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

[crusty2]

2006 Cepparello TCA link

http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?f ... lo#p144774

2 bottles under screwcap in 2 different countries with the same result.
Since the producer was willing to bottle and sell faulty wine I have never bought another one.

[Rossco]

2006 Cepparello TCA link

http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?f ... lo#p144774

2 bottles under screwcap in 2 different countries with the same result.
Since the producer was willing to bottle and sell faulty wine I have never bought another one.

Yeah wow, that's not a coincidence.
Appreciate that crusty

[Con J]

2001 Craiglee Shiraz. Perfect cork, very bright dark purple. Nose of classic white pepper, even the better half suggested same. Lovely mellow palate had a slight cool climate feel. Absolutely at its peak. Wonderful wine, have 4-5 left to drink over the next few years.
Cheers Craig

A wine that I think deserves a much higher recognition than it has. The flipside is it's cheaper than it ought to be!

I shared a bottle of 1996 Craiglee Shiraz with a friend last night.
It’s pretty much as you described with development and is a stunning wine for the price.
Agree very underrated, this and 1990 would be up there with the best Victorian shiraz I’ve had.

Cheers Con.

[phillisc]

Thanks for the comments re the Craiglee. However, don't subscribe to a wine being more than its worth. Pat Carmody has always priced the Shiraz at a point that I think is both fair and realistic. Just because it ages so well and punches way above its weight doesn't mean it needs to be expensive.
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

Just because it ages so well and punches way above its weight doesn't mean it needs to be expensive.

Agreed.

[JamieBahrain]

Craiglee makes a Reserve Shiraz now. Would love to try.

Bought two cases of 96 for $20 a bottle. Great wine though either had a dumb phase or I had rotten luck with low level TCA or other spoilage. Last of the cases rippers.

The best of St Joseph & Crozes fusion-like in style. Fine wine experience !

[phillisc]

Craiglee makes a Reserve Shiraz now. Would love to try.

Bought two cases of 96 for $20 a bottle. Great wine though either had a dumb phase or I had rotten luck with low level TCA or other spoilage. Last of the cases rippers.

The best of St Joseph & Crozes fusion-like in style. Fine wine experience !

Yes $135 a bottle, sorry would rather have 2+ bottles of the standard edition. Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

2018 Torbreck Stuie, a nice blend of EV and Barossa fruit...way too much oak at this stage, needs a decade
2014 OLW Clare Shiraz, nice but nothing special
2006 Wynns BL, dark bright fruits, right in the slot, beautiful drinking, will go another 15 easy
1998 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling, dark yellow. a little like a madeira, honeyed notes, some liked it, others didn't.

Cheers Craig

[Rossco]

My notes from a wonderful wine event back in February.
Theme was sparkling & whites from anywhere.

As always, all wines served blind.

Wine # 1 - 2012 Gosset Champagne Brut Grand Millesime
Off to a brilliant start, whatever this champagne is.... and it IS champagne.
Mineral/chalky things happening and that beautiful acid spine gives it away.

Yeasty nose, baked bread type stuff, Green apples, white peach. VERY long finish.
Lots of richness from what feels like oak, but not dominant or overpowering.
Lovely savoury dryness at the end, enthralling wine and I feel its more Chardonnay dominant (yes 67%) due to the fruit profile. Lemon & grapefruit Acid, feels older like a 2008 or more as the colour is bright yellow with a tinge of gold.

There is a common theme with 2012's I am seeing and that is they seem older/more 'ready to drink' than 2008. Quality is outstanding for 2012, however I just question how long they will age for. They are drinking superbly now, however drinking 'older' than 2008's. Regardless, do yourself a favour and hunt this out.

Wine #2 - 2008 Dom Perignon
Big hit of cheesy, leesy notes. Swiss cheese to be precise.
Wild honey with a very broad palate. Doesn't seem powerful, just broad & constant across front, middle and back palate.
Feels like a blend, although it is rich is does seem to slightly lack complexity, definitely lacking acid and especially compared to the Gosset.
Not sure this bottle is in 100% condition or there is some issue.

When revealed, a Dom should be much much better than this. Second disappointing Dom I have had this year. New Years Eve I cracked a 2005 and was in a similar state/condition. Both should have been much better.

Next was a side by side comparison
Wine # 3.1- (Left Glass) - 2009 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize
Back to back comparison of the not very lauded 2009 champagne vintage. Unfortunately both of
these bottles under performed and were not 'as the winemakers intended'
Buttery nose, limoncello nose, slightly on the dry side, Some acid but drops off very quickly.
Red apples here as well. Feels old.

Wine # 3.2 - (Right Glass) - 2009 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Minéral Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
This had olive oil nose, simple, very short finish. Lacking any defining notes unfortunately. Such a shame as this SHOULD be a great wine.

Wine # 4 - 2009 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese Trocken "R"
Freshly cut pineapple, lime leaf on the nose but it simply doesnt prepare you for the onslaught of flavours you are about to experience.
A lot of the time the palate doesnt live up to the nose. Sometimes what you smell in the wine,
is all you get. When you actually drink it you go....oh well that was disappointing.
This is the complete opposite. This is one of those rare times when the palate outshines the already wonderful nose. Explosive is what I wrote here, its like jebus is dancing on your tongue.
Complex wet slate minerals, crushed rock, the depth of those other tropical fruits, mangos and lychees. Rich fruit style, only slightly sweet but not botrytis as the acid is perfect here..... off dry? Is that what they call it? Great wine maybe even equal wine of the night

Wine #5 - 2008 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Buttery Milky nose, parmesan as well but blows off with some air. Feels a little older, over 10 years?
Complexity from the fruit. Apples, citrus, some white peach and stone fruit florals. I loved
how round this was. Everything in perfect balance, although again didnt get the fennel of Corton I sometimes do (sometimes I think Corton Fennel isnt a thing, then in others thats all i get)
I loved the energy this had, a purity of vineyard expression. Lick of oak and baking spices at the end.

Wine # 6 - 2011 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles
Maybe wine of the evening, as this just leapt out of the glass. Screamed white burg immediately.
Vibrant fruit, quite a rich style, but not buttery. Richness of Peaches, Nectarines, slatey minerals and well handled oak. Silky mouthfeel, I was surprised by the spice of nutmeg & cinnamon though, most likely from the oak. Length is very long, acid spine is perfect just keep going and going.
Wonderful balance.

Wine # 7- 2010 Bindi Quartz Chardonnay
My first Bindi Chardonnay and the thing I noticed immediately is the fruit weight. Feels so new world it cannot be French.
Flinty, Oak and lots of rich fruit. Has to be Australian surely as it reminds me of that Tarrawarra Chardonnay we had a while ago. So I chose Yarra Valley....well i was 100klms off (right state though!)

Pineapple, stone fruit, however spiky acid juts out. Seems out of place for the rest of the wine, did they add acid here?
That was my only quibble in what is a seriously good wine. Cashew and nougat with mandarin rind.
Again some spicy oak finishes off.... but that acid.....

Wine # 8 - 2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières
In a completely different reversal of roles, this white burg seemed new world. Very
fruit forward wine here, lots of winemaking tricks as well. Matchstick, flint and buttery oak.
Pale gold in colour, had more tropical fruit notes than im used too. Was 2014 a warm year?
Pineapple, green mango and papaya. Acid was just holding in there, but that oak was generous. It
needed to be as the fruit was powerful and needed something to reign it in. Impressive length

Wine # 9 - 1990 Mitchelton Print Label Shiraz
Lovely old shiraz here. I picked as 20 year old SA, but now I see where I went wrong. I thought an old Clare Shiraz due to eucalypt notes. Its light on its feet, medium body with some blackberry and plums.
Old chesterfield leather, tar and tobacco. Definitely past its prime but a good old girl.

Wine # 10 - 1974 Seppelt Seppeltsfield Vintage Port GR104
In what can only be described as an aberration, this wine is majority Malbec. Never had a VP with mostly Malbec in it.... didnt know they even existed!
Maybe this is why I thought it was an old world VP. Seemed lighter and more aromatic than an Aussie VP.
However, that clean spirit was not old world. Very nicely integrated spirit too. Sometimes these old fortified wines, the spirit can be unbalanced and sits on top of the wine, this was not the case here.
Perfectly balanced, liquorice, medicinal cherry, nuttiness as well, roasted Almonds. Feels 70's
(got that bit right!), harmonious and joyous to drink. I can still taste it.

[JamieBahrain]

Craiglee makes a Reserve Shiraz now. Would love to try.

Bought two cases of 96 for $20 a bottle. Great wine though either had a dumb phase or I had rotten luck with low level TCA or other spoilage. Last of the cases rippers.

The best of St Joseph & Crozes fusion-like in style. Fine wine experience !

Yes $135 a bottle, sorry would rather have 2+ bottles of the standard edition. Cheers Craig

I recall a private tasting with Pat 25 years ago. He proudly showed me the magnum of Hermitage he shared with wine friends over a Melbourne lunch. He was beaming with excitement over the wine which as many here would know, doesn’t seem very Carmody like in public.

The magnum I’m pretty sure was a La Chapelle from a not ridiculously spectacular vintage. I was a bit disappointed as I honestly felt Craiglee could produce world class wine and I didn’t get Pat’s reverence for Jaboulet’s La Chapelle. Perhaps I’d bought into the romance of the 100 year old Craiglee’s still drinking well and other 19th century accolades proclaimed by Halliday?

Anyways brings me to the modestly priced Reserve Shiraz. We’ve seen how good the regular Shiraz has performed and if this is Pat’s attempt at making a wine as good as the best - I’ll support him.

I put $20 into the RBA’s inflation calculator from 1996 and today that’s worth $35. So the regular Shiraz is double what it was in real terms from 96. That’s a lot isn’t it?

[JamieBahrain]

Last night drank a lot of great Burgundy.

Clarets were not bad. 82 & 86 Mouton and the 89 Pichon Long’. I’m not really a Bordeaux guy, was craving a Barolo!

[url=https://postimg.cc/KRZBDKdL][img]https://i.postimg.cc/hPmsgTsC/5-C1-AC9-FE-73 ... 0-AAB5.jpg[/img][/url]


[url=https://postimg.cc/qhs0RFRf][img]https://i.postimg.cc/wvPBW8YB/85-F7-C57-A-BB ... 5272-D.jpg[/img][/url]

[JamieBahrain]

Rossco

I’ve had two bottles of 08 Dom this week and they were excellent . Young Champagne not a preference for me and I have trouble discerning high quality

[Con J]

Just because it ages so well and punches way above its weight doesn't mean it needs to be expensive.

Agreed.

What meant was is that it’s amazing value for such a great wine and it was more about what I paid for it on the secondary market. About 50 dollars for a wine with 25 years on it is and amazing condition, well 24 years when I got it.

Cheers Con.

[Alex F]

Rockford Rifle Range Cabernet 2014 - From 375ml. A bottle last year was a bit disjoint and overripe seeming. This one has hit its straps, still a very juicy wine verging on prune/dried fruits. Chocolate. But starting to develop real interest and complexity so I reckon that you can start drinking your halves from now on... 4.5 stars.

[Hacker]

2010 Turkey Flat Shiraz. Superb. Barossa to it's roots (which are very old!) and rich with that plummy dark berry medium to full bodied velvety goodness. May improve further but I don't see any need to wait. Motivated me to buy a six pack of the 2018.

[JamieBahrain]

2005 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1 amongst some amazing wines last night. It was puzzling and I’m a bit embarrassed as an advocate for Aussie semillon & screw cap .

Showed no development of the fruit and was seemingly stationary . However, the structure does seem out of place with acidity washing away squelching yellow citrus fruit and phenolics inappropriately intense.

Bizarre and pretty average.

Needs a cork frankly!

[Mike Hawkins]

While I no longer watch rugby league, I used to go to see the Wests home games at Lidcombe in the 70s and 80s and cheer on the great Tommy Raudonikis. So I was very sad to read of his passing. As such, it seems only right to open my favourite wine to celebrate the life of my favourite player...

1996 Taittinger Comtes BdB.... as always, this is epic. This one had more of a floral and lime nose than previous bottles, but all the typical honey and toast was there. The acid has really softened and the finish goes on and on. Superb and WOTY so far.

[Rory]

Cullen '95
An Aussie classic, in classic condition.

Cullen 95.jpg

[Ian S]

...and some would say that was the high point for them. Definitely more doubters than 20+ years ago

[Alex F]

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2006:
A disappointing wine for the label. Do not think it is in balance, drying out tannins, a bit bony, already with quite a touch of the leathery/acidic/anonymous old wine complex. On the upside showing remnants of dense fruit overlaid with plenty of spice and is very long. 3.5/5.

[Sean]

deleted

[Matt@5453]

Three very different shiraz's and regions last night:

2012 Fox Creek Old Vine Shiraz, McLaren Vale - plush fruit, lovely balance, starting to show some lovely mature characteristics; likely hitting its best in the next 5 years. Beautiful wine.

2018 Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz, Heathcote - a highlight. Needs some aeration. Opens up to lovely wine. Shows the strength of this vintage - medium weight, balance and length. Some 'charry' oak, but works well.

2019 Jack Rabbit Shiraz, Bellarine Peninsula - a bold, but very ripe Shiraz. Full bodied and flavoured. Must have been a warm vintage. Nice, but not as good as their pinot noir.

[mychurch]

57A0B940-697D-495E-A43B-7719C424FA2D.jpeg

The 2006 Cuvee Prestige is a great wine. It’s actually a declassified Vin Jaune, which has the advantage of being bottled in a 75cl format, rather than 62.5. 100% Savignin which spent a masssive 9 years under Flor. That explains the initial nose, which is all grilled nuts and sherry notes. This blows off though and the wine becomes more floral and, dare I say it, yellow. The palate is quite lean, with a noticable acidity and salinity. The first few sips are a bit challanging, but all to soon your tongue becomes an addict in need of a fix. It’s complex, it’s intense, there are some curry tones, it sends the mind racing. You want another sip, then another. Great, great wine. Don’t remember drinking a Ganevat Vin Jaune (although I almost certainly have), and if this is only the 2nd tierthen I need to find some of the proper stuff.

[phillisc]

2006 Wynns BL...had one of these a few weeks back, this is a brilliant wine, still quite primary but everything I love about Coonawarra. Another 10-15+ particularly under screw cap. Who knows where this will end up?
2 bottles of 1998 Wynns BL, both in great nick, corks stuffed , but lots of interest, entering that tertiary phase and holding well
2010 Bin 389, can appreciate the style, still plenty of everything, oak, fruit, tannin. Needs another decade to actually integrate, pleasant now but all over the place.

Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

A stunning bottle of 90 Wynn's Ovens Valley Shiraz. Deep purple with browning on the edges, nose of violets and mixed spice. Medium weight palate, cool in the mouth, with gentle tannins on the finish. What to make of a wine I paid $4 for...and several bottles left. Holding, a surprise and a nice wine. Will drink the remaining bottles over the next few years.
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

A stunning bottle of 90 Wynn's Ovens Valley Shiraz. Deep purple with browning on the edges, nose of violets and mixed spice. Medium weight palate, cool in the mouth, with gentle tannins on the finish. What to make of a wine I paid $4 for...and several bottles left. Holding, a surprise and a nice wine. Will drink the remaining bottles over the next few years.

Good to hear about how well its drinking Craig. I found mine in a Barossa bottle shop (Tanunda I think it was) back in 2001 where it cost me about $30.

[Alex F]

Grant Burge Filsell 2016 Barossa Shiraz: Very dark dense purple still. A year ago this seemed to be in a bit of dumb spot, now the middle is still a bit overtly heavy with oak and tannin extraction but the back end is starting to fan out with intense fruit and spice, medium/long finish. Would say it will soon enter its peak drinking window for good drinking over the next 10 years. 4/5

Glenloth Private Bin CF04C Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Oulliade "Dry red table wine" 1963: Bottom of neck fill. Short cork, nearly stained to the top but still a good seal, came out in one piece. Wine is sound for age, drinkable, but all the fruit is gone and it is somewhat vegetal. 3/5

[Mahmoud Ali]

Opened an old Riesling last night, something I brought home from Australia back in 2001, a 1999 Plantagenet Riesling, Mount Barker (11.5%). The colour was good for a 22 year old white, a very light yellow gold. At first it was rather innocuous, rather dry and semillon-like, however with time it opened up and showed some character. The nose became floral, and notes of lime blossom was evident. The palate fattened, showing hints of honey, no, make that mead, followed by some herb-like notes and a light dry finish. This, as far as I recall, is the oldest Australian Riesling I've had and this example, while offering interest, especially after it opened up, isn't at all like an old German Riesling. But then again, I suppose it isn't supposed to is it?

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

[phillisc]

Dinner with kids and partners.
99 Rockford BP, stunning stunning wine. Cork third way stained but tight as to extract. Still purplish black in colour. Lovely blue berry violet on the nose, palate rich balanced, nice lick of tannin to finish. Fabulous BV Shiraz.
09 Metala Cab/Shiraz/Malbec. Rare release with the triple blend. Earthy savory notes, fresh as a daisy on the palate. At about $8 a bottle, brilliant... another sixer in the cellar.
Cheers Craig

[Rossco]

A wine group evening back in March, with the theme being ‘Sicily’.
Basically anything from the island

As always, all wines served blind.

Wine # 1 (Extra/Starting White) - 2019 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco Calderara Sottana
100% Carricante, 600-650m altitude on the northern slopes of Mt Etna (yes the one that's erupting right now!) and a Contrada. Interestingly Only 4% of total vines on Etna are Carricante, a native grape to the region I believe (stand to be corrected on this)
Lovely color, bright yellow with a tinge of green, however looked a little advanced for 2019.... that could be the barrel ferment or just what the winemaker wanted.
Immediate nose of Juicy Fruit chewing gum.... not something i was expecting. Freshly cut hay, and some dried apple.
Palate was very broad, no peaks, no troughs, just broad. It's not dry at all, and it's missing that mineral talcy acidity I'm used to in Carricante. I think the barrel ferment (and barrel aging)
has played too big a part in this wine. To the detriment of the fruit and fruit profile; its taken that edge off it. Its creamy texture, length was ok but the wine is probably a bit simple in its
current stage of life. Will it improve, not sure but that oak better calm down a bit and let the fruit show.


Wine # 3 - 2015 Calabretta Nerello Cappuccio
Dark Cherry on the nose and a dark cherry colour in the glass. Still bright though which indicates it may be a youngish wine (although i have been tricked many times before). Rose petals, rosewater and Raspberry. Has this wonderful tartness of Rhubarb and that those tannins kick in.... and gee aren't they wonderful! Very prominent, coates the tongue and leaves a furriness on there.
Black cherry fruit hits the palate as well and purple florals, not quite lavender but wild violets.
Etna minerality by the bucket, possibly some soy as well.
I thought this may have been a blend of mostly Mascelese but NO!
This is one of those rare times that a grape usually used in blending, has not just its
own bottling, but is absolutely sensational. Love the balance here, not sure of the oak used if any, but very well rounded. Loved this wine


Wine # 5 (2nd Backup) - 2012 Passopisciaro Contrada C
Clear translucent cherry red. Nose has those bright red cherries as well, but there is some
heat to the nose.... is it alcohol? Warm year?
More primary red fruits, raspberry and a bit of saline minerals as well. I want more minerality in here though if it's an Etna. Some leather chewiness, spice and aniseed. Didnt get a lot of heat in the mouth, so that alcohol was kept in check, however nice acid structure. Just wanted more 'Etna'.
550m of elevation, which if my memory is correct is the lowest of the Passopisciaro Contrada's.


Wine # 6 (Backup) - Calabretta Rosato (I think it was 2019)
In a funny turn of events, the presenter opened his wrong backup (from the Faulty 2010 Passopisciaro Contrada P) - Very brief notes due to being the wrong wine and moving on quickly: Not a complex wine, but very enjoyable. Felt a little nebbiolo at times, strawberries, rose petals and bright red cherries. Spice with some alpine herb. VERY dark for a Rose, but too light for a Nerello Mascalese. Serious rose though and would be very enjoyable on a sunny day.


Wine # 7 - 2017 Terre Nere Etna Rosso PrePhylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino
Age of vines is 130 - 140 years old. Original rootstocks and from 0.8 hectare vineyard.
Amazing nose here. Archetypal Etna, everything I want in an Etna Nerello Mascalese.
Violet perfume, intense red cherries just lit up the senses. Palate delivers what the nose promises and then some. Powerful fruit (my notes say explosive). Potpourri Roses, red cherries, rhubarb, cloves, raspberry and again those violet/purple florals. Minerality for days with some graphite and coal, wet stone... you can just taste the volcanic rocks in this............ then the unimaginable started to happen. As the wine opened up and unfurled in the glass, our old friend Mr Ox showed up.
After another 10 minutes the wine completely fell apart and was a shell of its former self.
I would be very hesitant to age this wine for a long period. Max 5 years based on this showing, which is a real shame as it started off as a contender for wine of the night... it was stunning. Never have I seen a young wine so good, then oxidise right in front of our eyes. Weird!

Wine # 8 - 2017 Girolamo Russo Feudo di Mezzo Etna Rosso
Darker in the glass than the other wines, I wonder if this is a bit older or possibly a blend.
Not bright red translucent like the other, more plum/purple.
Lovely aromatics, herbs, pine needles and red fruits....the purity of fruit here was quite profound. Not super powerful, but dominating nonetheless. Raspberry, Rhubarb, iron minerals and slate. Huge tannin on the mid-end palate and coated the tongue similar to the Calabretta Nerello Cappuccio. The wine has a vibrancy and intensity that is compelling. Tar and balsamic
towards the end as it opened up. I thought 2013, so being a 2017 I wonder if there is some premature development (not that it showed) just seemed older than it was.

Wine # 9 - 2016 Calabretta 'Nonna Concetta' Nerello Mascalese
110 year old vines, 0.4 hectare vineyard, 600m altitude and purchased in Passopisciaro in 2003
named after his Grandmother. 900 Bottles produced world wide (no idea how many are allocated here... cant be many!).
Red Rope Liquorice, Rose petals, Aniseed, lovely florals as well, super perfumed and
like the La Vigna di Don Peppino this was Etna in a glass. Superb fruit here, unrelenting power and just incredible depth. Lots of herbs, sage, fennel, spearmint, structure as well. Tannin not as prominent as others tonight, but it doesnt need to be, the purity of that fruit is the star. Acid
spine runs from start to finish and does its job admirably. These red fruits are never ending.
Some slight tar and laden with rich slatey minerals. Close to wine of the night for me.


Wine # 11 (Backup) - 2011 Passopisciaro Contrada C
Very similar notes to the 2012 but without the alcohol/heat.
Clear translucent cherry red. Nose has those bright red cherries as well and very nice
black minerals.
More primary red fruits, raspberry and a bit of tar and tobacco but really lovely earth characters.
New leather, clove spice and aniseed. Lovely acid.

Wine # 12 (Extra) - 2011 Donnafugata 'Ben Rye' Passito di Pantelleria
Produced on an Island off the coast of Sicily, Zibibbo grape however we Aussies know it as Muscat of Alessandria (ala Wendouree).
Loads of dried apricot on the nose, and the colour is liquid Amber. Viscosity almost of olive oil, its so thick. This is very well balanced, it's not overly sweet as the perfectly judged acid pulls everything together. Not cloying or clotting this is quite a revelation. Earl Grey Tea, Bergamot, charred figs, honey and cinnamon with vanilla bean. The overwhelming aspect is Apricot. Anyone remember drinking the juice from a tinned can of Apricots? Yeah well that's exactly what this is. Length is stunning, and at the end some maritime saltiness. Completely enveloping, engrossing. Serious wine


Wine # 13 (Extra) 1944 Seppelt Para Liqueur
Having had a few old Para's from the 1920, 30's and 40's let me start by saying each and everyone has been totally different in their own way. Yes they are very old, but none were off, and this wine epitomises (even back then) different vintages, blends and variations. Although the vintage on the label relates (back then) to the oldest component of the blend, and is based around Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro varieties.

I did not pick it at all as a Para, although it did scream SA fortified, and in particular Tawny, I thought it may have been an Orlando or possibly even a Penfolds.

Amber Burnt toffee in colour, this was not silky or rich like an old muscat or tokay. This was thinner and medium in body. Clearly very old, but wow its in rude health.
The spirit is very clean, almonds and marzipan type notes, however I was surprised at how dry this is. Not table wine dry, but still added an interesting aspect to the wine.
Coffee, Olives, Milk chocolate, toffee, grilled nuts and a good whack of medicinal cherry. That rancio character really is quite prominent still but that length... I think i can still taste it. Sublime


Below wines were NQR and tipped out
Wine # 2 - 2010 Passopisciaro Contrada P
Wine # 4 - 2011 Passopisciaro Contrada C
Wine # 4.1 (Backup) 2011 Passopisciaro Contrada C
Wine # 10 (2nd Backup) - 2011 Passopisciaro Contrada G