Brisbane offline 16th September 2016

[dave vino]

Sorry guys, I've just got back from the ICU where my mum is fighting for her life with pneumonia (80yrs). She was in short stay then deteriorated to High Dependency then to ICU. Been a long and distressing day. (originally went in with a painful gall bladder infection)

I will get my mate to call the restaurant and cancel our seats. Apologies for any hassles, was really looking forward to it.

[JarrodB]

Best wishes to you and your family Dave.

[rens]

Sorry guys, I've just got back from the ICU where my mum is fighting for her life with pneumonia (80yrs). She was in short stay then deteriorated to High Dependency then to ICU. Been a long and distressing day. (originally went in with a painful gall bladder infection)

I will get my mate to call the restaurant and cancel our seats. Apologies for any hassles, was really looking forward to it.

Real sorry to hear this Dave. Wine dinner come and go. Wishing you and your mum all the best.

[Luke W]

Sorry to hear about your mum Dave - hope everything goes well. I've let the restaurant know we're down to 10.

[ticklenow1]

Dave,

We'll raise a glass to your Mothers health. Hope everything works out OK.

Cheers
Ian

[Redback]

Dave,

Sad news, tough day. Hope all goes well.

[Luke W]

What a night! Amazing generosity and a night full of wonderful food, incredible wines and great company. Thanks to all.

[Michael McNally]

Another great offline at 85 Miskin St

10 gathered on International Grenache Day to celebrate all things vinuous. We started with bubbles:
2000 Arras EJ Carr: I will say from the start that I don’t drink a lot of high-end bubbles and certainly not aged stuff. At the outset I found this doughy rather than yeasty on the nose, though with rapier-like acidity on the palate. With air it took on a real honeycomb nose and seemed to lose definition on the palate. Will leave it for others to judge this wine.

Will had generously provided three older Rieslings, which was a wonderful tasting experience:
2005 Leonay: Some lanolin and lemon/lime pith on the nose. Still youthful though some nutty characters and white flowers. A young wine with plenty of acid in the tank. Very popular.
2005 Crawford River: Flinty and austere. Very young wine (which provoked the “will screwcapped wines ever age” debate). Opened up nicely with some air.
1999 Crawford River Reserve: Only slightly golden. No real aged characters on the nose. This really evolved in the glass taking on some preserved lemon/lime and baked apple. Lovely old Riesling. My WWOTN.
Thanks Will!
Last white was the 2012 Jones Rd Nepean Chardonnay: Roasted almonds, peach fuzz and flowers on the nose. Not a lot of give on the palate, in the leaner Modern Australian mold. Nice cardy.

On to the reds and first a celebration of International Grenache Day. I had brought my last 1999 Turkey Flat Grenache Noir. Beautiful nose of roses, feint musk and pink apple. Fruit has faded on the palate, but still some blackberry hanging in there. Secondary and tertiary characters of leather, wood and tobacco dominate the only just medium-bodied palate. Lovely.
Ian had brought two, the 2004 Cirillo 1850s Vines and the 2005 Langmeil Fifth Wave. These could not be compared to the TF as both are bigger younger wines. The Langmeil had a full-bodied nose, but the palate less so. Nice wine, but didn’t really have the complexity I would have hoped for from a wine with this age. The Cirillo had a full-on nose. Powerful fruit and lovely silky tannins. Rens pointed out the soy sauce characters. A couple of tasters thought it had a bit of alcohol heat. I found it too heavy and the fruit sat on the palate without enough cleansing acid. This worried me as I have a few 2008s, 2009s and 2010s.

Next was the 2008 Marius End Play: Opened and double decanted about 90 minutes prior this needed more time to open up. It was dense and wound tightly. It did open up right towards the end of the night, but in my view was not in the running for WOTN.
The next two opened were the two Craggy Range Le Sols. The 2009 was restrained and had intense small berry fruit. Dusty tannin and quite persistent, this was opened way too young. The 2010 was even more shy, but a lesser wine in the view of many tasters. Never had this wine before and to try two in one go was a great experience thanks Rick.

The final bracket of three wines were the ‘big guns’. The 2004 Yalumba Signature had apparently been open since 4pm…..the previous day. Nose hooks you straight away with blackcurrant and a hint of spearmint. One taster identified forest floor. The tannin was fabulous and this is a wine entering or on the verge of entering its drinking window. My RWOTN and WOTN. Thanks Rens!
The 2005 Basket Press was classic Rockford with plum fruit and firm supporting tannin. No hurry on this wine either as the secondary chocolate characters are still forming. Quality wine, thanks Jim.
The 2005 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro was an interesting wine. Again possibly too young, for me there wasn’t enough fruit to carry the full-on tannin. This also evolved in the glass and put on weight, but my wow moment with Wendouree is yet to happen.
Luke had generously brought a Morris Rare Topaque to round out the evening and a sumptuous wine it was. Many tasters at this point were past their prime and I didn’t take a note, but just let this roll around inside my mouth for minutes on end, feeling the joy.

The Wine Of The Night votes tell their own story.
White Wine of the Night votes: Arras: 2; Leonay: 3; Crawford River Reserve: 5.
Red Wine of the Night votes: 09 Le Sol, Signature and Rockford: 1; Turkey Flat and Cirillo: 2; End Play: 3.
Wine of the Night (and this is where the scrutineers had to be called in!)
Cirillo and Leonay: 1
Signature and Crawford River Reserve: 2
Arras: 4

Anyways we had a great night with very generous contributions of wine, pleasant company and great food at with goodwill to all personkind.

Cheers

Michael

[Michael McNally]

Sorry, should have mentioned we had a toast to Dave's mum to start the night. Thoughts were with you Dave.

Cheers

Michael

[dave vino]

Hey all,

Huge thanks to all for your kind wishes and thoughts. Mum is out of intensive care and in the Cardio ward as she suffered a mild heart attack while fighting the pneumonia. Lots of Antibiotics seems to have helped with the pneumonia and gall bladder infection so while still very weak she is definitely 100% better than last week.

After High Dependency couldn’t control her heart rate and breathing she was moved to Intensive care - she was at around 150bpm for a good while (which at 80years is not ideal), trying to suck the air in and panicking with the big oxygen mask as she couldn’t breathe. They were asking the dreaded ‘how far do you want us to go in saving her…’ question in HD. Then she got moved to the ICU… same basic set of nurses on rotation but now 1 to 1.

The nurses in the ICU are deadest legends in my eyes. Really eye opening seeing them work first hand and the dedication and professionalism they exhibit. Always happy to explain the what and why of everything in laymen’s terms. There is this cool confidence and demeanour they all have that puts you immediately at ease. Can’t praise them enough.

On the wine front….
Great to hear you had a wonderful night also.
Would love to get up there for a casual meetup with my wines (which are still up there) in the next month.

[Willard]

Hi Dave,

Really good to hear your Mum had improved, hope it's continuing. In agreement with you about the ICU staff.

Let us know if you are able to get up north soon, hopefully could fit in with you for another sneaky offline.

Best regards
Will

[phillisc]

Dave, good to hear that your mum is slowly on the mend...and thanks so much for the big rap for the nursing staff.

Just quietly, did that gig myself for 15 years, a bloody demanding role but yes always great to interact with people and their families in a time of crisis, where we then do our absolute best to make a difference.

Cheers
Craig

[ticklenow1]

Thanks for the (as usual) great notes Michael. Another great night had by the Brisbane forumites. 85 Miskin St delivered once again, with very nice food and plenty of glasses.
My take on the wines from the quick notes I took on my phone....

2000 Arras EJ Carr. Initially it had a yeasty, doey nose but fell over quite quickly in the glass over the next hour. The nose went to a honeyed smell and the wine was not that impressive to me. Having said that, I'm no big fan of bubbles at this stage of my wine journey. 2/5
2005 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling. Eden Valley. Still shows young but very enjoyable. Was initially my pick of the 3 Rielings that Will brought along and while it improved in the glass over time, it eventually couldn't get close to the wine below. 4/5
2005 Crawford River Riesling. Still young, muted nose and needs plenty of time. Nice wine. 3.5/5
1999 Crawford River Reserve Riesling. What a wine. Golden colour but not too much, still had some zestiness and to me was still quite young for a cork sealed wine of this age. But this just got better and better in the glass. Some lemon zest and perfect acid. Initially I was not so enamoured by this, but within 1/2 an hour or so in the glass it was just amazing. Best of Will's three Rieslings by quite a margin in the end and my WWOTN and WOTN (which I can't believe I voted for a Riesling ). Thanks Will for these 3. 4.5/5
2012 Jones Road Nepean Chardonnay. Mornington Peninsula. Very nice but I found it just a little lean. Oak not prominent and more in the way of the newer style Australian Chardonnay. 3/5
1999 Turkey Flat Grenache. Barossa Valley. Reasonable colour considering it's age. Only light bodied and fading with the fruit way in the background. This had a wonderful nose initially. Shows that Barossa Grenache can age a little. On the downward slope but very nice to drink. 3.5/5
2007 Langmeil 5th Wave Grenache. Barossa Valley. Lighter than the Cirillo which to me made it a bit easier to drink. Nice sweet fruit with just a touch of oak showing. Had some savouriness which made it an interesting drink. 3.5/5
2004 Cirillo 1850's Old Vine Grenache. Barossa Valley. Filled out the Grenache's for International Grenache Day. Probably should have taken something from McLaren Vale to go against the above two wines. Ah well, next time. This was my wine but to be honest, I was disappointed by it. Last time I had this, I loved it. There was some heat, but not excessive and it just finished a bit short. I actually found it a bit heavy. Not porty but lacking something. Michael mentioned acid I think and whatever it was, it just didn't appeal to me at all. It was rather clunky. I have another bottle and will be drinking sooner rather than later, though it was suggested by someone that it needs more time. 3/5
2008 Marius End Play. McLaren Vale. Every time I've had this wine, it has been incredible. How I wish I had some in the cellar. At first though it was rather closed and wasn't offering up much at all. I was quite shocked. But once it opened up, it didn't disappoint. Some aniseed on the nose and the back palate filled out beautifully after an hour in the glass. It's a beauty. RWOTN for me (but only after plenty of air). Thanks Michael. 4.5/5
2009 Craggy Range Le Sol. Quite approachable (much more so than the 10), but not a wine I would buy. It was very generous of Rick to bring the Le Sol's. This was a lot more subtle than I am used to drinking and I thought it lacked X factor compared to the 10. 3/5
2010 Craggy Range Le Sol. Of the two Le Sol's I found this one the more appealing wine. Others preferred the 09 as it was more approachable, and I get that. But to me this wine had some of the X factor the 09 was missing. It was more complex, had better tannins and longer term, I think this will age better. Not having had any experience with these, it's only what I thought on the night. 3.5/5
2004 Yalumba The Signature. Great wine that will only get better with more time. Eucalypt on the nose, but not overpowering at all. Silken tannins, great fruit profile and oak is in perfect balance with the fruit. Rens said it had been in the decanter for over 24 hours. Helps with my theory that 04 was the pick from the 00's in SA. Should only get better for many years yet. Was my RWOTN until the End Play poked it's head in front late on. 4.5/5
2005 Rockford Basket Press. Barossa Valley. Lovely wine but I was starting to get some palate fatigue by this stage. Silken tannins, nice fruit and oak balance and a wine I could drink plenty of. Should hold for a while yet. 4/5
2005 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro. Clare Valley. Camphor on the nose and not showing much at all. Enough there to suggest it will be a very good wine though. The tannins are still really sticking out at the moment. 3.5/5
Luke did bring out a Morris sticky but I didn't taste it.

Good to hear that Dave's Mum is on the mend as well.

Another night of fantastic wines and company. Many Thanks for everyone's generosity in bringing along these beautiful wines. Thanks to Luke for organising as well. See you all at the next one.

Cheers
Ian

[Willard]

A few impressions from me, I was largely in line with Michael's and Ian's takes, with a couple of diversions.

2000 Arras EJ Carr - It did go from yeasty & complex to a honeyed dominant nose much quicker than I expected. I admit I didn't love it but loved the opportunity to try it. Thanks Luke.

Riesling-off
2005 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling EV - Showed some development (esp next to the 05 Crawford), but largely youthful. More complexity and texture too, but needs more time to build. I wont open my last for a good few years.
2005 Crawford River Riesling - Looked like a new release. As it warmed in the glass opened up a little and showed more fruit sweetness. Piercing length. Long term wine.
1999 Crawford River Reserve Riesling - Auction buy so I was glad it was a good bottle. Still relatively primary on the nose though the colour showed some development. Gained complexity as it warmed, lemon mixing with touch of honey, perhaps caramel. Perfect acid, good bottles of this could last many years depending on the flavours you enjoy.

2012 Jones Road Nepean Chardonnay - This was more middle ground for me, not stripped out lean but certainly not heavy. Nice wine, no rush to drink.

Grenache-off. Prefaced by saying I am not a Grenache drinker.
1999 Turkey Flat Grenache - This was my first aged Grenache, wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the start. I had some left when we poured the next two wines and it was completely swamped. When I came back to it later I really enjoyed the leathery tertiary flavours, and was certainly my favourite Grenache tonight. Don't think it has converted me though.
Langmeil 5th Wave Grenache - I lost this one a little.
2004 Cirillo 1850's Old Vine Grenache - Massive nose that swept all before it. Sweet black liqueur cherries and rasberries, maybe even some liquorice. First taste is very impressive. After a small amount though just too much, too sweet and ripe, alcohol did start to show for me. My least preferred of the 3 by the end of the glass.

2008 Marius End Play - took a while to open up but a terrific wine when it did. Still mostly primary, but showing some earthy savoury McLareny goodness.

Le Sol-off. A real treat to try both at the same time, thanks Rick!
2009 Craggy Range Le Sol - Spicy red and blue fruits, fine tannin and wonderful balance. Needs more time, but clearly a class wine from one of my favourite producers.
2010 Craggy Range Le Sol - I thought this had fruit in a darker spectrum, a little more weight on the palate, again needs more time. This was my slight preference of the two. Would love to spend more time with either of these wines - big glass, quiet night would be fantastic.

2004 Yalumba The Signature - Terrific wine, cabernet nose, I loved the texture and the tannin, even at 12 years reckon this needs a steak. Oak a positive contributor and nicely folded in. The only bit I didn't love was the minty nose, but comes with the territory I guess. I've got some '06 in the cellar and am happy about it. Might buy some '12 before it disappears.

2005 Rockford Basket Press & 2005 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro - A comparison in styles and great to try two icons of similar age. Looking back I'm not sure it helped either wine show its best, as they are so divergent in style.

I agree with the majority of the table that the Wendouree was fairly closed and certainly needs more time. However I liked the firm youthful tannic backbone, the drawn lines and latent fruit power. Menthol nose was a distraction for me still. That distraction aside, this was easily my preference of the two.

I was a bit on my own with the Basket Press - I just found it a bit too rich, sweet and soft (perhaps in comparison); while it did have real fruit depth I couldn't see the savoury aspects, and maybe a bit more freshness, that would bring it back for me.

Finished with the bookend from Luke - Rare Morris Tokay was a delight with dessert.

Thanks all for a terrific night.

[TiggerK]

Thanks for the notes everyone, really appreciate the time taken to post them, and the varied opinions are always so interesting. So often there are differing opinions around the table and it's good to see a few perspectives.

Of particular interest for me was the Rieslings and the Le Sols. Agree that 09 and 10 Le Sol are still way too young (I prefer 10 FWIW). I'm finding a combo of winemaking style, screwcaps and perhaps even dare I say it 'terroir' (is the Antipodean equivalent called 'the vibe'?), is proving to me the need to leave these flagship Kiwi reds for much much longer than we typically allow them. I also think they are changing and refining their style fairly rapidly and the 13 and 14 vintages reflect this trend towards increasing balance and less hints of slight over-ripeness and (sadly to a lesser extent but making progress) over-oaking. I suppose given so many top Rhone Syrahs have liberal oak (LaLa's come to mind), it's perhaps difficult to expect too much oak restraint.

So jealous of you trying a Crawford River Reserve 99, never had one that old, but a big fan of the label. Cork gods delivered!

And with some crossover to the Rockford thread, BP generally needs 20 years plus (current vintages are likely excepted) and yet BP still disappoints me more often than not. I was disappointed with my 04's, and while I didn't mind 05 so much, they still didn't grab me. Here was my summary...

Rockford - I hate to say it, but I'm generally losing the BP vibe. I'll never say it's a bad wine, but I consistently find it quite monodimensional, lacking any real nuance or complexity. I described it as a man-made halfcircle canal with water flowing down smoothly and effortlessly, while what I'm really looking for is some river turbulence caused by rocks and variations! It certainly has a good purity of fruit, and I'll admit there are plenty of older vintages I've not tried yet. Maybe it's too early to write it off (and my mate Dave might excommunicate me) but for $50 on mailing list and $100+ at retail I think I'll put my money elsewhere. Have loved some SVS, Hoffman and Flaxman's though... they can be super yum.

Hope to get up there and raise a glass with you all one day!

Cheers
Tim

[rens]

Yes, a good night it was.
2000 Arras EJ Carr - Was hoping for more, perhaps the anticipation killed it for me.

The rizzers was a great flight. The 1999 Crawford River Reserve Riesling was sensational and WWOTN. Thanks to Will and the guy who flicked it to auction as it was in great nick.

The grenache was also interesting. For me the 1999 Turkey Flat Grenache was a bit too long in the tooth for my tastes with both the Langmeil 5th Wave Grenache and 2004 Cirillo 1850's Old Vine Grenache doing well on international Grenache day.

The 2008 Marius End Play certainly took a while to open up but really did its thing after another hour exposed to the elements.

Both the 2009 Craggy Range Le Sol and 2010 Craggy Range Le Sol were nice wines, but I missed something. Would like to come back to both in a decade and see where they are at.

My 2004 Yalumba The Signature was given a nice long decant and was the better for it. Double decant at 4pm the day before and rested on the counter until service. A great signature and another one that will need another decade to show what it really can do.

The 2005 Rockford Basket Press was in good form and drinking well.
The 2005 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro -I still did not get it, however a 1996 Cabernet Malbec by the fire a few days later was amazing (So I'm giving Wendouree a strike rate of 1 in 12 for my palate).

The Morris was great too, but could have been better if my palate was not as fatigued at this point of the evening.

Thanks Again all for your generosity.
See you at the next one.