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

[JamieBahrain]

I've limited experience with the wine but a guy I work with is friends with the owner so I see some older Larose on occasion - I've always enjoyed the style, been patient with respect to its elegance and not understood the wine's detractors.

[Bytown Rick]

BTW Jamie, seems that we joined the forum a day apart. But I took an extended vacation .

[phillisc]

McPherson or at least made by them for James Bushby wines ( Coles) Big and Bold 2015 Shiraz.
At $5 won Winestate's Shiraz of the year ( says it all for that esteemed journal...careful lawyers will be ringing again)...but punches $20+ above its weight. Really good fruit and mouth feel...will use a few of these as fillers for thirsty rellies who don't know anything different on the afternoon of the 25th.

Cheers
Craig.

[Chuck]

Leabrook Estate 2008 George. Merlot dominant with cab and a sprinkling of other Bordeaux grapes. The wine has really has hit it's peak and is more medium bodied (from light/medium) than previous bottles over the past 5 years. More red fruits than black and great mouthfeel. Quite muted on opening it benefited from a few hours breathing. Everything in balance. Should hold for a few more years. Yum.

Carl

[rooman]

A Christmas Party with another tasting group

The Wines

2007 Lakes Folly Cabernet - light blackberry, barnyard funk, earthen and herbal, tomato leaf, dark cherry, aniseed and long gentle caressing finish 93
2005 Moss Wood Cabernet - smells of an old dirt road, earthen and brooding, graphite and capsicum, blackcurrant, a whiff of mint, nice silty tannin, more time needed. 93

2004 Penfolds St Henri - caramel, sour cherries and black plums, Violet, cocoa, nice balance, sweet but savoury oak 93

Thank you for the notes. I have grabbed a bottle of the St Henri '04 out of the cellar to share with friends on Boxing Day. From your notes it appears ready to try a first bottle from the case.

I had also thought about the Moss Wood or the Lakes Folly but both seem to young yet to try. Is this correct? If so there is no hurry to break into the cases.

Mark

[rooman]

2003 Château Potensac Right in its drinking window. Soft velvety tannins, classic cassis/cedar cigar box red fruit, medium body and good finish. Early on with this case, I was disappointed but now I am very glad a few bottles survived. It is also interesting to see my last review of this wine back in 2010 on cellartracker. At the time I had it marked down as a hold for 5 years. I am glad to see I was fairly well spot on.

[pc79]

A Christmas Party with another tasting group

The Wines

2007 Lakes Folly Cabernet - light blackberry, barnyard funk, earthen and herbal, tomato leaf, dark cherry, aniseed and long gentle caressing finish 93
2005 Moss Wood Cabernet - smells of an old dirt road, earthen and brooding, graphite and capsicum, blackcurrant, a whiff of mint, nice silty tannin, more time needed. 93

2004 Penfolds St Henri - caramel, sour cherries and black plums, Violet, cocoa, nice balance, sweet but savoury oak 93

Thank you for the notes. I have grabbed a bottle of the St Henri '04 out of the cellar to share with friends on Boxing Day. From your notes it appears ready to try a first bottle from the case.

I had also thought about the Moss Wood or the Lakes Folly but both seem to young yet to try. Is this correct? If so there is no hurry to break into the cases.

Mark

Hi Mark,
04 St Henri was in a good spot. A 4hr decant had it on song when it came time to drink. The Folly is pretty good to go now, the Moss Wood could do wíth another 5yrs. Enjoy the St Henri at Chrissy

[Ian S]

Thanks for the note on the 2004 St Henri - in all likelihood my last Penfolds purchase and as I have a few bottles, will slowly edge through them. I like my wines relatively old (the clichéd English palate ) so will sit a while longer before I start opening them.

[Matt@5453]

A few Italian jobs to kick start the Christmas Festivities

2014 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio - I like Pinot Grigio after a couple years in bottle. Excellent mouthfeel and ‘texture’. Very good.

Followed by 2 x Amarones. Having never tried this style I was impressed with both wines. The Lamberti was my favourite showing more pepper/spice and slightly better length. Others preferred the Masi. Good talking point.

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2014 Catlin Wines Montepulciano, Adelaide Hills

This was really unfair to open this after the Amarones. It was a tad 'thin'. Stylistically it is a very good wine and enjoyable, needs a good lump of aged cheddar and crackers. Worth hunting down.

[Ian S]

Interesting approach from Masi, as I believe Serego Alighieri is still privately owned, but with Masi providing winemaking/logistical skills, which they also do for a place in Trento, and I suspect others as well. This does retain a distinct identity for Serego Alighieri, slightly more distinct than being just another single vineyard / brand. I've enjoyed their Recioto della Valpolicella - not cheap but good, but I'm not entirely sure I've had the Amarone.

Yes that was a bit of a hospital pass for the Montepulciano

[rooman]

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2005 - getting towards the end of the case and it is still quite simply magnificent. I don't really drink much Chardonnay but this wine reminds me why I should, if nothing else, just put one case of these wines away each year. At 11 years it still have years ahead of it,some yellowing in appearance but still years to go. White nectarines with hints of cloves and spice wrapped around a grapefruit plucked from an ancient and long forgotten orchard. Crisp acid structure holds its length and the fantail finish just rolls on and on. Well worth opening on Christmas Eve.

[Scotty vino]

xmas lunch;
2013 Wynns BL shiraz and a 2014 Greenock creek Caseys block.
Both great wines. The Wynns has years ahead of it but i thought id try the first of 6 to get a read.
Following the the consumption of the above I raided my bro in laws wine collection (on his insistence ).
Found a 92 rockies BP and an 88 Wynns BL Cab (amongst a ton of other wines).
BP stewed and cooked . Bugger.
The Wynns smelled like a rancid camels rear. double bugger. gone gone and triple gone.
I was then presented with an 89 HOG, a 95 389 magnum and a 91 rockies magnum.
It was at this point that I decided we just leave them for another day as I had a sneaking suspicion
they were facing the same fate as above.

Good and bad wines aside my bro in law put on an amazing spread and a fantastic day was had by all.

[Matt@5453]

Some impressions of recent wines consumed over the festive period:

2015 Paulett Wines Antonina Riesling, Polish Hill River, Clare Valley
Classic Polish Hill River Riesling, a pure expression; steely, talc, minerals. Excellent balance and acidity with very good lingering finish. Excellent

2015 Grosset Apiana (Fiano)
This wine has settled down a lot and is drinking nicely. Nashi pears, citrus and good mouthfeel and balance. Good wine, but not outstanding.

NV Moet & Chandon Brut Magnum
This bottle has been cellared for a few years, white bread, biscuit, citrus. Excellent.

2010 Janz Vintage Cuvee, Tasmania
Vigorous fizz/bead, very tight and linear with sharp acidity. Apples and citrus notes. Enjoyable, but not really my style. Probably would show better in a few years. Good, but expected more.

2012 Taylors Wines St Andrews Riesling, Auburn, Clare Valley
Lime juice, touch of kaffir lime, minernality, balanced acidity and starting to show some aged notes. Should age gracefully under screwcap. Will look at it in another 5 years. Very good.

2014 Taylors Wines St Andrews Chardonnay, Auburn, Clare Valley
Melons, grapefruit, butter. Its full bodied in the mouth, quality French oak is there but supporting. I really liked this. Very good.

2016 Naked Run Wines ‘The First’ Riesling, Sevenhill, Clare Valley
Flinty, talc, lemon, limes. It is a precise wine with very good depth of flavour, but quite elegant at the same time. Excellent

2010 Masi Nectar Costasera Amarone
This is wine is up a notch on the other two I have posted about earlier. Needed a good hour to open up before showing its best. Full bodied, inky, blackcurrent, violets with very perfumed and heady nose. The length and depth of flavour of the wine was something to admire. The tannins very silky and smooth. One glass of this what not enough. Simply Sensational.

Masi.jpg

2014 Trapiche Reserva Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
This is seriously good Malbec. Intoxicating nose, full bodied on the palate, with an attractive white pepper and a fruit cake type spice to it. Very good use of oak, balanced acidity and silky tannins. Excellent length and mouthfeel. Three days after opening was drinking magnificently. Sensational wine and I style I enjoy.

Trapiche.jpg

2005 Carmelo Patti Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, Argentina
A very good aged wine, cork in absolutely perfect condition. Earthy, cigar box, mocha, cassis, tannins quite resolved. Very good length and balance. Simply stunning.

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[Matt@5453]

2014 Domaine Sylvain Gaudron Vouvray

Lovely apple, grapefruit flavours, with a hint of spice. Excellent mouthfeel and excellent length. A very nice way to ease into a Thursday night.

2013 Taylors Wines St Andrews Shiraz

A full bodied Clare Valley Shiraz, with dark brooding fruits, mocha/coffee, spice and dark plums. Elegant tannin structure and good use of oak. Textural in the mouth with a long lingering finish. Excellent wine. Great with steak.

[Hacker]

Nye wines were 2001 Cullen Madeline, 2004 Kalleske Shiraz, Sami Odi Baby Tui and 2009 Fourrier Gevrey VV, oh and a bottle of 2015 Big and Bold Shiraz (someone chose this to drink over the others, and more power to them!)
All the Aussie wines were good to very good in their own rite, but all paled by comparison to the interest and complexity of the Fourrier.
Happy new year to all!

[Hunter]

Nye wines were 2001 Cullen Madeline, 2004 Kalleske Shiraz, Sami Odi Baby Tui and 2009 Fourrier Gevrey VV, oh and a bottle of 2015 Big and Bold Shiraz (someone chose this to drink over the others, and more power to them!)
All the Aussie wines were good to very good in their own rite, but all paled by comparison to the interest and complexity of the Fourrier.
Happy new year to all!

Happy n.y
How was baby tui ?
Im catching up w fraser this arvo

[Hacker]

Happy n.y
How was baby tui ?
Im catching up w fraser this arvo

We were getting a tad tired and emotional by the time the Tui was opened. It certainly was big, rich and concentrated. Nothing out of place here, but you need to appreciate the style, as many last night did. A crowd pleaser style of Barossa Shiraz with cellaring potential of at least 5 years or so.
The Kalleske by contrast had settled/matured into a more velvety smooth wine.

[Ian S]

(Fabrizio) Battaglino 2010 Roero Sergentin (100% nebbiolo, but a few km North-West of Alba), which has started to emerge from being very tight a couple of years ago. Reminds me more of Ghemme/Gattinara than Langhe (or Roero!). Normally I find the Roero wines a little too fruity/ somewhat superficial / less structured, but this one appeals.

[michel]

Nye wines were 2001 Cullen Madeline, 2004 Kalleske Shiraz, Sami Odi Baby Tui and 2009 Fourrier Gevrey VV, oh and a bottle of 2015 Big and Bold Shiraz (someone chose this to drink over the others, and more power to them!)
All the Aussie wines were good to very good in their own rite, but all paled by comparison to the interest and complexity of the Fourrier.
Happy new year to all!

Is the cullen ready?
Was it screwcap?

[Matt@5453]

2015 La Prova Nero d'Avola, Barossa Valley

Medium/light body. Fruit driven, well balanced and fine tannins. Quite a 'juicy' wine on the palate, very Pinot like, but a tad more savoury with darker fruits. Excellent texture and finish. Love this wine from this producer, backs up a very good 2014.

2011 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz

Given the reputation of the vintage and some notes I have read of an 'earlier' drinking wine, I decided to crack one at 5 years of age. I was not disappointed. From pulling the cork I could immediately smell the trademark plumy fruit and charry/toastiness from the oak I associate with the Basket Press. Medium to full bodied, dark plums, mocha, chocolate and as mentioned above a toastiness from the oak. Firm/grippy tannins present. Very good length, perhaps just a slight thinness on the mid palate, but it does not detract from the overall enjoyment. Consumed over a number of hours it just got better and better. One of the better wines I've had in 2016. I would have no hesitation waiting for its 10th anniversary to try another. Very good wine.

[Hacker]

Is the cullen ready?
Was it screwcap?

It is ready, but did not live up to it's reputation on this night. Certainly nowhere near falling over though. Cork.
As I previously said, the Fourrier's complexity (especially for a village wine) outshone the Aussie wines.

[rooman]

A couple of wines I tried over the Xmas period which are definitely not yet ready to drink.

The Grosset Polish Hill 2009. It has hardly budged since release. I am conscious that wines stored since release in the wine cellar with a consistently low teen temperature do seem to age more slowly and hopefully gracefully but this wine is definitely taking its time. Colour is still a very reserved pale greenish straw hue. Acid is still massive and the fruit is tightly wound up. I doubt I will try another inside 7 years.

Same with the Balnaves Tally 04. Still all big robust tannins and grumpy Coonawarra fruit. I can see the long term potential but this isn't really worth touching for at least a decade and will go 10-20 if well cellared.

Mark

[Hunter]

A couple of wines I tried over the Xmas period which are definitely not yet ready to drink.

The Grosset Polish Hill 2009. It has hardly budged since release. I am conscious that wines stored since release in the wine cellar with a consistently low teen temperature do seem to age more slowly and hopefully gracefully but this wine is definitely taking its time. Colour is still a very reserved pale greenish straw hue. Acid is still massive and the fruit is tightly wound up. I doubt I will try another inside 7 years.

Same with the Balnaves Tally 04. Still all big robust tannins and grumpy Coonawarra fruit. I can see the long term potential but this isn't really worth touching for at least a decade and will go 10-20 if well cellared.

Mark

I recently consumed a 2006 vat 1 sem from the cellar and i thought the very same. It hadnt moved or developed a bit.
Its going to need a very long time ..
Luck i have age on my side

[michel]

Is the cullen ready?
Was it screwcap?

It is ready, but did not live up to it's reputation on this night. Certainly nowhere near falling over though. Cork.
As I previously said, the Fourrier's complexity (especially for a village wine) outshone the Aussie wines.

Thanks Hacker
I love Fourrier Griotte!

[pc79]

2013 Yarraloch Stephanie's Dream whole bunch Pinot Noir - beguiling nose of autumn leaves, cherry spice, dusty sandalwood, vanillan herbs and a long spicy stalky finish, cherries over leather. WOTY so far 94 Beautiful!!
1st of a 6 pack. Was going to get rid of a couple... not anymore!

[Willard]

2012 Glenlofty Cabernet Sauvignon (Pyrenees)
Got a case of this from a well known online discounter, needed some quaffers, somewhere just under $10 ea.

Black currant, a little red, minty, maybe bay leaf. It's mostly soft and easy going. Medium, maybe med-full body, acidity nicely settled, bit more tannin builds on the finish which is good. May have been better a little less ripe, though no heat. It's ok.

1998 Crawford River WBP Riesling
WBP stands for Whole Bunch Press, a query to the producer came back with more info - 100% whole bunch, they had some botrytis that year so this wine was bottled separately (with a percentage of botrytis) from the estate wine.

Dry from what I can tell. A lovely rich nose - preserved lemon, mostly citrus still but maybe into some stone fruit. Mellow and developed on the palate, a little more weight than estate wines of similar age. Slightly creamy texture is delightful, nicely fresh finish built on perfectly balanced acidity.

Will

[Ian S]

2005 (Lopez de Heredia) Gravonia Blanco over the past two nights. A good example of where there is enough complexity that the oxidative elements add to the complexity, rather than detract from the enjoyment. The brains of the operation is hardly a fan of oxidised wine styles, but she was enthusiastic about this. It also showed well, that these styles work well at 16-20C. I tasted it chilled on the 1st night and marginally preferred it at ~ 18C on the 2nd night.

[Rocky]

Woodlands 2005 'Colin' Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine was spectacular and is still ascending. A true gem from, IMO, the best producer in Western Australia. Dark berries, cigar box, spice and almost fully dissolved tannins. Length goes on and on. Many years of life ahead

[Redback]

2012 Ruggabellus Timeaus.

A GSM blend, Grenache dominant.Barnyard funk on the nose. Black curranty, olive tapenade on the palate. Fine tannins. An interesting wine.

[michel]

Am about to commence gambling
This is likely to be shambolic
2002 Etienne Sauzet puligny combottes
2006 Leflaive pucelles