Another Drinking Reports Thread - 5/5/2012

[dlo]

So what's been going down in your part of the world of late? Why not post a few lines about anything worthy of praise, through to total abominations that required pouring down the sink (and anything that fell in between)?

This week I opened another Grosset Polish Hill 2003 Riesling, a top notch example that has entered its prime drinking window with its brilliant, effusive lime, toast and petrol-tinged aromatics followed by a sensational palate holding an immaculate line and a wealth of mostly tight zesty lime fruit, superb counterbalancing acidity, finishing with a crisp, clean and lengthy finish. Drink anytime this decade.

Next up, a wine I have been waiting many years to try and holding very high expectations of what would emanate from the bottle. Brokenwood's Graveyard Shiraz is an iconic label of which I bought multiple bottles from the hyped 1998 vintage, secured at release and stored in my cellar(s) ever since. Made from very low yielding old vines in the lower Hunter Valley, the cork-sealed bottle was splash decanted 2 hours prior to serving, revealing dense and dark staining on a considerable proportion of the inside of the bottle (I believe this phenomenon to be derived from the leeching of tannins, grape protein and red pigments). When poured into the glass, I was surprised at the developed colour in the outer edges although the core retained a healthy-looking opaque deep ruby. The nose reeked of dill and vanillin American oak over ripe plum and blackberry fruit with faint hints of road tar and regional earthiness. The palate was more disappointing with the 14.0% A/V producing a somewhat hot and almost disjointed tannic finish ruining the impact of the preceding mature plum, leather and earth flavours and a strong undercurrent of US oak influence as noted in the bouquet. This bottle simply did not possess the reserves of fruit to sustain such structure and oak treatment. And for a supposed "great" Hunter vintage, I'd call this bottle an abject failure. Errant bottle, one would hope, although I'm not all that keen to open another bottle to find out if I scored a dud. Has anyone here tried one in recent times? Would appreciate your feedback if you have. PM me if you wish.

Lastly, I opened an old bottling (750ml) of Campbells Isabella Tokay. An amazing example, and in terrific shape without a skerrick of staleness evident, especially considering the time this has spent in bottle and its underlying ancient base material. Unlike the heavier Morris Old Premium Tokay style, this wine was particularly impressive for its superior aromatics and slippery, silky but sensationally concentrated flavours of the finest English toffee, cold tea, butterscotch and faint hints of dried raisins (muscatels). Couple this with an awesomely long and incredibly delicate and balanced departure and you have one of the best examples of Rutherglen "Rare" Liqueur Tokay.

[Waiters Friend]

Hello David

I suggest your 'Drinking Reports Thread' contains such quality tasting notes that you should be posting each wine separately. This also makes it easier (for me anyway) when using the Search function for a particular wine.

Regardless, please keep up the notes.

Cheers

Allan

[Sean]

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[AndrewCowley]

I had a 2005 Rosehill the other night which I would say matches the 2007 described above. Bit of a worry though as I'm not sure it has the fruit to overcome the oak and tannin. High alcohol too, 15%, which does nothing for Hunter Shiraz. A case of time will tell.

[dlo]

Opened my second last six pack of Orlando 2002 St Helga Eden Valley Riesling last night and another bottle with a faulty screwcap. The seal broken and the inside of the screwcap and threaded top of the bottle caked with a dry brown discharge. Luckily, the wine's in great condition - bright straw colour, terrific aromatics of lime, honeysuckle, slate and salty minerals followed by a very fine palate redolent of lime, apple and minerals meshed with a fine steely core of salty acidity. Exemplary carry through the mouth with an excellent lengthy final lingering note of juicy citrus tartness providing a most satisfactory conclusion to a very fine riesling.

I note with some irony, a significant amount of the back label boasting of the "perfect seal" this "cellaring initiative" provides, "...with proper cellaring at 15oC .... this wine will drink superbly over the next three decades". Not such a perfect job on this batch!

13.0% A/V

[Chuck]

Out last night with friends at a pub for a good honest steak, salad and chips and a bonus they allowed BYO with a $15 corkage.

Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Shiraz. You could smell the regional chocolate across the table and it drank very well. McLaren Vale shiraz at its best and should last another 5 years+.

Our friends brought a Yalumba 2008 Hand Picked Barossa Shiraz Viognier which was a good effort from a very hot year. Shiraz mayhave been picked before the looong 15 day heatwave. Viognier added a little complexty and interest.

Carl

[Wizz]

10 Felton Road Elms Chardonnay: This is a bit nice. Very little wood here, just pure fruit. And the family resemblence to the big brother Bannockburn Chardonnay shows in the restrained elegant wheaty, rockmelon fruit and traces of nougat. Nothing overly complex here, and no great length to speak of, but a tasty standing up wine all the same. 87/100

07 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin 1er les Golouts: I was looking for an 06 Burgundy and found a boxful. Picked this bottle up and only noticed it was an 07 after the cork was out...grrrr....limpid red, violet notes on the centre. Merde and sous bois nose. No decanting - this is all about prickly acids at first. An hour sees more chook poo, and a canned asparagus element (possibly DMS) which masks some high toned raspberry and red cherry. Sappy pinot tannins are in the right place but this just doesnt taste very nice. We didn't finish this bottle, a rare thing. Not in the happiest place. 84/100

04 Pesquera Tempranillo (Crianza): Still very dark colour. Approachable where it was not 5 years ago. Tarry blackcurrant, dutch licorice, black cherry, animale. If there was much oak it is now well resolved. Warming and ripe, and now entering its window. This still has some integration in front of it as the flavour components of the palate are leaving the station when the plentiful and attractive tannins arrive. If these come together - but I'm not hopeful - could live for a long time. 85/100

Cheers

Andrew

[Sean]

deleted

[dlo]

Another aged white from the cellar and another surprise packet. Tyrrell's 1996 Vat 1 Semillon was always been a stubborn bastard of a wine (an extremely slow developer), so I left a six pack (in it's original timber case) at the base of a pile of cartons in the cellar a while back with a view to be looked at circa 2011/2012. Ian n4sir's excellent recent notes from a monster semillon vertical tasting painted a worrying picture on the bottle he tried from this vintage (an aged release), so a few days back, I shifted the necessary cases and removed a bottle for assessment. As with all cork-sealed Tyrrell's whites, bottle variation has been a major problem over the years, although I have been pretty lucky with my batches as, back then, I had a standing order at the winery for a dozen Vat 1's each year, soon after they were bottled (through their Private Bin Club). Cellaring at the winery was a worry for decades as Tyrrell's desisted from installing temperature control for their stocks (particularly) of (back vintage) wine. Some years back the problem was rectified and, similarly, it will interesting to see what effect the shift to the use of screw caps will also have on the ageability of Tyrell's portfolio, particularly their fabulous old vine Semillons. So onto the wine in question ..... with a caveat, this wine was not from the early release promotion, but from Tyrrell's aged release program ..... hmnnn .....

A little below perfect fill level with even staining about 2/3'rds along the cork. Colour was far deeper than expected - a bright light- to mid-gold. Almost without fail, Semillons with this level of colour advancement are stuffed (oxidised), but in this case, the wine is still hanging in there and smells/drink very well indeed. Bouquet offers up a very fine integrated mature assembly of freshly toasted almonds, honey, undertones of lemon butter, a whisp of straw, some lanolin and attractive, but quite an unusual combo of waxy/floral top notes. Developed far more than I was expecting but although aged, still pure, varietal and a pleasure to sniff. The palate, an instant replay on what I just described but with surprising low acidity, a little broader than expected but not tired, hence rated as fully mature with excellent persistence and a long satisfying aftertaste. Drink now proposition. 90 points. So is it a case of the old aged release program (released about 5 years after bottling) not delivering pristine examples because of the storage issues I raised earlier in the piece? Probably. But not a problem you're likely to encounter nowadays with a proper storage regime in place at the winery.

[Craig(NZ)]

07 Kumeu River Chardonnay. Just a nice classy chardonnay. Not the greatest vintage under this label but a style I like. Easy to drink now. At $25 which it is around the place at the moment it is just such a great buy

10 Te Mata Awatea. A lot weightier already than I remember on release. Its looking more like an 07 now. Still needs some time but this is a bargain. You get so much for your money. Piles of graphite now. yum. I will buy more of this as I see it on special

08 Stonyridge Pilgrim. Suave and sensual wine. Seamless and soft. A real treat. Great aromatics. Drinking really well. I dont see the point in cellaring this stuff it is giving so much already. Too much in the shadow of Larose, it is a great wine in its own right

[LawrenceM]

Some tasting notes from Friday and Saturday. Bottles were picked up recently and from what I can tell have been perfectly cellared:

Thomas Fern Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1980 - Dark purple with noticeable bricking. Initially was dusty and very closed - not altogether surprising given its 32 year wait in the bottle. After 2.5 hours, it started showing signs of blackberries, ripe mulberries, dark chocolate and a hint of liquorice and vanilla. Noticeable pepper and spice, oak still prominent along with smooth tannins. A tinge sharp at the end. Was expecting nothing but vinegar, so really enjoyed this wine for that reason alone. Bottle states that this wine won a gold medal at a Hobart wine show in 1980, but could not tell which show this was.

Willespie Margaret River Semillon 1990 - Amber yellow, almost honeycomb in colour. When first poured the nose was overshadowed by earthy/dusty aromas, but with a strong hint of citrus which suggested that it may need a few minutes to open. Poured the bottle into a decanter and placed the decanter back in the wine fridge to maintain serving temperature. Tasted again after 45 minutes, and the dustiness had all but disappeared. Bouquet of spicy crushed mandarin, ripe apple, cut grass and toast. Zesty finish with medium acidity. An absolute treat. The bottle did not last long.

Magill Cellars Reserve Barossa Shiraz 1996 - Cork crumbled on opening, and a lot of sediment in the bottle. Had to be decanted and filtered. After 1 hour, deep purple, the nose revealed the expected ripe dark ripe fruits along vanilla, and smoky leather. Great mouthfeel. Tannins were still prominent which suggests that the bottle could go a few more years. Very pleasant, fruity finish.

[bacchaebabe]

Had a couple of bottles of 1998 Greenock Creek Barossa Cabernet Savignon last night. Both opened well with perfect intact corks stained only at the bottom. Lovely colour of deep dark red purple with plenty of sediment in each bottle. Both bottles presented exactly the same with rich blackcurrants and blackberries and a waft of plums and spice. Perfectly integrated tannins and these are really drinking right at their peak. If you have any, now's the time to be drinking them. Fresh as a daisy and bursting with flavour.

[Waiters Friend]

Willespie Margaret River Semillon 1990 - Amber yellow, almost honeycomb in colour. When first poured the nose was overshadowed by earthy/dusty aromas, but with a strong hint of citrus which suggested that it may need a few minutes to open. Poured the bottle into a decanter and placed the decanter back in the wine fridge to maintain serving temperature. Tasted again after 45 minutes, and the dustiness had all but disappeared. Bouquet of spicy crushed mandarin, ripe apple, cut grass and toast. Zesty finish with medium acidity. An absolute treat. The bottle did not last long.

Wow. To find a Margaret River semillon that lasts 22 years is remarkable. Best I have managed so far is a couple of Moss Wood semillons that only just made it to 11. Good tasting note, by the way.

[LawrenceM]

Thanks for the compliment. I was also pleasantly surprised - will be opening the second bottle soon so hopefully a similar result.

[Luke W]

2008 Pierre Naigeon Pinot Noir Clos Pierre La Reserve - nice up front pinot noir discounted to $25 at DM, lots of jubey, red berry flavours, nice tannins but got a bit boring in the long haul.
2005 and 2006 Maglieri Shiraz - both became quite wonderful and kicked well above their weights with about 5 hours decanting - but not so great, much before that amount of time
2001 Sevenhills "St Ignatius" red blend (cab/merlot/shiraz/petit verdot) - solid performer - would have been better with more air and improved considerably in the glass at a mate's place
2011 Tempus Two Blanc de Blanc - pleasant cheap sparkling but there are better around at the same price point

[Teisto]

2010 Teusner The Hungry Goat Shiraz A good offering of which profits go to charity. Once again these guys knock up something that is good drinking. I still think the Riebke has a much better structure at around the same price. Do these guys make a bad wine?

[Michael McNally]

2009 Peter Lehman 'Portrait' Barossa Valley Shiraz. $14
Had a lash at this last night for old times' sake (where does the apostrophe go in that!?!?!). Started out light to medium weight and simple, but after an hour in the decanter was seriously good. Not huge, but typical Barossa characters of plum, spice and chocolate. By the last glass I was loving it. Will get some to put down for 3-5 years.

(Hate the new labels BTW)

Cheers

Michael

[Wine Tourist]

2006 Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache
Apologies in advance for the lack of plums in this report, but I decided to treat myself to this wine tonight. Light on tannins, smooth to almost velvet finish. A gentle red without being overpowering. I'm no professional, but this is the type of wine that I like as a comfortable quaffer and safely as a special wine for a great meal. Quality finish, gentle, not overly spicy.
(going by the spellcheck errors, it went to my head rather well also )

I am glad I have 1 more of these, will let it sit for 2-4 yrs, and see how it alters.

[bacchaebabe]

2009 Peter Lehman 'Portrait' Barossa Valley Shiraz. $14
Had a lash at this last night for old times' sake (where does the apostrophe go in that!?!?!). Started out light to medium weight and simple, but after an hour in the decanter was seriously good. Not huge, but typical Barossa characters of plum, spice and chocolate. By the last glass I was loving it. Will get some to put down for 3-5 years.

(Hate the new labels BTW)

Cheers

Michael

Yep, with you on the new labels. Not so keen. I liked all the queen labels - much nicer. The new ones look bland and cheap.