2010 Claymore Black Magic Woman Cab Sav.
Notes of...
Dark cherry, blackberry, mint/menthol, Plum
Nice firm structured tannins that softened with glass time. 1 hour in the conical didn't seem to hurt either.
On the palate picking up aniseed/fennel, a little bit of bitumen/roadbase
finishing with some nice tart/berry like acidity.
Thought the oak was a little restrained at first but as it evolved it became more prominent towards the end of the bottle.
Probably should've filtered this one but in the end i didn't actually mind it.
Ended up a bit crunchy but i always feel like I'm denying the wine some of it's form and flavour if I filter it.
Paired with a vego curry from the local.
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Was a bit brown or maybe bad storage/bad bottle, but I could still see what was underneath
Rosewater, dry tannins and mushrooms. Some Brown earth as well, but didnt pick up much cherry
notes that i was expecting. The real highlight was that rosewater.... wonderful aroma.
All in all, if the wine was in better condition, probably would have been a much better wine, never the less
went very well with spaghetti.
Was a bit brown or maybe bad storage/bad bottle, but I could still see what was underneath
Rosewater, dry tannins and mushrooms. Some Brown earth as well, but didnt pick up much cherry
notes that i was expecting. The real highlight was that rosewater.... wonderful aroma.
All in all, if the wine was in better condition, probably would have been a much better wine, never the less
went very well with spaghetti.
I think that wine is at the end of it's drinking window, so bottle variation and storage will play a big part. You are right to expect some cherry on the palate in a good bottle.
I’m still in Ireland and finally found well priced wine! Ireland must be the dumping ground for commercial like Rioja Gran Reserva . Riscal and Faustino for as low as 20 Aussie which is extraordinary considering Aussie clean skins with a unheard of label stuck on go for similar .
That said, Faustino GR 2005 and Marques de Riscal 2014 GR would not pip 89pts in my book.
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
Ozzie W wrote:
I think that wine is at the end of it's drinking window, so bottle variation and storage will play a big part. You are right to expect some cherry on the palate in a good bottle.
Thanks Ozzie. All Makes sense if it was over the hill.
JamieBahrain wrote:Catching the Nebbiolo bug Rosscoe?
Yep Ozzie is giving me some great tips, plus starting to read the Barolo / Barbaresco / Nebbiolo thread.
However what really got me started was Benevelli Piero and their Langhe neb. I have bought 6 bottles of each of the past 3 releases as a toe in the water.
2016 Mayer Syrah
Knowing the 2016 Yarra vintage was a warm one, I didn't
really know what to expect. I needn't had worried, this was a cracker. Very herbal, roast meats and violets. Loose leaf tobacco with some mushroom. Quite drinkable now, but will hold for some time, and probably needs 5+ to fill out. Not a lot of tannin, but it's the juiciness I like at the moment.
2015 Yangarra Estate Grenache Old Vine, McLaren Vale
Brief impressions. A quality wine with good purity of fruit, very good structure; with the bright acidity and drying type tannins to see this wine through for the next decade. Really enjoyable, best to decant beforehand.
2015 Greenock Creek Grenache Cornerstone, Barossa Valley
Tawny port like on the nose. Caramel notes, fruitcake & spice. Heavy 'legs' in the glass, viscous in the mouth & touch "flabby". Somehow the wine is quite balanced (e.g. alcohol not sticking out). Not a great example of Grenache, but still enjoyable for the heavy weight style that it is.
2015 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Catapult McLaren Vale
A touch 'dirty' on the nose. Some good plum type fruit, herbs and spices; savoury in nature. Finishes a tad short with some sour type notes. A good BBQ type wine that does not reach any real heights.
2014 Paulett Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Polish Hill River
A very good Bordeaux blend. Medium to full bodied, dark fruits, cassis, cigar box notes, with well judged oak. Fine tannins and a very good finish. A very smart looking wine and great value at about $20.
2014 Mitchell Shiraz Peppertree Vineyard Clare Valley
Full bodied, dark fruits and generous oak. Good line of acidity. Dark/Blue fruits, chocolate and vanilla notes. Good finish. Very young, needs time to come together.
2017 Grosset Riesling Springvale, Clare Valley
Tastes very different from what I remember trying at the cellar door in Nov 2017. I did not get any lime characteristics but mainly lemon, pear and grapefruit, with a bit of 'wet slate'. A slight bitter lemon pith note on the finish. Good line of acidity, texture and mouthfeel.
2016 Shut the Gate Chardonnay, Tumbarumba
Pale straw colour. No oak, 20 months on lees in tank. Grape fruit, flint, saline, good acidity. A very good wine. Love to see this in 2-3 years. Drink at 10-15 degrees Celsius.
2012 Skillogalee Trevarrick Cabernet Franc, Clare Valley
Decanted for 4 hours. Absolutely stunning nose of Ribena, violets and vanilla. A well-structured and balanced wine. The palate was rich and full with ripe, mouth coating tannins and a very long finish. This should develop well over the next decade.
2001 Ross Estate Reserve Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Medium/full bodied. Mocha, chocolate, vanilla and charry type oak. Still a very good structured wine with a good line of acidity holding this wine together. Some grippy tannin on the finish. A mature wine, but still some life left it.
2004 Ross Estate Reserve Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Dark and full bodied. Mocha, some fruit cake spice, chocolate, vanilla and charry/smoky type oak. A lovely full bodied wine with soft resolved tannins with a long rich finish. Drinking amazingly well.
2015 Yangarra ‘PF’ Shiraz, McLaren Vale
Made without additions of any kind, sulphur, acid, tannin or finings. Dark, inky, fruit driven with plum type fruit, liquorice and pepper. Little oak influence and a soft fine tannin structure. Has really great mouthfeel and finish. Impressive.
2015 Taylors Wines St Andrews Shiraz, Clare Valley
A dark full bodied wine. Plums, blueberries, herbs and vanilla from American oak. A well balanced palate with good tannin and acidity. A long lingering finish. Needs a decade. Decant at least 2 hours before consumption.
1991 Wynns Black Label Shiraz
had a few of these this year, all pretty good, but this particular bottle was absolutely stellar. Rich, round, complex and incredible length, an excellent wine at the peak of it's powers. Best value wine in Australia?
94pts drink: now-2025
2007 chateau st jean Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Lots of tertiary characters such as leather, old books, mushroom, earth and still holding its mostly black fruit
Tannins not quite silky but not resolved. Reasonable length for what is a pretty inexpensive wine in the scheme of things.
First look at 2018 wine. Lemon sherbet, grapefruit, backed up with some nice mineral/slate and texture. Nicely balanced acidity with a long finish. Probably not long off the bottling line, but this is looking bloody good. Always very good value for money. Bring on summer.
First look at 2018 wine. Lemon sherbet, grapefruit, backed up with some nice mineral/slate and texture. Nicely balanced acidity with a long finish. Probably not long off the bottling line, but this is looking bloody good. Always very good value for money. Bring on summer.
felixp21 wrote:1991 Wynns Black Label Shiraz
had a few of these this year, all pretty good, but this particular bottle was absolutely stellar. Rich, round, complex and incredible length, an excellent wine at the peak of it's powers. Best value wine in Australia?
94pts drink: now-2025
I was a little worried it might be a little premature to open this but it is drinking very well right now and would imagine at its peak. In the first half hour or so there is a distinct Coonawarra mintiness? which almost disappears completely after half an hour of air.
Mulberry, juicy ripe blood plums, rhubarb, cherry pipe tobacco, spicy bbq sauce, rare roast beef, cocoa, a little bit of leather. The fruit is still bright but the tannin has integrated beautifully and its still got a great backbone of acid that holds and enhances the aged characteristics of the wine. Nice long finish. One of the best bottles of Wendouree I've had.
A very evocative and tempting note on a bottle of wine. Thanks. This note alone would make me wish I had a bottle of Wendouree - but it is not available in Canada.
I was a little worried it might be a little premature to open this but it is drinking very well right now and would imagine at its peak. In the first half hour or so there is a distinct Coonawarra mintiness? which almost disappears completely after half an hour of air.
Mulberry, juicy ripe blood plums, rhubarb, cherry pipe tobacco, spicy bbq sauce, rare roast beef, cocoa, a little bit of leather. The fruit is still bright but the tannin has integrated beautifully and its still got a great backbone of acid that holds and enhances the aged characteristics of the wine. Nice long finish. One of the best bottles of Wendouree I've had.
A very evocative and tempting note on a bottle of wine. Thanks. This note alone would make me wish I had a bottle of Wendouree - but it is not available in Canada.
Cheers .................. Mahmoud.
PS: In fact I don't think it has ever been imported here.
Decanted for 2 hours and it was open for business. A beautiful nose with lush fruits leaping out of the decanter. Medium to full bodied showing dark berries, blackberry, subtle plum and black pepper. I think a touch of viognier has made its way into this blend also. The wine is very beautifully balanced; a soft tannin structure, rich on the mid palate with a long lingering finished. A lovely wine - I'll drink my last one in 7-10 years.
Another solid hit out at Nazimi last night with a fun crew of wine lovers. The usual required ratio of 1 Karaage Chicken p.p was met and exceeded. Plenty of goals kicked by all..
Frank Cornelissen Contadino Etna Rosso 2016
William Downie Geelong Pinot Noir 2011
Savaterre Pinot Noir 2012
Picardy Pinot Noir 2014
All good wines although the Hillcrest was a bit buttery/over-oaked for my taste. I guessed Alsace 90's for the first wine, but the subtlety and restraint of any 'normal' Gewurtz characters threw me and I was thinking Pinot Gris. Not the best example of it's kind, but a decent drink. I'm a big Savagnin fan so unsurprisingly I loved the Les Dolomies, plus the Cornelissen was really super interesting (85% Nerello Mascalese, 15% indigenous grapes from Mt Etna), crunchy red fruits, some 'natural wine' characters but not too much, very drinkable and well made wine.
Craiglee Shiraz 2012 - Not trying to be something else, it is just a Craiglee Shiraz. Might get compared to other Victorian wines or even French wines. That is more a way of trying to explain it to someone who hasn’t tried it themselves. (If you want to do that, the 13 and 14 are $55 at the cellar door.) For me it is a two bottle buy, drink one and keep one. This year is Pat Carmody’s 40th vintage. It began with a legendary story about a cache of 1872 Craiglee Shiraz that was found at the winery. It was drunk by James Halliday and others who were impressed by it. Not too many other hundred year old Australian table wines have been drunk. I guess Pat wanted to replicate that as much as practically possible when he re-established the vineyard and winery in 1976. Back vintage tastings that I have done show it ages well. No problem as a twenty year old wine anyway, some vintages age very slowly. It is a wine you can confidently cellar. This wine has a loyal band of supporters. You only have to go along to a tasting event at the winery to see that. I am sure they would be horrified if it ever took off like some of those Parker wines did years ago. (That is unlikely anyway, it is the wrong kind of shiraz.) Production is very much limited to the 10 hectare vineyard. No second label stuff. There is or was a LTV Shiraz (which has a bit of Viognier), but this is the shiraz to get. This is typically medium-bodied. A crimson red colour. Perfumed and black pepper. Dark cherry, red fruits, licorice and spice. A hint of sweetness in the fruit, which is probably just the way it goes for a while. It comes up nice in the glass with an earthy/dried herb character. Recent vintages before this might have been bretty or a bit too earthy. I think that has been “cleaned” up and isn’t an issue now. Some good things with this vintage. The French oak is subtle. It is 13.5% alcohol. I like the change to screwcap with this wine. Soft, but firm tannins running through it. Other vintages are bigger (dark fruits and spicy) and others like this. Got the feeling this is another one to keep twenty years.
And a few others...
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2008 - The 28 usually has a sameness about it, dominated by the house style. The 08 has been more of a romp. I have enjoyed every bottle that I opened. Might be other vintages that you keep longer, but this has been pretty good. The colour is still strong. Perfumed and spicy. Blackberry, plum, cherry, aniseed and some brambly/smoky aged character as it opens up in the glass. The sweet fruit is nicely balanced with chocolatey oak and deep tannins. It feels harmonious. It has never really needed to soften up, that has always characterised this vintage. Rather it seems to have a big, broad drinking window.
Tahbilk Shiraz 2008 - I’ve had this wine in both screwcap and cork. The latter I got after a back vintage tasting at the winery in 2016. It felt like it had a bit more character and barnyard. Under screwcap it always had lots of early drinking appeal, and seemed fresher and robust. This is under screwcap. A warm vintage and it shows a little. Garnet red colour with bricking. Blackberry, dark plum, red fruits, raisins and quite earthy. It is warm and mellow with age on it. Some dry tannins, but not enough to keep it longer for that reason. I was never going to hang onto it much longer anyway.
Yarra Ridge Chardonnay 2016 - This brand has gone on a long slide down to nowhere. The winery in Yarra Valley changed hands years ago, it is a Treasury/VoK brand. In recent times, the Yarra Valley grapes were pressed locally and the wines made at Seppelt. That obviously won’t be happening anymore. The address on the back label is 1 St Huberts Road, which is the address of St Huberts. Not sure that means anything, because the wines aren’t made there either. This is a nice wine, however, with an extra year on it. Got enough leesy/French oak influence to feel familiar if you like Yarra Valley chardonnay. Straw coloured and a little funky. Citrus, stonefruit, spice, subtle toasty oak and a slightly chalky finish.
Great reminder
The Yarra Ridge Pinot and Chardonnay we’re wickedly brilliant in the mid 1990’s
We especially used the pinot as a house red.
Same with Lillydale Estate
Capel Vale 2015 Cellar Exclusive Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. A relatively cheap MR cab but delivers the goods. Good fruit, tannin and acid structure. Lightly oaked. Doubt it will get any better but will hold for a few more years.
Carl
Your worst game of golf is better than your best day at work
1998 Wirra Wirra Penley Cab Sauv
This one has been sitting near the top of the drinking pile for a while, and after battling a wax seal and a drying cork, it rather impressed. Admirable restraint and true to it's variety (and roots) though there was still some noticeable oak even after 2 decades. Not super complex, but lovely balance and went brilliantly with bbq'd rib-eye steak & asparagus, plus new potatoes from the garden and a little salad. Very enjoyable.
2017 Ochota Barrels The Slint Vineyard Chardonnay
Pure expression of what modern Australian chardonnay should be. Perfectly balanced, brine and oyster shell
had me in Chablis immediately. Then those milky, flinty and nutty hints pulled me right back to Oz. Stunning
bright yellow/gold, white flowers with a slight wild honey, red apple and salty sea air. Well worth the $$
2006 Yangarra High Sands Grenache
Bush vines dating back to 1946, planted on the highest part of the vineyard on very sandy soil in McLaren Vale.
Medium body, lots of red fruits. Raspberry, cranberry and cherries. Quite slatey however a small hint of
rose petals really gave it a lift along with some dried herbs. Wine was a bit more advanced than I would have
liked with seepage up the cork. Maybe poor storage or poor cork, not sure. I have a couple left, so I will
see what they are like in the coming months.
2005 James Irvine Grand Merlot
Those that know me, understand my Inherent dislike for the vast majority of Australian merlots.
So it was with my deepest appreciation that MJS served an 06 version of this wine at an offline a
little while ago and showed me the light. This 2005 was a revelation! Cool climate, elegant and
structured. Very floral with lavender, violets and dried oregano. Gravelly tannins, acid and oak still
quite prominent for a 13 year old wine. This has years left in it, although it had some bricking/browning
happening already. Not overblown or flabby fruit, just wonderfully judged ripeness, and would put a real
fight up to much more fancied Right bank wines.
Jacobs Creek St Hugo 2009 Barossa Shiraz Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. Looks like this label lasted just 2 vintages - 2009 and 2010. RRP was about $55. IMO the JC name kills the effort to produce a premium wine.Just like the Limited Edition range. Anyway a pretty standard blend that was nice but didn't float my boat. Lacking in sweet fruit with hard tannins and slightly burnt flavours so typical of the vintage. Perhaps should have left it a few more years although not sure it would improve the wine's balance.
Carl
Your worst game of golf is better than your best day at work
