Sunday 23 Jan - Weekend Drinkies

[Craig(NZ)]

Tasting a couple of interesting wines yesterday

2008 The Messenger. Another new upstart Auckland winery, this time north of the city in Stillwater. This is a blend of approx equal portions of Merlot Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Winemaker Jim Vuletic who know a thing or two about Auckland blends of that nature. Given the benefit of 3 great vintages first up to work with, it could be an easier job than normal to create a reputaion. Anyway the wine is excellent. It has a gorgeous fine texture, precise and accurate on the palate with a smoothness and also a great structure. Considering the big chunk of Malbec I am suprised how refined this wine seems. Nice balance. I am not convinced it is a $100 wine which is what all the marketing hype is telling us the RRP is, but at $40 it is fair value I think.

2009 Te Mata Awatea. I got a sneak peek at this also. Well it looks as though 2009 is a very ripe vintage. This is a very sweet fruited Awatea, with a lush texture and a silky mouth feel. The fruit in this wine is very ripe! Looks better than the 2008 vintage but to me the 2007 is going to take some beating! At $30 this wine delivers value - a solid proven iconic wine of class for a resonable price. I can only look to compare this to the 1998, though it doesn't seem as compact off the bat as I remember that being on release. I certainly look forward to looking at the 2009 Coleraine!!

[rens]

1999 D'arenberg Dead arm Great looking cork, excellent fill level. Fruit was gone lots of alcohol heat. This has been slow cooked... Now what to do with the other 5 purchased at auction?
1999 D'arenberg Dead arm Bottle from a different source. This time it had a load of TCA on the nose and although underneath this, it demonstrated what the wine should taste like, it was stuffed.

[Luke W]

Haselgrove Bentwing Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (McLaren Vale/Wrattonbully)- harmonious blend of sweet red and black berry fruits, some nuances of eucalypt/mint and olive. Last of a dozen which probably cost about $10 a bottle and every one performed significantly above their price points.
Tucks Ridge Clare Valley Riesling 2005 - dropped it on the floor and it cracked but didn't leak until 2 days later when I turned the screwcap and it then went everywhere. A simple pleasant one dimensional riesling - fresh, lemony with a touch of spritz.
Mount Avoca Reserve Semillon 1998 - lovely developed and rounded, still lots of fruit and the perfect accompaniment to fresh tiger prawns.
Eppalock Ridge Heathcote Shiraz 2002 - drank too early on the night and should have decanted to show its full glory. A wine that will live for a few more years yet with lots of regional Heathcote terroir to entice.

Lots of James Squire Sundown Lager - purchased for $26 a carton at the local 1st choice - reduced because it had reached its use by date, perfect beer for a warm afternoon in CQ.

cheers

Luke

[tpang]

Chateau de Fesles Chenin Sec 2006, Anjou, Loire Valley, France
Pale lemon colour, this lovely number exudes smoky ripe lemon and soft apple florals along with medium-bodied fruit flavours.

Saint Clair Block #4 Sawcut Sauvignon Blanc 2007, NZ
Clear lemon colour with green tinge. Trails of fine legs on the glass, with a clean, developing nose of grassy passionfruit. A crisp weighty wine in the mouth, there's loads of passionfruit and ripe grapefruit flavours with a hint of yellow capsicum.

Saint Clair Block #8 Friar's Sauvignon Blanc 2007, NZ
Pale lemon colour, lighter than the Block 4. A more subdued nose as well, the passionfruit is not as intense as in the Block 4. More shy and fragile, with a hint of crushed lime powder. Light-weight in feel but with ripe passionfruit and lime flavours. Long finish.

Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly Cuvee Vielles Vignes 2009, Rhone, France
Clear black ruby core with a purplish rim. Clean, youthful wafts of strawberry oil and cherry stalks with a hint of herb bouquet. Dry, med+-bodied wine with bright fresh fruit flavours. Young and crisp, perfect with lamb rosemary sausages.

Coolangatta Estate Tannat 2009, Shoalhaven Coast, NSW
Intense opaque black/purple colour. A sullen, brooding perfume of savoury blackberry with hints of anise and sweet peppercorns. dry, med+-full-bodied wine, 14% alc, soft chalky tannins envelope the mouth in a gentle manner. Nice blackberry flavours with a hint of sweet cocoa in the corners. Not overly ripe, I would be interested to know if new oak treatment could enhance this.

Gotham Reserve Shiraz 2008, McLaren Vale, SA
Purchased from GWD. Dense jet-black purple that stains the glass, deep blackberry stew and plum aromas with a hint of sweet oak. Dry, full-bodied wine, loads of fresh young acid and weighing in at 15% alc. Rich ripe black berry fruit flavours with plum skins to even off the end. Very nice effort, though a simple wine.

Schloss-Lieser Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese 2008, Mosel, Germany
Clear, pale lemon gold colour. Smells of an arctic freezer uni, reminds me of the pineapple bits picked out from a sweet-sour pork dish. There is a hint of apricot kernels, concentrated fruity florals. A youthful, rich palate that is surprisingly uplifting with the acidity striking up a harmonious partnership with the sweetness. 7% alc. Akin to a baby Sauternes due to the apricoty sugary texture, it's surprising that noble rot paid no contribution to the crafting of this wine. This is one to put your bets on lasting for the next 20 years, but I love my Rieslings young.

[Sean]

deleted

[Mike Hawkins]

Krug MV - this would have been about 12 years old - a superb wine. Nose of cognac, orange peel and bread. Rcih, complex palate with great length.

2002 Guy Charlemagne BdB (Champagne) - from memory a Le Mesnil. A good wine, but not memorable. I think I prefer the pinot based champagnes from this vintage.

2005 Guigal Cote Rotie - bacon fat and meaty nose. Reasonably ripe wine, decent enough length.

2008 Caymus Cabernet - one whiff and I knew I wouldn't like. Super sweet, ripe fruit, almost in confected grenache style.

[griff]

Schloss-Lieser Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese 2008, Mosel, Germany
Clear, pale lemon gold colour. Smells of an arctic freezer uni, reminds me of the pineapple bits picked out from a sweet-sour pork dish. There is a hint of apricot kernels, concentrated fruity florals. A youthful, rich palate that is surprisingly uplifting with the acidity striking up a harmonious partnership with the sweetness. 7% alc. Akin to a baby Sauternes due to the apricoty sugary texture, it's surprising that noble rot paid no contribution to the crafting of this wine. This is one to put your bets on lasting for the next 20 years, but I love my Rieslings young.

We are having the 2008 Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett at the moment. Love the delicate power of this wine. Crisp and light yet has depth of fruit and just keeps on motoring on the finish. Floral and balanced are words that come to mind here as well. Excellent wine.

cheers

Carl

[Bick]

Good the Bad and the Ugly:
Shingle Peak Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - good
d'Arrenberg High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 - bad and ugly

[Adair]

Chapter 1: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11750&p=93282#p93282

2011: Jan 11-23

2009 St Hubert "The Stag" Pinot Noir: 92/100

2008 Mac Forbes "Woori Yallock" Pinot Noir: Bright and freshly structured, long, focussed, smooth and seamless. A little sappy. Oh so easy drinking... bottle gone in 90 minutes. Unbelievable on release (1+ years ago) with many ripe and fresh fruit layers complimenting the powerful and focussed structure, now only 95/100

2008 Seppelt "Chalambar" Shiraz: Medium bodied. Ripe but focussed like a knife. A baby. 93+/100.

2007 Taylors "St Andrews" Riesling: tasted after 3 nights. Nice but greatness had gone. Not rated.

2004 Kumeu River "Maté Vineyard" Chardonnay: harmonious but past it's best. 92/100.

2008 Moss Wood "Ribbon Vale" Merlot: Oak. Quality oak, but oak. 88/100

2007 High Valley "Reserve" Shiraz (Mudgee): 90/100

2002 Yarra Yarra "The Yarra Yarra" Cabernets: great but drink up. 93/100

2001 Tyrrell's "Futures Selection" Semillon: perfect aged example. 91/100

2008 d'Arenberg "The Noble Prankster" Chardonnay Semillon: big, rich but impressive. 92/100

NV Tigress Pinot Noir Chardonnay: nice aged brioche complexities with a mineral water backbone. 89/100.

2009 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon: 90/100

2008 Rosedale Wines "Cat Amongst The Pigeons" "Nine Lives" Shiraz: Big. 90/100

2006 Rosemount "Show Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon: 91/100

2008 Rosemount "Show Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon: 92/100

2009 Meerea Park "XYZ" Chardonnay: 93/100

2004 Savaterre Chardonnay: Rubbish 5 years ago. Rubbish now. Sickly. 86/100

2008 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: 92+/100

2010 Mike Press Pinot Noir Rosé: juicy pink grapefruit. 89/100

1999 Tyrrell's "Reserve" "HVD" Semillon: I detected a marmalade upon opening that I associated with randomly oxidised Hunter Semillon. Fortunately this blew off quite quickly, and although it tightened up after breathing for a while, it was not as tight and powerful through the palate as I had hoped. That stated, it was a harmonious, complete and complex wine. 92/100. (Aside: it had one of the greastest smelling corks I have ever smelt – vanilla and maple syrup)

Adair

[Wizz]

Schloss-Lieser Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese 2008, Mosel, Germany
Clear, pale lemon gold colour. Smells of an arctic freezer uni, reminds me of the pineapple bits picked out from a sweet-sour pork dish. There is a hint of apricot kernels, concentrated fruity florals. A youthful, rich palate that is surprisingly uplifting with the acidity striking up a harmonious partnership with the sweetness. 7% alc. Akin to a baby Sauternes due to the apricoty sugary texture, it's surprising that noble rot paid no contribution to the crafting of this wine. This is one to put your bets on lasting for the next 20 years, but I love my Rieslings young.

We are having the 2008 Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett at the moment. Love the delicate power of this wine. Crisp and light yet has depth of fruit and just keeps on motoring on the finish. Floral and balanced are words that come to mind here as well. Excellent wine.

cheers

Carl

I'm also quite liking 08 Mosel at the moment. Cool (classic) year, hardly any botrytis and not many wines made above Spatlese.

[rens]

2008 Mac Forbes "Woori Yallock" Pinot Noir: Bright and freshly structured, long, focussed, smooth and seamless. A little sappy. Oh so easy drinking... bottle gone in 90 minutes. Unbelievable on release (1+ years ago) with many ripe and fresh fruit layers complimenting the powerful and focussed structure, now only 95/100

Thanks Adair. I'd like to know your thoughts on the drinking window on this one. I have 4 or so rolling around in the cellar.
Thanks in advance
Rens

[daz]

Adair, it's great to see you're posting more TNs after what seemed to be a bit of a lull, perhaps due to family commitments? I particularly appreciate your no-nonsense, concise notes. Ratings as always are personal, subjective but indicative of your evaluation of the wine.

Thank you, look forward to more.

Cheers

daz

[daz]

The Prima 72 bottle wine cooler died - suspect a power surge the cause? The nuke oven clock went back to zero around the same time after not long having been reset. Mind, the bloody Prima usually struggled when the ambient temperature went above 26C, worked particularly hard around 30+C. During the delayed-by-a-week transfer to styro boxes of most of the couple of dozen remaining in the cooler, I found a bottle of Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 I forgot was there. It came in a mixed-vintage cab selection from the winery. As far as I'm concerned, most good wines of 10 years age after vintage are fair game for the tasting bench. Halliday's earlier rating was 87pts, his rating at the Tahbilk 150th Anniversary tasting, 93+pts. Some may consider that the increase in rating is indicative of Halliday(et al)'s generosity with scores in recent years. Well, I couldn't deny myself the perfect excuse to remove the cork could I?

On the palate, the fruit's still deeply flavoured, mostly ripe blackberry/cassis, a touch of green ginger/menthol, perhaps red plum and cinnamon wound around an integrated core of cedary oak balanced with fruit tannins and sprightly acid on the finish that lingers for some time. I think it's a good+/very good wine

[Peter NZ]

A few from the past couple of weeks:

1988 Marc Bredif Grand Annee Not sure how sweet this started out (nothing on the label) but still some residual sugar, balanced by good acid -- dominant flavour granny smith apple. Noticeably younger than the '86 was a couple of years ago, & would've picked at no more than 10 years old if tasted blind. Very good, & great to see these museum releases at very reasonable prices (just over NZD 50).

2003 Guiraud Very good.

2002 Unison Syrah Drinking very nicely at the moment, mature but not fading. Much better than the 2004 Vidal Reserve Syrah tasted at the same time, & which is disappointingly unbalanced.

2009 Millton Riverpoint Viognier Matched twice in the past fortnight with braised pork belly -- perfect match & excellent wine.

Cheers
Peter

[Adair]

2008 Mac Forbes "Woori Yallock" Pinot Noir: Bright and freshly structured, long, focussed, smooth and seamless. A little sappy. Oh so easy drinking... bottle gone in 90 minutes. Unbelievable on release (1+ years ago) with many ripe and fresh fruit layers complimenting the powerful and focussed structure, now only 95/100

Thanks Adair. I'd like to know your thoughts on the drinking window on this one. I have 4 or so rolling around in the cellar.
Thanks in advance
Rens

Hi Rens, I am usually very confident about drinking windows, but this wine has reached the most insecure corners of my wine soul. If I had not opened a bottle of this every few months over the past year, and just the bottle I referred to here, I would say that it needed 2 more years to reach a peak drinking plateau BUT the wine has only deteriorited over the past 12+ months. Sorry, these comments are not helpful, but I don't want to commit either way. I suggest sacrificing 2 of your bottles over the next 6 months for you to make up your own mind. And if you need to buy some more, they are still available.

Adair, it's great to see you're posting more TNs after what seemed to be a bit of a lull, perhaps due to family commitments? I particularly appreciate your no-nonsense, concise notes. Ratings as always are personal, subjective but indicative of your evaluation of the wine.
Thank you, look forward to more.
Cheers
daz

Thanks daz... and yes, ratings are personal and subjective, and I use my wine ratings exactly for that purpose, my own personal use (so that I can refer back to them in the future), but also in the hope that others might obtain some benefit from them as well.

[Adair]

Schloss-Lieser Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese 2008, Mosel, Germany
Clear, pale lemon gold colour. Smells of an arctic freezer uni, reminds me of the pineapple bits picked out from a sweet-sour pork dish. There is a hint of apricot kernels, concentrated fruity florals. A youthful, rich palate that is surprisingly uplifting with the acidity striking up a harmonious partnership with the sweetness. 7% alc. Akin to a baby Sauternes due to the apricoty sugary texture, it's surprising that noble rot paid no contribution to the crafting of this wine. This is one to put your bets on lasting for the next 20 years, but I love my Rieslings young.

We are having the 2008 Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett at the moment. Love the delicate power of this wine. Crisp and light yet has depth of fruit and just keeps on motoring on the finish. Floral and balanced are words that come to mind here as well. Excellent wine.
cheers
Carl

I'm also quite liking 08 Mosel at the moment. Cool (classic) year, hardly any botrytis and not many wines made above Spatlese.

In case you did not know, the importer of these wines has some seriously great prices on Schloss-Lieser (and other Germans) at the moment.

[Waiters Friend]

The Prima 72 bottle wine cooler died - suspect a power surge the cause? The nuke oven clock went back to zero around the same time after not long having been reset. Mind, the bloody Prima usually struggled when the ambient temperature went above 26C, worked particularly hard around 30+C. During the delayed-by-a-week transfer to styro boxes of most of the couple of dozen remaining in the cooler, I found a bottle of Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 I forgot was there. It came in a mixed-vintage cab selection from the winery. As far as I'm concerned, most good wines of 10 years age after vintage are fair game for the tasting bench. Halliday's earlier rating was 87pts, his rating at the Tahbilk 150th Anniversary tasting, 93+pts. Some may consider that the increase in rating is indicative of Halliday(et al)'s generosity with scores in recent years. Well, I couldn't deny myself the perfect excuse to remove the cork could I?

On the palate, the fruit's still deeply flavoured, mostly ripe blackberry/cassis, a touch of green ginger/menthol, perhaps red plum and cinnamon wound around an integrated core of cedary oak balanced with fruit tannins and sprightly acid on the finish that lingers for some time. I think it's a good+/very good wine

G'day Daz, I hope everything is well with you.

Your comments about an 11 year old Tahbilk red ring true, and I would offer a similar TN for the wine in question. Tahbilk's publicity attempts to sell the concept that any of their cabernets or shiraz will go 25 years no worries. I'm not convinced thisis the case. They may still be drinkable in 25 years, but I suspect they have been 'on hold' for the last 10

Cheers

Allan

[griff]

I'm also quite liking 08 Mosel at the moment. Cool (classic) year, hardly any botrytis and not many wines made above Spatlese.

In case you did not know, the importer of these wines has some seriously great prices on Schloss-Lieser (and other Germans) at the moment.

They are great prices. Cheaper than over here in the UK.

And Wizz I am pleased to see a fellow 08-iste. So classic as you say.

cheers

Carl

p.s. maximum of three quotes. That's new.

[daz]

The Prima 72 bottle wine cooler died - suspect a power surge the cause? The nuke oven clock went back to zero around the same time after not long having been reset. Mind, the bloody Prima usually struggled when the ambient temperature went above 26C, worked particularly hard around 30+C. During the delayed-by-a-week transfer to styro boxes of most of the couple of dozen remaining in the cooler, I found a bottle of Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 I forgot was there. It came in a mixed-vintage cab selection from the winery. As far as I'm concerned, most good wines of 10 years age after vintage are fair game for the tasting bench. Halliday's earlier rating was 87pts, his rating at the Tahbilk 150th Anniversary tasting, 93+pts. Some may consider that the increase in rating is indicative of Halliday(et al)'s generosity with scores in recent years. Well, I couldn't deny myself the perfect excuse to remove the cork could I?

On the palate, the fruit's still deeply flavoured, mostly ripe blackberry/cassis, a touch of green ginger/menthol, perhaps red plum and cinnamon wound around an integrated core of cedary oak balanced with fruit tannins and sprightly acid on the finish that lingers for some time. I think it's a good+/very good wine

G'day Daz, I hope everything is well with you.

Your comments about an 11 year old Tahbilk red ring true, and I would offer a similar TN for the wine in question. Tahbilk's publicity attempts to sell the concept that any of their cabernets or shiraz will go 25 years no worries. I'm not convinced thisis the case. They may still be drinkable in 25 years, but I suspect they have been 'on hold' for the last 10

Cheers

Allan

Hello Allan. Yeah, thanks, I'm well so far, apparently considered to be cured, on yearly PSA tests.

Glad my tn of the Tahbilk cab 00 is ok - I always struggle to produce adequately descriptive tns. Not sure what you mean about Tahbilk's publicity promoting its cab wines as having a general cellaring potential of 25+ years. The vintage chart on the website has 20+ years as the max cellaring potential for any of the reds, the cab 2000 15-20 years and given the lively acid of the wine I had, 15 years should be a doddle. The cellaring potential is assessed according to vintage so the cab 2003, for example, has 10-15 years listed as its cellaring potential.

Cheers, and best regards to Sue

daz

[sbv]

Daz,

My Prima died last year as well but I managed to fix it by removing a part that had blown. I also replaced some fans and it is now working better than ever.

If you haven't sent it off to the tip or insurance won't cover it, send me a pm if you need some details on a possible fix.

Cheers

Scott

[monghead]

2010 Rockford Alicante Bouchet- Delightfully crisp and juicy, so easy to glug. Good Good.
2009 Frankland Estate Poison Hill Riesling- A deeper golden colour than expected from a young riesling. While zippy and minerally, seemed a little heavy. Just Good.

[dave vino]

2010 Rockford Alicante Bouchet- Delightfully crisp and juicy, so easy to glug. Good Good.
2009 Frankland Estate Poison Hill Riesling- A deeper golden colour than expected from a young riesling. While zippy and minerally, seemed a little heavy. Just Good.

I've gone through nearly 2 cases of Alicante already this summer.

[monghead]

2010 Rockford Alicante Bouchet- Delightfully crisp and juicy, so easy to glug. Good Good.
2009 Frankland Estate Poison Hill Riesling- A deeper golden colour than expected from a young riesling. While zippy and minerally, seemed a little heavy. Just Good.

I've gone through nearly 2 cases of Alicante already this summer.

Fair effort mate, seeing as we're only half way into summer...