Melbourne Offline

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:03 pm

Here is a consolidated list of 'who's bringing what'. If I have stuffed it up, you need to change or you haven't added yours to the list yet, please let me know and I'll keep it up to date.

Funk44 - 1994 De Bortoli Noble One
Preseter John - 1992 Eilieen Hardy Shiraz
Shiarz_Freak - 2001 Broken River Sparkling Shiraz & Pedro Ximinezz Sherry
tpang - 2 light reds
aj_syrah - 2004 Balnaves Tally
Mark S - 1980 St Henri OR 1998 Bass Philip Pinot Noir & mystery white
Darby - mid-90's Heathcote red
Gasman - masked white
michaelw - mystery sparkling red & mystery shiraz
julie - De Bortoli Yarra Valley Sauvignon (french style) 2005 & Labyrinth Valley Farm Pinot 2003

julie · Post by **julie** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:58 pm

Hi there,

I haven't posted yet but am coming to the dinner with my partner. We were going to bring a bigger red and a sticky but given the list already how about a De Bortoli Yarra Valley Sauvignon (french style) 2005 and a Labyrinth Valley Farm Pinot 2003?

Julie and Ryt

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:53 pm

Thanks Julie. Your wines are added to the list and it will be great to catch up again after so long.

Shiraz_Freak · Post by **Shiraz_Freak** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:31 pm

We are now going with 02 BVE Black Pepper Shiraz and a 98 Tahbilk Reserve Cabernet

prester john · Post by **prester john** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 7:53 am

michaelw wrote:Here is a consolidated list of 'who's bringing what'. If I have stuffed it up, you need to change or you haven't added yours to the list yet, please let me know and I'll keep it up to date.

Preseter John - 1992 Eilieen Hardy Shiraz

Just a small amendment. The Eileen Hardy is in fact a 1991, so that's even better in my book. In addition, I'll bring a backup bottle, which I'll open if the Eileen Hardy is no enough or if it's corked, etc. My friend won't tell me what he's bringing, so it'll have to be a surprise.

Best,

PJ.

Wine Girl · Post by **Wine Girl** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:30 pm

I would still like to come, but my +1 will be interstate, so I will be flying solo. Not sure what I can bring though - don't have an enviable-middle-aged-man cellar to select from, so it will have to be something fresh off the wine-shop shelves. Can I decide closer to the time please?

Dr Durif · Post by **Dr Durif** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:30 pm

I think I might bring a 98 Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne and an 02 Charles Melton Shiraz (from my 'middle-age-man cellar'). :lol:

Wine Girl · Post by **Wine Girl** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:34 pm

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:04 pm

Wine Girl wrote:I would still like to come, but my +1 will be interstate, so I will be flying solo. Not sure what I can bring though - don't have an enviable-middle-aged-man cellar to select from, so it will have to be something fresh off the wine-shop shelves. Can I decide closer to the time please?

of course. at 35 i don't count myself as middle-aged but i do have a man cellar! that's a cellar that belongs to a man and not a cellar i keep men in :wink:

tpang · Post by **tpang** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:42 pm

just a *bump* to nudge this back up again.

Gasman · Post by **Gasman** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:08 am

Are we still on Michael??? Any update on who's coming, and who's bringing what?

prester john · Post by **prester john** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:18 pm

I can confirm that I and a friend are ready to go: I'm bringing a 1991 Eileen Hardy Shiraz, and he's bringing something no so old which he refuses to reveal to me.

PJ.

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:40 pm

Gasman wrote:Are we still on Michael??? Any update on who's coming, and who's bringing what?

Gasman,

I've been updating the first post in this thread every few days with confirmations and cancellations. Please check there to see the latest list of attendees and wines that I know of.

We are definitely still on. The restaurant was booked a couple of weeks ago and reported in this thread. I've been a bit quiet due to being in NZ for the past week, but rest assured everything is in place for a cracking evening on Friday.

Shiraz_Freak · Post by **Shiraz_Freak** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:54 pm

Looking forward to a great night.

Anyone staying in the city that night? We booked a room at Rydges Carlton, so not too far from the venue.

Michael not sure if u noticed my earlier post, but we are now bringing a 02 BVE black pepper and a 98 Tahbilk reserve Cabernet.

Looks like we will have a great turn out for the evening.

P.S What is everyone doing about glasses? Do we need to bring decent glasses or will the ones at Abla do the job ok?

Gasman · Post by **Gasman** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:55 pm

Should be a great night. Just need to raid my old man cellar now.....

aj_syrah · Post by **aj_syrah** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:15 pm

Just wondering if I should decant the 04 Tally beforehand, and if so, what would be the best way to do it?

AJ

Gasman · Post by **Gasman** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:45 am

I would definitely decant the Tally. My advice would be to decant for about an hour, then double decant back into the bottle and cork.

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:05 am

Shiraz_Freak wrote:Looking forward to a great night.

Anyone staying in the city that night? We booked a room at Rydges Carlton, so not too far from the venue.

Michael not sure if u noticed my earlier post, but we are now bringing a 02 BVE black pepper and a 98 Tahbilk reserve Cabernet.

Looks like we will have a great turn out for the evening.

P.S What is everyone doing about glasses? Do we need to bring decent glasses or will the ones at Abla do the job ok?

I have no idea about glassware at Abla's. Anybody else? Should we come prepared or is their glassware adequate?

Wine Girl · Post by **Wine Girl** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:27 am

Sorry for the late notice, but I have to work tomorrow night and won't be able to come

Hope you all have a great time.

Dr Durif · Post by **Dr Durif** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:14 am

I went to Abla's last year and from memory the glassware was reasonably good.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:42 am

Look forward to seeing you all there

Gavin Trott · Post by **Gavin Trott** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 2:08 pm

Hope you all have a great night!!

tpang · Post by **tpang** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:44 am

first one back in! and what a great night it was too...

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:49 am

It was a great night and, as always, a great chance to put names to faces.

Looking forward to doing it again in September. Anybody looking for a great night out with fellow enthusiasts, please let me know.

TN`s to follow. My wine of the night was the Eileen Hardy (vintage to follow).

michaelw · Post by **michaelw** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:53 am

Funk44, where were you and your 1994 De Bortoli Noble One?

Wherever you were, we hope you had a good night.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:16 pm

wonderful night, very good food in a homely Lebanese style, $45 per head for the banquet, and no corkage fees! One thing, there was a blast of hot air over the table which warmed up the wines pretty quickly.

couple of masked whites to start, with options - 2nd wine stumped every one.

Savaterre Chardonnay 2004 - very noice, ready & rich without being in the overblown Oz style.

Mount Mary Triolet 1998 - would have put money on it being French! No-one picked it as being almost 10 years old - minerals, complex, almost a savoury aspect, fine oak, hints of smoke.

Gibson Sparkling Merlot - thankfully not overly sweet - good aperitif, would have been even better a touch colder.

Eileen Hardy Shiraz 1991 - a demonstration of why we age wine. Magnificent, smooth, mellow; tannins, oak, fruit all seamlessly integrated.

Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 2004 - hooly dooly, like a smack in the chops - maybe having this straight after the Eileen Hardy was not the best possible order. A brute - rugged tannins, alcohol heat, upfront ripe fruit. Years to go. However, after a couple of hours, MUCH better.

Springvale Pinot 2005 - light to medium bodied, high degree of fruit sweetness. Can see this, slightly chilled, as a refreshing summer lunch wine.

Silverwood Pinot 2005 - surprisingly lush & rich for a Mornington Pen. pinot, good weight in the mouth.

Schwarz Thiele Rd Grenache 2005 - ripe and forward, red fruit dominant; a bit simple, enjoyable as a quaffer.

Barossa Valley Estate E&E Shiraz 2002 - impressive - certainly oaky, but with great fruit to back it up. Not over-ripe or over-extracted, eventually the oak will meld in.

Charles Melton Shiraz 2002 - seemed more toward the savoury/cool climate end of the spectrum than the lush typical SA style; good wine though.

Balnaves The Tally 2004 - once again this wine proved its absolute class - powerful tannin backbone with the purest blackcurrent fruit - near perfect expression of Coonawarra character.

Penfolds St Henri 1980 - cork stained halfway- at first, seemed a bit flat and tired, but picked up after an hour - no primary fruit really, solidly into the secondary/tertiary spectrum, with mushroomy, old books, ladies handbag notes.

Campbells The Barkly Durif 1998 - sweet ripe fruit, tannins forceful but not overpowering. Strong cherry pip character.

Seppelt DP63 Show Muscat (375 ml) - gorgeous classic Rutherglen aged muscat - convinced that these now superseded half bottles are substantially superior to the current 750 ml bottles.

Wine of the Night? votes evenly split between the Eileen Hardy 1991 and The Tally 2004. Apologies if I've left something out. some discussion that next offline might have a Barossa V. Rutherglen theme.

aj_syrah · Post by **aj_syrah** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:51 pm

A great night of wines. Thanks for the notes on the wines Mark, very accurate. I look forward to the next offline!

Cheers,

Andrew.

Shiraz_Freak · Post by **Shiraz_Freak** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:46 pm

Great night, had a ball and learnt a few things as well.

Company was great food was great, although i had too much hommus and pita bread to start. Good to meet new people with an interest in wine.

All the wines were good but the Savteree, Mount Mary, Eileen Hardy, The Tally and the Muscat were my favs on the night with Eileen being a stand out YUMMO!!!!!!

Look forward to the next night

Cheers

Jarrod

prester john · Post by **prester john** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:08 am

This was a wonderful evening. In all frankness, I thought the service was average, the food a little better, the wines great and the company the best. Thank you all for a wonderful evening. I'm only sorry I had to leave a little earlier than I wanted.

Nice notes, Mark. Thanks for taking the time to be the scribe. I was most impressed with the Tally which had balance and cassis all the way. Also, how I wish I had another 1991 Eileen Hardy to try in a few years time. Your notes were most accurate, Mark. The muscat was also beautiful.

Michael, thanks for taking the time to organise this event, and good luck for the upcoming birth. I can only hope we'll be able to squeeze in another offline before the birth. Initially, I think the Rutherglen v. Barossa theme for the next offline is one to relish. It might even bring Smithy out of his recent langour.

Finally, as Jarrod said, it was good to meet good people with an obsession as great as mine, or greater. I promise to move around the table a little more next time. Andrew, Terrence, good to catch up with both of you also, and let's do it all again in September.

My best to all,

PJ.

Gasman · Post by **Gasman** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:16 pm

Great night out. Again, thanks to Mark S for taking notes - very similar to my thoughts on the wines.

Favourites for me were the two whites, the Eileen Hardy (sitting on a perfect plateau at the moment), and the outstanding Tally - all you could possibly want from a Coonawarra Cabernet.

Sorry for ducking out so early, but had to catch up with my sister-in-law for drinks (more!!!), as she was leaving the following day for Europe to live indefinitely.

The Auswine Forum

Melbourne Offline - Friday 27th July (Abla)