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

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Con J]

Hi All.

Been off the grid for while, drinking very little.
Offloaded about 30 dozen bottles.

Yesterday I cooked 50 day aged T Bone over charcoal, also made a few dips and my mums potato salad.

Enjoyed a couple of glasses of 1979 Lakes Folly Dry Red. Still very much alive but well into tertiary stage.

Cheers Con.

[Matt@5453]

Starting to see the release of some 2021 and 2022 reds. Two vintages from the Clare Valley that should deliver some excellent drinking from back to back outstanding vintage conditions.

2022 Sevenhill Cellars Vaulted Shiraz

Everything in balance, a deep core of lovely fruit. Excellent length. Sevenhill's wines can be a bit hit and miss, but this is very good. Should cellar well, im putting a few away.

2021 Eldredge Blue Chip Shiraz

This is big and bold in flavour and structure. A good lick of American oak. This is their style. one of the better ones I've tried. Good structure to put a few away for a cold winters night.

[mychurch]

Hi All.

Been off the grid for while, drinking very little.
Offloaded about 30 dozen bottles.

Cheers Con.

Glad to hear your ok Con. We have missed you.

We had Tom and Jerrem to dinner last night and cooked a chicory Tarte tatatin and a couple of Tomohawks. Have enough leftovers to keep us fed for at least a week

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We drank a few whites from the 80’s with the 86 Elizabeth Semillon being the only 1 that was past it. For me the ‘17 Orbel Riesling was the standout wine, but the older wines had a nice sense of time and place.

[Chuck]

Yelland and Papps 2021 Greenock Shiraz (Barossa Valley). From an e-tailer. The quality of the 21 vintage is showing here with perfectly ripened fruit. Quite elegant in style (13.9% ABV which is refreshing) with the usual black and blue fruits but with an interesting twist I just can't put my finger on. Almost herbal or floral but in a good way. Adds some nice complexity. Aged in thrice used large French oak vats much in the St Henri style. Drinking well now and will age well for medium term cellaring. I do like this style that adds variation to the cellar. Sad to see a good wine from such a great vintage being sold at silly prices. But I'm doing my part to soak up the surplus.

Bought another 6-pack as these opportunities may not be around in a few years. With China back in the market and a vine pull threatened (although the latter more relevant to broad acre grape growing) things may change quickly. For the smaller boutique wineries suffering low sales and subsequent cash flow issues this can't happen too soon.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Wine # 10 (Fortified) – 1982 Sevenhills Vintage Port (Clare Valley)
Lighter in colour than a usual Aussie VP. Some slight browning but otherwise a dark strawberry
Colour. This is a tough one as the colour looks to be Portuguese due to the clarity and light colour… however I’m not sure. Amaro bitters, orange rind, orange zest and a marmalade peel type note. Lots of ground almond and marzipan… has a dirty spirit in it. Now I’m in Portugal…. Lol wrong.
Silky mouthfeel, nice texture… great fruit here, some strawberry notes with biscotti at the end.
Love the length on this, great wine, good complexity AND doesn’t feel Australian even though it is. One of my first Clare VP’s. I wonder what the grape variety is!

I was quite taken by the 1987 Sevenhill VP when I tasted it at cellar door. Before leaving the Clare Valley I decided to go back to Sevenhill to pick up a bottle or two only to find that they had the 1988 on offer. Alarmed, I enquired after the 1987 and was told they were in the clearance bin and that 1988 was to be their last bottling of VP. The clearance bin had them on sale for A$10 a bottle and I walked out with six bottles.

Many years later, when the port was about 25 years old, I served it to my port expert friend and he picked it for a vintage port and then proceeded to try and guess the port house. Imagine his surprise when I told him it was not an old world port!

With regards to your thoughts on the grape variety I believe the port would contain a large proportion of Touriga grapes. In fact their entry level red blend contained Touriga and was labelled either 'STG' or 'STM'.

Cheers ................ Mahmoud.

[Sean]

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[phillisc]

2019 Marius Simpatico.
This is special, not only because it's a great wine, or that it was Roger's last vintage, but the lad and I had a hand in this, both attending a picking day during vintage.
At 5 years of age dark purple savoury great nose, plenty going on, lovely palate, good length, very balanced, lingering finish. Just delicious, credit to Roger.
2022 Bowen Cabernet, nice wine, plenty of black blue fruits, good length on the palate, but lacks the fleshy rich plush profile of the 2021. Carries the 15% easily, no harsh edges, no overt acid.
It's still a nice wine and will go a long time, maybe that's what is needed.
Cheers Craig

[Chuck]

Mike Press 2017 Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was a bit of hard work in its youth but with all components (read tight with acids and tannins) now in balance it's a pleasure to drink. Blackberry and mulberry. Some good oak treatment. Almost too much oak if that's possible. Great mouthfeel. Astonishing value. I just hope he survives the current downturn but at sharp prices he should. I don't think it will get any better but should last a few more years.

[Matt@5453]

I had the pleasure of attending the Clare Valley Wine region Hall of fame dinner on Friday night, held only every 10 years. It was an amazing night recognizing and celebrating those that have made a significant contribution to the Clare Valley Wine region.

A highlight of the event was the wine selection, pulled from the Wine Region’s cellar / museum stock, literally a ‘treasure trove’ of wines spanning decades with very good provenance.

The list of wines available to consume was extensive to say the least, almost too much wine to try on an evening like this (i.e. socializing rather than focusing on the wines too much), hence targeting bottles to try was the key. The some of the rarer ‘marque’ wines were only available by the glass.

On arrival:

2023 Grossett Springvale Riesling – this was served on arrival on our tables. A lovely fresh young riesling, almost faultless for mine with excellent length.

Main Event:

Whites:

2002 Brian Barry “Judd’s Hill” Riesling (Screwcap) – this label has long since disappeared. The wine was made by Brian Croser. A fantastic example of a beautifully aged and matured Riesling, the acid has almost dropped away leaving ‘sweet’ fruit notes, some honeyed notes, toastiness. A pleasure to try.

2006 Pikes Merle Riesling. This was amazing, surprisingly youthful, in a great zone with a nice back bone of acidity with length to burn. If you have one tucked away recommend trying it.

Reds:

The staff ensured all wines were decanted in advance.

2001 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec (Cork). I sampled this from 3 x different bottles, sadly 2 x were mildly cork affected. The third was singing and a joy to drink. It has filled out, lush and rich on the palate, fantastic length, still a lick of tannin on the finish, trademark Wendouree notes of iron, earth etc. I sat on my final glass for about an hour, it just got better and better. A fantastic example.

2004 Annie’s Lane Coppertrail Cabernet Sauvignon. I have not had this vintage and lots of people were talking about it, and I can understand why. Medium weight, also in a great zone, distinctly Clare cabernet, still has plenty of time on its side. Paired well with a 2kg T-Bone.

2008 Leasingham Provis Vineyard Shiraz (Single Vineyard) – outstanding also. Beautiful fruit weight and length, a richer style, but fine by me, everything feels in balance here.

2013 Grosset Gaia – fresh and ‘bright’ I’d describe this, a touch leaner (in a good way) - it really is a lovely fine wine from not a really lauded vintage. If you have this, you can cellar with confidence.

Unfortunately, I missed out on the 2010 Jim Barry Armagh, receiving high praise, and a lot of people raved about the 2012 Jim Barry Florita, also receiving high praise.

The above wines were merely a snap shot of probably 50+ wines available. The Wendouree, Coppertrail & Merle were absolute high lights for me. Can’t wait for the next one.

[Rossco]

Wine # 10 (Fortified) – 1982 Sevenhills Vintage Port (Clare Valley)
Lighter in colour than a usual Aussie VP. Some slight browning but otherwise a dark strawberry
Colour. This is a tough one as the colour looks to be Portuguese due to the clarity and light colour… however I’m not sure. Amaro bitters, orange rind, orange zest and a marmalade peel type note. Lots of ground almond and marzipan… has a dirty spirit in it. Now I’m in Portugal…. Lol wrong.
Silky mouthfeel, nice texture… great fruit here, some strawberry notes with biscotti at the end.
Love the length on this, great wine, good complexity AND doesn’t feel Australian even though it is. One of my first Clare VP’s. I wonder what the grape variety is!

I was quite taken by the 1987 Sevenhill VP when I tasted it at cellar door. Before leaving the Clare Valley I decided to go back to Sevenhill to pick up a bottle or two only to find that they had the 1988 on offer. Alarmed, I enquired after the 1987 and was told they were in the clearance bin and that 1988 was to be their last bottling of VP. The clearance bin had them on sale for A$10 a bottle and I walked out with six bottles.

Many years later, when the port was about 25 years old, I served it to my port expert friend and he picked it for a vintage port and then proceeded to try and guess the port house. Imagine his surprise when I told him it was not an old world port!

With regards to your thoughts on the grape variety I believe the port would contain a large proportion of Touriga grapes. In fact their entry level red blend contained Touriga and was labelled either 'STG' or 'STM'.

Cheers ................ Mahmoud.

Appreciate the above Mahmoud, and if the main varieties were Portuguese, then it makes sense AND if your friend couldnt pick it either, then at least its not just me

Good pickup on the clearance bin! Such an underrated wine

[Rossco]

A wine dinner held late April.

Theme was Bordeaux Varieties from Anywhere

As usual, all wines are served blind/masked.


Wine # 1 (Waiting wine) – 2017 Pascal Clement Chassange- Montrachet ‘Les Baudines’ 1er Cru
Not on theme, just something to have a casual sip & chat while the others arrived.
No many notes on this, I remember a good colour, nice yellow. Some tropical notes, lemon acidity and really nice texture. The kind barrel ferment in top oak gives, although this wasn’t oaky, its was very well balanced, creamy nectarines and white peach, touch of citrus and good length. That silky mouthfeel though was really the star.


Wine # 2 – 2012 Bollinger Le Grande Annee` Champagne
Beautiful colour here, blushing: peach yellow. Heady nose of sourdough bread, cocoa powder/dust and red apples. I just love the nose on this, so inviting, yet so sure of itself.
Very rich fruits here, red and green apples, more ripe white peaches and rich orchard fruits. Lots of power behind that fruit, top producer here. Chalky and almost tannic in the mouth, it needs to be with the sweetness of the fruits. Acid is stunning, and the oak treatment is very well handled. Quite something to behold really. Leesy/Creamy mouthfeel, Bottle quickly goes as people reach for seconds. Must buy; astonishing really. I feel like Oliver Twist….. please sir, can I have some more.


Wine # 3 – 2018 Pagodes De Cos – Saint Estephe
White gold in colour, looks very young. Nose is a little flat and not revealing much
Initially. Although I think this is on theme (ie white Bordeaux). As it warms up in the glass, it
Gets worse. TCA or some fault. Very high dominating acid – spiky acid. Nice texture and mouthfeel, but no fruit, no florals or perfume. Just nothing there but acid - Shame & tipped out


Wine # 4 – 1995 Chateau Leoville Poyferre Saint Julien
Deep dark red, some very slight blurring starting to come through may have a bit of age on it, it does look slightly older in the glass. Pencil Shavings, Black Cherry and dark fruits fill the nose. This has a leafiness in it, not green or anything but leafy. Wonderful nose here, very inviting and makes you want to take another sniff, or seven.
In the mouth the first thing that hits you are those tannins. This is very tannic… but in a fine gravel style. Not dry and dusty, more stoney minerals. Lots of cigar box and blueberries that dance along the tongue. Some old sweaty sock notes, but not in a bad way, liquorice finishes it off. Archetypal left bank as the saying goes - Magnificent wine drinking beautifully. It will hold, but why wait to drink it and take the risk.


Wine # 5 - 2006 Chateau Figeac – Saint Emilion
Young red in colour, bright red edges with a darker core. There are some big fruits on the nose, but more blueberries and young plums. Lots of charcoal minerals in here, quite something (and different) to the previous wine, I think we may have a right bank here, although those fruits could be new world, so lets see what’s in the glass.
In the mouth there is no escaping those Bordeaux tannins, they just coat the cheeks and teeth although they are chewy tannins this time, again different, but really nice. Nice ripe fruits here, blackberry and plums, they are still pretty big, sweet, rich & ripe fruits for a bdx, I guess it’s the vintage? I can see why initially the nose could have been new world, lovely length and for 18 years old it’s a pup. Long life ahead


Wine # 6 - 2008 Chateau Gazin - Pomeral
Dark red in the glass, deep purple almost black core. Again the nose is of rich, ripe fruits similar to the previous wine, but way more floral. Purple Violets, purple flowers add another level of complexity.
This isn’t as dry or tannic as the previous wines. Some limestone minerals, powerful red/purple fruits but they are soft fruits and more a medium body wine. Really nice line of acid running from front to back and it hold those fruits in check, needs that acid to balance it out. No cigar box or pencil shavings has me in the right bank again. Although there is oak, its been swallowed up by blueberry and plummy fruits. Another great wine, not a dud red amongst them yet.


Wine # 7 - 1996 Chateau Lynch Bages Pomeral
Older in colour, no blurring, but brick red – the kind you can tell has some serious age (20+ years) on it. Elegant & soft blue/black fruits, blackberry, blueberry and plums again, another right bank if my senses are working properly tonight. Lots of fruit, but in a very elegant style, not over ripe or rich like new world fruits seem to be. Hard to explain, but its ‘french’.
Very pretty wine, some more violet florals, but its missing tannin; geeze I’d love just a little tannin in here, give it that touch more structure, but having said that, this is a top wine. Length is long and lasting. Cork gods on our side tonight.


Wine # 8 – 2002 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep, dark and dense wine here. Colour is dark purple to black. Big hit of sweet fruits, sweet oak too which is something different again. Do we have our first new world wine?
In the mouth those succulent sweet fruits sing to you. Sea spray notes, olive tapenade, and coffee / mocha oak. The olive tapenade gives it away for me, always get a hint in my Margaret River Cabs (sometimes capsicum, but not this time). Maritime influence is strong here, but this wine looks pretty young 10-> 15 years, with lots of primary fruits and oak. Again there is power behind the fruits but its very well balanced. Nothing out of place or dominating, wonderful balance. 22 years young, will live forever under screwcap with no sign of slowing down. If anything its only just entering its drinking window – can you imagine how almost undrinkable this would have been on release! Jebus


Wine # 9 – 2013 Clos Fourtet Saint Emilion
Nice colour, another dark, deep red edges with a blackish core. Sweet red and black fruits on the nose, young fruits too, quite primary.
Some very big & powerful, furry tannins, just coats the mouth, dry and dusty but dominating at this point. They need to be to tame those big sweet fruits. Dark plum and blueberry (a common theme tonight) and this time a hint of white pepper.
Probably opened too young, wait at least another 5 before opening another. 2013 was meant to be an early drinking vintage, however this was anything but that. Will live a very long time (cork permitting) and only improve as the wine integrates. Will be quite something with time, buy and hold with confidence. Will be spectacular with time.


Wine # 10 – 2014 Vieux Chateau Certain Pomerol
Young, black and bright. Shining in the glass like a barrel sample. Black fruits on the nose, blackberry and black plum. Very sweet fruits which is interesting, im picking Right Bank on the tannin structure alone, but those sweet fruits are confusing me a little, almost new world fruit. I can smell a touch of alcohol / heat in there too, which I hope will blow off. This feels very young….. painfully young.

Prominent spiky, gritty tannin, and boy are they rough at the moment… like a petulant child not getting their way… dominates the wine, I will almost go as far to say spoils the wine, but that’s the job of the alcohol at the moment. Put away for another 10 years, probably 20 before its even close to drinkable. Good length and good fruit, just needs time to stop having a tantrum and integrate.


Wine # 11 – 2004 Le Macchiole ‘Paleo’ – Tuscany
Some slight bricking in the glass, deep dark red though. Really nice colour and different to the other wines we have had this evening. Looks to have some age on it as well, no blurring though. Nose has a heady mix of new oak, pencil shavings and cigar box. Very oak/woody nose, dominating the perfume.
We are not in France any more toto, this is well south of the boarder. Has a rustic and older style of wine making about it. Not dirty or faulty, but old Italian winemaking. Its Italian for sure, just has this quirk about it, cant put my finger on it. Fruit totally dominated by the oak, that’s all im getting. Not my cup of tea, its good without being great.


Wine # 12 – 2004 Chateau Troplong Mondot Saint Emilion
Slightly older in colour again, brick red with some blurring starting to creep in around the edges.
Delicate blue fruits on the nose, touch of spice and old wood.
Soft and furry tannin, very soft fruits – well integrated into the wine, the balance is actually the most impressive aspect, everything in its place. Dry and savoury plum, im in the right bank again. Another elegant and delicate wine, drinking beautifully now.


Wine # 13 – 2009 Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere Saint Emilion
Black in colour, impenetrable core, cannot see anything but the blackness of midnight, what a sight.
Nose of black fruits, blackberries and black plum. The fruit is very juicy and sweet, its quite rich and ripe as well. I initially thought new world fruit as its just so prominent and commanding, very low tannin, this is all about the fruit here. Oak plays a good supporting role, but the wine is out of balance. Needs more tannin, acid and (I cant believe im even saying this) more oak. Those fruits are just so big they have swallowed up all the structure. Was 09 a warm year for the right bank?


Wine # 14 – 2003 Chateau La Tour Blanche 1er Cru Sauternes
Deep gold, dark yellow in colour. Nice gloss to it, still shines in the glass but you can tell this has age on it (my guess is 15+ years).
Nose of wild honey, barley sugar and guava. Lots of burnt toffee notes as well.
In the mouth there is loads of crème Brulé giving a very rich creamy mouthfeel. The wine is very intense, coats the cheeks with an olive oil type viscosity, and its super sweet. Actually its too sweet for me, lacks balance and needs a lot more acidity to bring it back. Lovely fruits, marmalade, apricot jam, vanilla bean; however they are overpowered by the residual sugar…. must have been a very high botrytis year in Sauternes, and I would hate to thinks what the RS numbers are….. diabetes levels for sure. Again less RS and more acid would have made this a great wine.

Very good night, lots of groupthink for region it appears.

[phillisc]

2018 Bowen Cabernet. Screw cap. Inky black, dark core with black blue fruits, some savoury notes, oak, a bit of graphite. Long palate, full bodied, through to chalky tannins. Not a hair out of place, a template for 10-15 years. Really good.
2022 Bowen Shiraz. Simply really good and enjoyed this more than the '22 Cabernet. Really bright colour, lovely nose, whiff of mocca, cherry. Rich plush core, with fine tannins. Again I think the Bowen style has adjusted a bit, despite 15% alcohol, no heat, no harsh edges... very nice wine.
Cheers Craig

[mychurch]

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2 Sweet wines that are still hanging in there. Neither are really sweet any more, but that’s no handicap. The German Riesling is the better of the 2. No petrol, but lots of red apple, mango and pinapple. It has the weight of a Spatlesse and it’s kept linear by the acidity. Refreshing.

The Lindemanns is a step down, but still great. The blend here is Riesling and Semillon , with the latter giving the body and the Riesling the acidity. Lots of secondary flavours and it has that glycerin mouthfeel that old fortifieds have.

[Ian S]

Amongst some wines with friends, a wine made from a grape I don't believe I've encountered before. The winery: LUNAE, the IGT: Golfo dei poeti La Spezia, the wine: Horae Rosso, the grape: Barsaglina.

It's still pretty rare (tight bunches and rot vulnerability in wet/humid conditions a factor), but seems to have a home at the coastal junction of Liguria and Toscana. In terms of fruit (cherry) profile, it reminded the table of good Valpolicella, though at this age there was leathery complexity as well. Not especially complex, but a nice offset of fruit and leather, with no noticeable tannins and supportive acidity. Mature to my tastes, but might be over-mature for others.

[Sean]

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[phillisc]

2019 John Riddoch...in a word magnificent!
At five years, black blue fruits abound, so much going on, seamless integration of a dark core of bright fruits and oak, leading to a full bodied palate with the finest tannin structure.
I opened this, well because I thought it was special...and it was. A beautiful cabernet, so vibrant with structure to take it into 2, 3 or more decades of cellaring.
Wow wee!!
Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

2019 Hollick Ravenswood Cabernet
A recent VM purchase at about $60 off...and that's probably where it sits. Lovely dark core, bright fruits, black currant with a bit of oak and a savoury finish, with a palate that pulls up short. Time might be kind, but not the worst Coonawarra Cab that i have had, but certainly not in the same hemisphere as the 2019 JR.
Cheers Craig

[Ian S]

Last bottle in a mixed selection bought from a local wine merchant, all priced at £5 (they'd come from a deceased estate). All have been drinkable, with surprisingly a 2001 Dao being the weakest (seemingly both cracking up, and still needing to lose its oak veneer).

This bottle was the first one I noticed on the shelves, and I even double checked they were genuinely ok selling it at a fiver. 1975 Monte Real Rioja Gran Riserva. Cork came out in one piece using a butler's thief / ah-so double pronged jobby. A touch of bottle stink, but otherwise promising with some floral primary fruit still evident. On the palate there is indeed still bright red fruit, but also attractive figgy / date aged complexity. Acidity perhaps a little spiky, but fine with food, and a wine needs acidity to last almost 50 years. A lovely subtle but persistent finish, albeit with a little blood right at the end.

It's always a gamble with such wines, but with the stakes so low, a gamble I was very happy to take.

[sjw_11]

1975 Monte Real Rioja Gran Riserva.

For any one taken by Ian's note who wants to grab one, it also looks to be available at Harrods for a fiver... a fiver, plus 64 other fivers.. so wait £325 actually.

[Ian S]

(and also a at your way of explaining it)

Wow! (even accepting that it's Harrods).

A fair price undoubtedly somewhere in-between, and not close to either extreme.

[Ian S]

As a side note, it did start to break up a little once open for 2-3 hours. First glass definitely the best.

[felixp21]

2018 Yarra Yering Pinot Noir
purchased a six pack of this about four years ago (I would assume) based on critics reviews, at the end of the day, it proved good value as upon tasting I immediately ceased my subscription to said critic. So, I paid around $600 for the six pack, but I have saved $500 on four years of subscriptions to a publication written by blokes who have the palate of a yak. I'm going to say, therefore, the wines cost me about $17 a bottle.

this is the third of those six bottles. For $17 a bottle, you should expect very little, and that is what you get. Light garnet, faint strawberries on the nose, the wine is simple, inoffensive and with a notably clipped finish. Gluggable, not much else. Life is much too short to drink really cheap wine, but for $17 a bottle, you can't complain. Reminds me of those pinots you see at weddings, where nobody gives a toss anyway. You know, Cloudy Bay or 42 Degrees South.
it is crap like this, combined with ridiculous reviews, that really give Australian Pinot Noir a bad name. If you think Bizot, Arnoux etc are ridiculously over-priced (you would be 100% correct), then this surely is the Aussie version of them. At $100 a bottle, completely laughable.
Drink: now-2030 (if you actually have to) 80pts.

[phillisc]

Wow, bizzaire.
Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

2014 Yalumba Signature. Classic old school Barossa. Lovely wine great aroma and mouth feel. Fabulous drinking, with another 10 to go.
Cheers Craig

[WAwineguy]

20212 Chateau Gazin last night - very nice.

[WAwineguy]

2014 Yalumba Signature. Classic old school Barossa. Lovely wine great aroma and mouth feel. Fabulous drinking, with another 10 to go.
Cheers Craig

Ah one of my favourite Aussie wines! Lovely claret!