Sunday tasting vibes......

[rednut]

If Torb has started one today I must be going blind.
If not well here we are..

1997 Wendouree Pressings

Typical menthol flavours I find in Wendouree wines, lovely aftertaste though. Rich plum taste, overall I enjoyed this wine.

1999 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz

Smooth tasting, rasberries with a hint of dark chocolate and earthy undertones. Lovely wine ready to drink.

Both went well with the lovely Roast Pork we also had...

[DJ]

TORB is off on another South Australian crawl - so good chance someone else neede to start the thread.

After a couple of weeks with someone in the family sick perhaps tasting notes from me can return.

2006 Taylors 80 acres Shiraz Viogner
Main impression is that the Terra Felix is better for same money. That being said the Taylors might do better in the cellar having a little more tanin and structure.

1998 Charles Melton Nine Popes
We have had a couple of bottles of Melton in the last few months both have been very enjoyable. I've failed completely to take better notes. Every so often I think I should take notes but I tend to prefer to enjoy what is in front of me than take notes these days.

[Craig(NZ)]

Detox weekend. Didnt touch a drop of vino. Just a couple of beers in front of the rugby.

[Red Bigot]

TORB was battling with a slow dial-up connection in Blewitt Springs this morning, we are now at the Weintal in Tanunda, thank God for inventing wireless internet, although I'm not sure Ric has worked out it's available here yet.

A quiet day today, Chain of Ponds on the way up (Ledge Shiraz and Amadeus Cabernet the standouts). Jamabro (sp) with some credible wines for a new winery, a 2005 Cabernet that almost defines "cassis" in cabernet, the Tim Smith Barossa Shiraz 2005 and a tank sample of his new premium TSW Shiraz 2005, both great wines for lovers of big Barossa Shiraz who don't mind a bit of oak.

Of the older reds we sent over or picked from John's cellar, we've opened 9 with a corked count of 4, here's hoping we've got those out of the way, but we are taking a full 6-pack to 1918 tonight after having 2 of 3 bottles corked this time last year.

[Craig(NZ)]

Of the older reds we sent over or picked from John's cellar, we've opened 9 with a corked count of 4, here's hoping we've got those out of the way, but we are taking a full 6-pack to 1918 tonight after having 2 of 3 bottles corked this time last year.

I would be spewing tacks

It makes me wonder sometimes (seriously for a change) whether aussie on average gets crappier corks than NZ. I have a very sensitive palate to tca. But from my cellar I could count the number of corked wines ive had from $20+ wines literally on a couple of hands over the last decade (around half of which would be kumeu river). Ive had a good number ex cheaper wines which are generally easily returned.

Maybe ive just been lucky??

[seanwines]

1998 Wynns John Riddoch cabernet sauvignon

Picked this one up shortly after the price reduction
(was $90 one minute, $45 the next)

Still drinking well. Quaffed it – no notes

[Maximus]

It makes me wonder sometimes (seriously for a change) whether aussie on average gets crappier corks than NZ.

Maybe ive just been lucky??

Craig,

I think you've just been lucky.

There have been certain vintages and particular years when dodgy corks have reached very, very high levels in the NZ market (and I'm talking the last decade here). I could name plenty of winemakers that have stated that they believe their cork products are more inferior than the Aussie ones based on critical mass, industry age and a number of other issues. A lot of them actually changed to screwcaps because the TCA percentage was so much higher than the average; at 1 in 10, many would still be under cork I'd say.

Just recently, I've struck another corked '01 Prima Donna. That's 3 out of 5. Larry McKenna also had huge issues with the corks for his '03 pinots (both the standard and the Kupe), and Clive Paton reckons other wineries from Martinborough were in the same camp. Dry River claim to have a lower than average industry rate; genuine ties/scrutiny or marketing hyperbole, I'm not sure. I have had a corked Dry River pinot. Besides the likes of Dry River, who is even bottling under natural cork (for their entire range) in NZ these days?

DIAM. I AM.

Cheers,

[Red Bigot]

We've had a few discussions with winemakers on this precise issue, we came across two in McLarenVale that directly import their own corks from a small Spanish firm that is reliable after finding the bigger suppliers too inconsistent. I think Ric will be doing a bit of a feature on this issue as well.

We did get one replaced today ar Jacobs Ck Visitors Centre, after Ric's experience last year this exchange was quick and painless, so they have improved their procudeures du to his public outing of their previous problems.

[Maximus]

Had a range of enjoyable wines with friends on Thursday night. Sorry, no tasting notes, just vague vibes.

2006 Felton Road Vin Gris
Smelled like a blanc de noir. Tasted pretty smart. I wasn't a fan on release, but with some bottle age it's growing on me.
2006 Craggy Range Glasnevin Gravels Riesling
Has lost the bracing acidity that it possessed on release, the residual now a little more evident. Possibly better for it. Excellent. NZ Riesling = Waipara.
2005 Corbans Muller Thurgau
Some smart arse thought playing clever buggers would be fun. Poured into a cork-sealed Toni Jost riesling bottle and tasted blind. Most of the crowd thought Aussie riesling. Not unreasonable really - who makes white under cork in NZ? My life ambitions to never taste a Corbans wine have been ruined...
2006 Pyramid Valley Lebecca Vineyard Riesling
I love Mike Weersing. I love Riesling. I love this wine. Circa 55g residual, countered with a superb natural acidity balance. Smells great (happy sulphides present and accounted for, though less than his '05), tastes luscious and finishes long. Mouth sex. This IS NZ's best riesling.
1995 Chateau Ferriere Bordeaux
Quintessential Bordeaux nose. Tannins starting to resolve, with some grit still there. Lovely wine.
2004 Villa Maria Reserve Merlot
Typical Villa. Oak, fruit, clean, boring. Okay, maybe I'm being harsh. It was a good wine and went down very easily.
2002 Metala Black Label Shiraz
Lots of creamy vanilla, blueberries, briar and mocha. Juicy and tasty. The oak sits on a fine balance, but I think there's enough fruit there to soak it up. At least it's not overt, toasty oak. Pretty good for $20.

Cheers,

[Maximus]

We've had a few discussions with winemakers on this precise issue, we came across two in McLarenVale that directly import their own corks from a small Spanish firm that is reliable after finding the bigger suppliers too inconsistent. I think Ric will be doing a bit of a feature on this issue as well.

We did get one replaced today ar Jacobs Ck Visitors Centre, after Ric's experience last year this exchange was quick and painless, so they have improved their procudeures du to his public outing of their previous problems.

Brian,

I was at Rockford Stonewallers cellar door last week and we had a 2000 SVS Hoffman served up to us corked. Bit of a worry. I really think there is a large population of people - wine geeks included - that ignore taint. A wine shows poorly, they put it down to bottle variation. A wine shows unlike it should, they blame toothpaste or palate fatigue. A lot of people get caught up in wines and their exalted status too. I've been guilty of the latter - you have a wine you've been keeping for a specific occassion, you pour and sniff, and one half of the brain says 'this is corked' whilst the other says 'this is a special wine - maybe it's just pongy - I'll give it a chance'. You pour it into some glasses, sit down, smell, then stand up and retrieve all the glasses...

[Pelican]

1991 Seppelt Dorrien Vineyard Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The snapped & crumbly cork was a pain - but this was excellent dry red wine. Varietal Cabernet nose - aged Cabernet on palate but with still lively fruit characters as well. Nice weight ( 13% alc. ). I could have easily been tricked into thinking this was a Red Bordeaux. Perhaps the Dorrien Cabernet is an underated wine.

[Wizz]

2006 Craggy Range Glasnevin Gravels Riesling
Has lost the bracing acidity that it possessed on release, the residual now a little more evident. Possibly better for it. Excellent. NZ Riesling = Waipara.

Love this wine. Might leave the rest for a whiel now to pick up some secondary character

2006 Pyramid Valley Lebecca Vineyard Riesling
I love Mike Weersing. I love Riesling. I love this wine. Circa 55g residual, countered with a superb natural acidity balance. Smells great (happy sulphides present and accounted for, though less than his '05), tastes luscious and finishes long. Mouth sex. This IS NZ's best riesling.

Ooh, the 05 is still available here - should I snaffle it?

[Craig(NZ)]

2006 Pyramid Valley Lebecca Vineyard Riesling
I love Mike Weersing. I love Riesling. I love this wine. Circa 55g residual, countered with a superb natural acidity balance. Smells great (happy sulphides present and accounted for, though less than his '05), tastes luscious and finishes long. Mouth sex. This IS NZ's best riesling.

Yeah its good stuff thats for sure. Im a riesling freak too and I love that style of wine. Best in NZ is a big call, but certainly within the margin of reasonable personal preference, so I wouldnt argue. It is lovely stuff.

2004 Villa Maria Reserve Merlot
Typical Villa. Oak, fruit, clean, boring. Okay, maybe I'm being harsh. It was a good wine and went down very easily.

I thought this wine was really good at wine nz. it struck me as a wine that would appeal and impress those 'not into wine'. A sure bet, a crowd pleaser. In some situations it is a huge asset to pull such a wine out. The collector of cults may say it is boring, big company, commercially available God forbid! The wino may argue there is more elegant merlots around, or more sophisticated examples but this wine is well textured it is packed full of attractive, soft and flashy dark blackcurrant fruit. Its hard to dislike.

2006 Craggy Range Glasnevin Gravels Riesling
Has lost the bracing acidity that it possessed on release, the residual now a little more evident. Possibly better for it. Excellent. NZ Riesling = Waipara.

Ditto. This is a very easy wine to like, and in many ways similar to the Pyramid Valley. Not liking this wine is akin too getting to fussy

Craig,

I think you've just been lucky.

Long may it continue!!!

[Maximus]

Ooh, the 05 is still available here - should I snaffle it?

Snaffle and forget. The '05 will outlive you and I - no question. Tuck it away in a corner somewhere and leave it for a decade or so. Sulphides are a bit stinky in that one for some, but as a seasoned "ES" and purveyor of fine German rieslings, I'm sure you can handle them if you deem it necessary to crack one young. FWIW, Weersing prefers his '05; his '05 you'd swear is German, his '06 is more Kiwi.

[griff]

1999 Domaine Cayron Gigondas:
Opened with a real eggy pong. Decanted for a few hours and this one was quite resistant to blowing off. Eventually we have a mid weight red slightly murky. Slightly dull nose that I attribute to healthy sulphur dosing but underneath you get a kirsch and garrigue - thyme in particular. Soft palate entry with fairly clean fruit. Finishes firm. Quite youthful for its age. Should keep for at least a few years yet. Good and maybe Excellent if the sulphur was less.

2004 Majella sparkling shiraz:
This bottle has developed somewhat since release. A lovely mid-weight sparkler with length on the palate, some aged notes emerging and balanced finish. Very Good.

Hanging Rock sparkling cuvee X:
A deep bronze colour in a big bold Bollinger style. Some sherry notes. Good.

[Jordan]

A few vibes from the week:

Tulloch Hunter Dry Red Shiraz 2005: good quaffer. Medium bodied, earthy fruit in the red berry and cranberry spectrum. Savoury finish.

Penfolds Bin 407 Cab Sav 1997: decent cab with a good depth of blackcurrranty fruit and a touch of leafy mint, menthol. Pretty good.

Henschke Mt Edelstone Shiraz1998: well balanced with fine tannins. Leaning to more medium than full-bodied. Lots of dark berried fruit with some slightly earthy, truffle-like tones. Good length. Very good wine.

Charles Melton Nine Popes 2004: delicious, full-fruited Barossa GSM with good length and balance. Only query is does the $45 price tag justify the wine in comparison to its competitors.

[Ian S]

1999 Domaine Cayron Gigondas:
Opened with a real eggy pong. Decanted for a few hours and this one was quite resistant to blowing off. Eventually we have a mid weight red slightly murky. Slightly dull nose that I attribute to healthy sulphur dosing but underneath you get a kirsch and garrigue - thyme in particular. Soft palate entry with fairly clean fruit. Finishes firm. Quite youthful for its age. Should keep for at least a few years yet. Good and maybe Excellent if the sulphur was less.

Griff
Ta for this - a really interesting note and it seems to have worked well despite the issues. I'd figured this was a stayer (I have the 2003 pencilled in to drink before this vintage).
regards
Ian

[Ian S]

My first experience with this wine - was surprised at how it could have fooled me into thinking it was from Pauillac.

1981 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Still healthy rich claret colour, though showing age at the rim.

Not a particularly expressive nose, balanced between slightly fading fruit and cigar box, with a touch of orange. Some lovely aged character in there as well, but all these aromas are subtle.

The palate is medium bodied at most, with refreshing but balanced acidity. The fruit is a balance of subtle blackcurrant and orange, but as per the nose, is not striking. The tobacco element is very much in the mix as well. Lengthy finish and really nice balance.

Far from a blockbuster, but awfully easy to drink and very flexible with food (we drank it initially alongside a game bird casserole - Pheasant / Partridge / Pigeon together with porcini & slow pot-roasted in barbaresco)

regards

Ian

[mattECN]

2007 O’Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling

On opening I was surprised by the colour, a lot darker/mature looking than I expected. A reasonably fragrant nose of the standard lime/citrus. The palate was restrained, well balanced, again with lime/citrus, orange blossom, minerally with a slight floral aspect to it. I expected a lot more acidity. The finish was nice and lingering. It was a good accompaniment to Chicken Curry, but overall I expected a lot more of this wine and I don't think it delivered.

2005 Schild Estate Shiraz

Medium to Full bodied wine, nose of Ripe Black Cherries, Aniseed and hints of ground coffee. The palate was delicious; intense dark fruits, aniseed, dark chocolate and a touch a ‘charry’ oak. A well structured wine offering good complexity. The use of oak is not obtrusive, the tannin and acid structure are very well balanced resulting in a nice lingering finish. At $18 per bottle this offers very good value for money and I’d suggest up to 7 years in the cellar should see this develop nicely.

[Craig(NZ)]

Penfolds Bin 407 Cab Sav 1997: decent cab with a good depth of blackcurrranty fruit and a touch of leafy mint, menthol. Pretty good.

this was aweful weedy sappy stuff when it came out. surprised anyone bought it

[Dr - 307]

2004 Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz
Decanted half a bottle for about 3 hours before the game. Gorgeous glossy ruby red color. Excellent cling. Full aromas of red fruits, pepper and vanilla. The game was going according to plan and the Vasse was opening up even more. By the time Rocca kicked his sixth and in my mind we'd already beaten West Coast next week the Vasse stepped up another notch with the red fruits fuller and seductive and the black pepper perfectly complimenting everything else on the finish. Magnificent, succulent mouthfeel and totally delicious. Finished the other half with a hearty lamb stew on Sunday. Magnificent. I loved it. Suggest decanting for 5 hours - no less!
Like a typical Collingwood supporter bring on Geelong in the Pre-lim.

And Jordan, sad to see 'Roo' hang up his boots. Great player!!!

Cheers,
Dr - 307.

[n4sir]

I tried some Kay Bros Amery & Johnston (of Oakbank, wines made by David O'Leary) at an instore Saturday morning.

The new 2005 Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon was on tasting - like a few recent wines I thought it was too hot (15%) and the characters too ripe for my liking, preferring the standard 2004 Amery Cabernet that was also there (and my pick as wine of the whole tasting). I'm getting the impression that maybe I just don't like McLaren Vale Cabernets from the 2005 vintage (in distinct contrast to 2004 which I can't get enough of).

The 2004 Hillside Shiraz was also there and was excellent - I've struck a bit of variation with some bottles looking surprisingly green/peppery, but this was much riper/earthier like another bottle a few months ago. The 2004 Amery Shiraz was a bit riper again with some raisin characters, just a tad too ripe for my liking.

The 2003 Johnston Shiraz was a nice surprise - peppery rasberries and liquorice, a little cinnamon/vanilla too. It's a little oaky and warm but just in balance, so I'd be getting into it right now.

Saturday afternoon was a major downer, dropping the final to the Hawks and Roo's sad farewell - spent the night at the pub trying to drown our sorrows with large amounts of Pale Ale & Scotch (it didn't work)

Cheers,
Ian