Sunday yet again

[Wayno]

Hi all, what have you been enjoying over this fair weekend?

Some good ones for mine...

Jacobs Creek Limited Release Shiraz Cabernet 1999 - the last of the LR series before the Johann took over. Excellent drinking, tight as a drum and youthful as all get-go. Intense blackcurrant Cabernet nose with tobacco-ey richness and plummy shiraz fruit.

Golding Pinot Noir 2002 - still holding on - slight vegetal notes but iron filings, plums, undergrowth and a salty, savoury edge.

Grosset SSB 2009 - surprisingly low in acid for me, but luscious, linear and long with distinct tropical/passionfruit characters. Always a class SSB.

[Sean O'Sullivan]

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[Chuck]

Hi all, what have you been enjoying over this fair weekend?

Some good ones for mine...

Jacobs Creek Limited Release Shiraz Cabernet 1999 - the last of the LR series before the Johann took over. Excellent drinking, tight as a drum and youthful as all get-go. Intense blackcurrant Cabernet nose with tobacco-ey richness and plummy shiraz fruit.

Agree this is a seriously good wine and under rated but the JC label tends to kill it.

Chuck
First report from China The Claytons communist country。 These guys are true capitalists

[Michael McNally]

This weekend an 08 Yarra Ridge Chardonnay and this is very fresh tasting with clean citrus and peach fruit and really only minimal smoky oak flavour as well as some leesy barrel-fermented character adding complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

And an 07 Willow Creek Cistercia Chardonnay, which is not estate fruit and comes from a leased vineyard, but it's probably their premium chardonnay sealed with a Diam cork and wax capsule. A straw colour and while this is still young everything is balanced, with stonefruit, melon, oatmeal, hay, grilled nuts, the savoury French oak almost seamless on the palate, and surprising given all the barrel-aged character in this wine, which is buttery soft and full of butterscotch, even slightly honeyed, and a long and memorably good finish.

When will this Chardonnay bender ever end Sean?!?!?!?

You really have been going for gold. Thanks for the notes. If it wasn't almost winter.......

Cheers

Michael

[Michael McNally]

Friday night had the 2000 Marius McLaren Vale Shiraz (see separate TN)

Saturday was the Shiraz Expo. Caught up with Rens. Tasted everything (though missed out on the RWT and the Chapoutier Sizeranne). Highlights for me

Cheaper wines
Yalumba Patchwork
Chapel Hill The Parson's Nose
McWilliams Phillip

Under $30 (my usual price point)
Bests Bin 1 – restrained and quite elegant
Gemtree Uncut – hits my McLaren sweet spot
Two Hands Gnarly Dudes – unbelievable amount of fruit
Mamre Brook – classic Barossa, good vintage
Bin 28 - tasting again to check, but happy to have bought some

Around $40 - $50
Turkey Flat – this was punching in the $50 - $80 class, fabulous value of the day
Clonakilla O’Riada SV – not quite as good as the SV, but almost……
Teusner Albert - excellent

$50 - $80
Bests Bin 0 – great stuff
St Hallet Old Block – more classic Barossa
St Henri – really liked this. Never had it before and was impressed by the elegance and length
D’Arenberg Dead Arm – McLaren Vale sweet spot.

Over $100
Tuesner FG – this is FG. Tasted it twice, first after 30 minutes and then after 90. Wow, the nose after 90 minutes was outrageous!
Wasn’t wowed by the Grange. It was fantastic, but does it live up to the hype? My palate can’t tell and I would pick the Teusner to drink any day

[daz]

Amongst other things, a couple of cheap rieslings, JC 08 and Lindies Bin 75 07, the former the better with less rs than the latter but not as good as earlier JCs I've had. One of the other things was the old standby, Pennys Hill Red Dot shiraz 08 that I always find enjoyable for it's generous but restrained sweet/savoury fruit with coffee oak.

Tahbilk Viognier 09 is a very pleasant dry white, a bit jubey, not as varietal as the earlier vintages I've tried, it probably deserved closer attention.

Elderton Friends (Clare) cab 08 lacks varietal/regional expression, compared to the Taylors I've tried. OK but I won't look for more of it.

Tahbilk cab 87 is the real deal. The cork was almost fully soaked with a substantial blackish crust on top, some potentially worriesome mildew showing through the holes in the capsule. At least the cork was removed intact with a noticeable "pop" after about an hour in the fridge then left on the bench to breathe for about another hour. It smells of cedar, sweaty leather, a smidge of violets, some ripe mulberry. On the palate there's a core of sweet, almost-honeyed(american oak?) black and red cherry fruit with allspice and muted varietal mintiness. The whole is wrapped in filigreed tannins that add to a softly drying, long, slightly balsamic vinegarish finish. Drink up if you have any.

Cheers

daz

[Red]

2006 Tyrrell's Stevens Semillon - Superb Semillon. Beautiful balance between bright fruit and acidity. Will age well.

2009 Pewsey Vale Riesling - Eden valley riesling that is right up my alley. Went down a treat.

Pol Roger Brut NV - Lovely champagne for Mother's Day.

2008 Dalrymple Pinot Noir - Cherry and a bit of spice and stalkiness. Tasty. Really enjoyed this over lunch.

[Peter NZ]

2004 Black Barn Chardonnay Another example of the vagaries of cork -- last bottle or 2, more than a year back, were tired & past it, so didn't have any hopes for this one -- but of course it turned out to be relatively fresh with good stone fruit character & very pleasant.

2001 Unison Good, esp. for a relatively average year, & still a reasonable amount of life left.

2006 Fromm Riesling Spatlese Excellent -- sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity -- really need to buy more of these. The best NZ riesling I've had for a while.

1998 Saltram No.1 Shiraz Hoping to be wowed by this but didn't really do it for me. Plenty of life left in this though so might leave my 1 other bottle of this for a few years to see what happens to it.

Cheers
Peter

[orpheus]

2004 Black Barn Chardonnay Another example of the vagaries of cork -- last bottle or 2, more than a year back, were tired & past it, so didn't have any hopes for this one -- but of course it turned out to be relatively fresh with good stone fruit character & very pleasant.

2001 Unison Good, esp. for a relatively average year, & still a reasonable amount of life left.

2006 Fromm Riesling Spatlese Excellent -- sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity -- really need to buy more of these. The best NZ riesling I've had for a while.

1998 Saltram No.1 Shiraz Hoping to be wowed by this but didn't really do it for me. Plenty of life left in this though so might leave my 1 other bottle of this for a few years to see what happens to it.

Cheers
Peter

I've had the same reaction to any vintage of the Saltram I have tried. I think your suspicion that it needs more time may be correct, as I think the tannins are probably masking the fruit.

[Bick]

A few over the last 4 or 5 days, all reds 4-6 years old :

Longhop Shiraz 2006 - tasty, touch porty, heaps of sediment, showing warm, but a pleasant drink. 'Rustic'.
Church Road Reserve Syrah 2006 - very good. 06 was well lauded before the 07's came out. Drinking nicely but no rush.
Thorn Clark Shotfire Shiraz 2005 - good, better balanced than Longhop, perhaps. Bit above your average shiraz.
Carrick Pinot Noir 2005 - very good, nicely ripe and rounded, beautiful mouthfeel. Not too light or red-fruity - my kind of pinot.
Wirra Wirra Church Block 2004 - bit clunky; big fruit but a touch dull.

[Loztralia]

1982 Penfold's St Henri The signs weren't good with level at high shoulder and the cork stained all the way up. However the contents were fine, albeit hanging on by a thread. I'm not especially experienced at judging wines of this age but from a purely personal perspective this was more a novelty than a pure pleasure - the wine was thin and pale though surprisingly still quite fruity. Smelled distinctly porty. Overall past its best by a few years I would assume.

2007 Logan Orange Pinot Noir Never had an Orange Pinot before and I was pleasantly surprised. Strawberry on the nose and quite fruity palate, like an Adelaide Hills Pinot rather than the more serious Kiwi style. More savoury finish and all round pretty pleasant - definitely one I'd consider having when in the mood for a fun Pinot though if memory serves it might have been a bit pricey for a regular midweek drinker (c$30/bottle?)

[ACG]

Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2009 good vintage for the label and still drinking well, though the acid does get a bit tiresome after a while. Drink up.

[Broughy]

1998 Penfolds Bin 389 Decanted for an hour, half bottle left overnight on the bench for a further look the next day. Colour starting brown at the edge, solid throughout. Quite rich and primary at this stage. Seemd to be a little disjointed at this point, in particular seemed a little acidic and oak poking through. wonder if this has acidification treatment? Second day seemed to be a little more balanced. think this is a wait and see proposition.

2006 Derwent Estate Pinot Purchased at a produce market. For my tastes this wine was gone. wine seemed to be light and also stewed fruit characteristics. A real shame as the 2004 is still drinking well and I was hoping for more of the same. Developing a view that warmer Tassie vintages don't last for the long haul i.e. beyong about 4 years. There are som exceptions eg the Bream Creek reserve is powerfully built and still primary.

Jim Barry Watervale Riesling colour waterlike purity. quite intense acidity and depth of flavour. As with quite a few rieslings from 09, this is showing some tropical fruit on top of the lime. Perhaps Tahitian limes

[via collins]

St Clair reserve chardonnay 2006

Rich green tinged golden colour, little on nose initially. Grapefruit thrust on palate, followed by residual citrus. A thinly bodied wine, but with a really lovely mid-length full of stonefruits. Good.

Glaetzer Director's Cut Shiraz 2004

Deep dark purple colour, tea leaves and blackcurrant on palate, the fruit really overwhelming the peppery elements I'd enjoyed a few years ago. Cloying sweetness abounds, and a total lack of structure in the end. Barely good.

Gibbston Valley Reserve chardonnay 2007

Golden straw colour, hints of green. Yeasty nose, medium body with a flinty tone. Peaches and passionfruit on mid-palate, and a hint of almond and vanilla on the way out. Really austere finish, I liked this a whole lot.

[Craig(NZ)]

2001 Unison Good, esp. for a relatively average year, & still a reasonable amount of life left.

you could argue 01 unison selection was wine of the vintage in terms of hawkes bay reds, they did a good job

me I drank 08 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay. Clearly best vintage of this label imo, excellent

also 08 Villa Cellar Selection Riesling $12 at PnS. Pretty good but more the trad kiwi style citrus etc..nice, good buy but i still prefer the more spatlese styled nz rieslings

07 Passage Rock Reserve Syrah. my nz woty for 2008. Since i have tried it a few times and didnt show as well as such a lauded reward would promise. However on Friday it returned to the faith. Was bloody good. Complex, rich, refined and detailed. Excellent. Perhaps looks better in a drinking environment than a tasting one? Perhaps looks better when not surrounded by bigger jammier styles??

[Craig(NZ)]

2006 Fromm Riesling Spatlese Excellent -- sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity -- really need to buy more of these. The best NZ riesling I've had for a while.

love it. its stunning!

Carrick Pinot Noir 2005 - very good, nicely ripe and rounded, beautiful mouthfeel. Not too light or red-fruity - my kind of pinot.

yip its very tidy stuff...still got a couple of these

[Thommo]

2008 St Hallets Gamekeeper's Shiraz Grenache Lots of vanilla and stewed plums - sweet and sour and short, but very drinkable at $11. Although most of the bottle went into the pot to braise some goat shanks (mmm, garlic, rosemary and Tassie pepperberries), where it worked a treat.
No other wine drunk this weekend, but I did get some Cooper's Clear (their new diet beer). This was predicably ordinary, with that faint taste of wet cardboard and not much else that all the low carb beers seem to have. Not sure why I was expecting any different as Coopers' most recent offering have all been pretty aweful (Pilsner 61 anyone? yick)

[Matt]

Elderton 2004 Cab Sav
Drinking better than the 1st night (which was fine btw). The remanents of the bottle have opened up beautifully on the second night . Prominent stewed prunes, subtle blueberries and leathery/cigar box flavours with applaudable length. Decent buying at $30. I'll be back for more.

[Sean O'Sullivan]

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[Rawshack]

Innocent Bystander Chardonnay 2009 - No malo but 11mnth in oak. Citrus, hazlenuts and pear drop (not bad) characters fighting it out with the oak. While it lacked a little purity of fruit, structure was good and it was eminently drinkable. It caused my breastfeeding wife to have a 2nd glass (call social services), so that must say something

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 - Tight, punchy citrus, toasted hazlenut and oatmeal, balanced oak and a knob of butter on the palate. I love this Chardonnay and could happily cane a bottle. Somewhat disappointed that I didn't get some of the Tarraford Chardonnay as well

[Sharkey]

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 - All the fruit for this vintage was from Coonawarra and Limestone Coast so it was typically Coonawarra. Very smooth and long and balanced except for the hit of tannin on the finish. It probably still has many years left in it. Excellent wine.

[Luke W]

Some interesting wines this week including:
2006 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir - lots of glorious red and black cherry fruit and flavours with spice, beautifully balanced and drying tannins
2002 Classic Mclaren La Testa shiraz - so good it could have been a grange -
Watermark 2008 Cabernet - Not too bad with a bit of air
Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2008 - disappointing - some nice but light flavours but overall it was missing something - might leave it for a couple of years and try again
2002 Toolangi Reserve Chardonnay - bit worried about this as it seems to have lost some of its chablisness and flattened out - last time I had one (about 12 months ago) I thought it still needed more time but I'm starting to think I've let it go too long - bugger - maybe Kinzbrunner could give me some advice as I've still got 6 bottles left

cheers

Luke

[Rawshack]

Some interesting wines this week including:
2006 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir - lots of glorious red and black cherry fruit and flavours with spice, beautifully balanced and drying tannins
2002 Classic Mclaren La Testa shiraz - so good it could have been a grange -
Watermark 2008 Cabernet - Not too bad with a bit of air
Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2008 - disappointing - some nice but light flavours but overall it was missing something - might leave it for a couple of years and try again
2002 Toolangi Reserve Chardonnay - bit worried about this as it seems to have lost some of its chablisness and flattened out - last time I had one (about 12 months ago) I thought it still needed more time but I'm starting to think I've let it go too long - bugger - maybe Kinzbrunner could give me some advice as I've still got 6 bottles left

cheers

Luke

Interesting comments about the Jim Barry; I thought it was an excellent riesling for the money

As for the Toolangi, I drank the 2002 last summer and thought the fruit was still going strong. However, given how worked it was, I wouldn't have ever thought it was 'chablis-eque'. Burgundian yes, but not Chablis

[Michael R]

1996 Daranberg Dead Arm Shiraz – cork gave rise to optimism, great legs, still dark colour with some slight bricking. Nose had a healthy dose of varnish and traces of tobacco. Plenty of McClaren fruit on the palate, plums, blackberries abound. Tannins soft but still in tact ensuring great structure and balance with the fruit, offering a lengthy finish.

Cheers
Michael

[jeremy]

Some interesting wines this week including:
2006 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir - lots of glorious red and black cherry fruit and flavours with spice, beautifully balanced and drying tannins
2002 Classic Mclaren La Testa shiraz - so good it could have been a grange -
Watermark 2008 Cabernet - Not too bad with a bit of air
Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2008 - disappointing - some nice but light flavours but overall it was missing something - might leave it for a couple of years and try again
2002 Toolangi Reserve Chardonnay - bit worried about this as it seems to have lost some of its chablisness and flattened out - last time I had one (about 12 months ago) I thought it still needed more time but I'm starting to think I've let it go too long - bugger - maybe Kinzbrunner could give me some advice as I've still got 6 bottles left

cheers

Luke

Interesting comments about the Jim Barry; I thought it was an excellent riesling for the money

As for the Toolangi, I drank the 2002 last summer and thought the fruit was still going strong. However, given how worked it was, I wouldn't have ever thought it was 'chablis-eque'. Burgundian yes, but not Chablis

Had a glass of the 08 Jim Barry at an inner city pub (so it's unfair to judge really) but it was all over the place and unimpressive. 09 on the other hand...