The Auswine Forum

Greetings one and all. My first posting on this website, and I must say a personal word of thanks to all the current contributors, who have made my "lurking" such an enjoyable experience.

I will post some details about myself in the Who Am I section, but what I wanted to say now was. I am involved with an annual food and wine group, which started in 1999, held in the Bunya Mountains in Queensland, and this year will be our 7th visit, to what we have named Bunya Mountains Gourmet Gala.

On the Saturday evening, which is the highlight meal I suppose, we are drinking 1995 Tyrrells HVD Semillon with entree, 95 vintages of D'Arenberg Dead Arm, Elderton Command, and for a cool climate wine, the 95 Seville Estate Shiraz.

I was wondering if anyone has tasting notes for the mentioned wines, and whilst the 95 Command may be past it, does anyone have an opinion.

Also, looking at a wine in the Gourmet Traveller this month as a quaffer for the weekend, A Murray Cod Called Bruce Vermentino, can anyone suggest where we might find a bottle or two ?

Thank you and good drinking.

Glynn.

Sorry for just lifting RPJ's notes but I haven't tasted the wines & nobody else has responded to new forumite Glyndon, so I didn't want to leave him hanging there!!

Glynn, if you can believe Mr P, they should both be travelling quite well, make sure you post your notes & welcome!

Wine Advocate #115 (Feb 1998) Robert Parker 91 pts Drink 1998-2008
The red wines are all exuberantly fruity, cleanly made rich wines. Among the more limited edition offerings are several wines that represent some of d'Arenberg's finest parcels, all of which are basket-pressed. The Dead-Arm Shiraz is an old vine Shiraz cuvee that is fermented in oak barrels and raised in mostly new American oak. It is a sexy, flashy, flamboyant Shiraz that is short on restraint, but big on screaming fruit. The 1995 Dead-Arm Shiraz exhibits an opaque purple color, as well as a fabulous nose of ripe, late harvest-like, plummy, blackberry fruit, and cassis. Viscous, thick, and rich, with layers of flavor, low acidity, and sexy new oak, this lusty-styled Shiraz should drink well for at least a decade.

Wine Advocate #122 (Apr 1999) Robert Parker 94 pts Drink 1999-2009
The opaque purple-colored 1995 Command Shiraz boasts huge toasty American oak aromas intermixed with thrilling levels of jammy black raspberry and berry fruit. The wine is explosively rich, with low acidity, and spectacular concentration and purity. Although not complex, it is mouth-filling, teeth-staining, and ostentatious. Drink it over the next 7-10+ years. I suspect This wine will become more civilized and less exuberant with bottle age. Elderton's wines are not for tasters seeking subtlety and elegance. This is an outrageously oaky, flamboyantly-styled offering with immense hedonistic appeal.

Now about this Vermentino, is the actual name of the wine A Murray Cod Called Bruce? I'm afraid I can't help with this, but I do recall enjoying an Italian Vermentino a long time ago, so I'm also interested to see if it is available.

lantana

That was me, thought I was logged in

lantana

When I was at Pub Mooloolaba we had the Elderton winemaker in the store, which was about 3 yrs ago, and he maintained that the Command (95) wasn't a great vintage and probably needed to be opened within the next 2 or 3 yrs, so I am not holding huge hopes, but was kept for this year's Bunya Mtn weekend, so it will still be an interesting exercise.

Yes, the current Gourmet Traveller reviewed A Murray Cod Called Bruce, which apparently is part of the Murray Darling Collection, and hoping to get it as a quaffer for the weekend in July.

The Vermentino used only to be available from various places in Mildura associated with Stefano de Pieri, hopefully it is now more widely distributed. I had a glass at the Grand Hotel a few months ago and subsequently bought a bottle from Stefano's deli. It is nice wine and a grape variety that no doubt will become more widely planted.

Hi Glynn. I had a 95 Command last weekend and while didnt take any detailed notes A big in your face style wine and it if stored here in Qld properly (your wine) it still has plenty of time left.
Regards
peter