A lovely setting. Great and distinguished company. Enjoyable food.
I thought I might post just a few TN's, from memory.
2001 Patricia Pinot Noir Chardonnay
This surprised a few, crisp acidity, lemon, yeast and brioche. Creamy mouthfeel, but dry to the last drop. A good start to the evening.
2006 Tim Adams Clare Riesling
Thoroughly deserved to win the Hyatt International Riesling Challenge.
Pale straw colour. Lemon and Lime, honeysuckle, cream, and already starting to show some petrol. Whiff of smoke, and some slatey minerality. Lovely acidity. Will improve over the next 5 years (or more). Very varietal.
2006 Kanta Riesling (Adelaide Hills)
The Egon has landed!
Even paler straw. Crisp and crunchy acid, lemon, lime, some gunsmoke, kerosene, and a hint of diesel. A little raw edged, but still very nice. Give it a few years.
2005 Serrat Chardonnay (Yarra Valley)
This went superbly with the entree of bug tail.
Very very pale, grapefruit, melon, pears, cashew nuts, a little yeast, and crisp mineral acid. Complex mouthfeel, delicate fruit, elegant, but at the same time powerful. A lovely "New World" chardonnay.
1983 Puligny-Montrachet "White Burgundy" (I apologise for not getting the full name down)
I have a daughter as old as this wine!
A lovely golden colour, and still crystal clear. A heady nose of varnish, shoe polish. On the palate - woody and nutty, cashews, but reduced fruit, rotting bananas. A very different experience for me, not sure I would go back for more. Did open up after 1-2 hours.
Nayan's Auxerrois Blanc (again apologies)
Muted floral elements on the nose, musky.
An unusual, but enjoyable mouthfeel, creamy, nutty, and "warm". Bland citrussy fruit, minimal acid. Warm and fuzzy in the mouth!
More later....
[edit: corrected Auxerrois tasting note]
Adelaide Off-Line 28/04/2007 - some TN's
1998 Noon's Eclipse
I was expecting a "hedonistic fruit bomb" but was pleasantly surprised by the elegance, complexity, and suppleness of ths wine. Classic Shiraz red berries, black fruit, plums and blackberries, mocha and coffee, fine and soft tannins, long finish, just a hint of sweetness.
2004 Kaesler W.O.M.S.
Wow! Heady aromas of violets, blackberries and cherries. Huge mouthfeel, rich ripe fruit. Still firm tannins, long finish. A very big Barossa Shiraz.
1997 Lakes Folly Cabernets (en magnum)
Very earthy and leathery, and herbal. Light and (I thought) lacking in fruit. Past its peak and ?bretty? Disappointed
2003 Chateau Lagrange
Very "New World".
Cassis, berries, briars and tobacco leaf. Tannins starting to soften. What it lacks in structure it makes up for with pristine fruit.
... more later
I was expecting a "hedonistic fruit bomb" but was pleasantly surprised by the elegance, complexity, and suppleness of ths wine. Classic Shiraz red berries, black fruit, plums and blackberries, mocha and coffee, fine and soft tannins, long finish, just a hint of sweetness.
2004 Kaesler W.O.M.S.
Wow! Heady aromas of violets, blackberries and cherries. Huge mouthfeel, rich ripe fruit. Still firm tannins, long finish. A very big Barossa Shiraz.
1997 Lakes Folly Cabernets (en magnum)
Very earthy and leathery, and herbal. Light and (I thought) lacking in fruit. Past its peak and ?bretty? Disappointed
2003 Chateau Lagrange
Very "New World".
Cassis, berries, briars and tobacco leaf. Tannins starting to soften. What it lacks in structure it makes up for with pristine fruit.
... more later
The second Auswine offline for the year was held at Soho Restaurant (73 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide) - last year I had a fantastic dinner with the Blacktongues in the undercover courtyard, so I knew this would be something special.
This time there were 12 attending and we were lucky enough to have a private room - the food and service were superb as usual, the timing matching our attempt this time to have a reasonably structured tasting perfectly. It made for a surprisingly well balanced and paced evening, and the three Chardonnays were a perfect match for the signature Morton Bay bug entrée.
My thanks go to Bradley & Peta Kirkman and the staff for looking after us so well, and for everyone there from the forum who shared some fantastic wines and more than a few laughs along the way.
2001 Brown Bros. Patricia Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay: Pale straw colour with a good mousse. Developed nose that’s bready with some candied/orange characters with a solid citrus spine. The palate has a creamy entry followed by well-weighted citrus fruit, finishing crisp but with a wonderfully bready/nutty rebound; a very good balance of freshness and some aged characters, and a perfect start to the evening.
2006 Tim Adams Clare Valley Riesling: Very pale straw/green. A beautiful nose that’s appears like a perfect splice between young Clare lime/blossom/mineral & Eden Valley waxy/grassy/lemon characters. The palate’s just as pristine but pure Clare with juicy lime fruit and minerality, finishing crisp with excellent balance – this is the best 2006 Riesling I’ve tried so far.
2006 Kanta Adelaide Hills Riesling: Pale straw/green. Spicy nose, sweet and grassy with a touch of ginger; the palate is just a bit more grassy and slightly creamy with a touch of vanilla, finishing long and very dry. I like this one better than the 2005 we tried last year.
2003 Mt. Langi Ghiran Auxerrois Blanc: Very mineraly/powdery nose compared to the previous two wines, but there’s also some fragrant talc/blossom. The palate was spicy and sweet with some grass/lime mid-palate, finishing very spicy – this was the best match for the bread & olive tapenade.
1983 Madame Jean Bachelet Sous Le Puits, Puligny-Montrachet: Dark gold/amber. Gorgeous nutty/spicy aromas at first, opening up in the glass to become quite rich and buttery, then smelling like sea shells plucked straight off a sandy beach. The palate was even more impressive, very soft, rich, nutty and buttery finishing long and just a little smoky. This was actually better when I checked it at home prior to going, but it was still a marvellous wine that still drunk well at the very end of the night and WWOTN for me. After being wowed by this David told me I now have to hunt down a real Montrachet to try!
2004 Coldstream Hills Yarra Valley Chardonnay: Bright straw/green. Quite an oaky nose with good whack of yeast and a touch of passionfruit to go with it; the palate’s a lot better, with rich/fat melon fruit matched to the nutty oak, finishing long and extremely buttery. The poor man’s Yattarna perhaps? (the old version)
2005 Serrat (Close-planted) Yarra Valley Chardonnay: Bright straw/green. Very yeasty at first with a fair dose of sulphur still there; with breathing it blew off and was very impressive, with white peach and mineral characters on the nose, and a tight but creamy/yeasty palate, finishing long and very elegant.
2004 Tscharke The Master Barossa Montepulciano: Dark to very inky red/purple. Whatever the grape, you couldn’t mistake this for anything but a ripe Barossa red, the nose a powerful mix of dark chocolate and a salad of red berries with some toast. The slippery palate’s the same story, dark, slightly smoky chocolate and sweet, ripe blackberry, it’s just ridiculously easy to knock back. This went well with the sparkling shiraz sorbet palate refresher.
1997 Lakes Folly Hunter Valley Cabernets (magnum #1914): Very dark red/crimson with a pink rim. This looked okay when I opened it at home but by the time it was served the brett was really starting to kick in, the nose changing between cherry cordial, metallic characters and bandaids, settling for the latter the majority of the time. The palate wasn’t as bad, barely mid-weight at most with dry cherry fruit and some mushroom characters, finishing fine and slightly metallic. Despite what I said it was still drinkable, but well and truly outclassed here.
1990 Lindemans St. George Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark, blood red. Lifted mint and leafy/blackcurrant aromas dominate the nose with some herbs/liquorice with breathing. Dry/puckery entry to the palate followed by a good depth of strong blackcurrant fruit, finishing long and sweet. This seemed pretty consistent with the bottles we had at Blacktongues the end of last year, maybe just a tad drier.
1990 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz: Dark red/brick with an orange rim. Quite an oxidised nose, very leathery with just a bit of tomato; the palate’s fractionally better, a little smoky with some raspberry fruit left on the palate, before completely drying out on the finish. This was past it, but that shouldn’t be that surprising either.
1998 Noon Eclipse: Dark to very inky red/purple, a fantastic colour for a nine year old. A powerhouse of a nose, very rich and fruity/chocolaty with lashings of ripe blackberry and vanilla, all translated to the equally full-throttle palate with a little coffee on the finish and most surprisingly no heat despite being 15.7% alcohol. This was stunningly flamboyant but never threatened to go over the top and had a real structure and purpose, the most impressive and surprising Noon’s wine I’ve tried.
2003 Chateau Lagrange, 3me cru Classe, St. Julien: Dark, blood red. Fresh raspberries and black pepper, mid-weight and rather simple and lacklustre; disappointing, but maybe coming after the Noon’s didn’t help.
2001 La Testa McLaren Vale Shiraz: Dark to very inky red with a hint of purple. This was another nice surprise, quite an exotic nose of smoky bacon/hickory matched to sweet blackberry fruit. Spicy/peppery palate with very sweet, almost syrupy blueberry/blackberry fruit, again a little smoky and finishing with milled white pepper.
1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red. Minty nose featuring some capsicum, tomato and peppermint; chalky entry followed by solid raspberry/cassis fruit finishing very long with dry, gum-draining tannins. I’ve struck two distinct types/phases of the 1998 Wynns in the past, either very thin, dry and green or uber-rich and ripe: this seemed to be somewhere in between, probably more towards the better ones I’ve tried, although that’s a while ago now.
2004 Kaesler W.O.M.S.: Dark to very inky red/purple. I found the nose a little reserved at first; very ripe, simmering blackberries, toast and vanilla. The palate’s anything but subtle though, an absolute SledgeHammer of syrupy/toasty blackberry fruit, 15.5% alcohol and huge black olive tannins, the weight overwhelming and the finish peppery.
2002 Eldredge Gilt Edge Shiraz: Dark to very inky red/purple. Very extracted nose of ripe blackberries with some nail polish remover (EA), later nutty/coffee oak. Volatile palate with those EA characters again ahead of the ripe/chocolaty fruit, finishing with vanilla and caramel. This looked really over-extracted/over-oaked, but Nayan did point out it had a suspect cork and was taking the rest of it back for a replacement. We don’t seem to have much luck with Eldredge at these offlines…
2003 Glaymond The Distance Shiraz: Dark to inky red. Another blockbuster nose of ripe blackberry backed with lashings of spicy/vanillin oak, later some coffee and hot tar/rubber. Not surprisingly the palate’s likewise pushing the boundaries of just how much sweet red fruit and toast/vanilla can be possibly crammed in, bordering going over the top.
1992 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec: Dark to inky red. Coming after the three previous monsters this looked pretty reserved and a little sulky, the cassis fruit deeply set with some pen ink and tomato characters. Tannins dominate the palate, the surprisingly ripe cherry/blackberry pushed right to the very back, the finish long and impressive but the total effect lacklustre and totally outclassed by the following wine.
1994 Grant Burge Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum): Dark red. Classic nose of smoky cedar/cigar box, tart blackcurrants and a touch of menthol and black pepper. The palate’s full bodied, fully ripe and yet elegant and perfectly balanced, the fruit bouncing between raspberry/tart blackcurrants, the structure grainy and slightly chalky, the spicy oak always in the background and the finish velvety. This was my clear RWOTN and considering how much we drank, the magnum contents disappeared surprisingly quickly – then again, maybe not!
2004 Coriole Fortified Shiraz (375ml): Very dirty/toasty charred nose; ripe but slightly tart liquorice and earth on the palate, a real disappointment compared to the inaugural ‘accidental’ 2002 vintage.
2004 Winter Creek Vintage Port (375ml): This is much better, the minty/freshly scrubbed fruit with just a hint of liniment like an excellent McLaren Vale VP. The palate’s full of clean, sweet/minty fruit with lashings of liquorice, length and classy spirit. There’s a real consistency in David & Pam’s efforts: the 2005 & 2006 are just as good as this little cracker.
Berri Estate Botrytis Semillon (500ml): Dark amber/orange. This is in the same exotic ‘genie’ shaped bottle as the Tintara equivalent and is just as yummy; sweet/buttery citrus fruit with a good dash of honey and orange marmalade, and a long buttery aftertaste.
Joseph Sparkling Red NV: Mid red colour. Mid-weight with good clean/ripe raspberry fruit, a rather refreshing style to finish off with although it lacks the oomph of the following wine, which has always been a personal favourite.
1996 Yalumba D Black Sparkling Cabernet Shiraz (2nd disgorgement): Dark red. Darker, richer, smokier and far more chocolaty than the Joseph, this wine’s freshness, weight and class is remarkable, the length and soft finish absolutely stunning.
Cheers
Ian
This time there were 12 attending and we were lucky enough to have a private room - the food and service were superb as usual, the timing matching our attempt this time to have a reasonably structured tasting perfectly. It made for a surprisingly well balanced and paced evening, and the three Chardonnays were a perfect match for the signature Morton Bay bug entrée.
My thanks go to Bradley & Peta Kirkman and the staff for looking after us so well, and for everyone there from the forum who shared some fantastic wines and more than a few laughs along the way.
2001 Brown Bros. Patricia Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay: Pale straw colour with a good mousse. Developed nose that’s bready with some candied/orange characters with a solid citrus spine. The palate has a creamy entry followed by well-weighted citrus fruit, finishing crisp but with a wonderfully bready/nutty rebound; a very good balance of freshness and some aged characters, and a perfect start to the evening.
2006 Tim Adams Clare Valley Riesling: Very pale straw/green. A beautiful nose that’s appears like a perfect splice between young Clare lime/blossom/mineral & Eden Valley waxy/grassy/lemon characters. The palate’s just as pristine but pure Clare with juicy lime fruit and minerality, finishing crisp with excellent balance – this is the best 2006 Riesling I’ve tried so far.
2006 Kanta Adelaide Hills Riesling: Pale straw/green. Spicy nose, sweet and grassy with a touch of ginger; the palate is just a bit more grassy and slightly creamy with a touch of vanilla, finishing long and very dry. I like this one better than the 2005 we tried last year.
2003 Mt. Langi Ghiran Auxerrois Blanc: Very mineraly/powdery nose compared to the previous two wines, but there’s also some fragrant talc/blossom. The palate was spicy and sweet with some grass/lime mid-palate, finishing very spicy – this was the best match for the bread & olive tapenade.
1983 Madame Jean Bachelet Sous Le Puits, Puligny-Montrachet: Dark gold/amber. Gorgeous nutty/spicy aromas at first, opening up in the glass to become quite rich and buttery, then smelling like sea shells plucked straight off a sandy beach. The palate was even more impressive, very soft, rich, nutty and buttery finishing long and just a little smoky. This was actually better when I checked it at home prior to going, but it was still a marvellous wine that still drunk well at the very end of the night and WWOTN for me. After being wowed by this David told me I now have to hunt down a real Montrachet to try!
2004 Coldstream Hills Yarra Valley Chardonnay: Bright straw/green. Quite an oaky nose with good whack of yeast and a touch of passionfruit to go with it; the palate’s a lot better, with rich/fat melon fruit matched to the nutty oak, finishing long and extremely buttery. The poor man’s Yattarna perhaps? (the old version)
2005 Serrat (Close-planted) Yarra Valley Chardonnay: Bright straw/green. Very yeasty at first with a fair dose of sulphur still there; with breathing it blew off and was very impressive, with white peach and mineral characters on the nose, and a tight but creamy/yeasty palate, finishing long and very elegant.
2004 Tscharke The Master Barossa Montepulciano: Dark to very inky red/purple. Whatever the grape, you couldn’t mistake this for anything but a ripe Barossa red, the nose a powerful mix of dark chocolate and a salad of red berries with some toast. The slippery palate’s the same story, dark, slightly smoky chocolate and sweet, ripe blackberry, it’s just ridiculously easy to knock back. This went well with the sparkling shiraz sorbet palate refresher.
1997 Lakes Folly Hunter Valley Cabernets (magnum #1914): Very dark red/crimson with a pink rim. This looked okay when I opened it at home but by the time it was served the brett was really starting to kick in, the nose changing between cherry cordial, metallic characters and bandaids, settling for the latter the majority of the time. The palate wasn’t as bad, barely mid-weight at most with dry cherry fruit and some mushroom characters, finishing fine and slightly metallic. Despite what I said it was still drinkable, but well and truly outclassed here.
1990 Lindemans St. George Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark, blood red. Lifted mint and leafy/blackcurrant aromas dominate the nose with some herbs/liquorice with breathing. Dry/puckery entry to the palate followed by a good depth of strong blackcurrant fruit, finishing long and sweet. This seemed pretty consistent with the bottles we had at Blacktongues the end of last year, maybe just a tad drier.
1990 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz: Dark red/brick with an orange rim. Quite an oxidised nose, very leathery with just a bit of tomato; the palate’s fractionally better, a little smoky with some raspberry fruit left on the palate, before completely drying out on the finish. This was past it, but that shouldn’t be that surprising either.
1998 Noon Eclipse: Dark to very inky red/purple, a fantastic colour for a nine year old. A powerhouse of a nose, very rich and fruity/chocolaty with lashings of ripe blackberry and vanilla, all translated to the equally full-throttle palate with a little coffee on the finish and most surprisingly no heat despite being 15.7% alcohol. This was stunningly flamboyant but never threatened to go over the top and had a real structure and purpose, the most impressive and surprising Noon’s wine I’ve tried.
2003 Chateau Lagrange, 3me cru Classe, St. Julien: Dark, blood red. Fresh raspberries and black pepper, mid-weight and rather simple and lacklustre; disappointing, but maybe coming after the Noon’s didn’t help.
2001 La Testa McLaren Vale Shiraz: Dark to very inky red with a hint of purple. This was another nice surprise, quite an exotic nose of smoky bacon/hickory matched to sweet blackberry fruit. Spicy/peppery palate with very sweet, almost syrupy blueberry/blackberry fruit, again a little smoky and finishing with milled white pepper.
1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red. Minty nose featuring some capsicum, tomato and peppermint; chalky entry followed by solid raspberry/cassis fruit finishing very long with dry, gum-draining tannins. I’ve struck two distinct types/phases of the 1998 Wynns in the past, either very thin, dry and green or uber-rich and ripe: this seemed to be somewhere in between, probably more towards the better ones I’ve tried, although that’s a while ago now.
2004 Kaesler W.O.M.S.: Dark to very inky red/purple. I found the nose a little reserved at first; very ripe, simmering blackberries, toast and vanilla. The palate’s anything but subtle though, an absolute SledgeHammer of syrupy/toasty blackberry fruit, 15.5% alcohol and huge black olive tannins, the weight overwhelming and the finish peppery.
2002 Eldredge Gilt Edge Shiraz: Dark to very inky red/purple. Very extracted nose of ripe blackberries with some nail polish remover (EA), later nutty/coffee oak. Volatile palate with those EA characters again ahead of the ripe/chocolaty fruit, finishing with vanilla and caramel. This looked really over-extracted/over-oaked, but Nayan did point out it had a suspect cork and was taking the rest of it back for a replacement. We don’t seem to have much luck with Eldredge at these offlines…
2003 Glaymond The Distance Shiraz: Dark to inky red. Another blockbuster nose of ripe blackberry backed with lashings of spicy/vanillin oak, later some coffee and hot tar/rubber. Not surprisingly the palate’s likewise pushing the boundaries of just how much sweet red fruit and toast/vanilla can be possibly crammed in, bordering going over the top.
1992 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec: Dark to inky red. Coming after the three previous monsters this looked pretty reserved and a little sulky, the cassis fruit deeply set with some pen ink and tomato characters. Tannins dominate the palate, the surprisingly ripe cherry/blackberry pushed right to the very back, the finish long and impressive but the total effect lacklustre and totally outclassed by the following wine.
1994 Grant Burge Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum): Dark red. Classic nose of smoky cedar/cigar box, tart blackcurrants and a touch of menthol and black pepper. The palate’s full bodied, fully ripe and yet elegant and perfectly balanced, the fruit bouncing between raspberry/tart blackcurrants, the structure grainy and slightly chalky, the spicy oak always in the background and the finish velvety. This was my clear RWOTN and considering how much we drank, the magnum contents disappeared surprisingly quickly – then again, maybe not!
2004 Coriole Fortified Shiraz (375ml): Very dirty/toasty charred nose; ripe but slightly tart liquorice and earth on the palate, a real disappointment compared to the inaugural ‘accidental’ 2002 vintage.
2004 Winter Creek Vintage Port (375ml): This is much better, the minty/freshly scrubbed fruit with just a hint of liniment like an excellent McLaren Vale VP. The palate’s full of clean, sweet/minty fruit with lashings of liquorice, length and classy spirit. There’s a real consistency in David & Pam’s efforts: the 2005 & 2006 are just as good as this little cracker.
Berri Estate Botrytis Semillon (500ml): Dark amber/orange. This is in the same exotic ‘genie’ shaped bottle as the Tintara equivalent and is just as yummy; sweet/buttery citrus fruit with a good dash of honey and orange marmalade, and a long buttery aftertaste.
Joseph Sparkling Red NV: Mid red colour. Mid-weight with good clean/ripe raspberry fruit, a rather refreshing style to finish off with although it lacks the oomph of the following wine, which has always been a personal favourite.
1996 Yalumba D Black Sparkling Cabernet Shiraz (2nd disgorgement): Dark red. Darker, richer, smokier and far more chocolaty than the Joseph, this wine’s freshness, weight and class is remarkable, the length and soft finish absolutely stunning.
Cheers
Ian
Last edited by n4sir on Thu May 03, 2007 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
Grand Cru wrote:12 people, 24 bottles + fortifies & sticky
Damned fine effort on those taking part, well done indeed and looked a cracking line up too!
Yeah, no wonder I had a hang over the next morning (mind you the extra pints of pale-ale I guzzled when I stopped off in Victoria Sq on the way home probably didn't help
)Cheers
-Mark Wickman
WICKMAN'S FINE WINE AUCTIONS
FREE membership, LOWEST auction commissions in Australia.
Now accepting wine for our next auction.
http://www.wickman.net.au
Twitter: @WickWine
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-Mark Wickman
WICKMAN'S FINE WINE AUCTIONS
FREE membership, LOWEST auction commissions in Australia.
Now accepting wine for our next auction.
http://www.wickman.net.au
Twitter: @WickWine
YouTube: WickWineAuction
Great night of wines at SOHO
Didn't take a note for the
2001 Brown Bros. Patricia Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay but found it had refreshing acid and good weight of fruit. An enjoyable start.
Kanta Adelaide Hills Riesling 2006
Sweet florals and spicy citrus fruit nose. Chewy yet slightly creamy texture with a little tinned pineapple, spicy pears, some lime with a chalky, flinty finish showing great length. I would like to see it in a few years but it is very enjoyable now.
Tim Adam’s Clare Valley Riesling 2006
Great contrast to the Kanta. Classic Clare valley style with some floral notes on the nose with underlying scent of lime peel. The palate shows classic slate like minerality and long linear lemon/lime with crisp acidity. Excellent Riesling.
Mt Langi Ghiran Auxerrois Blanc 2003
Spicy palate with underlying sweetness showing some grassy characteristics. A little short through the finish. Not a wine I would choose to drink regularly but interesting to have a look at.
Coldstream Hills Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004
Scents of tropical fruit, think strong passionfruit, and some malty oak. Palate showed more integrated toasty oak exerting a nutty flavour with generous sweet melon and stone fruits. Good length with a creamy vanilla and butter finish.
Serrat Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2005
Minerally, nectarines, a little melon and some nutty oak but very much in the background. I really liked the mineral-like, elegant style and the crisp acidity. Great contrast to the Coldstream Hills in style.
Madame Jean Bachelet Sous Le Puits Puligny-Montrachet 1983
First time I have had a white from my birth year and enjoyed he experience very much. The wine’s bouquet brought immediate interest with toasted nuts, coffee grounds, and toast. The palate exhibited rich creamy butter, hazelnut and cashew and toasty notes. There was still enough acid to carry the wine. Great experience.
Tscharke “The Master†Montepulciano 2004
Full on, full bodied wine with vanilla and stewed fruits on the nose. The palate had plenty of generous blackberries, some dark chocolate and a fair whack of oak. Easy to drink if you like warm, big oaky reds. I liked it for what it was.
Lakes Folly Cabernets 1997 (Magnum)
Unfortunately brett affected. Wasn’t so bad that you couldn’t drink it but with the amount of bottles being passed around other wines demanded more attention.
Lindemans St. George Cab Sav 1990
This was up there as RWOTN for me – but I have been on a bit of a cabernet bent lately. A mulchy, wet earth nose with minty dried herbs and some sweet blackberry mixed in. A well integrated, developed palate showing a core sweet cassis fruit with savoury notes of tobacco, cedar and dried herbs. Good length and balance.
Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 1990
This seemed a little past its best for me. Light cherry and raspberry fruit, coffee oak and leather characters. Very drinkable but over the hill IMO.
Chateau Lagrange, 3me cru, St Estephe 2003
I wasn’t sure what to make of this wine. Plenty of sweet fruit – cassis, mulberry and touches of raspberry. Some earthy notes too. Wasn’t as tannic or structured as I would have expected. Nice wine though and maybe a bit out of place with the bigger fruited Aus wines.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cab Sav 1998
Blackberry jam and mint on the nose. Palate showed a huge depth of dark cassis fruit with notes of black olive. Huge tannins draw through the finish. Not giving a lot at the moment. Still needs time to come together.
Classic McLaren La Testa Shiraz 2001
Aromas of soy, mocha and blackberry emerge from the glass. The palate shows a full bodied ripe McLaren Vale Shiraz with pepper, spice, dark chocolate and ripe liquered plum and blackberries. Nice blend of sweet fruit and spice.
Glaymond “The Distance†Shiraz 2003
Super charged shiraz packing in super ripe/porty fruit and sweet vanilla oak. Warm and stylistically ripe but also a product of the 2003 vintage
Noon Eclipse 1998
Expectantly ripe and slickly oaked but showing balance and no signs of excessive alcohol. Generous in sweet fruit and touches of vanilla and coffee. I found the finish a little porty but still a very good wine in its style.
Kaesler W.O.M.S Cab Shiraz 2004
This was a monster. It saw 4 hours in the decanter in the afternoon and barely moved on the night. Nose was a little mute but a bit of swirling coaxed out ripe raspberry and blackberry with vanilla and toasty, spicy oak. The palate showed great depth and persistence in sweet blackberry and raspberry but very fruit forward without much else coming through. Needs years more to develop – if it will.
Wendouree Cabernet Malbec 1992
This seemed a little flat on the night – tannin, a little acid, red fruits and some menthol and leafy character. Nothing wrong, just a bit insubstantial.
Grant Burge Shadrach Cab Sav 1994 (Magnum)
This showed fantastic balance and was another contender for RWOTN. Blackcurrant, mint, tobacco and cedar on the nose. The palate showed great balance and integration of ripe fruit and savoury characteristics in a full bodied style. I have never been a great fan of Shardach but this is the finest bottle that I have seen.
I didn’t take notes for the stickies but very much enjoyed the 2004 Winter Creek Vintage Port. Similarly, didn’t take notes on the final sparkling reds but the Joseph and the Yalumba D were both quite fantastic.
Thanks to Ian for the organisation of the night, SOHO for the food and service and everyone for bringing along an interesting array of wines. Great meting everyone and hope to catch up at the next offline.
Didn't take a note for the
2001 Brown Bros. Patricia Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay but found it had refreshing acid and good weight of fruit. An enjoyable start.
Kanta Adelaide Hills Riesling 2006
Sweet florals and spicy citrus fruit nose. Chewy yet slightly creamy texture with a little tinned pineapple, spicy pears, some lime with a chalky, flinty finish showing great length. I would like to see it in a few years but it is very enjoyable now.
Tim Adam’s Clare Valley Riesling 2006
Great contrast to the Kanta. Classic Clare valley style with some floral notes on the nose with underlying scent of lime peel. The palate shows classic slate like minerality and long linear lemon/lime with crisp acidity. Excellent Riesling.
Mt Langi Ghiran Auxerrois Blanc 2003
Spicy palate with underlying sweetness showing some grassy characteristics. A little short through the finish. Not a wine I would choose to drink regularly but interesting to have a look at.
Coldstream Hills Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004
Scents of tropical fruit, think strong passionfruit, and some malty oak. Palate showed more integrated toasty oak exerting a nutty flavour with generous sweet melon and stone fruits. Good length with a creamy vanilla and butter finish.
Serrat Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2005
Minerally, nectarines, a little melon and some nutty oak but very much in the background. I really liked the mineral-like, elegant style and the crisp acidity. Great contrast to the Coldstream Hills in style.
Madame Jean Bachelet Sous Le Puits Puligny-Montrachet 1983
First time I have had a white from my birth year and enjoyed he experience very much. The wine’s bouquet brought immediate interest with toasted nuts, coffee grounds, and toast. The palate exhibited rich creamy butter, hazelnut and cashew and toasty notes. There was still enough acid to carry the wine. Great experience.
Tscharke “The Master†Montepulciano 2004
Full on, full bodied wine with vanilla and stewed fruits on the nose. The palate had plenty of generous blackberries, some dark chocolate and a fair whack of oak. Easy to drink if you like warm, big oaky reds. I liked it for what it was.
Lakes Folly Cabernets 1997 (Magnum)
Unfortunately brett affected. Wasn’t so bad that you couldn’t drink it but with the amount of bottles being passed around other wines demanded more attention.
Lindemans St. George Cab Sav 1990
This was up there as RWOTN for me – but I have been on a bit of a cabernet bent lately. A mulchy, wet earth nose with minty dried herbs and some sweet blackberry mixed in. A well integrated, developed palate showing a core sweet cassis fruit with savoury notes of tobacco, cedar and dried herbs. Good length and balance.
Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 1990
This seemed a little past its best for me. Light cherry and raspberry fruit, coffee oak and leather characters. Very drinkable but over the hill IMO.
Chateau Lagrange, 3me cru, St Estephe 2003
I wasn’t sure what to make of this wine. Plenty of sweet fruit – cassis, mulberry and touches of raspberry. Some earthy notes too. Wasn’t as tannic or structured as I would have expected. Nice wine though and maybe a bit out of place with the bigger fruited Aus wines.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cab Sav 1998
Blackberry jam and mint on the nose. Palate showed a huge depth of dark cassis fruit with notes of black olive. Huge tannins draw through the finish. Not giving a lot at the moment. Still needs time to come together.
Classic McLaren La Testa Shiraz 2001
Aromas of soy, mocha and blackberry emerge from the glass. The palate shows a full bodied ripe McLaren Vale Shiraz with pepper, spice, dark chocolate and ripe liquered plum and blackberries. Nice blend of sweet fruit and spice.
Glaymond “The Distance†Shiraz 2003
Super charged shiraz packing in super ripe/porty fruit and sweet vanilla oak. Warm and stylistically ripe but also a product of the 2003 vintage
Noon Eclipse 1998
Expectantly ripe and slickly oaked but showing balance and no signs of excessive alcohol. Generous in sweet fruit and touches of vanilla and coffee. I found the finish a little porty but still a very good wine in its style.
Kaesler W.O.M.S Cab Shiraz 2004
This was a monster. It saw 4 hours in the decanter in the afternoon and barely moved on the night. Nose was a little mute but a bit of swirling coaxed out ripe raspberry and blackberry with vanilla and toasty, spicy oak. The palate showed great depth and persistence in sweet blackberry and raspberry but very fruit forward without much else coming through. Needs years more to develop – if it will.
Wendouree Cabernet Malbec 1992
This seemed a little flat on the night – tannin, a little acid, red fruits and some menthol and leafy character. Nothing wrong, just a bit insubstantial.
Grant Burge Shadrach Cab Sav 1994 (Magnum)
This showed fantastic balance and was another contender for RWOTN. Blackcurrant, mint, tobacco and cedar on the nose. The palate showed great balance and integration of ripe fruit and savoury characteristics in a full bodied style. I have never been a great fan of Shardach but this is the finest bottle that I have seen.
I didn’t take notes for the stickies but very much enjoyed the 2004 Winter Creek Vintage Port. Similarly, didn’t take notes on the final sparkling reds but the Joseph and the Yalumba D were both quite fantastic.
Thanks to Ian for the organisation of the night, SOHO for the food and service and everyone for bringing along an interesting array of wines. Great meting everyone and hope to catch up at the next offline.
Premierships and great wine... that is what life is all about
With Shadrach being WOTN, perhaps I should have been there! 
Interesting that a 13 yo and a 17yo Cabernet were probably the best wines of the night. I have always contended that Cabernet is the variety to cellar long term as their ageing potential far outweighs Shiraz. With the odd exception such as Majella cabernet, I have also thought that Coonawarra cabernets should not be drunk under 8 years old. Any one agree?
Interesting that a 13 yo and a 17yo Cabernet were probably the best wines of the night. I have always contended that Cabernet is the variety to cellar long term as their ageing potential far outweighs Shiraz. With the odd exception such as Majella cabernet, I have also thought that Coonawarra cabernets should not be drunk under 8 years old. Any one agree?We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!
Shadrach wrote:With Shadrach being WOTN, perhaps I should have been there!
Absolutely, except for Bowen Estate*. Not the keeper it used to be in the 70's and 80's. Doug picks a lot later these days and the high alcohol does not suit the style, IMHO.
* - caveat - I don't try or buy many of Coonawarra's better Cabernet's these days. The only thing I've bought in quantity - 4 x 6 packs - the heavily discounted 2004 Wynns Black Label (I gave it 92). Prior to that I bought quite few 1998's, some 1999's and the 2000 Katnook.
Cheers,
David
David
Shadrach wrote:With Shadrach being WOTN, perhaps I should have been there!
Kind of ironic that - you weren't there and it was WOTN! Mark will have to make sure the next one's on a Friday so you can make it - it wasn't quite the same without your options wine.
I don't mind drinking young Coonawarra cabernets when they're as good as the 2004s, but I agree the best ones begin to show something really special at around the 8-10 year mark. It also explains why more often than not I end up taking older Cabernets to these offlines too.
Cheers,
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.