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

[Sean]

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[Phil H]

2003 Saltram Mamre Brook Cab Sav Being from a lesser vintage,info from CT maybe I have been sitting on this too long, as well as not a fan of Barossa Cabs - what a pleasant surprise. Cedary oak, dark fruits with lingering tannins in the background perfect accompaniment to my lamb shanks on Sydney's first taste of winter. Drink up, it's not going to get any better.

[Ian S]

FWIW I used to see Starforum as slightly more open to European wines than this forum was. That said, there is definitely much more interest in them here these days.

[Chuck]

Last night we enjoyed a Jamieson's Run 2002 O'Dea Block Coonawarra Cabernet. Wonderful fruit (blueberry, blackberry, cassis) mixed with well integrated quality french oak (new and 1 year old) this wine is at it's peak and one of the best of the limited series of wines under this label made during the 1999-2003 era. Drink now to 5 years. Went well with osso buco and creamy mash. Yum.

Carl

[Chris H]

Jamie said :

I don't know. I just don't get it. Perhaps I should ask the question are there any Clare Valley red wines liked by the fanatical detractors of Wendouree ?

Interesting question Jamie. Personally I think Clare is too warm for quality Cabernet. Hence I sold the rest of my mid-nineties Wendouree Cab-Malbecs in the past MW auction (buyers would have got a bargain though if they like that style as they have been coolly cellared since their release and delivery from Birks many years ago). Shiraz is their best wine I think by a margin.

I used to be on their list but found the wines relatively uninteresting more often than not so stopped buying. Each to their own. Quite a few label drinkers in China though - hence the passion for label counterfeiting, former love of Lafite, current love of any big name in Burgundy and investing in Bordeaux Chateaux.

[Michael McNally]

I don't know. I just don't get it. Perhaps I should ask the question are there any Clare Valley red wines liked by the fanatical detractors of Wendouree ?

I haven't had enough Wendouree to comment on the quality of the wines generally, but I don't think being a detractor automatically makes you fanatical. Unless you don't love the good ol' US of A of course.

I used to love Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz before it was Treasuried (and maybe my palate changed). I don't mind the Jaraman wines when I am not looking for a wine to think about and Paulett's always had an interesting Cab/Merlot. I have had some good Aberfeldys. Not sure this is relevant as I don't hate Wendouree.

Cheers

Michael

[rooman]

Jamie said :

I don't know. I just don't get it. Perhaps I should ask the question are there any Clare Valley red wines liked by the fanatical detractors of Wendouree ?

Interesting question Jamie. Personally I think Clare is too warm for quality Cabernet. Hence I sold the rest of my mid-nineties Wendouree Cab-Malbecs in the past MW auction (buyers would have got a bargain though if they like that style as they have been coolly cellared since their release and delivery from Birks many years ago). Shiraz is their best wine I think by a margin.

I used to be on their list but found the wines relatively uninteresting more often than not so stopped buying. Each to their own. Quite a few label drinkers in China though - hence the passion for label counterfeiting, former love of Lafite, current love of any big name in Burgundy and investing in Bordeaux Chateaux.

I think the only SA cab sav wine I can recall collecting and enjoying with some age was Grosset's Gaia. I purchased both the 99 and 01 off a colleague that had excess stock. Over time they did the classic Cab Sav ugly duckling trick on me. I started drinking them too early, was disappointed with them around 7 years of age only to find out around 12 years they had emerged as a refined almost feminine like wine with red berry bouquets and a full mid palate - very Margauxish.

[rooman]

FWIW I used to see Starforum as slightly more open to European wines than this forum was. That said, there is definitely much more interest in them here these days.

Ian fair call.

It was actually one of the aspects of the Auswine forum that initially attracted me, namely an ongoing and active interest in Australian wines. At the end, the Winestar forum devolved into principally a discussion forum around expensive European wines. Personally I have never seen any point in complaining about how expensive certain wines are. It is reality of the topic: virtually everyone eventually has a dropping off point at which the wines under discussion become too expensive. Sadly however I found I had got priced out of the discussion and lost interest in participating in the board.

Auswine on the other hand has retained a better balance. There is as much discussion around entry point wines as there is around expensive Barolos and Burgundies. To my way of thinking that is the sign of a healthy forum. I enjoy reading other forumites experiences with wines that are often out of my price range but it needs to be balanced with an active discussion around less expensive wines.

Mark

[JamieBahrain]

Wendouree cabernet has presented well at 20 years + at events we've held in Hong Kong. Makes sense with some autumnal tertiary development working better with mint/camphor/eucalyptus than primary cabernet fruit edged with menthol. The cabernet at this age had a Northern Italian feel with lovely truffle and earth notes and still firm tannins; which many Aussie drinkers would consider unbalanced but as a old Barolo drinker, tannins are unbalanced if drying and for my palate not out of kilter if still firm and carrying good fruit toward the finish.

I must be getting Wendouree Riservas or something. We have a two day ( booking out the restaurant for two days ) Wendouree shiraz vertical, over 30 vintages, with Linden Wilkie who runs the Fine Wine experience. Linden a big fan and he get's to drink the greatest wines. But I think the broader the drinker, there's a spark in something different, something that gives a vinous buzz. And that's what seems to happen up this way with Wendouree. I don't think it's that HKG drinkers are label drinkers, I'd suggest HKG is one of the most evolved wine drinking cultures in a cliched fusion.

[Sean]

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[Rossco]

10 of us got together and taste a few bottles....well a bit more than a few. Lots of left over wine we all took home afterwards.
Apologies for the rough/short notes, people were onto the next wine before I even finished writing the notes of the one before.

5 Standouts I will make an absolute effort to hunt out. In order of Tasting, not rating.

All were popped and poured. No decanting.

Ashbrook Semillon 2015 -
Light & Very dry.....bone dry actually. Easy to drink with some grass in there but not a lot going on at the moment. Needs time to develop. Drinkable but not memorable. Needs more body & I wonder what a little oak would have done.... probably have me shot!

Xanadu Sem Sav Blanc 2014 -
Lovely Fruity nose promised much. Cut grass and tropical fruit without being overdone. Unfortunately the palate didnt live up to what the nose promised.
Dull lifeless and uninspiring. Yes it was easy to drink, but ultimately the Forester Estate SSB kills this.

Torzi Mattews Frost Dodger Riesling 2015-
I am a big fan of Dom's wines and was really looking forward to this. Lovely Eden valley nose of Lychees and minerals. Some white flowers in there and some wet stone. Again it was a very dry wine, the acidity playing its supporting (not overpowering) role.... needs food. Not really impressed though and I was disappointing. Better Rieslings out there for the same money.

0 from 3 so far and it wasnt looking good!

Xanadu DJL Chardonnay 2015 -
Small amount of Oak with some pure clean Stone Fruit. White peaches and grapefruit for acidity. Great length. Finally we may be turning a corner.
There are better MR Chardy's out there for sure, however this was quite nice & unoffensive. Modern chardonnay that was fruit driven.

Ashbrook Chardonnay 2013 -
WOW.... from the first whiff this was all class. Massive complex wine with everything going on. Long length, mouthfeel was silky
and oh that lenght.... went on and on and on. Stock up on this

Castelli Estate Chardonnay 2014 -
Was going to be a hard act to follow the Ashbrook, but man this punched well above its weight. Flinty & smoky on the nose with some
(what smelt like) new oak. Loved this wine as it was old world.... it had funk & style. Peaches & cream but without being buttery or oily
as the acidity carried it through. Didnt have the length of the Ashbrook, and it was a different style, so it simply came down to preference.
For me the Ashbrook pipped it due to the length

Xanadu Estate Chardonnay 2014-
Didnt have the nose of the Castelli or the length of the Ashbrook.....and was more expensive than both. Another disappointing
example from Xanadu when compared back to back with its peers. Still beats the Vasse Filius 2015 Chardonnay though....WOW that was bad.

Jules Mediterranean Rose 2014 -
Meh. Pale Salmon pink. Bone dry....and i mean BONE DRY. Like a desert. Not much happening as it was dull and flat.

Fat Sparrow Heathcote Shiraz 2014 -
Oh the burn..... ouchies. Burn, heat and more burn. Ultra Acid that overpowers everything...including the fruit. NO

Rockbare Tideway McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010 -
Jesus this is a BIG wine. Everything slaps you in the face. The Big black fruit...the Big Coffee & Choc hit...the big oak. Quite a polarising wine
to be honest as its not delicate or subtle in any way. Food only wine, long length and actually a really good mouthfeel that has texture. Some people will absolutely love it.
I like it as it reminds me of a late 90's barossa shiraz but not porty or over ripe. Yes alcohol is 15% or something similar

Ashbrook Cab Merlot 2012 -
Dull nose that was really closed. Highly Acidic that left me to think it had another 10 years before it should be looked at.
There is quality in there, but it fell away really quickly (closed back up) - Shame as I really wanted to like this.

Fermoy Estate Cab Merlot 2012 -
Beautiful MR Cab nose. Smelt like majory component was cab with just a dash of merlot. 10-15%?
Medium body, which surprises me a little. Great length, really pretty nose. Dry, nice fruit and great price.
Good VFM every day quaffer.

Radis Estate Coonawarra Merlot 2013 -
Man the tannins sucked your mouth closed! Never experienced this level before. Dead & lifeless fruit. VERY dry and ruined by mouth for 10 minutes.
Water please i need to get those tannins out!


Schwartz Wine Co Meta Grenache 2014-
Really cloudy and blurry. Reading the bottle its not fined or filtered at all. Yep I can see that.
Stalky characters which made me think whole bunches in there. Rhubarb adds a sour note
to the wine, cherries and brown dirt. Nice fruit but on the dry side and probably a little thin....just Needs time to fill out.

Schwartz Wine Co Thiele Rd Single Vineyard Grenache 2014-
Great funk on the nose. Really grippy and good lenght. Much clearer and brighter than the Meta. Very fruit
driven, not sure how much oak is in there. Something else as well....spice... aniseed? Better than the Meta
but much more expensive too. Probably better Grenache for the price out there.

Schwartz Wine Co GSM 2014-
Holy fvk.......... go and find this... Stunning. Kills the other two before it. Really pretty floral nose. Explodes in the mouth, goes all the
way through your sinuses and into the back of your throat. Liquorice, bright red juicy fruits with some silky cream at the end that rounds the whole wine off. Massive yes and VFM cannot be beat.

Torzi Matthews Schist Rock Shiraz 2014-
Screams cool climate and Eden Valley. Label says Barossa but not any barossa I have had. Mt McKenzie...must be right on the border.
Soft, long length. eucalypt and white pepper. Blue/Black fruit and lovely old oak. Amazing value and a big buy/yes. Dom back in form and
loving life with this wine.

Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger 2013-
Massive it of Italian Herbs. Oregano & Basil. I just want a antipasto platter, some fresh bread and olives.
Love this wine. Again has the cool climate hallmarks of Eden valley but is RICH and luscious. Silky and minty.
Similar blue/back fruit of the schist, but just more of it.

Xanadu DJL Shiraz 2013-
Lifeless, dull, uninteresting and ultimately boring. VERY thin wine.....weak even.... almost forced and
stretched out. Young vines not ready or bad vintage..... is there such a thing in MR..... big NO

Schwartz Wine Co Nitschke Block Shiraz 2013-
Needs lots of time..... like 15years. So closed and young. Little disappointing, but im remembering back to 2006 and 2010
vintages of this wine that were stunning....and I still have 6 of each.

Radis Estate 'Billy' coonawarra Cab Sav 2013-
Like the merlot (but not as bad) the tannins suck the fruit right out of your mouth. Dry as a result. Its a shame as
it has a really pretty nose. Red earth, capsicum and mint. Will the tannins ever die down and will the fruit still be there
if they do. Has potential, i dont have the patience to wait.

Rockbare coonawarra Cab Sav 2013-
X-rated label brought excitement to the table...... yes we are all 5 and still giggle at the sight of side b00b on a bottle of wine. Alcohol
probably helped too.
Lovely coonawarra nose. Expensive though but its probably worth it. Herbs and fragrance. Lavender, red earth and purple fruit.

Xanadu DJC Cab Sav 2012
Jesus Xanadu..... get your sh1t together. No No No No No.
No lenght, no life, just nothing there..... gave this a good crack too. Shame.

Plantagenet Cab Sav 2013
Great Southern. Nice wine, Not worth the money, plenty of better WA Cabs out there
for less.

Xanadu Estate Cab Sav 2013
The best of the (numerous) Xanadu wines that was bought. This was ok and drinkable. Needs lots of time as it was tannic and acidic, but finally some
quality fruit in there. Still doenst blow me away and like the Plantagenet, there are better MR/WA cabs out there for the money.


And im done.

[Ian S]

Auswine on the other hand has retained a better balance. There is as much discussion around entry point wines as there is around expensive Barolos and Burgundies. To my way of thinking that is the sign of a healthy forum. I enjoy reading other forumites experiences with wines that are often out of my price range but it needs to be balanced with an active discussion around less expensive wines.

Mark

Hi Mark

and long may that continue!

I have the occasional moan on another forum that some offlines can just end up as a succession of prestige labels, not that the contributors are label drinkers, but rather I see a consistent behaviour of 'not wanting to let the side down with a cheaper wine'.

It's easier for me in a way, with European wines being both cheaper, but also much more widely available, but I'm very rarely able to justify the prestige end of the scale. The Quintarelli Valpolicella mentioned on another thread was a little pricey, but under £40. Mostly I'm in the £15-£30 range per bottle. A 1991 Grange at £130 about a decade ago remains my biggest splurge. There is also no denying the joy of landing on a great cheap bottle, especially if there is more available. I look back at a £3 Portuguese Dao that a wine trader friend had, that I just took a half dozen of. Back then it was the largest number of any one wine I'd bought, so I just went for the half dozen, but I really should have gone for a couple of cases. Lesson learnt with the £10 Nebbiolo mentioned up-thread, though I've been back to the well twice in that instance to the tune of 22 bottles.

Regards
Ian

[ticklenow1]

Ashbrook Chardonnay 2013 -
WOW.... from the first whiff this was all class. Massive complex wine with everything going on. Long length, mouthfeel was silky
and oh that lenght.... went on and on and on. Stock up on this

Great to hear that this is good. Bought a case to share with a mate this week. I've bought the last 3 vintages and each one has been superb. Great VFM as well. It ages very well and stands up to wine twice the price.

Interesting your take on all the Xanadu wines. They normally rate very well with a certain critic, but maybe after getting WOTY a couple of years back they have just stretched their blends too far trying to cash in.

Cheers
Ian

[Cactus]

State of Origin time, so of course its time for a mid week wine. Turned to 2012 Graillot Syrah

Its immediately an earthy, musky barnyard type aroma. Its a mid weight, lighter style shiraz. 13.5% alc so certainly a light alc shiraz. Flavours are savory, slightly bitter dark chocolate raspberry. I think its nice, but doesnt grab me as my kinda wine.

[Sean]

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[Teisto]

Been a while since venturing on. Glad to have some time again and not so crazy with life.

2013 Meerea Park Cab Merlot. Bought as a cleanskin offering from the winery and for a mid week quaffer is pretty inoffensive. Should go for a while and will be interesting to see if it gets a little more complexity.

[Dang]

A friend came over and brought from his trip to France a bottle to share. That was Les Darons 2014 from Languedoc. The winemaker Jeff Carrel, a pure garagiste, crafted his wine from his own Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. A pleasant wine full of red fruit and spice and with fresh acidity. What is interesting is the tannins are soft and non obtrusive. Is the Old world winemaking moving toward easy to drink to sip wine so we do not have to chow down of pasta to fight the tannins? The last 2009 Tigliano that I tasted was an eeasy to sip wine too. Anyway, now we might not have to wait for 20 yrs before testing our Super Tuscan or Barolo.

[Sean]

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[Bobthebuilder]

2001 Cape D'Estaing Shiraz - really like this, juicy ripe blood plums, game meats, old leather with a classic hunter barnyard funk Brett. Good acidity and relatively soft silky tannins, medium bodied (however some others who tasted felt it was rather big). A little short on the finish however that might be based on a greater expectation front the nose a palate. Drink now.

2003 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling, screwcap - another drink now, but no rush. Lovely structure, the acid and fruit are in perfect harmony. Perfect white for a hearty winter chicken casserole that we had it with tonight.

[Sean]

deleted

[ticklenow1]

Had a horror night with the tree bark the other night. All of these were badly affected. 2007 Izway Bruce Shiraz, 2001 Charles Melton Nine Popes and a 1999 Hensckhe Mt Edelstone. Shattered - 3 in a row!!

2009 Izway Harold Shiraz. Barossa Valley. Very good wine that will only get better and better. Silken tannins were the stand out but was in the shadow of the Torbreck. 3.5/5

2012 Hentley Farm Zinfandel. Barossa Valley. I wasn't particularly enamoured with this at first but it did improve with some air. Wouldn't buy this personally but was interesting to try. 2.5/5

2005 Torbreck The Gask Shiraz. Barossa Valley. Stunning wine that is in a really good place right now. So well balanced and that old saying of an iron hand in a velvet glove seems appropriate. Will go several more years yet. 4.5/5

2013 Gralliot Project Syrah No. 2. Heathcote. I didn't think much of this at all. Admittedly it was popped and poured at a restaurant but it was lacking in the mid palate and also lacked fruit depth. I've been thinking about getting some of the Gralliot wines but I'll give them a miss after this. 2.5/5

2013 Bannockburn Chardonnay. Geelong. Wow! Loved this. It's a bit of a cross between an old style buttery Chardy and a new world flinty style. Really hit the spot and excellent use of oak. Will only get better with a few years slumber. I will be getting more of this. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

[mychurch]

A friend came over and brought from his trip to France a bottle to share. That was Les Darons 2014 from Languedoc. The winemaker Jeff Carrel, a pure garagiste, crafted his wine from his own Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. A pleasant wine full of red fruit and spice and with fresh acidity. What is interesting is the tannins are soft and non obtrusive.

Carrel makes great bitro style wines that offer great QPR. I actually bought his Reisling and drank it way too young - very interesting as its hard to find a non-Alsace version.

Tonight its South Africa for me - 2004 Luddit Dos Anos CWG Shiraz. SA, like Argentina, seems to have that great mix of new world fruit and old world freshness. This has savoury blackcurrent fruit and good balancing acidity.

2 nights ago it was a rather boring Luis Canas 2004 Rioja Grand Reserva. Well balanced and round, with moderate intenstity. Opened up over 2 night and the last glass tonight was the best.

[JamieBahrain]

Couple of lovely GSM's. Chalk & Cheese; though both enjoyed equally !

Smooth, near silky 2001 VT from a 375ml showing tight, smokey red fruits, garrigue and licorice/stone like notes. The 2002 Steading was classic Barossan, leathery-ripe " Cherry Ripe " dark fruits, sweet and generous. Both showing a GSM warmth best suited to winter drinking. 92pts apiece.

[Phil H]

2005 Penny's Hill Shiraz Everything in balance and what you would expect for a Mclaren Vale Shiraz. Slight bricking indicating its age, drinking at its peak, but still couple of years left. Dark fruits and oak in the background. For a $25 wine good VFM.

2012 Rusden GSM This is my second tasting review, not certain whether I like or love this wine. Not what you would expect of a Barossa wine. Slightly green and stalky. I have previously read someone's review stating it could be a "Barossa Pinot", light bodied, with a touch of spice, constantly evolving in the glass. Certainly not perfect, and not showing any sweetness, but interesting, and different. First discovered this wine at the "Winery" at Surry Hills. Will try again in a years time. Interested to try the 2014 release. Priced at around $20, worth trying.

[Chuck]

Last night at Fire on Unley an Argentinian restaurant (read meat fest) we enjoyed a Wynns 2006 Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet which was interesting but nothing to rave about and a Peter Lehmann 2009 Mentor that was perfect with all that meat. Good bold flavours with the Malbec shining and good oak. The 2013 black label tasted recently at the winery was streets ahead of the 2006 model.

As for the restaurant the food was good and plentiful however the service was atrocious. We just about had to plead for knives, forks, plates, salt and pepper and sauces well after our shared mains arrived. On ordering we had to double check with the waitress as she did not leave us with any great comfort that she knew what we had ordered. Very poor communications skills.

Carl

[rooman]

KT Riesling - Churinga vineyard 2014. Pleasant riesling but just lacks that little extra acid structure and length to put it among the top tier rieslings. I do recall when tasting the 2015 Churinga vineyard and Peglidis vineyard side by side earlier this year, my preference was for the Peglidis.

Domaine David Clarke Cote de Nuits - Village 2008 the second wine for the evening that was close but not quite on song. The 2008 vintage was not great in burgundy and in this Village wine just lacked a little depth through the middle and that extra degree of fruit to justify the price for Village burgundy in an off year.

[Jay60A]

Hi guys,

Apologies if I was flippant on the Wendouree tasting but it does seem a polarising drop and I remembered the general sense of disappointment. Actually it was from a set of TNs recorded in 2005 by Lincoln Scott who's still out there at http://www.brisbane-book-club.com/ and some of the folks feedback I have included. It's not hard to find on Google. I've also done a cut and paste on a great set of notes from Ian in 2010 on the Shiraz Mataro ... which may be here too, not sure.

Btw if Bert does ever close down Starform (it has to be on the cards) we seriously need to get an archive of it, maybe loaded into a sub-forum here.
There is so much history, great tastings and TNs, and pizza recipes as well. And some great Winemaker interviews.

So now I'd better hunt some down and try so I have an informed view - but I never found most of the TNs very encouraging tbh.

Jay

THEME: Wendouree Tasting
Postby Lincoln » Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:10 pm

Like a lot of Australia wine enthusiasts from the 90’s, I was weaned on the Robin Bradley “Gold Book”. I would trawl his guide, finding the treasured wines with 5 Gold Stars, believing they were the best Australia had to offer. I would buy the ones I could source locally and try them and decide which were the ones for me and which were the ones that weren’t.

From there I graduated to the Halliday Guide and I was fascinated by the entry for Wendouree. Five stars and summary that reads so: “The iron fist in the velvet glove best describes these extraordinary wines. They are fashioned with passion and yet precision from very old vineyards with its unique terroir by Tony and Lita Brady, who rightly see themselves as custodians of a priceless treasure.” The recommended cellaring for these gems was 20+ years, and I had never seen them in a retail outlet in Brisbane. Luckily, I found some from the 80’s and bought as many as I could. My memory, hazy though it is, was that I liked them, and I decided to buy more. And I was patient.

I have my first Halliday Guide in front of me now. I’ve looked at the well-thumbed pages, the notes scrawled at the edges of the pages, the telephone numbers, and co-incidentally I found a receipt from Wendouree. On the 24th of June 1996, I bought my first wines from the winery direct; a mixed case of 1994 Shiraz Mataro and 1994 Shiraz Malbec. The Shiraz Mataro was $16 per bottle, and the Shiraz Malbec was $17.50 per bottle. Freight and insurance came to $16.70.

And I’ve been buying whatever I could since then, sometimes from auction.

Eight years have passed, and I’ve had one or so bottle a year, but now it was time to be put the “collector” inside me aside away, and make a decision about whether or not I would continue to buy them year-in, year-out. So I went into the cellar, found 2 bottles of each of the Shiraz- and Cabernet-based wines, and over the past 3 weeks I’ve
tasted them. Admittedly, most of them were young, especially by Wendouree standards, but all the wines were decanted before tasting, and tasted on the next day if possible. Here are the notes:

Shiraz 1995: Dark red. Black fruits and a touch of mint on the nose. The palate shows red cherries and blackberries, with some silky and huge tannins, like a giant in a wedding dress. There was also some charry notes, but not a lot of finesse, but maybe some more time in the bottle might see it soften. 88 points. Drink 2007-2015

Shiraz 1996: Dark red. Initially subdued, but opened up to be quite interesting: black fruit pastilles, butter, some dusty oak and a dash of camphor/menthol. The palate was true to the nose, with a fair swag of acid too. Quite a rustic wine really, and I cannot see it declining for any years. 91 points. Drink 2008-2016

Cabernet Sauvignon 1993: Red with tawny notes. Tomato leaf, a touch of menthol, but really dominated by tomato leaf. The palate shows red currants, capsicum and candied red fruits. Quite a silky smooth palate, with red currants, fine tannins, and strangely is fruity more than tannic. Quite a revelation really: not a rustic wine at all. 90 points. Drink 2004-2007

Cabernet Sauvignon 1996: Medium red. Mint, camphor, red currants, blackberries, and green capsicum. On the palate, thin and green, with green olives, some smokiness, and finishes characteristically with grippy tannins. It filled out with time, developing some confectionary notes and adding some breath to the palate. 86 points. Drink 2006-2012+

Cabernet Malbec 1995: Medium red. Black fruits, liqueuered cherries, some VA, but smells of power. Red cherries and blackberries on the palate, some liquorice and finishes with huge and drying tannins. Really, a wine that is unfortunately swamped by tannins which only got worse with time in the glass. 83 points. Drink 2006-2010

Cabernet Malbec 1996: Medium/dark red. A complex nose: liqueuered cherries, some dark fruits, warm balsa wood, dry spices, VA, liquorice and camphor. The palate is quite extracted, not overly fruity, with lots of acid and tannin. Very good with food. 89 points. Drink 2006-2011+

Shiraz Malbec 1994: Red with some bricking. Some VA and red berries. Dusty wood, red cherries, red currants, mixed with leathery notes. Lemony oak, liquorice, warm and mellow, rounded and cuddly. 87 points. Drink 2004-2008

Shiraz Malbec 1996: Red purple. Creaminess, butter, red berries, plummy, very very young with some spice. Tannic on the palate, showing acid and cedary oak, but excellent structure and definition. The best Wendouree I tried, and I would like to try it in a few more years. 92 points. Drink 2007-2012

Shiraz Mataro 1994: Red with some bricking. Red berries, sweat and VA. Quite a tannic palate, with secondary leathery characters, varnishy notes and fruit that is missing-in-action. 83 points. Drink Now.

Shiraz Mataro 1996: Brick red. Rusty savoury characters: camphor, fondant, confectionary notes, menthol and spice. Deep seated leathery fruit that made it seem older than the other 96’s. 85 points. Drink Now.

The verdict: I suppose the notes speak for themselves. It would have been easy to pump them up with expressions like “iron fist in the velvet glove”, but by the time the last bottle came around I must say I was a little tired of drinking wines made in this style. They are just so tannic, and disturbingly, tannins that in most cases I think will never integrate or soften in sufficient time to make a good drinking wine. As a whole, they also seemed to exhibit camphor aromas, and occasionally mint. And somewhere in the background was the fruit. Initially I was attracted to Wendouree because they were an icon wine, but I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re just not my cup of tea. Luckily, they are still icons so they shouldn’t be too hard to dispose of.

Postby Baby Chickpea » Fri Mar 18, 2005 8:46 am

Thanks for that. Good stuff. About 6 years ago I did my own vertical with vintages from 1976-1990. But this was before i took TNs and wrote notes. I must admit I too was underwhelmed (except for the superb 1986 vintage). Most were ordinary. So I stopped buying from vintages 1991-1997. Back to buying for a second chance, but I must admit that I too do not believe these wines will ever come into balance and the tannin is quite wild. I do not subscribe to the theory that these wines need 20 years to show their best; if they are so unbalanced when young, I doubt they will ever find harmony down the track. Indeed, I have tasted a few 15- 20 year olds and nothing had changes - hard, tannic shell remained. Stylistically, they are also "strange" in their fruit spectrum (too much herbal stuff like rosemary/thyme/coriander/basil) - such that I know many people who buy this year-in year-out and who have never tatsted one! Many will be in for a shock for the wrong reasons!

Like the Mount Mary and Bass Phillips, this was the 3rd "icon" Aussie wine that, to me, just never lived up to its reputation.

Postby David Lole » Fri Mar 18, 2005 9:34 am

I, too, have given up with the Wendouree "style". Nothing purchased direct from the winery since the 1991 vintage. 2 bottles of the 1990 Cabernet Malbec (served blind by others in the last few years) reinforced my viewpoint.

Postby Hacker » Sun Mar 20, 2005 8:22 pm

We have a friend who, in the mid 1990's, bought along a Wendouree to some of the many dinner parties we shared. I think they were 1984 Cab Malbec on a few occasions, and a 1987 (I'm not sure what) on a couple of others. On each of the occasions we were collectively blown away by these wines: full, complete, smooth with luscious fruit and enviable complexity. Every time. Each dinner party we asked with great anticipation if he brought along a Wendouree. They never let us down, and these experiences motivated me on to the mailing list, luckily before it got too popular.

But so far, with my Wendourees, from the 1991 vintage onwards, they have not yet reached those heights. They have been opened with my wife and myself at home in a more analytical way, as opposed to in a dinner party environment where the good company and delicious food we had would make most wines taste great.

The next time I try a Wendouree I will attempt to capture the mood we had with the earlier Wendourees; to see if the missing ingredient is simply to enjoy wine in good company with no great expectations.

Just in case things have changed with the making of Wendourees, has anything changed in the making of them from the mid 1980's to the 1990's? Did Steven George stop his influence at any time? Is there any other factor that has changed in the wine making process over this time that may help to explain the collective disappointment that many have had with some of the wines of the last decade?

cheers,

David M.

Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 1975-2006 Vertical 6/9/10
Postby n4sir » Mon Sep 20, 2010 9:14 am

It’s not often a you see a sizeable vertical of a Wendouree label, but I was lucky enough to try these at a wine club’s member’s only event. The venue (a room in a private college) had its distractions though – at one stage in the distance we could hear a group of girls singing Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” over and over again, followed later by a trombone solo of “Smoke on the Water”!

To be honest I’ve never really been blown away by Wendouree (apart from the 1975 Vintage Port at Andrew Jefford’s farewell dinner earlier this year), and this tasting lacked the “wow” factor of say the aged Coonawarra cabernet tasting a few months ago. That said, by the end of this tasting I came to the conclusion that maybe I’m expecting the wrong thing. The wines are uniformly very “Clare” in being only light to medium weight, so going in with the frame of mind of expecting something more like burgundy in weight, style and structure may be the way to go. The tannins are always prominent on the finish, chalky in the youngest wines before becoming tea-like and eventually silky, but by that stage inevitably the fruit’s gone or at best the characters are predominantly secondary. All of the following wines were (apart from the last three) served in flights of four, and all were bottled under natural cork:


2006 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to very dark red/purple. Very closed nose, gradually revealing some dusty cherry stones, inky berries with a hint of cocoa, becoming slightly jammy with breathing; a jammy/tarry entry leads to a slightly yeasty palate of sweet and sour cherries, finishing chalky and grippy. Has the appearance of being bottled recently despite being four years from vintage!

2005 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to dark garnet/red. Cheesy nose with some bacon at first, then black cherries, becoming more minty with some air; the palate opens with cherries leading to a whack of bright acid/alcohol heat mid-palate, finishing very minty with some heat and a chalky, tannic rebound. Really looked awkward, and I had my suspicions it may have been an advanced/heat-effected bottle.

2004 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to very dark blood red. The nose is very cool and always in the herbal spectrum, minty, menthol then eucalyptus, then peppermint and cocoa; the palate’s riper and darker, chocolate and cocoa, black cherries, and tea-like tannins throughout.

2003 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to very dark red. Lots oak attractive oak on the nose with inky cherries, creamy vanilla, bacon and toast/char, becoming mineraly with breathing; inky, dark cherries, a little warmth mid-palate, and tight, tea-like tannins on the long finish. I think someone mentioned the fill level of this bottle was down to the base of the neck, but it was drinking the best of the first four in my opinion.


2002 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to almost dark blood red. Very reminiscent of the 2006 vintage, very stony/mineraly with inky cherries; the palate’s slightly more open and developed, cherries with meaty/liquorice nuances, but the tea-like tannins are still massive and dominating.

2001 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium red. Cheesy/rubbery nose and palate, with some stalky and cocoa characters to go with the cherry fruit; the mid-palate is minty, and the finish is rather short. It’s not a pretty wine, and I doubt it ever will be.

2000 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to dark red/garnet. Developed nose of liquorice, mint and mineral; the palate’s slightly porty with characters of wintergreen and liquorice along with cherries and mint, lighter in weight than the previous wine but much better balanced and longer.

1999 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium garnet. Very developed nose, very leathery/stocky with coffee and vegemite; the palate’s as developed, light to medium weight, leathery and porty but very long and lingering. Not bad, but considering how good 1999 was in Clare a little disappointing.


1998 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley (cork): Medium brick/red. Porty, leathery nose full of cherry jam; the palate’s just as porty (like a Touriga minus the alcohol), full of sour cherries, wintergreen and black liquorice, finishing with dry, tea-like tannins. A little disappointing considering it should have been a great vintage.

1997 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley (cork): Damp, dusty nose, some cherry stones buried deep underneath; while the palate has some sweet cherries it’s short and is lacking in weight and spice. While the dampness could be attributed to either old barrels or taint, the scalped nature seems to point to the latter – Phill mentioned that all of the 1997 Wendouree’s with the exception of the straight shiraz suffer a high incidence of cork taint.

1996 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium red. Very attractive nose of creamy/biscuity oak and dark cherries, some leather and a lick of caramel; the palate’s easily the ripest and freshest of this group, cherry stones, blackcurrant and mint, finishing mineraly and very long. This was my second favourite wine of the whole tasting.

1995 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium garnet. Metallic nose with some dried herbs, sour cherries and cocoa – the Mataro seems much more obvious. The palate’s spicy and herbal with attractive hints of chocolate and cocoa, but it does pull up short.


1993 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to dark brick red. The most complex and complete of the wines tonight, smoky and sweet, cherries with caramel, melted liquorice, herbs and cocoa, just a touch metallic but nothing disturbing. The palate’s soft and soupy, the sweet choc-cherry fruit dusted in cocoa, finishing long and silky. This unheralded vintage is at its peak, but was also the best wine tonight.

1992 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium to dark red. Inky and dark cherries on the nose, a touch jammy too, something more like the 2006 and 2002 vintages; the palate’s younger, sweeter and cooler than the 1993, there’s some herbs and it’s not as plush and round. Compared to the previous wine it maybe needs a few more years to show its best.

1991 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: A meaty/soupy nose with sour cherries, very heavily developed but attractive; liquorice on the entry leads to a soft, soupy/meaty palate that’s reminiscent of something from Corton in Burgundy, finishing long and silky. Drinking well, but I wouldn’t hold this any longer.

1990 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Medium brick. Very mousy and leathery, some mineral with breathing; the palate structure is soft and silky, but the fruit’s basically gone, a bare trace of liquorice in the background. Disappointing.


1988 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Horribly corked.

1987 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro, Clare Valley: Light to medium brick. A medicinal nose, and a mineraly soft palate, the fruit’s faded but it fits the mould better than the following wine.

1975 Wendouree ‘Claret’, Clare Valley: Medium to dark brick. It’s still alive, but only barely, the nose full of gunpowder, tomato skin and roasted onions; the palate’s a bit better but still smoky, with a weird sweet banana (oak?) finish. I’ve tried a good bottle of this wine once, and this isn’t it.


Cheers,
Ian

[rooman]

Really interesting set of notes from a number of tasters I know personally and respect. Danny has one of the best cellars in Sydney and I can associate with his comment about the tannins in the Wendourees. With one exception being a bottle Dave brought to dinner, I have just found the robust tannins too overwhelming.

Likewise David Lole in Canberra whilst I've never actually met him, I have read many of his reviews over the decades and highly respect his palate. Sadly he seems ton have disappeared.

Mark

[Con J]

1996 Penfolds Bin 389. Birth year wine for our youngest, Evie. Tired with little fruit to excite. It was hard to impress following the Wendouree. Difficult to pick actual faults, but there was little fruit or tannin structure.

Hacker, I'd believe the 389 was perhaps TCA tainted at a low level. Stripped. That wine should be outstanding.

Hi Rory, you could be right. It just wasn't obvious on the night. And we were having too much fun to worry about it.

I remember reading this so I thought I’d report back.

Opened one of these tonight decanted half in a half bottle and put it back in the wine fridge, had the other half with dinner.

Lots of dark fruit, liquorice with a touch of vanilla oak still remaining but not overpowering, tannins are just about resolved.
Drinking superbly and think this will hold for at least another 10 years.

[griff]

Every so often a wine comes along that pushes beyond (or below) your expectations and makes you want to talk about it. Tonight it was the Coates Langhorne Creek Touriga Nacional 2009. A flamboyant nose. Decided to move to the Burgundy glasses. Musk sticks and that most elusive and sexy bouquet of violets. A silky light-weight palate of raspberries that is very forward on the palate with fresh tangy acid on the tongue and minimal tannin on the cheeks. A lick of spice running throughout. I suspect from oak but perhaps just the expression of the grape and the winemaking style. Excellent/Outstanding.

cheers

Carl