The Auswine Forum

Started reading The Australian Ark - up to 1860s today so matched my bookworming with this piece of Australian wine history 2017 Best's Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz - from the Concongella vineyard from 1866 - really liked the medium bodiness of this - along with some aniseed hints. Last night was read...

2012 henschke hill of peace semillon $45 - purchased recently from henschke - beautifully presented in wooden box - still elemental but with power in reserve - excellent length - ticks boxes for all semillon qualities - wax , lanolin etc - other 2 i could buy will go in the cellar - only 600 bottles...

2012 giaconda mcclay rd nebbiolo beechworth & king valley - looks rather old - maybe 25 years so - but lovely fruit - a pleasure to drink - full of character - premature senescence - excellent. 2014 by farr chardonnay geelong - beautiful not ashamed to be chardonnay - full bodied - complex - exc...

2013 passing clouds graeme's blend shiraz cabernet - years ago i used to drink a lot of passing cloud but for a long time had not - sort of dropped off my radar - read up on all the changes and so on via a recent book -and now found a bottle in adelaide - still a great drink - viz. - true australian...

1. 1996 lake breeze winemakers selection cabernet' ( magnum ) - bought at cellar door a fair while ago and stored well - lovely resolved cross between " claret " and " wendouree " - that is to say just 13% alc' and with some nuanced eucalypt. liked it so much i ordered 6 magnums ...

2009 provenance geelong pinot noir - enjoyable mature pinot' with a lovely fennel/anise/licorice note

2008 dog ridge cadenzia grenache mcl vale : beautifully singed aged grenache - bargain at $25

2012 yangarra mataro mclaren vale : good deep wild dry red - had a 500 gram rib eye with it - who says this sort of wine is not food wine....

2012 grosset gaia : balanced dry red that is good now but will get more interesting have drunk many grosset wines from around the 1998 vintage and am confident that they are worth cellaring - and not just as since circa 2000 they are under stelvin - but as they are wines that gain worthwhile 2nd'y c...

2 wines sealed with glass stoppers - this is what I prefer as the closure - better than cork and screwcaps I reckon. 2005 BREZZA Barbera d'Alba : I have always been very impressed by the wines of BREZZA. From the Dolcetto to the Nebbiolo's they always have perfect balance. This is no exception. Almo...

2008 Carpineto Chianti Castaldo ( $13 ) : good , clean and dry " modern " Chianti - 13 % alc. too " modern " perhaps ? But good QPR and better than most Oz attempts at this style. 2009 LA LINEA Tempranillo Adelaide Hills ( $26 from a tea house in Adelaide ! ) : Persuaded to try ...

2 008 Henschke Giles Lenswood Pinot Noir ( $32.20 from auction ) : youthful in a good way - clean , fresh and fragrant pinot fruit - arguably at it's best now. Not a bad match with pies made using brisket. Was not embarassed by being drunk out of the huge Riedel Burgundy glasses. 1994 Rockford Baske...

Jeremy wrote "In a couple of email conversations with Vanya, she IS really wrapped by the 2007 vintage. It's not my sorta stuff, but she loved what the vintage did for the grapes and flavours, so she's genuine...in reply to Pelican" Jeremy , just to clarify : the vintage ratings covered n...

On the just received Cullen Newsletter a vintage rating chart was included. Only problem is that almost every wine was given the maximum 5 stars. Can't accuse 'em of false modesty...... Moet et Chandon Rose Quite good , fresh. Nice change from my standard sparkling pink , viz. Ashton Hills Salmon Br...

Hello 2008 Crawford River Young Vines Riesling $24 screwcap Had an AFW( alcool free week ) so perhaps anything would've tasted great - BUT I really enjoyed this - sort of fruity but also with that acidy sterness and strictness that I dig and drink Ryesling for 2006 Rolf Binder Heinrich Greanche Shir...

Had an unexpectedly excellent food day yesterday - all produce picked up not from the Adelaide Central market but from ugly , polluted and busy South Road which I happened to be walking along ! Great bread from the Lawash Afghanistan bakery , modestly priced beef from a Hallal butcher - cooked over ...

At The Manse restaurant in North Adelaide last night : glass of Veuve Cliquot Rose : fairly deep , slightly flat but was not in mood to complain - enjoyed it anyway. Nice with bread and butter ! 2007 SALOMON Gruner Veltliner , Austria ( screwcap ) : great match with a salmon dish. Fresh and clean. 2...

Looking forward to the live coverage of " the Hell of the North " bike race on SBS tonight so keeping it light on the alcohol this evening ..... 2004 Clover Hill Brut : diam cork - lovely sweet belch of richness on opening - high quality bubbles , fruit tingly palate , good length , good m...

2007 SC Pannel McLaren Vale Grenache Rose ( $25) :bright rose red colour - excellent seriously dry rose. 2006 Bleasdale " Second Innings " Langhorne Creek Malbec ( $14 ) : I'm sure Bleasdale would have access to some great old vineyards but this was cloying in an oppressive way for me. I'...

2004 Domaine des Nembrets Pouilly Fuisse Vielles Vignes Les Folles In the dubious 1974 film " Cockfighter " Warren Oates deals with an expensive but underperforming rooster - his offsider then wryly comments " I've a good bottle of Pouilly Fuisse to go with that ". Sorry I digre...

2005 Nepenthe Adelaide Hills Zinfandel : $27 screwcap. I really enjoyed this because it has personality that small production often brings. Had a very attractive linament thread. I recall most Nepenthe wines being very well made in their first few vintages then I reckon they must have increased pro...

1998 Hamilton Marion Vineyard Adelaide Grenache Shiraz Was kindly invited to dinner last night by some old friends who happen to live just a few blocks away from the suburban vineyard where the grapes for this wine were grown so I brought this along. Mature. Gently spicy and earthy. A bit of brett ...

HENSCHKE Blanc de Noir NV Lenswood ( $48 ) : crown seal. Pale straw colour. A blend of 10 vintages of Pinot Noir to celebrate Henschkes 140th. Reasonably understated. Rather fine. Commendably sealed with the crown top - still wonder why most sparkling wines still use cork - perhaps the Oz wine indu...

Was a nice warm day in Adelaide so in the evening got out the charcoal and BBQ'd some meats.....3 wines 2005 Turkey Flat Barossa Rose : holding up fine under screwcap - perhaps even a touch of aged complexity !? Good with chicken shashlicks basted with some leftover PX I have hanging around. 1971 ME...

A small moment during the week showed the extent to which screwcaps have become accepted in Australia at least - went to a pub for tea - ordered a bottle of 2005 Rockford Rod and Spur Cabernet Shiraz , the barman , without thinking , tried to wrench the screwcap off - no luck as it is sealed with co...

1997 Hardy's Tintara McLaren Vale Shiraz : rather oaky and " murky " like a lot of 1997 SA reds. I think 1997 is a weak vintage but it does not come across in a " dilute " way - just a boring " murkiness " seems apparent to me. Perhaps the oak outliving the fruit I gue...

1996 Louis Jadot Batard-Montrachet Reassuringly pale in colour. Opening a touch stinky but soon blew off. Nose of white fruits, roasted cashews and honey crumpets. In the mouth it's a touch heavier than I'd expect for a 96, but it offers generous complex flavour and interest. A good cut of acid ref...

Most interesting wine thing this weekend was seeing some hand made glasses as part of an art festival here in Adelaide. Firstly a pinot glass to go with Ashton Hills , a Sangiovese glass made in conjunction with Coriole and some Seppeltsfield sherry glasses made from the cut off bottoms of the small...

2007 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling : 'aint had one of these for a couple of years. Nice aromatic nose , citrussy and tropical fruit - nice now - perhaps not the best vintage to cellar. Good QPR. 2004 Warrabilla Reserve Durif : lost my Warrabilla " virginity " finally. I sort of knew wh...

1993 Henschke Eden Valley Riesling 125th anniversary : rich , weighty and intense aged Eden Valley Riesling. Excellent besides the pain in the ass snapped in half then crumbly cork. I think my trusty Screwpull is a bit too harsh on older corks - might have to try and get on of those Ah-So thingies ?...