The Auswine Forum

bacchaebabe wrote:02 Petaluma riesling A lot of kero on this. Not so much primary fruit and not aged yet. Tasted a bit flat too. I think it's in a hole at the moment and will be hoping it will improve as I have over a dozen. Needs time.

Hi babe,
Was this under stelvin or cork?
Adair
P.S. FWIW, I have a case under stelvin that I have yet to touch

A few during the week:

Bloodwood Big Men in Tights - Great structure, dry, good lenght. Plenty of cherry and light red fruit flavours. One of the best roses around.

Mayfield Orange Icely Rd Sauvignon Blanc 05 - Good intensity of flavour with all the hallmarks of cool climate savvy. Crisp and dry

Vasse Felix CWD 06 - Fresh & lifted, pungent cut grass, lemon & lime on the nose. Zesty palate with good acid and length.

Logans Orange Cab Merlot 04 - Concentrated raspberry, mint, chocolate, forest floor, dark berry, plum and coffee. Very approachable - medium to full bodied.

Yalumba Signature Cab Shiraz 02 - -Dark berry, licorice, tobacco - great length with a solid structure - needs time.

Rosemount Coonawarra Cab 03 - Intense choc mint nose. Choc, blackberry, mint palate with well integrated oak and balance. Very approachable but will be looking good up to 2011.

Cheers
Davidc

Tasted a couple at an instore on Friday afternoon

Wedgetail The North Face cabernet merlot 2003
Pass didn't think much of this at all, a bit hard and angular.

Cullen Diana Madeline cabernet merlot 2004
This is the business huge tannins burying the fruit at the moment but it is all there. Given 10 years or so this should be a great drop.

Wirra Wirra Woodhenge shiraz 2004
Lovely fruit in this one with some oak mosty in the background adding some nice complexity. Bought a bottle for Friday afternoon office drinks at it went down a treat. Glad I already have a couple more of this one.

Dalwhinnie South West Rocks shiraz 2005
Seriously classy wine. Cooler climate characters are noticable after the Wirra with more pepper and spice. Terrific wine but I somehow think the Moonamble that I tried a while back had slightly better complexity. I think I would buy it first over the SWR but both are exceptional wines.

Saturday night dinner was

Glaetzer Godolphin 2004
My first taste of this wine and it lived up to expectations. Given the hype it has recieved that was no small task. Lovely layers of complexity on both the nose and the palate every time I dipped into the glass I found something else. The bottle ended all to soon. Went fabulously with the atipasto and duck as well.

Morris Cellar Reserve Tokay
Had this with desert and it was delicious, rich, warm and complex.

Glen

GRB wrote:Tasted a couple at an instore on Friday afternoon
.

Cullen Diana Madeline cabernet merlot 2004
This is the business huge tannins burying the fruit at the moment but it is all there. Given 10 years or so this should be a great drop.



Glen

Tight as, isn't it!

All class though, one for the sleepy dungeon, I thought it outstanding when I tried it.


Oh and mine was an in-the-store tasting

GRB wrote:Tasted a couple at an instore on Friday afternoon

Wedgetail The North Face cabernet merlot 2003
Pass didn't think much of this at all, a bit hard and angular.

Cullen Diana Madeline cabernet merlot 2004
This is the business huge tannins burying the fruit at the moment but it is all there. Given 10 years or so this should be a great drop.

Wirra Wirra Woodhenge shiraz 2004
Lovely fruit in this one with some oak mosty in the background adding some nice complexity. Bought a bottle for Friday afternoon office drinks at it went down a treat. Glad I already have a couple more of this one.

Dalwhinnie South West Rocks shiraz 2005
Seriously classy wine. Cooler climate characters are noticable after the Wirra with more pepper and spice. Terrific wine but I somehow think the Moonamble that I tried a while back had slightly better complexity. I think I would buy it first over the SWR but both are exceptional wines.

Wow Glen, my local had the same wines on tasting.
I loved the 2004 Cullen. I could not resist a bottle for current consuption.
Adair

Gavin Trott wrote:

GRB wrote:Tasted a couple at an instore on Friday afternoon
.

Cullen Diana Madeline cabernet merlot 2004
This is the business huge tannins burying the fruit at the moment but it is all there. Given 10 years or so this should be a great drop.



Glen

Tight as, isn't it!

All class though, one for the sleepy dungeon, I thought it outstanding when I tried it.


Oh and mine was an in-the-store tasting

Hey Gavin,

When are you going to perfect the "Virtual Tasting"? Bit far for me to get to Adelaide to join the Auswine panel

Glen

deleted

GRB wrote:

Gavin Trott wrote:

GRB wrote:Tasted a couple at an instore on Friday afternoon
.

Cullen Diana Madeline cabernet merlot 2004
This is the business huge tannins burying the fruit at the moment but it is all there. Given 10 years or so this should be a great drop.



Glen

Tight as, isn't it!

All class though, one for the sleepy dungeon, I thought it outstanding when I tried it.


Oh and mine was an in-the-store tasting

Hey Gavin,

When are you going to perfect the "Virtual Tasting"? Bit far for me to get to Adelaide to join the Auswine panel

Glen

Perhaps I can perfect the through the telephone lines wine pour!

Make a fortune wouldn't I!

2005 Two Hands Max's Garden, 2005 Two Hands Harry and Edwards, 2005 Two Hands Bad Impersonator and 2004 Cullen Diana.

Bad day at the office eh!

Adair wrote:

Roddy wrote:04 Thorn Clark Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage
No fruit, no tannins, like an oak milkshake. Corked I presume.

No, that is the way it is meant to be. Wine shopw judges like them that way. Seriously though, if you ever needed an example of medals not meaning anything, this has to be the wine... maybe with the 2001 Rosemount Traditional.

Adair

I agree about the show medals stuff, but it is still a nice wine (when not corked). Certainly I didn't feel ripped off having made $22 for the experience.

Lincoln wrote:

Adair wrote:

Roddy wrote:04 Thorn Clark Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage
No fruit, no tannins, like an oak milkshake. Corked I presume.

No, that is the way it is meant to be. Wine shopw judges like them that way. Seriously though, if you ever needed an example of medals not meaning anything, this has to be the wine... maybe with the 2001 Rosemount Traditional.

Adair

I agree about the show medals stuff, but it is still a nice wine (when not corked). Certainly I didn't feel ripped off having made $22 for the experience.

I paid $16.

Though in retrospect, I should have gone down to Wendys and spent $3 on a vanilla milkshake instead.

Roddy wrote:

Lincoln wrote:

Adair wrote:

Roddy wrote:04 Thorn Clark Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage
No fruit, no tannins, like an oak milkshake. Corked I presume.

No, that is the way it is meant to be. Wine shopw judges like them that way. Seriously though, if you ever needed an example of medals not meaning anything, this has to be the wine... maybe with the 2001 Rosemount Traditional.

Adair

I agree about the show medals stuff, but it is still a nice wine (when not corked). Certainly I didn't feel ripped off having made $22 for the experience.

I paid $16.

Though in retrospect, I should have gone down to Wendys and spent $3 on a vanilla milkshake instead.

Yes, can be had cheaper.
Sounds oxidised to me - cork failure?

Adair wrote:

Roddy wrote:04 Thorn Clark Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage
No fruit, no tannins, like an oak milkshake. Corked I presume.

No, that is the way it is meant to be. Wine shopw judges like them that way. Seriously though, if you ever needed an example of medals not meaning anything, this has to be the wine... maybe with the 2001 Rosemount Traditional.

Adair

What's wrong with the Traditional? It was fantastic drinking for the money. You'd have been pretty hard pressed to find anything better for the price at the time. I drank heaps of it on release for under $20.

I can't say I was too impressed with the Quartage though. Too simple and sweet. OK as an easy drinking BBQ wine though, but I think there's much better wines available for the money.

Bill

Red Bigot wrote:

rednut wrote:Bailey of Glenrowan 1904 Block 1999 Shiraz

Deep red clour, Plums, Blackberry and a long lasting taste.
Lovely wine that got better as time went by.

I picked up a 6-pack of this for $20pb (incl commission) at Langton's earlier this year, hope they are as good as this one, I've got one on the bench to try soon.

Lucky bugger. Good price too, you'll enjoy them.....

Bill wrote:What's wrong with the Traditional? It was fantastic drinking for the money. You'd have been pretty hard pressed to find anything better for the price at the time. I drank heaps of it on release for under $20.

Hello Bill,

I agree. The 2001 Traditional is a pretty good wine at $20, if you like the style. However, the fact that you are describing the 2002 Jimmy Watson winner in terms of value for $20 is enough to answer your question in my view.

Kind regards,
Adair

bacchaebabe wrote:
02 Petaluma riesling A lot of kero on this. Not so much primary fruit and not aged yet. Tasted a bit flat too. I think it's in a hole at the moment and will be hoping it will improve as I have over a dozen. Needs time.

Hi babe,
Was this under stelvin or cork?
Adair
P.S. FWIW, I have a case under stelvin that I have yet to touch

Hey Adair, it was under stelvin. Been buying all riesling in stelvin (where possible) since the richmond grove in 99. I won't be opening another for a couple of years to see how they are going.

Alkoomi Blackbutt 2001 - Had a bottle last night in Taiwan with a lobster mornet dish. Spicey, mentholy French Oak and Karri tree, dominate the red and blackfruits. Good solid structure and length, the palate flavours evolve well over the duration of the bottle, with good complexity and pleasant fruit sweetness. Adhesive tannins.

Burge Family Olive Hill GSM 2002- 5 years too early. Crafted, tight strucuture, jammed with unyielding blackfruits. Should be quite good when ready. For GSM lovers, Rick Burge's wines are well worth putting away.

Just some impressions from a mates BBQ on friday
Cockfighter’s Ghost Reserve Cab Sav 2001 (Coonawarra) the first smell & taste of this wine after taking out the cork was wow, unfortunately it didn't end up exciting much after that and with time the nose faded though there was still good structure, i think the wine itself was a little boring...needs time??
Drayton's William Shiraz 1996 (Hunter) a beautiful aged medium bodied shiraz, in it's drinking window. a nice hit of berry fruit upfront with a strong liquorice flavour mid-palate and smooth finish, tannins resolved. hunter at its best
Tulloch Hector Shiraz 2000 (Hunter) Still very closed, even with a few hours after opening. Great struture, much heavier than the Drayton's, the fruit is just hinting under the surface, needs 3+ years.
Brand's of Coonawarra Cab Sav 2001 (Coonawarra) Quite a savory nose, hinting raspberries, but mostly vanilla(considering 20 months in oak) flavours, slightly bitter aftertaste, another wine i'm not sure is heading in a good direction.

Adair wrote:

Bill wrote:What's wrong with the Traditional? It was fantastic drinking for the money. You'd have been pretty hard pressed to find anything better for the price at the time. I drank heaps of it on release for under $20.

Hello Bill,

I agree. The 2001 Traditional is a pretty good wine at $20, if you like the style. However, the fact that you are describing the 2002 Jimmy Watson winner in terms of value for $20 is enough to answer your question in my view.

Kind regards,
Adair

Over the expanse of time, serious and confident wine drinkers settle on their own palate. They buy favourites. A wine in many peoples long term favourite lists becomes a classic. Classic wines is the true mark of quality i think. Wine Awards - what are they? meaningless unless thye are awarded to classics hehe????

The rosemount style is a love it or hate it. New wine drinkers love it. old farts like us learn to hate it. At the end of the day it is what you like that you should buy

oakboy wrote:Brand's of Coonawarra Cab Sav 2001 (Coonawarra) Quite a savory nose, hinting raspberries, but mostly vanilla(considering 20 months in oak) flavours, slightly bitter aftertaste, another wine i'm not sure is heading in a good direction.

Gah... I have not tried a brands cab sav that I like yet. Don't have high hopes for the 02 sitting on my sideboard.

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Adair wrote:

Bill wrote:What's wrong with the Traditional? It was fantastic drinking for the money. You'd have been pretty hard pressed to find anything better for the price at the time. I drank heaps of it on release for under $20.

Hello Bill,

I agree. The 2001 Traditional is a pretty good wine at $20, if you like the style. However, the fact that you are describing the 2002 Jimmy Watson winner in terms of value for $20 is enough to answer your question in my view.

Kind regards,
Adair

Over the expanse of time, serious and confident wine drinkers settle on their own palate. They buy favourites. A wine in many peoples long term favourite lists becomes a classic. Classic wines is the true mark of quality i think. Wine Awards - what are they? meaningless unless thye are awarded to classics hehe????

The rosemount style is a love it or hate it. New wine drinkers love it. old farts like us learn to hate it. At the end of the day it is what you like that you should buy

Bill I'm with you on this one, I quite like the 2001 Traditional, JWT or not, and I've been buying the Traditional fairly frequently in good vintages since the time of Ryecroft (pre-Rosemount). I still have a few 96 Traditional that are drinking well right now and will be enjoyed over the next 6 months, cork permitting and I'll probably drink my remaining 2001 stocks over the next year or so.

Not much of note this past week. I am still trying out more fortified styles: sherries, ports, muscats and tokays. The Oloroso was a trip down memory lane as I drank a fair bit of it when I lived in Seville (it was better than the cheap French, Spanish and Italian rubbish that was around then). Though I think I prefer muscats!

2005 Serafino McLaren Vale Dry Grown Bush Vine Grenache. 14.5%. Cork.
Bright ruby red. Nose of savoury berries with dry straw notes and a hint of Berocca/medicinal. Savoury fruit on the palate with a touch of acid. There is a hint of McLaren Vale spice and green peppercorns. Nice balance though finishes a little short. Rating: Very Good.

Seppelt DP 38 Oloroso. 20%. Cork. $20.
Pale golden brown in the glass. Nose of nail polish remover combined with citrus leaf. Palate od burnt caramel/pecans/walnuts. Nice viscosity in the mouth and a warm finish. Rating: Very Good.

2005 Evans and Tate Margaret River Classic. 13%. Screwcap.
Nose of lychee with floral notes. Palate of gooseberry, lychee and pulpy whit grapes. Nice acidity with a touch of talc on the finish. Rating: Good

2002 Heartland Limestone Coast Shiraz. 14.5%. Cork.
Woody nose with a hint of tobacco/cigar box. Lovely soft fruit with cherry and plum dominating. Mulberry hints and a slight tang from the acid. Powdery tannins with light spice on a medium length finish. Rating: Very Good.

bacchaebabe wrote:02 Petaluma riesling A lot of kero on this. Not so much primary fruit and not aged yet. Tasted a bit flat too. I think it's in a hole at the moment and will be hoping it will improve as I have over a dozen. Needs time.

Wonder if that'll turn out to be the triumph of hope over experience... In the absence of personal evidence to the contrary, I'll continue in my belief that this might be one Australian riesling that fits Robert Parker's usual drinking window "...within 12 months of vintage..."

Noticed Gary's comment on the 94 D'Arry's Original. Super wine. Drank my last one in 03, and reflected how the label had lost it's way. The 94 was a lovely Oz 'burgundy' all of 13% (or was it 13.5%) and a far more satisfying wine than the caricatures released under this label recently. Not tasted the 04 admittedly, but a couple of early noughties vintages were less than inspiring.

cheers,
Graeme

Red Bigot wrote:

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Adair wrote:I agree. The 2001 Traditional is a pretty good wine at $20, if you like the style. However, the fact that you are describing the 2002 Jimmy Watson winner in terms of value for $20 is enough to answer your question in my view.
Kind regards,
Adair

The rosemount style is a love it or hate it. New wine drinkers love it. old farts like us learn to hate it. At the end of the day it is what you like that you should buy

Bill I'm with you on this one, I quite like the 2001 Traditional, JWT or not, and I've been buying the Traditional fairly frequently in good vintages since the time of Ryecroft (pre-Rosemount). I still have a few 96 Traditional that are drinking well right now and will be enjoyed over the next 6 months, cork permitting and I'll probably drink my remaining 2001 stocks over the next year or so.

And the day has come that Adair and Craig are old farts and Brian is the young gun!
Adair

Alex F wrote:

Gah... I have not tried a brands cab sav that I like yet. Don't have high hopes for the 02 sitting on my sideboard.

I haven't had the 02, but both the 01's i've had in the last couple of months had the same 'bitter aftertaste'. If the 02 is any good let us know.
On a better note, am drinking the 1998 Barwang shiraz, bought for $17 from a local, still has great color, smooth finish, nice quaffing
simmo

Wonder if that'll turn out to be the triumph of hope over experience... In the absence of personal evidence to the contrary, I'll continue in my belief that this might be one Australian riesling that fits Robert Parker's usual drinking window "...within 12 months of vintage..."

Ah, Graeme, you're always coming down on the petaluma rieslings, saying they are past it. I've read your notes, especially on the '97, with interest over the years and I guess I'm the eternal optimist. Don't have much choice having missed the 12 month window on most of my rieslings! This was a stunner on release but I have had the Petaluma 90 and I think the 85 (but I might be wrong here, one from the 80's anyway), and they have been absolutely gorgeous.

So I sit and wait for the kero to turn into honey and prove you wrong. Optimistically yours...

bacchaebabe wrote:... I have had the Petaluma 90 and I think the 85 (but I might be wrong here, one from the 80's anyway), and they have been absolutely gorgeous.

So I sit and wait for the kero to turn into honey and prove you wrong. Optimistically yours...

Fair enough - I had the 90 about 5 years ago and it was glorious too, I admit. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while...
cheers,
Graeme

Adair wrote:

Red Bigot wrote:

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Adair wrote:I agree. The 2001 Traditional is a pretty good wine at $20, if you like the style. However, the fact that you are describing the 2002 Jimmy Watson winner in terms of value for $20 is enough to answer your question in my view.
Kind regards,
Adair

The rosemount style is a love it or hate it. New wine drinkers love it. old farts like us learn to hate it. At the end of the day it is what you like that you should buy

Bill I'm with you on this one, I quite like the 2001 Traditional, JWT or not, and I've been buying the Traditional fairly frequently in good vintages since the time of Ryecroft (pre-Rosemount). I still have a few 96 Traditional that are drinking well right now and will be enjoyed over the next 6 months, cork permitting and I'll probably drink my remaining 2001 stocks over the next year or so.

And the day has come that Adair and Craig are old farts and Brian is the young gun!
Adair

One thing Alzheimers is good for - old things are new again.

The Traditional seems to me to be about the only Rosemount red that has/develops a bit of complexity and they used to age pretty well too.

Adair wrote:

Bill wrote:What's wrong with the Traditional? It was fantastic drinking for the money. You'd have been pretty hard pressed to find anything better for the price at the time. I drank heaps of it on release for under $20.

Hello Bill,

I agree. The 2001 Traditional is a pretty good wine at $20, if you like the style. However, the fact that you are describing the 2002 Jimmy Watson winner in terms of value for $20 is enough to answer your question in my view.

Kind regards,
Adair

I liked the 2001 Trad as well (from Oct 2005)
"Langtons bottle - 1st of these I’ve ever tried - wow! much bigger wne than I could have imagined; long legs down the glass, some staining. Not a powerful nose, but certainaly power density and wieght on the palate mix of sweet ripe fruit and savoury characters, most pleasant. "

read many conflicting reviews, however - bottle, maybe batch variation? That ol' trophy question - is it the same wine?? for some reason, there seemed to be a whole heap more of it about a year after it was first released, virtually a never-ending supply - a cynic might have thought they were milking the JWT for all it's worth. So much of it in fact, that the secondary market price has been as low as $16, virtually unheard of for a JWT winner.