Hi Good People,
Its that time of the week again. Please let us know what you have been drinking. Tasting notes, vibes, lists or impressions welcome.
A dry and hot blowy SUNDAY
Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2002 - infantile colour; progressing slowly, but very nicely, a combinaton of slatiness, lime and minerally acids all doing their thing, plenty of time to go here. Outstanding wine. 92
Tyrrell's Vat 1 Chardonnay 2000 - advancing colour but the wine is holding exceedingly well. Particularly fine acidity holds a beautifully meshed amalgam of classy fruit and oak in good stead for a few more years of superior drinking. Holds its 13.9% alcohol with aplomb. 91
Produttori del Barberesco Riserva Asili 1997 - this wine's hue suggests a more advanced wine, but looks can be decieving. Offers up an intriguing savoury/earthy bouquet of porcini mushroom, mixed dried herbs, bing cherry and just a touch of 'good' brett followed by an elegant, well-structured palate with ample savoury fruit, integrated subtle oak, subservient but cleansing acidity and a long, relatively soft tannin finish. A very good to excellent wine to be drunk over the next five years. 88
I also wrote up three 2006 Margaret River Chardonnays for another board's specific focus of "Chardonnay and Oak".
The Margaret River area of south-west Western Australia has an enviable reputation for its Chardonnay's with Leeuwin Estate leading the pack (some say by a considerable margin) with its Art Series. But this wine comes at a price - around AUS$80-90 a bottle for the 2005! Moving down the pecking order just a fraction, but, thankfully, with a huge drop in price, you'll find wonderful quality and value with Voyager Estate's 2006 Margaret River Chardonnay. At AUS$30-35 this wine comes in at a reasonable 13.3% A/V, is sealed with a screwcap and was 100% barrel-fermented in 40% new oak, 40% one-year-old and 20% two-year-old French oak (François Frères, Dargaud & Jaegle, Damy, Seguin Moreau). In order to get the benefits of subtle texture without losing the fruit freshness in the wine, 15% of the fruit was inoculated for malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged for 12 months in barrique with regular battonage.
TN: Pale straw/green colour. Tightly coiled mineral-tinged aromatics of green melon, Packham pear and grapefruit with a hint of matchstick, wet stones and subtle vanillin-tinged spicy oak sitting underneath. Just add white peach (to all of the forementioned) for a steely, finely delineated palate that displays an immaculate line, exquisite balance where the cool-season fruit and lively acidity do most of the talking. The oak, although noticeable plays out a supporting role here with a suggestion of meal and grilled nuts being the main impressions gleaned.The wine finishes very long, clean and crisp with a refreshing minerally tartness and a lovely twist of grip from the subtle oak usage. 92 points. Drink 2009-2015.
This wine exemplifies the ever-growing movement within Australia to fashion oaked Chardonnay where the oak plays second fiddle to the wonderful fruit coming off the vines. This does not signify a lessening of the importance of oak in the wine's composition, just less reliance on the wood as a player in the big picture. I'm happy to say that this a style I enjoy immensely and to draw a rough stylistic correllation, it sits somewhere between a fine Puligny and a lightly-oaked top quality Chablis.
Cape Mentelle
Starbright pale green/straw. Enticing bouquet offering the perfect symmetry between pear, green melon, nectarine and grapefruit pith and first-class creamy/lightly charred spicy oak. The palate delivers exquisite harmony and balance between near-identical slightly green fruit and oak aided by attractive notes of meal, holds an immaculate line from start to finish with a tingling core of mineral-laced acidity and the most complete and compelling departure of this 2006 Margaret River trio. 93 points. Drink now - 2012. 13.5% A/V and sealed with a screwcap.
Devil's Lair
Decidedly more oak apparent in this wine compared to the Voyager Estate opened earlier this week. Although holding a reasonable line and certainly not "overblown", this finely honed Chardonnay's undergone a decent workout in the winery with a preponderance of spicy French oak and winemaker-derived barrel influences of roasted nuts, almond meal, bacon fat, hints of dairy and butterscotch dominating underlying fig and yellow peach fruit. This weighting tranfers identically to the palate where lively acidity provides a foil for the substantive, but not overbearing, barrel-work on a reasonable departure that just lacked a little weight and carry. Although the oak was a tad dominant right through to the death, the wine was neither heavy or cumbersome. I'll admit enjoying this wine over two evenings (with the help of my wife) without any degradation in quality from oxidation. It rates an excellent score of 90 points. Drink now-2011. 13.5% A/V and sealed with a screwcap.
Tyrrell's Vat 1 Chardonnay 2000 - advancing colour but the wine is holding exceedingly well. Particularly fine acidity holds a beautifully meshed amalgam of classy fruit and oak in good stead for a few more years of superior drinking. Holds its 13.9% alcohol with aplomb. 91
Produttori del Barberesco Riserva Asili 1997 - this wine's hue suggests a more advanced wine, but looks can be decieving. Offers up an intriguing savoury/earthy bouquet of porcini mushroom, mixed dried herbs, bing cherry and just a touch of 'good' brett followed by an elegant, well-structured palate with ample savoury fruit, integrated subtle oak, subservient but cleansing acidity and a long, relatively soft tannin finish. A very good to excellent wine to be drunk over the next five years. 88
I also wrote up three 2006 Margaret River Chardonnays for another board's specific focus of "Chardonnay and Oak".
The Margaret River area of south-west Western Australia has an enviable reputation for its Chardonnay's with Leeuwin Estate leading the pack (some say by a considerable margin) with its Art Series. But this wine comes at a price - around AUS$80-90 a bottle for the 2005! Moving down the pecking order just a fraction, but, thankfully, with a huge drop in price, you'll find wonderful quality and value with Voyager Estate's 2006 Margaret River Chardonnay. At AUS$30-35 this wine comes in at a reasonable 13.3% A/V, is sealed with a screwcap and was 100% barrel-fermented in 40% new oak, 40% one-year-old and 20% two-year-old French oak (François Frères, Dargaud & Jaegle, Damy, Seguin Moreau). In order to get the benefits of subtle texture without losing the fruit freshness in the wine, 15% of the fruit was inoculated for malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged for 12 months in barrique with regular battonage.
TN: Pale straw/green colour. Tightly coiled mineral-tinged aromatics of green melon, Packham pear and grapefruit with a hint of matchstick, wet stones and subtle vanillin-tinged spicy oak sitting underneath. Just add white peach (to all of the forementioned) for a steely, finely delineated palate that displays an immaculate line, exquisite balance where the cool-season fruit and lively acidity do most of the talking. The oak, although noticeable plays out a supporting role here with a suggestion of meal and grilled nuts being the main impressions gleaned.The wine finishes very long, clean and crisp with a refreshing minerally tartness and a lovely twist of grip from the subtle oak usage. 92 points. Drink 2009-2015.
This wine exemplifies the ever-growing movement within Australia to fashion oaked Chardonnay where the oak plays second fiddle to the wonderful fruit coming off the vines. This does not signify a lessening of the importance of oak in the wine's composition, just less reliance on the wood as a player in the big picture. I'm happy to say that this a style I enjoy immensely and to draw a rough stylistic correllation, it sits somewhere between a fine Puligny and a lightly-oaked top quality Chablis.
Cape Mentelle
Starbright pale green/straw. Enticing bouquet offering the perfect symmetry between pear, green melon, nectarine and grapefruit pith and first-class creamy/lightly charred spicy oak. The palate delivers exquisite harmony and balance between near-identical slightly green fruit and oak aided by attractive notes of meal, holds an immaculate line from start to finish with a tingling core of mineral-laced acidity and the most complete and compelling departure of this 2006 Margaret River trio. 93 points. Drink now - 2012. 13.5% A/V and sealed with a screwcap.
Devil's Lair
Decidedly more oak apparent in this wine compared to the Voyager Estate opened earlier this week. Although holding a reasonable line and certainly not "overblown", this finely honed Chardonnay's undergone a decent workout in the winery with a preponderance of spicy French oak and winemaker-derived barrel influences of roasted nuts, almond meal, bacon fat, hints of dairy and butterscotch dominating underlying fig and yellow peach fruit. This weighting tranfers identically to the palate where lively acidity provides a foil for the substantive, but not overbearing, barrel-work on a reasonable departure that just lacked a little weight and carry. Although the oak was a tad dominant right through to the death, the wine was neither heavy or cumbersome. I'll admit enjoying this wine over two evenings (with the help of my wife) without any degradation in quality from oxidation. It rates an excellent score of 90 points. Drink now-2011. 13.5% A/V and sealed with a screwcap.
Cheers,
David
David
Quarterly Blind Tasting group, this time Bordeaux blends, across the price and country spectrum.
Brief impressions only:
Grosset Gaia 2004
Muted nose that took awhile to come around, meaty, tobaccoey, nice acid, savoury notes with complexity. Good balance and structure and impressive length.
Smith and Hooper Wrattonbully Cabernet Merlot 2006
Not bad for the price but a bit coarse. Generally well filled out on the palate.
Henschke Cyril Henschke 2001
Lush, silken style. Loaded with upfront Ribena/cassis. Driven and quite focussed. Very fresh for it's age.
Forester Cabernet Merlot 2004
Lifted, slightly spritzy, savoury notes, very flavoursome.
Chateau Escart 2005
A DM cheapie, and it showed. Chalky, dry, tobacco, leather but very short and drying on the palate. Abrupt. Very astringent, unpleasant wine.
Chateau Lagrange 2003
Great wine - cassis nose, cloves, meatiness, enormous depth of palate. Tied with the Henschke and Gaia for WOTNs.
Rosemount Traditional 2002
Crowd pleaser, almost shiraz-like in style. Big Aussie thumper with a surprising amount of fruit and freshness banging around.
D'Arenberg Galvo Garage 2006
Again, the Aussie Bordeaux style, quite upfront, a touch rustic with tons of flavour but not as impressive as the leading guns of the night.
Brief impressions only:
Grosset Gaia 2004
Muted nose that took awhile to come around, meaty, tobaccoey, nice acid, savoury notes with complexity. Good balance and structure and impressive length.
Smith and Hooper Wrattonbully Cabernet Merlot 2006
Not bad for the price but a bit coarse. Generally well filled out on the palate.
Henschke Cyril Henschke 2001
Lush, silken style. Loaded with upfront Ribena/cassis. Driven and quite focussed. Very fresh for it's age.
Forester Cabernet Merlot 2004
Lifted, slightly spritzy, savoury notes, very flavoursome.
Chateau Escart 2005
A DM cheapie, and it showed. Chalky, dry, tobacco, leather but very short and drying on the palate. Abrupt. Very astringent, unpleasant wine.
Chateau Lagrange 2003
Great wine - cassis nose, cloves, meatiness, enormous depth of palate. Tied with the Henschke and Gaia for WOTNs.
Rosemount Traditional 2002
Crowd pleaser, almost shiraz-like in style. Big Aussie thumper with a surprising amount of fruit and freshness banging around.
D'Arenberg Galvo Garage 2006
Again, the Aussie Bordeaux style, quite upfront, a touch rustic with tons of flavour but not as impressive as the leading guns of the night.
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.
Copied from another forum where Brucer was commenting on his bad experiences with 2002 SA reds, including these.
Two out of three ain't bad...
Wirra Wirra RSW 2002 - (Cork) good colour, good fruit softening nicely and integrating with the well-judged oak and tannins, balanced, lovely wine, love it. Probably won't get any better from here, but good drinking over the next year or two, probably more.
Schulz Marcus Old Shiraz 2002 - (screwcap) made by Dave Powell, good colour, less density than the RSW, disturbing aromas of canned asparagus/corn, palate better, but can't get past the nose. Gave it a good shake and put it away to try later. Update: Six hours later the tinned asparagus has mostly blown off, leaving pruney, flabby fruit flavours, not a nice drink. A definite dud for cellaring that should have been drunk a year or two after release while it was still fresh. But it does show that wines under screwcap do age... It is still listed on wine-searcher at 6 US wine stores at prices ranging from $66AUD to $120AUD, so I guess this had a big Parker score at some stage.
Dowie Doole Reserve Shiraz 2002 - (Cork) again good colour, again lighter than the RSW and sweeter and softer, but no way syrupy or stewed. Again, ready to go, but not fading and will be good drinking over the next year or two.
Happy to have only one more of the Schulz, 5 more each of the other two.
Two out of three ain't bad...
Wirra Wirra RSW 2002 - (Cork) good colour, good fruit softening nicely and integrating with the well-judged oak and tannins, balanced, lovely wine, love it. Probably won't get any better from here, but good drinking over the next year or two, probably more.
Schulz Marcus Old Shiraz 2002 - (screwcap) made by Dave Powell, good colour, less density than the RSW, disturbing aromas of canned asparagus/corn, palate better, but can't get past the nose. Gave it a good shake and put it away to try later. Update: Six hours later the tinned asparagus has mostly blown off, leaving pruney, flabby fruit flavours, not a nice drink. A definite dud for cellaring that should have been drunk a year or two after release while it was still fresh. But it does show that wines under screwcap do age... It is still listed on wine-searcher at 6 US wine stores at prices ranging from $66AUD to $120AUD, so I guess this had a big Parker score at some stage.
Dowie Doole Reserve Shiraz 2002 - (Cork) again good colour, again lighter than the RSW and sweeter and softer, but no way syrupy or stewed. Again, ready to go, but not fading and will be good drinking over the next year or two.
Happy to have only one more of the Schulz, 5 more each of the other two.
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Thorn Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 04 - not bad took a while to open up but when it did luscious black fruit -was enjoyable witout being stunning.
Teusner Riebke shiraz 06 - defintely better the second night with red and black fruits medium bodied great QPR, big fan of what this bloke is doing with the fruit he sources.
cheers
Seddo
Teusner Riebke shiraz 06 - defintely better the second night with red and black fruits medium bodied great QPR, big fan of what this bloke is doing with the fruit he sources.
cheers
Seddo
Brickman's Hunter Valley Late harvest semillion 2000 - light gold, dry with no hint of sweetness which I found supprising, apricot and butter, nice balanced acid.
Pepperjack 2007 Cab Sav. Barossa - very easy drinking at a young age, smooth tannins with plenty of red berry flavours dominating, balanced acid. Good quaffer for the price
D'Armeberg 2005 Footbolt - have commented on this before (when I thought the wine was brilliant) and is still just as good as then.[/b]
Pepperjack 2007 Cab Sav. Barossa - very easy drinking at a young age, smooth tannins with plenty of red berry flavours dominating, balanced acid. Good quaffer for the price
D'Armeberg 2005 Footbolt - have commented on this before (when I thought the wine was brilliant) and is still just as good as then.[/b]
Peter Lehmann eight Songs 2000
1st bottle was not very pleasant, very unpleasant taste on the palate. With a little trepidation I opened a second and was very happy to down it in a sitting (wife was given a moscato)
Deep purple red, dark berry fruit and subtle tannins. Still has a few years left I hope as I hve a few left.
Rosemount Balmoral 1999
Richly textured fruit and deep, velvety tannins . I REALLY enjoyed this one but it definately needed decanting due to heavy sediment.. Thankfully have 4 left
1st bottle was not very pleasant, very unpleasant taste on the palate. With a little trepidation I opened a second and was very happy to down it in a sitting (wife was given a moscato)
Deep purple red, dark berry fruit and subtle tannins. Still has a few years left I hope as I hve a few left.
Rosemount Balmoral 1999
Richly textured fruit and deep, velvety tannins . I REALLY enjoyed this one but it definately needed decanting due to heavy sediment.. Thankfully have 4 left
Nothing is so effective in keeping one young and full of lust as a discriminating palate thoroughly satisfied at least once a day.
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Mike Hawkins
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1996 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - absolutely singing ! Plenty of life yet, but its so awesome to drink right now.
1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - ditto.
1996 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - really good as well. But based on this bottle I will be pulling the corks on the remainder in the next couple of years.
3 for 3 this week, so I'm pretty happy. Plus I had something from Napa which wasn't too shabby even if its cost my boss a bomb.
1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - ditto.
1996 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - really good as well. But based on this bottle I will be pulling the corks on the remainder in the next couple of years.
3 for 3 this week, so I'm pretty happy. Plus I had something from Napa which wasn't too shabby even if its cost my boss a bomb.
Jasper Hill 2004 Georgia's Paddock
Port-like nose on opening, prunes, toffee, raisins. On first taste, teetering on the edge of port, no sign of oak, not a lot of grip, just a huge, porty, jammy wine.
Viscosity of oil.
After a while, stepped back from the edge, and revealed itself to be a wine of gigantic proportions, very ripe fruit, but a well-balanced, exuberant wine, another bottle of which will not be opened for at least 10 years.
I looked up Halliday's tasting notes. He must have drunk a different wine.
Chapel Hill the Vicar 2006
A marvellous wine. Great colour.
Vanilla and dark berry fruit on the nose.
A beautiful, powerful yet elegant wine, perfectly in balance on tasting, not seeming remotely forced, or over-extracted.
Great grip, lovely, fine-grained tannins, giving it great mouth-feel, dark, bitter chocolate/blackberry on the palate, with excellent length for a shiraz, going right to the back of the palate, and finishing tight and long.
Under screw-cap. Should cellar well.
Moonambel Cabernet 1993
This drinking absolutely perfectly now. Colour still an excellent, dark, opaque (almost black) red, lightening to thin-blood red just at the very edge of the glass. Coats the glass.
Vanilla oak, blackberry, the memory of violet on the nose.
Lovely, elegant wine.
Bitter chocolate, lovely, chewy feel in the mouth. good length, with the chewy feeling persisting after each mouthful.
WIll never taste better than it does now.
Port-like nose on opening, prunes, toffee, raisins. On first taste, teetering on the edge of port, no sign of oak, not a lot of grip, just a huge, porty, jammy wine.
Viscosity of oil.
After a while, stepped back from the edge, and revealed itself to be a wine of gigantic proportions, very ripe fruit, but a well-balanced, exuberant wine, another bottle of which will not be opened for at least 10 years.
I looked up Halliday's tasting notes. He must have drunk a different wine.
Chapel Hill the Vicar 2006
A marvellous wine. Great colour.
Vanilla and dark berry fruit on the nose.
A beautiful, powerful yet elegant wine, perfectly in balance on tasting, not seeming remotely forced, or over-extracted.
Great grip, lovely, fine-grained tannins, giving it great mouth-feel, dark, bitter chocolate/blackberry on the palate, with excellent length for a shiraz, going right to the back of the palate, and finishing tight and long.
Under screw-cap. Should cellar well.
Moonambel Cabernet 1993
This drinking absolutely perfectly now. Colour still an excellent, dark, opaque (almost black) red, lightening to thin-blood red just at the very edge of the glass. Coats the glass.
Vanilla oak, blackberry, the memory of violet on the nose.
Lovely, elegant wine.
Bitter chocolate, lovely, chewy feel in the mouth. good length, with the chewy feeling persisting after each mouthful.
WIll never taste better than it does now.
Krug MV-
Huge, masculine champagne. Grips your palate with a flavour explosion, and commands your attention with it's layers of complexity. It doesn't allow you to forget it either, with it's phenomenal persistence.
1996 Ata Rangi Pinor Noir
See monthly 1996 thread later.
2005 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir
Deep, dark, sweet cherries. Hints of cinnamon. Really quite enjoyable.
2007 Teusner The Riebke Ebenezer Road Shiraz
Uncomplicated, rich fruity red, a little hot on the finish though, with noticeable alcohol.
Cheers,
Monghead
Huge, masculine champagne. Grips your palate with a flavour explosion, and commands your attention with it's layers of complexity. It doesn't allow you to forget it either, with it's phenomenal persistence.
1996 Ata Rangi Pinor Noir
See monthly 1996 thread later.
2005 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir
Deep, dark, sweet cherries. Hints of cinnamon. Really quite enjoyable.
2007 Teusner The Riebke Ebenezer Road Shiraz
Uncomplicated, rich fruity red, a little hot on the finish though, with noticeable alcohol.
Cheers,
Monghead
dlo wrote:Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2002 - infantile colour; progressing slowly, but very nicely, a combinaton of slatiness, lime and minerally acids all doing their thing, plenty of time to go here. Outstanding wine. 92
No, no, no. Adair brought it along. Slatiness, lime and mineral acids yes. No phenolics, no complexity and no character.
Get yourself together DLO!
Cheers,
Attila
"(Wine) information is only as valuable as its source" DB
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Waiters Friend
- Posts: 2777
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- Location: Perth WA
Attila wrote:dlo wrote:Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2002 - infantile colour; progressing slowly, but very nicely, a combinaton of slatiness, lime and minerally acids all doing their thing, plenty of time to go here. Outstanding wine. 92
No, no, no. Adair brought it along. Slatiness, lime and mineral acids yes. No phenolics, no complexity and no character.
Get yourself together DLO!
Cheers,
Attila
Attila, I disagree. I've opened one of these this week as well, and found it to be delightful. Fully agree with David that it still has plenty of time ahead, and for a six-year old riesling, I felt it was more like a three-year old. I wish I had opened it in another 5 years.
Cheers
Allan
Wine, women and song. Ideally, you can experience all three at once.
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Waiters Friend
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- Location: Perth WA
Two Adelaide Hills shiraz, amongst others...
Griffin No 1 Shiraz 2002 Took a little while to open up despite decanting. Lovely full spicy nose with a hint of clove, although the palate was a little lean. Emjoyable wine
Tollana TR16 Shiraz 1998 My last bottle, unfortunately. Medium bodied, very fine and soft tannins, fruit still very much to the fore. Had some similarities to the Griffin
Fraser Gallop Chardonnay 2007 (Margaret River) Fabulous wine, with citrus, cashew and well-balanced oak. A stunner in my book.
Paringa Estate Chardonnay 2006 First tried a few months ago in a restaurant, and has since become a frequent visitor to my place. Similar notes to the Fraser Gallop above, although less intense.
Griffin No 1 Shiraz 2002 Took a little while to open up despite decanting. Lovely full spicy nose with a hint of clove, although the palate was a little lean. Emjoyable wine
Tollana TR16 Shiraz 1998 My last bottle, unfortunately. Medium bodied, very fine and soft tannins, fruit still very much to the fore. Had some similarities to the Griffin
Fraser Gallop Chardonnay 2007 (Margaret River) Fabulous wine, with citrus, cashew and well-balanced oak. A stunner in my book.
Paringa Estate Chardonnay 2006 First tried a few months ago in a restaurant, and has since become a frequent visitor to my place. Similar notes to the Fraser Gallop above, although less intense.
Wine, women and song. Ideally, you can experience all three at once.
Attila wrote:dlo wrote:Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2002 - infantile colour; progressing slowly, but very nicely, a combinaton of slatiness, lime and minerally acids all doing their thing, plenty of time to go here. Outstanding wine. 92
No, no, no. Adair brought it along. Slatiness, lime and mineral acids yes. No phenolics, no complexity and no character.
Get yourself together DLO!
Cheers,
Attila
No I go with David. I have been picking it up at Langtons all year and it is a superb drop. Great with fish midweek.
We entertained saturday night and had a couple of nice wines that went well with the meal:
Palliser Estate Sauv Blanc 07 - nice, crisp and fruity - went well with prawn and mushroom vol-au-vents.
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 02 - beautiful - enjoyed very much by all - lovely nose, but the palate stood out, with port, toffee, ripe berry and pepper, and super smooth fine tannins. Paired nicely with slow-cooked lamb.
Palliser Estate Sauv Blanc 07 - nice, crisp and fruity - went well with prawn and mushroom vol-au-vents.
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 02 - beautiful - enjoyed very much by all - lovely nose, but the palate stood out, with port, toffee, ripe berry and pepper, and super smooth fine tannins. Paired nicely with slow-cooked lamb.
Cheers,
Mike
Mike
Mike Hawkins wrote:1996 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - absolutely singing ! Plenty of life yet, but its so awesome to drink right now.
1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - ditto.
1996 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - really good as well. But based on this bottle I will be pulling the corks on the remainder in the next couple of years.
3 for 3 this week, so I'm pretty happy. Plus I had something from Napa which wasn't too shabby even if its cost my boss a bomb.
Jeez Mike,
When will you drink a decent aussie wine instead of old duds?
Thanks on the TNs.
Jay
“There are no standards of taste in wine. Each mans own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard". Mark Twain.
2001 Heemskerk Chardonnay
I need some help working out why this one tasted like it did. Don't get me wrong I loved it but it tasted more like a glorious single malt scotch than a wine (funny and somewhat ironic - since I've been taking tasting notes my single malts have been tasting more like wine!). Here are the notes:
A nose like a fine single malt - peat and fine grain oak
Colour - gold
A beautifully balanced, buttery, creamy wine with caramel, aged loquat and quince palate. Pungent with long legs, drying tannins and after an hour some gooseberry.
I need some help working out why this one tasted like it did. Don't get me wrong I loved it but it tasted more like a glorious single malt scotch than a wine (funny and somewhat ironic - since I've been taking tasting notes my single malts have been tasting more like wine!). Here are the notes:
A nose like a fine single malt - peat and fine grain oak
Colour - gold
A beautifully balanced, buttery, creamy wine with caramel, aged loquat and quince palate. Pungent with long legs, drying tannins and after an hour some gooseberry.
If you can remember what a wine is like the next day you didn't drink enough of it
Peynaud
Peynaud
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winetastic
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Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
I was slightly surprised to find this sitting on a retail shelf for ~$20, the back label suggested an appropriate period of "cellaring" had passed so I took a punt. I must admit sheepishly that I have never had the pleasure of Margaret River Cabernet until now (ended up dismissing the region since I generally don't like Shiraz from there and do not really drink Chardonnay)... after this bottle I am converted.
A little bit of warmth on the palate did not detract from the blackberry fruit, good length, nice balance, well integrated tannin and oak, 90/100.
Longhop Old Vine Reserve 2004
Superb, berry fruits coming to the fore, tannins starting to soften a little. I know I know, leave them alone for a few more years - I just felt like some good booze and this jumped out of the wine fridge into my waiting arms. I really like the way this wine evolved over an hour or so, initially showing a lot of Shiraz character, then by the second glass a lot more Cabernet structure and flavour profile, 92/100.
Irongate Estate Shiraz AO 2003
Hunter producer, this bottle the last from a friends cellar. Soft and approachable, very gluggable, not overly "huntery" but a good drink all the same, 87/100.
Scarborough Shiraz 2002
Recent cellar door purchase, much better than the previous bottle and decent value at $23, 88/100.
I was slightly surprised to find this sitting on a retail shelf for ~$20, the back label suggested an appropriate period of "cellaring" had passed so I took a punt. I must admit sheepishly that I have never had the pleasure of Margaret River Cabernet until now (ended up dismissing the region since I generally don't like Shiraz from there and do not really drink Chardonnay)... after this bottle I am converted.
A little bit of warmth on the palate did not detract from the blackberry fruit, good length, nice balance, well integrated tannin and oak, 90/100.
Longhop Old Vine Reserve 2004
Superb, berry fruits coming to the fore, tannins starting to soften a little. I know I know, leave them alone for a few more years - I just felt like some good booze and this jumped out of the wine fridge into my waiting arms. I really like the way this wine evolved over an hour or so, initially showing a lot of Shiraz character, then by the second glass a lot more Cabernet structure and flavour profile, 92/100.
Irongate Estate Shiraz AO 2003
Hunter producer, this bottle the last from a friends cellar. Soft and approachable, very gluggable, not overly "huntery" but a good drink all the same, 87/100.
Scarborough Shiraz 2002
Recent cellar door purchase, much better than the previous bottle and decent value at $23, 88/100.
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Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2747
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:39 am
Thanks Jay.
I left a couple of glasses of the Penley for about 48 hours (by oversight, not planned) and it was superb. Extremely perfumed nose and good palate length. As such, I don't think there is as much of rush to open the remaining bottles as I indicated in my earlier post.
I'm flying into Sydney for a few days next week, so am looking forward to getting into some older Aussies (70s and 80s).
Cheers
Mike
I left a couple of glasses of the Penley for about 48 hours (by oversight, not planned) and it was superb. Extremely perfumed nose and good palate length. As such, I don't think there is as much of rush to open the remaining bottles as I indicated in my earlier post.
I'm flying into Sydney for a few days next week, so am looking forward to getting into some older Aussies (70s and 80s).
Cheers
Mike
Crawford River Riesling 2001
A second bottle just opened and my cold has finished so ...
Medium-straw colour. Youthful lemon and sherbet nose. Lovely lemon and limes on the palate with toasty notes starting to develop and hints - but no more - of kero adding complexity. But those citrus fruits simply blend beautifully into the acid structure to carry you away with a long tight yet slightly dreamy finish (hard to describe but the fruit and acid almost seems to intertwine) that seemingly gains a second then third wind.
Sod ratings. Yummo maximo.
A second bottle just opened and my cold has finished so ...
Medium-straw colour. Youthful lemon and sherbet nose. Lovely lemon and limes on the palate with toasty notes starting to develop and hints - but no more - of kero adding complexity. But those citrus fruits simply blend beautifully into the acid structure to carry you away with a long tight yet slightly dreamy finish (hard to describe but the fruit and acid almost seems to intertwine) that seemingly gains a second then third wind.
Sod ratings. Yummo maximo.
“There are no standards of taste in wine. Each mans own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard". Mark Twain.