Time for your weekly drinking reports.
My best wine this week has been a Parker 2000 First Growth. A delightful wine backed by fine unobtrusive tannins and fresh acid. The pure fruit is very expressive and shows dark berry flavours that are perfectly varietal together with typical green herbs, but its perfectly ripe. Off-sweet, its rated as Excellent but wouldn't be great value. Its in its peak window now.
Now what have you been drinking over the past week?
It's Sunday..... almost.....
2005 PENFOLDS Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay
I thought I cellar this for a year.
2005 Bin No 311 was first release from Penfolds and not that long ago the 2006 vintage was released but I haven’t tried that yet. This I thought was excellent on release and still is.
Colour bright clear with slight hay. Fragrant nose of asparagus, melon and vanilla. Beautiful sweet palate with excellent concentration and complex Chardonnay flavours. Excellent weight and varietal definition. Tasty and good drop, the only thing that surprised me is how much it aged in 1 year. It is ready and is at it’s peak. Upon release I thought it needs 3 years to develop but it is great already.
Juicy and lovely stuff, drunk it with my wife and her best friend. Nice acid structure but with some green flavours on the finish. Never mind, disappeared within 30 minutes with that great Sydney pizza from Crust. I wish I bought more when it was only $20, otherwise cost more but worth it anyway.
93 points.
Cheers,
Attila
I thought I cellar this for a year.
2005 Bin No 311 was first release from Penfolds and not that long ago the 2006 vintage was released but I haven’t tried that yet. This I thought was excellent on release and still is.
Colour bright clear with slight hay. Fragrant nose of asparagus, melon and vanilla. Beautiful sweet palate with excellent concentration and complex Chardonnay flavours. Excellent weight and varietal definition. Tasty and good drop, the only thing that surprised me is how much it aged in 1 year. It is ready and is at it’s peak. Upon release I thought it needs 3 years to develop but it is great already.
Juicy and lovely stuff, drunk it with my wife and her best friend. Nice acid structure but with some green flavours on the finish. Never mind, disappeared within 30 minutes with that great Sydney pizza from Crust. I wish I bought more when it was only $20, otherwise cost more but worth it anyway.
93 points.
Cheers,
Attila
"(Wine) information is only as valuable as its source" DB
Tyrell's '94 Vat 1Hunter Semillon: (Very) faint honey, biscuits, straw and lemon on the nose. Surprisingly clean acid with toasty, pale citrus and grassy front palate. The middle palate was almost non-existent. I'm afraid this was past its best. An almost subliminal after taste of honey, toast and grass. Evocative, like something lovely just out of reach. Pity.
Cheers,
Mark
Cheers,
Mark
A bit like TORB's 2000 Parker above the most enjoyable wine of the week was from the weakish 1995 vintage which goes to show wines from lesser vintages can be most enjoyable - especially if you enjoy it by itself for what it is rather than put it in a line up of other wines. All things equal I'd rather drink a 2000 or a 1995 than a current release at this stage.
1995 Mountadam The Red Cabernet Merlot Eden Valley
From when Mountadam was good. Nice aged Cabernet nose and nice integrated palate.
1995 Mountadam The Red Cabernet Merlot Eden Valley
From when Mountadam was good. Nice aged Cabernet nose and nice integrated palate.
A mixed collection of curiosities this weekend.
At Namaste last night, reaffirmed my faith in the local Nepalese eatery... but
Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2005
Disappointing. Quite a lot of fruit but a rather hot streak of alcohol searing through the palate. Textural mouthfeel and nice enough length but bugger-all tannin / structure. Maybe not representative?
Then today,
Piper Hiedeseck NV
A year old now and developed a surprising amount of colour. Lovely, spiritely lemon and yeast characters and zingy sherbety finish. More-ish.
Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2004
Seems to be a disappointment for some. Not me. This was the highlight of the day, loads of sweet cherry fruit and robust tannin structure. Refined oak. Beautiful length. This seemed very youthful and loaded with potential. I've had a couple of not-so-fantastic bottles of this but never the duds that others write up.
Nepenthe Pinot Gris 2006
Sweet, oily, sickly. Didna' like.
Nepenthe Sauv Blanc 2007
Nice, behaved SB. A touch generic though and lacks the interest of some other Hills SBs.
Geoff Weaver Cab Merlot 2001
Quite appealling varietal characters, dried herbs and capsicum although with some pleasing berry fruit. Good texture and rounded palate. In pretty fresh shape.
Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2002
Had straight after the Chalambar and couldn't really compete, exhibiting rather dull, generic flavours with some obvious muted savoury notes. Feels like it has more to come though and will reassess in a couple of years.
At Namaste last night, reaffirmed my faith in the local Nepalese eatery... but
Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2005
Disappointing. Quite a lot of fruit but a rather hot streak of alcohol searing through the palate. Textural mouthfeel and nice enough length but bugger-all tannin / structure. Maybe not representative?
Then today,
Piper Hiedeseck NV
A year old now and developed a surprising amount of colour. Lovely, spiritely lemon and yeast characters and zingy sherbety finish. More-ish.
Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2004
Seems to be a disappointment for some. Not me. This was the highlight of the day, loads of sweet cherry fruit and robust tannin structure. Refined oak. Beautiful length. This seemed very youthful and loaded with potential. I've had a couple of not-so-fantastic bottles of this but never the duds that others write up.
Nepenthe Pinot Gris 2006
Sweet, oily, sickly. Didna' like.
Nepenthe Sauv Blanc 2007
Nice, behaved SB. A touch generic though and lacks the interest of some other Hills SBs.
Geoff Weaver Cab Merlot 2001
Quite appealling varietal characters, dried herbs and capsicum although with some pleasing berry fruit. Good texture and rounded palate. In pretty fresh shape.
Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2002
Had straight after the Chalambar and couldn't really compete, exhibiting rather dull, generic flavours with some obvious muted savoury notes. Feels like it has more to come though and will reassess in a couple of years.
Cheers
Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz 2005
Hint of spice, smooth, easy drinking
Plantagenet Omrah Unoaked Chardonnay 2004
The classic melon aromas, peachy taste, relatively fresh, but a bit too "ethanolic" - pleasant drinking though.
Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2004
I think the cab was most present with the friuty, blackcurrant aromas and tast. Very pleasant, but I was hoping for a bit more complexity
Gustav - the visiting Norwegian
Hint of spice, smooth, easy drinking
Plantagenet Omrah Unoaked Chardonnay 2004
The classic melon aromas, peachy taste, relatively fresh, but a bit too "ethanolic" - pleasant drinking though.
Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2004
I think the cab was most present with the friuty, blackcurrant aromas and tast. Very pleasant, but I was hoping for a bit more complexity
Gustav - the visiting Norwegian
Glaetzer the Bishop Shiraz 2006 - I am a big Glaetzer fan with still a carton of the 2005 Bishop Shiraz (sensational wine) in the cellar. Opened up the 2006 as I was curious as to what it would be like. I was not impressed and believe that it should not be opened for at least 2 years. Harsh tannins and too young, however it will be great in a few years.
Torzi Matthews Schist Rocks Shiraz 2006 - For the price of $16 I believe it is an excellent wine. Easy drinking and great value for money.
Mike Press Wines Shiraz 2006 - Didn't like this wine and ended up throwing it down the sink. As described in the reviews it has enticing nose, loaded with dark berries, plums, blackberry, raspberries and exotic spices, however on the palate it didn't have any flavour and/or body. It was like someone had watered it down.
2004 Fernfield Pridmore Shiraz - I would rate this wine as one of the best $24 shiraz's I have tryed over the past month. Rich velvety smooth tannins. Under rated shiraz.
Cheers
LEIGH
Torzi Matthews Schist Rocks Shiraz 2006 - For the price of $16 I believe it is an excellent wine. Easy drinking and great value for money.
Mike Press Wines Shiraz 2006 - Didn't like this wine and ended up throwing it down the sink. As described in the reviews it has enticing nose, loaded with dark berries, plums, blackberry, raspberries and exotic spices, however on the palate it didn't have any flavour and/or body. It was like someone had watered it down.
2004 Fernfield Pridmore Shiraz - I would rate this wine as one of the best $24 shiraz's I have tryed over the past month. Rich velvety smooth tannins. Under rated shiraz.
Cheers
LEIGH
WINE - NECTAR OF THE GODS!
Two shiraz Sat night while waiting for and watching the Wobblies bow out.
Galah Wines Shiraz 2002 - nice wine but not overly exciting. Nice dark berry fruit, with a little plum and touches of spice and licorice, some pepper too. Good in a cooler climate shiraz style. Probably needs more time to develop a bit more.
Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2001 - opened up really reductive with a strong burnt rubber smell. Took an hour or so to blow off revealing a xmas cake nose with a warm palate full of liqueured plums, espresso coffee, licorice and kirsch-like flavours. Very moreish but a little boring after one glass.
Sunday night:
William Downie Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2006 - great follow up to the excellent 2005. The nose was not showing too much but with time there was redcurrant, spicy caramel oak. The palate shows great length and significant structure. A skeleton of fine, strong tannins underlie the wonderful fruit. Sour cherry, the barest hint of strawberry, redcurrant - all in the red fruit spectrum. The fruit is well meshed with the spicy oak and an underlying stalky/sapiness.
I like it a lot. Probably a little more depth of fruit than the 2005 but holds the same fine edge balance. Will look great in 5 years.
Galah Wines Shiraz 2002 - nice wine but not overly exciting. Nice dark berry fruit, with a little plum and touches of spice and licorice, some pepper too. Good in a cooler climate shiraz style. Probably needs more time to develop a bit more.
Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2001 - opened up really reductive with a strong burnt rubber smell. Took an hour or so to blow off revealing a xmas cake nose with a warm palate full of liqueured plums, espresso coffee, licorice and kirsch-like flavours. Very moreish but a little boring after one glass.
Sunday night:
William Downie Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2006 - great follow up to the excellent 2005. The nose was not showing too much but with time there was redcurrant, spicy caramel oak. The palate shows great length and significant structure. A skeleton of fine, strong tannins underlie the wonderful fruit. Sour cherry, the barest hint of strawberry, redcurrant - all in the red fruit spectrum. The fruit is well meshed with the spicy oak and an underlying stalky/sapiness.
I like it a lot. Probably a little more depth of fruit than the 2005 but holds the same fine edge balance. Will look great in 5 years.
Premierships and great wine... that is what life is all about
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Tristram Shandy
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:08 pm
- Location: Adelaide
2002 Centenary Hill Shiraz - Had one a month ago and it was a cracker. I was really looking forward to this, only to find it was corked! Not terribly, but enough to ruin any real enjoyment of the wine. NR
1997 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon - Seemed to have faded somewhat with the acid poking out a bit at the end. Nice enough but not really memorable. 88
2005 Gramp Barossa Valley Grenache - This is easily the best $14 wine I have come across all year. Soft fruity entry which then offers a bit of spice and touch of sweetness, but then finishes off with a savoury note. Brilliant with food. Right up there with Samuel's Gorge and Kalleske in the grenache stakes. 93
Tristram
1997 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon - Seemed to have faded somewhat with the acid poking out a bit at the end. Nice enough but not really memorable. 88
2005 Gramp Barossa Valley Grenache - This is easily the best $14 wine I have come across all year. Soft fruity entry which then offers a bit of spice and touch of sweetness, but then finishes off with a savoury note. Brilliant with food. Right up there with Samuel's Gorge and Kalleske in the grenache stakes. 93
Tristram
US escapee now living in wine paradise
2005 Grant Burge Filsell Old Vine Shiraz
I've had wines in the past being described as black but this really is black. Medium body with generous cling.
Nose full of rasberries and red fruits with Christmas cake spice and liquorice. Oak management, excellent. A superb sniff.
Gorgeuos and supple on the tongue. Very luscious, velvety and fullsome with liquorice all sorts and spice together with red fruits and vanilla on a lingering finish.
An extremely well intergrated wine showing plenty of class and finesse and it's only a baby. Can't wait to have it with some bottle age under it's belt. And as far as alcohol is concerned this wine shows that it's not about a number as long all the components are intergrated.
Ric, I don't know about Parker, Halliday or Oliver but I do know about Dr - 307 and he says 95/100.
Cheers,
Dr - 307.
I've had wines in the past being described as black but this really is black. Medium body with generous cling.
Nose full of rasberries and red fruits with Christmas cake spice and liquorice. Oak management, excellent. A superb sniff.
Gorgeuos and supple on the tongue. Very luscious, velvety and fullsome with liquorice all sorts and spice together with red fruits and vanilla on a lingering finish.
An extremely well intergrated wine showing plenty of class and finesse and it's only a baby. Can't wait to have it with some bottle age under it's belt. And as far as alcohol is concerned this wine shows that it's not about a number as long all the components are intergrated.
Ric, I don't know about Parker, Halliday or Oliver but I do know about Dr - 307 and he says 95/100.
Cheers,
Dr - 307.
"No need to over-analyse. Good tish is good tish!" - Dr 307.
Just two that are maybe worth a brief comment:
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz 2005 - both red and black fruit came across very rich - maybe too much of a fruit bomb for my taste. Also seemed a touch hot to me, although only 15%. Perhaps should have had it with burnt meat...
C J Pask Declaration Cab Merlot 2004 - needs more time. I think this may be pretty good in a few years though when its more approachable - I thought it had good fruit character and length.
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz 2005 - both red and black fruit came across very rich - maybe too much of a fruit bomb for my taste. Also seemed a touch hot to me, although only 15%. Perhaps should have had it with burnt meat...
C J Pask Declaration Cab Merlot 2004 - needs more time. I think this may be pretty good in a few years though when its more approachable - I thought it had good fruit character and length.
Cheers,
Mike
Mike
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bacchaebabe
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:04 pm
- Location: Sydney
06 Cape Mentalle Georgiana Happy friendly blend. Nothing special but nothing too offensive either. Mixed tropical fruits. Better on opening than two days later when finishing off the bottle.
05 Bastion A cheapie quaffer but good enough. Bright red purple and similar flavour profile. Plummy cherry red fruits. Good body and complexity for a quaffer.
00 Rockford Basket Press shiraz Seem to have had a bit of a groundhog weekend. Had this one last weekend too. Just as good. Lovely round, mouth filling plum characters. Lovely length, great complexity, no noticeable tannins. Right in the window and drinking wonderfully. Get stuck in if you have some. It won't get better and the wine is nearly through the cork (On every one of the last four bottles).
05 Bastion A cheapie quaffer but good enough. Bright red purple and similar flavour profile. Plummy cherry red fruits. Good body and complexity for a quaffer.
00 Rockford Basket Press shiraz Seem to have had a bit of a groundhog weekend. Had this one last weekend too. Just as good. Lovely round, mouth filling plum characters. Lovely length, great complexity, no noticeable tannins. Right in the window and drinking wonderfully. Get stuck in if you have some. It won't get better and the wine is nearly through the cork (On every one of the last four bottles).
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
I had a pretty busy week, starting with a bush walk with a few friends in the Adelaide Hills preceded by some rustic pizzas for lunch with an excellent bottle of 2004 Winter Creek Old Barossa Grenache Shiraz followed by a solid bottle of 2002 Kay Bros Amery MGM.
The following night I tried some wines from Maximillian's Vineyard from Verdun at a dinner in the Hills; various wines from both the budget Madhills and flagship Maximillian’s Vineyard range were there, and while the current releases were listed on the tasting sheet almost all of them were back vintages:
NV Madhills Methode Champenoise: Very clean/fresh aperitif style with sweet green apples, and just a little nuttiness on the finish. Simple but kind of effective.
2006 Madhills Sauvignon Blanc: The current release is 2007, although there’s nothing wrong with this one right now – grassy with ample pear/citrus fruit, good mouthfeel and length with just a hint of pickle. Very good.
2006 Madhills Rosé: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark pink/salmon colour. Slight, musky/tea rose petals on the nose at first, which disappears pretty quickly; the palate’s just as bland, relatively grippy and lacking any real fruit sweetness. Not my kind of rosé.
2002 Maximillian’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The first vintage of this wine was 1997, and the current release is 2004. Medium blood red, surprisingly with a hint of brick already. The wine was described as Bordeaux in style and the nose lived up to that, with a leafy/green element to the blackcurrant/coal characters supported by spicy/tight French oak. The palate’s medium-weight at most, with minty Blackcurrant fruit and an unusual hint of raisins, finishing decently with some liquorice. This was my favourite of the group and chose it to have with the meal; the presenter thinks this Cabernet will last 20 years but I seriously have my doubts – I’d drink within the next 5 (at most).
2001 Madhills Two-up Cabernet Shiraz: The current release is 2004. Dark red/purple, surprisingly a lot more youthful than the Cabernet. The green/leafy Cabernet is dominant here, and while there’s some nice peppery characters at first it turns just way too green for my liking. The fruit’s just a little too sweet/jammy when matched to the very green/peas characters.
I finished up the week trying some Cloudy Bay & Cape Mentelle wines at an instore, and had the following impressions:
Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV: Great mouthfeel and bready complexity – very nice.
2007 Cape Mentelle Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: Ester/Banana confectionery entry and a very grassy finish – looks really unbalanced right now and needs at least a year to settle.
2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc: Bitter pear and grassy characters, a little sweaty but nothing offensive – the presenter had an interesting theory that the sweaty characters of Sauvignon Blanc occur due to overcropping/irrigation. Halliday once described it as a reductive character, while I heard from a winemaker (specifically about Riesling) it was a by-product of excessive skin contact chasing saturated flavours.
2005 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay: Good stonefruit/blood orange characters matched to tight/spicy French oak and what seems to be obvious malolactic treatment, although maybe the wine just looked at lot more milky compared to the previous whites.
2004 Cape Mentelle Trinders Cabernet Merlot: The Merlot seems to be very obvious on the nose, with rich caramel/chocolate characters; the palate’s not as sweet and a little slender in comparison, more of a savoury style needing food.
2004 Cape Mentelle Shiraz: Toasty/ripe, slightly stinky nose, but the palate in comparison is very clean/sweet with gorgeous raspberry/blueberry/blackcurrant fruit and white pepper, very much in a Hermitage-style. Very smart.
2003 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon: A little stinky at first with some leafy/fishy scents, maybe from the small content of Cabernet Franc, but then it hits gear and becomes gloriously sweet and complex, with dark chocolate, earth, caramel, soy sauce, blackcurrant and leather. The palate’s full bodied and perfectly balanced, just velvety and perfect right now; I like this a lot better than the 2004 Moss Wood, maybe even more than the 2004 Cullen Diana Madeleine too. Outstanding.
2004 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel: Ripe and raisiny with earthy coffee, fruitcake/green characters and noticeable alcohol heat on the finish (16%). I like the Kabminye a lot better.
Cheers,
Ian
The following night I tried some wines from Maximillian's Vineyard from Verdun at a dinner in the Hills; various wines from both the budget Madhills and flagship Maximillian’s Vineyard range were there, and while the current releases were listed on the tasting sheet almost all of them were back vintages:
NV Madhills Methode Champenoise: Very clean/fresh aperitif style with sweet green apples, and just a little nuttiness on the finish. Simple but kind of effective.
2006 Madhills Sauvignon Blanc: The current release is 2007, although there’s nothing wrong with this one right now – grassy with ample pear/citrus fruit, good mouthfeel and length with just a hint of pickle. Very good.
2006 Madhills Rosé: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark pink/salmon colour. Slight, musky/tea rose petals on the nose at first, which disappears pretty quickly; the palate’s just as bland, relatively grippy and lacking any real fruit sweetness. Not my kind of rosé.
2002 Maximillian’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The first vintage of this wine was 1997, and the current release is 2004. Medium blood red, surprisingly with a hint of brick already. The wine was described as Bordeaux in style and the nose lived up to that, with a leafy/green element to the blackcurrant/coal characters supported by spicy/tight French oak. The palate’s medium-weight at most, with minty Blackcurrant fruit and an unusual hint of raisins, finishing decently with some liquorice. This was my favourite of the group and chose it to have with the meal; the presenter thinks this Cabernet will last 20 years but I seriously have my doubts – I’d drink within the next 5 (at most).
2001 Madhills Two-up Cabernet Shiraz: The current release is 2004. Dark red/purple, surprisingly a lot more youthful than the Cabernet. The green/leafy Cabernet is dominant here, and while there’s some nice peppery characters at first it turns just way too green for my liking. The fruit’s just a little too sweet/jammy when matched to the very green/peas characters.
I finished up the week trying some Cloudy Bay & Cape Mentelle wines at an instore, and had the following impressions:
Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV: Great mouthfeel and bready complexity – very nice.
2007 Cape Mentelle Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: Ester/Banana confectionery entry and a very grassy finish – looks really unbalanced right now and needs at least a year to settle.
2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc: Bitter pear and grassy characters, a little sweaty but nothing offensive – the presenter had an interesting theory that the sweaty characters of Sauvignon Blanc occur due to overcropping/irrigation. Halliday once described it as a reductive character, while I heard from a winemaker (specifically about Riesling) it was a by-product of excessive skin contact chasing saturated flavours.
2005 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay: Good stonefruit/blood orange characters matched to tight/spicy French oak and what seems to be obvious malolactic treatment, although maybe the wine just looked at lot more milky compared to the previous whites.
2004 Cape Mentelle Trinders Cabernet Merlot: The Merlot seems to be very obvious on the nose, with rich caramel/chocolate characters; the palate’s not as sweet and a little slender in comparison, more of a savoury style needing food.
2004 Cape Mentelle Shiraz: Toasty/ripe, slightly stinky nose, but the palate in comparison is very clean/sweet with gorgeous raspberry/blueberry/blackcurrant fruit and white pepper, very much in a Hermitage-style. Very smart.
2003 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon: A little stinky at first with some leafy/fishy scents, maybe from the small content of Cabernet Franc, but then it hits gear and becomes gloriously sweet and complex, with dark chocolate, earth, caramel, soy sauce, blackcurrant and leather. The palate’s full bodied and perfectly balanced, just velvety and perfect right now; I like this a lot better than the 2004 Moss Wood, maybe even more than the 2004 Cullen Diana Madeleine too. Outstanding.
2004 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel: Ripe and raisiny with earthy coffee, fruitcake/green characters and noticeable alcohol heat on the finish (16%). I like the Kabminye a lot better.
Cheers,
Ian
Last edited by n4sir on Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
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Daryl Douglas
- Posts: 1361
- Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 7:23 pm
- Location: Nth Qld
n4sir wrote:2003 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon: A little stinky at first with some leafy/fishy scents, maybe from the small content of Cabernet Franc, but then it hits gear and becomes gloriously sweet and complex, with dark chocolate, earth, caramel, soy sauce, blackcurrant and leather. The palate’s full bodied and perfectly balanced, just velvety and perfect right now; I like this a lot better than the 2004 Moss Wood, maybe even more than the 2004 Cullen Diana Madeleine too. Outstanding.
Cheers,
Ian
Try the Cape Mentelle against the Cullen in another 5-10 years.....?
daz