The Auswine Forum

Time for your weekly drinking reports; you know the drill.

Brokenwood Semillon 2003
A very pleasant drink, if lacking the complexity of better versions. One to drink with food to support the food, rather than on it's own as the centre of attention. Maybe a couple of years will add some complexity, though I note that Olivr et al point to a relatively short drinking window.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir 2004
Nose closed for the first hour but soon opened up with hints of classic 'pinosity' and then relaxed into very recognizable form. More weight and body than your average, characteristic of the Penfolds style. Great length and structure. Very nice wine with some years ahead of it.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir 2003
Started with the same nose as the 04 but never really developed or opened up. Muddy, ill-defined and like a wine unsure of whether it's a dry red style or a pinot. Some hints of pinot character but really not convincing at all and don't see this going anywhere.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir 2002
Huge. As if someone took a shiraz and tweaked a tannin here, a flavanoid there... and turned it into a pinot. But it works - a hulking big structure surrounding a core of classic pinot character. Maybe a pinot on steroids? Strong and distinctive nose with cherry and meaty notes, slick palate and good length. Some years ahead of this one also.

Some whites for a change

Brokenwood Semillon 2000 (cork)
Muted nose ( I suspect some oxidation) Nice palate of hunter semillon just coming out of adolescence. Some lime with a fair degree of toast. No butter though. Drinking well now for me but sheesh, can't wait to start trying aged hunter semillon under screw-cap!

Keith Tulloch Chardonnay 2003 (screwcap)
pale yellow/green colour. Very worked nose. Someone was stirring the lees damm hard Beautiful palate of cashew, apple and hint of honeydew. Excellent intensity and quite viscous in the mouth. Had 2 days after opening and was if anything, opening up. Mind you, that could just be the difference with using your own glasses as opposed to the restaurant's. Still, should live for years. I think KT makes one of the better chardonnays in Australia at the moment.

Metala White Label 2004 (screwcap)
Not a white but cracked this last night. What is going on here? I can see and taste the intensity of the fruit but there is another flavour of slightly sour milk? My partner and I both get it. Second bottle we found it in as well. Is this a reductive or bacterial fault (slight amount of lactic acid converting to butyric perhaps)? Will this disapear in a year? Or should I be cynical and suggest that it may not and that is why it is being flogged for $11.66 a bottle at the moment. Shame about this as it always was a good quaffer for me to lay down a couple of years. The 1998 is drinking great right now.

Warre's 1999 LBV,

Always used to be a fan of this cheapy when I lived in England (picked this one up for £5.99).

Quite spirity on the nose, with a background of dried figs and dried damsons.

Palate adds some sweet, stewed redcurrants and a touch of cast iron. Good acid structure that balances the sugar nicely, with a backing of elegant, fine-grained tannins.

Unbalanced, hot finish; though quite long (but that's residual sugar for you).

Seems like a bit of a shadow of former vintages (especially the 1992, which was fabulous), but at this price I really can't fault it much. Would probably be a good foil for Ying Chow red vinegar ribs.

Something different for me this week with a wine tasting at my local of several wines from Krinklewood Vineyard, a boutique, family owned vineyard between Broke & Wollombi in the Western Hunter.
The Winemaker, Rod Windrim (a down to earth & engaging fellow) showed 2 whites, a Rose, a Shiraz and a dessert Semillon.
Krinklewood Verdelho
Pale & greenish w subtle nose. Powerful & spicy varietal flavour well balanced with good acid.
Krinklewood '05 Francesca Rose
One of the better Rose around at the moment (not difficult) A European style so a bit drier but fruity enough to avoid the hard thin character that often comes with Rose that tries to avoid the "raspberry cordial" model.
Krinklewood '03 Shiraz
A lovely full rich wine with plum & blackberry & subtle savoury oak. Spicy nose.
Krinklewood '05 Dessert Semillon
Everyone loved this . (350ml bottle) Golden but not sticky. Concentrated nose and luscious flavour dominated (for me) by pear & pineapple. Left the palate feeling refreshed. Really worth a try.
also
Currency Creek - The Black Swamp - Cab Sav. '03. (SA)
Great Cab Sav nose with blackberries, mint & chocolatey oak. Deep intense flavour & balance suggesting it will improve with a few years in the cellar.

Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 1998. Well I just don't get the fuss about this wine. Intense deep colour to the rim. Great nose promises the world. Drying tannins and oak splinters with a hint of simple fruit in the background and minimal length form the palate. Nothing to rave about now and I would be very surprised if there would be much to rave about in the future.

Very quiet week. Only wine worth noting was:
Hardys Oomoo Shiraz 2004
I know this wine has had a few gongs, and I have had it before, but it seemed even more enjoyable on this occasion. Full of luscious berry and plum fruit with layers of chocolate and a touch of vanilla. The oak is well integrated, and is easily matched by great depth of fruit. Good length with fine tannins and holds its 14% well. I almost feel guilty paying the $10-11 asking price. It would be interesting to put this up against much more expensive shiraz in a blind tasting. I think it may repay short term cellaring (2-3yrs), but it's very yummy now.

I tried a few of the Henschke range Thursday night at a instore, and had these brief impressions:

2004 Pinot Gris: Liked this - nice delicate structure, white peach and mineral characters.

2005 Peggy's Hill Riesling: A new wine sourced from various vineyards & growers in the Eden Valley. Delicate lime/apple fruit and some toasty characters on the finish - very approachable now and a great launch for the label.

2004 Julius Vineyard Eden Valley Riesling: Outstanding for a 2004 SA white; everything's there, wax/pith & lemon on the nose, tight lime and mineral on the palate, excellent length & structure. How good will the 2005 be?

2003 Green's Hill Vineyard Lenswood Riesling: Very grassy coming after the previous two rieslings - not really my style.

2004 Tilly's White Blend: Nothing to really fault, but after the previous wines quite pedestrian.

2001 Abbot's Prayer Merlot: Quite developed and oaky - not a keeper.

2004 Johann's Garden Grenache Blend: Great ripe fruit & olive tannin structure, but perhaps lacks the pure oomph of the surprising 2004 Penfolds Bin 138 in comparison.

2004 Henry's Seven: A tad disjointed right now, porty/apricot viognier (5%) on the nose, ripe blackberry, butterscotch on the palate, finishing with those harsh viognier tannins.

2003 Keyneton Estate Euphonium: The ripe fruit screams out with this one, the oak far more restained than the 2002 - quite a good result for the difficult year.

2002 Cyrill Henschke: This year served up an incredibly diverse range of Cabernets from the Barossa - this is one of the most elegant, quite green/leafy on the nose, the palate superbly balanced, chewy and savoury.

Cheers,
Ian

Voyager tasting this week at an instore

Their whites were pretty smart but I don't spend that sort of money on whites much. Notes are a bit thin but I didn't get there early enough to get a spot at the counter to wite on so only impressions from memory.

Voyager Estate Shiraz 2004 Deep red to purple in colour, nose was packed with fruit and really made me stand up and take notice of this wine. Lovely balanced palate with great depth of fruit and medium length oak in the background. Bought a couple of bottles to take home it is was fantastic with the italian sausage pasta as well. Will probably grab a 6 pack when finances allow.

Voyager Estate Cab Merlot 2002 Good gear but didn't ring my bells the way the Shiraz did and it is more expensive. Excellent effort from what was apparently a tough year.

Voyager Estate Cab Merlot 1999 This was put on to show how the wine looks with a couple of years on it, no longer available at retail. Starting to develop some secondary characters but this wine still has a long life ahead of it.

Also this weekend

Tatachilla Foundation Shiraz 1996 This was fantastic didn't decant and that was probably a mistake but it was over dinner at a friends place. Cigar box, choc, coconut and dark fruits on the nose. The palate was long and luxurious and just got better the longer the bottle was opened this wine is really drinking well at the moment. Excellent stuff.

Frog Rock Cab Sav 2002 Not 100% sure on the vintage not my wine. This had an intersting earthy nose over some nice cab fruit, theme continued on the palate nice juice.

Johnston Oakbank Shiraz 2002 Adelaide Hills White pepper and spices over some nice fruit on the nose. Palate also displayed nice depth of flavour with more spices, pepper and some lovely fruit. I quite enjoyed this but we were pretty well gone by this stage so I may have to track down another one to try it in a more sober state

Glen

Rockford Black Shiraz 1995 Disgorg- Nice. Seems more intense than some recent releases.

Giaconda Chardonnay- 3 bottles of this throughout the week. All bottles world class chardonnay.

Wendouree Pressings 1989- I don't understand the detractors of these wines when they have cellar time. The tannin structure has softned, long and rolling and with presence. A poorly cellared bottle that showed great resilience to it's abuse.

Henschke Keyneton Estate 1994- I believe the Keyenton style has it's best complexity in youth. However, the 94 is the exception. Absolute perfection for the style.

Henschke Cyril Henschke 1994- This has decades in front of it.

Henschke Noble Rot Riesling 1996- Did the job.

At dinner last night:

2001 Peter Lehman Reserve Riesling
Wonderful reisling. A developed nose with some kero, toasty lime and honey. Dry, crisp and bright flavours of grapefruit, green apples and pear with excellent length. Will age superbly.

1991 Grant Burge Meschach
What can I say. Barossa shiraz at its best. An intensely deep and complex palate, with a decade or two left to mature. Intense but not overpowering chocolate, rasberry and licorice complexity, with a superb finish that lingered for ages.

2004 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
Tim Kirk is a master wine maker, absolutely no doubt. A fantastic wine with full bodied, silky complexity and an extrodinary elegance that will be sensational in a few years.

2000 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
I was quite suprised by this I guess I was expecting more raisined stressed fruit charcters form this difficult vintage. From the first pour into the decanter a beautiful fragrance of blackberries and blackcurrents filled the air. By the time it was in the glass some 3 hours later the oak seemed to poke out more masking that beautilful fragrance of earlier. The palate was quite classy if not a little short. It is drinking wonderfully now but can see it lasting to 2008-2010. It ran rings around the other wine served on the night.

2004 Tosti Moscato D'Asti
Quite a different mosacto to others i have had. The nose was more bordering on the slatey mineral side with delicate florals hiding in the background. The palate was very grapey with subtle undertones of honeysuckle. Typical mosacto sweetness with a fine spritz dancing across the tongue. A good acid structure held the sweetness in check and carried the palate through to a ligering finish. Always enjoy this style, not the best example I've had but an honourable effort.

2004 Geoff Weaver Riesling
Loved this rizza almost Germanic in style, had it at Regattas Bistro which also comes highly recommended. Pristine clean cool climate nose of apples and pear with a very delicate floral purfume which gradually builds in the glass. The palate is quite restrained, reminiscent of granny smith apples and lime juice with a lovely crunchy acidity.

2004 Salomon Undhof Weiden Gruner Veltliner
Initialy I thought......BORING. But it was only on the second night that i really started to look at this wine and take it for what it was...... something very different. The nose is strange gunflint, limes then melon. The palate is almost riesling like yet with a fuller more textured palate. Typical old world acid structure with a finish which is almost white pepper in character.

2002 Shadowfax Pinot Noir
Juicy cherry fruit quite a simple pinot which if nothing else was pleasant. Went well with the venison but didn't hold my interest.

2006 Paracombe Sauvignon Blanc
Virtually straight out of the tank and into the bottle => into my mouth in less than a week. Banana ester and goosberry on the nose quite a fruit forward style with subtle herbacous notes well in the background. Great pearcing acidity carries through to a lengthy finish. Very fresh would be great in summer with fresh shellfish or freshly shucked oysters.
At its peak now a good example of a boring variety.

Davo wrote:Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 1998. Well I just don't get the fuss about this wine. Intense deep colour to the rim. Great nose promises the world. Drying tannins and oak splinters with a hint of simple fruit in the background and minimal length form the palate. Nothing to rave about now and I would be very surprised if there would be much to rave about in the future.

Davo,

Agreed. It was terrific on release and it based it reputation based on high Parker points. I flogged mine of ageas ago when I figured it was starting to go south.

GRB wrote:Voyager tasting this week at an instore

Their whites were pretty smart but I don't spend that sort of money on whites much. Notes are a bit thin but I didn't get there early enough to get a spot at the counter to wite on so only impressions from memory.

Voyager Estate Shiraz 2004 Deep red to purple in colour, nose was packed with fruit and really made me stand up and take notice of this wine. Lovely balanced palate with great depth of fruit and medium length oak in the background. Bought a couple of bottles to take home it is was fantastic with the italian sausage pasta as well. Will probably grab a 6 pack when finances allow.

Voyager Estate Cab Merlot 2002 Good gear but didn't ring my bells the way the Shiraz did and it is more expensive. Excellent effort from what was apparently a tough year.

Voyager Estate Cab Merlot 1999 This was put on to show how the wine looks with a couple of years on it, no longer available at retail. Starting to develop some secondary characters but this wine still has a long life ahead of it.

Glen,

Went to this also. Agreed ... very smart line up of wines and it was interesting to hear Cliff Royle's views on the wines and where he believes the Australian wine industry is heading. Also thought the 2004 Shiraz was pretty special but that 1999 CM was just devine. Glad I have a case of this in the cellar!

1996 Stonewell Shiraz, Peter Lehmann

Oak, oak and more oak. What a terrible way to kill such wonderful fruit. If it was up to me, I wouldn't let any of my premium grapes see more than 50% new oak..... these guys need to spend time in the Rhone to get the idea of what a good shiraz should taste like- its a real shame, given our fruit quality is genuinely second to none.
Rather one-dimensional, but I couldn't get past the idea this was a vanilla milkshake.
Drink: no idea, maybe from 2015??..................................80pts

1994 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz

Still pitch black, with little or no signs of age. Expressive nose, but the palate was a let-down, being rather simple and very short/clipped. Jury out on this one- try again in 10 years.
Drink: 2020-2030...........................................................88pts(?)

1982 Chateau Poujeaux

Wow.... now this is a wonderful, medium-bodied Bordeaux that shouts its origins- classic cedar, cigar box cassis, spice and anise. Great length and intensity. Certainly worth the wait and now a pointe
Drink: now-2015............................................................93pts

1991 Coriole Llyods Reserve Shiraz

It is wines like this that give me at least some hope that those oak bombs of the mid-90's may come around. This was all wood and vanilla 5-8 years ago, but the fruit has finally won the battle, and given us a mellow, long and complex red that is to be savoured over the next decade. A fine effort, and again worth the not inconsiderable wait.
Drink: now-2015..........................................................93pts

2003 Carpineto Rossi di Montepulciano DOC {$18, cork, 13%}
A solid dark garnet, the nose is of medium intensity and shows plenty of cherry, candied fruit, strawberry; so much so I'd assumed I was drinking some kind of grenache (tasting blind). The palate is dry, of medium weight, and adds the kind of savoury notes you'd expect from sangiovese (I gather Rossi di M. is often used as a kind of 'second wine' denominazione by those better known for their Vino Nobile di M. DOCG wines.). Moderate weight, respectable if not stunning length, quite warm finish yet not too alcoholic; a pleasant change from local offerings.
cheers,
Graeme

Clover Hill Pipers River Brut 2001
Pale straw in colour with vigorous small bubbles. Distinct aromas of apple are present, the wine is extremely refreshing and well balanced, controlled acidity and minerality combine with a touch of fruit and toasty characters.

Score: 8/10
Price: $35
Closure: Cork
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, this is a wine well suited for any special occasion.

Full Review

Other than the Voyager Estate instore tasting this week, Dad was down from Queensland so we managed to raid the cellar and have a few interesting bottles:

2002 Glaetzer Shiraz Nefertiti Barossa Valley
Crimson red in colour, this full-bodied wine displays aromas of dark berries and spice. The palate however is more oak than fruit. Although the rich, ripe fruit that is there is definitely first class, admitedly this wine tasted better on release. Now it is mostly wood. Hopefully it is going through a dumb phase, but I feel that the oak may end up strangling this wine in the long term. Pity really as it did have a lot of potential.

2002 Orlando Shiraz Gramps
Plenty of gold on the bottle ... it appears this wine was entered into every wine show around Australia, and came away with a few wins ... if that means anything to you! Very dark in colour. Lots of fruit and oak on the nose. The palate also has plenty of oak, but lots of rich plum fruit to support it. Very concentrated with plenty of tannin and acid. Action packed for AU$15 per bottle. Still a bit raw and young but better than the last bottle we had last year. I think I will give it at least another year to soften up a bit before I try another bottle.

2002 Seppelt Shiraz Original Sparkling Great Western
Very decent valued sparkling shiraz and now under crown seal. Can life get any better?

2001 Petersons Shiraz Old Block
??? This wine brings a blank ... although it was thick and chewy but you would expect that from Mudgee. No bad memories so it must have been ok. Last bottle so unfortunately cannot try again.

2005 Red Nectar Wines Shiraz
Can't remember too much about this one either, except thinking at the time that I preferred the 2005 cabernet over this wine. Will have to drink another bottle and find out why??

2002 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purple/red in colour this Coonawarra cabernet had a very distinctive nose of vanillin oak, mint and black fruit. The palate is very generous, filled with sweet blackcurrant, berry, and plum fruit. Great mouth feel, very smooth with some acid support and a firm finish of sandy tannins. It is still wound very tight but this 2002 is impressive even though from a generally considered weaker vintage in Coonawarra. Needs a bit of time to fully integrate (at least 5 years) but once it does, I feel this wine will not be the weakest link in a 10 year Majella vertical.

2005 Kalleske Clarry's Barossa Red
Consumed 3 bottles of this during the week which probably gives you some indication of what we thought of this wine. Deep red in colour this wine straight away displays a very strong nose of rich, ripe raspberry, plum and spice. And the palate conitnues this theme. This is a very flavoursome and beautifully balanced wine with a great mouth feel. Lots of ripe raspberry and plum coat the mouth with some spice and oak to round out the ride. A long finish of soft, fine grained tannins. If you like Grenache blends then this wine is for you. Plenty of up front rich fruit but well offset with the structure and balance the shiraz component provides. IMO this is a step up from the gorgeous 2004 release with more fruit, more flavour, more structure and therefore lots more enjoyment. A bargain for under AUS$20. Buy a case and drink this over the next 2-3 years with confidence. Kudo's to Troy Kalleske. Screwcap.

2004 Saltram Cabernet Sauvignon Mamre Brook
Do I need to say any more about this wine. If you haven't tasted this yet, make sure you do soon before it is sold out!

1998 Rosemount Estate Shiraz Show Reserve
Deep red in colour, this wine displayed a very ripe, jammy nose of plum, raisins, and black berries. The palate was more of the same, lots of rich, ripe black fruit in the 1998 style ... perhaps a bit too ripe for my tastes. Nothing really interesting, exciting or regional about this wine, just a wine you could take to a party or BBQ and 95% of the audience would love it. A crowd pleaser. Medium/long finish of full, ripe tannins. Nice wine which has definitely peaked and will not get any better. Drink over the next 2-3 years.

2002 Penny's Hill Shiraz 'Red Dot' Fleurieu Shiraz
Deep reddish/black in colour this wine had very strong black fruit aromas once the cork was popped. Lovely mouthfeel and plenty of upfront fruit with great oak use, this wine definitely continued to open up as the night progressed, initially finishing with some drying, chalky tannins, but these disappeared after an hour of air time and the finish was long, smooth and very enjoyable. Very Clare and very classy, this wine probably hasn't peaked but is close to do so. Could do with another year or so of bottle age and then will drink nicely for another 2-4 after that. Good stuff!

Annie’s Lane Clare Valley Coppertrail Shiraz 1999: quite elegant yet with typical Clare valley powerful fruit. Plenty of dark plum and blackberry and coffee with a smoky complexity. Drinking really well now but will easily hold for another 5 years.

Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2001: blackberry, mint and eucalypt with an underlying green herb note that added complexity rather than detracted from the wine. Finished with drying tannins. Quite good but not great.

Groom Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004: This is a seriously enjoyable wine. The nose showed a mix of licorice, vanilla and blackberries - very inviting. The palate displayed an array of ripe red/raspberry and blackberry fruit flavours with underplayed oak which shows a little background cedar. While ripe and generous in flavour, the wine remains elegant and fresh with no porty or warm alcohol characters - a testament to balanced Barossa Shiraz. Fine tannins frame this wine which is drinking excellently now but should be fantastic in 7-10 years time.

1996 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz
This bottle is covered with impressive gold medal awards, and they are from decent wine shows. Franky, the wine is not nearly as good as the 94, it is quite medicinal, and the wood stands out. Its still a good drink, and better than a lot of other SS. It could do with some more bottle age.

93 Mt Langi shiraz
If you have this in your cellar, its been there too long!
Its past its drink by date, and was undrinkable. I bought it when released, this was the last bottle.

02 Two Hands Lilys Garden Shiraz.
This wine was a joy to drink. Its everything about McLaren Vale Shiraz I like. Rich,great fruit, beautiful oak in the background, just great.

96 Rockford Cabernet
Not sure what to make of this wine. Its extremely variatal, and I think needs a lot more years to come around. The first night, it was a real battle, the second night a bit better, and the third night it was pretty good.
I think its too variatal and clinical for me, and will always be on the thin side that cabernets are sometimes, but others would probably love it.

97 Turkey Flat Cabernet
A pleasant surprise after the Rockford. Quite rich, and full bodied, but in balance, and a very good wine for the year.

A late addition;

2003 Louis Bernard Cotes-du-Rhone Villages {13.5%, cork, $16}
Garnet with ruby tints. Quite pronounced nose of strawberries and cherries; very grenache-like (70% I see from the label). Plenty of ripeness, as you'd expect from this vintage. Very dry, yet warm, a light-medium weight wine of good medium intensity, surpisingly astringent - although they're very much grape tannins, not oak. The palate's a little hollow, the mid-palate is missing in action a bit, and the length is medium at best. For the price it's not bad, and of course picks up with food.

cheers,
Graeme

Jordan wrote:Groom Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004: This is a seriously enjoyable wine. The nose showed a mix of licorice, vanilla and blackberries - very inviting. The palate displayed an array of ripe red/raspberry and blackberry fruit flavours with underplayed oak which shows a little background cedar. While ripe and generous in flavour, the wine remains elegant and fresh with no porty or warm alcohol characters - a testament to balanced Barossa Shiraz. Fine tannins frame this wine which is drinking excellently now but should be fantastic in 7-10 years time.

Jordan,

Absolutely agree with you on this wine. I enjoyed it so much I HAD to purchase more!

Andrew Jordan wrote:2005 Kalleske Clarry's Barossa Red
Consumed 3 bottles of this during the week which probably gives you some indication of what we thought of this wine. Deep red in colour this wine straight away displays a very strong nose of rich, ripe raspberry, plum and spice. And the palate conitnues this theme. This is a very flavoursome and beautifully balanced wine with a great mouth feel. Lots of ripe raspberry and plum coat the mouth with some spice and oak to round out the ride. A long finish of soft, fine grained tannins. If you like Grenache blends then this wine is for you. Plenty of up front rich fruit but well offset with the structure and balance the shiraz component provides. IMO this is a step up from the gorgeous 2004 release with more fruit, more flavour, more structure and therefore lots more enjoyment. A bargain for under AUS$20. Buy a case and drink this over the next 2-3 years with confidence. Kudo's to Troy Kalleske. Screwcap.

Andrew,

Wholly agree - we've grabbed this for our Friday evening staff drinks at work. Easy and soft style of drinking with good fruit to match. Trouble is, the guys like it too much

Cheers, Mark

Nice purchase Andrew, I think I am going to have a scrape a few pennies together to purchase at least 3 - after my latest indulgement : my 2004 Johan Georg arrived today! (now who is going to sacrifice their's to do a TN?? )

By the way Andrew, do you think the SOSS is worth a purchase to cellar or is it more of a drink now prospect?

Jordan wrote:Nice purchase Andrew, I think I am going to have a scrape a few pennies together to purchase at least 3 - after my latest indulgement : my 2004 Johan Georg arrived today! (now who is going to sacrifice their's to do a TN?? )

By the way Andrew, do you think the SOSS is worth a purchase to cellar or is it more of a drink now prospect?

Jordan,

Hope the scraping goes well. Although ... the '04 Johann is a tidy wine as well. Gavin kindly brought a bottle of this to dinner on our last Barossa trip and although we didn't take any notes, it was an exceptional wine. Not sure if it is as good as the '03 release, but definitely a wine I would like to have a couple of bottles in the cellar.

In regards to the SOSS, the crowl seal version is definitely a wine you could lose in the cellar for 5 or more years. We are drinking the 1996 release now and it has aged very well. I have purchased a case under crown and will not start drinking these for at least another 5 years. I will be interested to see how it compares to the 2002 Show release in about 8 years time .... if they last that long!