Its that time of the week again and after an almost AFWeek Marion, Lynne and I went out to Eschalot (in their new home in the old Colonial Inn Building at Berrima - eat your heart out Craig ) for a sumptuous dinner.
After having made notes of everything I had eaten and drunk whilst in SA it was time to kick back and relax, so no notes or impressions.
We started with a Primo Joseph FRS that was bloody glorious; one of the very best made in Oz.
That was followed by a Peter Lehmann 1994 Stonewell that has reached its peak. Its still shows a lot of oak but has enough fruit to carry it off. Tannins have softened and integrated but it will hold for years. No hurry to drink up.
I had opened a 96 Turkey Flat Shiraz that was suffering from bottle stink and after an hour in the decanter it had not blown off so decided to put it into the fridge for 24 hours to see what was going to happen to it and opened a back up instead.
The bottle of Jacobs Creek 1996 Limited Shiraz/cab was even better than the Stonewell. At its peak, it will also last for ages (and thank the Lord - this one want corked.)
We finished up with a Morris CD Release Tokay - bloody brilliant and terrific with desert.
2004 West Brook Chardonnay Reserve Blue Ridge - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough Quite impressive, in a similar mould to Te Mata Elston, with brisk lemony acidity, decent body, a touch of grapefruit and subtle creamy/nuttiness, all with a sensible degree of restraint, albeit with a relatively short finish. Impressed by this, although would love to give it a harsh (and maybe unfair) test by lining it up alongside the Elston.
2002 Bleasdale Frank Potts - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek Note on the remaining half left over from previous night - it was better on the first night.
Very rich deep purple in colour with a slight hint of age at the rim. On the nose powerful blackcurrant/blackberry dominates though there's some black cherry showing tonight. The palate is (typically) rich with the oak noticeable, but in a background role supporting a good depth of fruit. The acidity is refreshing and the finish has good length.
If anything this seems a little less complex tonight albeit still very enjoyable - on opening it was nearer to a big bowl of mixed ripe dark fruits with that sort of up-front complexity. I guess this re-inforces my feeling that there's not a lot to be gained by cellaring this wine - though I'm far from saying that's a problem!
A personal favourite wine, that's been pretty dependable over the years
The recent bad run of cork taint continued, with a Baileys 1904 Block Shiraz 1999 opening musty and rank, the winery responded the next day to an email and a current vintage replacement is on the way.
I opened my last bottle of Huntington Estate Shiraz/Cabernet 1995, but it didn't excite enough interest after a while in the glass so after a quick homage to Len Evans it went down the drain and a Kirrihill Clare Shiraz 2000 (cork) was opened and just made the grade, seemed fairly advanced for it's age, drink up I think.
Friday night at home with friends for home-cooked fish and chips resulted in an empty bottle of Laurent Perrier NV and my second last bottle of 1996 Rosemount Traditional. The Traditional was nicely mature, with a smooth and complex palate, a great wine to have with fillets of flathead, whiting and chips after an entree of sashimi tuna and Smokey Bay oysters with the bubbly.
Last night was hotplate barbecued Thai sausage (the long, coiled style, nice enough, but a pale imitation of the real northern Thai sausage) with stir-fried asian veges and a half-bottle of Rockford 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. This one seems to be advancing fairly quickly, maybe something to do with the cheap conglomerate (not diam) corks used? What is it with Rockford and corks?
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Pike and Joyce 2003 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir Varietal Adelaide Hills nose and palate - good colour, a tweak too much acid but over time, quite drinkable. Strong plummy notes and a slightly sherbety kick on the finish. Still good a couple of days later although some roasted sultana-ey oxidative characters had kicked in and actually helped mellow it out a bit oddly enough.
Ashton Hills 2005 Picaddilly Pinot Noir Tried again after a recent bottle - and I think this just needs some time to unwrap a bit. Quite big and uptight with hot plum and spice and earthy characters and although slightly bitter on the end palate, a nice drink.
Kooyong Massale 2005 Pinot Noir Soft, varietally obvious Mornington Peninsula characters. Great nose with lots of strawberry and maybe some cherry. Quite dark in colour, rounded, fuzzy gentle palate and slightly disconcerting finish - a bit short and tight. Easy to drink and will flesh out even more over the next year or three.
Majella The Musician Cabernet Shiraz 2004 Medium bodied, almost verging on light bodied. Quite different to the way I remember it previously. Spice, cloves, berries and an undercurrent of mentholly eucalypt. Classic Coonawarra definition although in a very unwound, relaxed style. Quite a delicious drink but I don't think built for the medium to long term. Showing virtually all of it's cards now. Good stuff.
Skilogalee Clare Valley 2005 Riesling Gentle palate, apple blossom, slightly lemony and other floral characters. Not at all minerally, steely or austere, just an easy drinking now wine.
... and way too much Kronenberg beer whilst watching the Crows go down to West Coast... ggaarrrhh
Opening a 1999 Lindemans Pyrus today which should be interesting... and a bunch of others so a part 2 list of tastings may follow...
[/b]
Cheers Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
Rockford 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon - Rifle Range.
I had a full bottle last night and enjoyed wine a great deal. Curious about the conglomerate cork in the half bottle, full has a normal cork.
When first opened very heavy with tanins but after 4 hours it settled down nicely. I found the wine to still be very young with alot of life left. Velvety on the palate, wonderful nose.
Nothing is so effective in keeping one young and full of lust as a discriminating palate thoroughly satisfied at least once a day.
04 Main Divide Riesling: 8.0% alcohol. I'm told this is not a good year for this wine. Mosel Saar Ruwer in NZ! This I straw coloured and showos fine bubble in the glass, and in the mouth that little spritz gives the wine a lovely freshness. A bit pongy reductive for a little while, but in a half hour, fresh green apple and gooseberry nose. The palate is light and refreshing with that spritz, which carries through a vibrant red apple, gooseberry, crunchy grape, floral, not-quite-ripe passionfruit freshness with some light herbal influence. A spine of acid just under the skin gives this the structure it needs, and the right amount of RS to flesh out a steely skeleton. Like it. 87/100
05 Dr Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling: The Slate of Bernkastel. Also 8.0% alcohol and kabinett ripeness, except something sweet and drink now. And that’s exactly what it is. Fresh and lively, creaming soda, banana, lychee, passionfruit sorbet, kaffir lime leaf are the flavours. Tropical fruit salad if you stretch a little. It is sweet, probably 20g/l or so. There is a tingle of acid, not a steely spine, more an aluminium spaceframe. Drink soon on a warm day, and/or with spicy Thai - like we are now. 85/100
And then there was the Bouchard tasting. No notes but some ripping wines, all 04's:
- Excellent white blend, 50% gewurtz but more spice than lychee, the pinot gris at 40% is not obtrusive and the 10% riesling gives it lovely crisp acidity. Haven't tried any of my bottles of this since cellar door in January, and the remaining bottles won't last long.
Yalumba, "The Virgilius" 2004 viognier, Eden Valley.
- Not sure about this. There was definite sulphur going on, and not blowing off or really reducing with time in glass. Had excellent colour and slippery mouthfeel, with good palate weight. A hint of extractive phenolics suggested some pressings, but not too much so. I much preferred the 2005 Clonakilla viognier, but this bottle may not have been in top form.
On to the reds. Had a lot of Spanish and some Portuguese gear in Melbourne during the week, but didn't get to take notes. Some other bottles included:
Charles Melton "Nine Popes" 2003 grenache blend, Barossa Valley 14.5%.
- This surprised me a great deal. It was opened for some visiting South Australians who like their reds (but usually drink shiraz). I wasn't quite sure it would be ready to go yet, but presented sweet fruits, mixed oak smells and tannins. Nothing jammy, nothing blocky. Concentrated fruit, but handled without over-extraction. Fine tannins carry the whole thing off. Drinking well now.
Symphonia "La Solista" 2004 tempranillo, King Valley, 13.7%.
- Made by Peter Read before the Symphonia label went over to Sam Miranda Wines, this is a good example of an Australian joven (young) tempranillo. It doesn't do cliched cherries, more some black fruits and a bell-clear note of blueberry. The tannins are background, as you'd expect, but the acid is well-judged. I've a bit of this left, and it should be drunk soon.
Kooyong "Massale" 2005 pinot noir, Mornington Penninsula, 13.5%.
- Didn't do much for me. Some varietal character and good colour, but verged on thin. Does not compare well with either the 2005 Hoddles Creek or the Coldstream Hills.
Mount Majura 2005 tempranillo, Canberra, 13.2%.
- Light colour, though not dilute. Red fruits on the nose and palate, a good length of flavour and tannin. A very different wine to the bigger 2003 and 2004 vintages, though without the choc-mint characters that are there in the 2003. This will age well, possibly into the leather end of the tempranillo spectrum, if the fruit holds up. Minimal oak.
Marius "Symphony" 2004 shraz, McLaren Vale, 14.5%
- My first bottle from Marius and it was a cracker. Blossomed in the decanter into deep but lifted red-black fruits. No alcohol heat on the back palate or finish, just good length and extract. Extended barrel ageing has served this well. Great stuff, and looking forward to the last 2 glasses from the bottle tonight.
Saltram Metala White Label Shiraz Cab 04 Not as nice as the 02 but good value on discount @ $13.95.
Mitolo The Jester Cabernet 04 Nice. Big. Ripe dark fruits, some licorice and cassis, ripe tannins and a good length finish. Very good value @ $18.95.
Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 02 Straight after opening, this didn't really appeal - more oak than I've been used to recently. By the end of the bottle the fruit had soaked up most of the oak and it was very typically Barossan ripe, plummy fruit that was almost too sweet. Lengthy finish. I'll leave the other few bottles to hibernate for another year or so before trying the next one. Toss up between this and the Jester for WOTW. Excellent value @ $16.95.
Stonehaven Hidden Sea Cabernet 02 Up front the fruit seems a bit confected before cassis, dark berries appear. There's a noticeable mid-palate dip that moves to the start of some dusty, slightly green tannins that are joined by cassis on the lengthy finish. Very good value @ $13.95.
This was given to me as a tasting sample on new release. Having not tried a straight merlot for a number of years, I did not know what to expect. Lovely ripe currants, almost ‘Ribena juice’ on the nose. Ripe plum and currant flavours on the palate, medium weight, not what I would call a real full bodied wine. Slight hint of vanilla oak with velvety smooth tannins, with a long smooth finish. This wine represents really good value at $10 ex Cellar Door. Not sure of its aging potential, however a good drink now.
2004 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro. Tight as the proverbial. Open for an hour. The nose had some VA, some very distant chocolate, a little pepper, black cherry and aniseed - all very subtle. Another 24 hours and a lot more chocolate and aniseed, some vague dark fruit and some pretty grippy tannins, a luxurious texture and a lingering sweetness. I am not thinkng of trying another bottle for 5 years plus.
Two Coonawarra Shirazs from the late 90s over the weekend
Riddoch Shiraz 1998 Typical Coonawarra shiraz ,showing plenty of blackfruit and dusty tannins. Wish I had put away a few more of these as they are turning out to be bargains with plenty of life left in them
Wynns Shiraz 1999 In my opinion the last presentable white lable for a few vintages. Right in its drinking window with some spicy flavours matched with some black fruits and a hint of pepper. A tad short on the back palate but good value. Not as enjoyable as the Ridoch.
Daryl Douglas wrote: Saltram Metala White Label Shiraz Cab 04 Not as nice as the 02 but good value on discount @ $13.95.
Mitolo The Jester Cabernet 04 Nice. Big. Ripe dark fruits, some licorice and cassis, ripe tannins and a good length finish. Very good value @ $18.95.
Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 02 Straight after opening, this didn't really appeal - more oak than I've been used to recently. By the end of the bottle the fruit had soaked up most of the oak and it was very typically Barossan ripe, plummy fruit that was almost too sweet. Lengthy finish. I'll leave the other few bottles to hibernate for another year or so before trying the next one. Toss up between this and the Jester for WOTW. Excellent value @ $16.95.
Stonehaven Hidden Sea Cabernet 02 Up front the fruit seems a bit confected before cassis, dark berries appear. There's a noticeable mid-palate dip that moves to the start of some dusty, slightly green tannins that are joined by cassis on the lengthy finish. Very good value @ $13.95.
Daryl Douglas wrote: Saltram Metala White Label Shiraz Cab 04 Not as nice as the 02 but good value on discount @ $13.95.
Mitolo The Jester Cabernet 04 Nice. Big. Ripe dark fruits, some licorice and cassis, ripe tannins and a good length finish. Very good value @ $18.95.
Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 02 Straight after opening, this didn't really appeal - more oak than I've been used to recently. By the end of the bottle the fruit had soaked up most of the oak and it was very typically Barossan ripe, plummy fruit that was almost too sweet. Lengthy finish. I'll leave the other few bottles to hibernate for another year or so before trying the next one. Toss up between this and the Jester for WOTW. Excellent value @ $16.95.
Stonehaven Hidden Sea Cabernet 02 Up front the fruit seems a bit confected before cassis, dark berries appear. There's a noticeable mid-palate dip that moves to the start of some dusty, slightly green tannins that are joined by cassis on the lengthy finish. Very good value @ $13.95.
Well....$16.95. Bought one to try, went back to get the 3 I had held for me the next day, the rest gone within another day or two. Cheapest comparison I could find was Bert's $24.99 for the 03.
I think someone made a mistake - or they just wanted to clear it. The barn has some local specials that are pretty good at times.
Marius Symposium 2005 Typical Marius shiraz with the mourvedre adding some earthing meaty flavours and more tannin than the straight Shiraz. Has some interesting complexity but needs time to settle down a bit.
Fox Creek Shiraz Grenache 2004 Nice medium bodied wine with the grenache adding some fruit sweetness and spices overlaying some good shiraz good juice.
Peter Lehmann 'The Mudflat' Shiraz Muscadelle 2002 This is quite an interesting combination with the muscadelle adding some interesting complexity to the shiraz. Was a nice drop on the first night but fell away badly over the next 2 nights as the muscadelle dominated the shiraz and became quite unpleasant. I have another bottle of this but am not sure where it is heading in the future.
And with the warm weather hitting Sydney on the weekend a bottle of SOSS was a must.
Glen[/b]
Winner of the inaugural RB cork-count competition
Runner up RB-NTDIR competition
Runner up TORB TN competition
Leave of absence second RB c-c competition
Wonga Estate Heathcote Shiraz 2004 Excellent wine, drinking well now, yet still has a lots of development to come. Like this a lot.
Shadowfax McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002 Lovely wine, enjoyed this very much, nice structure and also has plenty of time to develop.
Wolf Blass Grey Label Cabernet Sav 2004 Nice wine, took a while in the decanter to reveal parts of itself. I think it needs a few more years yet before I can get a handle on it. Structurally ok, but the jury is still out.[/b]
) for a sumptuous dinner.
