Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[Redwine&Rum]

2006 D'Arenburg Dead Arm Shiraz (McLaren Vale), Screwtop. 14.5%

Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Dark Red. Big alcohol on the nose. Blew off a little bit as time wore on, but it was always the first thing that everyone noticed.
Was a nice wine none the less. Not a lot of fruit left and definitely getting into a lot more secondary development.
This was the first time I had tried this wine and to tell the truth I was expecting a little bit more. Fine Tannins, but the length just wasn't quite there.

Will be drinking my last 2 bottles soon as I can't see the wine getting any better.

[rens]

2006 D'Arenburg Dead Arm Shiraz (McLaren Vale), Screwtop. 14.5%

Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Dark Red. Big alcohol on the nose. Blew off a little bit as time wore on, but it was always the first thing that everyone noticed.
Was a nice wine none the less. Not a lot of fruit left and definitely getting into a lot more secondary development.
This was the first time I had tried this wine and to tell the truth I was expecting a little bit more. Fine Tannins, but the length just wasn't quite there.

Will be drinking my last 2 bottles soon as I can't see the wine getting any better.

Hmm. May need to crack one of my 3 to see what's going on here.

[Redwine&Rum]

2006 D'Arenburg Dead Arm Shiraz (McLaren Vale), Screwtop. 14.5%

Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Dark Red. Big alcohol on the nose. Blew off a little bit as time wore on, but it was always the first thing that everyone noticed.
Was a nice wine none the less. Not a lot of fruit left and definitely getting into a lot more secondary development.
This was the first time I had tried this wine and to tell the truth I was expecting a little bit more. Fine Tannins, but the length just wasn't quite there.

Will be drinking my last 2 bottles soon as I can't see the wine getting any better.

Hmm. May need to crack one of my 3 to see what's going on here.

I hope I'm wrong and maybe I just had a bad bottle. It was a screwtop however, and didn't smell or taste funky. I have had them cellared in good conditions since I bought them. It was a nice wine, but for the price it wasn't what I was expecting, with the length not being particularly long.

[dave vino]

2012 Rockford Rod & Spur (Sh/Cab)
This is seriously good juice for the price. I just got my order and I am going to get some more after trying it. Nice fruit, structure and acid, really nicely balanced, soft on the palate and very Barossa. White pepper, blackberry, raspberry, plums and some sour cherry to finish it off.

IMG_4262.JPG

[Michael McNally]

Tonight a mini-vertical of the Scribbler Cabernet/Shiraz by Yalumba. All three vintages were on sale at a Big Brand Bottle Barn, so i bought one of each.

2012 54%Cab/46%Shiraz. Good dark red. Bright nose of blackberry, blackcurrant and dark plum. Medium bodied fruit (of similar ilk). Acid and tannin in balance with the former giving more oomph than the latter at the moment. Very enjoyable. Opening up nicely in the glass, with some interest (mint, leather, eucalypt, prune). Finish not too short. VFM: Very High.

2011 54%Cab/46%Shiraz. Less dark fruit and more volatiles on the nose. Similar but more pronounced bacon fat character. Slightly lighter on the palate, but might be unconscious vintage bias coming into play. Acid definitely plays a bigger role early on across the palate, but the tannin is there at the close. I think the finish might be a touch longer at ths stage but more acid driven, than balanced. Quite a bit of vanilla. Still good wine though. VFM: High.

2010 57%Cab/43%Shiraz. A less defined and more complex nose. Less initial fruit but more push from the tannin and acid across the palate so feels heavier. Still not full-bodied. The most complete of the wines, this is in a god spot right now, but I imagine will develop more complexity over the next 2-3 years with ease under screwcap.* VFM: Very, Very High.

Of the three wines the 2010 is the clear winner at this stage of development. Can't see the 2011 ever getting this good, but what would I know. The 2012 could be very similar to the 2010 in a couple of years. I will certainly be putting a few away at this price to see!

On a side note. This is how I remember the old Koonunga Hill blend used to be. Some clear winemaking/oak influence, but bloody enjoyable wine.

* As the night wears on this is developing aged characters quickly. Happy with 2-3, but then we may see decline.

Cheers

Michael

[ticklenow1]

2012 Rockford Rod & Spur (Sh/Cab)
This is seriously good juice for the price. I just got my order and I am going to get some more after trying it. Nice fruit, structure and acid, really nicely balanced, soft on the palate and very Barossa. White pepper, blackberry, raspberry, plums and some sour cherry to finish it off.

IMG_4262.JPG

I agree. Probably the best Rod and Spur I've had. Drinking very well already and should get better over the next 5 - 7 years. I normally only buy Rod and Spur to fill out a dozen but I will also be getting some more this time around. Nice to know someone else thinks as highly of it as I do. I'm really looking forward to the '12 Moppa Springs coming out too.

Cheers
Ian

[Hacker]

Last night had probably the worst Barossa shiraz of my life. The 2002 Schubert Goose Block Shiraz. Lovingly cellared since purchase. Inky black, confected ribena flavours, way too thick and sweet. I think (hope) its my last of a six pack.

[maybs]

2013 Murdoch Hills The Landau Syrah

Tim brought their Pinot Meunier to an offline. I've since tried another bottle or two and quite like it, so thought I would try one of their other offerings. Glad I did.

Half an hour in the decanter and this is already drinking really well. ‘Bright purple colour in glass. a hint of leafy greenness on the nose as well as pepper and spice, plus some fruit swinging around between blue and red. texture is light to medium bodied, silky but plenty of fine tannin. Juicy light red fruit, some clove, some pepper at the back end. Really well balanced leading to a medium plus finish. Super easy to drink. Thoroughly enjoying it and will try and hunt down a bottle or two to stash away.

[swirler]

Last night had probably the worst Barossa shiraz of my life. The 2002 Schubert Goose Block Shiraz. Lovingly cellared since purchase. Inky black, confected ribena flavours, way too thick and sweet. I think (hope) its my last of a six pack.

Is it allowed to be so disrespectful of Barossa wine?* Well i guess what's sauce for the Goose is sauce for the gander. Boom boom.

[tj2]

1998 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rose - Beautifully composed and captivating. Such a seductive nose and abundant flavour which filled every corner of the mouth. Rich red fruit and layered complex yeast characters with incredible persistence. Hope I'm lucky enough to come across this again.

2012 Copain Wendling Pinot Noir - Sappy, smoky, deep red fruits, fresh and fleshy...oak and fruit still a little distant from each other but they will merge gracefully; a complex Pinot with a promising future.

[timnit]

2008 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz
I have been a big fan of this wine on this forum before, and I can see a few others above think so to!
Well with a handful of years this wine becomes some much better than its price suggests... I popped and poured and it only got better in the glass so should have decanted for 60-90 minutes...
As a young wine Chalambar is a pleasure to drink, light, lovely tannins and great black fruits and pepper... With a little age and you get the best of a young wine with a little more subtleness and balance of acidity and those dusty tannins (which is something I like)

For $100 a year (recently anyway) you can get a case - best $100 I spend every year..

[felixp]

2011 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru "Cherbaudes"
This is so green, I suspect it was made by martians. Gosh, I dislike the 2011 vintage in Burgundy. However, it should be noted that I am extremely sensitive to "green" in wines. Others might tolerate this much better than I. NR.

[Scotty vino]

2014 Rockford Black Shiraz.
lovely drop.

[rooman]

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2001, cracked a bottle that has been up on the tasting bench for the past few days to cap off a day of celebrations after the All Blacks retained the RWC last night. Long complex wine with forest floor savoury and a subtle lift at the end from the Viognier. Of the two previous bottles under cork, one was stunning and one was off. Thankfully like the ABs, this one delivered the goods, more Dan Carter than Richie McCaw.

[michel]

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2001, cracked a bottle that has been up on the tasting bench for the past few days to cap off a day of celebrations after the All Blacks retained the RWC last night. Long complex wine with forest floor savoury and a subtle lift at the end from the Viognier. Of the two previous bottles under cork, one was stunning and one was off. Thankfully like the ABs, this one delivered the goods, more Dan Carter than Richie McCaw.

had that in magnum last year and it exceeded my expectations
penguin wine book wine of the year from memory

[ticklenow1]

2006 Yalumba Single Site Grenache. Moppa Barossa. Comes from the Bowden Vineyard in Northern Moppa. I had one on AFL GF Day at a mates and just loved it so I found my 3 bottles in the cellar, as I believe them to be right in their groove. Sadly the bottle I had on Halloween night had succumbed to the cork gods. So I opened another bottle last night and it was perfect. Light colour starting to fade just a little. The nose was a little muted at first as I popped and poured but did open up quite quickly. Some of the fruit is starting to fade and show some aged characteristics but there is enough there to show interest. Tannins are only just noticeable and while there is not an abundance of length it is a very nice example of aged Grenache. The back label on the bottle states drink to 2016 and I reckon that is spot on. Even my wife who likes the big bold Barossa Shiraz's enjoyed this and the contents of the bottle disappeared very quickly, which to me is the best compliment you can pay a wine. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

[rooman]

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2001, cracked a bottle that has been up on the tasting bench for the past few days to cap off a day of celebrations after the All Blacks retained the RWC last night. Long complex wine with forest floor savoury and a subtle lift at the end from the Viognier. Of the two previous bottles under cork, one was stunning and one was off. Thankfully like the ABs, this one delivered the goods, more Dan Carter than Richie McCaw.

had that in magnum last year and it exceeded my expectations
penguin wine book wine of the year from memory

I'm pretty sure I got these bottles off Neville when he did a large offload a few years back to pay for a shipment of German riesling. Occasionally I come across wines in the cellar and wonder where I got them from (ie some Wendouree I found recently) and then remember I picked up a few mixed cases from Neville during periods of his distress.

[Redav]

2012 Rockford Rod & Spur (Sh/Cab)
This is seriously good juice for the price. I just got my order and I am going to get some more after trying it.

I agree. Probably the best Rod and Spur I've had. Drinking very well already and should get better over the next 5 - 7 years. I normally only buy Rod and Spur to fill out a dozen but I will also be getting some more this time around. Nice to know someone else thinks as highly of it as I do. I'm really looking forward to the '12 Moppa Springs coming out too.

Good to hear. Our order just arrived so you two have made me keen on trying it. I was originally only going to get one as we've been loving the Rifle Range so it sounds like I might have made the right call in getting another one. We're hanging out for the new Moppa too (any idea when it's released?) so we'll see how the others go as I'll need more to make the case.

[rens]

Hollandia Lager (4.7%) Great for a humid Brisbane day. Medium-bodied with a light to medium hop impression. The palate is clean and crisp with a subtle malty character. A nice drink whilst waiting for the temperature to drop to a level congruent with a lighter bodied red.

[tj2]

2012 Talijancich Verdelho - Opened on Sunday night and the impression was a little short and sweet...tonight the remainder of the bottle is much more interesting and enjoyable; less primary tropical fruit and more texture, palate weight and length, some mintiness and sourdough in the aftertaste.

[Mike Hawkins]

Krug MV - entered the ID in their website to be told it is a blend of over 140 wines from 1990 - 2006... To be honest, while it was still young, it was a tad underwhelming. In its defence, my preference is for the reductive styles, including those that have gone through malo.

[swirler]

Mike. Wouldn't the youngest wine be the base? Probably not as I just had a (recent release AFAIK) 2002 predominant NV (come on mike, 'MV' is just marketing!) Superb Krug. Super Champagne full stop IMO. Each to their own....


Which ones would you describe as reductive?

[Hunter]

2009 Giaconda Roussanne Aeolia
Some petrol stone fruit aromas.
sweet melon and cashew, great length.
Very pleased

[Mike Hawkins]

Mike. Wouldn't the youngest wine be the base? Probably not as I just had a (recent release AFAIK) 2002 predominant NV (come on mike, 'MV' is just marketing!) Superb Krug. Super Champagne full stop IMO. Each to their own....

Which ones would you describe as reductive?

The 06 would indeed be the base. I had another bottle last night, which was a similar blend. Really good wine. Had it alongside the 2003 which is growing on me (I wasn't initially a fan of it or the 2000).

[Mike Hawkins]

2005 Dom Perignon - first time with this Champagne - a wine I expected to whinge about..... First whiff and taste elicited a 'wow'... The pinot is really noticeable in this blend (60/40 as distinct from the usual 50/50) - so noticeable I would have thought it was nearly 80% of the blend. Really open, hedonistic and approachable for a young DP. There is less than 20% of usual DP production in this vintage given the conditions back in 2005. The 2006 (another ripe-ish vintage) will be out in Feb/March next year.

.... After the 2nd glass my reaction was 'trophy wife wine'... it might put a smile on your face for 10 years but thereafter you'll wish you'd gone for something more cerebral. An interesting, but not a great, DP.

[winetastic]

2005 Dom Perignon - first time with this Champagne - a wine I expected to whinge about..... First whiff and taste elicited a 'wow'... The pinot is really noticeable in this blend (60/40 as distinct from the usual 50/50) - so noticeable I would have thought it was nearly 80% of the blend. Really open, hedonistic and approachable for a young DP. There is less than 20% of usual DP production in this vintage given the conditions back in 2005. The 2006 (another ripe-ish vintage) will be out in Feb/March next year.

.... After the 2nd glass my reaction was 'trophy wife wine'... it might put a smile on your face for 10 years but thereafter you'll wish you'd gone for something more cerebral. An interesting, but not a great, DP.

Thanks for this note.

I am a bit of a Champagne novice, however I found the 2004 Dom completely changed my mind about what Champagne can be. Have you had the 2004 and if so, how would you compare it with 2005? Just attempting to place my own limited experiences on a bit of a spectrum...

[swirler]

Mike. Wouldn't the youngest wine be the base? Probably not as I just had a (recent release AFAIK) 2002 predominant NV (come on mike, 'MV' is just marketing!) Superb Krug. Super Champagne full stop IMO. Each to their own....

Which ones would you describe as reductive?

The 06 would indeed be the base. I had another bottle last night, which was a similar blend. Really good wine. Had it alongside the 2003 which is growing on me (I wasn't initially a fan of it or the 2000).

2003 vintage? Much prefer (2002 base) NV. No surprise there, I guess.

[Polymer]

2011 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru "Cherbaudes"
This is so green, I suspect it was made by martians. Gosh, I dislike the 2011 vintage in Burgundy. However, it should be noted that I am extremely sensitive to "green" in wines. Others might tolerate this much better than I. NR.

Are you finding 11s to be like the 04s? Some people have found some similarities but not as green and not in as many wines...

04s I thought were oddly green..not a normal green but oddly green...although our group had an 04 Vogue Musigny and I didn't think that was green...but others were picking up on it...Not sure if it was because Musignys tend to be ripe (the few I've actually had the chance to try) or if some of the 04s are coming around to where they're less bothersome to me (in which case I probably need to explore getting some since they're so cheap...).

[Hacker]

If you're talking Fourrier I have tried a few of his 2004's - Moines and CSJ, and they were certainly not green in any way. Clean fruit forward just as he is in most vintages. He has a theory why so many Burgundy producers had trouble that year and it had to do with a post harvest odium (spelling?) that was over treated/sprayed with sulphides. If interested it was in an interview with Levi Dalton a few years back.

[felixp]

very wide-spread cocccinella taint in both the 2004 and 2011 vintages.... i.e. Pyrazine taint