Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[swirler]

Mike,

Those champagne bottles take a fair force to smash them. Not "handled with care"!

[Mike Hawkins]

Mike,

Those champagne bottles take a fair force to smash them. Not "handled with care"!

Crazy... I must have put 700+ bottles on planes over the years and never had an issue. Anyway, these things happen. Just a shame it was such a beautiful wine

[swirler]

Mike, what is the most you ever bring in one trip? How do you pack them? Thanks.

[Mike Hawkins]

Most I've brought back is 80 bottles... I normally get triple-cardboard boxes, 15 bottles of Champers and then filled with packing peanuts. I also have a few hard suitcases and pack 2 x6 packs, with clothes wrapped around. From time to time I use the 12 bottle styro wine carriers. They're really good...

[Ian S]

80 bottles in one trip

I got a lot of grief for bringing back ~ 15 bottles on our last trip, bubble-wrapped inside two full length rucksacks, with other sturdy stuff + clothes packed around them.

Bubble wrap does work great.

regards
Ian

[BrandonS]

I've just decanted an '06 Printhie Cab Sauv to drink in a couple of hours. I bought a case of these at a bargain price when they were current vintage and have been cracking one open every now and then over the last 2 years.

This has turned out to be a restrained, sophisticated wine, definitely at the medium-bodied end of Cab Sauv, great tannin structure, secondary flavours now poking through, the fruit has taken on that almost 'jammy' quality (in a good way). Really looking forward to seeing what flavours develop after 2 - 3 hours of air.

[Bobthebuilder]

2001 Torbreck 'The Steading';

Very good
Leather, licorice, unburnt pipe tobacco, sweet dark fruit and mulberries with lots of earthy mineral flavours that accentuate the decently long finish.
Would imagine this is at its peak right now but with no rush to drink for decently stored bottles

[Matt@5453]

2014 Taylors Wines St Andrews Shiraz, Clare Valley

New release of this wine, thought I'd give it a good decant and see how it looks:

The nose displays plums, dark cherries, hints of vanilla, dark chocolate and spice from the oak.

The palate is full bodied, rich and harmonious; plum spectrum of fruit, chocolate, vanilla. The oak is well defined and complements the fruit well. It is a very balanced wine with a long finish, I'd almost describe as elegant. There are some dusty drying tannins present, but not overly pronounced. Again well balanced. A minor thing, I felt the fruit weight was a tad light on the mid palate, but would need to revisit it to confirm. Overall a very good wine which should continue to develop for 10 years. Recommend decanting at least 1-2 hours to show its best.

[Matt@5453]

2012 Jim Barry ‘The Armagh’ Shiraz

Super concentrated on the nose, a myriad of aromas; liquorice, mocha, chocolate, spice, black cherries, nutmeg. You can sit on this wine for ages.

The palate backs up the nose, again I use the word ‘concentrated’. The fruit is amazing – mirroring the nose with the mocha, liquorice/aniseed, touches of ground coffee, nutmeg and dark brooding fruit. The palate weight in phenomenal, the oak is seamlessly integrated with fine elegant tannin. The wine is so balanced, with 13.7% alcohol, you can hardly notice it. The finish is mouth filling, long and flavoursome. A fine of wine of sheer elegance and class. Under screw cap this will be a long term proposition.

[Chuck]

Last night we tried a newby to the St Hugo range. St Hugo 2010 Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre. Pleasant but nothing to write home about and more likely due to me not getting Grenache. I like black fruits rather than red. One day I may get that lightbulb moment. Same problem with Pinot Noir although I still enjoy the wine journey.

Carl

[Matt@5453]

Dropped into Anderson Hill Wines at Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills on the weekend. A great spot for wood oven pizzas, great views, good wines and very decent hand crafted beers on tap.

If you are a mountain bike enthusiast, you can ride the Fox Creek Mountain Bike trails next door, then pop over for a pizza, wine or beer.

I tried the following whilst I was there:

2015 “Sticks and Stones” Pinot Noir

A nice light and savoury number. Good fruit showing raspberries, spice and touch of oak. An elegant wine ready to drink over the next 2-3 years

2015 Shiraz (forgot the name)

Bright fruits and vibrant colour, think mulberries, pepper and spice. A really nice cool climate shiraz.

Both wines went really well with the pizzas.

Had a few pints of the Pale Ale and Lager on tap, very tasty beers also.

Very easy to settle into an afternoon session here - worth a look if you are in the Adelaide Hills

[michel]

Dropped into Anderson Hill Wines at Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills on the weekend. A great spot for wood oven pizzas, great views, good wines and very decent hand crafted beers on tap.

If you are a mountain bike enthusiast, you can ride the Fox Creek Mountain Bike trails next door, then pop over for a pizza, wine or beer.

I tried the following whilst I was there:

2015 “Sticks and Stones” Pinot Noir

A nice light and savoury number. Good fruit showing raspberries, spice and touch of oak. An elegant wine ready to drink over the next 2-3 years

2015 Shiraz (forgot the name)

Bright fruits and vibrant colour, think mulberries, pepper and spice. A really nice cool climate shiraz.

Both wines went really well with the pizzas.

Had a few pints of the Pale Ale and Lager on tap, very tasty beers also.

Very easy to settle into an afternoon session here - worth a look if you are in the Adelaide Hills

Thanks for the headsup
I will check it out

[Bobthebuilder]

2015 les Dolomies 'la chaux'
Lovely
Was doing my best to keep half the bottle for tomorrow night but down to about a third at best
Jura goodness, love it

[Matt@5453]

2012 Rockford Moppa Springs GSM

Prominent 'spiciness', raspberry nuances, black tea & a touch of bubblegum. Good length, mouth feel and finish. Drinking very well.
I have really enjoyed the 2011 and 2012 vintages of this wine, certainly hits the spot, a bottle does not last long in our household once opened

[Ian S]

A 2008 Vinho Verde by Soalheiro, which had aged beautifully. A very impressive (but definitely not heavy) white.

[BrandonS]

I had the 2013 and 2011 Glandore DPJ Chardonnay (Hunter Valley) back to back last night. Both very smooth, well-rounded Chardonnays not overly wooded, the '11 had a more complex structure, I'm not sure if this was due to a slightly different oak treatment or not, but it was definitely my pick of the 2.

[rens]

2010 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva. A favourite producer of mine and great value at under $30. Plumbs, berries and a nice lick of oak. The tannins are almost resolved with a great acidity keeping it all together. Moving into secondary flavours with a nice hint of mocha. Drunk over 2 nights and the last glass was the best. Can not see it improving from here, but I think it will have a long plateau. Must have a look at the 2006's I have in the back of the cellar to see how they are going.

[Mahmoud Ali]

2010 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva. A favourite producer of mine and great value at under $30. Plumbs, berries and a nice lick of oak. The tannins are almost resolved with a great acidity keeping it all together. Moving into secondary flavours with a nice hint of mocha. Drunk over 2 nights and the last glass was the best. Can not see it improving from here, but I think it will have a long plateau. Must have a look at the 2006's I have in the back of the cellar to see how they are going.

The 2010 Murrietta Reserva is supposed to be a great wine. If you were able to buy it in Australia for under $30 you are doing very well. And if after two days the last glass was the best then that surely suggests that it has a long future. It's a Rioja from a top producer, it will last for decades.

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

[shauno]

I'm in the UK for a few weeks, so enjoying all the cheap supermarket quaffers.

Faustino Gran Reserva ($20), plus a bunch more Rioja Gran Reserva's for $10-$18 - also just had a nice Carinena Gran Reserva 2008 for $7.10!

Some good cheap $15-$20 Amarone's & Barolo's too - none of it's amazing examples of the respective wines, but for under $20 they're fantastic value & tasty drops

[Ian S]

Well there was a rather crazy £5 Barolo promotion on at easter at Lidl, though it wouldn't have been a Barolo you would have heard of.

Tried any local merchants?

[Matt@5453]

Had a 2015 Killerman's Run Shiraz by Kilikanoon.

Everything you'd want from a $20 wine with pizza. Good fruit, dense plums, chocolate, touch of black olive, liquorice nuances. Nice and full bodied. Very enjoyable.

[Chuck]

Last night with family and friends (7 in all) at Chianti Classico restaurant in Adelaide we celebrated my 60th in style. The food is Italian and just awesome and they permit BYO with a $25 per bottle fee which was reasonable. The service is second to none and stemware included Riedel. 4 glasses each. All still wines were opened around noon and decanted to allow breathing. Cork gods were kind. We tasted them at this stage and they were quite mute. However by mealtime they were singing. With the meal we enjoyed:

Bollinger NV. My first try of this and I can see why Champagne lovers love the stuff.

Rockford Black Shiraz. A little sweet and underwhelming but I think it needs to be enjoyed with food eg duck.

Brookland Valley 2011 Margaret River Chardonnay. This is what MR chardy is all about and everyone was impressed.

Peter Lehmann 2008 Stonewell Barossa Valley Shiraz. Everything you'd expect from a prime Barossa shiraz.

Voyager Estate 2005 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. IMO the best of this blend in OZ. Just singing.

Watershed 2007 Awakening Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Another perfect example of why I believe MR is the best area for Cabs and blends in OZ.

St Halletts 2012 Blackwell Barossa Valley Shiraz. Great fruit from a great vintage. Needs much more time.

Wendouree 1997 Pressings MB. I think the MB is for Malbec. I have only had one bottle of this rarely seen wine, a 1985 vintage that is still one of my most memorable wines. The most underwhelming of all the wines at the noon tasting but by dinner it was just awesome. I think it can last another decade or so as the cork was barely stained.

And at home a cuban cigar and malt whiskey before toddling off to bed. A bit shabby this morning but with great memories of a special evening with special family, friends, food and wine.

Carl

[Bobthebuilder]

Happy birthday chuck!
Funnily enough I also celebrated my birthday, albeit a little belated by about 2.5 weeks, with the extended family at our place last night, with a similar amount of wines.
I also put a wendouree out there and have the 1997 pressings/m , but decided on the 1999 Shiraz Malbec that I seemed to be the only one who enjoyed it! Lol

So, our lineup was;

2008 Grosset Springvale - very good and probably the favourite white of the night amongst most. Text book Clare Riesling with lovely concentration of fruit and so well balanced with the acidity.

2014 les Dolomies "les boutonnières" chardonnay - my favourite of the whites but with most never trying Jura wines ever before it was interesting to watch the faces as they contemplated it through the finish. I love the flavours of the sea and rock pools that this wine (and many Juras generally) remind me of

2009 farrside by Farr Pinot - just in a beautiful place right now, some of the attendees that usually prefer a bigger heavier wine loved it, and so did my mum who I chose this for because she loves Pinot. I made sure she got one of the only two zalto burgundy glasses to enjoy it out of.

1999 wendouree shiraz Malbec - so I don't think anyone really liked this very much but me. After heading up to the bottlo to get my brother som beer (he really doesn't get wine) I returned to find the rest of the guests had arrived and helped themselves to the wendouree I carefully decanted for about 3 hrs and they all just said, too porty, can we have something else please this wine needs hours of air. I could see the potential very early in the piece but it is not a normal wine. Like many wendouree to me, they are somewhat an enigma. Some a lot more than others. This one very much so. Anyway, my note on it - a big wholesome mouthfilling wine which massages your palate while it reveals lots of diverse flavours. The texture is the only thing that Ma be considered porty, not the flavours which explore every end of the flavour spectrum. Tonight as I Finish he last glass, it's clear at this point in time your probably best of opening it 24hrs prior to consuming

2006 clonakilla Syrah " murrumbateman" - probably the favourite red of the night and a great way to finish with some cheeses. Beautiful dark fruit with lovely savouriness, herbs and spices and all things nice. Great wine

[Matt@5453]

Last night with family and friends (7 in all) at Chianti Classico restaurant in Adelaide we celebrated my 60th in style. The food is Italian and just awesome and they permit BYO with a $25 per bottle fee which was reasonable. The service is second to none and stemware included Riedel. 4 glasses each. All still wines were opened around noon and decanted to allow breathing. Cork gods were kind. We tasted them at this stage and they were quite mute. However by mealtime they were singing. With the meal we enjoyed:

Bollinger NV. My first try of this and I can see why Champagne lovers love the stuff.

Rockford Black Shiraz. A little sweet and underwhelming but I think it needs to be enjoyed with food eg duck.

Brookland Valley 2011 Margaret River Chardonnay. This is what MR chardy is all about and everyone was impressed.

Peter Lehmann 2008 Stonewell Barossa Valley Shiraz. Everything you'd expect from a prime Barossa shiraz.

Voyager Estate 2005 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. IMO the best of this blend in OZ. Just singing.

Watershed 2007 Awakening Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Another perfect example of why I believe MR is the best area for Cabs and blends in OZ.

St Halletts 2012 Blackwell Barossa Valley Shiraz. Great fruit from a great vintage. Needs much more time.

Wendouree 1997 Pressings MB. I think the MB is for Malbec. I have only had one bottle of this rarely seen wine, a 1985 vintage that is still one of my most memorable wines. The most underwhelming of all the wines at the noon tasting but by dinner it was just awesome. I think it can last another decade or so as the cork was barely stained.

And at home a cuban cigar and malt whiskey before toddling off to bed. A bit shabby this morning but with great memories of a special evening with special family, friends, food and wine.

Carl

Love this post Carl,congratulations! I adore wine, it's history etc but I don't have a lot of people that truly share my passion. great to hear such great things about Chianti.i have a soft spot for this 'institution'. I normally take a Cabernet based wine, for some reason it just works with the food there, the food has always been spot on.

If you like Chianti, you must check out Seed in Clare.

[felixp21]

2012 Denis Mortet Gevrey Chambertin
all you could ever want from a $45 villages rouge. Sweet and round, red fruits, anise and earth. Lovely mineral core. Excellent, I would drink these over the next five years.

[phillisc]

Happy birthday Carl,
We had the 97 Wendouree pressings (Malbec) at the Adelaide offline earlier this month...I really liked it, but many found it rather difficult, not that it was bad, but rather nothing to compare it with.
I have a few left and certainly feel that they will progress over the next decade.
Bob, the 99 Shiraz Malbec (also had at the offline) was an interesting wine as well...it was perhaps a little astringent, but again sound. Think it will continue to evolve.

Cheers
Craig

[phillisc]

2009 Noon Reserve Cabernet, Langhorne Creek,16.5% and yes felt like it, but really good. Amazing colour, black and more black. A huge dense wine with wave after wave of black fruits. Really tight on the palate but great after taste with surprisingly little heat. Think this one has a long time to go.
My first Noon in many a long while.
Cheers
Craig

[JamieBahrain]

A couple last night. A beautiful Vernay Condrieu at it's peak- yes they do age and beaut' foils for the dishonesty of white Burgundy ! I love Italian merlot especially from the Tuscan/ Bolgheri region. Dried fruit notes and very savoury is the appeal compared to France.

Georges Vernay passed a few weeks ago incidentally. I buy a case of his Condrieu most years from either of his Cru's with a preference for L'Enfer over Vernon due a greater linearity.

[michel]

A couple last night. A beautiful Vernay Condrieu at it's peak- yes they do age and beaut' foils for the dishonesty of white Burgundy ! I love Italian merlot especially from the Tuscan/ Bolgheri region. Dried fruit notes and very savoury is the appeal compared to France.

Georges Vernay passed a few weeks ago incidentally. I buy a case of his Condrieu most years from either of his Cru's with a preference for L'Enfer over Vernon due a great linearity.

lovely merlot l'apparita
I so enjoy Italian merlot

[felixp21]

Hi Jamie,
agree on the condrieu, such an under-rated wine. We have good stock to put on our list, which will defy the trend of just about every restaurant in Australia ignoring this wonderful varietal.
had that exact vintage of l'Apparita as a ringer amongst 6 right bank 2001 (a very "international" style right bank vintage) and it actually came across as very similar to the Pomerol wines presented, we actually found it quite fruit-forward and Bordeaux in style.
I have a double magnum of the 98 l'Apparita in the cellar, not sure when I will crack this. Suggestions welcome!!