Weekly Drinking Thread 10/3/2014

[Sipper]

Ah....an opportunity to start one of these. I have looked forward to this. Must be the long weekend that has caused it to run late.

A rather big long weekend in Melbourne;

2004 Chateau de Lamarque - Haut Medoc. Steely and acidic on first tasting. 1+ hours in the decanter it presented a medium weight wine with a delicate palate. Not a lot of body or lasting finish but a good quaffer.

2003 Lakes Folly Red - A little bottle stink or cork taint that readily blew off after an hour/90 minutes. A really pleasant and somewhat refined wine. I thought it would have been a lot bigger but this is the first premium older HV I have tried.

1998 Temple Bruer Cab Sav Petit Verdot. WOW! Decanted and straight away the smooth full on fruit was a real treat. A long lasting beautiful finish with a velvet mouthfeel. Nothing acidic or tannic to speak of. I am so glad I purchased 6 of these for a very reasonable sum.

2001 d'arneberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier - blueberries and more blue berries, a little overpowering and the same on the second night. I have never really taken to d'arenberg but will continue to try.

2005 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Cabernet - I again have never had this wine but have read a heap on the forum about it. It didn't bowl me over and I thought it a bit barnyard, mousey, maybe the bottle. Happy to take advice or take one to the next offline for appraisal!

FINALLY tonight a 1987 Katnook Estate Coonanwarra Cabernet Sav - half bottle. Got it for the worldly sum of 12 bucks and thought more about having a classic half bottle to hold half a bottle for the mid week openings! A wonderful fully resolved old Coonawarra with a lot of tar, leather and hints of coca cola. Has a great likeness to the 1990 Redman that cuttlefish brought to iCarusi. Beautiful example of fully resolved tannins and a pleasurable palate and finish.

I am really enjoying the experience of buying and drinking wine that was made prior to me ever thinking I would indulge in such a thing!

[The fish]

Quiet week so far...

Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinnet Trocken 2011: Frangipani and fairy floss on the nose. Tasted off-dryish. Acid might be a touch high but overall a really enjoyable drink with food.

Seppelts Drumborg Riesling 2012: Still in a really good place. Impeccable balance. It has a saline quality about it that I love. Stood up well over two days and I reckon this will go for the long haul. Anyone care to share what the profile of an older Drumborg riesling looks like?

Went to an instore tasting at the Ainslie Cellars on my way out to dinner tonight. Bryan Martin was there with some of his latest Ravensworth releases on the tasting bench. In and out very quickly so first impressions only.

First up was the 2013 Riesling. Intriguingly this has a fair bit of residual sugar. It's not your typical Canberra Riesling - there was perhaps a bit of passionfruit on the nose? It's a little weird at first but gee it gets better as your palate calibrates. There was still some on the shelf when I left...I don't know for how much longer though.

Next up was the 2012 Chardonnay. Made with tumbarumba fruit. Nice mouthfeel. Suspect that it spent a bit of time on lees. Grapefruit? Bam...And then the esters kicked in for me...banana. I liked this a lot. In fact I'm liking pretty much everything out of tumbarumba ATM.

The 'La querce' Sangiovese 2013 was next. Light to medium weight. Cherries and raspberries on the nose. Zippy but the acid is in check. I imagine drinking this with pasta...

The 2013 version of the Hilltops Nebbiolo was terrible - don't buy it - you don't want it This had a texture akin to what I'd describe as drinking expensive velvet (well...I imagine it does )with broad, rounded but plush tannins in the mouth. I don't know much about Nebbiolo but this was a really easy drinking wine. Perhaps it's the start of a new love affair? (sorry Riesling!)...perhaps it's also time to cut up the credit cards?

Lastly I tried the 2013 Shiraz Viognier. The nose was closed and I didn't have the time to give it the justice it deserved. Plenty of pepper and spice. Perhaps very little Viognier in the blend this year? Didn't ask but should have. Dry from the weight and volume of tannin. Suspect that this needs time. Also suspect that It's a serious wine that is not given the respect it deserves. Would buy this to cellar for the medium term.

Bryan Martin's wines are made with intellect and care. There's something creative and perhaps even playful about each of the wines that he produces. I've always been a fan of his work and this year's efforts have only further heightened my interest. The next time you see a bottle on the shelf at your local bottle shop give it a go - don't be put off by the hideous label (okay... It's an improvement but it's still not great:) )

Cheers
Matt

[Gavin Trott]

Quiet week so far...


[b]Seppelts Drumborg Riesling 2012: Still in a really good place. Impeccable balance. It has a saline quality about it that I love. Stood up well over two days and I reckon this will go for the long haul. Anyone care to share what the profile of an older Drumborg riesling looks like?

Cheers
Matt

Thanks

I have a case of this in the cellar, I think it will age into a belter! Thanks for the update

... now if only you can try 1 each year, and report back here, I'll know how they are developing! just a thought.

.

[Redback]

Ah....an opportunity to start one of these. I have looked forward to this. Must be the long weekend that has caused it to run late.

2003 Lakes Folly Red - A little bottle stink or cork taint that readily blew off after an hour/90 minutes. A really pleasant and somewhat refined wine. I thought it would have been a lot bigger but this is the first premium older HV I have tried.

Hi Sipper, sound you like you had a great weekend. I have a bottle of this and interested in your thoughts as to whether it has the ability to go a for a few more years?

One standout wine for me this week:

2003 Peter Lehmann Wigan Riesling
I couldn't believe how fresh this wine tasted. Lemon and toast on the palate. Slight whiff of hero but hardly noticeable. Under screwcap, which suggests a long life ahead.

[sjw_11]

Slight whiff of hero ...

A wonderful Freudian slip!

[Redback]

Slight whiff of hero ...

A wonderful Freudian slip!

too true!

[rens]

2005 Marques de Riscal Baron de Chirel Reserva:This wine comes from old 40+ year old vines and is only made in exceptional years. It contains about 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Marques de Riscal had plantings of Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot prior to the establishment of the Denominaci de Origen Calificada so are free to include it in their wines.
The Baron is fermented in large wooden vats and is vinified in 80% new French oak. 2005 was the first year this wine saw French oak reflecting the influence of Chateau Margaux winemaker Paul Pontallier who consults at the Bodegas.
As soon as the tree bark is removed from the bottle, you get an intense hit of cherry and cedar. The palate gives you dark cherries, cedar, earth and malt. There is a fair whack of oak, but the quality of the oak is very good. It is rich and voluptuous with fine grained, drying tannins and a lengthy finish. This wine's balance will see it into the 2020's. Muy Bueno!

[Luke W]

2003 Capstone McLaren Vale Gold Reserve 80 year old Vines- haven't visited this one for a couple of years but worth the wait. Stunning, wonderful fruit and balance, lots of complexity. Lots of life left in it but brilliant now.
2010 Jacob's Creek Riesling - great value at about $6 a bottle. Back into a good place after a year of lesser balance. Think it will develop into something quite wonderful.

[Duncan Disorderly]

Seppelts Drumborg Riesling 2012: Still in a really good place. Impeccable balance. It has a saline quality about it that I love. Stood up well over two days and I reckon this will go for the long haul. Anyone care to share what the profile of an older Drumborg riesling looks like?

I've got a bottle of the 2003 Drumborg which I'll bring on 10 April.

I was also was interested to read your comments about the Ravensworth riesling. I bought two bottles a couple of months ago, but I've been drinking mostly aged or German riesling recently and the desire for a steely young Australian riesling has kept getting pushed aside. So the words "Intriguingly this has a fair bit of residual sugar" has really pricked my interest and I'll put a bottle in the fridge for later.

Cheers

Julian

[The fish]

Thanks Julian - the Drumborg at 10 years or so shall be an interesting proposition. Only have back to 06 in the cellar.

The Ravensworth Riesling was an enticing wine. 10 grams per litre of residual sugar if I recall what Bryan was saying correctly and that puts it not too far behind the Grosset Alea at 14g/l. It's not a huge amount but it really stood out as a different wine to other Rieslings produced in the region.

There's only a couple of other wines in the Canberra Region that I can recall with similar characteristics (might be wrong on this though) - Ken Helm does an off/medium dry Riesling and clonakilla at times have played in the same space (that might have also been BM playing in the same space though).

Cheers
Matt

[rooman]

Quiet week so far...


[b]Seppelts Drumborg Riesling 2012: Still in a really good place. Impeccable balance. It has a saline quality about it that I love. Stood up well over two days and I reckon this will go for the long haul. Anyone care to share what the profile of an older Drumborg riesling looks like?

Cheers
Matt

Thanks

I have a case of this in the cellar, I think it will age into a belter! Thanks for the update

... now if only you can try 1 each year, and report back here, I'll know how they are developing! just a thought.

.

Gavin

I have been trying to track down a case of the 2012 Seppelts Drumborg Riesling, I don't suppose you have any left for customers?

Mark