Got Somme : Master Sommelier's Wine Podcast

Can Master Sommelier Carlos Santos identify an Australian Sauvignon Blanc completely blind?

In this episode of the Got Somme Blind Wine Tasting Series, Angus O’Loughlin pours Carlos a youthful and aromatic white wine filled with classic Sauvignon Blanc characteristics.

Carlos immediately discovers a pale straw colour, slight spritz and a pungent nose packed with asparagus, gooseberry, green apple, lemon and passionfruit. On the palate, he finds high acidity, warm alcohol, savoury notes and no obvious oak influence.

He correctly identifies the grape variety, vintage and almost the exact alcohol percentage, but can he identify where in Australia it was produced?

The wine is revealed as the 2025 Bunderra Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Blackwood Valley, Western Australia.

Angus and Carlos compare the wine with the more intensely aromatic Sauvignon Blanc styles of Marlborough, the mineral and restrained wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, and the Bordeaux-inspired Sauvignon Blanc blends commonly produced in Margaret River.

They also explore whether Australian Sauvignon Blanc is entering a new era, moving beyond the aggressively herbaceous styles that dominated the category during the 2000s and finding a more balanced Australian identity.

Is Blackwood Valley one of Australia’s most underrated Sauvignon Blanc regions?

In This Episode
Watch the full blind tasting to see how close Carlos gets.
How to identify Sauvignon Blanc in a blind wine tasting
Classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas and flavours
Australian versus New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc compared with Sancerre
Sauvignon Blanc from Blackwood Valley, Western Australia
Why slight bubbles can indicate a youthful white wine
Identifying oak, acidity and alcohol during a blind tasting
Margaret River’s connection to Bordeaux-style wines
Whether Sauvignon Blanc is making a comeback in Australia
Developing a uniquely Australian Sauvignon Blanc style

Episode Chapters
00:00 A seriously pungent wine
00:18 Analysing the colour, bubbles and appearance
00:37 Asparagus, gooseberry and passionfruit aromas
01:04 Tasting the acidity, alcohol and texture
01:20 Carlos makes his grape variety call
01:53 Guessing the vintage
02:02 The wine is revealed
02:23 Discovering Blackwood Valley
03:06 Marlborough versus Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc
04:04 Bunderra Estate Sauvignon Blanc
04:14 Finding the middle ground between France and New Zealand
04:53 Margaret River and Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc
05:29 Is Sauvignon Blanc returning to favour?
06:28 What should Australian Sauvignon Blanc taste like?

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Subscribe to Got Somme for more blind wine tastings, honest bottle reviews and conversations exploring the people, regions and stories shaping the world of wine.

Before Gary Vaynerchuk became known around the world as GaryVee, he built his first audience talking about wine.

In this special episode of Got Somme, Gary returns to his roots for a conversation with Angus O’Loughlin and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos about wine, business, collecting and where the global wine market could be heading next.
Gary explains why he believes wine buyers currently have more power than producers, with oversupply creating extraordinary opportunities to purchase premium bottles for a fraction of their traditional prices.
He reveals the remarkable deals he is seeing from Australia and New Zealand, including Barossa Shiraz, Margaret River Chardonnay and Central Otago Pinot Noir, and explains why this could be one of the greatest wine-buying periods he has experienced in 35 years.
Gary predicts that blockchain technology could allow collectors to buy, sell and trade ownership of physical bottles without repeatedly moving them between warehouses. The wine could remain safely stored under temperature-controlled conditions until its owner chooses to redeem it.
It is a prediction Gary believes people will return to in ten years.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Discovering wine while working in his family’s liquor store
• Building Wine Library and becoming an early wine creator on YouTube
• How Wine Library TV challenged the pretension surrounding wine
• Learning to enjoy wine as a consumer instead of an operator
• Why Gary believes the current market strongly favours wine buyers
• Premium Australian and New Zealand wines being heavily discounted
• Using wine dinners to build stronger business relationships
• Why a brilliant $15 wine can be more exciting than a famous label
• The value and humility of blind wine tasting
• How Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay have evolved
• Why buttery, oaky Chardonnay may be returning
• How NFTs and blockchain could change fine wine ownership
• The future of wine collecting and temperature-controlled storage
• Building Empathy Wines and selling it earlier than planned

GUEST
Gary Vaynerchuk, GaryVee
Instagram: @garyvee
YouTube: GaryVee
Wine content: Wine Library TV

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Is The Standish Wine Company producing the best Shiraz in Australia, and potentially the world?

In this episode of Got Somme, Angus O’Loughlin and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos taste two extraordinary Australian Shiraz wines: the highly acclaimed Standish Lamella and the exceptionally rare Andelmonde.

Andelmonde has returned after a six-year absence and was only available to customers who purchased the entire Standish collection. With tiny production numbers, immediate sell-outs and two 100-point wines in the range, these bottles have become some of the most difficult Australian wines to find.

Carlos breaks down the intense floral aromas, violet, lavender, dark fruit, chocolate, spice, graphite, acidity and fine-grained tannins found across both wines. The pair also discuss how long these powerful Barossa and Eden Valley Shiraz wines could age, why Standish wines benefit from being opened well in advance and whether decanting can unlock their full potential.

They also compare the experience of serving a cult wine such as Lamella with opening an iconic Australian bottle like Penfolds Grange or Henschke Hill of Grace. Are wine drinkers paying purely for quality, or does history, prestige and recognition transform a bottle into an experience?

Plot Twist: Isaac Smith and Elliot Garnaut from No Utes in the Valet also join the tasting to deliver their completely unfiltered verdicts on both wines.
https://open.spotify.com/show/4jXDhJmoW2pHFSW2z5Kygvhttps://www.instagram.com/noutesinthevalet/

Shop the RIEDEL range here:https://www.riedel.com/en-au- Australian listeners can get 25% off at checkout using the code: GOTSOMME

In this episode:
• Standish Lamella Shiraz tasting and review
• The return of the rare Standish Andelmonde Shiraz
• What makes a 100-point Australian wine?
• Barossa Valley Shiraz compared with Eden Valley Shiraz
• How long premium Australian Shiraz can age
• When to decant or slow-oxygenate young red wine
• Standish compared with Penfolds Grange and Hill of Grace
• Whether wine scores and critic ratings really matter
• Isaac Smith and Elliot Garnaut taste Standish blind

Subscribe to Got Somme for blind wine tastings, Australian winery stories, premium wine reviews and the search for the best-value wines in Australia.Let us know in the comments: would you choose Standish Lamella, Andelmonde or a bottle of Penfolds Grange?

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In this episode of Got Somme, Angus and Carlos are joined by Mark Baulderstone from RIEDEL Australia and New Zealand for a full glassware masterclass.
Same wine. Three different glasses. Completely different results.
Mark takes us through the philosophy behind varietal-specific glassware, why the right glass acts as the “translator” between the winemaker and the drinker, and how shape, height, rim diameter and design can change the way a wine smells, tastes and feels.
We also explore the new RIEDEL Manufaktur range, a handmade collection that celebrates craft, function and the beauty of imperfection.
Shop the RIEDEL Manufaktur range here:
https://www.riedel.com/en-au/collections/riedel-manufaktur
Australian listeners can get 25% off at checkout using the code: GOTSOMME
Follow RIEDEL: @riedel_official
Follow Mark: @riedel_mark.baulderstone
In this episode:
• Why one wine tastes different in multiple glasses
• The difference between universal glassware and varietal-specific glassware
• Why Chardonnay deserves its own glass
• What makes RIEDEL Manufaktur unique
• Handmade glassware, imperfections and craftsmanship
• Why wine temperature matters more than most people think
• Mark’s favourite RIEDEL glasses
• The best wine experience of Mark’s life

Carlos is back from Portugal with a tan, a cellar full of memories and a very rare bottle to share.
In this episode of Got Somme, Angus and Carlos unpack Carlos’ recent trip home, from rediscovering beautifully evolved Portuguese wines from 2008 and 2014 to seeing how dramatically Portugal’s restaurant scene and wine culture have developed.
They also settle a surprisingly heated Instagram debate about cork length, ageing wine in large-format bottles and why a shorter cork is not always a bad sign.
Then comes the main event: a 600-bottle (total) Pinot Noir from Portugal’s Douro Valley. Carlos sees elegance, freshness and a fascinating expression of an international variety in one of Portugal’s most iconic wine regions. Angus? He is less convinced.
Is it a brilliant, unexpected Pinot Noir, or simply a wine speaking a language your palate does not yet understand?

Sponsor: RIEDEL
Use code GOTSOMME or GOTSOMMENZ at checkout for 25% off RIEDEL Performance Pinot Noir glasses.

Chapters:
00:00 – Carlos returns from Portugal01:06 – A look inside Carlos’ Portuguese cellar02:20 – Portugal’s evolving restaurant and wine scene04:25 – The Instagram controversy: why was the cork so short?05:20 – Cork length, oxygen and ageing large-format bottles07:46 – Opening a six-litre bottle for a family celebration08:17 – Introducing a rare Douro Valley Pinot Noir09:00 – Why Portuguese wine is built around native varieties10:42 – Douro’s extreme vineyard conditions11:32 – Angus gives the wine an honest review12:36 – When a wine “speaks Portuguese” to your palate13:56 – Only 600 bottles: is this Pinot Noir worth seeking out?

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