The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Time for your weekly drinking reports please.

I had an Annies lane 1995 Coppertrail Shiraz last night. It's a big wine with loads of coconut on the nose and heaps of oak tannins but there is also massive amounts of fruit to support it. The wine is drinking well now as enough of the oak has integrated but I am honestly unsure how long it will last.

If all the oak eventually integrates and the tannins drop out it will be superb, but I doubt that will happen at the oak seems a bit to chunky and doesn't have enough refinement for that to happen. Never the less, a very enjoyable drop now with blackberry, aniseed and plum fruit. Rated as Highly Recommended.

Your turn, what have you guys been drinking?

Ric,

At 4 am? Don't you sleep at this wee hour in the morning?

1992 BVE BP Shiraz. Red-brown edge, fruits, chocolate & vanilla on the nose. Still quite oaky from the French oak. Good

Cheers,
Steve

The '91 Bullers is still going strong. Has definitely reached its peak but will stay there for several years yet. A lovely wine.
'98 Rosemount - I am not sure about this at the moment. Last one I had was about a year ago and was superb, but this one seemed very high alcohol taste and took hours to get some fruit coming through. Is it in a "dumb phase", not sure. Will try again tonight and send a second opinion.
Also had a 2000 Ingoldby Shiraz recently which was drinking quite well. Good quaffer,nothing special.
MM.

1999 Clarence Hill CCW Shiraz Deep, clear ruby-red with a hint of purple on the rim; the bouquet is at first very restrained, with hints of dried oregano & thyme against blackberry fruit. With a couple of hours breathing the bouquet & palate grow in intensity, warmth and length, with chocolate, raspberry and blackberry and olive on the mid-weight palate, and slightly chalky tannins on the finish. Further breathing brings out some mint, vanilla, spicy & smoky oak, and licorice on the palate - it does need the breathing time to strut its stuff.

1998 Penfolds Bin 389 The wine is a glowing, glass-staining, inky deep red-black with a tiny touch of purple on the rim. Despite being put through a breathe-easy and decanted, the nose at first is very closed, with hints of chocolate and spinach greens. The palate features slightly porty black-cherry and plum with big aggressive tannins on entry, travelling through the stunning length with hints of dried herbs, eucalyptus and mint on the aftertaste. It's so complex and powerful it makes you drink very slowly and study each glass, coaxing out violets on the nose, followed by cassis, mint and tar, tomato dust and blood/ammonia The palate revolves between smoke, smoky bacon, chocolate, aniseed, red berries, and concentrated tomato. The tannins just get bigger and chalkier on the tail with more time; this huge structured wine is just still a pup with decades to go! Makes the 2001 release look distinctly second-rate.

Cheers,
Ian

2000 Galah Three Sheds Red : The Scene - Thursday night , 1 bottle of wine in the house - the last of a case of Three Sheds which has been a good value ( $168 case ) Adelaide Hills blend of Cabernet Merlot & Shiraz. I jokingly say - "I suppose this'll be corked" - and so it was !!! I was nearly thrown out of home for not touching wood.....

2001 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc : Those who LIKE Sauvignon Blanc should try this - main hurdle is paying $40 for a SB I guess. Colour is more yellow than a normal SB. Lovely complex steely but still grassy nose and an excellent still fresh but more complex palate than your normal 1 year old SB. Good match with Potato Cakes from The Cook's Companion.

2003 Zilzie Viognier ( $10 ) : Certainly varietal. However I found this tiring after the first glass - a bit like White Frontignac becomes tiring after more than one glass - fair for the price.

2002 Torbreck Juveniles ( $26 ) : Darkly impressive and rich for an unoaked Red. Reminds me of Droste Dutch Drinking Chocolate ( the one with the enigmatic looking Nurse on the packet ! ) which is ultra smooth as it has alkaline added to it. Not as "Punk Rock " as the 2001 Juveniles which for me was " faulty " but still , er , interesting ( ie not fizzy for a start ). Also had a 2001 Greenock Creek Alice's Shiraz ( $28 ) which was even more PLUSH. Despite my favourite wine being Red Bordeaux I still dig these smooth , with a capital SMOO , Barossans.

1994 Seaview Shiraz : When I first became interested in wine the current releases were 1994 vintage so I have a soft spot for 1994's. Pelicanette found this in a shop on Fri night so it was a surprise to be drinking this when I thought I'd never see this again. Soft and spicy but like many wines was arguably better closer to release.

1992 Mountadam Pinot Noir Chardonnay : Another friend from the past found in a local bottle shop - I seem to find a bottle of this on special about every 2 years ! Very enjoyable - nice and mature with a nose and palate like a good sherry.

Looking forward to a bottle of the new 2002 Cascabel Grenache et al with a home made Pizza tonight - decanted a few hours ago - smells nice but yet to try.

Regards , Pelican

2001 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc : Those who LIKE Sauvignon Blanc should try this - main hurdle is paying $40 for a SB I guess. Colour is more yellow than a normal SB. Lovely complex steely but still grassy nose and an excellent still fresh but more complex palate than your normal 1 year old SB. Good match with Potato Cakes from The Cook's Companion.

interesting, coz i always thought if one REALLY likes SB you might want to steer clear of the te koko! . I found it too "serious" for a SB, too oaky. The fun part of having explosive gooseberry/citrus/melon from a SB is missing here. I stuck my nose into the glass and all i got was vanilla oak

ed

A drop-in (for us) at my parent's place, where to celebrate one brother's birthday we dragged out a magnum of 1992 Redman Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. This has had a hard life, merely being kept in the back room at mum & dad's, and subject to all kinds of horror temperatures, particularly in summer - to the extent where there's been a little seepage through the capsule. Level is still at the bottom of the neck, though. It's got a definite touch of onion skin about the colour, but the nose shows roasted herbs, a bit of graphite/lead pencil. There's not much fruit evident - dried blackcurrant skins perhaps. Doesn't seem to be suffering many obvious ill-effects from the mediocre storage - the wine is sort of light-medium bodied, in the old Coonawarra way. The only real criticism is that the finish is a bit short - but then I don't think this was a particularly great period in the history of the Redman winery anyway. So, still quite drinkable, no improvement left, methinks, but I guess will hold for a few years, particularly if sympathetically cellared.

cheers,
Graeme

Thanks for the 389 '98 update Ian!

Pelican, when I first tried the 2002 I thought it had a bit of residual sugar in there, but this may have been due the fact that I am not used to these unoaked beasties.

Here are mine (sorry if you have seen them posted before):

Basket Range Adelaide Hills 2000
This one is the only wine made here, apparently. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec. Double decanted.

Colour: Light crimson to rasberry with mahogany tinges around the edge.

Nose: At first closed but after an hour opens with a heady mix of violets and wildflowers, raspberries, fruitcake, and already it is difficult to believe this only 13% alcohol.

Palate: Midweight. Dusty characters with ripe soft rasberries on the front palate moving through redcurrents, blackcurrants with white pepper in the middle mingling with slight nutmeg and shy tannins. It's all fruit on a long palate and has mellow blueberries blossoming on the lingering aftertaste. Highly Recommended but leave it for a year or so to intergrate a wee bit more.

Wine Society Cabernet Franc 2002
I had to try this one because of the 5/5 review it received in Winestate, and if they hadn't have been running out I probably wouldn't have bothered. Didn't take any notes.

A very fruity wine and not for my palate, but none the less a big bruiser for a wine that is so floral. Too jammy and simple and not going anywhere, but for the money $10 good value. I have never tried this variety on its own before so I can't comment on how true to variety it is, but from the difference it makes to blends with Cab Sauv. I imagined it to be how it actually turned out.

cheers all,

deleted

Greetings All.

Farewell dinner in Brisbane on Sat night and needed good wine real quick- went for Jasper Hill's Pink Label and a Plantagenet shiraz.

Both were purchased from a purveyor of cooked wine- big cheery oh to the " Cooked Pineapple " bottleshop near the Story Bridge. The staff told me their boss feels airconditioning unneccessary.

Hard to deduce too much from the following bottles, other than they had enjoyed basking in the Queensland sun-evidenced by sodden corks.

00 Jasper Hill Georgia's Paddock- Did not seem to be as luscious as previous vintages. A more restrained and elegant vintage? Fruit depth lacking?

01 Plantagenet Shiraz- putrid cooked fruit nose blew off revealing the powerful blackberry and blackcherry fruit. Powerful, mouthfilling and with a solid frame of tannin, extract and acid evident. Despite the youthful complexity being cooked off, the wine was resolute and a cared for bottle will no doubt be a cracker in years to come.

For some reason I have a lot of Plantagenet cabernet in my cellar, but not the shiraz. Must change the equation. World class shiraz for the price.

...and a summary only..

'99 Pierro Chardonnay.
Had this wine some months back and wrote a dissapointing review that was all wood. Ha d some replies that thought this as at odds with the wine, and after this bottle, would agree.
Rich developed Chardonnay nose and palate showing way more fruit, and very typical of the brand and region. Very enjoyable, if at the big end of town.
O'Leary Walker '02 Cab/Merlot.
Good drinking at the price, recommended.
Capel Vale '02 Cab/Merlot.
Very nice within it's price bracket, smooth and nothing out of place. well made.
'01Heathcote Winery Mail Coach Shiraz.
'01 was a good year in Heathcote, and it shows in this wine. Big robust nose and flavours, a little Brett on the nose, but adds complexity. Long rich finish, well made wine.
Wirra Wirra Church Block '02.
Crikey, if this wine doesn't need a decade to settle down! Very firm, all structure with fruit lurking there somewhere. Very tight. Could be a ripper in ten years, even in five years I doubt you'ld recognise the same wine.
Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Cab/sauv '00.
Showing some development, but drinking very smoothly and long. Typical of the region, a good wine.
Glaetzer "Wallace" Shiraz/Cab/Grenache '02.
From a reportadly great vintage, but something wasn't right. I don't know if I agreed with the inclusion of the Cab, or what it was, but I didn't like it. Something was out of place.
Yering Station Shiraz/Viognier '01.
Very nice, good nose and palate, nothing out of place, very easy drinking, for the price a very good value blend.
D'Arenberg Galvo Garage Cab/Merlot '01.
Great! Loved it's funkiness, love what this company is doing with wines at the moment. Very good wine, great length, very smooth, but will develop well over the next few years.
Best's Bin "O" '98 Shiraz.
Ahh, a favourite that I wnted to see how it was developing. Not let down one bit. Tried not to fifnish the bottle in one night, but such is the quality of this wine!
Looking with salivating lips at the '98 Thompson Family of the same year, just dreaming of how good those suckers are going to be!

Rory

Highlight's this week have been:

01 Leeuwin Art Series Chard 01: second bottle in under a month and I KNOW I shouldn't be drinking it, but jez what a great wine. Complex, with wonderful fruit and it has the potential to age for over a decade. For me the best Chardonnay in Australia without doubt.

02 Shaw and Smith Shiraz: another very good wine. Big and rich and in perfect balance. If you have never had a very good cool climate Shiraz, you should try this.

99 Domain Dujac Morey St Denis: sorry Pau, I finished the bottle. Again very good, quite a big Pinot that is just starting to open up. I would like to try this again in a few years.

98 Redbank Sally's Paddock: Rarely have I been disappointed in this wine, and the 98 proved to be a winner again. Probably a touch young, with heaps of fruit and quite big tannins. Should be ready to drink in another 10 years.

cheers
anthony

Friday night ..... with rare 12oz Aberdeenangus steak

1998 Parker Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine threw a lot of sediment. Colour had faded a fair bit as well - medium ruby. On the nose, a touch of leafiness and blackcurrant fruit. Palatewise, quite sweet and elegant, but a tad one dimensional. All in all, decent Coonawarra Cabernet, but a wee bit simple. Drink over the next 3 years.

1999 Cornas, Dom. de Rochepertuis

Initially horsey/gamey and bretty as hell, but this blew off to reveal woodsmoke, hickory, licorice and dark berries. Nice medium bodied palate with good richness.

1995 Hilltop Tokaji

Hilltop is one of Hungary's biggest producers, mostly inexpensive but competently made supermarket wines. The Tokaji has a very bland label. Nice rich golden amber colour. Tinned peaches and apricots on the nose, reflected on the palate. Not a lot of botrytis here, but quite a good drop nonetheless.

Saturday ...... with Roast poussine stuffed with Lancashire black pudding

2001 Piedro Feliz Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley, Chile

Quite a smoky spicy nose, also showing raspberry and cherry fruit. Initially very light and short on the palate with very sweet fruit and prominent acidity, but opened but to show a bit more depth and interest - dark berry fruits and smoky oak, finishing with fine tannins. New World wine, probably from relatively young vines, but there's some potential here. Michel Laroche, the Chablis producer, had a hand in this wine.

1998 Volnay, Lucien Boillot

Quite a gamey nose, also showing cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Medium bodied, nice cherry and red berry fruit overlaying oak spice, finishing with quite firm tannins. Better with food.

Sunday ......

1997 Chablis 1er Cru, Gerard Duplessis

Tasted from 1/2 bottle. Bright golden yellow in colour. Developed nose of flaxseed, straw, acacia and stonefruit. On the palate, dry, medium bodied, mouthwatering acidity, good fruit intensity - green apples and touches of lemon citrus and a stony minerality. Crisp finish. Will go for a further 3-5 years with little difficulty.

2002 Fairview SGV, South Africa

SGV stands for Shiraz, Grenache and Viognier. Weighs in at 15.0% ABV.

Unfortunately the wine was mildly corked.....bugger.

Cheers
Phil

Ed W wrote:

2001 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc : Those who LIKE Sauvignon Blanc should try this - main hurdle is paying $40 for a SB I guess. Colour is more yellow than a normal SB. Lovely complex steely but still grassy nose and an excellent still fresh but more complex palate than your normal 1 year old SB. Good match with Potato Cakes from The Cook's Companion.

interesting, coz i always thought if one REALLY likes SB you might want to steer clear of the te koko! . I found it too "serious" for a SB, too oaky. The fun part of having explosive gooseberry/citrus/melon from a SB is missing here. I stuck my nose into the glass and all i got was vanilla oak

ed

G'Day Ed. I take your point about the good things of your normal explosive SB's - however I'd defend the Te Koko as I enjoyed it a lot and I thought it was more than just vanilla oak - I found it a good food wine which for me is important in enjoying a wine - it had lovely acidity for example . At the end of the day it makes a nice change from the "in yer face" standard NZ SB's.

Also dismissing it as " serious " shows perhaps a touch of inverted snobbery and/or reveals a lack of confidence in NZ wines ( or SB ) to be able to be serious.

ps : Fragrant Harbour is a great name for a place to live !

Regards , Pelican

Had the second night tasting of the S/R and it was much improved. Plenty of fruit to make it now a balanced wine. VG drinking but needs a lot of work to open it out. I think definitely in "dumb phase".
98 Wynns C/S - drinking superbly after taking about an hour to blossom. This still has room to improve but ain't half bad now.
MM.

G'Day Ed. I take your point about the good things of your normal explosive SB's - however I'd defend the Te Koko as I enjoyed it a lot and I thought it was more than just vanilla oak - I found it a good food wine which for me is important in enjoying a wine - it had lovely acidity for example . At the end of the day it makes a nice change from the "in yer face" standard NZ SB's.

Also dismissing it as " serious " shows perhaps a touch of inverted snobbery and/or reveals a lack of confidence in NZ wines ( or SB ) to be able to be serious.

Hi Pelican,
Thanks for standing up for the humble kiwi SB. "Serious" was probably the wrong description, it's more like swimming butterfly in a freestyle race. Te koko is a good wine, but its a whole different wine from the style of the classic marlborough SB as we all come to know. "Simple" SB drinkers like myself may get a bit of a shock at the first sniff of Te koko. IMHO it's not a varietally-true malborough SB. When I drank this wine I couldn't help to think it was trying hard to be something else, like a big creamy chardonnay. However I agree it's an interesting diversion from the mainstream SB.

cheers
ed

I've loved the 01 Te Koko, though the 2000 messed with my head a bit.

I remember the first time I looked at it. The, single, overpowering factor on the nose was Durian Fruit. Broke my brain totally.

The 01 I remember being more about oak...oak...and...no...wait...was tha t fruit?...no...more oak. But still a brilliant wine to drink with an unoaked SSB to fully take in the effects of the wood!