It's Sunday...

[Red Bigot]

I hope you all have got your clocks adjusted...

Ric has a new computer, so he's running late either because he's still getting it setup or he's broken it already.

What was meant to be a highlight of the week for me turned out to be a bit of a letdown, a group went out on Friday night to a restaurant where our expectations for food were not all that high, but it was close and the food style suited the Rockford reds were were going to drink.

The Black Shiraz (2004 disg.) was a great start, my last Black shiraz I think, I don't buy them any more.

The 96 BP from my cellar seemed to be just entering it's drinking window, starting to soften nicely and pretty seamless, it went pretty well with my quail entree. The 2003 BP from another person had a soaked cork, not leaking, but possibly had been a bit hot at some stage, it certainly wasn't in good shape and seemed a bit forward and slightly stewed.

A 98 BP from my cellar was still young and showing fairly prominent oak, leave for a few years yet, but it wasn't too aggressive and I happily drank it with my duck confit and duck sausage main course. The 2004 from another person was just plain too young to be great drinking, but suited those who had the beef main.

With cheese we opened a 2002 BP from my cellar, but it seemed a bit flat and subdued, coming back to it after a break showed hints of cork taint, but not enough to be definitive. It was not a good look though and like the 2003, half the bottle went home with the provider. Next day it wasn't showing any obvious TCA, but hadn't improved and it will clean the drains today.

So, it turned out the food was more consistent than the wine, not quite what we had expected.

Over to you, I hope you had better results from the wines you had.

[Nick]

General impressions from the last couple of weeks,

1998 Kay's Block 6 - spectacular, still plenty of primary fruit but just starting to age nicely
2002 JJ Hahn 1928 Shiraz - real surprise packet, wonderful Barossa Shiraz
2002 Kaesler WOMS Shiraz Cabernet - a little austere after the JJ Hahn, opened up nicely, probably could have done with a decant, still very enjoyable
1995 Fattoria Zerbina Marzieno - not a patch on the last bottle, very little fruit hanging around, maybe mildly corked, otherwise definitely on the slide
2003 Charles Melton Shiraz - really enjoyable
1999 Orlando St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon - just entering drinking window, lovely stuff
2005 D'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz - a little thin & boring after the previous two wines. Fine, just nothing to write home about

Cheers
Nick

[Dave Dewhurst]

Chateau Chasse-Spleen, 2003, Bought a couple of these EP but saw this in a local bottle shop and thought I’d have a look in to see how it was running. Decanted for about three hours. Deep red colour with no signs of age. Initially a blueberry and minty nose, which changes to reticent red berry fruit with time. When tasted on decanting, blackcurrant fruit body and intensely minty in the palate with some fruit fatness and viscosity. When returned to after the decant, the viscosity is still there, but there is a slight fruit hollowness initially but some peppered rare lamb brought out good red- and blackcurrant fruit depth, with soft cheek furring tannins and just a wee hint of a porty, roasted aftertaste. The fruit depth and length kept rising with time (drunk over three hours) as do the tannins, although the latter remain soft, cuddly and mildly tooth-drying! I do like this but am not quite sure what to make of it. It is way more approachable than I thought a five year old Bordeaux (and one with a reputation for structure and aging potential) would be but the fruit lacks a certain freshness and tannins are very soft.

Cheers

Dave

[Adair]

Again some quick notes from wines quaffed this week. I should get around to posting reds this afternoon whilst celebrating Gordon's win in the Sydney 1st Grade final (cricket) today... hopefully... they just need to bat out the day: http://www.code27.com/TCS/Scorecard.aspx?id=227

2007 Pikes Riesling – Lime and slate. Pikes is always reliable but this is a class above usual. 91/100.

2006 Coopers Creek “The Pointer” Pinot Gris – Marlborough (NZ): Off dry. Varietal with candied apple, pears and honey and noticeable flowery spice – I wish we could get these characters in our Pinot Gris! Although the wine lacks focus and structure the more you drink it, the ladies would love this, as would a sweeter Euro white lover. 90/100.

2007 Maven Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough (NZ): Powerful passionfruit, tropicals, pea and grass as is the style, although a little uncontrolled, also with a hint too much residual left on. Good though. 88/100.

2007 Henschke Coralinga Sauvignon Blanc – Full of flavour yet restrained. Fragrant and textured, nearly talc powdery. Easy to contemplate whilst drinking the bottle. 93/100, maybe more. Yes, a Savvy that I really like!

2006 Riposte “The Sabre” Pinot Noir – Intensely sweetly spiced with red berry fragrance and very finely textured but underlying powerful dark cherry base is very unfocused. Oozing quality but in the end disappointing... I still enjoyed it due to my preference for this variety. 88/100.

Adair

[Wizz]

With cheese we opened a 2002 BP from my cellar, but it seemed a bit flat and subdued, coming back to it after a break showed hints of cork taint, but not enough to be definitive. It was not a good look though and like the 2003, half the bottle went home with the provider. Next day it wasn't showing any obvious TCA, but hadn't improved and it will clean the drains today.

Brian just curious, are you going to pursue a replacement from Rockford?

Andrew

[Wayno]

Orlando St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Loaded up with fruit, even a bit cloying at first but this impression settled. Quite a midweight style, with some pleasant puckering tannins in place and some nice oak. Decent enough wine, if a little mono-dimensional.

[Craig(NZ)]

06 Forrest The Doctors Riesling and 07 Villa Reserve Riesling in the late summer sun.

[Red Bigot]

With cheese we opened a 2002 BP from my cellar, but it seemed a bit flat and subdued, coming back to it after a break showed hints of cork taint, but not enough to be definitive. It was not a good look though and like the 2003, half the bottle went home with the provider. Next day it wasn't showing any obvious TCA, but hadn't improved and it will clean the drains today.

Brian just curious, are you going to pursue a replacement from Rockford?

Andrew

Andrew, I was going to, but it didn't show TCA the next day and I'm hard-pressed to describe a cause for the poor showing. I might send them an email anyway and see what response I get.

[Adair]

A few more brief notes, mostly reds:

2007 Woodlands Chardonnay (Standard): Maybe just too much green melon/cucumber flavour on the white fruits, but long, deep and elegant. 89/100.

2005 Cookoothama Shiraz: fruitcake with more savoury spice on middle. Gentle fine tannin, slightly short finish. 88/100.

2006 Bullant Shiraz: Hints of dark berry and mint-choco flavour but lacking intensity, although oak used well to cover fruit issues and smooth front palate mouthfeel. 85/100.

2003 Helm Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium/light bodied. Low intensity but very complex and elegant. Opened with a rubber issue but blew off and revealed a long, finely structured wine over the evening. At its peak now with red berry developed flavours adding greatly to the complexity. Very enjoyable with food. 89/100.

2005 Fermoy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Ripe blackcurrant and blackberry. Sweet spice. Gravel, mineral iron. Chalky yet quite supple tannins. Palate filling. 91/100.

2006 Rutherglen Estates “The Reunion” Mourvedre Shiraz Grenache: Heaps of flavour with more control than expected. I would be very happy to get poured this at a social event. 90/100.

Adair

[Ollie]

We've got heavy snow where I am in England, can't believe it!

2003 Waterwheel Shiraz Lovely nose but coming in at 15.5% I found the alcohol was showing a bit too much for my liking almost like someone had dropped a shot a vodka into my glass!

Cheers

Ollie

[drunkenbum]

At dinner last night
2004 Chateau Saint Marie Bordeaux (Sem/Sav Blanc)

Hints of spice, steely flintiness with oh so subtle oak. Reasonably complex palate, nice integration of wood, and a slight (but pleasant) leesy character. All in all a great example for 27 bucks (ex bottle-o) and a whole 12% alcohol.
First White Bordeaux for a while, and I can forgotten how nice they can be sometimes! (Especially at the "cheaper" end of the market)

[rednut]

2004 Two Hands Angels Share Shiraz

Not overly impressed with this wine. Nice flavours but a bit too bitey for my liking?? Will have to plod through the last 4 bottles

[dazza1968]

2003 MARQUES de RISCAL , RIOJA

Very nice blend mainly Grenache , Floral on the nose and plenty of fruit, silky smooth on the palate just lacked length. Great mouth feel and then gone.......................

1997 Yalumba Signature shi/cab,

oak was very forward to start with but this wine is holding together very well considering the vintage!! Mind you i wouldn't keep it past the next 3 years really as its starting to dry out a touch

2001 Alkoomi Wandoo

Cork wasnt too good and it showed . the wine was very advanced if not a little oxidated so this was a disappointment for me .

Regards Dazza

[Ian S]

We've got heavy snow where I am in England, can't believe it!

2003 Waterwheel Shiraz Lovely nose but coming in at 15.5% I found the alcohol was showing a bit too much for my liking almost like someone had dropped a shot a vodka into my glass!

Cheers

Ollie

Ollie
Where did you pick this up from? I've seen these wines around occasionally, but never did buy any. One to try for me, though I suspect I need to look for a coller year for my tastes.
regards
Ian

[Ollie]

We've got heavy snow where I am in England, can't believe it!

2003 Waterwheel Shiraz Lovely nose but coming in at 15.5% I found the alcohol was showing a bit too much for my liking almost like someone had dropped a shot a vodka into my glass!

Cheers

Ollie

Ollie
Where did you pick this up from? I've seen these wines around occasionally, but never did buy any. One to try for me, though I suspect I need to look for a coller year for my tastes.
regards
Ian

Hi Ian,

I got it from 'OZ Wines' a couple of years ago and tucked it away in the cellar in the slim hope the alcohol would subdue a little, which it hasn't! I've got a couple of bottles of the '04 as well but I've not sampled it yet.
'OZ wines' are due to get the 2006 shortly but that is going to rock in at 16%! The Waterwheel wines do offer good value for money however and their Memsie White and Red blends are nice gluggers.

Cheers

Ollie

[Wayno]

Tyrells Vat 47 Chardonnay 2005
Beautiful, oatmeal characters and with a stream of finessed minerality, lovely pre-ripe peach and terrific finish. A lovely, upright Chardonnay.

Petaluma Coonawarra Proprietor's Reserve 1996
Museum release I think? Pleasant, merely. No clear expression of it's origins, this presented as a nice enough midweight wine with some notable secondary development but not showing any signs of tiredness, just ... kind of... OK.

[Adair]

2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay: Fantastic. Deep, mouth-filling and long. Flavours are beautifully ripe, not over or under, excellent poise. Even now it is complex – fragrant, stonefruits, hints of bread – all in place and nothing out. Sensational vanilla oak absorbed by the young power of the wine, but even this young power is controlled and in balance. Beautifully integrated acid. No alcoholic heat, which I rarely say this about a 14.5% red wine, and I can’t ever remember saying about a dry white wine. Best I have tasted of this series – compared to the 1999,2000, 2001 and 2002 wines that I remember well, this seems more balanced and controlled, yet with similar power. 96/100, and maybe 97/100 in 7 years.

NV Leeuwin Estate Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay: Complex, ripe (some apple custard in there too) and mouth-filling and very enjoyable, but without much acidic focus and lacking a hint of depth. Impressive at $20 but I suspect this is around $30. 89/100.

2003 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Cabernet Merlot: I love Leeuwin Estate Cabernet and this is no different - so refined, elegant and full of Bordeaux-like complexity, yet with a deep core of New World fruit. It is quite different from the philosophy apparent in the Art Series Chardonnay, although this may be changing slowly. This particular wine is from the same mould - but the acid, although not bitter or obvious, seems to be holding the fruit back from much current enjoyment. This particular wine could be a great cellar addition, needing time to shine in another 5 years. 90/100.

Kind regards,
Adair

P.S. Being a follower of HH, now that I have had it, I note his review of the 2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay in this week's Good Living - that it is quite simple now (will be complex later) and only 93/100 rating. It seems obvious that he applies a factor based on price to his ratings.

[Gary W]

I reckon HH just stuffed the review (does not happen often either). The 2005 clearly ahead of the 2004 to which he gave 96 points..I reckon the oak in the 2005 is much less obvious than 2004 and as you say there is no warmth.
GW