

Overall a muscular and grippy style with a fruit compote/vanilla cream bouquet and green/stalky palate.

Restrained balsamic tea leaf nose. Peppery/woody palate with massive tannins. Firm, medium finish.

Mint leaf, cassis and blueberry nose. Palate fruit is masked by smoky oak. Low energy.

Wild floral, black cherry and herbal aromas. Bitter herbs and black cherries characterise the palate. Soft tannins.

Floral and lychee nose. Moderate acidity gives the wine pronounced alcohol and a short aftertaste.

Umami balsamic aromas. Leather and tough tannin on the palate. Fruit has faded, yielding to dominant oak.

Evolving nose with black fruits. Some fullness on the palate with a sour cherry character

Lavender aromatics. Lots of chunky tannin and bold sweet oak on the palate. Slightly bitter and unripe.

Lots of oak, ginger and vanillin. A food-friendly style. Drink up.

Very extracted, high in fruit but also in oak. Young and intense with a hot finish.

Brown sugar and cassis nose. Palate the same but with a big dollop of charred oak. Food please.

High-toned brown sugar and ripe cherry aromatics. White pepper character on the savoury palate. Monstrous alcohol.

Aromas of red berries, cassis and earth. Silky texture but the tannin is too grippy.

A strange medley of bacon, strawberry and raisin on the nose and palate. Astringent, medium finish.

Jammy fruit and pepper on the nose and palate alike. Grippy tannins offer no intrinsic pleasure.

A tropical and pear drop fruit bomb with a zesty palate and a dash of spritz.

Black plum and leather aromatics. Sandalwood, black fruits and tarry oak on the palate. A tad hot.

Pepper and black berry fruit aromas. Cocoa and oak flood the palate. Medium finish.

Charry oak and stewed ripe fruit on both nose and palate. Bitter finish.

Smoky toast, ripe plum and blue fruit aroma. Very ripe, slightly confected palate, with chewy tannins.

Shows decent leafy/varietal typicity. Oak gives a chalky texture. Rather austere with a very delicate fruit quality.

Pure plum nose. Fine fruit, clean and elegant with only limited oak. Simple but clean.

Very bright cassis and sour-cherry fruit. Smoky oak flavour on the medium finish.

Plum, spice and leather aromas; classic eucalyptus notes in the mouth. Long finish.

Elegant sour cherry nose. Well made, rather intense with grippy tannins and clean cassis character

Fresh palate with sweet plummy merlot and balanced oak.

Aroma of toasty oak. The palate is intense and oak dominated. Hot, medium finish.

Menthol and bold dark fruit aromas. Raisin fruit and lots of chewy tannins on the palate.