The Auswine Forum

what you have been drinking cause its Sunday! And hopefully you will have drunk some good stuff over the last week.

On Christmas eve I got home and felt like a bottle of sparkling Shiraz so I opened a bottle of 96 E & E Black Pepper that had been sent as replacement for a dud 94; the 96 was badly corked!

I then opened a 96 Foundation and it too was badly coked. So I opened a 95 Centenary Hill Shiraz and could not believe my nose when it seemed to be mildly corked too. Just to make sure I had not lost the plot I opened another 95 CH and compared them, the first one was shot! Bloody corks!

The Centenary Hill is in its peak drinking window and wont get any better so if you have any don't wait, drink up.

My wine of the week was a WA Shiraz, the 95 Peel Estate Shiraz. Full Tn to follow but what have you all been drinking?

Working backwards from last night:-

Peppertree Coonawarra Reserve Merlot 1998

Deep ruby holding all the way to garnet in the outer edge. Fine weeping tears suggest relatively high alcohol. Initially reveals an overt savoury/malty/meaty oak-dominant bouquet that, with considerable time in the glass and much coaxing, relented to allow a little regional mint, bitter chocolate and spicy dark plum to poke through (the forest!). The palate reveals better balance of fruit and oak, although there's some serious (unintegrated) acid/oak tannin to contend with. Full bodied, unctiously textured and finishing with a grippy, mouthcoating, 'chocolatey' complexity this wine pushes my limit of oak handling and extraction. Perhaps, with several years rest in a cool place this wine may come together, soften and merit a higher rating. I'll defer final judgement today in the hope Chris Cameron's 'talents' as a winemaker will eventually come through.

As an aside to any marketing people out there, the appallingly small type on the back label on a green and grey pinstripe background is almost illegible.


Rossignol-Trapet Beaune 1er Cru Tuerons

Still a healthy light ruby with a red brick to amber hue; impressive viscosity on the inside of the glass. Opened somewhat funky/feral with a mousey/chicken poo (obviously, elevated levels of brett) overlay replaced gradually, after sufficient time in the glass, by savoury plum and gamey, sappy notes of moderate distinction. Silky palate with attractive sweet plum and strawberry fruit, more suggestions of game, good acidity and assertive fine-grained, lacy tannins. Substance in the finish, too! Quite imposing and somewhat of a surprise packet after the (generally) negative raps this maker receives. Apart from the slight distraction of the bouquet, a very sound, youthful Burgundy with far more attractions than complaints and in no immediacy of having to be drunk. Highly Recommended.

Boxing Day

Moreau-Naudet Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

A leftover from Christmas day and my last bottle. Bought for $18 and quite a steal. Atypical for a Chablis - buttered popcorn, peaches, oranges and some attractive mealy notes supported a flinty, mineral undertone. Medium weight, long finish. Consistent quality from every bottle. Lovely drop.

Some nice wines for Christmas - the Lindeman's Chablis the only dud -

(reprints of earlier threads on this board)

Pol Roger 1996 Vintage
More colour than the first bottle opened last week. Excellent fine persistent bead. Charred toast on the nose followed by a fresh citrus palate and a long, substantial finish. Impressive enough, but quite different (and not as good) as the first bottle opened a week ago.

Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 1998
Bought plenty of this and have been impressed for some time with its' youthfulness and vivacity (for a relative cheapy). Strong char and oily nose, dissipating slowly to allow some slatey lime fruit to work into the equation. Powerful, primary flavours of lime amd minerals with ample acidity providing a refreshing mouthful right through the palate. Highly Recommended

Lindeman's HR Chablis Bin7875 1991
A wine I've drunk for years and generally rave about. This bottle wasn't the greatest example, revealing a somewhat tired nose and flat, acidless palate. Passed it, but still Drinkable

Seppelt's Original Sparkling Shiraz 1998
This bottle impressed for its fine colour, strong small bead, attractive spicy, earthy, choc-berry fruit and soft lingering finish. At $14 you can't get much better. Highly Recommended

Seppelt's Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon 1990
I just love Dorrien as a rule but this bottle just didn't sing as well as I was hoping. Still a healthy deep ruby with plenty of age showing in the edge, the mature/classy nose offered up cedar, sweet earth, saddle leather and currants with a strong undertone of herbaciousness. The palate tracks the bouquet perfectly for nuance with plenty of punch, good balance and melting tannins on a mellow, yet, resilient finish. Perhaps it was the extreme heat, the Henry VIII meal and/or palate fatigue, but I thought this not quite up to the standard of the (stellar) last bottle tried. Highly Recommended but monitor carefully over the next few years. Dad thought this was terrific.

Christmas Eve we opened:

Leo Buring Special Reserve Eden Valley Riesling 1998

Bright lemon/yellow in colour with some burnished light gold hues. Initial bottle-aged toast and honey combine with lime, underripe pineapple and something approaching avacado oil to produce an unexpected bouquet. The palate's brimming with abundant lime and pineapple fruit with a touch of passionfruit wrapped in a tight structure that belies this wine's age. The acid cut is delicate, seamless and the finish lingers on and on. This bottle's at odds with the last few I've opened with a decidedly tropical character mixed with classic varietal fruit & some bottle development. Although I could rate this as Highly Recommended, I'm not sure of where it's heading. I'll defer final judgement until I try another bottle.

Ch. Angelus St. Emillon 1994

Medium ruby with significant bricking in the edges shading to amber in the meniscus. Stunning, powerful nose of roasted black fruits, cedar, kirsch, Asian spice with a little briary/weedy edge. Although seemingly closed in on itself, the palate displays sufficient extract to impress, yet there's some attenuation from grippy tannins and piercing acidity. My assessment suggests the palate's in transition. There's potential for a high rating 5-10 years down the track if everything comes together. FWIW, Parker (1/97) gives it 92 and notes "smoked meats, barbeque spices, hickory wood and plenty of cassis and kirsch liqueur" and waxes lyrical about "phenomenal purity and denseness" and "a tour de force in winemaking". Not quite what I tried tonight, but his notes were written some 7 years ago. A wine to hold in hope!

Another session planned later this afternoon -

Heaps of white wine and champagne which was perfect fit for our xmas weather:

Moet Chandon NV: not bad, but a very commercial fizz

Henriot Blanc de Blanc NV: a great champagne, 100 per cent chardonnay from a 6 hectare vineyard. Up there with the best Non Vintages

Piper Heidsieck NV: value for money this is unbeatable. More finesse and class than the Moet.

Devaux Cuvee 2000: this was made for the milenium celebrations and is going strong.

Dr Loosen Dry Riesling 2001: perfect with oysters (well it would have also been perfect on it's own). Dry, minerally and great vlaue for money:

Heymann Lowenstein SCH....01 The cork pointed to the fact that there was something wrong. the colour quite developed and the palate confirmed all this. Suffering from a small level of cork taint. Still drinkable but not great.

Various stubbies of Coopers Pale and Sparkling Ale: best beer in the world. Enough said.

cheers
anthony

Ludicrous quantities of Bombay Sapphire Gin, some very nice Bollinger 96 Grande Annee (much better than the 95, IMO), that was about it.

Hope everyone had a good Chrissie, all the best for the New Year !

Cheers, Celia

Free flow of DOM '95, Command '98 followed by Noble 1 '00 + Glenmorangie & Makers Mark Bourbon.

Best Wishes to all...

Brief impressions from what's left in the memory;

Clonakilla 2003 Riesling: Santa-in-law gave me a wizz bang electric 8-minute wine chiller for xmas so we tried it out on this wine. After 20 minutes and and couple of kilos of ice we finally got stuck into the drink. Fresh and lively wine, touch of spritz, with plenty of chalky acidity, green apples but no outstanding fruit clarity, finished a fraction short and simple. Did not do it for me, just a drink. Recommended. Perhaps it was served too warm.

Grosset 2003 Polish Hill Riesling: Easily one of the tightest 03's I've drunk. Fruit purity was fantastic, clean finish with a lingering finish. Will certainly fatten up with time but lacks the length to be a superstar. Highly recommended.

Howard Park 2003 Riesling: Juicy succulent style of great southern riesling. Suited the lunch well and a wine you could manage if (and was) feeling the pinch from few drinks the night before. Highly recommended.

Mesh 2003 Riesling: I'd seen a few of these bottles just sitting in the esky at the christmas lunch and thought with another 30 odd people here it won't matter if we crack one. Perhaps too shy for the environment but it didn't grab me as much as previous occasions. Still a fine, long classy styled wine. A wine in total control of itself with a balance of limes, minerals, acids and a clean citrus kick. Excellent

Howard Park 2003 Sauvignon Blanc: When did this start? Don't know where the fruit comes from but as far as sauv blancs go this was vibrant and showed heaps of crunchy acidity. Good drink for a SB. Highly recommended.

Leasingham 1994 Classic Clare sparkling shiraz: Must of had this wine half a dozen times now and its now showing nearer it best. Always found it a bit disjointed and clumsy previously. This bottle displayed good intergration and coated the mouth in a luscious balance. Finally softening and mellowing. Fun drink now. Highly recommended.

Plantagenet 2001 Rocky Horror Vineyard Merlot: What is merlot? Doesn't matter, this was a wine to throw down the hatch. Too easy to drink, should be in a 1 litre bottle. Very flavoursome. Highly Recommeded.

Seppelts 2003 Drumborg Riesling:
This wine I actually drunk two weeks ago but never posted on it. After seeing plenty of positive reviews I had to source some out. This has been the riesling of the year for me! What a fruit bomb. A richer fuller styled riesling with plenty of acidity to complement the weightier wine. Stones and minerals pleasantly fill the mouth before finishing with awesome length. Long future. Stunning wine. Excellent plus, possibly outstanding.

cheers
TA

Christmas Day night.

Usual gethering where my mates come round and drink the cellar, to which I usually regret on Boxing Day...... same this year!

Started, after a few Pale Ales, with a '98 Petaluma Merlot, which was absolutely gorgeous. Last time I tried this wine was upon the release of the indent when it was tannic to all buggery.... My bottle had lost about 95% of that to leave subtle rose petal nose and an even more silky palate. Just fantastic, and IMO my WOTY (Wine of the Year)... [Also cause I can't really remember what else I have consumed this year].

After that we reached into the cellar to pull out a '97 Antinori Tignanello. Great wine also, a considerable amount of oak but very well balanced. Unfortunately my last one so I cannot see how it would be drinking in another 10 years.........

Seamus

p.s. On top of that at least one carton of Heineken yesterday at my mates buck's party...... ouch

Bass Phillip Old Cellar Pinot 1998 - the entry level for Phillip Jones' pinots - properly cellared, but came up short - good mouthfeel, but lacking in anything definitive on nose & palate, not fruit-sweet, not varietal, not funky, damn hard to put a descriptor to it. Mildly corked perhaps?
Brands of Coonawarra Sparkling Burgundy 1986 - not much at first, but got warmer and more flavoursome - fully dry, very developed, got the feeling that the base wine(s) weren't all that concentrated to begin with. Agreeable.
Mount Pleasant Lovedale 1986 - disappointing - flat, faded & flabby, despite good provenance. Had a number of '86 Lovedales over the past 3 or 4 years, and despite a brilliant one, am sure that it's a poor percentage bet now, 3 or more duds to each excellent one.
Mt Billy Antiquity Shiraz 2001 - now here's something! Light years away from the overblown Barossa shiraz style - structure & flavour profile akin to a top Rhone GSM-type blend, with black & red berries, licorice, tobacco and plum. Great the next day. This wine needs room temp. to be 18 or so, not 25 or above.
Weingut Franz Prager Feinburgunder auslese 1996 - golden, developed, just off-dry, with soft gewurz-like characters, low on acidity, but this did not seem a drawback.
Dry River Pinot Gris 1996 375 ml. - had high expectations, having heard so much about Neil McCallum's winery. A let-down - pleasant, moderately sweet, with good texture, but no intensity of flavour, or backbone. Forgettable.

Penfolds Bin 707 1998- Inky & thick. Still youthful with the blackcurrant and oak at the front. But hints of complexity to come. Rich& dense palate with dark fruits-plum & blackcurant . Spills into an essence like blackcurrant finish of some length.

707 rarely inspires me. Not a fan of the style. I think this will be a very good wine in time. Demands cellaring the lasting impression.

Cullens 2001 Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot- I must be the only goose who has consumed their hard fought allocation of the 2001. My 3 bottles are gone! What to do.

But 3 bottles 2 duds. The first was all that I expected-layered fruit from the dark spectrum, with the wonderful texture of the Cullen style and mouth coating powerful, but not offensive, tannin.

2nd was just OK and the third.......

3 hours in the decanter. Nose was closed and to drink the wine was raw and the fruit at the top of the bright berry spectrum. The finish gritty.

The cork had a seepage trail. The first 2001 had a faultless cork.

A touch of TCA. Or is the trip on the boat from Perth to Singapore Duty Free, as rough for the Cullens, as it is for the live sheep export?

I have noticed wine from WA is cooked by the time we get in the Middle East. But Australian wine that goes through Nugent Vintners in London comes here in an airconditioned container.

Loads of goodies a really big couple of days!! There were 6 of us!
Christmas Day was the usual blast, we had some stunning wines! Here are brief notes and scores.
1. Dom Perignon 1966
Stunning. Stll fresh. Honey orange and brioche on the nose. Fresh acidity and good fizz. Wonderfully complex. At its peak. 96 points
2. Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1985 disgorged 1999
Very dry, rich and nutty. Lovely weight, with more to come. 93 points
3. Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1988 disgorged 2002
This was fantastic. Lovely rich honeyed nutty weight. Crisp and fresh with real complexity and balance. Superb now but no hurry. 96 Points
4. Piper Heidsieck 'Florens-Louis' 1971
Quite winey and again fresh. Lots of citrus freshness. Crisp, dry and delicious. Good fizz. 91 points
5. Mercier 'Champagne Reserve de L'Empereur' 1969 Blanc de Blancs
Quite a deep almost pinky/orangey colour. Good weight, very honeyed with rich fruit. Very distinctive but still drinking well. 90 points
6. Gosset Grande Rose NV
On top form lovely resh raspberry fruit. Good balance, fresh with lovely fruit. 91 points
After the fizz...
7. Niellon Chassagne Montrachet 'Champs de Gains' 1995 sadly slightly corked. Had a lovely minerally richness behind it.
8. Grosset Riesling Watervale 1997 Australia
Quite developed colour wise. Had got that typical kerosene, honey and lime nose. Dry and toasty with good fruit, quite a broad style. Good. 90 points
9. Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon 1994, California
Quite cedary and a little tight. Lovely spicy cassis fruit and subtle oak. Elegant style. Needs time though in my opinion will never be great. 89 points
10. Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Priorat 1995, Spain
Cracking. Great dense spicy black fruits, olive and toasty oak. Good balance. Big but refined and complex. Hitting it's peak. Will probably improve for 2-3 years more and drink for another 5. 95 points
11. Sine Qua Non Incognito Grenache 2000 California
Had a huge write up from Parker. We found it quite simple with sweet red fruits and lots of smoky, spicy, toasty oak. Good but no more and not showing the richness and extract to improve much. 88 points (Parker 96-98??)
12. Magpie Estate 'The Malcolm' Shiraz 1996, Australia
A legendary wine!! Still massive. Deep opaque colour, huge ripe sweet almost porty fruit and oak on the nose. Sweet, huge and expansive on a monster palate. Big but not hot. Great stuff even if i say so myself. Not rated( Parker 99 points!! we would not argue much, though not complete enough at this stage..)
13. Bullers Calliope Rare Muscat, NV, Australia
This old Rutherglen Muscat was fantastic, but not quite in the same league as the Rare Tokay i had last month (98 points). This was hedonistically rich and raisiny with great fruit. Viscous and huge. Perhaps lacked just a touch of acidity for true greatness! 94 Points
14. Taylors 1966 Port
Fantastic. Still deep colour. Quite a savoury licorice and prune fruit on the nose. Not terribly sweet on the palate. Age/style meant this was a drier, spicy wine, with licorice and plum/prune fruit. Soft tannins. Big but softening. Will hold. Delicious 93 points

Plus Guinness, Whisky and even a glass or 2 of water!

And on Boxing Day

A modest affair after the Xmas day binge! Again brief notes and scores.
1. Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 1983
Dissapointing. Quite lean and lifeless. Touch acidic and short. OK 85 points.
2. Rockford Black Sparkling Shiraz NV Desgorged September 1995 Australia
Rockford's cult Sparkling red was on great form. It always needs a few years of bottle age, but can get quite gamey, This has lovely soft sweet red and black fruits. It had softened and gained depth. Delicious 94 points.
3. Seppelt Show Reserve Sparkling Burgundy 1972 Australia
The last Show Reserve until resurrected with the 1983. Sadly the fizz was almost gone. It had gamey sweet red fruit and was quite medicinal. Interesting-like old red Burgundy. Not rated because the fizz had gone,
4. Sine Qua Non 'The Boot' 2000 California
SQN's white. A blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Rousanne. Toasty oak and spicy honeyed fruit on the nose. It grew in the glass well. Viscous and toasty with a lovely texture and length. Impressive. 93 points
5. Veritas Heysen Vineyard Shiraz 1994 Australia
Holding very well. Deep colour. Sweet plum and black cherry fruit, with toasty oak. Big rich, and sweet on the palate. Big and rich with soft tannins. Lovely complexity. No hurry 93 points
6. Henschke 'Cyril Henschke' Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 Australia
This had developed beautifully and is at its peak. Soft sweet cassis, plum and cedar. Soft and seamless. Not big but really well balanced. 93 points
7. Georg Breuer Orleans Rudesheim 2001 Germany
This is a new wine from Georg Breuer made with the fabled (but presumed lost) Orleans variety so famous in yester year. This was delicious with pineapple and grapefruit. Tangy and rich, yet crisp and minerally. Good depth and richness. Would be interesting to see how this ages. 92 points
8. Chateau de Fargues Sauternes 1983 (Half Bottle)
I love the wines from this property but rarely see them. Good golden/orange colour. Honeyed and sweet with lots of botrytis on the nose. Really rich and properly sweet with unusually good acidity. Great depth and length and beautiful now. 94 points

Best to work by type of booze...!

Fizz

1990 Brugnon - Nice honeyed fruit - still room to develop more - quite large bubbles though

1996 H Blin - Pleasant if not all that complex

NV Devaux - Nice, light and pleasant

NV Laurent Perrier - As above, but with a bit more interest

NV Taittinger - Quite austere - really needs food

NV Rockford Black Shiraz (1999 Disgorgement) - Young, rich (but still dry), spicy - good way to ring in the New Year

1990 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz - Stilll young - rich and plummy - yum!

Whites

2000 Kumeu River Chardonnay - Young, stylish and very classy - excellent value at £12.95, especially when compared to white Burgundy

2002 St Veran, Dom. Deux Roches - Nice inobtrusive lightly oaked Chardonnay

2002 Burgan Albarino - Slightly creamy peach/apricot fruit - fresh - but there are better Albarinos about

2002 Peter Lehmann Barossa Riesling - Archetypal Aussie Riesling - buckets of limes, slightly honeyed, good acidity - not a keeper but very good at the price

Reds

1998 Dom. Boucharey Cote Rotie - Mid-development - tannins have integrated and starting to develop some complexity - will be quite Burgundyesque with 5 more years in the bottle

1996 Ch. de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Still young - quite pronounced (almost spritzig) acidity - nice wine, but would be a more interesting experience a few years down the track

1998 Rockford Moppa Springs - At its peak - quite rich - would be a perfect foil for roast duck

1969 Ch. Cissac - First wine from my birth year and a great surprise - just a Cru Bourgeois and from an ordinary vintage, but this wine has held up remarkably well - pleasant black fruit and gravelly minerality - top stuff!

1989 Ch. Lascombes - It might be a 2nd Growth, but it was overshadowed by the Ch. Cissac - I normally like Margaux, but this wine was lacking a bit of oomph...

2000 Lynmar Pinot Noir - Tad confected and suffering a bit under the weight of its 14.5% alcohol - better with food

1999 Primo Estate Cabernet Merlot - Very close to Amarone in its muscularity, structure and fruit character - one for slow contemplation

2000 Bridgewater Mill Shiraz - Going for only £6.99 over here - a relative bargain - easily masks its 14.5% alcohol - lots of black fruits and touches of tar suggesting a high % of McLaren Vale fruit - good wine, but needs food, preferably char-grilled meat

1998 JL Chave "Mon Coeur" Cotes du Rhone - Elegant and silky smooth - at its peak - it ain't cheap for a Cotes du Rhone, but it's bloody good!

1998 Lirac, Roc-Epine, Dom. Lafond - Good rich Grenache based wine that married well with the Xmas turkey.

Sweet and Fortified

2000 Beerenauslese Riesling Goldarckl, Willi Opitz - Nicely scented - floral - rich sweet honeyed palate - fresh apricot and quince - still young

1997 Quinta do Noval Late Bottled Vintage - Top stuff - if you see it around, get your hands on it - very highly recommended

1996 Ch. de Malle Sauternes - Nice botrytis characters - surprisingly high alcohol at 14.5% - but this could not be traced on the palate - sweet, but not too sweet nor heavy on the palate

NV Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla - THE best value wine in the world today - refreshing, salty and tangy - the perfect foil for anchovies and olives

NV De Bortoli Show Liqueur Muscat - Aussie PX!! - different to some of the Muscats I've had in as much as this one is very very very syrupy and raisined - a wine that would probably best poured over some good ice cream.

Now begins the detox!!

Cheers
Phil