The Auswine Forum

While continuing with the Oomoo......

I have had good, average and bad bottles of the 2001. Only had 1 bottle of the 2002 and enjoyed it for the $10 paid. If only all bottles were the same.

Scott

For me the following wines represent good value..

De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2002,2003 - excellent value pinot.The 2002 is exceptional..unusual depth of intensity for a pinot at this price (around $13) and has outpointed far more expensive pinots in blind tastings we have had here in Byron.Yumm

Seppelts Victorian Shiraz 2002 - Beautiful wine. A great house quaffer at $12 and i'll take this over the Ingoldby any time. Adair i suspect you did try the 2001 as i also found this wine an insult to the palate..the 2002 is better but not a wine i'd buy.

St Hallets Gamekeepers 2002 - A lovely Grenache dominant wine..ripe fruit and so smooth. Perfect for pizza.I've put a lot of customers at work onto this and the response is overwhelmingly positive.

Fireblock 2003 Watervale Riesling - Sensational wine..a great dry white at $18..drinking way above its price.

Cheers

Paul[/b]

Seppelt Premium Victorian Reserve Shiraz 2002 ($11.85 right now). No question for mine.

Seppelt Premium Victorian Reserve Shiraz 2002 ($11.85 right now). No question for mine.

(Disclaimer, we have promoted these three in store of late, so i have tasted both many times, and personally recommended alll three))

- 02 St hallett Faith shiraz- shop around and you can pick it up for $15 a bottle in dozens plus freebies- a polished, layered barossan shiraz that is never a heavy weight but shows real class- medium weight, but such a nice drink.

- 02 Glaetzer 'Wallace' Grenache/Mouverdre- Under screwcap, this is the Glaetzer familys entry level wine- briary and earthy with pronounced grenache fruit characters, but in the savoury, decidedly un-confectinery like scale of things- think traditional bush vines making an honest barossan red blend, with the polish of the winemaking elite. We are doing it for $16 in dozens.

-02 Hewitson 'Miss Harry' GSM -Another grenache blend, i think that 02 will go down as a spectacular yr for these three varieties, particularly shiraz and grenache, as early results for the warmer regions of south oz are truly exceptional (but steer well clear of 02 coonawarra cabs- wobbling from unripe & disjointed to un-cabernet like coonawarra jam).

This Hewitson though wins you over with texture- silky smooth, delectably ripe, barossan fruit packaged into a seamless flow of pure Barossa red. Admittedly it is slightly simple and flirts with some quite fleshy vanilla notes, but it is the most drinkable, unthinking red i can think of- We were selling it for $18 in dozens.

Personally, i really enjoy the more restrained flavours that the 02's show, but the odd leafy note isnt to all tastes. For example, a good customer of ours is a huge fan of thick, rich, sweet oaky reds.

But the odd whiff of eucalypt and mint has him bitching about unripe grapes. He in turn loved the full, rich and jammy flavours of the 01 barossan shiraz's (Like the OTT mush that was the 01 St hallett blackwell)

Diversity- its what makes wine great!

Junior

Hi Junuior

yeah love the 2002 Hewitson 'Miss Harry' GSM. I agree its a bit simple on opening but with air and an hour freshening up it builds in spicy complexity, fruit depth and length. I have had 3 over the past 6 months and the wine is getting better all the time - lovely balance with absolutley no rough edges..

I haven't seen any of late to restock - have you seen it anywhere at a good price?

Cheers

Paul

2002 Rockbare McLaren Vale was a really nice everyday drinking sorta red for $15. They might still be available (but I'm not sure)

Debbie wrote:2002 Rockbare McLaren Vale was a really nice everyday drinking sorta red for $15. They might still be available (but I'm not sure)

You must be a chocaholic Debbie. I enjoyed it too - haven't any left. Saw a USA under $20 comparo review that rated it very good. Flying Fish Cove Shiraz 02 is more complex at the same price, has a touch of tar and softer acid but it's sold out.

Lehmann Clancy's 02 is the best vintage I've tried of this wine. A blend but an obviously shiraz-based Barossa wine that I much prefer to the McLarenvale Oomoo 01 I tried last year. The Clancy's 02 is a very balanced wine, unlike the 01 that was dominated by Am-oak. Recommend/***value @$15

I'm a Tahbilk advocate, as all would know. Lately have been more into their whites than the reds. But the cab 00 I'm slurping as I type is definitely worth it's sub$15 price to club members. Not a great vintage for the winery but this wine is all class at this price point. Seriously! It'd be quaffed quickly at a bbq but it's better than that. The nose is mostly sweaty leather from old oak barrels. More medium than full-bodied on the palate, it has black cherry and red berry fruit, integrated soft tannins and enough acid to add some length to the finish. There seems to be an Am-oak component (Alister experimenting?) on the palate but it's subtle, complements and enhances the fruit. An elegant wine that demands thinking about while drinking it. Recommended/****value @ $15

Seppelt Victorian CS 00 if you can still find it is a ***** bargain. The Shiraz 02 is good value too.

Whites:
Coldsteam Hills Chardonnay 02.
Turkey Flat Marsanne/Semillon 02
Tahbilk Roussanne 03

Cheers

daz

Tried the 2002 Kirrihill Shiraz - its a cracker. Lined up on the same night against a recent 2002 Leibich Barossa release (apparently rated at 94 points by Halliday) and it nailed it hands down. I thought the 01 Kirrihill was good, but this steps up another gear. $18 by the 1/2 dozen in Adelaide this week

Adair wrote:Okay, with regard to the 2002 Ingoldby McLaren Vale Shiraz, after reading Campbell's review in his latest Wine Front Monthly, I suspect that I last tried the 2001. I will make an attempt to taste this wine. My comments still stand about the Oomoo.

FWIW, this is Campbell's review of the 2002 Ingoldby McLaren Vale Shiraz in the latest Wine Front Monthly (see page 17):

"Boy this is a fruit-driven little number. Peppered blood plums, glistening blackberries, a gentle pass of oak - it's fresh as all hell, with the kind of fruit definition rarely found at this price point. The tannins too are barely noticeable, presenting as much as flavour-enhancers as components of the wine's texture. And the finish is all red-and-black berried fruit. For the kind of price you'll find this at, this is exceptional. Drink: Now - 2011. 90/100.

Kind regards,
Adair

Hello All,

With regard to the 2002 Ingoldby McLaren Vale Shiraz, after opening a bottle over the weekend, I agree with PaulV and disagree with DJ, GraemeG, Jess, and Campbell.

Tasting upon opening: An intense layer of very ripe, sweet, plummy fruit - of similar flavour to the 2001 but more depth (not hard). A hint of sweet spice. Smooth and unchallenging mouthfeel on the front but nothing on the middle and a fresh acid driven finish. Nice but boring.
After 30 minutes in the glass: coffee, more sweet spice and caramel open on the middle palate and the acid driven finish is covered by sweet fruit but this fruit is still simple, slightly sweet and unexciting - a good summary of the wine: Simple, slightly too sweet and unexciting, yet without winemaking fault. Rated Agreeable, one bottle of this at $10 is a good price, the second bottle at the same price is not.

FWIW: I drank this with a friend who previously had the 2002 Ingoldby Cab Sauv and he much preferred that over the Shiraz.

Kind regards,
Adair

On other bargains though, my father left me a bit over half a bottle of the 2002 Leasingham Bastion Cabernet Sauvignon fromn the previous night to drink with dinner. This is a much more complex wine than the 2002 Ingoldby Shiraz - still not great and still with a layer of overly ripe boring sweet fruit, in this case more blackberry driven, but its other components allow me to rate it Recommended and at a few dollars less than others, a reasonable buy, even the second bottle.

Adair

Had the 2002 Hardy's Oomoo Shiraz last night and believe it a step above the 2002 Leasinham Bastion and a leap above the 2002 Ingoldby Shiraz. It has a core of more controlled ripe fruit than both the above. Similar level of complexity as the Bastion but a much longer palate. Excellent interest for dollar. Rated Recommended/Highly Recommended. This wine is many, many times better than the 2001 Oomoo.

Adair

Adair,
I believe you are stating the truth as you have experienced it.
I have had the opposite run with the Oomoo. The first freleases of the 01 to my mind were excellent QPR. A subsequent case buy of the 01 was less than brilliant.
The 02 which I have tried twice does nothing for me either.
Batch bottling problems me thinks. Only to be expected ( if not condoned) in high volume, new line wines I suppose.
BTW, is the Bastion now a straight Cabernet? The shiraz fruit was maybe too good in 02 to put in the cheap stuff? Any ideas?

Cheers

Gander

Gander wrote:Adair,
I believe you are stating the truth as you have experienced it.
I have had the opposite run with the Oomoo. The first freleases of the 01 to my mind were excellent QPR. A subsequent case buy of the 01 was less than brilliant.
The 02 which I have tried twice does nothing for me either.
Batch bottling problems me thinks. Only to be expected ( if not condoned) in high volume, new line wines I suppose.
BTW, is the Bastion now a straight Cabernet? The shiraz fruit was maybe too good in 02 to put in the cheap stuff? Any ideas?
Cheers
Gander

Good to read that you believe that I am stating the truth as I have experienced it.

Yes, batch bottling!!! That 2001 Jamieson's Run Cabernet Sauvignon is the greatest example I have experienced. I also think the fact the majority of these wines are under cork makes a difference... every wine is different .

I must have had a wine from one of the latter batches of the 2001 Oomoo because it was dreadful.

Communication like this between wine lovers like ourselves really highlights the issues the industry faces with consistency. Although the general comment that everyone's palate is different is commonly stated to explain our differences, I now simply do not believe that we differ this much. I sincerely hope that Stelvin is the answer to all wines in the short and long term as one of the big variables will be taken out and the harder to discern issues will be able to be accrurately addressed, especially those issues that may be due to the wine companies changing the mix of different batches.

The 2002 Leasingham Bastion is marked only as Cabernet Sauvignon... so at least that means it is greater than 85%.

Kind regards,
Adair

Adair,
Your experience with the Ingoldby Shiraz 02 adds weight to my evolving theory that unless we taste from the same bottle at the same time, there's often little that can be drawn from each other's notes! And, as hinted above, I suspect cork variability has much to do with things.

About a month ago I opened a bottle of 02 Laughing Magpie. It was my first real taste of this wine, so I paid particular attention. (I think I posted a TN here afterwards.) Two weeks ago, I opened second bottle from the same stash. This had a muted nose, and stripped palate. I could detect no obvious TCA, certainly no VA/bretty/oxidised flavours. In fact the wine wasn't really faulty in any way, except that a) it made the enthusiastic comments I had read seem a bit out-of-place, and, the clincher, b) it manifestly failed to live up to the bottle I drank 2 weeks prior. My conclusion was that it had a low level of TCA taint - enough to depress the wine significantly, but not enough to make itself obvious. I candidly admit that had I not had immediate past experience of the wine, I would not have reached this conclusion. (We're between houses and my cellar is in storage, so I couldn't open another bottle for comparison.)

When we have this level of discrepancy at the base, and then add controllable variables like serving temperature, glassware, etc. it's no wonder people come up with dissenting judgements on the same wine. My memory of a tasting of the 02 Oomoo was that it contained more RS than I detected in the Ingoldby. Both are reasonably high, though, and fairly low acid wines as well. I shall be interested to see if any of the future Ingoldby's disappoint.

I'm less concerned by this sort of variation (batch-bottling included) among cheap wines - I'm a lot less forgiving when it starts to appear in bottles over $25...

cheers,
Graeme