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

[Rory]

A coupla wines I had t a group meeting a while back:

1996 JJ Prum Sonnenuhr Auslese Colour was yellowish, could have been the cork, as I was expecting a more pristine colour. The palate looked great, not indicative of the age. Some good acid still there, sweet and long. Lovely.

1978 Guigal Cote Rotie. What a Jekel and Hyde!! Opened at first with Bouillon stock aromas and uninteresting old flavours, and that was after the corked crumbled into the wine. Tough to open! So 4 hours out, I had to filter and decant. Not confident.
The result just got better. Yes, evidently and old wine, but some sweet fruit and interesting complexity loaded up. That it took that long to open up was amazing. An education into old Rhone from an exceptional vintage.

[Ian S]

Cheers Ian.

Thoughts on a drinking window for the above?

(1996 Jack Mann)
I'd say from now until you fancy drinking it. i.e. plenty of pleasure now, but no likelihood of it fading in the next 5+ years. Maybe even some upside still to come. That said, the result is always cork dependent.

[wiggum]

St Henri Shiraz 2004Had this last night. Very disappointed. Tree bark stripped it clean to a smidgen of its previous class. Lifeless and lacking any x factor. Why did they persist with cork even as far back as 2008 when this was released???? Grrrrrr

[Hacker]

At the Rockford Black Magnum dinner last night, 2015 disgorgement Black Shiraz was sweet and flavoursome but a bit simple at the moment. Will probably blossom with a few years bottle age.
2006 Rifle Range Cab Sav was in a very nice place. Dark fruits combining with secondary development, medium to full bodied and wonderful length. It was my favourite wine of the night, beating the 2008 Basket Press, although not by much. This BP, so I am told, is an earlier maturing vintage and my generous tastings indicated this might be correct. Still smooth and rich, but not as exciting as I was hoping for.
My wife, who has a better palate than me, preferred the 2013 Semillon on the night.

And I know you are all waiting for us to confirm our winning status for the golf. Alas, we need to wait another year for that. Ian Tickle won the long drive though, with an impressive 290 metre blast!

[Mike Hawkins]

A coupla wines I had t a group meeting a while back:

1996 JJ Prum Sonnenuhr Auslese Colour was yellowish, could have been the cork, as I was expecting a more pristine colour. The palate looked great, not indicative of the age. Some good acid still there, sweet and long. Lovely.

1978 Guigal Cote Rotie. What a Jekel and Hyde!! Opened at first with Bouillon stock aromas and uninteresting old flavours, and that was after the corked crumbled into the wine. Tough to open! So 4 hours out, I had to filter and decant. Not confident.
The result just got better. Yes, evidently and old wine, but some sweet fruit and interesting complexity loaded up. That it took that long to open up was amazing. An education into old Rhone from an exceptional vintage.

Some of those 78s from the Rhone have been superb.... Glad you got a good one

[rens]

A few for my birthday about 2 weeks ago:
1983 Miguel Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Coronas Reserva Mas La Plana x2-Both bottles soaked to the top of the cork with both coming out in about 1000 bits. The first was a little past its best but the second was right on song. Plum, red currants, anise, roasted meats, pepper and subtle charred oak. A great little wine that was gone too quickly.
2006 Teusner Shiraz Astral Series FG Riebke- A big wine with typical Barossan fruit and a nice long finish. Nice wine this one
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904- Now this is a modern revision of an old classic. Cherry, vanilla, dill and earthy notes with leather, tobacco, raspberry all in harmony. Still has a lot of time to get to where it's going. Looking forward to this in 7-10years time.
1990 Penfolds Bin 90A- Decanted for 2 hours before service, but still as tight as a drum. You knew there was greatness in there but you had to wait for it to get out. We drank is slowly over about 4-5 hours and was still on the up after the last glass was gone. An incredible wine that will stand the test of time. Is it ready? Yes, but if you waited another 20 years it will still blow you away with its power and finess. Wow, just wow!

[Mike Hawkins]

1996 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet - this was disappointing. A tad syrupy and lacked complexity. Other bottles have been better.

1996 St Hallett Old Block Shiraz - pretty good. Nice balance and very typical of Barossan shiraz before they started to amp up for the American market. No rush to drink up.

1996 Orlando St Hugo - another wine that was a tad disappointing. There was nothing wrong with it - just simple.

1989 Pichon Baron - this was in great nick. I can't imagine it will get better. Lots of tobacco, violets and cedar with fantastic length.

1995 Dom Perignon - this is excellent drinking right now, whereas the 95 Oeno can come across as a youngish at times. Will live 10+ years however.

2008 Pierre Peters l'Esprit - yes, this is very young and yes, it is going to be excellent. Lots of minerality with a floral nose. Based on this tasting, I'm really looking forward to trying the just released 2008 Chetillons.

1996 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon - a poor bottle. I normally like this.

1998 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon - this is another wonderful Hunter Sem by this world class producer. Right near its peak for my palate.

2001 Leeuwin Estate AS Chardonnay - beautifully balanced chardy. Lovely interplay between fruit, oak and acid. Perfect companion for King George Whiting.

1996 Peter Lehman 8 Songs - acceptable wine, just boring.

2009 Frank Bonville BdB - this is ok, but looks pedestrian next to the 2008. I know I keep using references to 'simple', but it seems apt.

2002 Kalleske Shiraz - the more of this vintage I drink, the more I'm convinced this is the best wine Troy's made. Fantastic juice if you like this style.

1986 Wynns John Riddoch - absolutely gorgeous wine at the peak of its power. What Coonawarra cabernet used to be and I hope, will one day become again. As good as this one was, the last 2 from the same case weren't as good. Went a treat with roast lamb.

2004 Ornellaia - perhaps my favourite super-Tuscan. This will be really good in time - I opened it too young.

2000 Pape Clement - has the makings of a special wine also. Just a little too tannic and closed at the moment.

2002 Chartogne-Taillet Fiacre - this is a lopvely champagne, albeit in a richer style than those I normally drink. Should drink really well with seafood.

1990 Penfolds St Henri - no nose whatsoever for an hour, so I feared this would be dead. Blossomed 3 hours later into a truly fragrant wine. Balanced, elegant, superb length and a joy to drink. Will live another decade.

2003 Pontet Canet - a bit new worldish, which is unsurprising given the vintage conditions. I loved it, but others (who don't really drink Bordeaux) weren't as fond. Lots of graphite and cedar notes and not as tannic as more typical Bordeaux.

2003 Ducru Beaucaillou - this was a bad bottle, so hard to say how it is travelling.

[mjs]

1986 Wynns John Riddoch - absolutely gorgeous wine at the peak of its power. What Coonawarra cabernet used to be and I hope, will one day become again.

That's a little bit of a gratuitous comment
I don't think anyone has been able to taste any later vintages from Coonawarra at 30 years of age yet. I hope i will certainly get to do so with later Wynns, some Balnaves The Tally, Katnook Odyssey and a number of other labels. Plenty of good vintages between then and now, but 2010 and 2012 are standouts in recent years (as one would expect)
Just out of interest I had the '86 Black Label about six weeks ago, it was a superb example!
Perhaps this Friday's off-line will be illuminating

[rooman]

St Henri Shiraz 2004Had this last night. Very disappointed. Tree bark stripped it clean to a smidgen of its previous class. Lifeless and lacking any x factor. Why did they persist with cork even as far back as 2008 when this was released???? Grrrrrr

Grrrr

I was wondering if this might have shut down at this stage. I've got a bit tucked away of the 04 but wasn't intending to open my first bottle for at least another 5 years min.

Mark

[Rossco]

This was quite a big tasting and there were 6 of us on this occassion. The consensus was pretty much the same across the board.


2015 Sidewood Sav Blanc - Adelaide hills

Im going to qualify the below with the fact i dont generally enjoy sav b, and very rarely buy it.

This was the best sav blanc I have had this year. KILLS a lot of the bigger names (shaw & smith ect) was just a really easy to drink wine and enjoyable. I had ZERO hopes for this before I opened it, but was blown away. Doesnt have any of the tropical fruits or sweetness of a marlborough sav b, in fact seem more like a sem. Cut grass, hay and green papaya. 94pts (very big score from me)

Chartley Pinot Gris - Tasmania

The wine looks elegant, with a very pale salmon pink hue. Had ti have been left on the grape skins for colour. But the colour is the only good thing about this wine. Was slightly carbonated (bubbly) and had no flavour or texture. Acid was overpowering to the point it nearly wasnt drinkable - No from everyone - 70pts. Could have been faulty?

Narkoojee Chardonnay - Gippsland

This has a really nice nose, but of barrel funk and creaminess. Nice fruit of nectaries and white peach on the front palate, but when the acid kicked in it actually numbed the mouth. Wierd feeling....kind of like the numbing you get from eating a spicy chinese dish...but without the heat. Never had a wine do that and at first I thought it was an allergic reaction I was having, but then another person in the group had the same sensation. It ruined my pallate for 10 minutes. We all laughed and poured the rest down the sink. Will appeal to old smokers who's taste buds are ruined. NO - 85pts.

2015 Woodlands - Chardonnay - Margaret River

YES! Opened really nicely and a real modern chardonnay. Lots of perfectly judged fruit and a little oak and creaminess. A tiny bit too much acid right now, but that will die down in a few months as this is a new vintage/bottling. We tried this back to back with the 2015 Vasse filius and it KILLED IT. Everyone said this was a much better drink than the Vasse..... BIG YES - 93pts

which comes to my next point:

2015 Vasse felix filius Chardonnay something bad is happening down there at the moment. I recently tried the 2013 cabernet and was completely dissapointed as well. (The 2012 was spectacular).

This vasse may have been just too young and suffering from bottleshock / new bottle syndrome, but one taste and the rest was spat out. Under ripe, green fruit, i think young vines, very lean and highly acidic. Maybe all the good fruit went into the estate and heytesbury chard. 85pts


2009 Granite HIlls Shiraz We tasted this one or two years ago and didnt like it. Age hasnt changed my mind. Didnt excite any of us. NO - 90pts..... Love the riesling!

Turners Crossing Shiraz - Bendigo NO
Had a cow pat/barnyard smell to it. Some good underlying fruit in there, but over powered by that farm funk. 85pts

]2014 Bowen Shiraz - Coonawarra

Straight up.... this is NO where near as good as the 2013. Out of the bottle its ok, has some real jucieness and earth, but really lacks the power and intensity of the 2013. One of the tasters was the most disappointed as he LOVED the 2013 and didnt love this. Doesnt live upto the usual standard of a good Bowen. Again, maybe suffering from new bottle syndrome and just needs time to fill out. 89pts

2012 Small Gully Pilgram Shiraz - Barossa Valley
Jebus this was GOOD. Love the packaging, love the label and love the bottle. The wine inside was just stunning. Once it opened up after 5 minutes in the glass, this had all the hallmarks of a truely amazing wine. Fruit, oak, acid were all were spot on! This KILLED the bowen..... like....killed it. Was one tasters wine of the session. MASSIVE YES - 95pts

2012 Gomersal Reserve Shiraz
Gee this was a good wine too. Was going to be a big ask to be as good as the Pilgram, and it was upto the task. This has a very long life ahead of it. Takes a little while to open up, but does pour straight into the glass pretty well. Although I have to admit not as well (straight out of the bottle) as the Standard Gomersal, but this will live forever. Great Value for money this wine!

This is a better wine than the standard gomersal, has more fruit, oak and acid, but does take longer to open up. It will go well with steak...but maybe not as well by itself 93+ pts.


2013 Woodlands 'Margaret' - Cab Blend
Wow.....wow wow wow. This was stunning. Worth double the price no problems....BUT needs time and NEEDS to be decanted. It took over 3 hrs to really open up and show its true pedigree....but when it did... gebus!
Silky, soft and elegant. Had really bright red fruits with a really well balanced amount of oak and acid. Perfect with an eye fillet......This will be quite possibly be a 99pts in 15 years its got that much potential (yes im calling it)

2012 Turners Crossing Cab Sav - Bendigo
Quite a revelation to the dissapointing shiraz.
This needs a lot of time. In 10+ years it will be a stunning wine, but right now its all legs and arms waving about uncontrollably. Unfortunatley I dont have the patience (or need more wine in my cellar) to buy and store it till it all comes together....but when it does........ watch out as it will be spectacular. 90pts

[WAwineguy]

Broke open a few wooden boxes of recent Bordeaux and am trying them out.

2011 Chateau Angelus

Beautiful wine, should be very smooth in another 10 years or so, though the tannins wrap around your tongue at this age. Amazingly dark red!!!

[winz]

St Henri Shiraz 2004Had this last night. Very disappointed. Tree bark stripped it clean to a smidgen of its previous class. Lifeless and lacking any x factor. Why did they persist with cork even as far back as 2008 when this was released???? Grrrrrr

Grrrr

I was wondering if this might have shut down at this stage. I've got a bit tucked away of the 04 but wasn't intending to open my first bottle for at least another 5 years min.

Mark

I had this in September last year, and remember thinking along a similar vein re it being closed down. Fast forward to 48 hours later, and it was a completely different wine: wonderfully expressive nose and a pleasure to drink whilst watching the sun set from the porch!

[JamieBahrain]

Last summer sales there was an abundance of St Joseph at great prices. I'm just running through them now. I loaded up of St Joseph white which smashes white burgundy in a similar price range. What I prefer is the interest, purity and wine making attention.

Gaillard's St Joseph is the new house red and white and I'm delighted. The Clos de Cuminaille rouge shows a wider general quality increase in St Joesph AOC. Seen previously dismissively as an appellation to drink soon whilst awaiting Hermitage and Cote Rotie maturation, reds in this caliber deliver a stand-alone interest and high drinking quality. White peeper and spice, elegant red fruits in a modern full and svelte texture in a length that gives great balance and drinkability. 92pts

The St Joseph blanc is 100% roussanne with a little barrel work. Lovely aromatics with pear like fruit and florals, great volume and gratification on the palate where it sits round and plump, prior an appropriate drop off toward the finish. 90pts

[mychurch]

2001 d´Yquem last night.

Great sweet wine makes the brain go giddy. It brings a cheeky grin to the face. It makes you want more. None of these traits apply to this wine. This was bottle Nr 2, opened for my 50th birthday. The 1st was drunk at my 40th and I remember the layered texture, the weightlessness and the balance. I wrote then 'drink up this year' and I think I was correct. This is perfectly correct, is very rounded and is a lovely Sauterne. It's also dull and misses personality. I drank this with 3 gnovices, who like wine with a sweetness, but none of them had that 'wow' moment. Still young though and I'm sure this will evolve. 10 years to go for bottle Nr 3....

[Mike Hawkins]

2001 d´Yquem last night.

Great sweet wine makes the brain go giddy. It brings a cheeky grin to the face. It makes you want more. None of these traits apply to this wine. This was bottle Nr 2, opened for my 50th birthday. The 1st was drunk at my 40th and I remember the layered texture, the weightlessness and the balance. I wrote then 'drink up this year' and I think I was correct. This is perfectly correct, is very rounded and is a lovely Sauterne. It's also dull and misses personality. I drank this with 3 gnovices, who like wine with a sweetness, but none of them had that 'wow' moment. Still young though and I'm sure this will evolve. 10 years to go for bottle Nr 3....

I really think this is a superb wine, albeit young. Shame yours wasnt a similar experience

[JamieBahrain]

Not sure where I go this from but Wow ! - 1996 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru "Les St. Georges" was pulled from the wine fridge as a late night-cap. Stunning!

Been working my way through Rhone Roussane and Marsanne from St Joseph and St Peray. Just lovely wines, some blends of the two, some stand-alone. At least double the quality of equivalent priced white burgundy.

[rooman]

After last night .... Water!

[pc79]

Torbreck dinner @ Centennial Hotel last night. Justin North cooking, great food!

Wines:

2014 Steading Blanc - Bordeaux white blend. Nice notes of apricot and nectarine, light grassy notes, some excellent minerality. Sweet, not cloying, good acid balance 91
2014 Struie - gooseberry, black fruits, slight zing of spicy oak. Somewhat herbal and a nice carry of aniseed and dark fruit fragrance. Pretty good 91+
2004 Struie - dark and brooding, black fruits, Dark chocolate and sultana'y, nice balance but big. thinking 15+% alcohol. 90
2013 Descendent - spicy oak, nice lifted fruit, purple, plums, for me balance a bit out of whack, smidge of acid, furry tannin 90
2004 Descendent - dark cherry, and plum, brandied Christmas cake, earth and a lovely balance, beautiful tannin complementing the beauty of the wine. 94 excellent
2012 Factor - nose of blueberry, blackcurrant, dark choc, dried herbs and general great shirazness, 95 WOTN easy
2004 Factor - dark plums, oaky, tar, still a smidge of acid poking through, touch of meatiness, lovely tannin, but excellent fruit and great balance. 91
2003 Run Rig - dark plum, a slight grassiness, dark choc, hint of mint and thyme, Cocoa again decent 92

[Phil H]

2012 Thousand Candles No I did not pay the RRP of $100 for this wine, picked it up in a mixed pack from a discount on line retailer - worked out at around $40. Decided to see what it was about for myself - a blend of Pinot, Shiraz & Sav Blanc.
Upon opening - clean garnet red in color, however this was the highlight. Upon tasting - Pinot with a slight twinge of something (knowing there was SB in the mix - this was the source). I could not detect any Shiraz component, light bodied. The Pinot was nice enough - not being too sweet, with a touch of red berries and earthiness. Despite the unusual mix, I did not find it very complex, and the wine did not develop much after being opened for 2 hours. I can not see this wine getting better with time.
At present I can buy this wine for around $35, however will be saving my money for other straight pinot's.

[mse]

Tyrell's Vat 9 Hunter Valley Shiraz 96'

Colour - Ruby, tinge of light red on the rim.

Nose - Dried leafs (reminds me of Autumn), Barn straws, Redcurrant

Palate - Sour Cherry, medium length for the dark chocolate aftertaste

Certainly not a blockbuster, but that's what Hunter Shiraz is all about - medium weight, off sweet, bit of complexity, and tamed (as opposed to some of the typical feral SA Shiraz).

[pc79]

Friday night cabernet tasting.
The quality for the most part across the board was extremely high. All notes made blind, no label bias.

2003 Petaluma Cabernet - milk choc, blackberry, tobacco leaf, stemmy, slightly confected, a bit worked 89
2008 Moondah brook - Acid, spicy oak, dark choc, blackcurrant, raspberry, nice 91
2007 Cape Mentelle - beautiful! Choc, eucalyptus, cigar box cassis, everything I want in a wa cab. dry and savoury finish, nice long lingering tannin 94
2005 Cullen Diana Madeleine - vanilla, choc, thick but dry, leaf, blackcurrant, dusty chalky tannin. Good 90
2013 Coleraine - beautiful nose of crushed red flowers, cherry and blackberry, charcoal and cola, violets, alluring, light on the palate, ethereal 95
1999 Jack Mann - yeah! Dark cherry And cassis, gentle tobacco, a lick of meatiness, and beautiful balance Aniseed great nice line of tannin finishes long! 94
2007 Rockford Rifle Range - Beef stock, vanilla, cedarbox, fruit blackberry, some funkiness and slight burnt sweetness which is alluring. 92
1994 Lakes Folly - funky chook shit, earth, bit of bandaid funk, elegant, leather, sweet soft blackberry, aniseed and camphor box, tannin, lovely 90
1994 Orlando St Hugo - browning, bay leaf, and saltiness, beef, savoury spent hog familiar, but can't put my finger on it. 91
2007 Voyager Estate - delicious, cigar box, sweet dark blackberry, capsicum tomato leaf, mushrooms funk, lovely tannin, tastes younger than it is, good 92
2009 Katnook Estate - Cigar, a little green, tomato leaf, tobacco, nice nose, olive tapenade, balance, tannic monster, 90
2007 Noon Reserve - Wowee big clunky thing on the nose. Menthol, minty, hospital, tobacco, leaf bay leaf, heavy out of balance alcohol and then smack you in the face with tannin 85
2005 Wendouree Cab Malbec - soapy laundry detergent, horse poop, gentle tannin taking over in the mouth. No 87
2004 Katnook Estate - soft, slight camel, cassis, tomato leaf, eucalypt, tannin still strong. Quintessential Cabernet. Solid 90
2006 brands Laira patron - good, nice strong blackberry, tomato stems, acid pokey, nice tannin but clunky, still a bit strong outta whack 90
2002 Jim BARRY Ben borne -plummy, dark vanilla oak, big thing, Choco, ,smooth tannin teriyaki, sugar light tannin, pretty good 91
2001 voyager - flows across the tongue, nice fruit, great balance, eucalypt, great blackberry, nice tannin 92
2005 Voyager Estate Tea leaf, cassis, lavender fresh, nice 91
2009 Sandalford reserve - excellent, nice tannin structure, some meatiness, gum leaf, tobacco excellent 91

Noteworthy that across the board, WA outshone SA quite easily. Of all the WA wines, the Moondah, and the Sandalford were probably the weakest (however still very good drinking). On my scale, SA avg 89.4 while WA avg 91.75 (I am a bit of a miser).

[phillisc]

1993 Mt Langi Shiraz.
left this one too long, and that's sometime what happens...a nice drink but fruit nearly all gone. Drink up now!
Cheers
Craig

[WAwineguy]

2001 d´Yquem last night.
I drank this with 3 novices, who like wine with a sweetness,

Drinking d'Yquem with novices is a crime

[phillisc]

1999 Wynns Riesling...wow, still strikingly yellow with a really lovely nose of honeyed fruits. No hint of kero with sweetness and just a twinge of acidity on the palate.
For $3 on release a stunning surprise...JH was right IIRC he stated somewhere that these rieslings have the capacity to age quite nicely.

Cheers
Craig

[JamieBahrain]

The wonderful world of wine. Some interesting Portugese dry wines over dinner and a 2005 Chateau Hait-Batailly to complete

[Chuck]

Friday night wines here are usually simple well made wines (read cheap and volume vs quality) and based on tastings a few years ago the Mike Press 2009 Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon was expected to be one. However we were pleasantly surprised at how well it has developed. Good cassis and more black fruits evident now. Had to question whether it was the same wine it was so much better. Still has a few years left in it and we are looking forward to see if it develops further. Still about 9 left in the cellar. A pleasant surprise indeed.

Carl

[Luke W]

Sitting on the Yangtze drinking a Chinese Great Wall Reserve cabernet - gotta say it's about the worst muck I've ever drunk. No body, no nuance,no complexity - think most Australian casks would be better tipples - should have stocked up on the 2013 389's for $100 a bottle I saw the other day in Guilin.

[rens]

should have stocked up on the 2013 389's for $100 a bottle I saw the other day in Guilin.

So pretty close to RRP here in Aus.

[maybs]

2014 Fighting Gully Road Chardonnay.

Sunday night is more often than not Chardonnay night for me. Great way to end a weekend and this is no different. Pale gold colour. A little muted at first but some movement in the glass gets it going. Struck match, melon, white peach, chalk and a just a tiny hint of furniture wax on the nose. The palate is white peach, crisp green apple, fine powdery chalk and minerality. Texture is nice, soft but with enough fine grip to make it interesting. Length is medium and if I had any criticism it would be that I would love to see more drive and acid. It is a little round and creamy despite, I understand, no malolactic fermentation. Anyhow, another nice chardy from Beechworth, though not up to the standard of the 2013 FC Bicknell I tried recently.

[JamieBahrain]

Ex-Chateau bottle though you wouldn't think it with the sodden cork ! Anyways, a modest Cote Rotie showing very well, just tipping toward the tertiary spectrum there's undeniably Cote Rotie typicity with florals and apricots, roasted meats, dark violet/licorice in a rounded palate showing leather/earthy truffle development.