The renovation nightmares are over (hopefully)and I can get back to the important things in life, like drinking and discussing wine.
Last night I took the staff and their spouses out for dinner and we had two different wines. The 96 Elderton Shiraz was the first and it was harmonious and very together showing a reasonably good level of complexity. However the wine the staff loved was the 02 Eden Springs Barossa Shiraz which is a fruit driven low tannin "party wine" and was a huge success. It also went well with the Italian food.
Now what have you guys all been drinking? With all the Christmas drinkies going on, you should have lots to report.
For anyone with Mt Mary, the 1992 is starting to drink very well. Had two bottles of this from different cool cellars in a BYO masked lineup (wouldn't you know it, great minds think alike).
They were very similar. Medium bodied and elegant (12%), and a real Bordeaux look-alike, albeit with a touch more fruitiness.
Two wine-group dinners, both at Sage, on consecutive nights! Many of the wines from my cellar, about 40 bottles opened in all, only one corked.
Thursday - with the fortnightly Thursday group, there are some white wine drinkers in this bunch, so I reduced my small number of whites even more.
Pirie 96 - Starting to show some nice aged overtones, classy drop.
E&E Sp Shiraz 95 - not the greatest of this line, but nicely mellowing, very easy to drink, not over-oaked.
Whites - Montana Marlborough Vineyard selection SB 2002, Elizabeth Semillon 91, Penfolds Trial Bin Semillon 96, Tyrrells Vat 4 Semillon 96, Katnook Chardonnay 98, Dalwhinnie Chardonnay 2000, Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay 2001. The white drinkers seemed happy enough.
Lakes Folly Cabernet 96 - Two bottles, one a bit more subdued than the other, but nice soft wine with some good complexity.
Brands Stentiford Shiraz 95 - Two consistent bottles, pretty good effort from a bad year, I'd tried one the week befor and decided it was a good match for the first course dishes on offer, soft mellow Coonawarra shiraz, not heavilly oaked like soe later versions.
Vasse Felix MR Cabernet 94 - one bottle, got a lot of support for good varietal definition and long palate, yum.
Dalwhinnie Pinot 2000 - Pretty simple really (the 99 the next night was much better), as was the Port Phillip Estate Pinot 2000, a much classier wine and good with the confit duck.
Lindemans Limestone Ridge 93 - This one got a lot of support too, nicely balanced rich soft palate.
Tintara Shiraz 96 - two bottles, both showing better than the last one I had some months ago, still fairly firm and youthfull, great with the steak.
Dessert was washed down with a bottle of Sepplet DP63 Muscat and two Miranda Golden Botrytis 2000.
Friday- with the weekly Monday group, all reds except one renegade who slipped in a Clare semillon in screwcap, he and his wife the only drinkers of this I think.
Majella Sp Shiraz 2000 - spicy coonawarra shiraz with a hint of oak. Much better than the disappointing 2001 we tried at the weekly tasting.
E&E Sp Shiraz 94 - last one from my cellar, a nice contrast to the majella, silky soft chocolatey barossa shiraz, with nice integrated oak.
Steven John Traugott NV Shiraz-Pinot - better than I remembered this from past experience, lighter style, but nicely fruity and liquering sweetness nicely judged.
Lakes Folly Cabernet 96 - lovely elegant wine.
Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz 94 - one of the few wines I've bought at auction, loved it, as did the group, nearing it's peak for my taste but will no doubt hold for years.
St Hallett OB Shiraz 91 - superb older-style Barossa Shiraz, just entering peak drinking.
Blass Eden Valley Shiraz 96 - Why didn't I buy more of this, not sure this line exists any more. Delightfully refined, almost elegant shiraz..
Devils Lair Cabernet 93 - Pretty good varietal definition, fairly big style, just a little short in the palate.
Plantagenet Mt Barker Shiraz 95 - Two consistent bottle, a very interesting wine, truffly, earthy notes over cooler-climate spicy soft shiraz, earthiness just enough for interest, not overdone. I don't think this was from Brett, a half-bottle taken home was lovely and less earthy the next night.
Ashton Hills Pinot 99 - Corked.
Dalwhinnie Pinot 99 - offering a lot more than the 2000 the night before.
Yalumba Signature Cab-Shiraz 91 - nice wine, getting into it's peak drinking window, but a bit swamped by the next one.
Eileen Hardy Shiraz 96 - Big and young yet, firm tannins, fruit took awhile to open up, I enjoyed it with the steak course, some others found it a bit aggressive yet.
The long-term NWS steward member of the group brought some old show samples:
Leasingham Cabernet 1983 - don't know if this was the Bin 56, probably was, in superb condition, obviously mature, but beautiful sweet fruit still there, perfect balance. Just shows how some of these cheaper Leasingham reds will last.
Basedows Shiraz 1987 - also mature but not faded, soft earthy Barossa shiraz, just a touch disjointed and lacking complexity though, compared to the Leasingham.
Cranswick Botrytis 97 - youthful colour and great complexity, clean acid finish. This was much better than the Miranda Golden Botrytis 97 that was turning orange and flabby in comparison.
Also with dessert there was a bottle of Anderson Dulcette a lightly fortified white blend from Rutherglen. No idea on the grapes, but it's claim to fame is a pronounced quince aroma, pleasant, with a mid-dry finish, just lacking a bit in the mid palate fruit intensity.
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
<b>707 1996</b> The best 707 IMHO. Still youthfull, firm & taut, extremely varietal, excellent depth, complexed and poised. Clearly not ready, this wine will surely destined for greatness. Drink 2006+
<b>Odyssey 1998 </b>A modern style - lush, fat n ripe which is drinking nicely now.
Next to the 707'96 the the Odyssey was completely blown into orbit.
MC
<i>"If our life on earth is so short, why not live every day as if it were our last. This is the path to happiness and spiritual enlightenment"
Omar Khayyam 1048 -1122</b>
'98 Henshke Keyneton Estate A ripper, developing well, I am partial to Malbec in a blend!
'99 Ingoldby "reserve" Shiraz Suprisingly, found it a little angular and disjointed, not at all like the one I tried early this year.
'98 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz Ah yeah, drinking well, great BBQ wine.
Rory
1986 Wolf Blass Black Label: Opened up a dream (after we had consumed 7/8th thinking it lacked depth) – Drinking great now but make sure you decanter then drink. It was only until the last ISO glass that we realised the greatness of this wine . Excellent/Outstanding.
2002 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier: Needs another 6-9 months in the bottle to start showing its best as a young wine. Excellent/Outstanding.
2003 Huia Sauvignon Blanc: Highly Recommended.
2003 Highfield Sauvignon Blanc: Near perfect line. One of the 2 greatest NZ Sauvignon Blanc I have ever had. Excellent.
1995/96 Rockford Pinot Noir / Chardonnay RD Sparkling: Tastes better after being open for 30 minutes and warm when broad apple and spice start to show. Early on, the bubbles seem to hit the palate like a hammer and the fruit does not show much. Big and different (as expected). Highly Recommended.
1999 Devils Lair Chardonnay: I think this bottle was not great. The fruit seemed to be muted. Enough there to give a Highly Recommended though.
2003 Rockford Alicante Bouchet: Slightly sweeter than would choose but mouthfeel and flavour great for style. Highly Recommended.
Rockford Sparkling Black Shiraz 2003 Disgorgement: Still needs a few more months in the bottle to show best as a young time but still a great wine. No simple vanilla coke, etc. descriptors here. Excellent/Outstanding.
I drank well!
Adair
Last edited by Adair on Tue Dec 16, 2003 9:09 am, edited 3 times in total.
Mostly a beer week, although 1 red was consumed.
02 d'arenberg Laughing Magpie. Excellent wine, now I know what everybody is talking about. Dark berries, touch of chocolate with a medley of floral notes. Cant believe its 14.5% and the tannins are remarkably settled for very young, high alchohol wine.
Too hard to judge when this will peak or for how long, as oak is in background, tannins are reasonably settled, acidity is restrained, yet alchohol is huge. Extraordinary profile of a 14.5% six months in bottle wine, anybody have any other opinion??
Catching up on a few wines lately – more TV’s than anything else.
2002 Orlando St Helgo Riesling – still lovely and fresh, citric, but very plain and lean beside the…
2002 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Super wine – some classic SB straw and asparagus qualities, acid nicely judged but not OTT, refreshing and grapey. Really nice wine.
Moving to bottles under cork:
2002 5 Corners Shiraz (Mudgee) A CD buy, this was blackish in colour, and had strong aromas of tar, bitumen and blackberry. Quite a mouthful on the palate, quite powerful tannins are almost overpowered by acid. Probably needs to be served a little colder than it was on a warm night, it might be classified as an old style Mudgee red that’s cleaned up it’s act – like watching a footballer wearing a tuxedo at one of those awards nights. I suspect it’s going to be a fairly short-lived wine, as I don’t think the balance is quite there, but it will provide powerful satisfying drinking for a few years.
2000 Cullen Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – I drank this immediately after a rather nondescript 2001 Margaret River Chardonnay whose name I can’t remember (T J –something-or-other; I thought it may have been one of those club member ‘mixed-dozen’ kind of wines) and was surprised at the intensity of the flavours. Almost wet – straw like aromas, the wine feels quite thick and powerful (14% - is this right? – no wonder). It seems to taste more sauvignon-like to me – the Semillon acid has softened, and the oakiness has become a little more prominent. Never had one of these as an old wine, so reserving judgement somewhat (this is my last bottle in any case)
1993 Penfolds Bin 389 – no further news here. Drink up. Wine has softened out quite well, without ever developing into anything particularly special. Typical old Penfolds – a little leather, some meaty flavours.
Also tasted, for the first time in many moons, a mouthful of 2002 Rosemount Diamond label Chardonnay. I can see the appeal in the buttery softness of this wine, with a little warm alcohol, and the oak component isnÂ’t overly coarse. But I like my whites with a bit more acid than thisÂ…
1995 Lindmans Bin 8690 Reserve Porphyry (Riesling, Coonawarra) Deep orange gold, this wine is now beginning to oxidise. The nose has some coppery apricot fruit aromas, but the palate is drying out and losing length rapidly. This was still available at CD in October, but I wouldnÂ’t buy any more, almost at any price.
Nice sunday roast outside in 30 odd degrees heat - I love my roast racks of lamb - bugger the weather !
1996 Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz Just fantastic. Rich barossa chocolate and layers of complexity - hints of orange and a wonderful nose.
1999 St Hallets Old Block A very nice wine, usually one of my favorites. Again Barossa chocolates and a lovely rich mouthfeel, but seemed slightly lacking compared to the Cententary Hill.
I know when I have selected the right wines when my mother-in-law snoozes on the couch after dinner.
Last edited by markg on Mon Dec 15, 2003 1:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cheers -Mark Wickman
WICKMAN'S FINE WINE AUCTIONS FREE membership, LOWEST auction commissions in Australia. Now accepting wine for our next auction. http://www.wickman.net.au
Had quite a lot of wine this week but again more clean skins and lab samples although had a few yesterday that were pretty good.
2001 Ferguson Hart Shiraz Excellent young (cheap wine about $20) with strong fruit and not over oaked. For those who havent been to the GI of Ferguson Valley there is about 10 wineries in there now with this being one of the smallest, good climate and excellent wines, that you can show to all your friends that have more than likely never heard of before.
1994 Grant Burge Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Starting to show indications of aging, this for me was on the downward slope, slightly tannic with very little fruit flavours. although the rest of the group was high fiving over it.
1993 St Hallet Old Block Shiraz This is possibly my favourite Barossa icon wine when flavour, aging ability and price are taken into account. Opened this thinking 93 maybe not the best vintage,
But beautiful, dark purple colours, still dominant fruit on the palate a fantastic wine now but i think i will wait five years before i come back again. Excellent wine would possibly slot into my top 10 Australian wines of the year may even push out the 89 old block we had earlier in the year. IMO a few more years this will be one to remember.
Busy week, but in the work not the wine sense. Ended up in Melbourne for a couple of days and went to The Curry House (South Melbourne?) for dinner. I was asked to select a wine for the group. Cringing at the thought of trying to pick a wine to go with curry I almost suggested beer when I spotted the 2001 Tatachilla McLaren Vale Shiraz on the list. I figured the sweet fruit might hold the curry spices well so I suggested this. Seemed to go pretty well in the end because most of our dishes were pretty mild and 4 bottles disappeared during the evening.
Plenty of sweet but not candied cherry and plum, quite a powerful nose, hints of chocolate and spice. I was surprised though at how soft the tannins were compared to the 99 (the only other vintage I have tried), certainly there but balanced and more in the background. Turned out to be a decent match to the excellent curry dishes that just kept on coming out, a beer would probably still have been the way to go though.
If you are in Melbourne I would recommend this place for a great curry, no idea of price though, I wasn't paying
Thought I'd get a few Cabernets in before the Hot Adelaide weather arrives. Just made it as today ( Mon 15/12 ) it was 38 C !
1992 Howard Park Cabernet Merlot : Lovely secondary characters. Impressively long Bordeaux like cork. Drinking well but still can gain from another 5 yrs I'd say. Also I love the gum tree label - pity it was changed a few yrs back ! Excellent fine wine.
1999 Te Mata Cabernet Merlot NZ : quite developed but I was not complaining - lovely secondary cabernet aspects here for just $26. I'd be interested to try the Coleraine. If served blind I'd guess it was a good Red Bordeaux.
1998 Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon : still all Primary. A year older than the Te Mata but seemingly so much younger and nowhere near as nice. Will it come around ? I must say I'm yet to have a Coonawarra that has truly excited me............
2001 Mount Mary Quintet : Lost my Mt Mary Quintet virginity last night ! My sort of wine. Lovely perfumed nose - already a pleasure to drink but will cellar well. Fantastic cabernet fruit.
Kilikanoon 2001 Blocks Road Cabernet: First bottle I've had. Real crowd pleaser with fanatstic clean pure blackcurrant fruit shining through the lashings of obvious very French oak. Displayed none of the typical minty firmness I associate with the Clare Valley. I should mention that I asked the girlfriend how much she would pay for the wine. Answer = $40. At mid twenties it is a real classy drink. Excellent.
Turkey Flat 2000 Shiraz Intoxicating nose oozing from the decanter made me think I should just drink this straight from the vessel. However in the glass it ended somewhat simple and lacked the complexity compared to the Kilikanoon. I've had better bottles of this wine but it was still a very easy wine to drink. Good plus.
Peter Lehmann 2002 Semillon Pleasant juicy succulent semillon with refreshing acids and a gentle spice. Enjoyable white wine at $10 seems to be getting increasingly difficult, this passes well.
Penley Phoenix 1998 - I was asking about this one a little while ago as I could buy it at a reasonable price.
Am I glad I tried a bottle. Everything a Coonawarra Cabernet should be. Nose a bit closed but opened up nicely over two hours and didn't go over the top.
Colour not as bright as the 2001. Quite long on the palate and very mouth filling. This should have been in my top 10 under $30.
Graham
Chardonnay: A drink you have when there is no RED wine, the beer hasn't arrived and the water may be polluted
2003 Pauletts Trillians Sparkling Riesling - refreshing bubbles with green apple flavours. Interesting to try as a curio.
2001 William Fevre Petit Chablis - can't really remember this one but it was better as it warmed up and you could see some of the fruit.
2001 Giaconda Shiraz - plums, mushrooms, pepper and sweet spice aromas.......great nose. In the mouth it very textured and interesting but the finish was short. A wine worth trying as I think it is quite unique for Aust Shiraz. But is it worth $60 cellar door or $75 that I paid retail I doubt it.
2001 Cullen Cab-Merlot (under cork) - enough has been written about this wine and it is all true Very hard to see any fruit buried in all that tannin but I am sure it is there as it is a wonderfully constructed and balance wine. Can't wait to look at it again in 5 years. It made the Giconda look like ordinary and probably is the best wine I have tasted this year.
1980 Lindemans VP Bin 5733 - a fair bit of bottle stink when opened and I feared corked. But it blew off after a few hours and by the time cheese was serve was looking pretty good. To me very acidic to start with but when match with the blue cheese we had almost perfect harmony........the wine was a lot softer and very easy to drink. It was a lighter style of port (it was not shiraz dominated from the information I had) and still very fresh and alive.
By this stage we were pretty well pasted it but still pulled out a number or Rutherglen Tokays across all classifications from various producers. I'm sure most of them were pretty good as I have had them before but I have not idea what that tasted like on Saturday night. Needless to say I was feeling less than ordinary on Sunday but it was worth it.
A week off work provided much needed drinking time ....
1994 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz - Almost like Vanilla Coke on the nose, sweet fruit on the palate, with oak not as noticeable as other bottles I've had in recent months. On the other hand, finish wasn't as long as others either.
1988 Wynns Black Label Cabernet. At 15 years of age, its right at its best, and I wont be keeping the others for much longer. Complex nose of earth and tobacco, with soft, well balanced fruit on palate. Lovely finish and a decent drink, revealing why this label is one of the best value on the market.
1999 St Hugo. Dense purple colour, with a fairly closed nose, though traces of Ribena were evident. In hindsight, should have let it breathe longer, as it would have likely increased th rating. Not as powerful as the 98 or 00.
2001 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling. Aromas of freshly cut flowers. Residual sweetness on the palate, and a contrast to the austerity of many of the Clare Valley's I have had recently. Others really enjoyed this wine, whereas after one glass, I was reaching for the reds.
1990 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This was truly a seductive wine, and arguably the best I had over the past fortnight, and indeed, the whole year. Notes of vanilla and tobacco on the nose, with complex secondary development on the palate. Beautifully balanced, great length, and a privlege to drink.
1994 Penfolds St Henri - oxidised, and therefore, heartbreaking, as it was my third last bottle.
1996 Rufus Stone Coonawarra Cabernet. Bought this on sale 5 years ago and am kicking myself for not buying more. A lovely soft drop, easy drinking, but with enough complexity and body to have you reaching for the bottle time and again.
1996 Rockford Basket Press. This I gave this 5 hours air. Even after all that air it was fairly muted on the nose, with traces of vanilla and spice. The palate was medium to full body, gloriously sweet Barossa fruit with seamlessly interwoven oak and gorgeous mouthfeel. It had Rockford's typically excellent treatment of tannin, and a sensational finish, making me reach quickly for another mouthful.
1996 Chapel Hill Shiraz. Yet again, another cracker from the super 96 vintage in SA. Obvious pepper and spice on nose leading to a beautifully balanced palate with a spicy finish. While it just lacked the finesse and finish of the Rockford, this was a beauty nonetheless, and was a wonderful example of the differences between McLaren Vale and the Barossa.
1998 Penfolds St Henri (375ml). Starting to lose the primary nose of chocolate and instead revealing more meat and earth. Palate revealed average excitement and the wine is perhaps going through a dumb phase.
1998 McWilliams Limited Release Botrytis Semillon. Apricot and marmalde nose, but it lacked the body it normally has. Pleasant, but not great, and was an obvious example of bottle variation.
Dr Loosen 2002 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese 2002- probably the most gluggable wines I have experienced. 7.5% and the residual sugar not at all cloying. So beautifully balanced my not the least bit affordable! It goes so quickly.
Weingut Norwig-Schreiber 1998er Riesling Eiswein- Super concentrated icewine. A big ripe Bowen mango on the nose, toffee and pineapple undertones. The palate is rich and a continuation of the ripe nose. lovely finish and that German knack of balancing sweeetness.
Denis Philbert Chassagne montarchet 1er Cru "Moreot' 1998 Burgunndy- Promising nose and evident strucure but lousy fruit.
Gevrey Chabertin Domaine Taupenot Cote D'Or-Strawberry, licorice nose with gamey palate. Again the structure evident but the fruit is not there.
Jacobs Creek Reserve 2000 Shiraz- Manafactured shiraz, artificial and oak chips surely? Still, holds it's head high on the export market. And is a nice reminder of home.
I give up on Burgundy. I need tutoured help and many flights to get a feel. The above 50 Aussie a bottle and not half of what you can get home with NZ or better Aussie.
Mike Hawkins wrote: 1990 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This was truly a seductive wine, and arguably the best I had over the past fortnight, and indeed, the whole year. Notes of vanilla and tobacco on the nose, with complex secondary development on the palate. Beautifully balanced, great length, and a privlege to drink.
Great! I have four bottles of this stuck in my cellar so will pull one out soon for drinking!
A very slow week for wine consumption, with our own renovations in full swing. We aspire to soon have running water again.
Anyway, the consumption this week includes: Crofters SSB 02 (good, but I won't repeat my TN), Annies Lane Cab Merlot 02 (much better than the previous bottle of the same), Brown Bros Orange Muscat and Flora (didn't remember the vintage but it was fairly current-looking) which was an unspectacular but pleasant sweet wine. The only wine worth remembering was:
Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 92: Not exceptional, but a good wine which is holding up remarkably well, still tasting young and vibrant. Might even have another five years.
Might get into something nice this week, but I don't have high hopes for quality wine being served at Christmas.
Only managed a quaffer so far this week, but a damn good quaffer nonetheless:
01 West Cape Howe Shiraz
Purple in colour
Nice nose of plum, chocolate, herbs and spices, particularly cloves.
Medium body, smooth rounded palate with a medium finish and soft, fine tannins.
For about $16 this is great QPR and provides perhaps a touch more complexity than you might expect for the money.
. Excellent/Outstanding.
Very hard to see any fruit buried in all that tannin but I am sure it is there as it is a wonderfully constructed and balance wine. Can't wait to look at it again in 5 years. It made the Giconda look like ordinary and probably is the best wine I have tasted this year.