My first bottle of 'good' wine

[lordson]

I just opened a bottle of Taylors Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet 2005, won a bunch of gold awards in several shows

I opened the bottle for lunch (i need to study at night). Very dark, very dark purple, almost no red. At the very start, it was a bit harsh, bit spicy, bitter-ish

i let it sit in the glass for 40 minutes, and took another mouthful

and bam! the flavour hit me. it developed in my mouth a bit, the first impression wasn't great it was kinda of nothing, bit of a citrusy hit, but then all of a sudden several things came out at once, and it finished smooth with a nice aftertaste with a burst of some sort of fruit at the end, i think blackcurrant with something else too, definately two things (maybe black cherry but the two are very similair).

on the nose, something sweet... blackcurrent? saltana-like, not too alcoholic, a hint of something spicy (i noticed all red has this, so not sure what it is, bit like cinnamon, not the smell but the kinda spice cinnamon has). smells good. light-medium body

thats about as good a a tasting note i can do really!

i like this one alot. much better than the hyland cab 06. it tastes better

i would give it 94/100, whereas the hyland cab, probably 87/100

only $11 too! can't wait to try the other Taylors Clare Valley one, also won a bunch of awards

anybody else tried this?




edit: did a bit of google on it. couldn't find any notes. but reading about other vintages. try as i might, i cannot smell any cherry, plum, chocolate, cloves. maybe it just doesn't have them. i can sorta get a sence of licorice, and something sour (maybe eucalypt)

i also have a question. will the wine change with vintages? such as in 2002, they will add different things (plum, black cherry, etc.) into it than say in 2005? as in, will the wine differ from year to year, or just the grapes?

[lordson]

okay, enough try to discern this and that, i'm just going to enjoy it!

[Bick]

i would give it 94/100, whereas the hyland cab, probably 87/100

Nice marking.

i also have a question. will the wine change with vintages? such as in 2002, they will add different things (plum, black cherry, etc.) into it than say in 2005?

Ok, someone's got to pick up on this one. I would, but I've gotten involved before, and I can't think of anything suitably amusing right this minute.

[Roscoe]

I think the line has been crossed..........

[Wayno]

I am not really sure whether the forum is exercising collective w*nkery to poor old Lordson or whether Lordson is the w*nker. My one and only comment on this sensitive matter.

[Attila]

I don't think Lordson is a bad wine person or a w**ker but he might be very close to be one...if he is kidding with this post.
On the other hand, I've drunk this award winning cheapie myself and it wasn't too bad.
However it did not inspire me to write endlessly about it....but each their own.
Attila

[griff]

My turn to be friendly

Welcome Lordson and thank you for the wine note. Your writing reminds me of some of the uni student's assignments that I have to mark But good on you for putting a tasting note up as proving information is the best way to repay the information you have gained.

As for the wine I think it a good everyday wine and while they didn't have the promised land range back then I cut my teeth on Taylors wines about 10 years ago.

Wine is an agricultural product in the end so the growing season will always influence the grapes that will be made into the resulting wine. Competent winemaking can reduce the seasonal variation and usually there is similarities between the same wine from different vintages. It is just that some years are better than others.

cheers

Carl

[Luke W]

I've tried the 2004 Taylor's Promised Land shiraz cab on the recommendation of a friend who raved about it. I think it won some prestigious Qantas award. I was quite impressed with it and would think that it's a very good wine for the price. Halliday gave it 87 but I think it was better than this. I don't know if the 2005 is a similar wine.

[JohnP]

I just opened a bottle of Taylors Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet 2005, won a bunch of gold awards in several shows
..SNIP..
i also have a question. will the wine change with vintages? such as in 2002, they will add different things (plum, black cherry, etc.) into it than say in 2005? as in, will the wine differ from year to year, or just the grapes?

Gee HARD question, Um, Ah! - Well, actually I believe the bottle and/or the seal may provide the biggest vintage variation , I have excluded the label because it's on the 'outside' of the bottle!

I do not know how much of the Taylors you had, but the variation in the wine is (almost totally down to) the grapes. And I don't think "they will add different things (plum, black cherry, etc.) into it than say in 2005", is very likely to happen at all - we are talking grape based wine here. Get a grip please!!!!

[lordson]

hrm...

actually, i have no idea how wine is made. the reason why different wines taste different is that the 'winemakers' add different fruits to it

that was my question, will they add different things in different years

or will the "formula" for say this Taylors Shiraz Cabernet stay the same with the only thing differing is the grapes?

well, reading what people said, maybe i did make a big deal out of it. i'm yet to try more wines

and i can't write succinct tasting notes because i need to describe what it was i was tasting, rathing that summing it up in single words like those professionals, of which i am not

so i dont think its fair to call my writing w*nkery

i've had alot of arrows come my way, and i'm just about at the end of my fuse

[cuttlefish]

hrm...

actually, i have no idea how wine is made. the reason why different wines taste different is that the 'winemakers' add different fruits to it

that was my question, will they add different things in different years

or will the "formula" for say this Taylors Shiraz Cabernet stay the same with the only thing differing is the grapes?

well, reading what people said, maybe i did make a big deal out of it. i'm yet to try more wines

and i can't write succinct tasting notes because i need to describe what it was i was tasting, rathing that summing it up in single words like those professionals, of which i am not

so i dont think its fair to call my writing w*nkery

i've had alot of arrows come my way, and i'm just about at the end of my fuse

Hey Lordson. Good on you for writing about wine. That is something we on the forum all have in common
Forgive me if I am wrong, but I get the impression from your earlier posts that you think wine is made from additional fruits, like plums, and cherries. Different types of alcoholic drinks can be made from these fruits, but "wine" is almost always made from grapes only. In the example of Taylors Cabernet Sauvignon, I think I can quite confidently say that it is made entirely from grapes. The amazing thing about fermenting grapes to make alcohol is that you can produce a wine which can smell and/or taste like many other flavours, such as other fruits (plums, strawberries, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, etc), and even other foods, like cooked meat, menthol, liquorice, mushrooms, truffles, grass, nuts, and then even other things that are not foods as such, like earth, and smoky timber, bitumen, sea-spray, leather, tobacco...the list is almost endless, and ultimately comes down to the senses of the individual.
Please don't let others negative posts put you off posting here. It's painfully obvious that not enough people bother to post on Australian wine forums. We need more posters, not fewer, so KEEP POSTING, PLEASE !!!
Enjoy your drinking, and enjoy learning about it with us.

[Alex F]

hrm...

actually, i have no idea how wine is made. the reason why different wines taste different is that the 'winemakers' add different fruits to it

that was my question, will they add different things in different years

or will the "formula" for say this Taylors Shiraz Cabernet stay the same with the only thing differing is the grapes?

Man, I've tried to avoid any input into any of these posts, but this one just gets me shaking my head, and going... No waaay...

[Jules]

Whether this is a wind up or not, Lordson's post reminded me of the days when I actually thought Lindemans Cawarra Merlot was a good drop, sadly I think that may have been as recent as 2000.

When I could still drink Evans & Tate Gnangara Shiraz without choking, or even when I was drinking "The Growers" a cask wine brought out in WA at about the time the Australian wine lake became a problem (and after a while in the decanter, it weren't bad.) When I had a cask of Banrock Station in the fridge.

I vaguely remember a time back in the late 90's when I started to drink white, and yes I think it may have been Goundrey Unwooded Chard, or Evans & Tate Classic.

Now a lot of this stemmed from a lack of budget, not that price necessarily indicates quality (ie Tahbilk Marsanne), but working in a fine wine bottleshop from late '99 onwards, completely spoilt me. Yes I have got to try some magnificent wines, yes I want to try more, and to be honest my ability to know a bargain has only improved, but sometimes I ponder what it was like when it was all much simpler

(although mainly I only do this when I'm out somewhere and the wine list looks like it was designed by a bourbon and coke drinker... I mean who in their right mind doesn't have a good Mendoza malbec on their list)

[Wayno]

so i dont think its fair to call my writing w*nkery

i've had alot of arrows come my way, and i'm just about at the end of my fuse

OK, to be fair I only toyed with the thought. I also thought you might be getting hard done by too. I think the w*nkery charge is posibly more fitting for my former option. The latter option is probably better described as just plain 'confusing'. You've certainly stirred up the nest, whether you meant to or not. Douse the fuse though.

[Wizz]

I have to step in and vouch for Lordson here too. I believe he's genuine - and in the very early stages of wine appreciation.

I admit I had a giggle at some of his posts, but worked out early on where he's coming from. I have a step daughter much the same age, who writes email much the same way, and in real life she's a normal balanced human being.

In another thread someone (many people IIR) asked Lordson to try some Taylors gear and report back what he thought...and he did. Now everyone wants to pile shit on him. All for saying what he thinks, which i think is pretty brave. I remember crapping myself over my first post here, and I had tasted a lot more wine than 4 or 5 bottles by then!

Onya cuttlefish. Must be a Hawks supporter thing.

[Jay60A]

Lordson, welcome - keep writing and asking ... I'm not sure but I get the impression you are a Uni student or early twenties ... maybe I am wrong.

I think the last thing we want Auswine forum to end up like is eBob (thread locked, posts deleted to preserve a party line).

If you want to learn a bit about wine ... buy a few different vintages of a good but easily available wine ... Wynns Black label maybe. Read a bit what other people here have thought. Open all the bottles and maybe drink with friends over dinner.

There seem to be lot of new posters around here the last few months which is really nice to see btw. These days st*rforum discusses mainly burgundy and closures so it's nice to have a forum that is "keeping the faith".

Not that I have anything against Burgundy. Just can't afford (or don't want to) the stuff that is really worthwhile.

Jay.

[Bick]

Hey, Lordson don't stop posting - and if your question regarding what fruit is put into wine was genuine, then my apologies for the sarcasm - fair enough and the more the merrier. Far too few newbies are happy to post. For what its worth - its all grapes and nothing but grapes! (apart from the occasional stalk)

[lordson]

well thanks for the welcomes. finally! hehe, and no hard feelings about the w8ankery thing, i must have misunderstood

well this bottle of taylors got me back on the wine

i reckon its really good. and if halliday only think its worth 87, then i'm probaby in for some dooises later!

i reckon forums are a great place to discuss stuff, and as more young people get into wine, the hopefull more people will be joining up

i got here by searching "wine forum" in google, and this site was the ONLY one

i read somewhere, wine was 95% water and grapes with 5% something else, and i assumed that something else was other fruits! cos tasting notes are always talking about all this other stuff. so the fermentation, can bring out different things in wine eh? thats pretty cool, but probably more complex than that

i havn't got a huge list of "wine to buy" atm, but wanna get through my other bottles first, and still looking forward to that bin 28 (i know its not THAT great)

seems that not many people here have tried this wine either

[JohnP]

Lordson, please go to a site such as http://www.winepros.org/wine101/wine101.htm and read all of it. If you are a student then you can achieve that quite easily. Wiz may be right and your comments are simply innocently based. I have a 23yo daughter however and I do know that she presents herself in a much different manner. Once you have been to and read the articles in the above site, and thought a little then come back and tell us what you have learned and why you believe your initial posts where percieved as a 'wind up'. I at least will then be quite happy to respond to anything you post - assuming it will be based on the knowledge that you have gained.

[Jules]

In 1997 I went out for a casual feed with my football coach, he brought a bottle of 1990 St Henri.

Well their was nothing casual about the wine, I've had a few St Henri's since, and other great wines, but that wine was an epiphany for me.

Having said that, when I was 17-18 the old man had had the good sense to stock up on several cartons of 1986 Wynns Shiraz (or Hermitage as it was then), and I vaguely remember that one or two of them were right on the money. Although when you consider I probably necked most of the ones I had straight out of the bottle (after a sixer of VB), is it any surprise it is only a vague memory.

[Daryl Douglas]

Lordson, as a student, you surely have the research skills to find:

http://www.taylorswines.com.au/ourWines ... hp?id=1831

From subscription sites, without, hopefully, breaching copyright:

Aromas of stewed plum, ripe berry, eucalypt, chocolate and vanilla. It also has a slight whiff of burning leaves. On the palate medium to full bodied with a mix of plum and berry fruit, mint and twiggy flavours mingling with some chocolate and spice. It has firm grainy grippy tannins and a little bitterness on exit. A robust and enjoyable wine offering good value.
Rated : 87 Points
Tasted : Oct07
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $13.95
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2007 - 2009

Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet 2005
A thoroughly honest, traditional style, with plenty of ripe (not jammy) fruit, but trailing away somewhat on the finish. Screwcap 14.5° alc. RATING 87 DRINK 2009 DATE TASTED Sep 07

It seems you've found a wine you like at a price affordable for you. I last had a Promised Land shiraz/cab about 18 months ago. Bought it on discount because I thought a brother would enjoy it - he did, and I thought it was more than just acceptable.

Enjoying wine is what it's all about. As you try different wines, you'll find those you enjoy, others you don't so much but which still interest you. It's the latter you should explore to gain more knowledge of your own palate. For example, try a Jacobs Creek shiraz/cab 06 to compare to the Promised Land shiraz/cab 06. Different styles, the JC perhaps more classic in style, the Taylors perhaps more contemporary - but they're of comparable quality.

Work that one out if you can, I'm having trouble doing it myself

Cheers

daz

[KMP]

Its admirable that forum members are so willing to post to the threads that lordson starts, but the more I see of these “questions” the more I’m drawn to conclude that this is a wind-up. I hope I’m wrong about this but the following things worry me.

This person is supposed to be 22 yo uni student. Now its been a long time since I graduated from ANU but even in those days 22 was “old”. I know because I was that age when I finished a four year course. Most of those graduating with me were 21 and those doing 3 years were 20. So lordson is either a postgraduate student, or has been dropping/failing classes like crazy. But the most disturbing facet is the grammar and spelling. Over the last few decades I’ve had high school, undergraduate and postgraduate students work in my lab and none of them have had the grammar and spelling problems that lordson posts on a regular basis. Has the education system failed so badly in Oz?

The excuse for the grammar and spelling errors is that this is how he/she likes to post on forums – its quick and easy. Actually those around lordson’s age post in internet slang and acronyms that are all their own – for example a newbie is n00b. So, no, lordson is not posting in the quick and easy style of his/her generation; more like someone twice the age of 22.

But the kicker was the question at the bottom of the first post in this thread. i also have a question. will the wine change with vintages? such as in 2002, they will add different things (plum, black cherry, etc.) into it than say in 2005? as in, will the wine differ from year to year, or just the grapes? I don’t know about the rest of you folks but at 22 I might not have been drinking a lot of wine but I knew that grapes were used to make wine and that if another fruit was used then the name was used to describe the wine, e.g. blackberry wine, plum wine. etc.

So for me this is a wind-up, but just in case it is genuine I’m going to post a thread called Advice for lordson – and any other wine n00bs.

Mike

[Craig(NZ)]

The excuse for the grammar and spelling errors is that this is how he/she likes to post on forums – its quick and easy. Actually those around lordson’s age post in internet slang and acronyms that are all their own – for example a newbie is n00b. So, no, lordson is not posting in the quick and easy style of his/her generation; more like someone twice the age of 22.

personally i question whether someone with such grammer and spelling can get into uni these days let alone graduate. However I do realise he is in Australia so we will let that one slide

T o add to your list KMP there is a website called www.google.com. its amazing how easily people can find answers to all sorts of questions there.

oh well in the end it has given people a chance to flap and splash, huff and puff. Since Serge left people are probably starved of meat.

[Red Bigot]

i got here by searching "wine forum" in google, and this site was the ONLY one

No it's not, but it's interesting that StarForum doesn't show up in the first few pages of the search results. I think you should visit there as well.

[lordson]

i'll just quickly respond to KMB, because i have to go study

i'm doing medicine, so its a 6 year course.

i've never used the word n00b, or l33t, on an internet forum ever because it just plain stupid, and you make alot of assumptions and stereotypes

and obviously i dont know much about wine, how do expect a person to know something about a subject if they know nothing about that subject and its not taught in school or in common knowledge. i know wine is made from grapes, everybody does, but how was i supposed to know they dont add other things to it

geez louise

and i still not sure what a "wind up" is, i'm only ever heard it used here on these wine forums, i assume a wind up is an attempt to instill anger and annoyance, of which i am not doing

[Red Bigot]

i'm doing medicine, so its a 6 year course.

[KMP]

i'm doing medicine, so its a 6 year course.

exactly! Can't even get KMP correct! Maybe the best advice is to steer clear of wine forums and start hitting the books.

Mike

[KMP]

i'll just quickly respond to KMB, because i have to go study

and i still not sure what a "wind up" is, i'm only ever heard it used here on these wine forums, i assume a wind up is an attempt to instill anger and annoyance, of which i am not doing

For me, the definition of wind up, in this case, is to play a prank, to take the mickey or mock.

Mike

[Red Bigot]

i'm doing medicine, so its a 6 year course.

exactly! Can't even get KMP correct! Maybe the best advice is to steer clear of wine forums and start hitting the books.

Mike

So this is all part of his Psych assignment?

[Craig(NZ)]

i'm doing medicine, so its a 6 year course.

Medicine or computers? or is it computer medicine?

Are we supposed to believe this? no way in hell can you get the grades to get into medicine with the grammer, comprehension and communication skills offered so far (well not in NZ anyway )

Secondly all the med students I have known are quite sophisticated in their wine tastes, knowledge and preferences. It is as part of the landscape as beer and brawling for engineering students.

Let me firmly cast my vote now in the "wind up camp". This is the last time i contribute to a Lordson thread.

Lordson, a legend not quite like Serge but alas it is time to cut you adrift (even though you are funny)