The Auswine Forum

2008 Petaluma Coonawarra

This was really good and still in its infancy. Bright purple fruit, dominated by an unsweetened ribena nose
straight off the bat. Menthol and Eucalypt, it was more medium body than I expected. Not thin or
watery, just medium body.... maybe less merlot this year? I had always remembered this wine to be a fuller/rounder style?
Palate has more of that ribena and its beautiful, touch of liquorice and again the mint/menthol/eucalypt. Tannins are dry and dusty, not harsh or obstructive, just well balanced.
Acid still there and helped by the oak; again just a nice balance. Silky mouthfeel This will last a long time and only improve.... just wish it
had a little bit more body. Coonawarra red earth not as prominent either... which just reinforces the whole balance of the wine. Nothing
really juts out (except that ribena) like I would have thought... lovely!

Lauren's birthday last night so popped a Champagne and birth year Bordeaux. Both were very good.

2006 Pierre Péters Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons
Intense bright straw coloured with fine persistent bead.

Smokey, flinty, toasty nose with citrus and stone fruits. There is so much going on from just the nose.

There are underripe apricots, and lemons, mixed with that toastiness, a good line of acid to back it all up. Lots of complexity happening but also extremely easy to drink. Finish with long and had me wanting more.

Still young and should be able to last for 5+ years. 94pts

1989 Château Gruaud Larose
Bottle kept upright for a couple of days for sediment to drop.

Cork was in great condition, and only soaked about 1/5 of the way up. Decanted for a couple of hours.

Colour was a medium intensity purple/crimson with no bricking and showing very little signs of age. Looks closer to half it's 28 years of age.

Initial nose of nail varnish, sweat, with some red fruits in the background. this then reversed over the course of 6 hours, with more fruit coming out with more air and the nail varnish all but blown off. Still maintained some funky barnyard, leather, sweaty scents throughout the night.

Taste evolved throughout the night with the wine starting with quite a bit of funk - dirt, barnyard, leather, but also with some red fruits, strawberries, raspberries poking though. Tannins have very much integrated and medium acid is still there to keep things held together. The wine kept getting better, more smooth and soft and just a joy to drink with the last glass being the best. Finish was long.

There is plenty of structure in this to keep it lasting for another 5-10 years at least. With the decant, it was very much in its long drinking window for my tastes. If you drink it now, I would suggest a longish decant and then watching it evolve in the glass for most enjoyment. 93pts
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NIce couple of bottles deejay and HB to Lauren for yesterday!

What restaurant is that? Good?

TiggerK wrote: What restaurant is that? Good?

Tetsuya's

$30 corkage for 1st bottle, $45 pb after that.

Overall was a really good experience, Seafood based dishes were excellent, Duck dish was good, Wagyu dish was OK.

They gave us a tour of the kitchen and cellars, had a chat with the head chef and one of the somms who turned out to be a high school alumni which was kind of cool.

Of course, I knew those chairs looked familiar! Reckon they're a bit hit and miss these days and prices super high. But when they're good, it's sublime.

And I have no prob with those kinds of corkage prices, I really wish more higher end restaurants would do the same. Neil Perry, I'm talking to you.

Nice work on the Chetillons Deejay.... these are seriously good wines, especially with years on them. The 08 will be sublime in 20 years

Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz 2005
Lots of plum and dark fruit coming through here. I get some chocolate and leather, touch of kerosene and something herbal as well. I enjoyed it with a fat ribeye and it somehow became more overbearing as it breathed in the decanter. Good amount of sediment but I'm definitely guilty of not keeping it upright for Long enough prior to opening (screw top). Not much acidic. I'd say this is now in in its sweet spot for drinking.

2017 Jim Barry Assyrtiko
Only the second commercial release of this wine and its fantastic.
Has the nose & vibrancy of Riesling, with the structure and feel of a chardonnay. Kind of hard to describe.

Immediate hit of chalky talc with a saline type brine/oiliness. Very slight lemon pith with lime zest. This is a really interesting wine. Has the crunch of unripe pear, but has some floral and a slight green apple. Dont think there is any oak, but wouldnt surprise me if it was fermented in old oak. Has that kind of mouthfeel.
Hard to believe the santorini cuttings were only planted in 2012.
As close to a Mediterranean holiday as im getting. Can totally close my eyes and feel im there with this wine. Love it

Last night with a rare steak and vegetable bake we enjoyed the first of our St Hugo 2009 Barossa Shiraz. This was the first vintage of the label's Barossa Shiraz and despite an average vintage it was quite pleasant with good fruit oak and tannins. Not quite in balance with the acid poking out a bit. The screw cap has slowed the ageing and it should be better in a few years and last another 7-10 years at least.

Overall a good effort from a vintage wedged between 2 great ones. 2009 wines are a little "hard" IMO. Like 2007. It continues the general rule of focusing in on even years in SA.

Carl

2005 Frédéric & Daniel Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine La Roquète At 13 years there is some secondary development but it will never be a great CNdP unless some of the 2005. Medium to full bodied, some barnyard flavours with licorice, and baking spice. Not a lot of depth, short finish. Pleasant with roast lamb on Saturday night.

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1999 Passing Clouds Graeme's Blend (Shiraz Cab 60/40)...absolutely amazing, really shows what central Victoria/Bendigo can do.
Inky black purple tones, fantastic nose of berries fruits, spice, glorious depth and balance on the palate. A couple in the room suggested that it was too young, before they knew the year, but agree another 10 years here. So glad I have a stash of these .

2002 Mt Ida Shiraz, original Tisdall Label, before it made its way under Seppelts. Rich and savory really good expression of a restrained but medium weight Shiraz, probably in the sweet spot, but under stelvin, may go a bit longer...very enjoyable.

1998 Virgin Hills, Kyneton, Victoria Cabernet dominant with Shiraz, cab franc and malbec making up the blend. As I have said previously and expressed by others, a label that is now in the wilderness, but note that there have been some sporadic releases of late.
Cork solid, good colour, just some brownish hints, a twinge of VA which after a double decant blew off and the wine over the next few hours really evolved. Faint floral nose with some typical Cabernet characteristics (for me anyway, many in the room had never seen or heard of the label, and picked as a straight Shiraz???). Quite delicate, almost water like in texture on the palate with a gently lingering finish. I enjoyed this and have several vintages to look at, and based on this bottle, need to look at a few soon.

Cheers
Craig

2016 Super Nanny Goat Pinot Noir

Stalky and somewhat green on the nose. Took a while to shake and gave way to some coffee/choc notes.
also little touch of white pepper and spiciness. Hmmm not mmmm.
Tannins were very very fine. Not quite enough grip for a wine of this age for my liking.
Touch of oak floating in the background.

A couple of hours post pour I still found the stalky/green like characters a little too dominant.
Opened too soon? I dunno. A solid drop but fell short of my expectations.

2014 Rockford Rifle Range

Opened this bottle with an elevated temperature (not one of my bottles in a wine fridge) due to it being very hot lately.
Bad decision. The warmth of the wine accentuated the alcoholic heat of the bottle. Should have chilled it slightly before opening.

Will do next time. Because once I got past the heat it was an enjoyable bottle.

Enjoyed with Fillet Mignon.

With atlantic salmon fresh asparagus new potatoes and a hollandaise sauce we enjoyed a Sandalford Estate 2005 Reserve Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Generous MR fruit in a medium to full bodied wine it was good without being great with the acids poking out a bit.

Carl

2012 Mount Mary Triolet (half bottle)

Lovely delicate floral nose. White blossom, with slight talc. Just a baby, beautiful citrus acidity really well balanced by the slightest rose petal sweetness. Too young and need time to develop.

2007 Rockford Rifle Range (half bottle)
Quite developed and rich. Bordering on porty, i wonder if this had average storage. No sign of alcohol, but also none of that beautiful barossa brown earth you get in other vintages. Nice fruit (ripe blue berries) and oak still supporting. Maybe a victim of the vintage? Not bad by any means, just not that memorable.

2016 Yalumba Virgilius Viognier
Simply stunning. Dried apricot and white pepper, ginger, nashi pear and cashews. Not overly oily which can happen. This is stunning. Loved it and will buy a lot more of this. Destined for greatness and the best viognier i have had.

2015 Pooley Estate Riesling
Simple and thin. Searing citrus acidity. Tough slog and demands food. Oily/fatty chinese food....which i had for lunch, so perfect pairing.....but... im not convinced on this. Not sure if young vines, picked early, or an average vintage, but its missing that X factor. Citrus of lime, lemon and grapefruit. Pale / watery in colour and as dry as the Sahara. I cant decide if this needs 15+ years or its never getting better. No balance as the acid is so prominent right now. Hmmmmmm

Grand final day BBQ. Go Tigers.
2002 Andersons Sparkling Shiraz. love this wine.

Last Saturday opened my last bottle of CdP.
2010 Marcoux CdP. nice but glad it was my last bottle.

Last Friday dinner with my wine group open theme.
2004 Sauzet – Puligny Montrachet Les
Perrieres. Oxidized.
2005 Veuve Fourny – Clos Notre Dame. Good.
2003 Louis Jadot – Gevrey Clos St Jacques. Outstanding.
1999 Dominique Laurent – Vosne Romanee Les
Champerdix. Good.
2013 Passopicaro Contada Guardiola. Very good.
2006 Jasmin – Cote Rotie. Too much brett for me.
1990 Yarra Yering – No 1. Outstanding, loved it, my WOTN.
2010 Hentley Farm – Von Kasper Cab Sav. Very good but way too young.
2005 Chateau du domaine L’eglise. Very good.
2004 Achaval Ferrer – Finca Altamira. Corked.
2007 Pierre Usseglio – Cuvee mon aieul. Hot and very ripe.
2001 JJ Prum – Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese. Corked.
1965 Mcwilliams – Sauternes. Too old.
2001 Warrabilla – Vintage Port. Very good.

Cheers Con.

Arguably the 3 most common White Burg tasting notes..

Ramonet: mint
Coche: struck match
Sauzet: oxidised

Michael R wrote:Arguably the 3 most common White Burg tasting notes..

Ramonet: mint
Coche: struck match
Sauzet: oxidised

Generalisation plus
Arguably


Ramonet never considered mint
Coche is not Giaconda struck match and is not struck match at all for me
Sauzet is as risky of oxidation as any white burgundy

michel wrote:

Michael R wrote:Arguably the 3 most common White Burg tasting notes..

Ramonet: mint
Coche: struck match
Sauzet: oxidised

Generalisation plus
Arguably


Ramonet never considered mint
Coche is not Giaconda struck match and is not struck match at all for me
Sauzet is as risky of oxidation as any white burgundy

Disagree. In terms of the notes people make about the producers, I think those 3 are very accurate, and also reflect my experiences.

Ramonet - you often read about notes of minty/spearmint/some kind of mintiness. A Batard-M 2000 was not only awesome but had distinct spearmint elements.
Coche is very often described as having elements of struck match, and from those I've had I would agree, maybe different brand of matches to Giaconda? It's only one element of the flavour after all.
Sauzet - Ok maybe not the worst, but Sauzet is definitely more likely than many other producers to be premox affected, and this has also been my experience. I'm surprised you think the likes of PYCM, Coche, Raveneau are equally likely? Or as I suspect, you too are generalising plus?

Maybe my favourite wine of all time (big call) but keep in mind I'm not as experienced as many others on this board.

Last night had a Rieussec 2002. Was delightful. Initially had a whiff of funk but it blew off. So rich in the Louth, lots of apricots, honey, caramel and then some slight cinnamon and saffron. Delicious. I'll compare it with The suduiraut 2005 that's due for delivery soon..!

How was the neb ?

Hunter wrote:How was the neb ?

The Brezza?

Very approachable. Let is breathe for two hours and it had opened up nicely. Good amount of cranberry and red fruits, still tannic, acidic and peppery as you'd expect.
It was, however, underwhelming compared to the lineup. It and the Clarendon Hills were a step below the rest.

Ramonet: absolutely agree with the "mint" comment. But you see it in their best wines, like Montrachet and Batard. I get mint often in the big three, Mon, Batard and Chevalier, so I'm not sure it is confined purely to Ramonet. I don't see it in their lesser wines.

Coche: never got the match-stick quality (and I still don't get the hype) but certainly agree that is a very common descriptor of the wines in general.

Sauzet: my most commonly owned and drunk White Burgundy Domaine (and also my favourite) I would drink 20-30 bottles a year, and have never had a pre-moxed wine. But again, I agree, it is a common complaint!! (I must be incredibly lucky!!!)

2014 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay

Consumed over the weekend. The nose and palate is predominantly grapefruit, a touch of lemon perhaps, with a mineral/talc type complexity to it also. Fine grain oak provides a touch of nuttiness to the wine. There is also a very good line of acidity. The wine is very well balanced and has an excellent long lingering finish. Very youthful, but drinking very well.

Opened a bottle of new release 2017 Mount Horrocks rose to enjoy the beautiful spring weather we enjoyed in Adelaide for yesterday's public holiday. A beautiful Provence style rose made from shiraz grapes - light and savoury, but surprisingly vibrant with a lovely floral nose and fresh fruit on the palate with hints of strawberries and cream. Very quaffable. Will need to order some more (quickly, as I believe just 300 cases were produced).

Good Evening All.....this is our first message on this forum and would just like to say 'Hi' and say that my partner and I are now enjoying a lovely Sergio 2011 Eloro. We hope you are all having a nice relaxed night and enjoying a favourite wine (or two). Frederic

Welcome Frederic

Con J wrote:Grand final day BBQ. Go Tigers.
2002 Andersons Sparkling Shiraz. love this wine.

Last Saturday opened my last bottle of CdP.
2010 Marcoux CdP. nice but glad it was my last bottle.

Last Friday dinner with my wine group open theme.
2004 Sauzet – Puligny Montrachet Les
Perrieres. Oxidized.
2005 Veuve Fourny – Clos Notre Dame. Good.
2003 Louis Jadot – Gevrey Clos St Jacques. Outstanding.
1999 Dominique Laurent – Vosne Romanee Les
Champerdix. Good.
2013 Passopicaro Contada Guardiola. Very good.
2006 Jasmin – Cote Rotie. Too much brett for me.
1990 Yarra Yering – No 1. Outstanding, loved it, my WOTN.
2010 Hentley Farm – Von Kasper Cab Sav. Very good but way too young.
2005 Chateau du domaine L’eglise. Very good.
2004 Achaval Ferrer – Finca Altamira. Corked.
2007 Pierre Usseglio – Cuvee mon aieul. Hot and very ripe.
2001 JJ Prum – Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese. Corked.
1965 Mcwilliams – Sauternes. Too old.
2001 Warrabilla – Vintage Port. Very good.

Cheers Con.

Haha ..l thought those wines tasted familiar!

Mike Hawkins wrote:Welcome Frederic

Indeed, welcome to the forum!