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

[Mike Hawkins]

Wine # 10 - 2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
And this is why the Germans are so good at this variety. Another WOTY contender for sweet whites. When a wine like this comes along, you really sit up and take notice, its commanding. Pineapple, Barley Sugar sweetness, but NO alcohol/heat at all. Mango and tropical fruit, feels like a high botrytis year, but perfect acid to balance it out. Not cloying or overt sweetness, but powerful all at the same time. Only 7.5% astonishing and that length..... I can almost still taste it. Another wine moment and this knocked it out of the park.

Good pickup - 06 was a big botrytis year in the Mosel, even the kabinetts have some bot character. Love the higher pradikat JJ Prums, never over the top in any way.

I’ve got quite a few GKs that I’ll have to open in a few years

[Michael McNally]

Birthday weekend started early (Thursday night). Shared over the four nights (brief notes only):

2008 Burge Family Winemakers Garnacha. Still holding on but not getting any better. Shame as I still have 6 left.
2013 Thompson Estate Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Only got a taste of this but entering its drinking window. Good wine. Two left.
2010 Rockford Vine Vale Riesling (thanks gpk!). Not particularly my style - more palate weight then I prefer in a Riesling. Nice full-bodied lemon fruit.
2011 Woodlands 'Margaret' Cabernet blend. Really classic cabernet characters, nice fruit - good length. Two left.
2013 Seppelt Drumborg Chardonnay. Mainly citrus with a little whte peach and nougat. Developed but not overblown. Very nice. Last bottle.
2007 Seppelt St Peters Shiraz. Lighter than I thought, but pristine cool climate peppery shiraz. Nice with the steak. One more left.
2014 Cape Mentelle Walcliff Cab Sauv. Cab Franc. This is what I remember from the cellar door. Smooth Cab. Great tannin. Long finish. Will be better in 10 years. First of six.

This is why I have a cellar.

Cheers

Michael

[phillisc]

A fabulous bottle of 2012 Yalumba Signature...a baby, beautiful balance between the Shiraz and Cabernet, inky black in colour, blue fruits, spice, savoury earthy tones. Palate long and lasting
Cork stained on bottom, no where else. Will look at the next one in a decade
2016 Gomersal Reserve Shiraz...at the price I paid for these, a bargain. Lovely wine medium weight very quaffable!

Cheers Craig

[Scotty vino]

2004 Taylors St Andrews Shiraz.
Purchased local Droogie McTavish many moons ago. Cellared at 13 degrees for its life.
2 hours in the flask. drank over an hour or so.
Glad I threw the filter on this one. See pic.

Dark blood/crimson red in the glass with some bricking on the rim.
Bit of a whiff... i was getting cedar, leather, black olive, aniseed/liquorice and vanillin oak notes.
Also a very slight tang of green cap in the background.
Awesome plum/dark cherry flavours here with a really nice long dark fruit, black/red currant drive.
The funny thing with this wine was it came across quite dark and brooding in the intial stages but
as it started to wake up there was a fantastic fruit brightness that really came to the fore. really impressed.
Tannins lovely and soft and completed the package perfectly.

I guess not enough can be said about correct cellaring folks. For me this was a prime example of wine left alone
in ideal conditions. The give away was the amazing fruit brightness shining thru from the core.
No portiness or jamminess to see here.
Another 10 years in the tank without a problem but very happy to drink it now!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Craig, Scotty, good to see some good old stalwarts doing well. Thanks for the notes. I've never seen the St Andrews here in Canada but certainly the Signature.

What's the appliance on top of the bottle Scotty?

Mahmoud.

[Rory]

Scotty, the Taylors St Andrews Cabernet and the Shiraz have been overlooked often. From good vintages, they age beautifully. I still have one '98 and '99 Cab waiting a final farewell.

[mychurch]

2015 Tyrrells HVD Old Vines Chardonnay for me tonight. It’s not in the top tier of Auz Chardonnays that I have tried, but it’s very interesting. I like the creaminess in the mouth, which makes me want to drink more. Lots of cashew and citrus. Despite being the oldest Chardonnay vines in the country, it misses real minerality - I suppose that’s the terroir ahowing. I can see this aging well.

[Scotty vino]

Craig, Scotty, good to see some good old stalwarts doing well. Thanks for the notes. I've never seen the St Andrews here in Canada but certainly the Signature.

What's the appliance on top of the bottle Scotty?

Mahmoud.

Wine filter. Fits most bottles. Think it set me back about $10.00. Worth every cent so far.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Don't think I've seen this, must look into getting one.

[Matt@5453]

2004 Taylors St Andrews Shiraz.
Purchased local Droogie McTavish many moons ago. Cellared at 13 degrees for its life.
2 hours in the flask. drank over an hour or so.
Glad I threw the filter on this one. See pic.

Dark blood/crimson red in the glass with some bricking on the rim.
Bit of a whiff... i was getting cedar, leather, black olive, aniseed/liquorice and vanillin oak notes.
Also a very slight tang of green cap in the background.
Awesome plum/dark cherry flavours here with a really nice long dark fruit, black/red currant drive.
The funny thing with this wine was it came across quite dark and brooding in the intial stages but
as it started to wake up there was a fantastic fruit brightness that really came to the fore. really impressed.
Tannins lovely and soft and completed the package perfectly.

I guess not enough can be said about correct cellaring folks. For me this was a prime example of wine left alone
in ideal conditions. The give away was the amazing fruit brightness shining thru from the core.
No portiness or jamminess to see here.
Another 10 years in the tank without a problem but very happy to drink it now!

I picked up a couple of 1998's at Auction a few years ago, albeit cork, from good provenance. The one bottle I've opened so far was the same as yours, bottle was caked with sediment - but the wine lovely. Hoping to open my last one this year at some stage.

[Ozzie W]

2018 Home Hill Kelly's Reserve Pinot Noir
Surprisingly approachable for such a young vintage. Intense dark cherry fruit, forest floor, sweet mid palate, elegant long finish with some vanilla oak. Tannins and acid well balanced with the fruit. I expect this will transform into something quite special with time in the cellar.

[Wines101]

Tonight it’s a full body Chardonnay from a 2017 Cullen Kevin John... a wonderful wine to enjoy this evening

[felixp21]

1996 Pierro Pinot Noir
still a dark crimson colour, this is a full bodied pinot in it's prime. Maybe a touch of shiraz in there? Lovely plums and violets, maybe not a lot of varietal typicity, but incredibly delicious to drink!!! A great and very pleasant surprise. Drink: now-2025, 92pts.

[Rory]

Matt said:

I picked up a couple of 1998's at Auction a few years ago, albeit cork, from good provenance. The one bottle I've opened so far was the same as yours, bottle was caked with sediment - but the wine lovely. Hoping to open my last one this year at some stage.

From Langtons?
Could have been mine.

[Mahmoud Ali]

1996 Pierro Pinot Noir
still a dark crimson colour, this is a full bodied pinot in it's prime. Maybe a touch of shiraz in there? Lovely plums and violets, maybe not a lot of varietal typicity, but incredibly delicious to drink!!! A great and very pleasant surprise. Drink: now-2025, 92pts.

I must say that I find this rather alarming. Not that there is anything wrong about the wine being a fine drop but rather that a 24 year old pinot isn't showing varietal character. Was it common practice for Pierro, or any other producer, to add a bit of shiraz to their pinots?

[A_Steady]

I’ve opened a ‘16 Frugal Farmer, matches well with wood fired pizza. Bright red fruits, a little powdery tannin, nice with food. I like these with 3-4 years of bottle age

[Scotty vino]

2011 Greenock Creek Alices Shiraz. (screw cap)
In the glass impenetrable deep/dark crimson with minimal bricking if at all on the rim.
Taking a whiff... Getting Chocolate, coffee, cedar, cassis, vanillin/oak. Also getting a sweet plum like reduction with hints of blackberry and cinnamon. A lovely spiced xmas/fruit cake and currant/raisin note too to round out the bouquet.

Having a taste the tannins were fine, soft and focussed but still enough structure to keep things interesting. Fantastic red cherry like 'lift' here with an almost fleshy like texture. Lovely dark/deep red fruits pushing thru on the palate with a solid finish.

Actually surprised to not encounter any portiness or jaminess here. The last one I had (2008) started far too strong and finished quite flabby and over blown. Nothing like that here. Very minial sediment. I did initially try to employ the filter but the neck was too wide. Nae bother as it wasn't required. 15% on ALC front which for GC is on the low side. Was a bit of heat floating around but seemed in check with little or no volatility. Another reason why the aforementioned 2008 suffered. Up around the 16-17% mark. yeah nah. Like trying to box with Mike T.

The boss initially protested at the opening of this but was pleasantly surprised, as was I, with the fruit brightness and soft structure throughout. Greenock Creek can polarise and for many it's fallen off the wagon completely, but this instalment reminded me why I originally fell for this wine.

Cellared in passive 15-20-15 degree under house from release and although it seems it's holding up really well for the future I'm tucking into this now or within the next 12-24 months.

If I'm picking on this wine I would say it was the lack of some of the signature notes you see in some of the older GC wines. That machine shed, bitumen, tar and asphalt note that really sets this wine up was quite low in the spectrum here. There was a little evidence of this early on but it seemed to blow off after time in the ol' flask. Either way the other elements stepped in.

[phillisc]

Scotty, sounds like you are consuming this right now
Just easing into the weekend are we?
Must have a look at a GC soon, 'found' a sixer of 97 Seven acre when i was doing the cellar sort out.
Cheers Craig

[Benchmark]

2016 Fontodi Chianti Classico.

Pre dinner drink before we go out and celebrate the completion of my Uni.

Concentrated and clean. More fruit than typical. Well balanced with a decent length to the finish. Good value.

[mjs]

Some wonderful wines, all in their sweet spot last night at Paris Go, with grb2001 and other halfs

2000 Katnook Odyssey Cabernet
1996 Lindemans Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet
1994 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz

Odyssey in particular was spectacular, Bin389 perhaps on the downhill slope, but only just. Limestone with that characteristic slightly sweet fruit character. All in very good nick

[felixp21]

2010 Guy Fichet Meursault Les Tessons
Gloriously mature wine in full bloom, yet another 2010 white that has developed quickly, but never-the-less is a superb village white.
Honey, cashews, white-flower, full and round, with the trademark 'fatness" of the village. Just delicious. 93pts drink: now-2022

[Ozzie W]

Sami-Odi Little Wine #5

This wine is a blend of 2012 (11%), 2013 (3%), 2014 (39%) and 2015 (47%).

In general, Barossa Shiraz isn't a style I enjoy drinking these days. There are exceptions and Sami-Odi is one of them. Perhaps that's because it's got a bit of an Old World feel to it? While there's plenty of black & blue fruits (but not jammy in the slightest) it's also quite savoury too with baking spices, black pepper, old leather. Powdery, ferrous tannins, plenty of acidity, lovely balance and structure. Long dry finish.

If I didn't enjoy Italian wines so much, this is certainly a producer I'd cellar a lot more of.

[Dragzworthy]

Drouhin Laroze Charmes Chambertin 2009
Beautiful drop that opened as it was consumed but was still tight. Lots of raspberry and hints of plum spice with earthiness, almost had Bordeaux like qualities. After having lots of new world Pinot, this was a welcome change of depth and complexity

[Rossco]

Sami-Odi Little Wine #5

This wine is a blend of 2012 (11%), 2013 (3%), 2014 (39%) and 2015 (47%).

In general, Barossa Shiraz isn't a style I enjoy drinking these days. There are exceptions and Sami-Odi is one of them. Perhaps that's because it's got a bit of an Old World feel to it? While there's plenty of black & blue fruits (but not jammy in the slightest) it's also quite savoury too with baking spices, black pepper, old leather. Powdery, ferrous tannins, plenty of acidity, lovely balance and structure. Long dry finish.

If I didn't enjoy Italian wines so much, this is certainly a producer I'd cellar a lot more of.

I had the #9 last week and it was stunning. Very young, but so good, and I am the same as you Oz, the usual Barossa Shiraz isnt I style
I enjoy any more, but always have room for a couple of Frasers wines every year.

[Scotty vino]

Tried Sami-Odi Little Wine #9 Syrah last night.
Assemblage of 2019 (42%), 2018 (37%), 2017 (13%), 2016 (4%) & 2015 (4%).
The colour of this wine is incredible. Flinging it around in the flask the magenta and purple hues are a thing of beauty. Great structure here with lots of cool dusty characteristics and very little oak influence. There's some sort of dried tobacco thing going here too. Mouth feel is very angular and tannins are focused and to the point. Amazing texture here. Quality all the way.

Tried blind and straight off the bat I picked it as an old world wine from a cool climate.

[Ozzie W]

Tried Sami-Odi Little Wine #9 Syrah last night.
Assemblage of 2019 (42%), 2018 (37%), 2017 (13%), 2016 (4%) & 2015 (4%).
The colour of this wine is incredible. Flinging it around in the flask the magenta and purple hues are a thing of beauty. Great structure here with lots of cool dusty characteristics and very little oak influence. There's some sort of dried tobacco thing going here too. Mouth feel is very angular and tannins are focused and to the point. Amazing texture here. Quality all the way.

Tried blind and straight off the bat I picked it as an old world wine from a cool climate.

Yes, it's certainly nothing like your archetypal Barossa Shiraz. Says a lot about winemaker influence vs. terroir.

[mychurch]

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Only visited Quealy once and it’s my head as the best - it had the laid back farmer feel, rather then the posh wedding venue type. This 2015 was enjoyable on tasting a few years ago and is better now. The blend made it interesting, Pinot dominates, but the Sangiovese and Shiraz add something else. Opulent, with a touch of vanila I’m amongst the cherry and camphor. Round, plump, bay leaf. Just a yum wine that’s drinking at its peak now.

[mjs]

Some fabulous individual bottles at dinner with grb2001, pepsican and my other half at Centonove last night, where they had a "cellar" (byo) night.

98 Bowen Estate Ampelon Shiraz
98 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
90 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet
86 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet

The Ampelon and the 389 were in great nick and very good, but the JRs were the standouts, just great bottles. The '90 was still tight, almost ungiving, but terrific cassis, beautiful mouthfeel, nicely integrated tannins, linear, will go for another ten years and then some. Probably the best bottle of '90 I've had in the last few years. The '86 was just a wonderful wine, beautifully resolved, mocha and coffee, gentle oak, soft fruit, medium weight, but plenty of length, just a wonderful wine to savour in the glass.

Great food and service at Centonove, they have the byo nights every 2-3 months, well worth looking out for if you have couple of bottles in mind.

[phillisc]

Malcolm... great to hear about these four. Interestingly the last 2 bottles of Ampelon have been very different...one underdeveloped and one almost past it. Great to hear about 90 JR never had a bad one...86 is a different story...the last 2 have been very ordinary...no TCA but a palate that left me thinking is this it.
Have a few of both... will look at one shortly.
Cheers Craig

[mjs]

Craig,
That particular bottle of Ampelon from last night was beautifully developed but had many years ahead of it (until I opened it )
cheers, Malcolm