Mount Horrocks (Clare Valley) Shiraz 2007

[Waiters Friend]

When I bought this from cellar door in about 2010, it was described to me as a Rhone style red. I sent the wines home and promptly forgot about them for a few years.

This is a bright and clean garnet in colour. There's definitely some spice (from oak and from development) in the clove, cinnamon and nutmeg spectrum, along with lovely lifted plums and cherries. The fine but firm tannins are seamlessly integrated into the palate, which shows some texture and slight viscosity and supporting acid. It's medium bodied, but the complexity is what holds my interest. There's a lot going on here.

The wine is delightful now, but will hold possibly for another 5 years. The people I shared this bottle with think that estimate is conservative.

Cheers
Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

The wine is delightful now, but will hold possibly for another 5 years. The people I shared this bottle with think that estimate is conservative.

Although I haven't had this particular vintage I concur with your "people" - the '99 I tasted at cellar door certainly needed plenty of time. Is the cellar door still at the old railway station and is Yvonne Peglidis still the vineyard manager?

Mahmoud.

[Waiters Friend]

Hi Mahmoud

Yes, the old Auburn railway station is still the cellar door. I don't know who the vineyard manager is, I'm afraid.

Cheers
Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks Allan. The reason I asked about Yvonne is because she was pouring wines at cellar door when my partner and I arrived.

As an aside, when we were there at cellar door my Mum from Canada called and I went out onto the platform to talk. In the meantime Stephanie Toole turned up and told Yvonne that she had decided to pick the Cordon Cut Riesling grapes the following day. While I was on the phone to my Mum, Yvonne recruited my partner and me to help pick the grapes. So we did, we helped pick the 2001 Cordon Cut.

Do we have a bottle of it? Of course, we made sure that my partner's Mum in Sydney bought us a couple of bottles. One of our better cellar door experiences.

Mahmoud.

[Scotty vino]

Lost count of my Mt Horrocks visits. Got quite a few bottles of varying varietals and vintages to remind me.
Great little spot. There's some other winery about 2 mins walking distance down the rd called Grosset or something.
Auburn or Watervale are definitely my 2 Favourite spots in Clare Valley.

[Waiters Friend]

So we did, we helped pick the 2001 Cordon Cut.

Mahmoud.

I've had both the 2004 and 2005 recently. Quite brown but still interestingly drinkable. The Cordon Cut is a good example of Australian dessert Riesling.

[Mahmoud Ali]

So we did, we helped pick the 2001 Cordon Cut.

Mahmoud.

I've had both the 2004 and 2005 recently. Quite brown but still interestingly drinkable. The Cordon Cut is a good example of Australian dessert Riesling.

I am surprised by the colour, I wouldn't have thought it would have darkened so much in only ten years. I've had other Australian desert wines that were much older and they weren't anywhere near brown. Perhaps the bottles you had weren't well stored? Especially since any Cordon Cut, young or old, shouldn't have been just "interestingly drinkable."

Mahmoud

[Waiters Friend]

An update on the 2007 Shiraz.

Similar colour to three years ago, and seems to be in a 'holding pattern'. My tasting note from 2014 (above) is still quite accurate, with the major difference being the dropping out of some primary fruit in favour of secondary developed fruit characters. More importantly, still a thoroughly enjoyable wine.

Unfortunately, my last bottle (sad). Happy to drink it now though, as I suspect this won't improve further

Cheers
Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks for the update. I didn't mention this before but I still have a bottle of 1999 Yvonne's Shiraz that she gifted us and of which she said was essentially the same wine as the Mount Horrock's, the wine (or at least part of it coming from her vineyards).

I have also come to know that a new winery in the Clare, KT wines, makes riesling from the Peglidis vineyard.

Mahmoud.