and lunchtime in the eastern states but that does not stop you guys telling us all what you have been drinking.
Last night Davo poured a bottle of Wolf Blass 1993 Black Label down my throat which was terrific. Brian poured a bottle of Gralyn 2002 SBR which was also super. Mark G poured a bottle of Saint Joseph 1996 Frog stuff which was the best match of the lot with the pois (fancy beef and ale pies) we all had for our main course.
I poured a bottle of Bowen 1998 Ampelon which I purchased from the local store here. It was 3/4 full at the end of the dinner; nuff said!
Now what have you guys and girls been guzzlin?
Its Sunday morning in Margaret River.....
Its Sunday morning in Margaret River.....
Last edited by TORB on Sun Feb 12, 2006 8:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
JamieBahrain
- Posts: 3754
- Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2003 7:40 am
- Location: Fragrant Harbour.
Kanonkop Paul Sauer 1999 Stellenbosch
Blend of Cab Sauv, Franc & Merlot. Deep purple colour. Vibrant nose of wild berries, pencil shavings, and earthy aromas. Well balanced with fine tannins, good length. Not too fruit forward. Will last another 5+ easily. My first taste, still 2 left for a couple of years down the road. Very enjoyable.
Fairview/Charles Back: Goats Do Roam In Villages 2003 Paarl
Yes that is the name of it, along with their Goat Roti blend. The french don't like the play on names but what do they like.
A big chewy tasty red. Nose of plums, black cherries, chocolate. Concentrated with solid tannins and good acidity. Very good length. Enjoyable now but will keep for a good few yet. Good value for the price.($15Cdn)
Delheim 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Stellenbosch
Lots of grapefruit, gooseberry and green veggie aromas. Fairly light bodied, yet well balanced and fairly complex. Tart citrus and mineral finish. Good length. Very NZ style to me. Refreshing. A good value quaffer for $13Cdn.
I only did a taste as winter isn't my season for whites. The ladies sure gulped it down.
Graham's 2003 6 Grapes Reserve Port
An enjoyable Ruby, ready when you are. Christmas cake in a bottle, lots of cherries, plums, dates, with some honey and licorice. Very good length and nicely balanced. ($19 Cdn). Has been going real well with a nice piece of Stilton these last couple of -10 C nights. I can usually only get this once a year and always pick up a 6 pack as I find it very consistent and great value.
Blend of Cab Sauv, Franc & Merlot. Deep purple colour. Vibrant nose of wild berries, pencil shavings, and earthy aromas. Well balanced with fine tannins, good length. Not too fruit forward. Will last another 5+ easily. My first taste, still 2 left for a couple of years down the road. Very enjoyable.
Fairview/Charles Back: Goats Do Roam In Villages 2003 Paarl
Yes that is the name of it, along with their Goat Roti blend. The french don't like the play on names but what do they like.
A big chewy tasty red. Nose of plums, black cherries, chocolate. Concentrated with solid tannins and good acidity. Very good length. Enjoyable now but will keep for a good few yet. Good value for the price.($15Cdn)
Delheim 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Stellenbosch
Lots of grapefruit, gooseberry and green veggie aromas. Fairly light bodied, yet well balanced and fairly complex. Tart citrus and mineral finish. Good length. Very NZ style to me. Refreshing. A good value quaffer for $13Cdn.
I only did a taste as winter isn't my season for whites. The ladies sure gulped it down.
Graham's 2003 6 Grapes Reserve Port
An enjoyable Ruby, ready when you are. Christmas cake in a bottle, lots of cherries, plums, dates, with some honey and licorice. Very good length and nicely balanced. ($19 Cdn). Has been going real well with a nice piece of Stilton these last couple of -10 C nights. I can usually only get this once a year and always pick up a 6 pack as I find it very consistent and great value.
Grape Brain: A euphoric state induced by fine wine flowing over one's palette.
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Andrew Jordan
- Posts: 775
- Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 11:53 am
- Location: Sydney
Re: Its Sunday morning in Margret River.....
TORB wrote:I poured a bottle of Bowen 1998 Ampelon which I purchased from the local store here. It was 3/4 full at the end of the dinner; nuff said!
Ric,
Any more notes on this one? Bad bottle or just too much wine after the other 2? Would be interested in any more thoughts, opinions as I have a few of these in the cellar.
Hope your palate is finding some quality MR wines which you will share with us sometime soon!
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by Andrew Jordan on Sun Feb 12, 2006 4:32 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Cheers
AJ
Cabernet is ... and will always be ... KING!
AJ
Cabernet is ... and will always be ... KING!
-
Andrew Jordan
- Posts: 775
- Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 11:53 am
- Location: Sydney
A few dinners for us this week but not many notes on the wines consumed:
2002 Orlando Cabernet Sauvignon St. Hugo
Aromas of blackberries, mint and herbs, the palate starts well with flavours of blackberries and herbs and a fair whack of acid, however it is wound up very tight and then there is the mid-palate hole which is about the size of the Grand Canyon. Finishes with grippy/sappy, very drying fine tannins this is probably one vintage of St Hugo to take OFF your buying list. Hopefully this is not an indication of what we can expect now from this label due to the inclusion of "Jacobs Creek" on the label. Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar due to the weak vintage and 2003 will be a welcome return to form. Hopefully .....
N.V. Rockford Shiraz Black Shiraz - Disgorged 2005. One of three bottles RB generously sourced for us. No notes but Beck enjoyed it which is all that matters at the end of the day!
1998 Diggers Bluff "Watchdog" - Since the last bottle (which I thought was very acidic and more a food wine), this bottle had more rich fruit, and what you would expect from the 1998 vintage. A cabernet/shiraz blend which is drinking very nicely now but will hold for a few more years yet.
2002 Rockford "Rod & Spur"
Have seen notes describing this as the best Rod and Spur yet, and after this bottle I cannot argue. Although initially I was a bit worried as the cork was totally saturated and the wine had a very funky aroma, but this blew off after it got some air. This blend of 56% Cabernet and 44% Shiraz had a deep red/crimson colour which displayed aromas of berries, menthol and oak. The palate had very good length which consisted of sweet fruit, spice, pepper, oak and ripe, silky tannins. Still very tight with a nice acid backbone. A wonderful elegant wine which is balanced and smooth. Probably could do with a few more years in the cellar but it is drinking very well now as long as you give it plenty of air-time before consumption. A very good example of a great Aussie blend.
2004 Woodlands Cabernet-Merlot - very decent $20 MR blend which never lets you down.
1997 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Black Queen
First bottle of a six-pack purchased at cellar door last year. For a 1997 release this was a nice surprise. Although when tasted at cellar door I thought it was good enough to buy, didn't think at the time it was up there with the 1994 and 1996 releases of this wine. However, after this bottle I must re-evaluate this release. Lots of rich fruit on the palate, plum and blackberry dominant. Not overly sweet by very full and complex with a long, drying finish. This went down really well over nibblies on a hot Saturday afternoon. Great drinking now but definitely has another 3-4 years in it easily.
2002 Orlando Cabernet Sauvignon St. Hugo
Aromas of blackberries, mint and herbs, the palate starts well with flavours of blackberries and herbs and a fair whack of acid, however it is wound up very tight and then there is the mid-palate hole which is about the size of the Grand Canyon. Finishes with grippy/sappy, very drying fine tannins this is probably one vintage of St Hugo to take OFF your buying list. Hopefully this is not an indication of what we can expect now from this label due to the inclusion of "Jacobs Creek" on the label. Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar due to the weak vintage and 2003 will be a welcome return to form. Hopefully .....
N.V. Rockford Shiraz Black Shiraz - Disgorged 2005. One of three bottles RB generously sourced for us. No notes but Beck enjoyed it which is all that matters at the end of the day!
1998 Diggers Bluff "Watchdog" - Since the last bottle (which I thought was very acidic and more a food wine), this bottle had more rich fruit, and what you would expect from the 1998 vintage. A cabernet/shiraz blend which is drinking very nicely now but will hold for a few more years yet.
2002 Rockford "Rod & Spur"
Have seen notes describing this as the best Rod and Spur yet, and after this bottle I cannot argue. Although initially I was a bit worried as the cork was totally saturated and the wine had a very funky aroma, but this blew off after it got some air. This blend of 56% Cabernet and 44% Shiraz had a deep red/crimson colour which displayed aromas of berries, menthol and oak. The palate had very good length which consisted of sweet fruit, spice, pepper, oak and ripe, silky tannins. Still very tight with a nice acid backbone. A wonderful elegant wine which is balanced and smooth. Probably could do with a few more years in the cellar but it is drinking very well now as long as you give it plenty of air-time before consumption. A very good example of a great Aussie blend.
2004 Woodlands Cabernet-Merlot - very decent $20 MR blend which never lets you down.
1997 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Black Queen
First bottle of a six-pack purchased at cellar door last year. For a 1997 release this was a nice surprise. Although when tasted at cellar door I thought it was good enough to buy, didn't think at the time it was up there with the 1994 and 1996 releases of this wine. However, after this bottle I must re-evaluate this release. Lots of rich fruit on the palate, plum and blackberry dominant. Not overly sweet by very full and complex with a long, drying finish. This went down really well over nibblies on a hot Saturday afternoon. Great drinking now but definitely has another 3-4 years in it easily.
Cheers
AJ
Cabernet is ... and will always be ... KING!
AJ
Cabernet is ... and will always be ... KING!
Panaroma Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 wartmer vintage, still has a lot of acidity, ripe red currant bouquet classic cab nose. A little lean on the palate but an enjoyable drink.
Winstead Riesling 2001 well developed citrus, no kero, again riper vintage.
[/b]Seppelt Drumborg cabernet 1999 lovely fragerant classic cab, again a little lean on palate but much lower alcohol at 12%
Winstead Riesling 2001 well developed citrus, no kero, again riper vintage.
[/b]Seppelt Drumborg cabernet 1999 lovely fragerant classic cab, again a little lean on palate but much lower alcohol at 12%
Re: Its Sunday morning in Margret River.....
Andrew Jordan wrote:TORB wrote:I poured a bottle of Bowen 1998 Ampelon which I purchased from the local store here. It was 3/4 full at the end of the dinner; nuff said!
Ric,
Any more notes on this one? Bad bottle or just too much wine after the other 2? Would be interested in any more thoughts, opinions as I have a few of these in the cellar.
Hope your palate is finding some quality MR wines which you will share with us sometime soon!
Thanks in advance.
AJ, it was over-ripe, blackcurrant essence, cloyingly sweet with residual sugar, a caricature of a wine.
Re MR reds, there are a lot of 2002 and 2003 reds that vary from outright faulty through green/hard/tannic/acidic to good and very good, some 2004 early releases looking quite good and 2005 barrel samples also promising.
If you have some spare cash give Gralyn a call and see what they have in their "slightly damaged label" bin, we got the 2002 SBR (shiraz/Cab) and 2002 cabernet @ $72, or 20% off, couldn't see any damage on some of them. The Gralyns are the best wines we've found so far, but Cullen and Voyager to go tomorrow. Davo exercised the plastic and bought 6 of each of the two Gralyn reds in the bin.
Woody Nook today was impressive in the mid-price range, with 2002 Merlot, Shiraz (both released soon around $25 ) and Cabernet (out now) at $30 all very good.
A lot of disappointing wines around, including some at high prices, there will be a few surprises when the diary comes out.
Mesh 2005 Riesling: Acid, acid and more acid. Super tangy, crisp lime/lemon backbone running through this rieslingwith minerality and great length. Fantastic wine which appealed to me immensely, and not for the first time. Great drining now but cant wait to see what happens in the cellar
Kabminye St Huberts Shiraz 2002: A suprising Barossa shiraz. Sweet but spiced nose. A palate of plum, chocolate, spice and slight cedar influence with raspberry notes and drying tannin. Very elegant in style, far from the blockbuster barossa style and went well with lamb roast. Very good food wine.
Grant Burge 20 Year Tawny Port: Made from Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro. Very enjoyable flavours of dried fruit, mocha and rancio with warming spirit. Good value at around $30 per 750 ml bottle.[/b]
Kabminye St Huberts Shiraz 2002: A suprising Barossa shiraz. Sweet but spiced nose. A palate of plum, chocolate, spice and slight cedar influence with raspberry notes and drying tannin. Very elegant in style, far from the blockbuster barossa style and went well with lamb roast. Very good food wine.
Grant Burge 20 Year Tawny Port: Made from Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro. Very enjoyable flavours of dried fruit, mocha and rancio with warming spirit. Good value at around $30 per 750 ml bottle.[/b]
Premierships and great wine... that is what life is all about
A terrific week of drinking, the highlights being -
Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1982
Deep ruby core with plenty of brick red running to the edge. Fascinating bouquet of cedar, cigar box, Coonawarra mint and dusty blackcurrants with a latent top note eerily reminiscent of a top first growth Bordeaux. Ohso fresh, virile and wholly invigorating. The palate's even better - rivetting fresh blackcurrant fruit underpinned by savoury oak, lead pencil, sweet earth and that auspicious sweet and sour complexity only the best Cabernet's can deliver. Long as the night with spectacular structure and equilibrium combining to produce an absolute masterly vinous conclusion. Without a doubt, one of the best Coonawarra Cabernet's ever produced and worthy of an Exceptional rating. I have waxed lyrical about many a wine on this forum, but if ever I had to give a Coonawarra red wine a perfect score this may well be it. I kid you not. John Wade will be remembered forever for producing such an amazing "first" label.
Francois Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 1997
Gloriuos wine from my favourite Chablis producer (although I can't wait to try the Fevre 2000 "Les Clos" waiting in the wings).
Infantile starbright straw/lemon colour. Succulent nose of lemon zest, green melons, minerals, meal and an intriguing faint tinge of oyster shell and seaspray. Top flight bouquet. Brilliantly focussed palate chock full of citrussy/melon fruit, abundant natural acidity, a kiss of spicy oak, finishing crisp and clean with amazing clarity and prolonged authority. A wonderful, wonderful example that has the amplitude for many more years of stupendous enjoyment. Wish all Chablis' were this good. Verging on Exceptional. No, bugger it, this is Exceptional! I tip me lid to this mob, once again!
Crabtree Watervale Riesling 1997
Finally, another '97 Clare Riesling worth crowing about.
Youthful bright straw/light gold colour. Tight, focussed toasty bouquet of some amplitude brimming with freshly squeezed lime juice, new season "Granny Smith" apples and a dash of honey. Similarly endowed and structured on a mouthfilling yet crisp, envigorating palate graced with integrated, indelible acidity housed within a long and powerfully constructed departure. Outstanding. Robert Crabtree - you're a genius! Great work again, particularly compared to so many (more fancied labels) from this (originally) overhyped vintage that have just not stood the test of time. Drink now-2012.
Leo Buring Leonay Watervale DWU 13 Riesling 1991 - 11.5% A/V. Excellent level and not much seepage up the cork. A recent acquisition and perhaps not from the perfect cellar (colour being a deep gold). However the wine smells and drinks so well without any signs of the senility the colour suggests. Classic lime, honey and toast characters with just a little apricot and peach adding interest. Acidity just about gone but still finishes clean and focussed. Very good mouthfeel and terrific length.
Verget Chablis 1er Cru "Vaillons" 2001 - displaying fine typicity of the region this crisp, fresh Chardonnay probably has seen a little more wood than many others but everything's still nicely honed, beutifully balanced and is keenly focussed. Very good minerally acidity does the trick on a long, sustained finish. Drink now to 2011.
Seppelt Great Western Vineyards Hermitage 1985 - I've always enjoyed this DMS-accentuated wine. Tonight's bottle showed a little of this intense cassis/sweet corn/asparagus character but not anything like some bottles before. What impressed me most was the sheer complexity, silkiness and balance of the wine. Still a healthy deep colour with only a little bricking towards the edge, the superb nose is full of mulberry, cassis, pepper and spice, saddle leather, savoury oak and sweet earth. The palate exudes a mature, refined personality, brimming with fleshy, creamy fruit (aka the bouquet), gorgeous integrated savoury oak, surprising bright acidity, perfectly-judged savoury oak and a sensational fine tannin regime. Finishes dry and awfully long with great authority. What a wine!
Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1982
Deep ruby core with plenty of brick red running to the edge. Fascinating bouquet of cedar, cigar box, Coonawarra mint and dusty blackcurrants with a latent top note eerily reminiscent of a top first growth Bordeaux. Ohso fresh, virile and wholly invigorating. The palate's even better - rivetting fresh blackcurrant fruit underpinned by savoury oak, lead pencil, sweet earth and that auspicious sweet and sour complexity only the best Cabernet's can deliver. Long as the night with spectacular structure and equilibrium combining to produce an absolute masterly vinous conclusion. Without a doubt, one of the best Coonawarra Cabernet's ever produced and worthy of an Exceptional rating. I have waxed lyrical about many a wine on this forum, but if ever I had to give a Coonawarra red wine a perfect score this may well be it. I kid you not. John Wade will be remembered forever for producing such an amazing "first" label.
Francois Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 1997
Gloriuos wine from my favourite Chablis producer (although I can't wait to try the Fevre 2000 "Les Clos" waiting in the wings).
Infantile starbright straw/lemon colour. Succulent nose of lemon zest, green melons, minerals, meal and an intriguing faint tinge of oyster shell and seaspray. Top flight bouquet. Brilliantly focussed palate chock full of citrussy/melon fruit, abundant natural acidity, a kiss of spicy oak, finishing crisp and clean with amazing clarity and prolonged authority. A wonderful, wonderful example that has the amplitude for many more years of stupendous enjoyment. Wish all Chablis' were this good. Verging on Exceptional. No, bugger it, this is Exceptional! I tip me lid to this mob, once again!
Crabtree Watervale Riesling 1997
Finally, another '97 Clare Riesling worth crowing about.
Youthful bright straw/light gold colour. Tight, focussed toasty bouquet of some amplitude brimming with freshly squeezed lime juice, new season "Granny Smith" apples and a dash of honey. Similarly endowed and structured on a mouthfilling yet crisp, envigorating palate graced with integrated, indelible acidity housed within a long and powerfully constructed departure. Outstanding. Robert Crabtree - you're a genius! Great work again, particularly compared to so many (more fancied labels) from this (originally) overhyped vintage that have just not stood the test of time. Drink now-2012.
Leo Buring Leonay Watervale DWU 13 Riesling 1991 - 11.5% A/V. Excellent level and not much seepage up the cork. A recent acquisition and perhaps not from the perfect cellar (colour being a deep gold). However the wine smells and drinks so well without any signs of the senility the colour suggests. Classic lime, honey and toast characters with just a little apricot and peach adding interest. Acidity just about gone but still finishes clean and focussed. Very good mouthfeel and terrific length.
Verget Chablis 1er Cru "Vaillons" 2001 - displaying fine typicity of the region this crisp, fresh Chardonnay probably has seen a little more wood than many others but everything's still nicely honed, beutifully balanced and is keenly focussed. Very good minerally acidity does the trick on a long, sustained finish. Drink now to 2011.
Seppelt Great Western Vineyards Hermitage 1985 - I've always enjoyed this DMS-accentuated wine. Tonight's bottle showed a little of this intense cassis/sweet corn/asparagus character but not anything like some bottles before. What impressed me most was the sheer complexity, silkiness and balance of the wine. Still a healthy deep colour with only a little bricking towards the edge, the superb nose is full of mulberry, cassis, pepper and spice, saddle leather, savoury oak and sweet earth. The palate exudes a mature, refined personality, brimming with fleshy, creamy fruit (aka the bouquet), gorgeous integrated savoury oak, surprising bright acidity, perfectly-judged savoury oak and a sensational fine tannin regime. Finishes dry and awfully long with great authority. What a wine!
Cheers,
David
David
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Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2747
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:39 am
Snow is caning down in NY, so its good drinking weather.
2002 Trimbach Alsace Gewurtztraminer - lots of lychee on the nose, reasonable acid but no length;
2002 Petaluma Picadilly Chardonnay - too oaky and a touch flabby
2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - gooseberry and grassy notes. About what you'd expect.
2003 Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling - this is a really decent wine at the price. Lime, lemon, slate, lovely acid backbone. Keep for a few years unless you love primary characteristics
1996 Chateau Gloria (Bordeaux) - brett-athon. Most went down the drain
2001 Wynns Black Label - this is really coming into its own. I know I've dissed it few times, but I'm beginning to enjoy it, especially as its so cheap.
2002 Ata Rangi Pinot - lots of cherry in this one. Finishes a tad short
1999 Voyager estate Cabernet Merlot - bit funky on the nose (didn't blow off), but the palate is sublime. Rich fruit, lovely mouthfeel. I love this wine.
2002 Penfolds Bin 389 - this has got to be the best since the 1996 IMO. I hated the 00 and 01, but this shows the beauty of the cab/shiraz blend Oz style. Trademark malty oak.
2004 Chris Ringland Three Rings Shiraz - fruit bomb that was popular with the locals. Not my go.
2004 Tait Ball Buster - ditto.
2002 - Chapoutier L'Ermite Ermitage - one of Northern Rhones cult wines, this shows what a tough year 2002 was. Mouth puckering tannin and not much else going on. Can't wait for the 03s to come out though.
2002 Trimbach Alsace Gewurtztraminer - lots of lychee on the nose, reasonable acid but no length;
2002 Petaluma Picadilly Chardonnay - too oaky and a touch flabby
2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - gooseberry and grassy notes. About what you'd expect.
2003 Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling - this is a really decent wine at the price. Lime, lemon, slate, lovely acid backbone. Keep for a few years unless you love primary characteristics
1996 Chateau Gloria (Bordeaux) - brett-athon. Most went down the drain
2001 Wynns Black Label - this is really coming into its own. I know I've dissed it few times, but I'm beginning to enjoy it, especially as its so cheap.
2002 Ata Rangi Pinot - lots of cherry in this one. Finishes a tad short
1999 Voyager estate Cabernet Merlot - bit funky on the nose (didn't blow off), but the palate is sublime. Rich fruit, lovely mouthfeel. I love this wine.
2002 Penfolds Bin 389 - this has got to be the best since the 1996 IMO. I hated the 00 and 01, but this shows the beauty of the cab/shiraz blend Oz style. Trademark malty oak.
2004 Chris Ringland Three Rings Shiraz - fruit bomb that was popular with the locals. Not my go.
2004 Tait Ball Buster - ditto.
2002 - Chapoutier L'Ermite Ermitage - one of Northern Rhones cult wines, this shows what a tough year 2002 was. Mouth puckering tannin and not much else going on. Can't wait for the 03s to come out though.
1999 Orlando Cabernet Sauvignon St. Hugo
Smelt gorgeous and the palate was just as good. Decanted an hour before dinner(roast lamb) and the 750ml disappeared in no time. excellent
2002 Seppelt Spkl Shiraz
As always,a great drop. vgood
1999 Leo Buring SL EV? Riesling
Nicely developed nose, with hints of kero and honey. Palate has broad full taste of aged riesling. vgood
Smelt gorgeous and the palate was just as good. Decanted an hour before dinner(roast lamb) and the 750ml disappeared in no time. excellent
2002 Seppelt Spkl Shiraz
As always,a great drop. vgood
1999 Leo Buring SL EV? Riesling
Nicely developed nose, with hints of kero and honey. Palate has broad full taste of aged riesling. vgood
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JamieBahrain
- Posts: 3754
- Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2003 7:40 am
- Location: Fragrant Harbour.
Old Block 94- Felt it shold have been better. A decadent ( for it's day ) Barossan for which age will reveal no beauty! 87pts
Old Block 95- Very good for the vintage. Blackberry buzz, creamy texture, just lacks the fruit density to fill out the lengthy structure of fine tannins and mellow acid. 90pts
Old Block 96- Superbly structured shiraz. The fruit, more in the red than black spectrum, seemed mildly muted and palate fruit flavour was a touch dirty and tertiary. There are considerably better bottles of this vintage. 88pts
Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2005- Classic. Unbelievably, full flavoured riesling with talcy-tang and underexaggerated & faintly minerally finish of fine acidity. 93 pts
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 97- Better bottles about. A touch of murkiness and prominent pencilly, cedar oak. 85pts. Good bottles consistantly 90pts.
Torb. What was the St Joseph??????
Old Block 95- Very good for the vintage. Blackberry buzz, creamy texture, just lacks the fruit density to fill out the lengthy structure of fine tannins and mellow acid. 90pts
Old Block 96- Superbly structured shiraz. The fruit, more in the red than black spectrum, seemed mildly muted and palate fruit flavour was a touch dirty and tertiary. There are considerably better bottles of this vintage. 88pts
Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2005- Classic. Unbelievably, full flavoured riesling with talcy-tang and underexaggerated & faintly minerally finish of fine acidity. 93 pts
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 97- Better bottles about. A touch of murkiness and prominent pencilly, cedar oak. 85pts. Good bottles consistantly 90pts.
Torb. What was the St Joseph??????
-
JamieBahrain
- Posts: 3754
- Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2003 7:40 am
- Location: Fragrant Harbour.
Good weekend with the inlaws most things drunk over diner on Friday and Sat so no detailed notes just some impressions
2001 Seventh Horse Shiraz My wife and father inlaw liked this quaffer but it wasn't quite my thing.
1997 Seventh Horse Shiraz Much better that the 01 and quite a decent quaffer
1997 Vasse Felix Shiraz Delightfull stuff drinking well at the moment, bottle ran out far to quickly
1996 Leasingham Bin 61 Good drop, didn't show quite as well as the bottle I had at Xmas and was overshadowed by the Vasse.
1997 Gavi Don't know much about this wine, kind of a chardonay Italian style. Very elegant wine and went well with the raid the delli lunch.
1986 Henschke Hill Of Grace Just fantastic and everything you would expect from this wine, rich complex nose and a palate to match with amazing length.
1992 Lindemans Limestone Ridge Wow what a wine for supposedly a dud vintage. A fair wack of oak in the mix but there was wonderfull fruit in there to back it up. I enjoyed this almost as much as the HOG.
1990 Winns Shiraz This was much better than it had any right to be. I remember buying this for $6 a bottle on release and to see it hold it's own amongst the company on the night was very impressive.
1995 Andrew Harris Reserve Shiraz Lovely fruity Shiraz, this vinyard seems to get many mixed reviews but from this bottle they know how to get it right at times.
1996 Tahbilk Marsanne I think it has all be said about this wine before and this bottle didn't dissapoint.
Glen
2001 Seventh Horse Shiraz My wife and father inlaw liked this quaffer but it wasn't quite my thing.
1997 Seventh Horse Shiraz Much better that the 01 and quite a decent quaffer
1997 Vasse Felix Shiraz Delightfull stuff drinking well at the moment, bottle ran out far to quickly
1996 Leasingham Bin 61 Good drop, didn't show quite as well as the bottle I had at Xmas and was overshadowed by the Vasse.
1997 Gavi Don't know much about this wine, kind of a chardonay Italian style. Very elegant wine and went well with the raid the delli lunch.
1986 Henschke Hill Of Grace Just fantastic and everything you would expect from this wine, rich complex nose and a palate to match with amazing length.
1992 Lindemans Limestone Ridge Wow what a wine for supposedly a dud vintage. A fair wack of oak in the mix but there was wonderfull fruit in there to back it up. I enjoyed this almost as much as the HOG.
1990 Winns Shiraz This was much better than it had any right to be. I remember buying this for $6 a bottle on release and to see it hold it's own amongst the company on the night was very impressive.
1995 Andrew Harris Reserve Shiraz Lovely fruity Shiraz, this vinyard seems to get many mixed reviews but from this bottle they know how to get it right at times.
1996 Tahbilk Marsanne I think it has all be said about this wine before and this bottle didn't dissapoint.
Glen
Winner of the inaugural RB cork-count competition
Runner up RB-NTDIR competition
Runner up TORB TN competition
Leave of absence second RB c-c competition
Runner up RB-NTDIR competition
Runner up TORB TN competition
Leave of absence second RB c-c competition
Kay Brother Hillside Shiraz 1999 Much better than two years ago , more balance and soft, mouthfilling of liquorice, chocolate and vanilla, very enjoyable now but will keep improve in the next few years
Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1987 Only two bottles left, earthy, leather and cigar box smell. Very smooth, blackcurrent and chocalate on palate with a good aftertaste. Excellent but should drink up in next couple years.
Rouge Homme Richardsons Block Dry Red 1993 (Watsons Wine Trophy Winner) , not bad to drink but nothing exciting. Any people drink this wine lately?
Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1987 Only two bottles left, earthy, leather and cigar box smell. Very smooth, blackcurrent and chocalate on palate with a good aftertaste. Excellent but should drink up in next couple years.
Rouge Homme Richardsons Block Dry Red 1993 (Watsons Wine Trophy Winner) , not bad to drink but nothing exciting. Any people drink this wine lately?
-
Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2747
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:39 am
jacques wrote:Rouge Homme Richardsons Block Dry Red 1993 (Watsons Wine Trophy Winner) , not bad to drink but nothing exciting. Any people drink this wine lately?
No, but around 97-98 it was a really lovely wine. I remember finishing the last of my stash around that time and thinking even then that it was at it's peak. A lovely elegant, ripe Coonawarra style with a smidgin of deent oak. Back then it was selling for $30-odd at Langtons, which was quite a surprise; it cost me $19 from memory and that was about right.
cheers,
Graeme
Broughy wrote:Panaroma Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 wartmer vintage, still has a lot of acidity, ripe red currant bouquet classic cab nose. A little lean on the palate but an enjoyable drink.
Winstead Riesling 2001 well developed citrus, no kero, again riper vintage.
Lots of Taswegian cellar doors are defensive about their cabernet, but I rather enjoy the often herbal notes, so long as they don't come from unripe grapes! We visited the Panorama CD a year ago, and although I enjoyed the cabernet we bought a souvenir bottle of the 03 pinot, which I suspect will be at it's best in a year or two.
Made another attempt 6 weeks ago to taste Winstead wines, but the CD is no longer open; even to visitors who ring in advance keen to taste. Odd...
cheers,
Graeme
GraemeG wrote:Made another attempt 6 weeks ago to taste Winstead wines, but the CD is no longer open; even to visitors who ring in advance keen to taste. Odd...
Graeme
yeah I don't know what's happening. Been to tassie 3 times in the last year and each time tried to hook up with Neil Snare at Winstead without any luck. Very frustrating given the wines are not available retail in Sydney. Anyone know what's happening here?
Cheers
Paul
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bacchaebabe
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:04 pm
- Location: Sydney
1994 Penfolds Bin 389 Had last night in the mad rush of dinner and diners that was Valentine's Day. Must be the best day of the year for restaurants!
Anyhoo, good solid dark red coulour with no perceptable browning in the dim light. Not too much on the nose and in fact no primary fruit on the palate either however wonderfully integrated with a spice and slight pepper finish and decent length. All the tannins fully resolved and plenty of body. This is drinking at its peak right now and I would say has at least two years in front of it before a slow decline. I only bought a couple of bottles of this as it was released around the time I just started collecting and wasn't buying in dozens yet. Certainly a good buy at the time. Very nice wine indeed and fully exemplifies the rewards of patience.
16/2 Just wanted to update this note after finishing the rest of the bottle last night. If possible, it was even better and had developed further. Slight spearmint finish but I obviously need to revise that drinking window to out to at least five more years, I would think. This went with the winter olympics very well! At least you can pretend it's cold.
Anyhoo, good solid dark red coulour with no perceptable browning in the dim light. Not too much on the nose and in fact no primary fruit on the palate either however wonderfully integrated with a spice and slight pepper finish and decent length. All the tannins fully resolved and plenty of body. This is drinking at its peak right now and I would say has at least two years in front of it before a slow decline. I only bought a couple of bottles of this as it was released around the time I just started collecting and wasn't buying in dozens yet. Certainly a good buy at the time. Very nice wine indeed and fully exemplifies the rewards of patience.
16/2 Just wanted to update this note after finishing the rest of the bottle last night. If possible, it was even better and had developed further. Slight spearmint finish but I obviously need to revise that drinking window to out to at least five more years, I would think. This went with the winter olympics very well! At least you can pretend it's cold.
Last edited by bacchaebabe on Thu Feb 16, 2006 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
If we are doing Valentine's day wines...
2002 Domaine Clape Le vin des Amis: Light fragrant cherry nose. Sweet fruit on the palate but thin and lead to a slightly astringent finish. Not surprised at 10.5% alcohol. Leftover today retains the nose somewhat but the palate is mostly acidic. Just like most french wine...vintage vintage vintage!
1999 Rockford Shiraz: Another lesser rated vintage but opposite impressions. Opened initially with menthol, slightly tarry old vine shiraz and led seamlessly into a palate delivering the same. Menthol might be somewhat out of character but very happy with this one. More of the savoury style of barossa shiraz and not worse off for it. Kept me drinking more as it changed in the glass. Starting to drink well (maybe another year) and should hold for a while as decent tannin levels.
Carl
2002 Domaine Clape Le vin des Amis: Light fragrant cherry nose. Sweet fruit on the palate but thin and lead to a slightly astringent finish. Not surprised at 10.5% alcohol. Leftover today retains the nose somewhat but the palate is mostly acidic. Just like most french wine...vintage vintage vintage!
1999 Rockford Shiraz: Another lesser rated vintage but opposite impressions. Opened initially with menthol, slightly tarry old vine shiraz and led seamlessly into a palate delivering the same. Menthol might be somewhat out of character but very happy with this one. More of the savoury style of barossa shiraz and not worse off for it. Kept me drinking more as it changed in the glass. Starting to drink well (maybe another year) and should hold for a while as decent tannin levels.
Carl
Bartenders are supposed to have people skills. Or was it people are supposed to have bartending skills?
Sean wrote:Jordan, David and Jamie
These days I see quite a lot of tasting notes on aromatic whites, riesling in particular, use the word "minerality" to describe the wine.
For a long time minerality has been used to describe one aspect of European wines like French Chablis, and so often I thought the person was making some kind of nefarious link between what he tasted in the wine and its terroir. It's an old, well-worn debate that one about whether or not you taste the soil (or the minerals) in these wines, though for some reason it seems perfectly acceptable when people talk about European wines and even used to distinguish them from the wines of the so-called New World.
But the funny thing is it is being used more and more when people seem to be talking up the quality of a riesling they have tried. Co-incidently these wines are usually bottled in screwcap as well, and one of the chief criticisms of the use of screwcaps has been the problem of reductive characters in the wine - like minerality.
This is the problem of reduced sulphur compounds in the wine, which could be being mistaken for that terroir character. So that flinty or slatey or chalky character could be just a typical reductive fault.
Though it is possible it has been purposely managed by the winemaker to give the wine more character. On the other side of the coin, when the sulphur compounds are handled differently by the winemaker and more priority is given to pure fruit expression the wine suddenly loses that minerality and seems much more fruit-driven.
Is the minerality in these wines you all mention because of the terroir, screwcap (in some cases) or reductive winemaking methods??
Speaking for myself I normally minerality with wet limestone/sandstone, shell-grit, gravel, slate and earth/clay, but not usually chalk or flint. I think there's also a degree of delicacy associated with the feel of these characters too, especially in regard to Chablis.
I'd be surprised if the very common slate characters in so many 2003 Clare Rieslings would be put down to screwcap/reductive faults - surely not that many Winemakers up there could have screwed up, especially with all their prior experience/success using the closure?
Cheers,
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
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Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2747
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:39 am
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JamieBahrain
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- Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2003 7:40 am
- Location: Fragrant Harbour.