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

[JamieBahrain]

I know thx chef but never tried. What’s their corkage? He had a place called Lot 10

[Mike Hawkins]

A few magnums the other night in HK. Neighbourhood restaurant is sensational, well worth a visit if you are travelling up here.

1998 Vilmart Cuvee Creation
in this format, the bottle itself is stunning. As for the wine, equally stunning. Rich, round but with tremendous drive and energy. Still very young in tis format, I would think another decade will see it in it's prime. Awesome start. 96pts

2001 Ramonet Batard Montrachet
again, incredibly young and pretty tight. opened up during the night, with typical Batard white flowers, tropical and stone fruits. Lots of river pebbles and minerality. Super length. I'd wait another decade in this format. 93+ pts.

2013 Fourrier Echezeaux
despite this being a Maison wine from Jean Marie, there is the typical polish and red fruit accent. At such a young age, the oak is understandably a little prominent, but the wine should come together nicely in the next 5-10 years. I really like the 2013 vintage. 92+ pts

1990 Camille Giroud Pommard Clos Les Epeneaux
fully mature, opened with a little bret, but this blew off after an hour in the decanter. Pretty wine, good length, red fruit spectrum. Lots of interest without being a world-beater. Drink up. 90 pts.

A great night, the wine fantastic and the food a highlight.

Shame Laurent stopped making Creation after the 00 vintage.. a personal favourite

[felixp21]

I know thx chef but never tried. What’s their corkage? He had a place called Lot 10

chef dined with us, I am not sure what the corkage is. The food is unbelievably good. It is very close to the new L'Imperatrice shop on Hollywood, which would be convenient if you start to run low

[grhm1961]

1984 Brown Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon

Ordinarily you wouldn't expect much from a mainstream cabernet from an average year after 34 years, but this bottle looked in superb condition, with minimal ullage and the label in perfect condition. The cork was soft and required surgical extraction in multiple pieces; however the wine looked vibrant, like a good tawny or even a muscat. The nose was a generous, lively combo of caramel, toffee and coffee, with undertones of liquorice and leather, but in a pleasant, still very much alive manner, not old and dusty like you normally get with non-stellar wines of this age.

The palate spoke of caramelised apple and raisins with sweet berry notes, and a lovely sweet-sherry finish. We drank it over three-quarters of an hour, and it held firm throughout, a real surprise packet.

Overall, this wine was in excellent condition and a joy to drink. A wine that cost very little, yet provided a memorable, joyous experience more than three decades after it was made. A real tribute to the benefits of cellaring.

1984 BB CS.jpg

[mychurch]

Lovely review. I picked up a couple of bottles of 1983 Sepplt Cabernet a few years ago and it was also an unexpected pleasure. Amazing how well some ‘simple’ wines can age in a cool cellar.

[michel]

1984 Brown Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon

Ordinarily you wouldn't expect much from a mainstream cabernet from an average year after 34 years, but this bottle looked in superb condition, with minimal ullage and the label in perfect condition. The cork was soft and required surgical extraction in multiple pieces; however the wine looked vibrant, like a good tawny or even a muscat. The nose was a generous, lively combo of caramel, toffee and coffee, with undertones of liquorice and leather, but in a pleasant, still very much alive manner, not old and dusty like you normally get with non-stellar wines of this age.

The palate spoke of caramelised apple and raisins with sweet berry notes, and a lovely sweet-sherry finish. We drank it over three-quarters of an hour, and it held firm throughout, a real surprise packet.

Overall, this wine was in excellent condition and a joy to drink. A wine that cost very little, yet provided a memorable, joyous experience more than three decades after it was made. A real tribute to the benefits of cellaring.

1984 BB CS.jpg

Great fill level
We used to enjoy the shiraz mondeuse from this era....
Btw where did the fruit come from?

[Ian S]

I always wanted to try the Shiraz Mondeuse (Cabernet?) from Brown brothers, but I've never seen it listed in the UK.

[grhm1961]

Btw where did the fruit come from?

According to the back label it was made entirely from fruit grown at their Milawa vineyard.

[michel]

Btw where did the fruit come from?

According to the back label it was made entirely from fruit grown at their Milawa vineyard.

Thanks
Pretty sure the old shiraz monduese was Milawa

[BHCC1]

Shiraz, Mondeuse was indeed sourced from the Milawa vineyard. Five years or so since my last bottle but the 1967 turned out to be a cracker. Lucked on a few bottles at auction for $5 pb - one of those speculative buys that returned in spades.

[rooman]

Dinner at Brown Sugar with a few friends. Started with the Grosset Springvale 2012. Light touch, still far too young and in a slightly dormant phase. Bright acid on a long finish suggests in another 7 years or so it will be superb.

The Balnaves Tally 2004 that was put on the tasting bench for the recent MR v Coon tasting I couldn’t get too. It appears the 2004s are all starting to finally come around. This wine is only just at the beginning of a long life and go for decades. Tannins have softened and the fruit taken on a lovely depth with sweet cassis and tobacco box flavours.

Finally a Ch Rieussec 2005 half bottle. The colour is now deep amber and with marmalade and apricot fruit was perfect with dessert.

[mjs]

Dinner with grb2001 and better halves last night. Some very good wines including

'01 Majella Cabernet
'91 Moss Wood Cabernet
'86 Bowen Estate Shiraz

All of these were in excellent nick, including the Bowen and all very enjoyable

[TiggerK]

Fun night out with the #OneMoreBottle crew. Plenty of Japanese goodness at Nazimi, then the optional but popular kick on to Golden Century for S&P Prawns, Pipis with spicy noodles, Pork and fried rice. Even with much spitting the late night does make Tuesday work a bit tougher but wouldn't have it any other way, great bunch of people with plenty of wine banter and laughs.

Eclectic selection of wines, quality and interest from start to finish, with the only dud being the long past it 2000 Chardonnay.

Highlights for me were the Gaunoux Puligny-M and Garagiste Chardonnay's, and my ongoing love of COS wines and Baudry's Chinon.

I wasn't taking notes, so just some brief comments...

Strange but not a Stranger Pet Nat - Brown colour, very bruised apple, still fermenting?, wild, ultra 'natural'. Small taste was fascinating but that's all I needed.
Les Betes Curieuses La Perdrix de l'annee Muscadet 2016 - tropical fruit nose, clean and fresher on palate, touch short on finish but a classic seafood match.
Angullong Fossil Hill Vermentino 2017 - Great balance, intriguing red berry fruits and a juicy, yet dry finish leaves you wanting more.
Kooyong Faultline Chardonnay 2012 - In a good place, oak def there but nicely done. No hurry.
Garagiste Terre Maritime Chardonnay 2017 - Very classy effort, leaner modern style, but not enough to put off traditional style lovers. Shines out strongly. Yum.
J.M. Gaunoux Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieries 2010 - Wonderful acid had me in France, yet the oak felt a bit new world. Overall really good, love that acid!
Nicholson River Winery Chardonnay 2000 - Well past its best for me.
Latta Tranquil Nebbiolo Rose 2017 - Nice texture, some phenolic grip and a drying finish. Would like to revisit this sometime soon.
Serrat Pinot Noir 2014 - I'm enjoying this group slowly reviving my faith in Australian Pinot Noir, this is another step in the right direction. The sweetness of the fruit is offset by the well managed ripe stemmy elements and some savoury characters. Rather good.
COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2014 - Love the COS wines, no exception here, just so much interest and a real sense of place.
Bernard Baudry 'Les Grezeaux' Chinon 2014 - Earth and funk, clay and blackberry. Delicious. Not for everyone but a style I enjoy.
Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz 2007 - Didn't pick it as Hunter (and we had earlier discussed that the 'big' vintages can be less Hunter-ish), travelling pretty well, maybe the oak a bit charry and heavy, but more time should see this improve further.
Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon 'Benjamin' 2013 - Quite rich and syrupy, but still some herbal thyme and fine tannins giving enough structure to hold it together. Paired well with rare beef.

Cheers
Tim

[Sean]

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[rooman]

Highlights for me were .... my ongoing love of COS wines and Baudry's Chinon.


COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2014 - Love the COS wines, no exception here, just so much interest and a real sense of place.

Cheers
Tim

On this we definitely agree. Sam from Vaucluse Wine Cellars got me into these wines some time ago. He had an excellent palate and is sorely missed.

Mark

[Matt@5453]

2015 Tim Adams Riesling, Clare Valley

Light golden colour. Lemon & Limes, a touch of toastiness, with lemon butter lingering on the finish. The acidity has softened and the wine finishes very nicely. Very good wine. Drank well over 2 days.


2017 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

A nice 'complete' wine, in that, the palate structure is well balanced / rounded and gives a nice long 'soft' lingering finish. Light to medium bodied, fresh berries, savoury and floral - a very easy drinking style of wine. Probably lacking a little complexity to score higher in my view but for the price it does not matter. Actually wish I had more though.

2015 Taylors St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley

Bordering on full bodied; black currant, blackberry, black olive, cigar box and a touch of earthiness. Very good palate weight with medium acidity and some drying tannins on a long lingering finish. Give this 5-10 years in the cellar.

[rens]

Roger Pike sent an email to me the other day and I got hold of an extra six pack of his 2016 Marius Symposium after I found out it had not sold out.
Thought I'd give it a try tonight as Roger recons it's pretty good stuff.
I decanted it for an hour and I knew as soon as I had my first sip, Roger was underselling himself here. It has a great dark red colour and the nose gives spades of dark red and black fruits and a hint of spice. The palate is first rate. Mouth filling with great acidity that you need not go looking for, but it is not in your face either. The fruit is in great form with hints of chocolate and subtle spice. It's linear but not pin point in that it fills the palate without a hint of flab and progresses nicely to a lingering finish. So glad I got some extra. Again batting well above its modest price point. If you don't have any, flick Roger an email and see if you can still pick these up-you will not regret it for a second.

[Sean]

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[phillisc]

Another 97 Greenock Creek 7 Acre... just a fantastic wine. Cheers Craig

[Michael McNally]

Roger Pike sent an email to me the other day and I got hold of an extra six pack of his 2016 Marius Symposium after I found out it had not sold out.
Thought I'd give it a try tonight as Roger recons it's pretty good stuff.
I decanted it for an hour and I knew as soon as I had my first sip, Roger was underselling himself here. It has a great dark red colour and the nose gives spades of dark red and black fruits and a hint of spice. The palate is first rate. Mouth filling with great acidity that you need not go looking for, but it is not in your face either. The fruit is in great form with hints of chocolate and subtle spice. It's linear but not pin point in that it fills the palate without a hint of flab and progresses nicely to a lingering finish. So glad I got some extra. Again batting well above its modest price point. If you don't have any, flick Roger an email and see if you can still pick these up-you will not regret it for a second.

Thanks Rens

I picked up a six. I was simply unable to order less Simpatico or Symphony, so passed initially. Pleased to hear I made the right choice. Second good report I have had.

Cheers

Michael

[Matt@5453]

Dropped into the Adelina Cellar Door in the Clare Valley on Monday, it’s not open very regularly but being the long weekend Col and Jen decided to open up the doors. It’s a good sized cellar door and a nice addition to the winery located on Wendouree Road. Modern and sleek with large pieces of artwork representing what is on the wine labels. The cellar door backs right onto the winery itself.

This is the first time I have had a chance to look at lot of these guys wines at once, certainly an impressive line-up of wines. Rieslings are excellent regional examples and the reds being distinctive to the terrior the grapes are harvested from.

Below are some brief impressions:

Whites

2018 Polish Hill Riesling – classic PH minerals, slate, lemon, soft acidity – good length with lingering finish
2018 Watervale Riesling – more fruit driven compared to the Polish Hill, fuller in the mouth. Once again a long lingering finish.
2017 Vine Mind Riesling – made from grapes sourced from North of Clare. Aged in concrete vats for 6 months. Very pale in colour, dry, chalky, textural, lemon with great line of acidity. My favourite of the trio.

All excellent examples of Clare Valley Riesling – great value too. The more 2018 Rieslings I am trying - I am seeing the quality of the vintage shine. 2016, 2017 & 2018 will be hard to split in my view.

Reds

2017 Grenache – sourced from low yielding vines just to the east of the winery, age of the vines are unknown – speculation whether 60 to 80 years old. Medium bodied at best, soft and round in the mouth, rose, raspberry, a hint of musk but savoury in nature. The tannins creep up on you giving a drying sensation.

2017 Shiraz - Medium bodied, red/dark fruits, spices, hints of gum leaf and liquorice. A good line of acidity and a very long finish, with excellent tannins that coat the mouth. Jen suggests that the wine will ‘fill out’ in body over time. Given the age of the vines and proximity to Wendouree's vineyard, the wine is very different to the Bradys. It was suggested the slightly different aspect of the vines and soil type contributes to the differing flavour profile.

2017 Shiraz Mataro – Medium bodied also – very similar structure to the straight shiraz, but with an earthy Mataro spice that lingers on the finish. Quality wine. We discussed the similarities / differences of their next door neighbour's blend (Wendouree). Obviously differences in wine making styles, but they were saying its hard to pick their own wine out in a blind tasting including Wendourees. At ~$20 a bottle this is awesome value.

I love these styles of wine, not a sign of big jammy reds or heavy handed use of oak; they are elegant / "feminine" in nature.

If you get the chance see if they are open for tastings or book in advance by appointment.

Adelina 1.jpg

Adelina 2.jpg

Adelina 3.jpg

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Con J]

Got together a few nights ago with my monthly Wednesday night group, this month was Bordeaux.

We started of with a white then 4 brackets of 2 reds and finished with a sticky.

2010 Domaine Michelot – Meursault Perrieres.

Started with stone fruits, rich peach and nectarine and a bit of oak, after some breathing in the glass some lemon and citrus developed. Nice start.

1990 Cos d Estournel.
1986 Cos d Estournel.

For me these were similar except the 86 had more oak and tannins, both drinking well with ripe dark fruit. The 90 drinking better and a more balanced wine, my WOTN. The oak and tannins on the 86 are starting to get ahead of the fruit.

1996 Pichon Baron.
1996 Pichon Lalande.

These were classic Pauillac with graphite, cedar and cigar box. Both drinking well and hard to split but maybe the Baron on the night.

2000 Pavillon Rouge.
2000 Ducru Beaucaillou.

The first Ducru had too much brett, the back up was clean and very different. This pair was hard to describe. Maybe in a weird place now not primary but lacked the complexity of the older wines.

2003 Leoville Las Cases.
2003 Montrose.

Everyone picked these as 03’s before the question was asked. Big, rich, very ripe, jammy and stewed were words that were thrown around the table. I think these suffered from the previous brackets.

1983 d Y’quem.

Deep gold, copper in colour. Rich and sweet with orange marmalade and botrytis, maybe just lacked a bit of acidity. Still a nice way to finish.



Cheers Con.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Very nice lineup Con, especially the older vintages. Thanks.

[Luke W]

Marius Symphony 2011, opened in anticipation of 6 of the 2016 arriving tomorrow. Should have left it for about 10 years. Decanted but impossible to drink for a couple of hours then Wammo! Massive black fruited bomb, just putting a couple of drops in front of my teeth because there's just too much flavour. It's going to take hours to drink a glass of this but to be fair about 15oz goes into this glass so I know I'll get my share! Here I was thinking that nothing any good could have come out of S. A. in 2011. I can tell this is going to be a pearler and the evolution will be such a joy to watch and taste.

[tuxy85]

Lanson Gold Label 2004 - still quite a lot of citrus and the front but with a nice buttery finish. Sorry I'm still very amateurish when describing champagne so that all I have ..... I enjoyed it.

[Bobthebuilder]

2003 Petaluma Hamlin Hill Riesling - probably the best of all the Hamlin Hills I’ve had to date. The lime fruit is just delicious, it’s had some development with age but retains a beautiful purity, with really good concentration but the acid keeping it in check and not allowing it to become overdone and syrupy. It’s not overly complex, but extremely well balanced

[Hacker]

Guinness, Guinness and more Guinness. Touring around Ireland golfing for a few weeks. Wine offerings are few and far between but Guinness fits the bill. Royal Portrush next.

[Mike Hawkins]

Guinness, Guinness and more Guinness. Touring around Ireland golfing for a few weeks. Wine offerings are few and far between but Guinness fits the bill. Royal Portrush next.

You’ll enjoy Portrush, but if you get to RCD, every other course will seem pedestrian. Down south, I recommend Waterville, Lahinch and definitely Ballybunion. 1st tee next to the cemetery is pretty weird!