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

[Sean]

deleted

[Matt@5453]

Was drifting through the cellar yesterday for something to go with chicken/asparagus/pesto pasta and stumbled upon a 2011 Killikanoon barrel fermented Semillon. I think it was the last of the dozen we picked up on the SA tour in 2013. Simply delicious - lamenting that they died too soon... Still had a young, fresh, almost sherbet-y flavour and smell, with just a hint of sultana and 'wrinkly apple' indicating it wasn't just in the bottle.
If I get another case, I'll have to hide them from myself...

An overlooked wine in some respects given the calibre of the rieslings produced, agree with you - a very good wine. Recently had a 2015, it was fresh as a daisy and begs time to be cellared to develop. They don't skimp on the oak for this and gets quality french oak.

Consumed a 2019 Pikes 'Traditionale' Riesling over the last 2 x nights - 12 months in bottle now and its in a nice place, a well balanced wine, with enough acid to suggest it has some ability to go the medium term. Very good value for money.

[Sean]

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[I Love Shiraz]

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Castello di Albola Chianti Classico DOCG 16 - The Zonin family has owned this 500 yo estate in the hills of Tuscany since 1979. Reds (Sangiovese mostly) are matured in large Slavonian and French oak barrels. Ruby coloured. Florals, cherry, spice, dried herbs and tobacco leaf. This feels medium-bodied with dusty, dry tannins across the palate. Fresh, but not fruity and a slightly savoury finish.

Thanks for the note here Sean. I have a bottle of this wine ready to drink. It sounds like it was OK, without being exciting.

[Mahmoud Ali]

C9F5322D-610A-4186-9071-036A8AFC1B07.jpeg

Castello di Albola Chianti Classico DOCG 16 - The Zonin family has owned this 500 yo estate in the hills of Tuscany since 1979. Reds (Sangiovese mostly) are matured in large Slavonian and French oak barrels. Ruby coloured. Florals, cherry, spice, dried herbs and tobacco leaf. This feels medium-bodied with dusty, dry tannins across the palate. Fresh, but not fruity and a slightly savoury finish.

Thanks for the note here Sean. I have a bottle of this wine ready to drink. It sounds like it was OK, without being exciting.

This has reminded me that I have a bottle of Castello d'Albola's vowel-laden 1988 'Acciaiolo' still wrapped in tissue paper. It's a super Tuscan, or IGT, I cannot remember which, since I haven't looked at the label since I bought it, but I presume it has some Cabernet in the blend. The Cabernet should give it some backbone but it's now 32 years old so I expect it might be time to broach it. As usual it's the "single bottle" syndrome at play.

Mahmoud.

[Mike Hawkins]

2008 Taittinger Comtes BdB... my first experience with the finished article, having tasted samples in recent years with Pierre Emmanuel. I’ve been looking forward to this for the past couple of years, and wasn’t disappointed. I’m glad I went long on it.

First whiff reminded me of my favourite boulangerie in Paris.. fresh baguettes And palmiers to be specific. Thereafter, lots of floral and citrus on the nose. On the palate this was really medium body . In fact it had almost weightlessness at times (fluffy was the word that came to mind) and again, lots of citrus notes, albeit tightly coiled. The finish was as long as a Gilchrist slog over cow corner, with a lovely, piquant lemon acidity. This wine needs substantial cellaring to reveal even greater treasures.

I’m not sure how much, if any, will make it to Oz. That said, if it does, it will be expensive, having gone up more than 50% on previous releases.

[phillisc]

2008 Taittinger Comtes BdB... my first experience with the finished article, having tasted samples in recent years with Pierre Emmanuel. I’ve been looking forward to this for the past couple of years, and wasn’t disappointed. I’m glad I went long on it.

First whiff reminded me of my favourite boulangerie in Paris.. fresh baguettes And palmiers to be specific. Thereafter, lots of floral and citrus on the nose. On the palate this was really medium body . In fact it had almost weightlessness at times (fluffy was the word that came to mind) and again, lots of citrus notes, albeit tightly coiled. The finish was as long as a Gilchrist slog over cow corner, with a lovely, piquant lemon acidity. This wine needs substantial cellaring to reveal even greater treasures.

I’m not sure how much, if any, will make it to Oz. That said, if it does, it will be expensive, having gone up more than 50% on previous releases.

You'd have Australia's allocation already in your cellar wouldn't you Mike
Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

Not sure where to post and too much to post anyway, but previous drinking with 4 days last week in Coonawarra was extensive to say the least.
Yalumba dinner very good, a half bottle of '15 Caley consumed followed up by another half bottle the following night at Pipers pretty well paid for both those events.
If I could stretch to $350, I would certainly buy some...but no.
Highlights were 2014-19 Bowen Cabernet and Shiraz, the '17 was the lighter year for both, but the other 5 vintages all very good. '19 Cabernet will be a brilliant wine
Katnook current '16 Cab, '14 Odyssey and Prodigy excellent. Parker 08-10 FG all very good, 16 outstanding
35 wines at the decadence tasting from 14 or so producers spanning '04 to '18 was an an absolute treat, '10 Menzies, '12 Lindies Pyrus, '16 Sydney Hamilton (Leconfield) plus many others.
Wynns JR masterclass, 82 a brilliant bottle, 99, 03, 12, 16 and 19 fabulous wines. Looked at a couple of extras, guess they can do that when there was only 12 of us in attendance, great VFM and what I would call a great masterclass of the one wine.
Sunday night with a couple of huge rib eyes the four of us knocked off '97 Pyrus, St George and LR (recent auction purchases at $30 a bottle). All showed very well.
Guess we will be booked in again for 2021, very keen to look at the '19 vintage, will defy the long run of even years being considered the best.
Cheers Craig

[Dragzworthy]

2008 Taittinger Comtes BdB... my first experience with the finished article, having tasted samples in recent years with Pierre Emmanuel. I’ve been looking forward to this for the past couple of years, and wasn’t disappointed. I’m glad I went long on it.

First whiff reminded me of my favourite boulangerie in Paris.. fresh baguettes And palmiers to be specific. Thereafter, lots of floral and citrus on the nose. On the palate this was really medium body . In fact it had almost weightlessness at times (fluffy was the word that came to mind) and again, lots of citrus notes, albeit tightly coiled. The finish was as long as a Gilchrist slog over cow corner, with a lovely, piquant lemon acidity. This wine needs substantial cellaring to reveal even greater treasures.

I’m not sure how much, if any, will make it to Oz. That said, if it does, it will be expensive, having gone up more than 50% on previous releases.

Big fan of the "The finish was as long as a Gilchrist slog over cow corner, with a lovely, piquant lemon acidity" comment here.

[kenzo]

Slow to respond to some of these!

Damn Craig that's some good drinking!

Did you get to Penley? curious about the EOS can-shiraz blend.

97 was never the strongest vintage in Coonawarra if we remember - reckon a reasonable price and not too bad if not too green/thin. Remember knocking over a few 85s in my time - was it a JW winner? Always will have a fondness for the Lindies range.

82 JR always keen to hear about as I have a few left in my cellar over there.

Good to hear Parker FG firing again - quite the rep in the 90s, and seemed to have fallen off the radar since (as has the region? sacrilege)
a 90 tried some time back had fallen over - but an auction purchase - still 2 96s in the cellar await.

Is the Wynns white/grey label shiraz still of the same quality as it used to be in the 90s? or has it been Koonunga'd after the black label released? always used to be a stalwart.

[Mike Hawkins]

2008 Taittinger Comtes BdB... my first experience with the finished article, having tasted samples in recent years with Pierre Emmanuel. I’ve been looking forward to this for the past couple of years, and wasn’t disappointed. I’m glad I went long on it.

First whiff reminded me of my favourite boulangerie in Paris.. fresh baguettes And palmiers to be specific. Thereafter, lots of floral and citrus on the nose. On the palate this was really medium body . In fact it had almost weightlessness at times (fluffy was the word that came to mind) and again, lots of citrus notes, albeit tightly coiled. The finish was as long as a Gilchrist slog over cow corner, with a lovely, piquant lemon acidity. This wine needs substantial cellaring to reveal even greater treasures.

I’m not sure how much, if any, will make it to Oz. That said, if it does, it will be expensive, having gone up more than 50% on previous releases.

I wish. I bought quite a bit but nowhere near as much as say the 04 vintage. It’s hard to find and exxy. Plus I’m getting older!
You'd have Australia's allocation already in your cellar wouldn't you Mike
Cheers Craig

[Mike Hawkins]

Not sure where to post and too much to post anyway, but previous drinking with 4 days last week in Coonawarra was extensive to say the least.
Yalumba dinner very good, a half bottle of '15 Caley consumed followed up by another half bottle the following night at Pipers pretty well paid for both those events.
If I could stretch to $350, I would certainly buy some...but no.
Highlights were 2014-19 Bowen Cabernet and Shiraz, the '17 was the lighter year for both, but the other 5 vintages all very good. '19 Cabernet will be a brilliant wine
Katnook current '16 Cab, '14 Odyssey and Prodigy excellent. Parker 08-10 FG all very good, 16 outstanding
35 wines at the decadence tasting from 14 or so producers spanning '04 to '18 was an an absolute treat, '10 Menzies, '12 Lindies Pyrus, '16 Sydney Hamilton (Leconfield) plus many others.
Wynns JR masterclass, 82 a brilliant bottle, 99, 03, 12, 16 and 19 fabulous wines. Looked at a couple of extras, guess they can do that when there was only 12 of us in attendance, great VFM and what I would call a great masterclass of the one wine.
Sunday night with a couple of huge rib eyes the four of us knocked off '97 Pyrus, St George and LR (recent auction purchases at $30 a bottle). All showed very well.
Guess we will be booked in again for 2021, very keen to look at the '19 vintage, will defy the long run of even years being considered the best.
Cheers Craig

Nice one Craig. I had the 12 Caley once and thought it was outstanding. Unfortunately it’s a bit too expensive.

Interesting to read your notes on the JRs.. especially less heralded vintages like 99 And 03. I remember trying both but bought neither.

[phillisc]

Mike, I have fluked tastings of all vintages of The Caley to date (2012-15)
The 12 was given 'shy' exposure by Matthew Jukes at The Great Australian Red Competition (cab/shiraz blends) in Adelaide. Jukesy is a huge Yalumba fan. I got to try it generously about 4 times, before it was finally announced as the upcoming flagship. Of course at the same competition the 13 and 14 were well sought out, but had a couple of glasses of each with cheese and bloody fantastic.
Locked horns last year at the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations annual 5 winemakers dinner with Natalie Cleghorn and drank half a bottle of the '14. I expressed it was a good wine but a piss take at $350. Her response after pouring me another glass was R H-S wanted a premium product in the market and this was going to be the case. Nat also argued that Yalumba reds are seriously underpriced, claiming the Menzies and the Sig should both be $100 wines!! Of course I poked the bear and informed her I picked up a dozen '14 Menzies for $21 at a big chain sale, followed by a dozen of the '14 Sig for $31. She exclaimed that senior staff can't buy them for that. I didn't have the heart to tell her that '16 The Cigar was going for $15.
And the recent '15 on back to back nights last week at two dinners was an absolute treat.
We renewed acquaintances once again and after trying the '15 twice with food (is there any other way), great wine, but still not worth the dollars.

Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

Slow to respond to some of these!

Damn Craig that's some good drinking!

Did you get to Penley? curious about the EOS can-shiraz blend.

97 was never the strongest vintage in Coonawarra if we remember - reckon a reasonable price and not too bad if not too green/thin. Remember knocking over a few 85s in my time - was it a JW winner? Always will have a fondness for the Lindies range.

82 JR always keen to hear about as I have a few left in my cellar over there.

Good to hear Parker FG firing again - quite the rep in the 90s, and seemed to have fallen off the radar since (as has the region? sacrilege)
a 90 tried some time back had fallen over - but an auction purchase - still 2 96s in the cellar await.

Is the Wynns white/grey label shiraz still of the same quality as it used to be in the 90s? or has it been Koonunga'd after the black label released? always used to be a stalwart.

Kenzo, thanks for the note

1997 was the sleeper vintage in Coonawarra as was the '99. Both jammed in and around the famed '96 and '98, the '97 Lindies Trio showed exceptional well. I have since contacted the auction house and the wines were sold off as part of Covid from a high end restaurant in Melbourne. The wines had been purchased at release and in refrigerated storage since. Malcom might be able to pin point such as place that holds that sort of stock. Any way fill levels were mid neck, corks came out in one piece and the wines were bright in colour and well liked by all. Showed Brett Sharpe a photo and he asked if he could come to our cottage for dinner to have a look...think he was probably joking, but should have invited him over. Probably would have brought something fantastic to go with the steaks.
Yes '82 JR, wine of the year for me, by a street!
Parker is owned by a good mate, I have brought 08-10 FGs and a few vintages of 95 Block. Fabulous CD staff, Erica and Kirsty who always look after us. With Andrew "Ox" Hardy now assuming control of wine making duties and of course having 20+ years experience with Petaluma Coonawarra, think this brand will go from strength to strength.

Ah Wynns white label, have maybe 250 bottles in the cellar from paying 80 cents for the 82-84s and a dollar for the 86-88s ( think I have a single bottle left of 86) and 30 year run from 1990, it is the best VFM in the country bar none. I have paid between $8-10 for the 08-18 vintages. It has fruit a bit of oak and is generally balanced with out the presence of any greenness or hard tannin and acid. At the 7-10 year mark it opens up and at the 15 to 20 it really shines. They had a re-release of the '92, sought from Penfolds Magill museum by Sue Hodder, recorked and selling at the CD for $65. Got to try a sneaky taste, fantastic...didn't have the heart to tell the chap at the CD my 92s were about $4.

KH has effectively been Koonunga'd...a shadow of its former self, drank all my 90-98s about 5 years ago, glorious wines, just under Bin 28 of the same era in terms of quality. Pennies to be frank doesn't have a clue about Coonawarra. Yes there is '08 Bin 620 (who can get it or afford it at $1200 a bottle!) and a smattering of 707s which were predominantly Coonawarra 25 years ago, but they put out this dribble of a shiraz (128), which IMHO is light years behind Wynns Shiraz, (with an RRP of $60+!!, are they kidding).
As far as I am aware, there has never been a grey label shiraz from Wynns, only Wolf Blass from MV and or LC.
Wynns have made a BL Shiraz since 2010, the current '18 release from two blocks of 80 and 120 year old vines is fabulous. For $27 a very good buy.

Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

Sunday night with a couple of huge rib eyes the four of us knocked off '97 Pyrus, St George and LR (recent auction purchases at $30 a bottle). All showed very well.

Music to my ears as the 1997 Pyrus is one of my two bottles in the cellar.

Early in the 2000s, a few years after the well regarded '98 came out, I recall wine merchants saying that they thought the '97s were showing better. Funnily enough, without any forethought, through gifts and chance purchases, in addition to the Pyrus I've got five other bottles of the 1997 vintage: Orlando ST Hugo, Wynn's BL, E&E Black pepper, Best's Pinot Munier (courtesy of Viv Thomson), and d'Arenberg's 28 Road Mourvedre.

Thanks for the report Craig, much appreciated.

Mahmoud.

[mychurch]

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The Zelo Fiano last night was great. It’s lowish in alcohol, has a sauterne like intensity of fruit, although the fruit profile is more in the pear and green apple spectrum. Lovely wine that will be great drinking over the summer.

The Denton is a re-release of a well regarded wine from a few years ago. This has had an extra 2 years under flor and if you are up to the oddities of Jura/Jerez, then this must be one of the best wines of its style in the country. The mid palate creaminess and fruit distinguishes it from a European version and its a really lovely wine that needs contemplation. Very long finish.

[Matt@5453]

a few impressions:

2014 Turkey Flat Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Consumed over 2 x nights. Day 1 - prominent oak supporting the dark and inky fruit, feels like a quite heavy weight wine. Day 2 - tasting more like ripe prunes, raisons, hmm. Definitely better on Day 1 with an hour decant. Nice wine, but not thrilling.

2016 Taylors Wines St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley
Lovely aromatics, a Dark brooding wine, good lick of oak, soft/plush tannins. Nice wine - Drinking well. Drink over the next 5-7 years. Requires a good decant

2019 Knappstein Riesling, Clare Valley
A nice easy drinking Riesling, softish acid, with a lime kick. Good VFM as an ‘easy drinker’.

2019 Teusner ‘Joshua’ Grenache Mintaro Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Medium weight, more savoury than I was expecting (in a good way). Probably lacking a bit of fruit drive - finishes a tad short, but that is being a bit picky, its still good drinking. Stood up well over 3 nights and did not seem to fade. Enjoyable.

[dave vino]

Another great dinner with the crew. You can probably guess the theme...

Some stunning wines, the variety of the wines made it difficult to pick a winner. We got moved on from GC before we finished so hit up a Korean Fried Chicken place across the road and had it with a 2010 d'Yquem as you do...at 12am in morning

My WOTN was probably the Rousseau CdB (which was served blind so no label bias). The Lindemans was a big surprise. Comtes epic as always. So many great wines.

1990 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut en magnum

2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

2000 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

1970 Lindemans Hunter River Chablis Bin 3875

1980 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux Blanc

2010 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese

2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese

2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese

2010 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiébaud) Savagnin Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune

2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche

2010 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin

2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

2010 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares

2010 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares

2000 Château Haut-Brion

1970 Château Haut-Beychevelle Gloria

1970 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Burgundy Ovens Valley

1990 Penfolds Bin 90A

2010 Château d'Yquem


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[mjs]

Another great dinner with the crew. You can probably guess the theme...

Some stunning wines, the variety of the wines made it difficult to pick a winner. We got moved on from GC before we finished so hit up a Korean Fried Chicken place across the road and had it with a 2010 d'Yquem as you do...at 12am in morning

My WOTN was probably the Rousseau CdB (which was served blind so no label bias). The Lindemans was a big surprise. Comtes epic as always. So many great wines.

1990 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut en magnum

2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

2000 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

1970 Lindemans Hunter River Chablis Bin 3875

1980 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux Blanc

2010 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese

2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese

2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese

2010 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiébaud) Savagnin Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune

2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche

2010 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin

2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

2010 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares

2010 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares

2000 Château Haut-Brion

1970 Château Haut-Beychevelle Gloria

1970 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Burgundy Ovens Valley

1990 Penfolds Bin 90A

2010 Château d'Yquem

Just a few quiet wines as usual Dave?

[mjs]

Couple of barbie reds on Tues afternoon, so we could ignore the Melb Cup

1998 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet (magnum)
1982 Wynns Black Label Cabernet
1976 Lindemans St George Cabernet

All in excellent nick, JR in its prime, BL just sublime, StG v good as well, little darker fruit than the Wynns wines. Great to wash down some excellent wagyu steaks

[phillisc]

Couple of barbie reds on Tues afternoon, so we could ignore the Melb Cup

1998 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet (magnum)
1982 Wynns Black Label Cabernet
1976 Lindemans St George Cabernet

All in excellent nick, JR in its prime, BL just sublime, StG v good as well, little darker fruit than the Wynns wines. Great to wash down some excellent wagyu steaks

Yes Malcolm, will be very keen to look at an 82 BL, think I have 3 bottles and a magnum, to compare with recently tasted 82 JR. Yes it was stunning, but would not be surprised if the BL shades it ( it has in the past, anyway Wynns had some pretty good fruit to work with that vintage).
Don't have any Lindies that old unfortunately, but will snap up a few more at auction, if the recent 97s were anything to go by.

Dave, what a cracking night, not sure about the Burgs, would be wasted on me, but the Sparklings, Rieslings and Cabs wow!!

Cheers Craig

[felixp21]

In my experience, 82 Black Label better than JR. Had both many, many times. 86 BL better than JR, and 90 BL better than JR by a country mile.
For me, the 90 BL is one of the two the best wines Wynns have produced since 76, the other being the 91 Centenary.

[mjs]

In my experience, 82 Black Label better than JR. Had both many, many times. 86 BL better than JR, and 90 BL better than JR by a country mile.
For me, the 90 BL is one of the two the best wines Wynns have produced since 76, the other being the 91 Centenary.

I would have to say that my experience differs to a certain extent. The best bottles of '82 JR that I have had (and there have been quite a few) have been well ahead of the '82 BL. Other years the difference has been less so or even in the other direction, eg the '90 BL as you suggest is arguably better than the JR. An extraordinary local tasting here that ConJ put on (must be a couple of years ago now) of BL vs JR probably supported the consensus that the BL was better than the JR in many years, and that the BL had better ageing potential, even BLs older than '82 showing this. Unfortunately I was unable to attend this and regret not being able to do so.

For me the '76 and '90/'91 BLs have just been stunning over the journey, all from a relatively modestly priced wine that just seems to have the ability to age with great results better than almost any other Australian wine, certainly more interesting to me than wines from other makers in the TWE stable. I don't think that the JR has that track record yet and is probably even a bit patchy cf the BL, although I think that recent vintages of the JR in the last ten years will shine through with time. Had a couple of '86 BLs not too long ago that were sublime, but then again, had an '86 JR earlier this year that was equally if not more stunning. I've had BLs from the mid 70s and 60s all the way back recently to a '54 (which was remarkable for a 65yo wine at the time). As always though, in most cases we are talking about individual bottles of these wines, rather than individual wines, there will always be some amount of bottle variation with wines of this age and varying provenance.

Definitely agree that the '76 and 90 BLs and the '91 Centenary are some of the best wines that Wynns have produced.

We are privileged to have access to these wines and enjoy the history that they tell us.

Here is a link to Chris Shanahan's notes from the 60 year retrospective tasting of Black label undertaken at Wynns in 2017 together with a link to a similar set of notes by the Wine Commander, which might be of interest to other forumites.

[url]https://chrisshanahan.com/articles/2017/wynn ... es-tasted/[/url]

[url]https://winecommander.net/2018/08/03/wynns-a ... es-part-3/[/url]

[Rossco]

First Event back in 6+ months. Was sorely missed AND i am sorely
out of practice.

All wines served blind and theme was 'Open' i.e. Bring whatever you would like


Wine # 1 - 2012 Guy Charlemagne Le Coulmets Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc
I picked this as an 08 and Vintage Blend of PN/Chard, it seemed very rounded.
Rich and quite powerful nose, light yellow gold, hence the reason i thought it may have been 08. 2012 was very surprising and maybe these are more of a drink now proposition?
Feels like matured in Oak, raw yeasty nose was a delight, again that richness on the palate, fine beady mousse. Lemon acidity but not astringent, lemon curd. Red Apple with that pure chalk minerality. Lovely stuff and the length was a real surprise. Just kept going.


Wine # 2 - 2009 Domaine Robert Chevillon NSG Les Bousselots 1er Cru
Brett City, fell over very quickly in the glass. Such a shame as this should be singing!
Bloody Brett ruins the party


Wine # 3 - 1982 Chateau Cheval Blanc
Explosive nose, very earthy. An older wine was slightly brick red, but also translucent. Medium
body. Clearly in the presence of greatness here. Cassis and some menthol, herby mushroom type
palate as well. Effortless, and ethereal aromas. Some wonderful leafiness there as well. Balance
is impeccable and some pencil shaving oak as well. Drink now


Wine # 4 - 1996 Chateau Lagrange
Cedar on the nose, feels immediately left bank.
Beautify leafy aromas backed up by purple florals. Violets and maybe a hint of lavender on the nose. Soft tannin, but it feels young, I think this is a 10+ year wine. That line of acidity is perfectly holding things together (bloody hell this is 24 years old!) Fruit is blueberry to blackberry spectrum, however in secondary development. Hold


Wine # 5 - 2005 Chateau Smith Haut Lafite
Very dark, almost black. Very fruit dominant here as well. Dark ribena character, rich fruit nose, feels
young, but I have been tricked many times by perfectly cellared Bordeaux. Feels old world. Love the minerality here, graphite, iron with cassis.
Oak a supporting role, tannin still quite dominant, wait a while for that fruit to start integrating, long life ahead and no rush to drink.


Wine # 6 - 2007 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
Archetypal Bordeaux here, this is exactly what I expect and love a very high quality Bdx to be. Ticks all the boxes. Left bank leafiness, cedar and pencil shavings. Lovely rich generous and perfectly ripe fruit on the darker spectrum. However the surprising factor here was the acid. Really shone and was the superstar here. Just so well judged, so rounded and supported the wine perfectly.


Wine # 7 - 2004 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
Nose was initially a bit muted, but evolved really nicely in the glass. Deep Dark reddish purple. Lovely mouthfeel and fruit weight, silky. Feels old world but Italian. Is this our first Neb (although i thought modernist from La Morra)? ............ nope. BUT it is our first Italian.
Has that Cherry & Rose type fruit, which is why I was on the neb train but missed the tannin structure (focused on the fruit) Mocha Oak but cant decide if its well done or overdone. I'm going for the former due to ability to age. Some more time will hopefully see it come into its own.


Wine # 8 - 2006 Domaine de Chevalier
Dark red to black in colour, Nose feels very old world but structure isn’t there. Do I trust the nose or the palate? They both tell me a different story.
Big rich fruit, Mocha oak, and I thought our first new world red, but a bit young for now......... nope wrong again. Blackberry and plummy fruit. You can tell I haven't sat down and properly analysed wine for 6 months. Going to take a few more months to re-train myself. Hold for a while yet.


Wine # 9 - 2006 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Picked this as Super Tuscan from the very first get go. All my answers seemed correct, right upto the
last couple of questions..... dam.
Felt like it was an Italian Cabernet. Big Acid, Big Oak, Big Tannin, some leafy notes which is where
I thought Cab. Black as the night in the glass, Thick and almost chewy fruit, this wine will outlast me
for sure.


Wine # 10 - 2009 Chateau Montrose (My Wine)
Nothing like the review I bought it off the back of, let alone its drinking window apparently starting in 2013. Couldn't even pick the type of grapes used let alone it being Bordeaux. 'Undefined Big Red from anywhere' is all I wrote……..of course the disappointment of the night was my wine! THAT was a very expensive failure
Big, Rich, Sweet and Oaky, exact opposite of how I like my wines. Second time an expensive bdx has let me down miserably.
I wished I had opened my backup instead of this. It was a 50/50 toss up.


Wine # 11 - Chambers Old Cellar Vintage Port 1992
Aniseed, Caramel and this lovely salty/briny salinity. Could see some major Portuguese varieties in here and also that Spirit was perfectly balanced, didn’t pick it as Aussie due to that spirit. So pure in its fruit profile, the florals and spice really balanced perfectly, no alcohol heat. Joyous


Wine # 12 Giuseppe Mascarello Monprivato 2003 (Ring in)
I think my Zalto Burg was still contaminated by the Montrose, as I didnt like
this nose or taste when i had this wine in it.
So moved it to the universal, and Im very glad I did, as it was a completely different wine. Raspberry and rose petal purity, Crystal clear, belies it 17 years of age. Length was fabulous and had a hint of aniseed and some tarry elements at the end.

[Matt@5453]

Impressions from the last few weeks, a very strong CV focus:

2020 Pikes Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – excellent blend, with beautiful balance. One of my ‘go to’ wines at the moment. Goes great with anything including a good schnitzel…

2020 Naked Run ‘The First’ Riesling. A group of us sipped through a couple bottles over a lazy lunch at the Watervale Hotel (definitely add to your must visit for the CV, food was amazing, renovations are top notch too). Fantastic wine, lovely complexity of lime, wet stone and a nice steely acid structure. Amazing with charred Sardines, and a Kingfish Ceviche.

2016 Taylors St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon. Needs time to breathe, showing some good fruit encapsulated in a fair blanket of oak. Some ripe tannins on the finish. Nice and bold.

2020 Tim Adams Riesling – another good quality 2020, showing that strong acid line again.

2020 Annies Lane Riesling – not sure what is happening here, this shows CV on the label, one of the new release reds shows “South Australia”, anyway the wine is much darker and extracted than other 2020s I’ve looked at. a nice enough drink with a touch of residual sweetness, looking very commercial, hence probably the heavily discounted price I got it for at retail.

2020 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Riesling – this is up there with the Naked Run the First in terms of quality, fantastic wine too. A couple of these are going into the cellar.

[phillisc]

Yes looking forward to trying one of the NR over the weekend.
As for Annie's Lane it's Fu*ked!
I purchased buckets of the cheapie Riesling and Shiraz (well under a tenner) and the Coppertrail Shiraz and Riesling.
Suspect now it will go the same way... another label in the sky.
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

I've not had any Annie's Lane in while. The 2003 Riesling was quite nice and aged reasonably well though nothing to write home about. On the other hand the 2013 Copper Trail Shiraz was very nice and seemed to me worthwhile setting aside. I've not had any since though.

[Rossco]

Craiglee #7 Sparkling Red

So cracked my first sparkling red from Craiglee (#7) and wow isn't this good.
Blue fruits, white pepper, quite nice acid too. Dosage isn't too sweet, so it's not a porty wine (which some can be).

This is lively, dry and delicious.

Diam closure.

The carbonation was a bit too much initially, but disappears when in the glass for a bit.

Don't know then make up of the varieties (bottle only says 100% estate fruit), but suspect majority is shiraz with possibly a touch of cab.

[sjw_11]

Craiglee #7 Sparkling Red

So cracked my first sparkling red from Craiglee (#7) and wow isn't this good.
Blue fruits, white pepper, quite nice acid too. Dosage isn't too sweet, so it's not a porty wine (which some can be).

Good to hear... I realised I have a couple of these in the cellar. Keep forgetting I bought a mixed 6 of Craiglee 2013 / 2014 shiraz and the sparkling ... must have a look at them if I ever get back to my cellar in Aus.

[sjw_11]

Last night I finished off a Birichino Scylla, a 50% Carignane, 48% Grenache and 2% Mouvedre blend from Santa Cruz and the Central Valley of California. First of three bottles, really intriguing wine. Lovely light, spicy nose with great balance and juicy acidity. Excellent with food. Nice to try something different from the norm.