Late nights, Early morning... It's a naughty school night...

[monghead]

Well what are we all imbibing in?

I know it's Monday, but I know we are not all drinking water.

Enjoying immensely an unexpectedly delightful wine...

2008 RK Shiraz

Cheers,

Monghead.

[griff]

A simple 2008 Turkey Flat Rose tonight with our lamb tagine. Nothing out of place but lacked interest. OK wine but I wanted interest

cheers

Carl

[Muscat Mike]

Last night with a wonderful beef casserole, containing the said wine, Maxwell Ellen Street Shiraz 1999.(Mclaren Vale)
I was not expecting a lot but was blown away by a simply wonderful wine. Still deep, dark and brooding and as good a wine from that vintage I have had in several years. It will not improve as it is perfection at the moment and will last for several more years.

Tonight with grilled chicken, 2002 Petaluma Riesling. As good as many have said and has time to improve.
Mike.

[monghead]

The 2008 rk shiraz last night was very good

Made by Rick Kinzbrunner (of Giaconda), from Beechworth fruit, for Vintage Cellars at 13.9% A/C, I expected this to be an over the top, jammy, alcoholic affair with little interest. However, the nose was immediately beguiling. Dark berries, blood plums, white pepper, meaty panchetta, hints of crushed ants, and a touch of eucalypt. The palate was equally satisfying, with layers of complex sweet and savoury notes, great length and silky smooth mouthfeel. The 13.9% did not stick out at all. A sensational drop.

Must get more!

Monghead.

[jeremy]

That's two positive reviews I've heard for the rk then. Thanks. I've been told by a VC manager that the rk Chardonnay is heaps better. But I know that he is not that keen on Beechworth (or much "cooler climate") Shiraz and does love his chardonnay.

2005 Tre Amici- last night. Excellent. Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot.

[xsorxpire]

Last night i had a Kays brothers 03 Hillside Shiraz.

Big and bold and yummy.

[oakboy]

Well what are we all imbibing in?

I know it's Monday, but I know we are not all drinking water.

Cheers,

Monghead.

water was good on Monday after sunday and aving a huge hangover Monday from Mark Webber's great win...( and i had too work monday)

but Sunday with the wifey

Kirrihill shiraz 2002, great drop, in the window, clare valley

Bremerton old adam 2004, thought i'd see where this cracking wine was at, and while it's lost that young fruit profile to match other wines twice the price its still has a smashing oil black colour and is developing....

Leasingham 2005 bin 61 shiraz, great value clare valley wine,
a bit clare'd out by then, plus a few long necks pale coopers...

Go Webbo

[dlo]

Last night a delightful bottle of Petaluma 1998 Merlot - this outstanding 100% Coonawarra merlot displays a very deep youthful dark ruby colour, medium- to full-weight, is loaded with deliciously fragrant plummy, earthy fruit, nicely counterbalanced by high-calibre new savoury French oak and reveals terrific line and length. Dusty tannins and bright integrated acidity deliver a still quite boisterous structure and the merest hint of some varietal vegetal character (a hint of roast turnip) is no bad thing whatsoever. Needs more time to be at its peak. A well-constructed, balanced, classy red still pretty much in primary mode. 14.0% A/V, perfect fill level and a good quality cork with the only wine staining found along its base. 92 points. If you have any, try one now, but do try to keep a couple back until 2020, if you can.

[griff]

Before I forget them. A few wines with friends at dinner last night.

Veuve Cliquot 2002
More developed to the last two bottles. Champagne is so variable. Brassy but still had good fruit weight. Good/Very Good.

1999 Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet Corton 'clos des fietres' Grand Cru
Opened bretty but come drinking time the fruit had developed to cover. A faintly resinous forest floor here so it must be a pine forest Dipped a bit on the mid palate but came back with bright acid and lingering spicy oak on the finish. Good/Very good wine but vastly improved to Excellent with food to be my WOTN.

1999 Gaja Rennina Brunello
Not sure what to expect but it was ripe and mouthfilling and almost New World like. Still had some spice and earth and had that strained character (not in a bad way though) I get with North Italian reds sometimes. Very good.

1993 Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet
Developed but still plenty left in the tank. An elegant leafy style. I liked this. Very good.

2003 Cape Mentelle Wallscliffe Shiraz
Was similar in style and weight to the Brunello. Perhaps less complexity but more character. 2003 wasn't a great cabernet year in Margaret but this shiraz is fine. Very good/excellent wine and only pipped by the burgundy for me.

Talijancich liqueur verdelho
Rich creme brulee juice Simple yet powerful wine. Very Good.

Was a good wine night with no duds. Recharges my interest after some average wines recently.

cheers

Carl

[xsorxpire]

I read some of these reports and I think I need to do a wine appreciation course.
I drink it because I like it. I used to love merlots only, then someone gave me an old cabernet to drink and I got hooked.
I get the gyst of weight, mouth feel, tannins, upfront and secondary flavours. But I've never eaten a cigar box, nor licked a forrest floor.
Drinking diesel and kerosene is something I have no interest in, yet I see it described (with passionate verve) by rieseling drinkers.
Perhaps it is I who are the weirdo, but it sure don't read that way...

Last night I tried an 02 Poplars Coonawarra Shiraz.
Lighter bodied and much less complex than the Kays I drank the night before.
I found the tannins to be a little too strong for me.

I grabbed this as I have a few more and wanted to see where it was at.
The others I will give more time.
I think I like the big full on-in your face reds. But only after they have sat for a while.

I also tend to compare what I drink to what has left an impression.
The Kies dedication shiraz (2000) springs to mind straight away. Damn that's a good drop.

Anyway, the poplars was better than ok with a medium body and perhaps a cherry flavour.

Time to search out a wine course...

[ishin]

'90 Lanson Gold Label....oxidised...down the drain....so onto...
'03 Janz....bit sweet but very drinkable

[dlo]

But I've never eaten a cigar box, nor licked a forrest floor.
Drinking diesel and kerosene is something I have no interest in, yet I see it described (with passionate verve) by rieseling drinkers.
Perhaps it is I who are the weirdo, but it sure don't read that way...

We don't eat cigar boxes or lick forrest floors either, bro. The sooner you enrol for that course the better.

[monghead]

I read some of these reports and I think I need to do a wine appreciation course.
I drink it because I like it. I used to love merlots only, then someone gave me an old cabernet to drink and I got hooked.
I get the gyst of weight, mouth feel, tannins, upfront and secondary flavours. But I've never eaten a cigar box, nor licked a forrest floor.
Drinking diesel and kerosene is something I have no interest in, yet I see it described (with passionate verve) by rieseling drinkers.
Perhaps it is I who are the weirdo, but it sure don't read that way...

xsorxpire, You know, I used to think that as well. However, I then realised that our senses of olfaction and gustation are intimately linked. In fact, you can't taste if you can't smell. I think that I pick up alot more on nosing a wine than tasting it in fact. The taste however, offers a much more prolonged sensation of the flavours across a larger canvas (palate), so that the smells could be confirmed. The tactile component of mouthfeel then comes into play to complete the sensory nirvana a great wine can produce.

So anyways, although we don't drink the kerosene or lick the forest floor (great use of words mate... made me chuckle with the mental image of a slightly rotund wine afficianado bent over licking some moss), we certainly smell it, along with the crushed ants, the bitumen, the tar, the various varieties of steel and stone.....

Hope this helps...

Monghead.

[dazza1968]

2000 Annies Lane Shiraz Wow Just drink them now this was wonderful .. Nose to die for My Last bottle Gee wizz 12 does not really last that long ? Mind you its 2009 so not too bad really (

Regards Dazza

[monghead]

At a work function...

A Pinot Gris of some sort. Did not catch the label. Cloying sweet and oily, horrible.

2007 West Cape Howe Shiraz

Rather sweet and uninteresting.

Then went home and enjoyed a Hop Thief

Hoping for something better (wine wise) tonight.

[Michael McNally]

Then went home and enjoyed a Hop Thief.

This is good beer. Enjoying it myself at the moment. Also the Monteith's Doppelbock Winter Ale - Dark, Malty, 6%, yum.

[xsorxpire]

I read some of these reports and I think I need to do a wine appreciation course.
I drink it because I like it. I used to love merlots only, then someone gave me an old cabernet to drink and I got hooked.
I get the gyst of weight, mouth feel, tannins, upfront and secondary flavours. But I've never eaten a cigar box, nor licked a forrest floor.
Drinking diesel and kerosene is something I have no interest in, yet I see it described (with passionate verve) by rieseling drinkers.
Perhaps it is I who are the weirdo, but it sure don't read that way...

xsorxpire, You know, I used to think that as well. However, I then realised that our senses of olfaction and gustation are intimately linked. In fact, you can't taste if you can't smell. I think that I pick up alot more on nosing a wine than tasting it in fact. The taste however, offers a much more prolonged sensation of the flavours across a larger canvas (palate), so that the smells could be confirmed. The tactile component of mouthfeel then comes into play to complete the sensory nirvana a great wine can produce.

So anyways, although we don't drink the kerosene or lick the forest floor (great use of words mate... made me chuckle with the mental image of a slightly rotund wine afficianado bent over licking some moss), we certainly smell it, along with the crushed ants, the bitumen, the tar, the various varieties of steel and stone.....

Hope this helps...

Monghead.

It does, i have often stuck my incredibly generous nose in a glass of wine.
I have smelt the ants, coffee (Pinot) and earthy notes.
It is just that more often than not i miss them.



Having just spoken to Kies winery on the Barrosa highway i found they had uncovered some more of their 00 Dedication shiraz and were offloading it for $29 a bottle. I grabbed a couple cases and thought i would crack another bottle (from my cellar).

The bottle variation was surprising. I had cracked one a few weeks ago and it appeared to have more body and a deeper more plumb like flavour.

This time i had decided to approach the most wisest of people i know and seek their advice.
I asked me mum.
Mum knows.
(How do you think she got this far, mum knows)...

We agreed blackberry.

I asked her if she thought it was "jammy".
In her infinite wisdom she said "Well it would go well with cream and spread on scones"...

So.
The Kies 2000 Dedication shiraz is a medium to full bodied wine with a hint of chocolate aroma.
The subtle taste of blackberry underlines the fruity-ness of this jammy wine.
There was a touch of pepper late on the palate and very mild tannins.

According to the winery it should be good for at least another three years.

[bacchaebabe]

Last night I grabbed a 02 Seppelt Victorian premium Shiraz to go with a cheapie thai meal. Still lots of primary fruit despite being a seven year old. A spray of chocolate (a la masterchef) with a spicy finish. Still a few tannins there too. I'm thinking this still has a few years in front of it. I'll try again in two years. 91.

I now have a case of wine flu. Got by drinking half a bottle of above metioned wine too quickly and then having a few beers on top of it. Aches, pains, stuffiness and general malaise followed. Should be better by tomorrow.

[ross67]

On holiday's up the mountains with friends......had an assortment of goodies...

Brief opinions......


Olivers Taranga Shiraz 2004: -V Good & will last a long time
Boireann Shiraz Viognier 2002:- Good for Granite Belt..better 2nd night
Chain of Ponds Ledge Shiraz 2002: V Good typical A Hills
Penfold's St Henri 1988: Pretty good but slowly declining
Penfold's Kalimna 28 1996: Good but also slowly declining
Henry's Drive Reserve Shiraz 2001: Brilliant big & bold
Henry's Drive Shiraz 1999: Stinky but good for $12 and still going strong
De Bortoli Noble One 1991: Brilliant classic sticky still strong as ever
Seppelt D63 Show Muscat: V Good: Raisins & fruit cake


ross

[griff]

Penfold's Kalimna 28 1996: Good but also slowly declining

That's a shame. Is/was a cracking wine. Do you know what the storage was like?

cheers

Carl

[Michael McNally]

Currently sipping:

2004 Thorne-Clarke "Sandpiper" Barossa Valley "The Blend" Shiraz, Petitt Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon. SC. 14%. Cheap at auction.
The colour is a good dark crimson.
Nose of wet rocks, old burnt fencepost and blackberry.
Palate of soft black fruit with loads of blueberry/violet from the PV. There is an interesting sweet licquorice thing going on at the finish. Drink now.
Very nice wine. For the price Excellent.

[monghead]

2004 Thomas Two of a Kind Shiraz

An almost 50/50 blend of Hunter (55) and Maclaren Vale (45) shiraz which was not too bad. I guess the premise is to balance the spicy, funky, etheral, "sheepish" characters of the Hunter shiraz with the sweet, chocolately, ripe Maclaren Vale stuff. In my view however, it was the Hunter stuff which made the MV stuff palatable...

Still a little sweet and jammy for my tastes, but very drinkable.

Cheers,

Monghead.

[xsorxpire]

C'mon Monghead you just made it more difficult...

I cracked a 97 Sandalford Cabernet tonight.
I am searching for some sort of understanding.

I decanted and straight away poured a sample.
Cherries were overpowered by a tightening of the tongue.

Ten minutes later there was more berry and still a tightening of thw tongue.

Ten minutes again and the flavour of plum was evident. But the tongue still tightened.

Ten minutes more and the tongue stopped tightening. But the flavour had dropped.

By the time forty five minutes had passed there was no tightening of the tongue, no flavour and all that was left was an oily finish.

Is this normal and if so what does it mean?

Cheers.
XS.

[griff]

C'mon Monghead you just made it more difficult...

I cracked a 97 Sandalford Cabernet tonight.
I am searching for some sort of understanding.

I decanted and straight away poured a sample.
Cherries were overpowered by a tightening of the tongue.

Ten minutes later there was more berry and still a tightening of thw tongue.

Ten minutes again and the flavour of plum was evident. But the tongue still tightened.

Ten minutes more and the tongue stopped tightening. But the flavour had dropped.

By the time forty five minutes had passed there was no tightening of the tongue, no flavour and all that was left was an oily finish.

Is this normal and if so what does it mean?

Cheers.
XS.

At first there was tannin.

Then you ate McDonalds and then there was an oily finish?

Well the former may be true. Don't have a serious answer for what happened at 45 minutes.

cheers


Carl

[griff]

2007 Domaine Charvin Cotes du Rhone
Herby, Inky, some flowers and pepper as well. Nice moderate mouth feel with very fine tannin that builds with the second glass. After some time in the decanter some boiled sweet grenache flavours emerge. Becoming silky yet still rustic. Handles the abv with aplomb. Very Good.

cheers

Carl

[monghead]

C'mon Monghead you just made it more difficult...

I cracked a 97 Sandalford Cabernet tonight.
I am searching for some sort of understanding.

I decanted and straight away poured a sample.
Cherries were overpowered by a tightening of the tongue.

Ten minutes later there was more berry and still a tightening of thw tongue.

Ten minutes again and the flavour of plum was evident. But the tongue still tightened.

Ten minutes more and the tongue stopped tightening. But the flavour had dropped.

By the time forty five minutes had passed there was no tightening of the tongue, no flavour and all that was left was an oily finish.

Is this normal and if so what does it mean?

Cheers.
XS.

Yeah, I'm not sure what happened either. However, it sounds like the experience was not too enjoyable, thus a wine to avoid in the future I guess...

Better luck next time.

Monghead.

[xsorxpire]

C'mon Monghead you just made it more difficult...

I cracked a 97 Sandalford Cabernet tonight.
I am searching for some sort of understanding.

I decanted and straight away poured a sample.
Cherries were overpowered by a tightening of the tongue.

Ten minutes later there was more berry and still a tightening of thw tongue.

Ten minutes again and the flavour of plum was evident. But the tongue still tightened.

Ten minutes more and the tongue stopped tightening. But the flavour had dropped.

By the time forty five minutes had passed there was no tightening of the tongue, no flavour and all that was left was an oily finish.

Is this normal and if so what does it mean?

Cheers.
XS.

Yeah, I'm not sure what happened either. However, it sounds like the experience was not too enjoyable, thus a wine to avoid in the future I guess...

Better luck next time.

Monghead.

I got two more.
Anyone want to swap???!!

[ross67]

Penfold's Kalimna 28 1996: Good but also slowly declining

That's a shame. Is/was a cracking wine. Do you know what the storage was like?

cheers

Carl

Yes not sure about storage Carl as it was a friends one off purchase.
Everything was sound with the wine with perfect cork.
It just wasn't inspiring

I would drink the '98 anyday over it. The '98 imo still seems to be on the way up.


Have you tried the '96??

ross

[RedVelvet]

2004 Peter Lehmann Eight Songs Shiraz

Deep red bordering on purple with an ever so slightly orange tinge, quite closed when first opened, smoke and a little spice slowly opening to some cherry and dark berrie fruits but not as big and bright as i would have expected. I was not overly impressed with this wine and could not help but wonder if it had been heat affected as it seemed a bit devoid of fruit and some what muted?

[Michael McNally]

C'mon Monghead you just made it more difficult...

I cracked a 97 Sandalford Cabernet tonight.
I am searching for some sort of understanding.

I decanted and straight away poured a sample.
Cherries were overpowered by a tightening of the tongue.

Ten minutes later there was more berry and still a tightening of thw tongue.

Ten minutes again and the flavour of plum was evident. But the tongue still tightened.

Ten minutes more and the tongue stopped tightening. But the flavour had dropped.

By the time forty five minutes had passed there was no tightening of the tongue, no flavour and all that was left was an oily finish.

Is this normal and if so what does it mean?

Cheers.
XS.

Given this was a 12 year old......

What was the colour like. Was it dark? Or was it lighter more like a rose? It's hard from what you wrote to guess, but I suspect a bottle that hasn't been stored well and simply fell apart in the decanter. Tightening of the toungue could mean tannin or it could be vinegar.

I would suggest with the next bottle:
1) Have a look at the cork - Is it dry/crumbly? Is it stained along the sides? Is it tight in the bottle (hard to extract)?
2) What is the depth of colour is it goes into the decanter - dark and difficult to see through like a regular/young wine or is it light and see through?
3) What do you smell? Is it sharp? Are there any wet cardboard smells (which might indicate something else)?

Cheers

Michael