Sunday 15th Aug - What have you been drinking

[Craig(NZ)]

Ok guys what you been drinking this week?

2005 I think was an over rated Hawkes Bay vintage with some notable exceptions (05 Coleraine is stunning!)

Syrah on the whole seemed to be characterised by a "wishy washy-ness". The wines seemed to be high in alcohol without the depth and density of fruit to balance. I found this in almost every Syrah from 05. If we use the "Was Homage made" indicator of syrah vintage quality, it appears I am in line here (as with 08).

Had one last night though which was outstanding. 2005 Cottage Block Syrah. Super aromatic dark fruits, lovely textured, dark fruited and dense. its all deep set fruit here. No real pepper and spice influence.

lovely! Now back to the running!

[monghead]

2008 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Village- Solid Good
2008 Wantirna Lily Pinot Noir- Very Very Good
2004 Cullen Mangan Merlot MAlbec Petit Verdot- Good
2007 Voyager Estate Girt by Sea Cabernet Merlot- Good
2005 Wantirna Amelia Cabernet Merlot- Very Good

Cheers,

monghead.

[Chuck]

Friday night was a Domaine Chandon 2008 Pinot Gris and a Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Cabernet. The gris was one of the best I've tried (although from a poor field) and the cabernet was perrrrfect with heaps of time left on it. A good version of McLaren Vale cabernet with that regional chocolate and classy oak. Really great fruit. When wifey and I fight over the last glass its a good indication of the quality.

Last night continued the CM theme with a Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Shiraz. Nice. The surprise packet was a previously unknown wine - Flynns 2003 Heathcote Shiraz. Very pleasant indeed. Wonderful aromas and silky smooth.

[Peter NZ]

Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett 2008 Very classy
Black Estate Riesling 2009 Suffered in comparison to the Donhoff but still pretty good, & a style I enjoy
Brookfields Hillside Syrah 2000 Drinking well, but a reminder of how far HB syrah has come over the past decade
Lafaurie Peyraguey 2003 Very good
Te Kairanga Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 Shot through with brett -- a shame as there's still very good fruit underneath it all.

Cheers
Peter

[Jay60A]

On holiday in Greece so drinking the Assyrtiko 2009 - Santo Wines, Santorini.
Never tried this grape Assyrtiko before but this is surprisingly nice - bit like a Gruner Veltliner in character - tangy apples, minerals, clean acid spine, very focussed but with a juicy, fleshy layer that you might get from a splash of viognier. Real length and interest here ... a solid Very Good.

[Mike Hawkins]

1991 Penfolds Bin 389 - I really love pre-1997 Bin 389, the vintages before the better fruit went to RWT and the like. The 91 has cabernet dominating notes - cigar box, black currant and cabernet like tannins. On day one the only detracting feature was a slightly metallic finish, but on day 2 it was nowhere to be seen, and the nose was even more lifted. This is in a great spot and has a long life in front of it.

[Sean O'Sullivan]

deleted

[Luke W]

Feeling my mortality this week and am starting to line up the better stuff for future drinking rather than just drinking the quaffers and waiting for the good stuff to go off!

A mate gave me a couple of bottles of Geoff Merrill cleanskin 2001 chardy that he got for $9 a case through Grays and I was pleasantly surprised - big, buttery - just how I like chardy.

Last night had a Cathcart Ridge Estate Reserve Shiraz 2004 - last tried one of these a few years ago and thought it needed time but is now drinking beautifully - lots of dark berry fruit, spice and roll around your mouth unctiousness.

Also a 2007 Maglieri shiraz which with a bit of decanting opens quite nicely

A 2004 Tarrawarra Tin Cows pinot - pleasant enough (probably as good as most NZ $25 pinots) but lacks the depth of its more sophisticated siblings (the Estate/reserve)

A 2008 Mike Press cabernet sauvignon - like trying to drink a jam sandwich - masses of fruit that kinda balance out after an hour or two - would love to know how long these wines would last

cheers

Luke

[Mahmoud Ali]

It was an informal family dinner, simple linguini w/parmesan and pine nuts for starters and beef osso bucco.

Welcome wine: 2008 Les Nuages Sauvignon Blance, Loire, France. Lively, fresh, very SavBlanc but not punchy. Nice

Pasta wine: 2008 Burgans Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain. Full-bodied and aromatic, peachy and rich. Will buy more.

Beef Osso Bucco:
2003 Wyndham Estate Bin888 Cab/Merlot brought by B-in-law. Surprisingly good, exceeded my expectations, still firm and went well with the osso bucco.
1995 Tim Adam's Aberfeldy Shiraz. Fragrant, ripe, and sweet, the palate showing complexity and maturity, a fine bottle at it's peak. Lovely, am glad I have another bottle.
2007 Quinta das Setencostas, Alenquer, Portugal. Had a bit of this after the food so by comparison young & tannic. Good density and interesting as it is made of a blend of four Portuguese varieties but the next day it seemed a bit too ripe for me.

Desert: 2008 Stump Jump Sticky Chardonnay, Adelaide/McLaren. My first desert chardonnay. Rich and full of tropical fruits, pineapple and honey.

After dinner: Ardmore Highland Malt, Peated, Traditional Cask (46%alc). A duty fre purchase, I was surprised at how peaty it was, but then again I like Laphroig.

Cheers................Mahmoud.

[via collins]

Ata Rangi "Crimson" 2008 pinot noir Strawberries and raspberries cut with charcoal and licorice, a hint of vanilla and a touch of bitterness on the back palate, and a fairly short finish. good enough, but....
Big improver day two - much more lustrous mouthfeel, herbal elements missing on day one, length more generous.
Still, I'd hoped for more.

Tahbilk 2009 Marsanne Lemon curd, marmalade, and a slightly oily body first up. Not overly sweet at all, as I gazed in wonder at it, wife said, "Tastes cheap." Well she's right, and she's wrong as well. A hint of tang as well, and a fine structure, wonderful sense of balance on palate. Good good.

[TiggerK]

Dinners and lunches with friends, what a great weekend!

Serge Mathieu Champagne 2002 - big bubbles, nice yeasty brioche nose and a crisp crunchy finish, albeit a touch short. Great QPR. Solid Good.
Schloss Lieser Riesling Kabinett 2007 - so easy to drink, touch of sweetness and matches asian food styles so well. Good Good.
BVE E & E Black Pepper Shiraz 2001 - great wine drinking so nicely now. Blackcurrant fruit and even some black pepper Very Good.
Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 1999 - Lovely cooler climate contrast to the E & E, more structured and elegant, spices, licqorice and fine tannins. Still looking fairly young really. Very Good.
Couple of Sauternes (sorry J missed the names) with a variety of cheese matches. The classic Roquefort was the winner, but it's a big flavour, even for Sauternes!

Heinrich Jung Binger Rosengarten Spatlese Rheinhassen 1969 - Oooh.. took half an hour to emerge and blow off some mustiness, then went down beautifully. Rich gold colour, caramel and floral blossoms with a round long finish. Matched both aranchini balls and prosciuttio grissini to start and cognac creme brulee for dessert. Indeed an hour later with dessert, it had evolved into something slightly more wonderful! It's only just older than me, proving that it's worth waiting a lifetime for wines like this to evolve, if one can. Extremely Good.
Rippon Pinot Noir 2003 - benefited from an hour decant, and had a nice combo of elegance and richness both on the nose and the palate. Mr Velvet thought cranberries, and there was some spice and the expected cherries. Very Good.
Joseph Chromy Selection Botrytis 2001 - lighter than the riesling! Lovely dessert wine, not huge acid structure but a clean sweet drive and poise which saw the bottle emptied. Good Good.

Bay of Fires Grand Arras 2003 - nice without making a huge impact. Good bead, fresh and zingy with a nice finish, but not a lot of real fruit. Just Good.
Cirillo 1850 Vines Grenache 2006 - Spotted this on the menu and ordered immediately, having seen it reviewed positively here. It was lovely. Bit heavy on the oak to start, but that settled and the lovely grenache fruit flavours came bursting forth. Quite addictive indeed. Very Good.

Stefano Lubiana Primavera Chardonnay 2009 - BIt ultracrisp, needed a bit of time to warm up a bit out of the fridge, and to settle. Also needed food to bring out it's best, then was rather tasty. Solid Good.

Cheers
Tim

[calm]

2007 Blue Pyrenees Cab - A little woody and uninteresting on day 1 for me, lovely on day 2 and 3 with the fruit characters showing through. Not bad.

Bought 2 Pertaringa Undercover Shiraz 2007 tonight. May opt for the Teusner Joshua 2009 on election night party.

[Matt]

cape mentelle trinders cab merlot 2004 - drinking very well...mocha characters...will go for another few years. v firm structure.
rosemount mountain blue 1999 -i really liked this wine...fruit forward with some spicey earthiness. peaking now imo.
ringbolt cab sav 2007 - the best bargain of 2009 imo. decanted for a solid 3 hours which is a must at this stage of development. makes all the difference with this wine. rich, dark berrys, chocolatey notes. brown hill fimiston reserve shiraz 2005 not one for the faint hearted. almost black in the decanter. solid tarry/earthy notes. maximum fruit concentration here. wont be having the other bottle for at least another 3/4 yrs. will be interested to see if it loses some of its 'grunt'.

[daz]

ringbolt cab sav 2007 - the best bargain of 2009 imo. decanted for a solid 3 hours which is a must at this stage of development. makes all the difference with this wine. rich, dark berrys, chocolatey notes.

I've a couple of these stashed but prefer Rosabrook's more medium-bodied cab 07 that has more pesistence on the finish with very good structure and balance; it's varietal with regional character without massive tannins - my bargain of 2010 for less than $15 incl freight for a doz. Recommended+

Cheers

daz

[daz]

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 1999 - Lovely cooler climate contrast to the E & E, more structured and elegant, spices, licqorice and fine tannins. Still looking fairly young really. Very Good.
[Cheers
Tim

The 98 has garnered much more attention than the 99, the former rated 97pts by Halliday, the latter 95pts, the drinking windows 2025/2014 respectively. I've a 2nd btl of 99 waiting to be opened, possibly later than 2014 but perhaps within the next year or two.

Thanks for the tn

daz

[Andrew Jordan]

On holiday in Greece so drinking the Assyrtiko 2009 - Santo Wines, Santorini.
Never tried this grape Assyrtiko before but this is surprisingly nice - bit like a Gruner Veltliner in character - tangy apples, minerals, clean acid spine, very focussed but with a juicy, fleshy layer that you might get from a splash of viognier. Real length and interest here ... a solid Very Good.

Totally agree with your note. And the view from the winery is even better!! Probably goes down as one of the best views from a winery in the world ...

[Jay60A]

On holiday in Greece so drinking the Assyrtiko 2009 - Santo Wines, Santorini.
Never tried this grape Assyrtiko before but this is surprisingly nice - bit like a Gruner Veltliner in character - tangy apples, minerals, clean acid spine, very focussed but with a juicy, fleshy layer that you might get from a splash of viognier. Real length and interest here ... a solid Very Good.

Totally agree with your note. And the view from the winery is even better!! Probably goes down as one of the best views from a winery in the world ...

AJ - Never thought I'd get any feedback on this, posted the TN for fun as the wine was far above my (admittedly low) expectations .
We went to Paros for a week and this second week are staying in the town of Oia on Santinori. I have done my fair share of travelling but this is truly a stunning place, not to be missed. Thanks for the tip, I will pop over to the winery later this week and report back.

[Matt]

ringbolt cab sav 2007 - the best bargain of 2009 imo. decanted for a solid 3 hours which is a must at this stage of development. makes all the difference with this wine. rich, dark berrys, chocolatey notes.

I've a couple of these stashed but prefer Rosabrook's more medium-bodied cab 07 that has more pesistence on the finish with very good structure and balance; it's varietal with regional character without massive tannins - my bargain of 2010 for less than $15 incl freight for a doz. Recommended+

Cheers

daz

Hi Daz
I had a friend recommend the Rosabrook Cab Sav 07 so i will keep an eye out. Have tried the cab/merlot and that was very good for the price.

[calm]

Been keeping an eye out for the Rosabrook Cab but have only been able to find the CabMerlot

[daz]

Gavin's Australian Wine Centre retail site doesn't list any Rosabrook wines so I hope it's ok to reveal my source after having just ordered my third 6pk while it's still listed. It's one of the vfm gems The Wine Society occasionally offers, presently $13.99 + freight. The winery's online store offers it for $22.50/btl for six. Halliday's site gives the winery's production of all its wines as 8000 cases so I think it may qualify as a "boutique".

Also excellent value when found for < $12/btl from the supermarkets is the Barwang cab and shiraz 2008 duo. Had a shiraz last night, a very enjoyable cool climate shiraz that had little, if any, of the slight bitterness I found on the finish a previous bottle or two. Very nice wine for the price.

Cheers

daz

[Waiters Friend]

2006 Seppelts Jaluka Chardonnay. Drumborg fruit, partial barrel work and 4 years of age makes this a delightful wine. No full and rich, rather somewhat lean and restained, a touch of grapefruit on a light bed of cashew / meal, is a good combination. A fortuitous auction buy.

Cheers

Allan

[Wayno]

Vale Ale and Little Creatures Pale! Beer night, to supplement a management session. The joys.

[daz]

Vale Ale and Little Creatures Pale! Beer night, to supplement a management session. The joys.

Ah, beer! I drink relatively less of it to wine these days and I'm not into pale ales, low carb(?) blonde beers, those mostly crappy marketing-driven victuals, prefer MSB pilsner to Little Creatures and Blue Tongue. By sheer coincidence, the barn had some beers I've never tried before (an exception being imported Carlsberg Elephant $13.99/6pk) on a run-out table last week. Naturally I grabbed a 6pk of the Elephant but having a penchant for pilsner, was intrigued by the Bohemian Pilsner on the table for $10.80/6pk. My curiosity got the better of me a few days later so had a closer look and found it's from the Matilda Bay brewery. Not having tried any beers from them I grabbed a 6pk. Well, it was ok but thought it a bit lacking in the hoppy bitterness I like in pilsner. There was also a 6pk of Pepperjack Ale and a few loose bottles so will check to see if the 6pk's left, if not, get a couple of bottles to try.

Cheers

daz

[pc79]

Last night decided to jump in to a 2000 Seppelt St Peters which i'd been a little tentative to crack considering the problems it seems to have with brett. I took the plunge and unfortunately I got an affected bottle. On the nose fairly metallic/porty and in the mouth metallic with some smoky dark fruits trying to push through, but overwhelmed by the metal. Gave it a miss.
Found in the depths a bottle of 2004 Casa Freschi La Signora. Blackcurrants, hazelnuts, tobacco, really lovely. a blend of nebbiolo, cabernet & shiraz. Still a half a bottle to polish off tonight. Still needs time.

[Matt]

Gavin's Australian Wine Centre retail site doesn't list any Rosabrook wines so I hope it's ok to reveal my source after having just ordered my third 6pk while it's still listed. It's one of the vfm gems The Wine Society occasionally offers, presently $13.99 + freight. The winery's online store offers it for $22.50/btl for six. Halliday's site gives the winery's production of all its wines as 8000 cases so I think it may qualify as a "boutique".

Also excellent value when found for < $12/btl from the supermarkets is the Barwang cab and shiraz 2008 duo. Had a shiraz last night, a very enjoyable cool climate shiraz that had little, if any, of the slight bitterness I found on the finish a previous bottle or two. Very nice wine for the price.

Cheers

daz

wow thats an excellent price Daz however is somewhat offset by the $50 joining fee...

[cuttlefish]

Last night decided to jump in to a 2000 Seppelt St Peters which i'd been a little tentative to crack considering the problems it seems to have with brett. I took the plunge and unfortunately I got an affected bottle. On the nose fairly metallic/porty and in the mouth metallic with some smoky dark fruits trying to push through, but overwhelmed by the metal. Gave it a miss.
Found in the depths a bottle of 2004 Casa Freschi La Signora. Blackcurrants, hazelnuts, tobacco, really lovely. a blend of nebbiolo, cabernet & shiraz. Still a half a bottle to polish off tonight. Still needs time.

The last bottle I had of the 2000 Seppelt St Peters was 2-3 years ago, but it was a beauty. Amazing soft, and juicy structure. I can still feel the plush tannins.

Sorry to hear yours wasn't up to scratch.

[orpheus]

Ok guys what you been drinking this week?

2005 I think was an over rated Hawkes Bay vintage with some notable exceptions (05 Coleraine is stunning!)

Syrah on the whole seemed to be characterised by a "wishy washy-ness". The wines seemed to be high in alcohol without the depth and density of fruit to balance. I found this in almost every Syrah from 05. If we use the "Was Homage made" indicator of syrah vintage quality, it appears I am in line here (as with 08).

Had one last night though which was outstanding. 2005 Cottage Block Syrah. Super aromatic dark fruits, lovely textured, dark fruited and dense. its all deep set fruit here. No real pepper and spice influence.

lovely! Now back to the running!

Craig, I thought the 2005 Craggy Range Le Sol was excellent.

[daz]

wow thats an excellent price Daz however is somewhat offset by the $50 joining fee...

Doesn't matter now, the Rosabrook cab 07 is no longer listed on TWS' site. Glad I got that order in for another 6pk last night

daz