Homework is due.weekly drinking reports

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TORB
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Homework is due.weekly drinking reports

Post by TORB »

Hi Good Peoples,

Its Sunday again and time for your weekly reports. I have a few things to report but I am a mile behind in my typing so it will juts be a few impressions.

Firstly, the 94 Mount Edelstone we had at the Adelaide off line last month was not representative. i had one last night and it was Outstanding.

Secondly, the 95 Aberfeldy is at its peak but will hold for years.

Third, if you have any 98 Nine Popes, don't touch them for two years.

Finally, what have you been drinking?
Cheers
Ric
TORBWine

David Lole

Post by David Lole »

Some terrific wines this week with the exception of a horribly oxidised bottle of 1998 Pauletts Riesling and a '94 Rouge Homme Cab (Recommended at first) that literally fell apart after extended breathing.

M. Chapoutier Les Meysonniers Crozes-Hermitage 1995

Medium ruby with some bricking in the edge. Enchanting, integrated nose of ripe, spicy plum and cherry wrapped in a cocoon of briar, wet earth and grilled meat balanced with a nice touch of well-seasoned, savoury/vanillin oak. The palate just fails to deliver what the bouquet promises. Only of medium body, there's sufficient quantity of plum, blackberry and cherry fruit to provide interest. Bright acidity and soft chalky tannin provide enough structure to hold things together before a solid soft finish of some length. Needing a few more years to develop more complexity of palate to fully resolve, this Highly Recommended Rhone may then merit an Excellent rating. Drink 2005/6 - 2010+. 12.5% A/V

I thought my last 1991 Eden Valley Leonay disappeared at the (excellent) Club Jacka "slow'' luncheon a few months back. A recent cellar rearrangement found 2 more bottles in prime condition languishing in a random case buried somewhere or other. A welcome and fantastic discovery, indeed.

The golden colour signified a wine past its' prime; the nose and palate destroyed this notion in an instant. Still fresh and invigorating this Outstanding example shows no sign of senility whatsoever. Honey, lime and herb and a smidgin of toast abound in the bouquet with the palate mimicking these nuances perfectly. A creamy, viscous texture with the last deathcries of balancing acidity create a fascinating mouthful of hedonistic joy that lingers interminably. Fanfreakintastic.

I've reported on Lindeman's 1991 Limestone Ridge on more than one occasion. Tonight's (Friday) bottle reinforces my belief this is the finest red made from this house since the otherwordly 1976 Limestone Ridge Cabernet (only released en magnum) and the 1971 Limestone Ridge Jimmy Watson trophy winner. Rated Outstanding

Parker Estate Terra Rossa First Growth 1991

A Bordeaux blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. 13.0% A/V

I bought a case of this directly from the late John Parker at release for some rediculously low price and reckon it's the best of the earlier vintages by some measure. Unfortunately, like so many other iconic, Aussie blue chips, prices have gone through the roof for latter vintages and I just don't bother looking at this label anymore. It was nice to try this again after a 4 year hiatus and I'm pleased to report the wine is holding very well indeed. Heard, since Ralph Fowler departed, things have been on the improve here with a better quality/consistency ratio, vintage to vintage. Anyone care to comment on this?

Ruby/garnet core with a fleck of amber/brown in the rim. Leafy, wet earth and herbaceous nose with decent levels of currant and plum in support. Cedar, lead pencil and sandalwood complete a classy, cool-climate aromatic profile. Housed within the palate (medium body, excellent structural definition and razor-sharp delineation) is a healthy, ripe, classically melded sweet and sour fruit/oak combo leaning more to elegance than overextraction and sheer power. This is definitely my style of wine. Wrapped in a cocoon of tingling acidity and melting fine-grained tannin this wine finishes with a mature softness that lingers gently for around 90 seconds; an extraordinary feat that few can rival. I'm happy to rate this Outstanding adding testimony to the capabilities of this famous wine region for producing world class reds. Drink anytime this decade with confidence.

The only thing I dislike about this wine is the preposterous, impudent reference to "First Growth" in the name.

Penfolds Reserve Bin 00A Chardonnay 2000

Bestowed with an incredibly bright lemon/lightly burnished colour followed by a well-integrated, lifted, charry, spicy new oak nose braced with meal, grilled nuts, ripe green melon and abundant lime, grapefruit and orange. A slight degree of volatility from the grainy new oak treatment was my only distraction. The palate revelas big, sweet, buttery viscosity, finely cut, initially, by excellent balancing acidity. Identical flavours as noted in the bouquet enhance the sense of homogeneity with a touch of butterscotch to boot. The spicy oak is again quite evident but meshes well with the full-throttle interventionist style. The finish was long, authorative and flavorsome.

After about 30 minutes in the glass, a deterioration of structure was noted, becoming broader on the palate and loosing focus as a result with the acid softening at a rapid pace. This suggests this wine should be drunk in the near future and when doing so, leave it exposed to air to a minimum. Still, I rate this well-made wine as Highly Recommended. My few bottles left will meet their maker this year without a doubt. 13.5% A/V

Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz 1992

Quite a dark blood red colour, deep core with impossibly small, aggressive beading. Muted nose at first suggestive of sweet earth, black raspberry and vanillin oak (seemingly new?) - bloodplums, blackberry and truffles a little later. Medium-bodied palate, gentle swirling mousse, some sweetness, plummy/earthy flavours, good length and a very pleasant lingering aftertaste. Highly Recommended. Drink now - 2010.

Much different to the last bottle I tried although still a very enjoyable drop.

Hope your week's drinking was good, too.

ChrisH
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Post by ChrisH »

1991 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz - lovely complex, savoury blackberry fruit nose with overtones of toffee and violets. Palate is medium bodied, rich but not jammy, still assertive plum-blackberry fruit. Long finish. Great QPR (17.5)

regards
Chris

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n4sir
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Post by n4sir »

1996 Penfolds Old Vine Grenache Mourvedre Shiraz: Medium/deep red colour with brick on the rim. A very slender but complex nose with hints of mint, camphor and licorice, and some smoked hickory; the palate has ripe raspberry fruit with hints of blackberry and mint/menthol and aniseed. The mid-weight structure has very fine tannins, and a hot spike of alcohol in the middle, finishing with tangy acid and chocolate on the aftertaste. I’ve found the wine in the past to be a minty/elegant contrast to the gamey 1993 vintage, the spicy 1994 Mourvedre dominant vintage, and the exotic/peppery 1998 Shiraz dominant vintage, and this bottle was no exception. I would seriously question the latest Rewards of Patience 5 drinking window (until 2007) based on this though – there were signs of some oxidation at bottle’s end this time around. Drink now with spicy tomato based curries and pasta.

2002 Yalumba Galway Vintage Traditional Shiraz: Formerly known as the “Galway Hermitage”, this has always been a good quaffer that outperforms its price point. Deep purple colour. The nose is very sweet, with a mix of ripe plums, confectionery, and some dusty licorice. With air there’s a bare hint of some leather, and some apricot & game making me suspect there’s a splash of Viognier in this somewhere; later on there’s a whiff of coffee from that American oak injection. The palate has a very sweet entry of ripe plum and blackberry, a slightly hot mid palate (14%), and a slender finish with a raspberry rebound; later on some apricot/meaty flavours that again point to some Viognier contamination. I can’t help thinking in some way this almost Grenache-like in its ripe fruit, with some mealy oak neatly woven throughout. Good with a spicy tomato based chilli inferno pizza.

Cheers
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.

JamieBahrain
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Post by JamieBahrain »

Greetings

Rockford Basket Press 1995- Poorly cellared example.; witnessed it's sunbaking in the lounge room over the years. Brother in law was kind enough to open though. Plenty of menthol, malt and licorice on the nose. Medium to full bodied, the palate devoid of BP palate complexity of well cellared 95's-licorice, raspberry evident. Good length.

This experience reinforced my belief that good wine better consumed and more enjoyable in youth, as opposed to cooking in poor cellaring conditions and consumed in the future.

Bailey's 1920's Block Shiraz 1993- Robust and rustic wine. Full bodied, the fruit is holding on and I think at it's peak. Not a great vintage but still a good wine. Glenrowan shiraz -blackpepper,spice, licorice and earth with a Ned Kelly like structure-armour plated!

Barossa tomorrow, for 5 nights, so good reports next week.

David Lole

Post by David Lole »

JamieBahrain wrote:Greetings

Rockford Basket Press 1995- Poorly cellared example.; witnessed it's sunbaking in the lounge room over the years. Brother in law was kind enough to open though. Plenty of menthol, malt and licorice on the nose. Medium to full bodied, the palate devoid of BP palate complexity of well cellared 95's-licorice, raspberry evident. Good length.

This experience reinforced my belief that good wine better consumed and more enjoyable in youth, as opposed to cooking in poor cellaring conditions and consumed in the future.

Bailey's 1920's Block Shiraz 1993- Robust and rustic wine. Full bodied, the fruit is holding on and I think at it's peak. Not a great vintage but still a good wine. Glenrowan shiraz -blackpepper,spice, licorice and earth with a Ned Kelly like structure-armour plated!

Barossa tomorrow, for 5 nights, so good reports next week.


Greetings Jamie,

You heading this way by any chance? Would be great to catch up if you could.

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Justin B.
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Post by Justin B. »

Hardy's Eileen Hardy shiraz (McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Clare), 14 months french/american oak, 1990 - Wow, the best 1990 I've had in some time. First night I double decanted it and it appeared a little thin and I was afraid it was beginning to dry out. 2 night later when I went to share the remaining 3/4 of the bottle I was amazed at how much the fruit had opened up. The sensational bouquet was there from the first night but the palate was the big improver. Lovely mouthfeel and a good amount of tannin. Very soft fruit and great balance and length. In its prime and not to be left any longer. My second favourite wine of the year so far behind the 91 John Riddoch. My 2nd of two bottles, and enjoyed more than the first 1990 and more than the 2 x 91's I drank over the last couple of years.

Orlando Lawsons shiraz 1996 - tasted alongside the 90 Eileen Hardy and the EH was the winner. The Lawsons is a great wie but the EH had the stage this night. I would like to try the Lawson again in a few years, it could be superb.

Penfolds Bin 389 1998, Bin 28 1998 - What a great wine the Bin 28 is. Very true to style and great value for low-mid $20's. Great balance that should see it age for another 5-10 years quite easily. I also really enjoyed the Bin 389. Given that I had clues that it was a Penfolds, I had picked it blind as a Bin 407, and was suprised to see a Bin 389 label. A keeper for sure.
Last edited by Justin B. on Mon Jun 07, 2004 1:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Justin B.

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simm
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Post by simm »

Scotchmans Hill Pinot Noir 2000

This wine had a frosty look, red with orange tones. The nose is of a vegetal cherry, dry earth and bay leaf composition. This led me to think that it was going to be on the lean side but the palate came out with big red plums, some clean green plum-flesh sweetness, and had a lingering bay leaf tannin dryness. 89/100 and can't remember what it cost, but I think it may on the periphery of the downward spiral for fruit depth.


Wolf Blass Gold Label Cabernet/ Cabernet Franc 2001

Colour: Rich dark purple leading up to a crisp red rim.
Nose: Big violet and lavender nose with dark berries and blackcurrants. Very attractive.
Palate: Same as the nose with that strong floral bouquet pervading the dark berry flavours, dark chocolate background and a very slight dry leafiness somewhere in the distance. The good acid and tannin structure are very well balanced with the fruit. 91/100 and for $17/btl very impressive and excellent value.


Ingoldby Shiraz 2002

Colour: Medium deep red with a youthful purple hue.
Nose: Sweet plums and not much else really.
Palate: Medium weight plums, milk chocolate and some very suspiciously residual sugar sweetness. Not as good as past vintages and too simple for my tastes. 85/100 $NA good for bbq quaffing.


Viking Wines “Odins Honour” Shiraz 2001

This is very different form the last time I had this wine. Looking back the last one must have been slightly corked.

Colour: Very deep dense maroon with garnet rim. You can almost feel the weightiness of it just by looking at the glass.
Nose: Big deep plums, licorice pump, blackberry and background mulberry, and a hint of milk chocolate. Very ripe and fruit driven (so unlike the last bottle).
Palate: Velvety mouthfeel with huge sweet rich plums, black black cherry, dark berry, dark chocolate, licorice and mocha coffee. The length is impressive, clean and a classy astringency holds right to the end, on and on, but never dominates the fruit hold.
94/100 and would buy more any time at $50. Will try another bottle in 5 yrs if I can keep my hands off it. WOTN!!

cheers all,
simm.

"I ain't drunk! I' still drinkin' !!"

Anthony
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Post by Anthony »

Opened up a bottle of the Yarra Burn 'Bastard Hill' Pinot Noir 1998 to see how it is travelling. A bottle earlier this year was superb. This bottle however was not showing very well and just put that down to a bit of bottle variation. Fruit flavour was subdued and the palate was more reminiscent of a dry red than a pinot. Will try another bottle soon.

Had a mates going away on Saturday arvo and tried some great wines.

Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz 94: excellent, just starting to really open up. A treat.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2001: starting to develop as you would expect from a warmer year. Developing hints of caramel and toast but still enjoyable.

Wilson Vineyards Sparking Red 95: different to the other sparkling reds on the day but just as enjoyable. More savory and very complex as well.

Orlando Jacaranda Cab 86: still drinking well at close to 20 years of age. Colour indicates that it still has quite a few years left in this wine.

Noon Reserve Cab 01:not my cup of tea. cooked and over-the-top. However, I can see how some people would like this wine.

cheers
anthony
Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach
Spanish saying

Sean
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Post by Sean »

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markg
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Post by markg »

Not much lately, I have had a sore throat and blocked nose to varying degrees over the last week or so. :(
Cheers
-Mark Wickman

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Brett Stevens
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Post by Brett Stevens »

Had a few over the weekend The highlight on Friday night was definitely
2000 Paringa Estate, Estate Pinot Noir Wow factor high, Maybe we can make Pinots after all. excellent example especially for the price i think about $50

1999 Moppa Springs way too confectionary for my taste

2002 Oomoo Shiraz A lot of producers could learn from this wine at this QPR, IMO there is little out there at this price, with this quality.

2001 Rosemount Traditional had a few of these in the last twelve months, is definitely well made, but i am not sure it is destined for long term greatness.

Brett

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Post by Guest »

Brett Stevens wrote:1999 Moppa Springs way too confectionary for my taste



Que? You must like them pretty bloody savoury then!!

TORB
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Post by TORB »

Brett Stevens wrote:1999 Moppa Springs way too confectionary for my taste


Hi Brett,

FWIW, here is my TN

Rockford 1999 Moppa Springs GSM (May 2003) sells for $21.50 at CD. A lifted but elegant bouquet translates to a palate of initial sweet raspberry that instantly turns intensely savoury with strong black pepper and a hint of mint on a very long finish. Smooth unobtrusive tannins and fresh acid mesh with the medium weight persistent fruit with a developed complexity and combine to form a firm consistency and long solid structure that should become seamless in time. An interesting food friendly wine thatÂ’s well made and currently rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should increase as the wine matures around 2005.
Cheers
Ric
TORBWine

JamieBahrain
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Post by JamieBahrain »

Gday David.

Again a whirlwind visit home, and sadly not visiting Canberra.

Looking forward to the eventual Canberra offline.

Regards Jamie.

Neville K
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Post by Neville K »

2000 Trimbach Reserve Riesling
Wow!!!!. Had the good fortune to try this amazing wine. Sensational and would humble most, if not all Aussie Rieslings, Polish Hill included. Not expensive relatively ~$40.

1999 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic-Emile
On the night the Reserve Riesling 2000 drank significantly better at half the price. This is not to say that in 10 years time this tightly coiled wine might reverse the ranking. Fascinating comparison.

1999 Mt Langhi Ghiran Shiraz
Undeveloped and light weight. Could go either way. May beef up and develop complexity or could fizzle. Pleasant, that's all.

1998 Craiglee Shiraz
Good follow up to the superb 1997, but not as good as 2000. Rich, fleshy drinking well with an assured future.

2001 Craiglee Shiraz
Looking rough and jumbled at the moment. Just bigger and unknit than is usual for Craiglee. Quite an extracted wine. Needs time to settle. As the shampoo ad says...[not overnight]"but it will happen." A brumby from this stable.

1996 Devil's Lair Cabernets
Absolutely gorgeous. Entering its drinking window. Pure pleasure and why Margaret River is king.

Brett Stevens
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Location: Busselton, Western Australia

Post by Brett Stevens »

TORB wrote:
Brett Stevens wrote:1999 Moppa Springs way too confectionary for my taste


Hi Brett,

FWIW, here is my TN

Rockford 1999 Moppa Springs GSM (May 2003) sells for $21.50 at CD. A lifted but elegant bouquet translates to a palate of initial sweet raspberry that instantly turns intensely savoury with strong black pepper and a hint of mint on a very long finish. Smooth unobtrusive tannins and fresh acid mesh with the medium weight persistent fruit with a developed complexity and combine to form a firm consistency and long solid structure that should become seamless in time. An interesting food friendly wine thatÂ’s well made and currently rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating should increase as the wine matures around 2005.


Sorry I was in a rush and probably should have written more. Is well made with other secondary flavours, but my first taste and i couldnt get rid of it during the entire glass was of strawberry and cream lollies. I know this is the Grenache, i have had this in the past and have not noticed. I tasted this at the CD in April and havent made any notes of the confectionary then, so maybe some bottle variation (i dont know how as i thought this was a fruit characteristic of some grenache)

Who knows? now i will have to open another

Brett

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