The Auswine Forum

Too right.
Drinking a 2016 Wynns Cabernet Shiraz Merlot last night and had the same thought.
Ridiculously fresh for a 10yo wine.
Nice fruit weight and tannin, just starting to show some earthy maturity.

Henschke Peggy’s Hill Riesling 25 - Eden Valley. A spring frost, warm vintage and picked in February. Green straw colour. Citrus blossom, talcum, lemon/lime, pear and lemongrass. Nice fruit intensity. Fresh and vibrant on the palate with mouthwatering acidity and a dry finish. - 16/1/26 Cupio Pinot ...

Interesting to think about, thanks Felix. I was thinking along the same lines as Hacker, ie. what you pick for the 2026 edition rather than solely based on past glory. In 2026 maybe Grange shouldn’t be included. Grange is a caricature of what it was. They have stuck with it, because it is still cent...

Sean, thanks for the note on the Dead Arm...having one tonight :wink: :wink: Cheers Craig Same vintage? The back label says 14.5% a/v, the website says 15% a/v. Feels a bit warm, so probably the latter. Threw some chunky sediment in the bottle. Give it a long decant and big glasses. :) I drank it o...

Barking Frog Sauvignon Blanc 25 - Adelaide zone. Drunk a couple of bottles of this. Good varietal character and fruit intensity. Clean with pristine tropical fruits, some grassy/herbal notes and a moderately dry finish. - 2/1/26 Knappstein Clare Valley Riesling 24 - I will knock through a number of ...

IMG_1698.jpeg Yes it was dreadful on Friday. Bushfires broke out all across Victoria, a number of them out of control and threatening farms, towns and homes. Hot, dangerous weather with temperatures in the mid 40C and blustery northerlies driving the fires. Changing and unpredictable conditions thr...

Pepperjack Grenache 23 - Sourced from Barossa and McLaren Vale. Ruby red colour and initially this is very fruit driven as you would expect. Raspberry, cherry, mulberry and spice. Legs in the glass and 14.5% a/v. Not too much oak influence flavour wise. An older style of Grenache. Lush and warm with...

Bannockburn Shiraz 22 - Comes off vines est 1974. A mix of different clones and wild ferment. Some whole bunch in there. Got 10 months in barrels, then racked into old oak vats and another 6 months. Much better on night 2 than night 1. (Loads of acidity that hits you hard.) Feels vegetative as well ...

Oakridge Willowlake Pinot Noir 23 - A north-facing red volcanic soil vineyard in Yarra Valley. This was a cooler, low cropping vintage. Some similarities to the previous vintage, which turned out to be a very nice wine. Whole berry/bunch and 11 months in French oak. Ruby colour and fragrant. Sour ch...

Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz 20 - Trophy winner at the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge. Got one year in old hogsheads and aged over 3 years in the bottle on lees. A slow, steady bead. Nice mature Shiraz feel to this. Plums, blackberry, dark chocolate and mixed spices. Lush and vibran...

Run Free by Singlefile Pinot Grigio 23 - Great Southern, WA. Free-run juice, tank fermented and early bottled to retain fruit character and freshness. You see this in the glass. A pale straw colour and lifted aromatics. Nashi pear, green apple and wild herbs. Loads of pristine fruit and natural acid...

2018 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay thought I'd pop a TN here because, simply put, this is an absolute legend in the making. drinking well despite its young age (well, very young for a LEAS CHARDONNAY), this now gets my vote as the best of this most prestigious line. (IMO only second to Grange for its l...

Don’t be in a big hurry to drink all those old Penfolds and Seppelt wines. You might not see the likes of them again. So I watched the TWE update webcast yesterday. I am unimpressed. Guessing the market is too. Came out of the trading halt and SP fell to $4.57 and ended the day on $4.98. New CEO Sam...

Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 16 - A JWT winning wine. Feels built for the long-term. Some of it had extended maceration on skins. Maturation in French oak for 14 months, 40% new. So no surprise the depth of colour and tannin in this. A deep purple colour. Blackcurrant, mulberry, red berries, mint and s...

Giant Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 24 - Upper and lower Yarra Valley fruit, some whole bunch, wild yeast and 8 months in French oak. Ruby coloured. Teasing aromatics. Cherry, raspberry, rhubarb and spice. Really clean and fresh. Vibrant acidity. Feels lightweight and elegant, with nice fruit and sa...

Vickery Watervale Riesling 24 - Sourced from 6 vineyards with plantings dating back to 1975. Made by Keeda Zilm. Some pressings went back in, which adds a little body and texture. A pale straw colour, early days with this Riesling. Loads of musky aromatics and clean fruit. Citrus, limes, red apple a...

Pepperjack Grenache 24 - Barossa and McLaren Vale fruit. A deep, lustrous red colour and lifted aromatics. Raspberry, cherry and mulberry. Got a mix of tank and oak maturation, so this is very fruit driven. Robust and fresh on the palate. Just 14% a/v and feels medium-bodied with soft, powdery tanni...

Eden Hall Gruner Veltliner 21 - Eden Valley. This has some yellow colour and could develop and honey up nicely over the next couple of years. Florals, stonefruit and citrus. Noticing the pithy texture and mouthfeel on the palate too, with bracing acidity deep through this and a moderately dry finish...

Pfriends of Pfeiffer Great Western Shiraz 22 - Got this in a wine club order. Sourced from the Thomson family’s Sugarloaf vineyard at Great Western. 12 months in French oak. Jen Pfeiffer says the fruit “lit up the winery from the moment it arrived.” I can see why. Deeply coloured and luxuriant, perf...

Craiglee Shiraz 20 - There have been a few iterations of the Shiraz in recent years. A black label Reserve, a single block Eadie and SV as well as the estate Shiraz. This is a cooler vintage and looks more familiar to me. Moderation and subtlety rather than strong flavours. Typically open fermenter ...

Peter Lehmann H&V Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 23 - An extra year or two in the bottle. Some colour in this now and very aromatic. Citrus, nashi pear, nectarine, subtle spice and honeysuckle. Bright, fresh fruit character and a soft textural mid-palate. Juicy acidity that is perfectly balanced with...

Port Phillip Estate Balnarring Pinot Noir 24 - North facing vineyard 60m above sea level with sandy and clay loamy soil. Pick this as Mornington Peninsula pinot easy. Wild yeast, some whole bunch and 11 months in French oak. Ruby colour and lovely aromatics. Violets, cherry, strawberry, earth and sp...

Sorry about that Craig. TWE shareholders get an invite to join cellardoor.co OK I watched the AGM webcast today rather than attending it. I made a cup of tea and took notes. Chairman John Mullen opening the AGM and speaking. Two of the directors didn’t attend. No address from the CEO, because of the...

Phaedrus Reserve Pinot Noir 23 - This comes off a one acre block. Foot treading, wild ferment and matured for 18 months in tight grained French hogsheads. Ruby colour with a darker hue. Cherry, forest fruits, earth and spice. Medium-bodied and still very fresh and primary. Oak and tannin giving it s...

Hahndorf Hill Gru Gruner Veltliner 23 - Adelaide Hills. First place you go to for Gruner in this country. You can see they know what they are doing. Green straw colour and very aromatic. Nashi pear, grapefruit, herbs and spice. Lots of interesting stuff in this. Not just the florals and fruit, also ...

Ten Minutes By Tractor 10X Chardonnay 24 - Sourced from a number of vineyards. Barrel-fermented, with 11% new French oak and 5 months maturation. Some of this malo. Straw coloured. Citrus, stonefruit, spice and leesy barrel influences softening it and adding texture. The oak feels pretty obvious, bu...

Picked up a few wines I have been drinking regularly.
Chalmers Nero d’Avola 22
Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 24
Pizzini Nonna Gisella Sangiovese 24 x 2
Stumpy Gully Peninsula Panorama Pinot Noir 24 x 2

Also a Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 19 to replace the bottle I drank last year.

Rockford Frugal Farmer 23 - Long time Rockford drinkers will know this wine far better than me. It is a lighter, lower alcohol red compared to others in the lineup. Also a little unusual. A Grenache and Mataro blend that has been fermented on Alicante skins. Garnet red colour and very aromatic. Musk...

I went to Mornington Peninsula today to get wines to drink over the next couple of months, incl some new releases. Dropped into Phaedrus Estate first. Ran through a few wines on tasting. Really went there to get the current vintage of the Reserve Pinot Noir. No tasting at Port Phillip Estate, I just...

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 24 - The fruit picked over a couple of weeks in February. A bit earlier than usual. Whole bunch pressed and tank fermented. Green straw colour and fragrant. Citrus, peach, herbs with pithy texture and fresh minerally acidity. Feels tight, it needs another year or two. T...