Wot? Sunday already....

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

It's that time of the week again. Please let us know what you have been drinking; TN's vibes or lists welcome.

I notice that we have had quite a number of newbies posting recently; how about some notes from you guys please? Our bark is worse than our bite and we go easy on newbies. Also, there are lots of lukers out there, how about you good people coming out of the closet and having a go too.

[chillwrx]

2003 Maxwell Four roads - Grenache, Shiraz, Viogner.

Tasted bretty initially and just got worse. Too much acid, poor fruit intensity. Not sure whether it was a faulty bottle or not but it had been stored well and was sealed in screwcap.

2005 Brokenwood Semillon

After reading good reports I purchased a bottle to have with fish and chips. High acid with lemon/lime fruit characters but not much else to offer - poor fruit intensity, almost diluted. Not sure I get the attraction of this style of wine. It might get better but I would prefer a nice riesling. Probably would get better with age. Screwcap.

[Nick]

2002 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz - big bruiser of a wine, plenty of dark fruit, a fair whack of vanillin oak, all well balanced with 15.5% alcohol. Really well put together, drinking just as well the following night. Good stuff.

2003 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico - I love this stuff. Had with a great carpaccio. Light in colour but full of earthy, cherry aromas, follows through on the palate with fine tannins giving it some structure and an unexpectedly long finish. Perfect wine for Italian food.

2004 Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz - I've tried this a couple of times before and really enjoyed it, but this time after the Chianti it was almost a bit too much. Was a really good example of the Italians making good 'food wines'. That being said, everything was in the right place, nice sweet nose with red through dark fruits and a touch of sweet oak, very smooth drinking for such a young, big wine, beautiful soft mouthfeel and long finish.

1999 Kay Brothers Hillside Shiraz - WOTW, still plenty of primary fruit and aggressive tannins, could probably have lasted another 5-10 years but when it's drinking this well why wait? Really enjoyable.

1998 Bethany Shiraz - stood up to the Hillside better than expected. An obviously lighter style of Shiraz in colour and mouthfeel, but again quite enjoyable.

2002 Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon - has lost some of the green edge it had to it when purchased. After the last two wines this had plenty of fresh blackcurrant fruit with a touch of herb and mint. Looking forward to seeing this develop over the next few years.

1999 Rockford Moppa Springs - getting too late in the night! Easy drinking, not over-the-hill, much more savoury than the previous wines, probably should have cracked it first with the mixed grill.

Cheers
Nick

[Jay60A]

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Black, inpenetrable, dense and chewy all apply. Hard going, but, real structure. Touch of leafiness which dissipated within an hour. Lots of tightly packed currant fruit and ripe tannins, classic lead pencil. A touch alcoholic on the finish? Yes alas. Fast asleep at the moment and should not be wakened for 5-10 years and quite likely a lot more. Could be very very good indeed. Drank fantastically after 24 hours. Very long and linear though still huge. Would have been a classic at 13.5% instead of 15% alcohol?

Closest reference: Bordeaux meets the Penfolds Bin 389 1996? Not the 389 flavour profile but the "Ima-classic-tight-lockedup-black-fruit-power-potential-alreadyeatenmyoak-seeyouin10years"ness of the bottle (if you know what I mean).

[Gary W]

Nick,
The woodhenge would be like chocolate sauce after the chianti. Lovely wine but they never show as well after the drier styles.

I had
Jaquesson 729 NV - good complexity. Yeasty. Good value
Paul Bara Rose NV - stawberries, peaches. Fresh and delightful. Makes you want to prance round meadows throwing flowers.
Taittinger Rose NV - Sulphide complexities, strawberries. Dry complex palate. Good mouthfeel. Long.
Valminor Albarino 2003 - Looking strong still. Candle wax, honeysuckle, grapefruit. Excellent stuff
Confuron-Cotetidotot Vosne Romanee 2002 - Bright light red. Red fruits, earth, licorice and vanilla. So fresh and balanced. Light. Fine tannin. Beautiful wine. Just village too.
Bodegas y Vinedos Alion 1994 - The first vintage of this wine I believe? Not as good as the 95. Smells much like bodeaux. Quite a bit of brett. Excellent palate weight and texture. Still very good.
and then
Veuve Cliquot NV - Sweet and yeasty and rich. Not sure about Veuve anymore. Good enough. Expensive over the bar.....

GW
http://www.winorama.com.au

[Nick]

Gary,
Chocolate sauce describes it perfectly! And while I don't mind the occasional kangaroo with chocolate/chilli sauce, the eye fillet I was having at the time really didn't agree with it.
Cheers
Nick

[bigkid]

All,

Started last Sunday night with a Noons 2003 Eclipse - vague sense of red berries but otherwise nothing much on the nose and very little more on the palate. I suspect a mild case of corking. Turfed that and opened a Leasingham Classic Clare 2002 Shiraz that was just horrid, oodles of burnt rubber - I expect that it was brett affected. Thanks goodness for reliable Warrabilla, the 2004 Cab Sav provided the first fruit of the evening, dark berries, a little mint and eucalyptus, sufficient acidity and tannins for the medium haul.

Had a bottle of Heartland 2004 Cab Sav last night - purply red, heavy textured wine, some mild volatile acidity, maraschino cherries, light milk chocolate, refreshing tannins, some subtle oak, long sweet finish - a lovely wine and great QPR.

Risked another Leasingham Classic Clare 2002 Shiraz and found it to be very earthy with mushrooms dominating. A much better wine than last week's bottle.

Regards,

Allan

[Red Bigot]

... and opened a Leasingham Classic Clare 2002 Shiraz that was just horrid, oodles of burnt rubber - I expect that it was brett affected.

Risked another Leasingham Classic Clare 2002 Shiraz and found it to be very earthy with mushrooms dominating. A much better wine than last week's bottle.

Allan, burnt rubber isn't a recognised indicator of brett (mousey, horsey, band-aids, metallic) but usually indicates a sulphur-related problem, it's the complex sulphur compounds that are usually stinky, tarry, rubbery, some of them breathe off, some don't.

[Gianna]

Quite a few recently.

1994 St Hallet Old Block Shiraz Mature, well rounded and luscious texture. Mocha, mild vanillan oak, blackberries. Drink now. 91pts

1996 St Hallet Old Block Shiraz - Same as above, but more complex and fruit purity. Drink now - 2010 92pts

1990 Hardy's Elieen Shiraz WOTM - Beautiful nose of roses and strawberries. Oak fully integrated, soft tannins, powerful and tight palate wtih layers of flavour. Real complexity. My last bottle 94pts

1990 Wynns Black Label Cab - Great stuff. Rich, but delicate cabernet. Dusty tannins, still an oaky influence, but very sublime flavour. Enjoyed this with a black angus med-rare steak. It's what Coonawarra is all about. Lovely. 93pts

1993 Hollick Ravenswood Cab Seriously good. Fully mature cabernet exhibiting mellow earthy and woody flavours. Pencil shavings and plums. This has developed in to a fine wine. 91pts

1998 Robertsons Well Cab Drink now. Starting to fall apart. Good nose and some nice aged cabernet characters. Ok for the bbq we had on the day. 88pts

1998 Punters Corner Cab - Same as the Rob's Well. A little more developed fruit flavours and some complexity. 89pts

2004 Jasper Hill Emily Massive, massive and massive. Heaps of oak. Heaps of pure ripe fruit, amazing bouquet. In 5-7 years, this should be an outstanding wine. Best JH I've had for years. I think it will find it's "elegancy". WOW. 90pts

2002 Dead Arm Shiraz Still undecided about this wine. On opening it had the goods with the nose. Lots of prime fruits, cassis and berry smells. But the flavour seemed disjointed. Tannins had not softened at all and was on occassions, even bitter. The bottle was fine, it was the wine. Softened a little the next day, but still not convinced. 3 more years at least in the cellar to improve or its off to the knackery for this lot. 89pts

1996 St Henri I know every one raves about this wine and vintage, but I don't get it. The bottle was fine, but the wine seemed flat and lacking in any complexity or depth of flavour. Quite one dimensional. Would not give anything even after 3-4 hours in decanter. Will try another again soon to test. Based on this bottle, much overrated. 88pts

2001 Rosemount Traditional Excellent quaffer. Soft easy drinking style. The GSM works well and is ready to drink now. 89pts

2004 Kooyong Pinot Nice bouquet upon opening. Filled the room with a scent of flowers. Lush texture and a quality plummy, red berry quality pinot. I liked this for a lower priced 89pts

[GRB]

Redman Shiraz 2001 Nice wine in its window at the moment, not outstanding but a good mid week quaffer.

Yalumba Shiraz 2002 Step up here some nice depth of fruit with a bit of oak in the background. Went wonderfully with the leftover lasagne.

Leasingham Classic Clare 2002 Seems to be the flavour of the week. I didn't get any , but Yvette took it to a girls night out and is still raving about it 2 days later. Must be a fair bit of bottle variation at play here.

Penfolds 128 1998 Typical of the 128 slight peppery overtones great balance and drinking well at the moment. Think I am more of a fan of the 28 these days though.

Glen

[bigkid]

Thanks Brian, I always mix them up. Hopefully I won't have too many more opportunities to develop expertise in the difference between brett and sulphur related faults.

(Bit disappointed about the Noons - it was my first bottle and it seems to get a big rap on the forum each year. Never mind, I have one more 2003 and a few of the 2004 stashed away).

Regards,

Allan

[Shiraz Man]

Chapel Hill Shiraz 1998
An outstanding Shiraz at the peak of its powers. Mouthfilling palate with flavours of earth, blackberry, blackcurrant, and spice. Excellent length and depth of flavour. Fine grained tannins with very long blackberry, liquorice and spice aftertaste.

I was pleasantly surprised with this wine given the reports I have heard about this winery losing the plot from the late 1990's onwards.

Saltram Table Makers Shiraz 2004
Very good quaffer that certainly punches about its price of under $10. Nice elegant palate of cherries and plums with vey smooth tannins.

Campbells Bobbie Burns Shiraz 1996
Reb brick colour, with plum and dark chocolate aromas and some spicy background notes. The palate is well structured and has good depth of flavour. Earthy and blackberry, spice and ripe plum palate flavours. Good length. Still very powerful, with probably another 5-10 years before it is at its peak.

[Red Bigot]

Chapel Hill Shiraz 1998
An outstanding Shiraz at the peak of its powers. Mouthfilling palate with flavours of earth, blackberry, blackcurrant, and spice. Excellent length and depth of flavour. Fine grained tannins with very long blackberry, liquorice and spice aftertaste.

I was pleasantly surprised with this wine given the reports I have heard about this winery losing the plot from the late 1990's onwards.

The shiraz 98 was the last I bought, although 99 wasn't too bad, after that they haven't impressed me.

[Red Bigot]

2001 Rosemount Traditional Excellent quaffer. Soft easy drinking style. The GSM works well and is ready to drink now. 89pts

Traditional or GSM? The Traditional is a Cabernet blend, the 2001 won the JWT in 2002.

[Red Bigot]

Ch. de Carles (Fronsac) 1998 - the last of a few I bought via Winewise some years ago, wasn't expecting much, but the colour was good and quite deep. I've no real idea of the grape blend, possibly a fair amount of merlot in with cabernet, it was quite fleshy, with some blackberry and musk, almost new world in style. A nice drink with grilled Atlantic salmon.

Brands Stentifords Old Vine Shiraz 1996 - picked up cheaply from the heyday of Wine Planet (remember them?), decanted an hour before drinking, it opened up nicely with some mature but still slightly spicy Coonawarra shiraz fruit emerging from a fair whack of oak, soft and about ready to drink for my taste, it went well with a t-bone steak.

[redstuff]

Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cab. 1982

Nice brick red colour (more like reddish fanta), showing its age. Semi-dull weary fruit but elegant with a lingering finish. Very easy to drink. A little acidic. Empty glass smells like driving through cow country (like fruity fresh cow manure). Drink now.
Purchased from Langton's Exchange ($40)

[Gianna]

RB Wrote:

Traditional or GSM? The Traditional is a Cabernet blend, the 2001 won the JWT in 2002.

Correct, it is a Cab blend - Merlot, Pertit Verdot - The JWT winner.

Anyway, the blend seems to work well..........

[silkwood]

Tonight: La Testa 2001 Chardonnay.
Pale honey colour, creamy peach, toffee-apple nose (hey, I'm new and I can smell what I like ), full and smooth mouthfeel, definite but well integrated oak. Not usually a fan of chardy, but I can live with this. SWMBO opened it so I naturally felt obliged to try!

Cheers,

Mark

[Daryl Douglas]

Seppelt Victorian Shiraz 03 - plummy but savoury, recommended.
Bleasdale Mulberry Tree Cab 02 - good fruit, some regional eucalyptus, recommended+
Lehmann Cab 03 - touch of Barossa choc, a bit dilute, agreeable
Bleasdale Shiraz/Cab 03 - hello Langhorne Ck, good 51/49% blend, agreeable
D'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz 04 - bit rustic, good fruit and oak, recommended+
Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise 05 - v.g. value ~$11 drink now quaffer, agreeable

daz

[Alex F]

Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz 1998:

Alluring complex nose. Little development. Tannins are quite harsh on the front, acid might be poking out just a teeny bit, but there is still some pure fruit at the end. I am worried about the tannins, my experience seems quite similar to the last tasting note I saw on this wine.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 1998:

Sadly not as good as the last one (This strangely had a higher fill level). Seemed relatively undeveloped, but one dimensional and a bit hot with some acid poking out. Based on this one will not be getting anymore.

Seppelt Para Liqueur 1983 Tawny:

Mmmm yumm, what else should be said about this one?

Chateau Les Plainiers Botrytis:

Got this out of curiousity from Theos. My impression was that they have been sitting on the shelves for a while. Funnily enough I think it was oxidised.

[Ian S]

Little wine, as (quite out of character for UK) it's baking here at the moment. It's predicted to make 36C early next week, which is almost as hot as a Perth autumn!

Did finish off the 2nd half of the Howard Park Cab 99, though in the weather it was a bit of a waste and ended up being drunk without much thought. The 1st half of the bottle was pretty impressive and possibly had a bit more weight than our last bottle (however it would be easy to see how temperature differences would have an effect).

Apart from that a few "St Peters" ales, which are all pretty impressive and a couple of halves of Adnams on cycling trips around the local countryside.

regards

Ian

[Jordan]

A fantastic dinner Saturday night with 2 exceptional wines

2004 Devil’s Lair Chardonnay: quite good – not rated or paid too much attention to as was too busy cooking the entrée – probably near a 90 point wine.

2003 LEAS Chardonnay: citrus, stonefruit, banana, fine oak and long acidity. Good complex chardonnay, which is very good now and may be exceptional with time. 92 points

1996 Chateau Pichon Lalande: This has to be close to the best Cabernet that I have enjoyed. 6 hours in the decanter showing a dark ruby hue teased of what was to be enjoyed later in the evening as I kept sticking my nose in it every twenty minutes. A brilliant complex nose of cedar, blackberry, dried herbs, a little wet leaf and barnyard. The palate was absolutely superb with elements of cedar, ripe but not sweet blackberry, blackcurrant, spice, and touches of chocolate. Layers of complex flavours with fresh acidity and fine tannins. Years left ahead of it but drinking well now. 96 points

2001 Wolf Blass Platinum Label Adelaide Hills Shiraz: Top Shiraz from a single vineyard at Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills. Great nose of violets, raspberry, pepper, spice, vanilla and cedar. The wine had a great supple mouth feel with flavours of plum, cherry, dark berries and spice making a multi-layered and complex palate. The fruit is amazing in its focus, perfect ripeness and vibrancy. The tannins are ultra fine and the wine is so very long. One of the best Aus Shiraz I have had for awhile with years ahead but outstanding now. 96 points

[redwine]

We had some friends over on Saturday and enjoyed some good wines

Chapel Hill Shiraz 1996
Deep colour, blackcurrant fruit, very smooth and harmonious. very good wine.

Yalumba Octavius 1995
Tremendously rich and intense wine, very long finish. Excellent now but still can go a few years.

Chateau Montrose 1993, Saint-Estèphe
Disappointment of the evening. Not a pleasant drinking at all.

Emrich Schoenleber, Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spaetlese 2004
Vibrant and very elegant wine with flavours of citrus, vanilla, berries and, and.... Heaven on earth. Will probably last for another 20 years.

Red Bigot: This white wine will extend your life by years, so try the German rieslings.

Cheers.

Nick

[Craig(NZ)]

2001 Jasper Hill Georgias Paddock Shiraz

Everything overpriced aussie shiraz should be, lacking depth, over alcoholic and lacking any character. No where near as good as the 98 vintage that i was no impressed with last year. Major disappointment. Good $25 Shiraz. Even worse is I have one more bottle

[Gary W]

Meerea Park Alexander Munro Shiraz:

Alluring complex nose. Little development. Tannins are quite harsh on the front, acid might be poking out just a teeny bit, but there is still some pure fruit at the end. I am worried about the tannins, my experience seems quite similar to the last tasting note I saw on this wine.

.

Vintage? If it is the 1998 then I had a bottle the other week which was magnificent. Still fruity and young..but a few months earlier had one that was astringent and not so good. Like yours. Odd.
GW

[mattECN]

2004 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz Merlot

Grabbed this the other night on special. Cabernet characteristics dominate the wine, however the shiraz and merlot round this wine off. Good ripe cabernet fruit, no real hint of greenness at all. Nice subtle oak and fine tannin. Good value quaffer at $12. Drinking well now, however could handle some short term cellaring.

2005 Annies Lane Riesling

Good value wine this one. Not a ‘dry as a bone’ riesling, ripe riesling characteristics with obvious citrus nose and palate, with approachable lime and nice mouthfeel and acidity. Colour just starting to turn slightly golden.

2004 Schild Estate Shiraz (Barossa)

Excellent nose of ripe berry fruits, mocha, even a slight hint of coffee. Palate was superb, tannins beautifully integrated with lovely vanilla oak. Rich ripe Barossa fruit, hints of pepper and christmas spice, mocha. Absolutely superb wine with nice complexity, the finish on the palate was long and smooth, in fact one of the best wines I have had this year, excellent value too. Great drinking now, should cellar well.

2000 Nepenthe Pinot Noir

This wine was a beauty. Bottle age has assisted this wine nicely. The wine was a lot lighter in colour than I expected, nice flavours of dark cherries with very smooth tannins and well integrated oak. 2000 was an excellent vintage for Pinot Noir in the Adel. Hills, other vintages of this wine have been a bit green and stalky, however this was a great example.

2002 Stonehaven ‘Hidden Sea’ Cabernet Sauvignon

After liking the shiraz under the same label, this wine did not deliver for mine. The wine was awkward, too much green and unripe fruit characteristics. Tannins were harsh and unpleasant. Palate finished quite short. Was dissappointed by this wine.

[BenK]

Ok, sick of being shamed into it by TORB. Some recent wines and brief thoughts.

Penfolds Grange 1974 (clinic) Shiraz Had been through Penfolds clinic so levels were all good. Decanted for 30 mins. Fruit still showing but VERY cloudy. Showed cigar box and greatly improved over 1-2 hr in decanter which was not expected. A good old wine enjoyed by Isabella as her first drop.

Rockford 1999 SVS Pressings Shiraz. Big tannic meaty wine. Could do with another 5 years in bottle. Overshadowed other wines on night. Chocolatey bruising flavoursome wine. Bought at Stonewall Cellar.

Yalumba 2001 The Signature Cabernet/Shiraz Tasted older than expected. Pure Barossa chocolate and coffee. Leathery but surprisingly good.

Cloudy Bay 2004 Pinot Noir (stelvin) Strawberry. Expected more.

Petaluma Sharefarmers 2002 Cabernet Malbec Rich and shiny, some Malbec spiciness. Reasonable length for price but middle palette lacked weight. A good quaffer.

Grant Burge 2004 Miamba Shiraz Corked.

Amisfield 2004 Pinot Noir Central Otago. Funky releasing to long length. Really ripe fruit not expected from that cooler climate. Sensational.

Bullers Calliope 2002 Durif Surprisingly tame. Is this in a hole? Better night 2 – more generous. A good but not great wine.

Framingham 2004 Montepulciano Can I get more of this…..Smoky, gamey, dirty, ridiculously long.

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 1999 Slumping at the moment. Great pedigree. Fine tannins and excellent fruit. Will only get better.

De Bortoli 2003 Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier Acceptable. Overly sweet and sickly to my taste.

Torbreck The Steading GSM 2000 Hunter saddle and sweat!!!!(on Barossa juice nonetheless) Crust in bottom looked like it had been standing a while. A beautiful wine. Drink up over next year or so. Blew away other GSM’s on the day.

Rosemount GSM 2002 Raspberry. Good mouthfeel. Not my favourite example of the style.

Pfeiffers Pinot Noir 2001 Corked on nose. Bottle stink? Blew off. Ordinary and short. Bad bottle? Certianly not overly corked. Maybe a crap wine.

Cofield Quartz Vein Malbec 2001 Sweet on nose but tart and restrained to taste. Good but not great. Need to try more Malbec to see if this is varietal.

Louis Roederer NV Just a great champagne for this price. Golden colour fine bead. Had since 2000 so probably not at it best fruit wise. Yum.

Moet & Chandon NV Toasty and fresh. An excellent “quaffer”…if you could afford to quaff this.

Yve Fourny & Fils Premier Cru Grande Reserve 2006 Ripe fruit, very gluggable. Persistent.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2003 Acid is dropping off from release. Matured more than expected, oily at edges. Will go for a lot longer yet. Glad I have more of this.

O’Leary Walker Polish Hill Rielsing 2004 Not much splitting this too Grosset above. May have had it too cold. A good wine and great value for the price ($20 or so).

Warrabilla 2005 Durif Cleanskin A bit out of whack and porty. Sorry Smithy. Quality of fruit for a cleanskin is quite amazing.

[85luke]

Just a few wines recently:

2002 Seppelt Premium Reserve Shiraz: Deep red colour. Opaque. Very perfumed nose of light red berries, slight amount of confectionary and savoury. A dose of spice. Almost a touch of flowers? Palate has lovely fruity light red berry flavours, tending savoury, which continue on to form a confectionary flavour, which then transforms into spice and white and black pepper after taste. Quite elegant. Great wine, excellent price, perfect drinking time.

2000 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz: Big colour, very deep red/crimson colour. Huge nose of vanilla, blackberries, fresh coffee, old spice box and chocolate. Palate has the same big, bold flavours, with spice among them. The aftertaste is long, and finishes with loads of black pepper and old spice.

2003 Diamond Vallley Blue Label Pinot Noir: Deep, bright-ish purple/brick red colour. Nose of game, earth, tending savoury, with notes of strawberry and dark cherry. Palate with game, dark cherry, spices. Quite powerful. Beautifully balanced, should be very nice with a little age. Aftertaste of more savoury game, and spicy cherries.

2003 Farr Rising Mornington Penninsula Pinot Noir: Vibrant red colour, very dark. Fantastic nose of game, strawberries, spice, decaying matter and plums. The nose also had a kind of feral quality to it, which I thought was extremely interesting and complex. Palate had the same flavour profile as the nose, with game and strawberries playing a major role. The palate has a lot of weight, but somehow remains to be rather delicate. After taste of game, strawberries and spice. This is a fantastic wine, and I would love to see how it ages over the next few years.

[Maximus]

2001 Jasper Hill Georgias Paddock Shiraz

Everything overpriced aussie shiraz should be, lacking depth, over alcoholic and lacking any character. No where near as good as the 98 vintage that i was no impressed with last year. Major disappointment. Good $25 Shiraz. Even worse is I have one more bottle

Craig,

I will happily purchase your last '01 Georgia's Paddock and ship it down to Christchurch from Auckland.

Tell me, how does 'over alcoholic' and 'lacking any character' constitute a good $25 shiraz?


Is that a bandwagon I can hear?

[Maximus]

Yalumba 2001 The Signature Cabernet/Shiraz Tasted older than expected. Pure Barossa chocolate and coffee. Leathery but surprisingly good.

Cloudy Bay 2004 Pinot Noir (stelvin) Strawberry. Expected more.

Amisfield 2004 Pinot Noir Central Otago. Funky releasing to long length. Really ripe fruit not expected from that cooler climate. Sensational.

Ben,

You've been busy.

I agree with you on the '01 Signature, though I perhaps don't enjoy the heavy coffee oak as much as you do. I've had similar experiences with the '04 Cloudy Bay Pinot, and in fact previous vintages as well as their whole range. I avoid buying them now; failed to taste one that impresses.

On Central Otago, beware of the 'cool climate' tag. No doubt it does get chilly down there, with fresh nights, but the mercury will push over 40 in the height of summer. Trust me, I knew all about it when bud rubbing up and down steep slopes for ten hour days! On kiwi pinots, the fruit concentration and intensity from Central Otago is quite distinctive, more so than Waipara, Marlborough or Martinborough (generally speaking).

Cheers,