Time flys when you are having fun and it only seems like 2 months since I posed last week question.
In my case a have a few good ones. Top of the heap was a 95 The Armagh which still needs years to mature but was very enjoyable. Its a huge wine and full of everything but intensely savoury.
I also had a Penfolds 93 St Henri which was most enjoyable and just keeps getting better and better. No hurry to drink them if you have any, they will hold for years.
Finally I had the opportunity to try the 2001 Sylvan Springs releases again. They showed much better now than they did six months ago and at under $20 are both well worth buying.
Monday tasting was a cheaper bracket of 02 reds, 3 under cork, 3 stelvin. Pretty uninteresting bunch with only the Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz showing any real class, quite big and firm, but not as feral as some reviewers have mentioned. Others were Amberley Shiraz, Tyrrells Lost Block Cabernet, Water Wheel Memsie blend, Charles Sturt Shiraz (sulphur/reductive problem) and Mitchelton Preece Cabernet (corked, replaced by VC). Pretty forgettable all round.
During the week.
97 Rockford Basket Press - drinking well enough, but with a slight stewed/maceration character and less of the soft richness one expects froma good BP. I believe the word from Rockfords is be patient with this one, but it's not up in the top echelon of Rockford BP for my taste.
98 Leo Buring Clare Shiraz - another defunct line, a nice slightly spicy mid-weight shiraz, probably won't get better from here, certainly defunct in my cellar now as well.
Friday at SukoThai restaurant with some friends, wine theme was meant to be 01 Shiraz.
01 Twelve Staves McLarenvale Shiraz - essency sweet fruit supported by moderate oak and low tannin level (that's why I picked it for the Thai food).
01 Rosemount Traditional (JWT winner) - ring-in but a surprisingly good match, the fruit became sweeter with the food and the oak/tannins did not intrude. Only one slight clash with the red curry of roast duck with lychees.
01 Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz - with the food this was a match for either of the others, nice spicy fruit, oak not overdone, good mid-weight structure, nice wine and worth buying despite the moderate price rise this vintage.
01 Eden Springs High Eden Shiraz - opened this late in the piece when the chilli cashews instead of dessert had nearly disappeared and the wife of the owner joined us (she likes red wine). Most of the others seemed to enjoy this more than I did, it seemed to have a slightly macerated/stewed edge to the otherwise bright and fresh fruit. It wasn't just the food / previous consumption affect either, I noticed this the last time I tried this wine and decided to wait for the 02 release from this generally excellent winery rather than buy more 01.
Saturday Night
Quiet night with bbq steak, green salad fresh from the garden and a 90 Wynns Michael Shiraz fresh from 10 years rest in the cellar. Anyone remember how much oak this one had when tasted at release? The back label says 10-15 years cellaring, spot on judging by this example, the fruit has survived, the oak has integrated, all nicely softened and in balance, reasonable complexity, the decanter was upended a long time over my glass to savour the last few drops. Last one.
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Billecart-Salmon N/V - lovely nose and structure to match. Excellent.
Richmond Grove '98 Watervale Riesling - remarkably fresh and invigorating; lime and apples. Plenty of petrol in the tank. Recommended. The '98 Clare Rieslings (note the Crabtree below) have impressed greatly over recent times. Far better vintage, as a whole, than '97.
Seppelt 1999 Drumborg Riesling - Still an infant. Displays a wonderful flinty minerality, more Alsatian than Oz. Long cellaring potential but drinking just fine now. Highly Recommended
St. Hubert's 1990 Cabernet My last bottle. A great example of mature cool climate Cab. Some might find this a tad green and earthy but with ample black fruit, cedarwood and plenty of punch in the mouth (no life savers here) one could be forgiven for picking this as a top Bordeaux. Excellent
Seppelt Grand Tokay DP57 - This bottle (from my cellar) drank beautifully. Aged rancio, toffee, cold tea, creme brulee, somewhat volatile, quite luscious - all the usual good things from Rutherglen. Highly Recommended.
Leo Buring 1997 Leonay Riesling - Eden Valley - Disappointing. Looks and drinks a lot older than it is. Displayed some honey and citrus on the palate but overall the impression was of being tired. Something not right here. Acceptable
Crabtree Watervale 1998 Riesling - Startling looking at this immediately after the Leonay. Bright & youthful, citrus leaping from the glass, amazingly fresh in the mouth, zesty, full of acid, long and piles of potential. Highly Recommended
Penfolds 1994 407 - Classy complex nose. Palate needs to fill out in the middle. A few more years rest wouldn't hurt. Otherwise, a nice drop. Recommended
Cape Mentelle 1994 Zinfadel A real surprise packet. Remarkably refined and well delineated from start to finish, this wine has probably reached its' apogee. I picked it as a Margaret River Cabernet because of the gravel and minerals I associate with the style. No blockbuster, very good nose and palate full of sweet plummy fruit. Soft finish. Highly Recommended
Decanted for one hour before drinking, should have been more like three to four hours.
Still very tight on the nose, not much to pick up. The palate however paints the picture of what is to come from further cellaring.
Intense dark fruits just showing themselves, a well structured wine with latent power and some good spice. Good ripe tannins and balanced acid and oak, this will be a ripper in 5 - 8 years or more!
A standout wine over the past few months.
Rory
1988 Sevenhill Cabernet - From the Clare Valley, this had lovely rich blackberry/blackcurrant fruit and and a side dish of liquorice. Nice long softly astringent finish. This was quite aggressive when young, and it has now softened nicely.
Agree, Seven Hills (excepting 95-97 inclusive when they were playing around with the forumula) is one of the great QPR wines from the Clare; very under rated and its been a staple in my cellar for decades.
Eileen Hardys Chadonnay 1996 Golden in colour;
Toasty oaks, honey and sweety citrus fruit smell.
The palate displays outstanding depth and concentration of flavour,well balance and complexity , toast honey after taste. It could be cellar for another few years
Hensckhe Keyneton Estate 1995 Deep purple in colour;
Plums, spice, ripe blackberries and liquorice fill the nose
Strong tannin structure with spice, dark plum, dark chocolate and a long after taste. Good to drink now but I prefer to wait for aother few years before I open another bottle..
Louis Roederer NV: great as always. best Non vintage going around.
Lunch at T'Gallant Cup Day:
02 T'Gallant Pinot Grigio: no faults but not exciting. Wouldn't rush out and buy a bottle.
90 Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon: holding up quiet well and still has a few years to go. Tahbilk don't make wines like this anymore. Would have been quite tannic and big as a youngster and has come up a treat.
98 Balnaves Cabernet: a cracker of a wine and was one of the great Coonawarra cabs produced from a stellar year. won't be touching another for 5 years.
cheers
anthony
Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach
Spanish saying
Kingston Reserve Petit Verdot 01 (sold as a cleanskin): Big, black and inky...needs maybe five years for the tannins to soften. Agreeable, **** for value (at $10).
Pfitzner Pinot Noir 97: Probably a year or two past its best...sweet cherry fruit with a very mellow palate. Best opened when there are a few people to quaff it, since once opened it seemed to oxidise pretty quickly. Agreeable at first...just acceptable after an hour.
Houghton Crofters SSB 02: Pleasant, up-front and fruity, this is everything that an early-drinking white should be. Highly Recommended with ***** for value (at $12). The only concern with this wine is that it's so fruity it can overwhelm some mild dishes...it went down a treat with Indonesian food.
Tollana Cab Sav 97: Lovely wine, probably just in the beginning of its drinking window. Lots of fruit weight, well-integrated oak, unobtrusive tannins. Highly recommended (close to Excellent) with **** for value (at $20). Add a star if you can find it at $15.
(Curiously, this tasted a lot younger than the same thing in Darwin earlier this year...the tropical climate might have added a couple of years prematurely to that one.)
Malcolm Creek Cab Sav 99: I don't think this is a keeper, but it was a really nice wine for quaffing now - dark fruits and very soft tannins. Recommended.
Orlando Steingarten 01: A flower plucked too soon, but Jordon's (in Darling Harbour) didn't seem to have any wines older than a current release. Nice lime and citrus flavours with a bit of spritz. At the moment, it's just Recommended, but that will surely improve with time.
Bowen Shiraz 01: Another one drunk way too young. Lots of plummy fruit, significant oak (but not threatening the fruit) and enough tannins to provide ageing potential. Highly Recommended for now, but this could be a lot better than that in 5-10 years.
Haven't done any real notes as we have been too busy unpacking the new home life, but I did try a bottle of Gartner Padthaway Sh 2000. The colour is a heavy deep garnet and had to be decanted to remove the residue, and then rested for two hours. I remember when I first tried this one it had a mass of liqorice and prune on the nose which wasn't nearly as powerful from this bottle. And I recall the first having a denser texture with dark plums very prominent whereas this one was more to the red cherry end of the spectrum. The tannins are still quite powerful (of course) and there is a long acidic backbone. Not so sure I like this as much as the first time and will have to go back to another bottle to see what the variation is all about.
Also tried a Moondah Brook Cab 2001 which was surprisingly good and very drinkable right now. I'm afraid all can remember from this tail-end bottle was that it the smooth softness of a Merlot with the tobacco nuances of a good Cab. Was a touch simple but what else would one expect from a young'un that is reprted to go 5-10 yrs.
Hi RB, pleased ta meetcha.
That Traditional is the real surprise of the year for me, and on special at $22 if you can still find it! Will probably be the one and only vintage of this quality What would you recommend with a high-end curry?
1990 Bollinger RD: Corked, grrrrrr. And I cant return it as the retailer doesnt speak english...
1983 Chateau Pichon Longueville Lalande: Beautiful wine drinking at its peak now. A seamless wine with all the hard edges rounded off. WOTN.
1985 Chateau Sociando Mallet: deep colour, looks more like 6 years old rather than 18, still reasonably agressive tannins and a nose of bell pepper and cassis, over the night this wine became green and astringent, I dont know if this wine will ever come around.
1997 Chateau Figeac: This one showed the lightness associated with the 97 year in Bdx, herbal characteristics and a hint of greenness on the nose, relatively light but I actually quite enjoyed this wine for its elegance. Definately drink now.
1998 Chateau Margaux: Wow, what a colour, this was decanted well in advance and benefited from it. Nose of musk and cassis with what I think we red currants. Plenty of tannin to carry this baby through quite a few more years, levae in the cellar.
2001 Turkey Flat Shiraz: Had one in my bag so why not? Elegant for a shiraz and definately the better for it, lovely spicy nose and long finish, great structure will definately age very well.
NV Chambers Rare Muscat: Wow...I think thats all that needs to be said, so concentrated and the finish just goes for ever.
Then Friday night birthday dinner with another small group:
1998 Orlando Lawsons Shiraz: A great wine, and one I will be buying more of, I have written this up before.
1998 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde: complete contrast to the lawsons, peppery spicey and elegant, very enjoyable
2001 Turkey Flat Shiraz: same as monday night, very good wine.
2001 Australian Old Vine Collection Shiraz: Wow...a fantastic shiraz, so concentrated and seamless, finish just goes on forever. If you love old vine barrossa shiraz get some of this.
2001 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz: a bit simple in comparison to the others but a good wine all the same, jammy nose, raspberry but just lacks the finish of the others.
2001 Montes Alpha Cabernet: Nice wine, coffee and chocolate on the nose, decent structure will be even better in a couple of years.
At that point we moved onto a bar for a large number of vodka and tequilla shots...and I seem to recall a bottle of Krug and a standard Moet being consumed somewhere in there!!
Also had the Tatiarra caravan of dreams midweek which I posted seperately on, nice wine just needs to lose the burnt aftertaste.
I may have a week off drinking this week...
Cheers, Adam
Last edited by Adam on Mon Nov 10, 2003 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dinner party on Saturday night started off very well with a NV Veuve Cliquot. Nothing much needs to be said about this. Lovely and fresh as always.
Moved on to Clover Hill and the difference between Aussie sparklers and French champagne is evident. Not that that's a bad thing but they are different in style.
There was a rather nice NZ Pinot but didn't get the details of the producer or even the year.
Then we had an Italian wine that again I didn't get the details of but it wasn't so pleasant at all. Very musty and earthy. Initially thought it might be corked I think it was just badly made. The nose was fine but the taste just something else.
Finally on to some great wines that I recognised and managed to remember. 1994 Lakes Folly Cabernet (not the reserve) Just starting to come into the drinking window now. Nice fruit and starting to integrate. Wouldn't be rushing to open these bottles but with decanting its coming up nicely.
1994 Wynns Cab Sav Little dissapointed with this and not showing as well as the Folly. Still a little bit green or something but eminently drinkable all the same. Maybe it still needs a bit more time or maybe its just the year and it won't improve further. Still very nice drinking but not in the same class as the Folly on this night.
Yesterday had one too many tooheys news while enjoying the sunshine at the Newtown Festival. Very crowded but lots of fun as always.
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
99 - Houghtons Crofters Cab/Merlot - Poor, disjointed fruit and tannins
98 - Mt Langi Joanna CabSav - Average, slightly overoaked muffled fruit
98 - Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz - Excellent, a great Barossa old vine shiraz.
98 - Seppelt St Peters - Excellent, gave it 4 hr decant then started to come alive.
99 - Houghtons Crofters Cab/Merlot - Poor, disjointed fruit and tannins
98 - Mt Langi Joanna CabSav - Average, slightly overoaked muffled fruit
98 - Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz - Excellent, a great Barossa old vine shiraz.
98 - Seppelt St Peters - Excellent, gave it 4 hr decant then started to come alive.
1996 Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz - an obvious show style, but a beauty. Vanilla and chocolate on nose, lovely ripe shiraz fruit on palate with great length.
1996 Orlando St Hugo - perhaps going through a dumb phase. No of us were overly enamoured.
2001 O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling - corked.
1996 Yalumba The Signature - not as big as I expected. Caramel and mint on the nose were the highlights, palate just lacked the intensity I've come to enjoy from other vintages.
2002 (disgorement) Rockford Black Shiraz - yes there were traces of vanilla, but a vanilla coke is wasn't !
1998 Penfolds Clare valley Riesling - this smelled like the GI cordial I use to drink as a kid.
1997 Giaconda Cabernet Interesting wine. Not obviously Australian, but some green leafiness apparent. Nice texture. Intellectual, but not wholly satisfying.
[b]1996 Wynns Black Label CS Text book yummy Coonawarra. Drinking well now, but a long window ahead.
2002 Tamar Ridge Riesling zesty Alsatian style. Very satisfying the next day.
[b]1998 Howard Park Riesling This a very variable year depending on the bottle. Huge bottle variations. This bottle quite developed and a tad overoxidised. OK.
1997 Mitchell Riesling Gorgeous. Developed colour as you would expect, but less so than the 98 HP, long persistent, minerally. No kerosene overtones. Wine of my week.[b][b]
(I need work on bold/unbold)
Last edited by Neville K on Mon Nov 10, 2003 4:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1997 Giaconda Cabernet Interesting wine. Not obviously Australian, but some green leafiness apparent. Nice texture. Intellectual, but not wholly satisfying.
[b]1996 Wynns Black Label CS Text book yummy Coonawarra. Drinking well now, but a long window ahead.
2002 Tamar Ridge Riesling
zesty Alsatian style. Very satisfying the next day.
1998 Howard Park Riesling This a very variable year depending on the bottle. Huge bottle variations. This bottle quite developed and a tad overoxidised. OK.
1997 Mitchell Riesling
Gorgeous. Developed colour as you would expect, but less so than the 98 HP, long persistent, minerally. No kerosene overtones. Wine of my week.
01 Huntington Barrel Fermented Chardonnay - surprisingly little wood, nice fresh fruit, very easy drinking - I'm over suuplied with white at the moment otherwise would consider buying more
97 Bin 407 - the 407 clean out continues - enjoyable enough but not a wine I'm excited about
94 Brookland Valley Cab Merlot - not quite as good as the last bottle, probably bottle variation but nevertheless nice example of Margaret River
Busy week for this cowboy. Brief observations from this week's sippage.
[/b]-2001 Peter Lehman, semillon. Great QPR wine. Nice balance. My doctor says I need to eat more salad and this wine fits the bill. Gotta have a reason to drink whites.
1996 Lindemans Limestone Ridge. a beautifull wine drinking very nicely now if you like your fruit up front. The tannins are very approachable but this wine can go for another 5-10 years. Decanted for 30 minutes.
[/b]1996 Rosemount Traditional . This is developping into a very good wine. Secondary flavors are emerging but cassis is still the dominant boy in the lineup. No acid problem in this one Torb. I am not a huge Rosemount fan but this bottle has impressed me.
-1996 Chateau Reynella, Shiraz, Baskett Pressed. This wine has a mini cult status in North America. This highly extracted, heavily oaked wine is maturing into a...heavily extracted stewed fruit wine. Not a "bad" wine, but nothing to rave about. Boy, if I ever post this on the wine speculum forum I will get shot.
-2001 Palandri, Cabernet Sauvignon. My second bottle in 2 weeks and clearly something something is wrong, being TCA or heat/frost damage. No fruit and high acidity.
-2001 Vasse Felix, Cabernet Sauvignon. Real tight, took 3 nights to open up. Has all the ingredients to do very well in 4-5 years.
-1999,Tinto Pesquera, Tempranillo.(Spain)If you can get this in Oz for 35-50 dollars, it's definitely worth the experience. Cherry, plum and spice on a very decent finish. Needs 3-4 hours of air time.
-1995 St-Francis Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma. Big vanillin oak on the nose, plum, dark berries, figs, figs and cedar on the palate. Medium finish on the palate. Not worth the 65.00 paid 5 years ago.
2003 Capertree "Nile Droughtbuster" White (Mudgee): The wine is light yellow, darker and with more depth than expected from a 2003. It has a nose of melon, fruit salad, tropicals, soft vanilla from oak and sweet limey citrus fruit. The wine greets the palate with a smooth, slightly glycerine, mouthfeel thanks to well judged oak use. The flavours evident on the nose are the feature on the front palate. Apricot kernel oil and green beans reveal themselves after the initial fruit platter subsides. The wineÂ’s zest ensures its broad flavours and smooth mouthfeel do not cloy, and makes the second glass as easy to pour as the first. Drink this wine over the next 12 months and serve chilled. This wine serves its purpose as an attractive, well-made, easy drinking wine with an above average level of interest and is rated Recommended. (I just love using the TORB scale to rate white wines !)
Although the wineÂ’s components are not detailed on the bottle, I presume it is a Verdelho/Semillon blend probably with a splash of Chardonnay.
1994 Brian Light Reserve Shiraz
Corked to a small degree, which took the enjoyment away, from what I consider to be one of the great 94, along with Eileen Hardy and E&E
96 Katnook Cabernet. Still a good few years ahead of this. A classy wine that is well made.
90 Thomas Hardy Cabernet I have always thought this wine was pretty poor, and a few more years age has not changed my mind.
91 Thomas Hardy Cabernet Far far superior to the 90, and still has a few more years left in it
I've been drinking the Trad on and off since the Ryecroft days. The last one before the 01 that really impressed was the 96. I never liked the 98 that many others raved about.
re: Red with "high-end curry", depends on the style - Indian, Thai etc and acid level eg Vindaloo and the meat component. What's your idea of a "high-end curry"? There are probably some curries where even I would have a beer instead of a red.
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Adair wrote:Recommended. (I just love using the TORB scale to rate white wines !)
Now listen here Charley Brown, some things will come back to bite you in the bum! Now go bite yours
Agree with Brian on the Traditional, the last vintages I bought in quantity were the 95 and 96. They were great qpr but like some of the lower priced Rosemount wines after the 96 vintage the quality took a dive.
Had a Jacques Selosse Extra Brut Champagne....small grower/maker in Avize, Cote des Blancs....all chardonnay. Brilliant. Put to bed the mith that 'Champagne' is all about blending varieties, vineyards and years. Complex, intense, long, vibrant.
Also, Frederic Esmonin Mazy Chambertin Grand Cru Burgundy....young, for sure, but not deep nor complex. Interesting but don't even begin to evaluate quality to price rapport.
1992 Alain Graillot Saint Joseph, Rhone valley shiraz. Ready to go, spicy stalk elements, good not great but lots of pleasure.
1998 Alin Michelot Meursault Charmes, Burgundy, chardonnay. Pretty smart and complex but not singing. Lovely texture and length.
2000 Chardonnay Paringa, Mornington...showing excess age...OK, but mono dimensional and un-inspiring. Showing the fad of the times with low sulphur/So2 levels maybe.
Also, brilliant riesling from Breuer in the Rhinegau, Germany. 2001 Berg Shlossberg......amazing intensity and texture....very exciting riesling.
re: Red with "high-end curry", depends on the style - Indian, Thai etc and acid level eg Vindaloo and the meat component. What's your idea of a "high-end curry"? There are probably some curries where even I would have a beer instead of a red.
I was just having a jibe, as I can't abide the way any curry cuts into the flavours of my red. Definately a good reason to crack a beer though
Speaking of the Traditional, has anyone managed to try the latest Rosemount GSM? Just curious...
TN: 1997 Browns Brothers Tempranillo (CD Release) – 12.5%: Initial Tasting Note: Red – quite bright. Oak giving sweet spices still quite predominant with savoury, cherry, coffee, dust and ripe greenness. Medium body with good depth. Medium intensity with strong abundant tannins, not green or intrusive, but in line with its very dry style. With the acid, I look forward to opening my last bottle in 3 years. A wine giving good interest and another reason to visit the exceptional Brown Brothers cellar door. Maybe just not enough fruit on the front palate or maybe just in need of more time. Rated as Recommended.
After 3 hours: The wine has really filled out on the front palate, much better breadth and intensity, and has become significantly more harmonious. This wine is now Highly Recommended. I will open my last bottle in 5 years!
Opened a case of the 1996 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay on the weekend. Took four bottles out from the cellar, amongst two dozen "extracted", and brought them home.
All four seemed to have a very dark colour in bottle.
This was confirmed in glass- the wine was dark gold, oxidised and maderised. Cellared perfectly from purchase at release. Second bottle opened was identical.
Both down the sink.
Has anyone recent experience with this wine???
What would you recommend with a high-end curry? 
!)
