TNs: a load of Aus and South African wines.

[JonoB]

2000 McRae Wood Shiraz; Jim Barry Wines
round, plum, leather, smoke, flint, ripe plum, resolved, eucalyptus, mint, spearmint, earth, herbs, band-aid, nice length. Mature and elegant, resolved. Very nice but not hugely complex. 63/100  

2000 Columella; Eben Sadie
smoke, spice, pepper, stewed plum, leather, cooked and raw meat, wild strawberry, earth, raw tobacco, decaying leaves, forest floor and very autumnal, raspberry and plum, quite fresh and with underlying mineral and bitter notes, really long. Still with some youthful fruit but resolved tannins. Excellent. 65/100  

2010 McHenry Hohnen Shiraz, Margaret River
spice, plum, marble, minerals, bold, but with nice restraint, still young and needs time to unfurl but it perhaps doesn't have quite the structure. Should be good in a few years. 61+/100  

2006 Vergelegen Shiraz; Stellenbosch
quite ripe and full, with plenty of forest fruits, tar, tobacco, herbs. Angostura bitters, spearmint, freshly cut grass. Very nice but needs more time to resolve. 61+/100  

2010 Malbec, Second Innings, Longhorn Creek, Bleasdale, South Australia
smoke, fungus, black and red currant fruit, smooth and silky, very Australian. Lacks minerality and a sense of grape or place. Perfectly well made, but it could be anything for anywhere in Australia. Bitters and cherry. 59-61/100  

2005 La Pleiade Shiraz; Chapoutier & Laughton, Victoria
rich, round and restrained, mineral but with plenty of wood and a silky texture. Red fruited and spiced, quite big, with a mineral nature. Soft, and appealing. Very nice, but modern. 63+/100  

2010 Estate Wine, Bon Courage Shiraz; Andre & Jacques Bruwer 
spice, and dark berried fruit, quite warm and hot with food. Probably better on its own as a refreshing, soft and easy red. 51/100  

1989 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon
sous bois, blood, iron, bloody Mary, strawberry, leather, minerals, soft, resolved and appealing, with a lofty perfumed feel, almost sandstone and foxy, decaying leaves, flint, still fresh and minty. Beguiling and almost N. Rhone like. Very very long and persistant. Beautiful! 74/100  

2003 Carmenere; Neyen, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Smoke, wood. Vanilla, round and with dark berries, quite soft, spicy and bold, with some nice minerality, 
Quite intense, and very warm. Sweet and round. Nice but somewhat simple. 58/100  

2009 Diemersfontein Shiraz; Wellington, RSA  
spice, boot leather, plum, spice, wood, cooked meat, powerful and rich with some minerals, dark plum, earth, coffee, kernel, very South African, rustic and uncompromising. A Springbok hooker, but you love it still. It has passion and a sense of place. Conplex and long. 68+/100  

Jono Beagle's hundred point scoring system.
0-29/100 not worth bothering with
30-49/100 good wine but I wouldn't buy a case
50-59/100 very good showing grape and terroir character
60-69/100 excellent example of a wine from this country/region/grape
70-85/100 one of the very best wines that the region has to offer.
86-100/100 one of the very best wines you are ever likely to drink