Wines of the Year - 2021

[Mahmoud Ali]

Hello Aussie Formites,

I'm going to borrow from Tom Cannavan's Wine Pages format and ask that people post their wines of the year. Tom posts his wines of the year and asks guests and forum members to post their own with a brief commentary. I think it would be nice if we did the same, here on the Auswine forum.

I will start the thread with my submission to Wine pages.

Red: 1978 Marques de Caceres Reserva
Runner Up: 1978 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
White: Austrian Gruner Veltliners and a very satisfying 2014 Kliment Cidre Extra Brut.
Sparkling: N/V Billecart-Salmon
Port: 1977 Warre
Dessert: 1980 Messias Colheita
Rose: N/V Lanson Brut Rose
Budget Red: 2018 Domaine de Pallhaut Red - ($11.50)
Budget White: 2018 Domaine de Pellehaut Blanc - ($11.50)
Dud: 1989 Drouhin Chassagne Montrachet
Oddity: 2013 Mogenster Italian Collection 'Nabucco' Nebbiolo
Thing: Three glorious weeks in Prague.

A visit to Prague was like a ray of sunshine, a Dubcek Prague Spring if you will. Gruner Veltliners were the highlights of the trip along with the best cider I've ever had and some singularly unique vintage and single orchard Slivovitz. The Caceres Reserva was popped and decanted as a backup wine to a very tired Burgundy. The nose rose from the glass in the form of a ripe, feral, earthy spiral of aromatics. It was one of those wines with a nose so intriguing that one hesitated to take a sip and it piped the Bordeaux look-a-like 1978 Spring Mountain Cabernet. The Lanson Rose was at least six years old and it showed depth and character. The Billecarte-Salmon was also an older bottle that a friend found on a store shelf and was it was lovely, somewhat aged, rich, and complex. Both the '77 Warre's and '80 Messias were, in their own way, delicate and filigreed, and thoroughly enjoyable. The Morgenster was my first South African Nebbiolo-deep & structured and very nice if still young.

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

[Dragzworthy]

Good idea!

start the thread with my submission to Wine pages.

Red: 1955 Mouton Rothschild
Runner Up: 2005 Chateau D'issan
White: 2017 Chateau de Beru Montserre Chablis
Sparkling: NV Krug 167
Port: nothing here noteworthy
Dessert: 2003 Royal Tokaji Mezes Maly 6 Puttunyos Aszu
Rose[/u]: nothing here noteworthy
Budget Red: 2016 Cape Mentelle Merlot
Budget White: 2020 Tenuta Ulisse Pecorino
Dud: 1996 Pesquera Gran Reserva
Oddity: hmmm
Thing: Getting out of Singapore for the first time in two years via a trip to Spain

[mychurch]

Red: 2013 Old Vine 1850 Grenache, Cirillo
White: NV Yellow, Between Five Bells, Victoria
Budget Red: 2002 Cabernet, Studley Park, Melbourne
Budget White: 2008 Gouais, Chambers
Sparkling: 2005 Late Disgorged, Bream Creek
Cheese: 2012 Bloom, Brash Higgens
Fortified: Chambers Rare Muscat and Muscadelle
Extra choice: 1969 Vernaccia di Oristano
Thing: Old Australian wines
Comments: I rated a 76 St Henri higher than the Cirilo, but it was part of a mega tasting that I cant remember much about. Plenty to remember about the Cirilo, made from the oldest Grenache Vines in the world. I have three Vin Jaune style wines in the list. The best and my wine of the year, was the Between Five Bells. Some Savignin kept in a solera and topped up each year with some chardonnay. Lots of power and real funk. The Bloom was kept in barrel for seven years and really is a great Auz version. The Vernaccia was the weirdest and most memorable. Orange meets Sherry meets Jura. Hard to love, but gosh it has personality. I started picking up old Auz reds and ports this years. Minor houses, with reasonable fills. The Tawnys and Muscats are the best, but I find them all interesting. None come close to Chambers top two though. Classy stuff with a finish that never ends.