Please help this novice fill a decanter and a cellar!

[sjw_11]

Pretty nice sampler of top labels and good vintages to start your journey!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks Manno, that was fun, I enjoyed both the pictures and your comments. Looking forward to the next installment.

Cheers ........... Mahmoud.

[Manno]

Thanks Sam & Mahmoud. Yeah its been fun sampling these wines, especially enjoyable sharing them.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/fyJJxG2C/416995-FD-B828 ... 3993-D.jpg[/img]

Those glasses are probably over filled?

[Mahmoud Ali]

Likely, the decanter is empty.

[Manno]

Im fairly sure that not the entire bottle is seen here.

Heres some more notable mentions.

I only had a few misses with all the bottles from Langtons. A Kalleske Greenock had some fault. And a 3 bottle lot of 96 Command shiraz were complete port having probably spent their lives next to the stove in someones kitchen. Have a look at the state of the corks.....

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/Y0yHbMfh/73-F674-E6-DE4 ... CA27-C.jpg[/img]

Loved the 150. But perhaps not the greatest value around?

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/VL3w56JG/563-B7-F61-C2- ... C9-B93.jpg[/img]

A big spicy E&E

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/2yMsqcSb/905-E8602-6-C0 ... CFE3-B.jpg[/img]

This was the cork from a 96 magnum of St Henri that i took to family christmas. I assume cellaring was good and the wine was amazing. Probably enjoyed it more than the Astralis and Runrig. But you may cringe at the cheerful xmas stemware. I did! But it didnt detract from the enjoyment. A weird side note to this bottle. Ive kept the odd empty and this was one. I’ll often stick my beak into an empty bottle the day after to see what the sediment smells like. Earthy and sweet, i love it. By day two the same smells are usually less so, a but more funky. Then after that it tends to disappear. The St Henri was unique. In that i would revisit that empty bottle for a quick sniff every, few weeks, every month.... and each time id take the cork out, and for whatever reason the scent from what was left in THIS particular bottle was as clean and sweet and delicious smelling as it was the day it was emptied. This went on for months. Any ideas? Maybe the lack of oak? Anyway. A memorable bottle.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/mZ9fJ4X7/57-C253-EF-8-C ... 6-DDA4.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/ZqDPr16q/B1-EA423-C-D8- ... A363-C.jpg[/img]

A Reschke was probably the most difficult wine so far. Was completely dense with something. Oak i think. But the wine was almost cloudy it was so thick.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/ZKdygWp4/BE1-C78-C4-26- ... A42418.jpg[/img]

Another christmas lineup. The Lawsons the oldest red so far. There was a small amount of fruit left but mostly leather and sweet cigar flavours.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/xd4zhMxj/2732-CDBA-4-CD ... DD57-B.jpg[/img]

This time last year we traveled to Crete to visit my fathers family. There i discovered greek wine was more than the much maligned retsina. Some lovely cabernets were had, and all good value. The pick of the lot was the Symbolo. Oh, and wine glasses are different in Crete......

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/wjkPXTWQ/D6-B5-E449-364 ... -FE4-D.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/qvpDvHkh/A25-CA999-8910 ... -A38-C.jpg[/img]

I did try some of the different local varieties. Kostifali was one i remember. Though the home made wine from the little tavernas is an acquired taste.... one that I did not acquire!

So we end up with this last little bottle. One i picked up from a small celler in Healesville. Although a modest look at French wine, it was about as close to what im looking for as ive found so far. Beautiful complex rich fruit, earthy notes and that wet stone/crushed rock. Absolutely loved this. Could happily settle on this style of wine for the next decade of my journey.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/x8BvvN78/07-F40-F51-682 ... 940127.jpg[/img]

Thanks again for reading.

Hopefully ive provided enough of an insight into my taste in wine so far, and id love to hear from anyone with suggestions of wines that i might like to try. With a view to cellaring a few cases that i can enjoy in 5,10,15+ years time.

Cheers
Manny