Wizz is exempt, but what have the rest of you been drinking

[Guest]

Mike,

2003 Grossett Polish Hill Riesling - acid profile has diminished and this wine is getting closer to its drinking window. Lovely citrus characters, particularly lime.

Wow, so you feel it will be a pretty short lived Polish Hill? Surprising given that 2003 was a decent year by all accounts

[Adair]

Billecart-Salmon NV Champagne

Tried this champagne for the first time yesterday. Very disappointed. Pale yellow with a very distinctive critus nose. The palate consist of manily critus fruit (lime). What disappointed me the most is the mouth feel. It lacks the texture of typical french creamy and fine bubbles. It's more like soda water feel, or more toward the Australian sparkling.

Am I going insane? or is this a fake bottle? Love to hear what others have to say about this champagne.

Cheers
Rob

Fake bottle or your are going insane . Seriously, this wine is usually great!

Adair

[Mike Hawkins]

I probably should have clarified my comment re the Polish Hill. When I last posted on this wine 6 months ago (on release), I thought it wouldn't start to drink well until 2007 and would last until 2015+. I now believe it will be at its peak from 2005 - 2012.

Whether that is long-lived, I am not sure, but it is certainly far more approachable than the 02. Dont get me wrong, it is a super wine, and my pick as the best of this variety in Oz (I know I'm not exactly Robinson Crusoe there !).

[Neville K]

A Very Special New Release was launched on Friday at 11.50 am at St Vincent's Private Hospital: a healthy baby boy 5lbs 8 oz: a piccolo. Bubba Louey is unnamed as yet. No.2.

Had to pick out a nice red or two... to congratulate the father for doing all the hard early work!

Mount Mary Cabernets 1986
Damn good, but overrated. This vintage of MM has never sung for me.

so we compared and contrasted it with

Mount Mary Cabernets 1994
Certainly firmer and more likeable. Cedar, cigar box, finely grained tannins, lovely weight and balance. A very good wine.

Same bat time similar bat channel:-

Yeringberg 1994
Given the price and cult advantage enjoyed by Mount Mary I actually preferred the underdog. A classy wine with volumes of flavour. A beguiling wine that will repay extended cellaring.

And over in the West, the new heavy weight cabernet champion region,
Margaret River:-


Evans & Tate 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon
Lesser than the above, but no slouch in itself. Very enjoyable and just about to approach its drinking window peak. Text book Margaret River: dollops of rich cream and savoury flavours.

[n4sir]

I've managed to get some air into my nasal passages in the last 24 hours, so it was time to crack open a bottle of something (for medicinal purposes of course).

2000 Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon Dark, deep red. The wine opens with a big savoury, exotic and perfumed nose, featuring mulberry, lanolin, violets and tea, boiled beetroot and greens, and malty oak. With breathing, some mushroom and soy surface.

The palate has a soft entry, medium weight, and slightly bitter, raspberry cordial-like fruit with some olive, finishing with good length, and a malty aftertaste. Those initially chalky tannins have integrated quite well, and there’s not a sign of any tar this time around. It’s now entered its drinking window, but I feel it’s probably a year or two off its peak.


Cheers,
Ian