Right, COVID-19, what are we drinking right now?

[mjs]

2013 Pooley Matilda Champenoise $65 @ CD, less at club price
Chardonnay Pinot Noir, six years on lees
Slightly toasty bouquet, some stone fruit, citrus, grapefruit, mousse is a little coarse but nice persistent flavour, a slightly chewy mouthfeel, in a good way, some green apple, a little biscuity, complexity, persistent, a nice fizz as a dinner pre-starter

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/fRyTYyP8/416-B44-BC-F06 ... 84-ED9.jpg[/img]

[Ian S]

A 2010 Claudio Mariotto Timorasso Pitasso last night. Still plenty of life left in it. When the question is 'red or white', this (grape) is the all-rounder that's often the perfect compromise. Need more!

[Rossco]

2012 Veuve Fourny & Fils 1er Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Monts de Vertus

This is such a good wine. Loaded with perfectly ripe fruit. Peaches and other stone fruit, Freshly baked bread and straw.
Silky and quite rich but it's the chalk that's the star here. So minerally. Acid really holds it all together and tames that richness perfectly. Really nice length.

[sjw_11]

I really haven't been taking notes even though frankly I have probably been drinking more than usual (into week 7 of full confinement over here) and drinking a lot of duplicates rather than one off bottles. Anyway here is what I did make a note of in March/April:

• 2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (4/26/2020)
  Deep yellow. Waxy lemon, lanolin, and a slight oxidative character on the nose. Angular on the palate, the acid feeling slightly unbalanced. Not bad, probably better in a couple more years. (90 pts.)
• 2009 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (4/24/2020)
  What a different tasting note to last time (didn't wait the decade I planned as COVID has me short of options to drink).
  
  Exceptionally fragrant. The house style (and the oak-varnish character) is clearly visible but this has for me a purer nose and more elegance than say the 2007 at a similar age. Creamy red fruits. Crunchy acidity. Lingering, juicy finish. Drinking quite well now although I am sure another 5-10 years wouldn’t hurt. (93 pts.)
• 2017 Alheit Vineyards Cartology Bushvines - South Africa, Western Cape (4/22/2020)
  Slightly more appeal than the last bottle. Pleasant grassy, oily lemon fruit on the nose. A touch more balance on the palate, finishing crisp and dry with good acidity. I really think this could be very interesting in a couple of years time (opening too early due to lack of variety during lock down!) (92 pts.)
• 2014 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Theurons Domaine Gagey - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (4/12/2020)
  Medium red. Light cherry aroma. A touch of sous-bois. Quite fresh. At first it’s a touch green on the palate but it opens up with air. A little coarse on the finish. Pleasant but doesn’t really hit any great heights. (Bottle 2/3, no notes on the first but similar sentiments) (89 pts.)
• 2012 Château Coutelin-Merville - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (4/10/2020)
  Mid red. Good clarity. Fresh and lifted nose of vibrant red berries and vanilla. Medium bodied, with juicy acidity and gentle, fine grained tannins. Delicious easy drinking. (90 pts.)
• 2018 Domaine Belleville Menetou-Salon - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Menetou-Salon (4/6/2020)
  Fresh, clean and zippy with nice varietal character and pleasant crispness. Great value for money. (87 pts.)
• 2015 Les Hauts de Smith - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (4/5/2020)
  Better showing than my last note. Nice, medium bodied claret. (91 pts.)
• 2002 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Millenium Reserva Pesquera - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (4/3/2020)
  Well my best friend and his wife had twins yesterday so I needed something to open in their honour and of course we are in lock down so- what is in the cupboard? Figures it was about time to broach this one. Lovely medium bodied nose. Still very fragrant, even after being open a day. Classic Tempranillo fruit. Clear oak, but it has subsided into a gentle supporting role. A bit of leather too, with just a touch of varnish but not detracting. Very fresh on the palate, even freshening up with air. Juicy red berries. A bit of savoury complexity. In excellent shape. Drinking very well now, but no rush to finish up.
  
  I typically have mixed views on Ribera del Duero (a lot of over-ripe, soupy wines with too much oak and too many dollars in the price tag) but this is frankly lovely. (94 pts.)
• 2018 Gilles Flacher St. Joseph Les Reines - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (3/27/2020)
  Mid red. Gentle, brambly nose. Quite pure fruit characters. Medium bodied palate. A little short and simple but not unattractive. Nice easy drinking Syrah. (87 pts.)
• 2017 Albert Mann Pinot Gris Cuvée Albert - France, Alsace (3/26/2020)
  First bottle from a 6 pack, purchased for everyday drinking. The colour is tending towards mid yellow. Soothing nose, round pear, white flowers. Typical PG characteristics. A little sharp on the entry, even a touch of citrus, before opening into broader stone fruit and pear. Medium finish, decent balance. Pretty pleasant, and nice to have a French white wine under screw cap. (88 pts.)
• 2018 Jean Pabiot Pouilly-Fumé Les Chantebines - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé (3/21/2020)
  Gooseberry on the nose. A little tart. Crisp and clean in the mouth. Not bad, lacks a bit of personality. (86 pts.)
• 2016 Château Sénéjac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/19/2020)
  Mid red with purple tints. Very fresh nose of crushed red berries and vanilla. Quite fruit forward. Similar on the palate, staying in good balance even when open for three days. Terrific value Bordeaux, in a riper fruited style (at least this vintage, and to be clear- not over ripe or overly heavy either). Recommended. (90 pts.)
• 2018 Château du Moulin-a-Vent Moulin-à-Vent Les Terrasses du Château - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent (3/18/2020)
  No formal notes but I rather enjoyed this. Bright cherry and red fruit favours. Nice balance and acidity. Excellent mid week quaffer. (89 pts.)
• 2012 Château La Grâce Dieu Les Menuts - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/14/2020)
  70% merlot with the rest Cabernet. Mid red. Plummy, mulberry fruit declares the merlot. Sweet vanilla and a little bit of green character as well. Pleasant but not overly intense nose. Opens well in the mouth with gentle red fruit but falls away quickly with surprisingly grippy tannins. Not bad, not the best QPR, and on this showing perhaps not one to make old bones (or maybe in a bit of a hole right now?). (90 pts.)
• 2011 Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore L'Alberello - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore (3/7/2020)
  Blood red. Stunning nose. Deeply fragrant red berries at first, giving way to polished oak, capsicum, undergrowth and vanilla. Very fresh, more so than a 2010 tried a month or two ago. Beautiful balance in the mouth, even if the typical Bolgheri tannins remain pretty firm. Drinking well now but I suspect this will continue to unfurl for at least another decade. (94 pts.)
• 2018 Pierre Gaillard Condrieu - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (3/7/2020)
  Clear yellow. Lithe, expressive nose showing typical apricot fruit and crystalline purity. Quite light weight in the mouth, nice balance, no grippy phenolics. Very pleasant drinking. (92 pts.)

Posted from [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/]CellarTracker[/url]

[Benchmark]

I really haven't been taking notes even though frankly I have probably been drinking more than usual (into week 7 of full confinement over here) and drinking a lot of duplicates rather than one off bottles. Anyway here is what I did make a note of in March/April:

• 2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (4/26/2020)
  Deep yellow. Waxy lemon, lanolin, and a slight oxidative character on the nose. Angular on the palate, the acid feeling slightly unbalanced. Not bad, probably better in a couple more years. (90 pts.)
• 2009 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (4/24/2020)
  What a different tasting note to last time (didn't wait the decade I planned as COVID has me short of options to drink).
  
  Exceptionally fragrant. The house style (and the oak-varnish character) is clearly visible but this has for me a purer nose and more elegance than say the 2007 at a similar age. Creamy red fruits. Crunchy acidity. Lingering, juicy finish. Drinking quite well now although I am sure another 5-10 years wouldn’t hurt. (93 pts.)
• 2017 Alheit Vineyards Cartology Bushvines - South Africa, Western Cape (4/22/2020)
  Slightly more appeal than the last bottle. Pleasant grassy, oily lemon fruit on the nose. A touch more balance on the palate, finishing crisp and dry with good acidity. I really think this could be very interesting in a couple of years time (opening too early due to lack of variety during lock down!) (92 pts.)
• 2014 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Theurons Domaine Gagey - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (4/12/2020)
  Medium red. Light cherry aroma. A touch of sous-bois. Quite fresh. At first it’s a touch green on the palate but it opens up with air. A little coarse on the finish. Pleasant but doesn’t really hit any great heights. (Bottle 2/3, no notes on the first but similar sentiments) (89 pts.)
• 2012 Château Coutelin-Merville - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (4/10/2020)
  Mid red. Good clarity. Fresh and lifted nose of vibrant red berries and vanilla. Medium bodied, with juicy acidity and gentle, fine grained tannins. Delicious easy drinking. (90 pts.)
• 2018 Domaine Belleville Menetou-Salon - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Menetou-Salon (4/6/2020)
  Fresh, clean and zippy with nice varietal character and pleasant crispness. Great value for money. (87 pts.)
• 2015 Les Hauts de Smith - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (4/5/2020)
  Better showing than my last note. Nice, medium bodied claret. (91 pts.)
• 2002 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Millenium Reserva Pesquera - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (4/3/2020)
  Well my best friend and his wife had twins yesterday so I needed something to open in their honour and of course we are in lock down so- what is in the cupboard? Figures it was about time to broach this one. Lovely medium bodied nose. Still very fragrant, even after being open a day. Classic Tempranillo fruit. Clear oak, but it has subsided into a gentle supporting role. A bit of leather too, with just a touch of varnish but not detracting. Very fresh on the palate, even freshening up with air. Juicy red berries. A bit of savoury complexity. In excellent shape. Drinking very well now, but no rush to finish up.
  
  I typically have mixed views on Ribera del Duero (a lot of over-ripe, soupy wines with too much oak and too many dollars in the price tag) but this is frankly lovely. (94 pts.)
• 2018 Gilles Flacher St. Joseph Les Reines - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (3/27/2020)
  Mid red. Gentle, brambly nose. Quite pure fruit characters. Medium bodied palate. A little short and simple but not unattractive. Nice easy drinking Syrah. (87 pts.)
• 2017 Albert Mann Pinot Gris Cuvée Albert - France, Alsace (3/26/2020)
  First bottle from a 6 pack, purchased for everyday drinking. The colour is tending towards mid yellow. Soothing nose, round pear, white flowers. Typical PG characteristics. A little sharp on the entry, even a touch of citrus, before opening into broader stone fruit and pear. Medium finish, decent balance. Pretty pleasant, and nice to have a French white wine under screw cap. (88 pts.)
• 2018 Jean Pabiot Pouilly-Fumé Les Chantebines - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé (3/21/2020)
  Gooseberry on the nose. A little tart. Crisp and clean in the mouth. Not bad, lacks a bit of personality. (86 pts.)
• 2016 Château Sénéjac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/19/2020)
  Mid red with purple tints. Very fresh nose of crushed red berries and vanilla. Quite fruit forward. Similar on the palate, staying in good balance even when open for three days. Terrific value Bordeaux, in a riper fruited style (at least this vintage, and to be clear- not over ripe or overly heavy either). Recommended. (90 pts.)
• 2018 Château du Moulin-a-Vent Moulin-à-Vent Les Terrasses du Château - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent (3/18/2020)
  No formal notes but I rather enjoyed this. Bright cherry and red fruit favours. Nice balance and acidity. Excellent mid week quaffer. (89 pts.)
• 2012 Château La Grâce Dieu Les Menuts - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/14/2020)
  70% merlot with the rest Cabernet. Mid red. Plummy, mulberry fruit declares the merlot. Sweet vanilla and a little bit of green character as well. Pleasant but not overly intense nose. Opens well in the mouth with gentle red fruit but falls away quickly with surprisingly grippy tannins. Not bad, not the best QPR, and on this showing perhaps not one to make old bones (or maybe in a bit of a hole right now?). (90 pts.)
• 2011 Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore L'Alberello - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore (3/7/2020)
  Blood red. Stunning nose. Deeply fragrant red berries at first, giving way to polished oak, capsicum, undergrowth and vanilla. Very fresh, more so than a 2010 tried a month or two ago. Beautiful balance in the mouth, even if the typical Bolgheri tannins remain pretty firm. Drinking well now but I suspect this will continue to unfurl for at least another decade. (94 pts.)
• 2018 Pierre Gaillard Condrieu - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (3/7/2020)
  Clear yellow. Lithe, expressive nose showing typical apricot fruit and crystalline purity. Quite light weight in the mouth, nice balance, no grippy phenolics. Very pleasant drinking. (92 pts.)

Posted from [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/]CellarTracker[/url]

Solid drinking. Lockdown suits you

2009 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 We had a single bottle of this and cracked it last year and it was corked... so disappointing. I have only ever read good reviews.

[Tucker Wine Studios]

My April 2020 drinks list:
Cantine de Falco – Salento Rosato 2017
Penfolds – Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2008
Somos – Naranjito Vermentino 2019
Deisen – Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Vinex Grozd – Stari vuk red wine (Serbia)
Seppelt – Qualco GR 128 Vintage Port 1973
Joshua Cooper – Spring Chardonnay 2018
Lindemans – Padthaway Botrytis Riesling 1995
Carlone Davide – Colline Novaresi Vespolina 2018
Burja – Vipava Valley Zelen 2017 (Slovenia)
Somos – Tintito 2018
Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards – HJ Reserve Shiraz 2002
Berri Estates – Fine Old Oloroso Sherry
Barley Stacks Wines – White Liqueur
Zenato – Ripassa 2001
Heemskerk – Tasmania Botrytis Riesling 1989
Petaluma – Project Co Grey Label ‘Steam Train’ Chardonnay 2015
Chapelle Lenclos (Patrick Ducournau) – Madiran 1996
Fayau Château – Cadillac 1983
Eidosela (Bodega) – Burbujas del Atlántico Extra Brut 2015
Cheers, Mario

[sjw_11]

My April 2020 drinks list:

Lindemans – Padthaway Botrytis Riesling 1995

How did that one go??

[Tucker Wine Studios]

My April 2020 drinks list:

Lindemans – Padthaway Botrytis Riesling 1995

How did that one go??

Hi Sam,
The Lindemans Botrytis Riesling was an absolute joy to drink. I love these old Coonawarra-Padthaway botrytis Rieslings from the 80s and 90s. They have this great combination of substantial sweetness and 'body', which is balanced by prominent acidity. These are very concentrated wines. Many would say that these wines are way past their peak and should have been drunk when they were young. But I don't mind drinking them as fairly mature wines. The colour of these wines is now a deep copper to tawny and often they also have a touch of a herbal/amaro or orange bitter bitterness, which is no problem due to the balancing sweetness. Just looking at my empty bottle collection behind me and there's Petaluma Coonawarra Botrytis Rieslings from 1985 and 1988, then a James Haselgrove Coonawarra Beerenauslese Riesling from 1984, and of course the Hardy's Padthaway Beerenauslese Rieslings of which I had 1984, 1985, 1992 and 1998. Age is not so much the enemy of these wines, it is the occasional cork taint. Sam, you maybe remember I'm from Germany. These wines actually do remind me a bit of some German botrytis Rieslings. I wouldn't compare them to the superexpensive pinnacle examples but to mid tier solid producers of Auslese/BA/TBA Rieslings. What happened to these Coonawarra-Padthaway wines? I don't see very often botrytis rieslings from this area post 2000. Well there's Rymill with its botrytis Gewurtztraminer, which I also like a lot, but not so many Rieslings anymore. Sometimes I feel I'm a bit a one man fanclub of these Coonawarra-Padthaway botrytis wines and they seem to be these days not very popular among wine drinkers and critics. By the way, another sweet jewel in my April list above was the Heemskerk Botrytis Riesling, the company at this stage still the original Fesq-Haselgrove-Wiltshire & Co Pty.
All the best to you, hope to see one day again in Adelaide. Cheers, Mario.

[mychurch]

0EF23CE5-FA56-4694-8B42-4CF1BD38A083.jpeg

1267A779-F388-4E8F-90F9-A1DCB48162AB.jpeg

2 for tasting tonight. 2nd vintage of the Bobar Viognier that i have tried. It’s not fat, lush or overripe. Smokey, some natural notes on the nose, but it’s balanced and has the acidity to keep the creamy, peachy fruit fresh.

The Nr 6 Little Wine is reaching maturity. Stains the glass, lots of creamy dark fruit, spice and a touch of leather underneath. Very good and a good choice for a cold, rainy days

[Mahmoud Ali]

My April 2020 drinks list:
Lindemans – Padthaway Botrytis Riesling 1995

How did that one go??

Hi Sam,
The Lindemans Botrytis Riesling was an absolute joy to drink. I love these old Coonawarra-Padthaway botrytis Rieslings from the 80s and 90s. They have this great combination of substantial sweetness and 'body', which is balanced by prominent acidity. These are very concentrated wines. Many would say that these wines are way past their peak and should have been drunk when they were young. But I don't mind drinking them as fairly mature wines. The colour of these wines is now a deep copper to tawny and often they also have a touch of a herbal/amaro or orange bitter bitterness, which is no problem due to the balancing sweetness. Just looking at my empty bottle collection behind me and there's Petaluma Coonawarra Botrytis Rieslings from 1985 and 1988, then a James Haselgrove Coonawarra Beerenauslese Riesling from 1984, and of course the Hardy's Padthaway Beerenauslese Rieslings of which I had 1984, 1985, 1992 and 1998. Age is not so much the enemy of these wines, it is the occasional cork taint. Sam, you maybe remember I'm from Germany. These wines actually do remind me a bit of some German botrytis Rieslings. I wouldn't compare them to the superexpensive pinnacle examples but to mid tier solid producers of Auslese/BA/TBA Rieslings. What happened to these Coonawarra-Padthaway wines? I don't see very often botrytis rieslings from this area post 2000. Well there's Rymill with its botrytis Gewurtztraminer, which I also like a lot, but not so many Rieslings anymore. Sometimes I feel I'm a bit a one man fanclub of these Coonawarra-Padthaway botrytis wines and they seem to be these days not very popular among wine drinkers and critics. By the way, another sweet jewel in my April list above was the Heemskerk Botrytis Riesling, the company at this stage still the original Fesq-Haselgrove-Wiltshire & Co Pty.
All the best to you, hope to see one day again in Adelaide. Cheers, Mario.

I'm not from Germany but I love old botrytis Rieslings. I haven't seen the Lindeman's Coonawarra/Padthaway in ages, not since the 1989 which I drank over a number of years. The last one was a few years ago but it was tiring, not a fine as the previous bottle at about 15 years of age. I'm hoping I have one last bottle but am not sure, my cellar list of half bottles is very incomplete.

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

[phillisc]

Sam, Mario, Mahmoud thanks for the wonderful conversation.
Effectively the Hardy and Lindemans wines that you mention were the start of my wine journey coming up to 40 years now...wow what memories.

In 1980 when I used to accompany my father who was the SA sales manager for Lysaght high tensile steel flexy posts used in vineyards ( he made a few bucks by selling many many millions of them), I was standing in the middle of Hardy's vineyard at not Padthaway, but Keppoch, in a vineyard of 1200 acres...enormous and think only at the time, Angoves Nanya vineyard at Renmark Paringa was bigger. Padthaway and Keppoch used to about 15 KMs apart, but now its just one massive area.
Hardy's made Keppoch Estate range, IIRC a yellow background, then the Hardys the Collection and of course the Padthaway regional series and finally the Bird series. I remember paying $7 at B&B on Portrush Rd. St Georges, (now the site of a large liquor barn) which at the time we thought was just outrageous, but the 87 Hardy's Tintara Padthaway Cabernet won the '88 JWT so 2 dozen, along with a few 84, 85 Hardy's Padthaway Beerenausleses

Lindies Padthaway series (oval shaped label) of a Riesling, Cabernet, Cabernet Merlot and of course a Botrytis Riesling were again wines that punched way above their weight. Drank dozens of the cabs and I remember a few bottles of the 94 BR, just wonderful.

The whole Padthaway experiment was simply designed to be another Riverina/Riverland for cheap bulk production grapes, but the wines on the whole turned out way way better than any of that. Didn't take long for others to follow Seppelt, Hardy's and Lindies. Orlando Lawson's Padthaway Shiraz, still one of my favourites.

Cheers Craig

[mjs]

Sam, Mario, Mahmoud thanks for the wonderful conversation.
Effectively the Hardy and Lindemans wines that you mention were the start of my wine journey coming up to 40 years now...wow what memories.

In 1980 when I used to accompany my father who was the SA sales manager for Lysaght high tensile steel flexy posts used in vineyards ( he made a few bucks by selling many many millions of them), I was standing in the middle of Hardy's vineyard at not Padthaway, but Keppoch, in a vineyard of 1200 acres...enormous and think only at the time, Angoves Nanya vineyard at Renmark Paringa was bigger. Padthaway and Keppoch used to about 15 KMs apart, but now its just one massive area.
Hardy's made Keppoch Estate range, IIRC a yellow background, then the Hardys the Collection and of course the Padthaway regional series and finally the Bird series. I remember paying $7 at B&B on Portrush Rd. St Georges, (now the site of a large liquor barn) which at the time we thought was just outrageous, but the 87 Hardy's Tintara Padthaway Cabernet won the '88 JWT so 2 dozen, along with a few 84, 85 Hardy's Padthaway Beerenausleses

Lindies Padthaway series (oval shaped label) of a Riesling, Cabernet, Cabernet Merlot and of course a Botrytis Riesling were again wines that punched way above their weight. Drank dozens of the cabs and I remember a few bottles of the 94 BR, just wonderful.

The whole Padthaway experiment was simply designed to be another Riverina/Riverland for cheap bulk production grapes, but the wines on the whole turned out way way better than any of that. Didn't take long for others to follow Seppelt, Hardy's and Lindies. Orlando Lawson's Padthaway Shiraz, still one of my favourites.

Cheers Craig

The Fumé Blanc as well!

[phillisc]

Oh Yes Malcolm forgot about that shocker, it had the yellow label green band?? Oh dear

Cheers Craig

[mjs]

Oh Yes Malcolm forgot about that shocker, it had the yellow label green band?? Oh dear

Cheers Craig

It was actually not too bad IIRC, mind you, the memory is a little hazy from nearly forty years ago!

[felixp21]

2011 Francois Raveneau Chablis Les Clos
dropped the ball in 2011, did this guy. Lots of acid, oak and grass, green and flinty. Not sure what went wrong that vintage, but the grass is evident across the board chez Rav in 2011. It's decent, but nothing more. 88pts drink: ?

2009 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne
superb lunch rescued by this. Stunning in every last respect, power and intensity without weight, broad and long. When Burgundy reaches these heights, their wines become a (relative) bargain. Still needs time, though. 95+ pts, drink: 2025-2035.

2015 Francois Carillon Puligny Perrieres
need a couple of hours to strut it's stuff, and best almost a room temperature. Beautiful mineral wine, heavier than the Bouchard, but full of focus, energy and complexity. Very, very good. I'd be inclined to drink it on the younger side. 93pts drink: now-2025.

Vilmart and Cie Grand Cellier Rubis
beautiful rose to sip whilst staring at the open fire and contemplating life as darkness falls. 93pts drink: now-2025

[Mahmoud Ali]

Sam, Mario, Mahmoud thanks for the wonderful conversation.
Effectively the Hardy and Lindemans wines that you mention were the start of my wine journey coming up to 40 years now...wow what memories.

In 1980 when I used to accompany my father who was the SA sales manager for Lysaght high tensile steel flexy posts used in vineyards ( he made a few bucks by selling many many millions of them), I was standing in the middle of Hardy's vineyard at not Padthaway, but Keppoch, in a vineyard of 1200 acres...enormous and think only at the time, Angoves Nanya vineyard at Renmark Paringa was bigger. Padthaway and Keppoch used to about 15 KMs apart, but now its just one massive area.
Hardy's made Keppoch Estate range, IIRC a yellow background, then the Hardys the Collection and of course the Padthaway regional series and finally the Bird series. I remember paying $7 at B&B on Portrush Rd. St Georges, (now the site of a large liquor barn) which at the time we thought was just outrageous, but the 87 Hardy's Tintara Padthaway Cabernet won the '88 JWT so 2 dozen, along with a few 84, 85 Hardy's Padthaway Beerenausleses

Lindies Padthaway series (oval shaped label) of a Riesling, Cabernet, Cabernet Merlot and of course a Botrytis Riesling were again wines that punched way above their weight. Drank dozens of the cabs and I remember a few bottles of the 94 BR, just wonderful.

The whole Padthaway experiment was simply designed to be another Riverina/Riverland for cheap bulk production grapes, but the wines on the whole turned out way way better than any of that. Didn't take long for others to follow Seppelt, Hardy's and Lindies. Orlando Lawson's Padthaway Shiraz, still one of my favourites.

Cheers Craig

This is "time capsule" stuff, and like some other posts on the forum, ought to be recorded for posterity. Thanks Craig.

Mahmoud.

[Rossco]

NV Veuve Fourny & Fils Vertus Premier Cru Brut Rosé

A recent purchase and definitely one of the better ones I have made.
Nose quite fruity. Strawberry cheesecake with that strawberry jelly on top.
Love the colour on this, a reddish blush.

Has typical bready yeast thing going on. Love the acid spine, and that chalk, although that's only slight.

Quite a rich style (from the oak?) but nothing out of place. Very good wine here with great length. Don't know % of blend though, feels more Pinot as it has a creamy roundness.
Dollar for Dollar much better than the other big houses at the same price point. Going to be tough not opening my last one.......and even tougher not hitting up the retailer for more



2015 De Bortoli Melba Reserve Cabernet

I tell you what, when Yarra cab is on, it is quite stunning. My first bottle/try of Melba and it was very impressive. Haven't had many like this from the Valley.

The baby to the much more expensive Melba Vineyard release, this dixon's creek wine is essentially chosen from the best Cabernet of the vineyard plus the declassified barrels of its big brother (where just 3 rows are used).

Quite profound fruit. Medium body with lots of blackberry and cassis. Still just a pup, and tightly wound. Very juicy fruit, I love the balance, tannin and power. Has elegance and class. Only bought two, and will need more. This will last a very long time.
Value is off the charts and I would love to see how this stacks up blind against some much heavier hitters (Cullen, Moss Wood, JR ect)
I can only guess how good my one and only bottle of the 2017 Melba Vineyard is..... which is probably 15 years off

[sjw_11]

My April 2020 drinks list:

Lindemans – Padthaway Botrytis Riesling 1995

How did that one go??

Hi Sam,
The Lindemans Botrytis Riesling was an absolute joy to drink. I love these old Coonawarra-Padthaway botrytis Rieslings from the 80s and 90s. They have this great combination of substantial sweetness and 'body', which is balanced by prominent acidity. These are very concentrated wines. Many would say that these wines are way past their peak and should have been drunk when they were young. But I don't mind drinking them as fairly mature wines. The colour of these wines is now a deep copper to tawny and often they also have a touch of a herbal/amaro or orange bitter bitterness, which is no problem due to the balancing sweetness. Just looking at my empty bottle collection behind me and there's Petaluma Coonawarra Botrytis Rieslings from 1985 and 1988, then a James Haselgrove Coonawarra Beerenauslese Riesling from 1984, and of course the Hardy's Padthaway Beerenauslese Rieslings of which I had 1984, 1985, 1992 and 1998. Age is not so much the enemy of these wines, it is the occasional cork taint. Sam, you maybe remember I'm from Germany. These wines actually do remind me a bit of some German botrytis Rieslings. I wouldn't compare them to the superexpensive pinnacle examples but to mid tier solid producers of Auslese/BA/TBA Rieslings. What happened to these Coonawarra-Padthaway wines? I don't see very often botrytis rieslings from this area post 2000. Well there's Rymill with its botrytis Gewurtztraminer, which I also like a lot, but not so many Rieslings anymore. Sometimes I feel I'm a bit a one man fanclub of these Coonawarra-Padthaway botrytis wines and they seem to be these days not very popular among wine drinkers and critics. By the way, another sweet jewel in my April list above was the Heemskerk Botrytis Riesling, the company at this stage still the original Fesq-Haselgrove-Wiltshire & Co Pty.
All the best to you, hope to see one day again in Adelaide. Cheers, Mario.

Thanks for this, really interesting.
I have had a couple of interesting random aged botrytis wines, hence why I was curious

[Mahmoud Ali]

2015 De Bortoli Melba Reserve Cabernet

On a previous visit to Sydney I quite enjoyed De Bortoli's less expensive Melba 'Mimi'. I cannot recall the vintage but it had a few years under its belt and seem to promise more. Had I been home I would have certainly put a couple of bottles away.

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

[Chuck]

Another of the special wines made under the Jamiesons Run label in the early noughties. Jamiesons Run 2002 McShanes Block Coonawarra Shiraz. Have no idea about the block. Anyone know of it? From the coolest Coonawarra vintage I can recall. Lovely black fruits were a surprise. The generous oak treatment (a good % of new stuff) was a bit OTT and not sure it will fully integrate. Still a very nice wine and the last of this series under the JR label in my cellar. Must try to track some down.