Sunday drinking reports 23/9/12

[Sean]

deleted

[dlo]

What has everyone been drinking?

...... very little by the look of things.

[Michael R]

2011 clonakilla jack reidy Shiraz
Pretty good, but a confected heat influenece which detracts. Managed to ease my nerves watching a woeful united performance steal 3 points from Anfield. Relief more than joy. Thankfully the ref was fair for once.

[winenovice]

2010 Patritti Lot 3 Shiraz
Great colour and depth. The nose was bright, savoury and fragrant. The palate was a bit lighter than the nose and colour suggested but has great depth and length in flavour without overstaying it's welcome. The tannins and oak is prominent, which I suppose will soften in time.

The wine would be perfect if the middle pallet didn't go missing, akin to Man Utd's midfield. =)

John

[cuttlefish]

Second bout of flu-like symptoms for me, so I'm drinking little. I hope I'm fully fit & firing for grand final day. Carn Hawks !

[via collins]

2012 Tim Adams riesling - the notices on this one have been red hot, and they're spot on. it's a wonderfully fragrant, generous riesling - a tiny hint of spritz a the opening, hints of musk and honeysuckle on the nose. lemon/lime softened by bath salt tone. long finish that just dances through the palate. this will be the first of many for me as the cold weather slowly abates...

2008 Yarraloch chardonnay - tight at first glance, but quickly into its stride with beautiful stonefruit notes supported by a nice acid balance that made it a perfect choice for the fine seafood dishes we paired it with. I'd been unaware of this one as a bit focussed on the usual suspects in the Yarra Valley, but this was moreish and pretty irresistible.

2009 Clearview Estate cab/mer/cab f/malbec "old olive grove" - probably way too young to drink, and doucle decanted early on Sunday, and it really came to life some 6 hours afterwards. I first tasted it on an oenomatic in Auckland last yearafter it had been there two days, and it was a ripper. And so it was with BBQed lamb last night - savoury, subtle, strong blueberry line in the bordeaux mix, and wonderful spicy/smoky leather notes at the back, i'm guessing the malbec at play there. Wave after wave of complexity in the long finish.This was easily WOTN, and i'll need to be tracking some more down.

[Luke W]

2010 Wild Duck Spring Flat Shiraz - what a stunner, nose and palate to die for. Huge fruit, beautiful balance, glass almost stained purple.
2003 Grant Burge Filsell - in it's window now, elegant, some aged leather, chocolate and cedar.
2004 Saltrams Mamre Brook Cabernet - took a while to come together following a decant but 2-3 hours in found it's space with nice fruit and balance.

[damonpeyo]

Had a quiet weekend, worked all weekend.

2007 Woodlands "Margaret" - Cab Sav, Merlot and Malbec Blend 13.5%

Pretty light-ish mouth-feel of drop. Gentle wine, almost light red colour, similar as Cascade's Blackcurrant cordial drink watered down. Feels somewhat young for my palate. LIght oaky nose. I can't put my finger down, reminds me of some of the lighter French Bordeaux's, partly notes of pleasant black fruits and light tannins seems to tickle around in delayed mode.

I discovered that Woodlands deliberately early picked for this vintage.

Ate Smokey Paprika Chicken with Aged Balsamic Drizzled Avocado and Vine Ripened Tomatoes Salad, somewhat improved the enjoyment of the wine even more, like they just went along together so well, the mild heaviness of Paprika Chicken lifted up the light Woodlands '07.

First bottle of a six pack opened. Needs more time I believe?

[dlo]

Another quiet time for me this last week. Of the very few bottles I got to try, the standout was a 1998 Richmond Grove Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon in absolute sensational form - a steal at 10 bucks at release, this outstanding example delivers a quintessntial mix of varietal fruit intermingling with regional earth and mint aided by some fine bitter chocolate character. Its structure is particularly impressive, especially with so little development evident since opening the last bottle some time ago. There is every chance this will live well into the 2020's! The other wine worth a mention was a bottle purchased at a jazz gig - a Boggy Creek 2004 Shiraz Cabernet from Victoria's King Valley (IIRC). It was under screw cap and threw up an attractive nose of dark plum and currants followed by a smooth, linear palate with an excellent smooth mouthfeel accented with integrated acidity and melting tannins. 13.5% A/V. Good to see something with a bit of age on a hotel's wine list that drinks extremely well.

[sjw_11]

I typed up some notes and then the system decided to crash!

Kooyong Massale Chardonnay 2011... Attractive, intense, citrus driven nose, leading to a linear, well structured palate. Finished crisp and clean. Certainly in the "modern Chabli-esque" style of Chardonnay. Will come together nicely in 2-3yrs.

Cape Mentelle Zinfandel 2010... Bright red fruits, certainly ripe but not as "plush" as I recall some prior vintages being. A little sharp and angular on the finish. OK but not great VFM.

Galah Wines Clare Shiraz 2002... Wendouree wine maker, and apparently younger Wendouree vines, but sub-$30. This is certainly a well made wine, deeply fruited, but it seems a little one dimensional right now. Its still youthful looking so Id give it a couple more years to see what it does.

Meadowbank Tassie Riesling 2004... Apparently the CD said this would cellar for "30 yrs". I somehow doubt it, but its still looking pretty good today. A mix of citrus, lime peel, a few floral notes and just a hint of petrol. Finished clean with a twist of lime.

[ticklenow1]

2011 clonakilla jack reidy Shiraz
Pretty good, but a confected heat influenece which detracts. Managed to ease my nerves watching a woeful united performance steal 3 points from Anfield. Relief more than joy. Thankfully the ref was fair for once.

Nothing like a biased Man U supporter. That ref must have come from the Serie A. Most inept performance from a referee I've ever seen in 40 years of watching football. A disgrace.

Michael, I hope your tongue was planted firmly in your cheek when you wrote that!

Cheers
Ian (a rather upset Liverpool supporter )

[Michael R]

Yes, was a gee-up, but i thought Halsley did ok, was under a lot of pressure.
The pen was never a pen in slo-mo, but real-time it looked a clumsy challenge. Plus Jonjos challenge was possibly a yellow, but seen plenty of reds given for less.

Can understand you being filthy, even with 9 players you were all over us, so to get nothing from the game, i guess the ref is going to cop it.

Nothing sweeter than 3 points at Anfield, but the massive cracks in our midfield are getting harder for Fergie to paper over. After failing to reach the Champs league knockout, and the subsequent midfield demiloition by Bilboa, i was praying for some serious midfield investment in the summer. We got Kagawa, and continue calling on dads army to save the day. Not looking forward to Europe this season.

Still...3 points at Anfield

[Mike Hawkins]

When Gary Neville says LFC were hard done by, enough said......

[ticklenow1]

Michael R,

If you see Jonjo's tackle from a certain angle, it should have been Evan's who got sent off. He had both feet off the ground and studs showing. Jonjo only had 1 foot raised, got the ball and didn't dive around like he'd been shot. Why wasn't Scholes or Van Persie sent off for worse tackles? Why didn't Suarez get a stone wall penalty? Disgraceful behavior by the Man U fans as well which really showed their lack of class. Typical really.....

Anyway...

2007 Tintara McLaren Vale Grenache. An absolutely stunning wine. Picked up on the cheap and will now be my new quaffer for a while. Velvet tannins, quality fruit and integrated oak. I'll keep a couple for a few years as well. 4/5

2004 Viking Grand Shiraz Cabernet. Barossa Valley. A little one dimensional but a pleasant drink all the same. Can't see it getting any better so I'll be drinking my other 2 bottles soon. Typical Barossa. 3/5

2009 The Colonial Estate Emigre GSM. Barossa Valley. Lovely fruit driven wine with supple tannins and sweet oak. The best Colonial wine I've had. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

[winenovice]

Nothing sweeter than 3 points at Anfield, but the massive cracks in our midfield are getting harder for Fergie to paper over. After failing to reach the Champs league knockout, and the subsequent midfield demiloition by Bilboa, i was praying for some serious midfield investment in the summer. We got Kagawa, and continue calling on dads army to save the day. Not looking forward to Europe this season.

Still...3 points at Anfield

So true, especially frustrating when a player like Moussa Dembélé was available for only 15 million, one that will finally put a bit of steel into our midfield and we don't make an approach, especially seeing how he demolished us at the start of the season! What happened to the players who pleaded with Sir Alex to buy Ronaldo after a friendly with Sporting Lisbon.

What is especially worrisome is the fact that Sir Alex rather play Giggs, an aging Legend who was always out of position and couldn't make a pass in the centre of the park rather than Cleverly, a full England international (not that it means a lot nowadays) or Ando. Begs to wonder how Powell feels about the whole situation.

A bit like Pogba I would say.

But you are right. 3 points at Anfield. Can't complain.

When Gary Neville says LFC were hard done by, enough said......

Neville as a pundit has really fair views. No red tinted glasses for him.

[damonpeyo]

2009 The Colonial Estate Emigre GSM. Barossa Valley. Lovely fruit driven wine with supple tannins and sweet oak. The best Colonial wine I've had. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

if you had few more of those in cellar, when would you open the next one again, asking out of curiosity got a few myself.

Cheers again in advance Ian.

[ticklenow1]

2009 The Colonial Estate Emigre GSM. Barossa Valley. Lovely fruit driven wine with supple tannins and sweet oak. The best Colonial wine I've had. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

if you had few more of those in cellar, when would you open the next one again, asking out of curiosity got a few myself.

Cheers again in advance Ian.

My best guess would be that they will be at their peak in 8 to 10. But they are drinking so well now. I'll drink 1 a year for the next 10 years to see how they are going. They are amazing value.

Cheers
Ian

[Teisto]

2005 Kurtz Boundary Row GSM Fully developed and on the slide is my take. Having said that well integrated tannins, a bit of heat on the finish and some fruit still poking through. The back label said a 4 to 5 year proposition and that would have been a better approach - left it a little too long.

[sjw_11]

Shall I make a separate thread to separate out Premier League banter from actual drinking notes? :p Im thinking something like: "what wine is best to drink while watching Arsenal demolish the opposition"

Mt Langhi Ghiran Billi Billi 2010... Soft, peppery, red fruited, with a satin mouth feel. Great VFM everyday tipple.

[Michael McNally]

"what wine is best to drink while watching Arsenal demolish the opposition"

If that is the requirement, at least you won't be drinking much over the next 9 months!

Forever blowing bubbles.........

Michael

[Mike Hawkins]

Shall I make a separate thread to separate out Premier League banter from actual drinking notes? :p Im thinking something like: "what wine is best to drink while watching Arsenal demolish the opposition"

Would have to be a burgundy - lots of hype, but disappoints more often than not....

[ross67]

What wine to drink after Chelsea's 2 of 4 trophies last season and on top this season??


ross

[rens]

What wine to drink after Chelsea's 2 of 4 trophies last season and on top this season??


ross

Wine? I'd suggest Drano.

[sjw_11]

Shall I make a separate thread to separate out Premier League banter from actual drinking notes? :p Im thinking something like: "what wine is best to drink while watching Arsenal demolish the opposition"

Would have to be a burgundy - lots of hype, but disappoints more often than not....

Ouch. But don't you understand, its a young team just coming together with a couple of new imports (oh right, the same as every year )

[Michael R]

ross67 wrote:
What wine to drink after Chelsea's 2 of 4 trophies last season and on top this season??

ross

Wine? I'd suggest Drano.

I was going to say a palate cleanser of 15 Stellas, then down the road for a ruck outside and inside the local pub...like most of the Shed-end

Aaah the memories, of cowering in the Shed-end, avoiding eye contact with the skinheads with neck tattoos seated closeby.
Plus, I couldn't find a prawn sandwich to go with my Chardonnay anywhere

[Michael R]

On the wine front (oh yeah...this is a wine forum)

Had a cracker last night.
2010 Bremerton Reserve Chardonnay Langhorne Creek, South Australia
For $30 odd bucks this was up there with my finds of the year. A real eyecatcher.
Beautiflly balanced, french oak, fine acidic spine, and generous fruit& nut profile. Excellent length.
Never seen Chardonnay from around here before, what a lovely surprise.

Winery note
The Chardonnay juice was fermented under cool conditions in a combination of new and old French oak barrels using wild and inoculated fermentation. The wine was matured on yeast lees for 10 months prior to blending.

Cheers
Michael