The Auswine Forum

Well Thanksgiving is all about food and friends, add some good wine and Thanksgiving has the makings of the best holiday of the year. With Turkey as the center piece for the table Pinot becomes the wine of choice. As I don't have much Pinot experience the following was a bit of a wander into the unk...

Torbreck '02 The steading. Dark, inky red. Impressive nose mmm's and ahhhs from my wife and myself flowery boquet with plenty of fruit, pallet showed ripe fruit of berries and flavor profiles from a typical pinot to peppery liqorice of shiraz. Interesting wine, have one more in the cellar and after...

Thanks guys,
A case of '02 389 it is then. I was a bit suspect on the 'special' box as it was a bit gimmicky. I've only tried the '01 389 and thought it was pretty good.
by the way there is some '03 dead arm for $55.00 that seemed too good to be true?
Mick.

Has any body tried pennies 707 2002? Any comments? ($65.00 a bottle). Penfolds are marketing a 'collectors' box (wooden) with; 1 bottle bin28 (00) 1 bottle bin 128 (01) 1 Bin 389 (01) and 1 st Henrys (00) this comes with a Reidel glass etched with Penfolds insignia. ALl this for $99.00 or I can get ...

I had a case of the 2000 BL and it is excellent, better than the 2001 in my opinion. And as for the 2001, I agree, it was a bit chewy. I'm actually looking around for another case of the 2000 because my stash is disapearing rapidly and I want to have some around in another 5 years to see how it goes...

I wonder how parker would rate vegemite? If he gave it a 96 would it sell out in a week. What defines the Australian pallet??? probably diet? I don't eat the ' normal' sliced bread here it is so sweet I can not eat it. That's not an exageration. Pies here are all sweet (no meat pies anyway, I make m...

Totaly price dependent for me. Typicaly research the internet for best prices via 'wine-searcher' then go pick up, always try to build a case for 20% discount. If I call ahead I can usually get 6 at the 20% discount with a little persuasion. The idea of mail scares me for cooking wines, this summer ...

Majella Cabernet Sauvignon ‘01, Dark red, purple center, Blackberries and currant, big fruit and smooth, lived up to expectations. Plenty of tannins to leave a warm fuzziness. Picked up six of these after recommendations from posts and happy I did. Will put this on the list of Ââ€...

Well allthough I'm not a big White drinker, if / when I see Picadilly chardonay for $19.00 I buy 6, my wife & her friends are always happy when she pulls out a bottle. As for the Cabernet / Merlot blend, I buy when ever I can, it is a superb blend and until this column, never heard anyone say ot...

‘01 El Coto Crianza Temporanillo (Spain). Some herbaceous notes and earthiness. Ruby Pinot like. Slight herbaciousness earthy. Earthy notes, fine tannins, slight cherry fruit. Trying to find something, just earthiness on the nose earthiness on the pallet nothing else to be found, throw it...

Hi there, '97 Te Mata Cab / Merlot, Not a great deal on the nose, some small berries, hidden alcohol. Nice dark berries and smooth tannins. '04 Mitolo Jester Shiraz. McLaren Vale. Well this is the latest vintage (red) I've had to date and first Jester. It's a screw cap. A lot of fruit on the nose, n...

Hi there, I have been enjoying a bottle of D'Arenberg '02 Footbolt Shiraz and the finish is quite tangy. I would guess this is high acidity rather than tannins(?) and was wondering if my assumption is in the ball park. The thing is, it's on the finish, the mid pallet is very smooth, it's the lingeri...

Thanks Steve,
Went ahead and just signed up, should get the past 3 months back issues as a bonus. I almost signed up to 'winestate' however recent discussions left me a little uncertain, glad I held off.

Cheers, Look forward to some good reading.
Mick.

02 D'ARENBERG FOOTBOLT.
Can't beat that with a stick at $12.99 a bottle. Bought a case!
Mick.

The '97 JR. Opened yesterday at 2:00pm and poored into the faithful 'Duck', the nose was suprisingly generous, lots of fruit and some perfume / flowery notes. When tasted it had generous fruit some tobaco nuances but more than anything I was suprised at how well balanced it was. I took the wine in t...

Adair, I had a 98' Leconfield Cabernet recently after a 98 Neagles rock cabernet. Have 1 of each left. Loved them both, they were so different from each other but both really really nice. The Leconfield reminded me of a '96 John Riddoch I had last year. The Leconfield was really herbacious. If I cou...

Trent, I pick up you are a fan of the 389? I can get it at a good price, is the '02 or the '01 the better pick? they are the same price. I know the '02 was supposedly an orsome year but I also hear the '01 is great for the ceallar? I was thinking of grabbing a case for the longer term cellar? Any ad...

Thought I'd try a cabernet from Califronia. Got a Lajota Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 from Napa Valley, Deep purple,The nose has lots of ripe berries & some vanilla , Big rasberry and black currant up front long and minty finish with smooth oak & a lot of tannin but balanced only con a little too...

7/14/05 This has an impressive McLaren Vale appellation and the quality of fruit shows it as well. This bottling goes to show you how competitive things have gotten and how much really good juice is out there – a great thing for the punter. The nose is lifted and pretty complex consideri...

Yes, I'm living in America. Have for several years. previous to that was in Melbourne. I was in Tumut NSW for all of 2004 and start of 2005, just returned after re-aquiring a Visa. I'm living in New Jersey and working in New York. Have a house here etc.

Cheers,
Mick.

Oh that was me by the way,
Cheers,
Mick.

OK,
I'll open the '97 JR sometime next week (working all weekend) and post my sentiments.
Stay tuned,
Mick.

I once opened a bottle of wine and had a glass, it was ok. I put the bottle in a cool place and had a glass the next day, it tasted much, much better, had a second glass, it was really very good. Left the same wine bottle a week only to find it wasn't better than when I first tried it! Moral: More i...

KMP,
Tumut? Small world. That's where I spent the last year honing my shiraz taste buds. Better check out if I can see my house in New Jersey.
Cheers,
Mick.

Danny, Is there something about the John Riddoch that makes it hit and miss? I have tried it at different times and loved it / not loved it. I can not quote the years as I've only recently started taking notes and paying attention to details. I have a '97 I was going to let sit now I'm unsure. Would...

The cullen, I have no doubt it'll last longer than I can wait. What I meant was it was the most balanced wine I have tried. It was not too this or too that, just a really good wine I could imagine drinking with anything, I had it with my favorite, BBQ lamb chops and mint sauce. I certainly believe i...

The Cullen Diana Madeline 01' was quite superb. Dark red colour, well balanced fruit, and smooth fine tannins, a wine that seemed matured beyond it's years. I'll be picking up another (or two) for the next holiday dinner. Vasse Felix '99 Cabernet Sauvignon, Another delicious wine, bright red, nose m...

Drought Reserve Shiraz 2001, this wine has just been nominated for the most outstanding wine exported out of Australia for 2004-05 (George Mackay Trophy). This wine is made by Vigneron Shane McLaughlin. He has only made 750 cases of this limited edition. Halliday gives it 89/100. It should good for ...

Built a cellar a few weeks ago and found deciding how to fill it is quite interesting. The number one control factor for me is budget, as I suspect with most. My first priority get a decent selection, it's so much fun to go down to my basement cellar with a few friends over for dinner and give them ...

Thanks, I just bought a decanter couple of weeks ago and thought it was doing a fantastic job. What ever the reason is, I do believe that the last glass is usually always better that the first. Sometimes significantly better. I know often when I opened a bottle had a couple of glasses, was not impre...