Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[felixp21]

2015 Pichon Lalande

Cracked open the case to have a look, it's been a little while. Caliginous in hue, compelling in both horizontal and vertical dimension, exuding great resonance. It has the bouquet of Cleopatra rolled up in a Turkish rug, with wafts of aniseed, Indian spices, cracked pepper and iron. There are notions of potpourri, burnt violets and black truffles. Great length, finishing with cassis, warm, mellifluous redcurrants and lilacs. The whole kaleidoscope of nuances is held together with arctic freshness and exponentially-increasing complexity. Cigar box, black olives and christmas cake round out the 60 second finish. WOW!!

Yea, nah. It's actually a fantastic wine, you could drink it now, but it will be at it's best in another 10-15 years. 96+ points. Drink 2027-2050.

[JamieBahrain]

Been hanging out too long at Suckling’s HKG wine bar I thought for a minute...

[brodie]

2015 Pichon Lalande

Cracked open the case to have a look, it's been a little while. Caliginous in hue, compelling in both horizontal and vertical dimension, exuding great resonance. It has the bouquet of Cleopatra rolled up in a Turkish rug, with wafts of aniseed, Indian spices, cracked pepper and iron. There are notions of potpourri, burnt violets and black truffles. Great length, finishing with cassis, warm, mellifluous redcurrants and lilacs. The whole kaleidoscope of nuances is held together with arctic freshness and exponentially-increasing complexity. Cigar box, black olives and christmas cake round out the 60 second finish. WOW!!

Yea, nah. It's actually a fantastic wine, you could drink it now, but it will be at it's best in another 10-15 years. 96+ points. Drink 2027-2050.

OK Felix fess up you did take a look at the WB critic bingo thread!

[phillisc]

2015 Pichon Lalande

Cracked open the case to have a look, it's been a little while. Caliginous in hue, compelling in both horizontal and vertical dimension, exuding great resonance. It has the bouquet of Cleopatra rolled up in a Turkish rug, with wafts of aniseed, Indian spices, cracked pepper and iron. There are notions of potpourri, burnt violets and black truffles. Great length, finishing with cassis, warm, mellifluous redcurrants and lilacs. The whole kaleidoscope of nuances is held together with arctic freshness and exponentially-increasing complexity. Cigar box, black olives and christmas cake round out the 60 second finish. WOW!!

Yea, nah. It's actually a fantastic wine, you could drink it now, but it will be at it's best in another 10-15 years. 96+ points. Drink 2027-2050.

OK Felix fess up you did take a look at the WB critic bingo thread!

Think we have found RJP's replacement
Cheers craig

[Ozzie W]

I don't mind the metaphors because Felix hasn't used them at the expense of describing the aromas and flavours.

[felixp21]

Been hanging out too long at Suckling’s HKG wine bar I thought for a minute...

haha, haven't been yet Jamie. Is it worth a look?

yea, I might have had a peek over at the WB forum, what a great thread... full of belly laughs. LPB is surely using her descriptors as a joke, no?

[Hacker]

2002 Pierre Peters Chetillons. First of a six pack. This for me takes champagne to a new level. Honey, peach, chalky mineral spine without a distracting acid hit, in other words perfectly in balance. Both broad and long, if that makes sense. I can’t imagine it getting better than now.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Last night I had a [b]2014 Andreas Bender Riesling Sekt [/b](12.5%), a traditional method sparkling from Germany. One wouldn't mistake it for champagne but it was full of interest, dry, boney, and floral, with a hint of honey. Quite nice really.

[Rossco]

2006 Benevelli Piero Barolo
This is what Barolo is all about. Just sublime and almost as good as it gets (for me). The structure here is the real hero.
Superfine dry dusty tannin that really makes the palate salivate begging for more. Crystal clear rasberry red, no blurring, no bricking at all.
Cherries, Roses, Tar, Black Tea, all classic Neb. Some sweet cranberry tang as well,
Doesnt show its 13 years of age at all and is still powerful and focused..... length for days. Will live a long time yet.
(dont know if it was a good year or not, but either way I NEED to find more).

[Rossco]

My notes for a wine evening with an open theme & some wonderful people. All wines served blind

Wine # 1 - 2012 William Fevre Les Preuses Grand Cru Chablis
Starting off in style here.... and a style that didn't come across to me as Chablis. This felt new
world to me, flint & struck match, Grapefruit and lemony acidity with a richness and fullness to the wine. Beautiful riper fruit, apparently a warm
year, which is why its rich/fuller, and wonderful use of older oak. Others towards the end of the glass and as it warmed up got the typical
chablis oyster shell or salinity, but I missed those nuances (hence the reason i wasn't in Chablis). A very good example of what vintage
variation can have on a region! Length was amazing, very high quality wine.


Wine # 2 - 2001 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles
Prunes, Leather & quite spicy with a touch of earth. Clearly has some age on it. Feels French (finally got one!) Cherry's are coming through but
this has a lot of grace and delicacy about it. Quite feminine with purple flowers. Violets and a touch of lavender perfume.


Wine # 3 -1997 Tahbilk 1860's Vines Shiraz
My last roll of the dice for this producer/label as I have been disappointed with their top shiraz offerings over the past few
times. Simply not worth the money they are now commanding (both retail and secondary markets alike). 1997 was meant to be
a stellar vintage for Tahbilk. One for the history books apparently....Unfortunately this bottle belied the vintage. Perfect cork, no seepage,
leaking or staining whatsoever. Just a small purple disk at the bottom..... good start. Still quite primary fruit on the front palate. Some
vegetal notes on the nose, that was slightly off putting. Old aniseed, old chesterfield leather, boot polish but the acid juts out too much.
Not balanced like i would expect, but probably on the decline now. Its a No from me.


Wine # 4 - 2000 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja
Brick Red with Brown Tinges. Lots of mushroom here and forest floor type funk notes. Clove spice but a slightly muted nose as well.
The tannin is dry and powdery (is this a sangiovese?..... no... no its not). Dried herbs and some umami seaweed type flavours. Bit shocked
to find this was a Neb. I still have lots to learn!


Wine # 5 - 1988 Chateau Leoville Las Cases
Does Bdx get any better than this! Wowee what a wine moment. From the very beginning this was simply stunning. The colour was
crystal clear, no blurring, no browing, Age defying really. This was a masterclass in why you age wine.So powerful, so much energy in here.
Earthy Capsicum nose, surely predominantly cab? (never found out the make up of variety(s) or %) Beautify leafy green elegant fruit, pencil
shavings, pine needles and some white pepper. Some cured meats in there as well towards the end..... wine moment for me (without even
knowing what it was) and wine of the night.


Wine # 6 - 1994 Bodegas Roda Rioja Roda I Reserva (Tempranillo)
This was stinky! Barnyard and undergrowth. Cola, Chinese five spice and dark sweet blackberry fruit.
Large Tannin, quite peppery... but was a 'thick' wine...big wine too. Not over extracted, but not sure the balance was there either.
Aniseed or fennel type notes as well with some balsamic glaze


Wine # 7 - 2002 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5°
Ripe dark fruits, again blackberries, blueberries, aniseed/liquorice with some slight minerality about it. Graphite/lead pencil/flint type
minerals here. A little gamey with roast & cured meat but some spicy vanilla oak to finish off.


Wine # 8-1994 Cullen Cabernet Merlot Reserve
Leafiness and eucalyptus, iodine, sweet ripe fruit at the front palate. Cedar and blackcurrant fruit. Feels like a new world. Not a lot of oak and it
has integrated nicely into the wine. Not powerful, but not a bad wine either, just ok. Is it in decline? When it was revealed to be a Cullen it all
made sense. I still have never had a mindblowing aged Cullen and simply dont get the hype around this brand (kind of like my tahbilk
1860's experiences). This was in no way a bad wine at all, just well below others expectations.


Wine # 9 - 1996 Seppelt Cabernet Sauvignon Dorrien Vineyard
Holy cr@p what a freak of a wine. Never had one before and didnt know they existed. This is why I love Barossa Cabernet. When they are
like this, very hard to beat. Such life in this wine, vibrancy and energy. Dried Tobacco leaf, plums, brown earth, cedary oak that has
beautifully integrated into the wine. Great balance here, everything in its place. Pure delight to drink and still has life ahead.


Wine # 10 - 1971 Seabrook Vintage Port
Please correct me if im wrong here, but I will give it a go anyway. South Australian Producer, using Rutherglen Fruit, Rutherglen Winemaker
and a Brandy Spirit from Buller.
Another great VP to finish the night. Blackcurrant, sweet liquorice, Marzipan and lots of spices. I can see the Touriga component of spices here;
Cinnamon, Cardamon, Cloves, Star Anise, some Chinese 5 spice as well. Silky with some milk chocolate at the finish, just lovely.

[JamieBahrain]

Awesome line-up Rossco. All wines of interest to me. Wonderful event.

The PdB could probably be coaxed into better performance with an aeration gamble. Sometimes nebbiolo is not a very willing teacher!

[Hacker]

Hey Rossco, what a great grouping of wines! Was that an offline or structured tasting?

On a non wine related note, one of the companies in my signature below is getting lots of great publicity in the press. Maybe I can afford to buy some wine soon!

[Rossco]

Awesome line-up Rossco. All wines of interest to me. Wonderful event.

The PdB could probably be coaxed into better performance with an aeration gamble. Sometimes nebbiolo is not a very willing teacher!

It was decided that it was a dud bottle (by much more experienced Neb people then me). Bought directly from the importer on the year of release. Stored professionally since.

Was still an amazing night

[Rossco]

Hey Rossco, what a great grouping of wines! Was that an offline or structured tasting?

An offline with some very generous and like minded wine people. Was an open theme ie bring anything you want. Nothing was prearranged and no one knew what anyone else was bringing. All served blind.

[phillisc]

Rossco, thanks for the note on the Dorrien, purchased a dozen about 10 years ago from vintage cellars about the time that Southcorp bastardised the Seppelts brand...they were sub $20 along with vintages oflate 80s Drumborg Cabernets...sadly all gone, but absolute rock star wines

Cheers craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

Very nice lineup of wines Rossco, and thanks for the notes. With no overall theme the blind serve puts all the wines on a level playing field.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Just had the 1996 Allegrini 'Palazzo della Torre' Valpolicella Classico Superiore (13%), the last vintage of it being a DOC wine before it became an IGT. The wine is decidedly old (the colour a ruddy terracotta with browning rim) and in decline but affords some interest, at least to my way of thinking. It had a light floral nose of herbs and spice with some meatiness, the palate light to medium-bodied, somewhat austere with some dark cherry notes and a dry, savoury, herbal finish. Quite okay if one is in the mood for such a wine.

PalazzoDellaTorre'96.jpg

Cheers …………………………….. Mahmoud.

[mychurch]

Grant Burge 2017 Cab/Merlot and 2017 Pennly Estate Phoenix. Good value mid week quaffers, but I thought i’d Give them a bash in the Riedel Sommelier Cabernet Glass - a glass I hardly use now. The Burge can take it, but the Penley falls away completely. I know some people are skeptical about glasses, but this shows just how big an effect they can have.

Kudos the Burge - at $14 a bottle this is a lovely, modest wine.

[Mike Hawkins]

2002 Pierre Peters Chetillons. First of a six pack. This for me takes champagne to a new level. Honey, peach, chalky mineral spine without a distracting acid hit, in other words perfectly in balance. Both broad and long, if that makes sense. I can’t imagine it getting better than now.

Based on the 3 I’ve had in recent years I’m of the view that it’s still too young and will get much better!

[conformistpete]

2002 Pierre Peters Chetillons. First of a six pack. This for me takes champagne to a new level. Honey, peach, chalky mineral spine without a distracting acid hit, in other words perfectly in balance. Both broad and long, if that makes sense. I can’t imagine it getting better than now.

Based on the 3 I’ve had in recent years I’m of the view that it’s still too young and will get much better!

This is making me want to open a bottle of champagne. However being home alone is not conducive to this endeavor.

Will be finishing last night's bottle of 2016 Odoul-Coquard Chambolle instead.

[Ozzie W]

1987 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Cork stained all the way through. Ullage to very top of shoulder.
This bottle past it's best, but still very enjoyable drinking. An admirable cabernet with plenty of cassis fruit, good structure and a long aftertaste.

1999 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline)
Pristine cork and ullage to top of neck.
This bottle way past it's best, and then some. Muted fruit and quite dull. Acid dominates the palate. A disappointment for what's supposed to be a premium iconic Aussie Cabernet. Didn't want to finish my glass.

[Alex F]

1987 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Cork stained all the way through. Ullage to very top of shoulder.
This bottle past it's best, but still very enjoyable drinking. An admirable cabernet with plenty of cassis fruit, good structure and a long aftertaste.

1999 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline)
Pristine cork and ullage to top of neck.
This bottle way past it's best, and then some. Muted fruit and quite dull. Acid dominates the palate. A disappointment for what's supposed to be a premium iconic Aussie Cabernet. Didn't want to finish my glass.

Oh dear, that's unfortunate. Do you know the provenance of the bottles?

[Mahmoud Ali]

1987 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
This bottle past it's best, but still very enjoyable drinking. An admirable cabernet with plenty of cassis fruit, good structure and a long aftertaste.

The '87 Moss Wood sounds fine to me, especially for 32 year old wine.

[Ozzie W]

1987 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Cork stained all the way through. Ullage to very top of shoulder.
This bottle past it's best, but still very enjoyable drinking. An admirable cabernet with plenty of cassis fruit, good structure and a long aftertaste.

1999 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline)
Pristine cork and ullage to top of neck.
This bottle way past it's best, and then some. Muted fruit and quite dull. Acid dominates the palate. A disappointment for what's supposed to be a premium iconic Aussie Cabernet. Didn't want to finish my glass.

Oh dear, that's unfortunate. Do you know the provenance of the bottles?

The were both auction purchases, so provenance unknown. However, I'm not convinced the poor showing by the Cullen was due to storage. I've always encountered a high rate of bottle variation in older Cullen's. I'm not sure why this is the case, but that's just my personal experience. No particular wine faults that I can identify with these substandard bottles.

[Ozzie W]

1987 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
This bottle past it's best, but still very enjoyable drinking. An admirable cabernet with plenty of cassis fruit, good structure and a long aftertaste.

The '87 Moss Wood sounds fine to me, especially for 32 year old wine.

This bottle past its apogee but that's OK. Still a lovely old Cab offering good drinking. Based on the poor condition of the cork, I'd expect better bottles out there.

[Rossco]

1999 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline)
Pristine cork and ullage to top of neck.
This bottle way past it's best, and then some. Muted fruit and quite dull. Acid dominates the palate. A disappointment for what's supposed to be a premium iconic Aussie Cabernet. Didn't want to finish my glass.

This is why I don't buy any Cullen's. Never had a good one with any age on it.

[brodie]

1999 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline)
Pristine cork and ullage to top of neck.
This bottle way past it's best, and then some. Muted fruit and quite dull. Acid dominates the palate. A disappointment for what's supposed to be a premium iconic Aussie Cabernet. Didn't want to finish my glass.

This is why I don't buy any Cullen's. Never had a good one with any age on it.

Yup, bought them in 1994 thru 1999 based purely on reputation. After trying a few, sold all the lot. Most disappointing Aussie red wine that I have cellared (esp for the price)

[Ozzie W]

1999 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline)
Pristine cork and ullage to top of neck.
This bottle way past it's best, and then some. Muted fruit and quite dull. Acid dominates the palate. A disappointment for what's supposed to be a premium iconic Aussie Cabernet. Didn't want to finish my glass.

This is why I don't buy any Cullen's. Never had a good one with any age on it.

I've had excellent ones before, but I'm mostly disappointed. I stopped buying Cullen a couple years ago. This was my last bottle from the 1990s. I have a few bottles from 2005 to 2015. I wonder if these newer ones under screwcap will have the same issue?

[Ozzie W]

Yup, bought them [Cullen's] in 1994 thru 1999 based purely on reputation. After trying a few, sold all the lot. Most disappointing Aussie red wine that I have cellared (esp for the price)

Agreed.

There are others Cabernets from 1990's that I also won't buy.
- Lakes Folly: high risk of Brett (winemaking fault)
- Wynns: terrible quality corks (packaging fault)

But at least with these I know what the problem is. With Cullen it's a mystery.

[JamieBahrain]

Awesome line-up Rossco. All wines of interest to me. Wonderful event.

The PdB could probably be coaxed into better performance with an aeration gamble. Sometimes nebbiolo is not a very willing teacher!

It was decided that it was a dud bottle (by much more experienced Neb people then me). Bought directly from the importer on the year of release. Stored professionally since.

Not telling anyone to suck eggs. But if that were me, I'd take the bottle home and try in a day or two with a nebbiolo that's not glaringly corked. It's not unusual for a nebbiolo to transform even if seemingly flawed on day one.