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

[phillisc]

Pretty close Ed, about $13ish I think, but wow. First lads birth year, have a few singles, plus a couple of magnums. '94 is an interesting year, it followed a couple of lean vintages , 92 very wet, where grapes were pretty green and the wines a little thin and acidic and Peter Douglas ( wine maker before Sue Hodder) didn't hold back and aimed for the over the top styles. '95 was another wet year, very green lean edition (thankfully no JR released). However, 1994 is a bit of a sleeper, always thought for a modest 7-8/10 rating it would turn out well. Based on your note, my assessment of it being a 30 year proposition sounds about right.

Cheers Craig

[mjs]

Couple of 2010's on Sat night with good food and friends

2010 Ch Cissac Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc
A favourite of mine going back to days in London in the early 80's, not a classified growth, but good drinking anyway. Perhaps medium bodied, great structure, finesse, silky tannins
2010 Laira 171 Cabernet Sauvignon
Seemed a little rough around the edges after the Cissac, not as much finesse, but also good to drink

[Matt@5453]

A few impressions from Dinner on Tuesday night with a group of colleagues at the Watervale Hotel. We let Warrick pick the wines for us for each course. Wines mostly represented by Clare Valley G.I., 'when in Rome'.

We started with a pair of 2021 Clare Valley Fiano’s, in very contrasting styles:

2021 Miss Zilm, Auburn, Clare Valley. This is new to producer to me, made by Keeda Zilm. Great intensity of fruit, crisp, super clean with a nice acidic kick. A ‘riesling drinker’s’ Fiano. Contrasted by a 2021 Fiano by Marnie Roberts of Matriarch & Rouge, the label and name escapes me. This is a side project of hers. Wild yeast, wild ferment, 7 days on skins and some time in oak. This is pushing the realms on this wine. Nice for a taste, but too ‘funky’ for me.

Italians Varietals:

2021 Mount Horrocks Nero D’Avola, very youthful at this point, fruit very feels very ‘raw’. There is a fair whack of new french oak that I found overpowering and dominated the palate for me. I was expecting a more fruit forward style. The oak was too much for me and I struggled to find the fruit. Others loved it, but it was a ‘Pass’ for me on this tasting. There was a suggestion it was released too early and likely need a year or two to settle down in bottle.

2021 Art Wine “Leave Your Hat on” Montepulciano, Clare Valley – Dark ‘plump’ fruited, with plums and dark berries, quite ‘juicy’ and fruit forward, with a touch of spice. It felt rustic and generous. I enjoyed this.

2021 Grosjean Gamay, Valle d'Aosta (Northern Italy) – something a bit different thrown in. Just medium bodied, lovely soft fruit and acid balance, with nice pepper tones on the finish. Lovely dinner wine with pasta. My second favorite on the night.

Classic Clare Blends:

2018 Kirrihill Wines Cabernet Malbec, Clare Valley – full bodied and heavy going for me after the Gamay. Took a while to open up. The Cabernet tends to dominate, I couldn’t get the Malbec in there. Good structure, in a bigger full-bodied wine style, but too young, needs at least a decade to round out.

2020 Koerner Wines Classico, Clare Valley - A polarising wine to the group. An earlier picked style than the Kirrihill wine. Lovely purity of fruit, the cabernet hits you first and then you get the juiciness of the Malbec. Great structure and length, picking up some ferrous notes too. This is akin to a young Wendouree East Road wine. I didn’t realise it was a blend of 4 x varieties being: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 6% Sangiovese & 4% Grenache. A lot to like here. This is on my buy list, I would love to see this in 5 and 10+ years time. Cork closure.

[phillisc]

Thanks Matt, Keeda Zilm is making some excellent wines, particularly the Riesling. I'm a bit biased, she's part of the Parker Estate team with Ox Hardy
Cheers Craig

[mychurch]

Couple of 2010's on Sat night with good food and friends

2010 Ch Cissac Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc
A favourite of mine going back to days in London in the early 80's, not a classified growth, but good drinking anyway. Perhaps medium bodied, great structure, finesse, silky tannins

Just turned up at the City Wine Shop for the first time in a while and this is one of the Coravin Premium Wines by the glass. I always like to try BDX with a bit of age, but it’s $38 a glass, which is probably more than it cost in Europe when it came out En Primeur.

[mjs]

Couple of 2010's on Sat night with good food and friends

2010 Ch Cissac Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc
A favourite of mine going back to days in London in the early 80's, not a classified growth, but good drinking anyway. Perhaps medium bodied, great structure, finesse, silky tannins

Just turned up at the City Wine Shop for the first time in a while and this is one of the Coravin Premium Wines by the glass. I always like to try BDX with a bit of age, but it’s $38 a glass, which is probably more than it cost in Europe when it came out En Primeur.

38 bucks a glass is a bit steep, it’s not hugely expensive

[JamieAdelaide]

Makes me cry foreign wine prices in Australia or even local wine prices drinking out. I’m sure there’s good reason for it. However. I’m seriously contemplating moving abroad again and wine is a big factor!

[phillisc]

Makes me cry foreign wine prices in Australia or even local wine prices drinking out. I’m sure there’s good reason for it. However. I’m seriously contemplating moving abroad again and wine is a big factor!

With you here Jamie, but won't say too much as all the mums and dads business owners who constantly cry poor yet make millions will be onto me
I am finding these days I am going exclusively BYO, that may curtail selections, but the places I go to are consistently good.
Its a pity, there is a new joint up the road from me that opened Tuesday this week, but the cheapest dross on the wine list is $55 ( lazy 400% retail mark up). Pity, I really wanted to go there, might enquire if BYO friendly.
I have two long lunches planned for next month, both places allow BYO at $20-25 a bottle...seems to make sense when it will be a $750+ spend on food.

Cheers Craig

[JamieAdelaide]

Yep I live over the road from the Kentish Arms. Super pub but a beer with dinner and a few steps home to drink from my own cellar. You’d love it. Henschke specialists with HoG a grand, Mt Edelstone $380 and Julius $130. Wee bit of bottle age I must add.

[phillisc]

Indeed, being going to the Kentish since the mid 80s, I am having lunch there Monday week. Used to have good nights on the dart board and DJ Driller spinning the tunes. Lengthy in store tastings at Melbourne Street Cellars and then we'd all wander up to while away a few hours.
My sister is a good friend of the owner. Yes they used to do good wine lunches, the usual 5 courses, plus wines, plus the winemaker, $100 or so. The owner is a keen collector. The Birdcage in the 80s, where you could cook your own (similar to the The British round the corner) or have someone do it for you, was the place to be seen.

Think the demographic changed a bit now, or perhaps they have all gone back to the The Lion. A grand for HoG, there might be a few oldies from the North Adelaide establishment that think that's good VFM, with the current release just $50 less

Cheers Craig

[Dragzworthy]

I visited Maha East (Chapel Street, Windsor end) this week and the corkage was $25bl of which I am more than happy to pay. The food was outstanding, the ambience excellent. Stemware was decent too. Good spot if one is partial to modern Turkish style cuisine.

[mychurch]

74F4AE1F-0508-4C69-8220-413CE47F20A5.jpeg

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2 good Chardonnay’s.

The Pyramid was the better on Friday night, the Holyman tonight. The Holyman is leaner and tighter and needs a few years whereas the Pyramid was great from the off. I find top level NZ Chardonnay a bit dull and 1 dimensional, but this makes me want to try one of the hyper expensive Cuvees - they are around $150 a bottle down down.

[Mike Hawkins]

2002 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz. On the nose, it struck me as cool climate meets HV given the hints of pepper and sweaty saddle. The palate was medium bodied, With velvety mouthfeel and excellent length. This is in its prime drinking window. I loved it, though my mate (who brought it) didn’t rate it as highly

[mychurch]

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Recent auction purchase.

It’s old and I can’t really tell you if it’s corked or it’s just some odd flavours due to the age - think it’s the later as it’s getting fruiter with air and corked wines tend to get corkier.

Small cork, that is hardly stained. Level is great. Colour is old, but it’s fine. Clear. Looks like a burg. Savoury, black tea, forest floor, good acidity. It’s going to dry out I think, but it’s glass or 2 went well with some midweek pasta.

[VinoEd]

I got a mixed 6 of their Riesling and this. A lovely hand written card included in the delivery which was a great touch. Enjoyed this wine a lot - very bold and tannic at this stage, but has all the components to age well. For the price, this was excellent. Will save the balance for 10 years.

Cheers Ed

[Michael McNally]

I got a mixed 6 of their Riesling and this. A lovely hand written card included in the delivery which was a great touch. Enjoyed this wine a lot - very bold and tannic at this stage, but has all the components to age well. For the price, this was excellent. Will save the balance for 10 years.

Cheers Ed

Hi Ed

I have been buying their wines for about 5 years and yet to strike a dud. Their rizzas are excellent and the QPR across the range is great.

Can also recommend the Chardonnays and the Clement V.

Cheers

Michael

[Sean]

deleted

[Rossco]

Another wine event back in October.

Shout out to my #OnlyFan who pushed me to post this. Two more notes for November functions still to come.

Theme was Piedmont, Valtellina & Alto Piedmont (ie anything from these regions)

As always, all wines tasted blind

Wine # 1 – (Extra Starter) – 2017 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis
Green Gold in the glass, very bright and shiny. Lovely nose here. Green apples, citrus flowers and a real sweetness in the glass, raw honey type thing, and I wondered if there was a bit of botrytis or late harvest grapes in there.
That’s as far as the sweetness goes though, as in the mouth its bone dry. Superstar acid flowing through the whole palate. Really enjoyable wine, complexity and intrigue. I guessed all the questions wrong, this does not feel like an Arneis! Initially I thought it was a Friuli with that fruit, but no.
Soft briny texture, more apples, and white flowers touch of oyster shell minerals. Loved this wine,
Massive yes from me and need to grab some.


Wine # 2 – (Extra) – 2016 Gilbert Blanc de Blancs
Very very light in colour. Soft white in the glass,
Lemon, grapefruit and apples on the nose. Soft fruit, almost weak fruit… like the vines are very young. No power behind the fruit, to me its sweet. Initially I thought that was the dosage, but that was wrong, perhaps it was the fruit sweetness I was getting confused with.
Doesn’t feel dry, its simple, linear, lacking fruit and acidity. I thought it could have been a prosecco for a moment.
Yet to have any wines from Orange I enjoy at all…. And this wine just reinforces that opinion.
But I know nothing as its received very high praise and scores from professional reviewers, I cant see it or understand why. It’s a no from me.


Wine # 3 – 1996 Gaja Sperss
Dark and Brooding wine here. Some brown edges, dark black cherry colour and a little blurring.
Lots of Sous bois on the nose, smells old. Mushrooms, forest floor and some red fruits. Touch of tar and tobacco. Iodine and soft fruit in the mouth, does feel like an older wine in its secondary / tertiary phase. Some light florals; violets with a hint of blueberry. More mushrooms, dry leather and charcoal minerals. Some black olives, dried herbs and a touch of cured meat. Nice wine, ready to drink now.


Wine # 4 – 1996 AR PEPE Sassella Rocce Rosse Riserva
Darker in colour similar to the previous wine, but more browning and bricking.
Lemon acidity is a bit off putting, prunes and dusty earth.
For my tastes, it feels past it and over the hill. It feels like an old wine, and has very minimal to no tannin. Touch of Brett possibly VA as well. Not 100% sure about this one. For me, AR PEPE sit perfectly at about 10 or so years.


Wine # 5 – 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Asili (Riserva)
Another older wine here, Dark & Bricking Red in colour. Nose has lots of perfumed red fruits, touch of herb and liquorice.
Very prominent acidity, its sticks out a bit. Tannins equally as prominent but expected to be if this wine is what I think it is (I choose PdB Barbaresco) – More sweet red fruits in the mouth too, redcurrants, strawberry, red cherry. Has a bit of cranberry tartness to it as well. Powerful structure here, more furry type tannins, coats the mouth… lovely texture as well…my notes say ‘slurpable’. Lots of nice noises coming from the group. Nice red earth, not as minerally as I was expecting, some lovely old oak treatment. Good wine.


Wine # 6 – 2006 Prunotto Barolo Bussia
A fair bit of oxidation on the nose here. I can pick it a mile away. Others take a bit of time, but it
gets worse the more air it gets. Very earthy, hard and unyielding acid. Bonox, dry salted beef. Nope this is too far gone. Tipped out


Wine # 7 – 2010 Roagna Pira Barolo
Deep Red colour in the glass. Not bright, not dark – Just deep red. It doesn’t shine, but its serious Woody notes upon first whiff. Some cedar and cigar box notes, lovely potpourri things coming through – now we are getting interesting! Red fruited wine, sawdust, tobacco - some very delicate chalk in there too, very interesting. Dry and dusty tannins, more red florals, dry Roses and a little red earth. Sawdust just adds to the woody characters I got on the nose, balance is wonderful – that’s what I really like about this wine, everything in balance. Length is nice.


Wine # 8 – 2011 G.D Vajra Bricco Delle Viole Barolo
Darker in colour than the previous wine. A dark but youthful red. Lovely intriguing nose rich and ripe fruits on the nose. If this wasn’t an Italian themed dinner, you could see new world neb fruit in here, such is how prominent the fruit is, maybe new world winemaker in Piedmont?
Lovely tannin to tame those wile fruits, acid holds up as well but those powerhouse raspberries, red cherries, ripe strawberries. Violets and I think a touch of fennel/aniseed. Feels like large, old oak has been used, just the way it should be in a neb. Those using new/barrique need to stop. Length is quite astonishing – Definitely length of the night so far. Very complex – good stuff


Wine # 9 – 2005 Paolo Scavino Bricco Ambrogio Barolo
Dark in colour, deep dark red, almost purple. Nice nose coming out – soft fruit of both the red and dark purple varieties.
One sip and that tannin hits you like a bucking thoroughbred. Very tannic wine here, archetypal Barolo, fruit plays second fiddle to those huge tannins, but there IS a core of dense rich fruit, its just drowned out by what I can only describe the vinous equivalent of attending a Metallica concert without earmuffs. Needs some rich fatty Lamb or goat to cut through, then you will see the plums, some blackberries, and dark spices. Cedar wood notes come through, but you will always come back to the those dominating tannins. Look at again in 8-10 years and see if that fruit comes up a bit.


Wine # 10 – 2013 AR PEPE Sallella Nuova Regina Riserva
Clear, translucent and bright red – this looks young, and its very happy to see you. Has an innocents about it, hard to describe. Lovely perfume leaping out the glass, envelops the room. Defiantly the most floral of the evening so far. Refined and elegant. Young raspberries, strawberries no oak to be seen, this is all fruit – rosewater and Turkish delights. Minerally acid backbone, chalky and dry class act all the way and very happy with this, exactly what I want out of my nebs. Purity of fruit is astonishing.
High altitude alpine herbs, pine needles, nettles, and a forest breeze type thing. More of those wonderful rose flowers both dry and fresh, fruit is really singing.
This wine is in the perfect drinking window (for me), but will hold for many more years. Im calling wine of the night. Others may not agree; don’t care.


Wine # 11 - 2000 Massolino Vigna Rionda Serralunga d’Alba
Dark Brick red. Powerful nose, some oak and cedar with big fruits. Dark purple fruits. Not jammy,
But ripe and very powerful. Some plums, blueberries and lavender, all purple spectrum. Prominent furry and dry tannin, I pick Serralunga just on the power of this wine. At another level, touch of cola and tar. Liquorice and fennel which is a nice touch. More of those purple/blue berries rounded out by some nice oak/cedar notes. Orange rind and lavender – finish is good.


Wine # 12 – 2014 Conterno Nervi Gattinara Vigna Molsino
Darker purple in the glass than the previous wine. Feels like an alto wine, higher altitude, has a lighter texture and mouthfeel, not delicate though. Doesn’t have the fruit purity of Valtellina, nor the tannin for piedmont, so im in Alto by default. Some nice florals and alpine herbs, rosehip and red cherry. Some interesting nutmeg, sweet spice on the palate and some slatey minerals are a nice touch. Velvet tannins are well appointed in a softer style. Acid kept in check, some good winemaking here but not a knockout wine. Very good drink, not worth the $$..... is anything these days though.


Wine # 13 – 2008 Sordo Rocche di Castiglione Riserva
Younger wine, feels 10 ish years old (wrong!)– Clearly Barolo – Im thinking Serralunga with all that fruit power. Dark purple in the glass, nose of blackberries, black cherry, old leather, tar and tobacco.
Lots going on here. That fruit power is something - touch of strawberry and aniseed. Old oak is a nice touch, with some dried herbs. Some more cola/charcoal dark minerals as well…. Graphite maybe?
Some salty/Soy was an interesting note I picked up on, but I was alone in that regard.
Lovely texture and length.


Wine # 14 – (Backup) – 2005 Produttori del Barbaresco Moccagatta (Riserva)
Nice powerful fruit, lovely acid. Didn’t pick it as Barbaresco – tannin profile seemed wrong,
as did the Barbaresco acid I usually get right…. Not on this occasion. Again the fruit power seems a theme of the night and why I thought we were in Barolo here…. Wrong. Perhaps a vintage thing?
Red fruits, but also some darker fruits as well. Bit of rust type minerals, iron ect. Tar and some very slight old cedar, Nice touch. Tannins are resolved and silky, acid still holding on. Drinking well now, probably wont improve over time, but will hold for a few years.


Wine # 15 – (Finisher) – NV Emilio Lustau Jerez Sherry Solera Reserva Superior Rare Cream
Colour is mesmerising, all khaki, green olive and sump oil. Glistens and shines,
Lots of citrus rind and citrus zest on the palate, thinner texture has me in old world. There is a structure about it that doesn’t seem Australian or new world – even if the colour and fruits seem to be on the riper/richer scale. Coffee and mocha notes, more mandarin acidity streaking through the wine. This is old. Im thinking 60’s or 70’s material. Some burnt/toffee figs and creamy macadamia nuttiness. Great wine and fitting end to a wonderful evening.

[JamieAdelaide]

Prunotto is so unreliable. Sounds like premox.

[ticklenow1]

2015 Dog Point Chardonnay. Marlborough NZ. Just loved this. Colour starting to deepen. Slight spice though not overly noticeable, pleasant toastiness and biscuit, citrus, creaminess, wonderful acidity with some nuttiness to finish. Great balance to this wine. Everything just seemed to be where it should be. Bottle emptied in record time. My wife doesn’t normally have a second glass on a school night, but pretty sure she had more of the bottle than I did. Big compliment for the wine that! Drank from Plumm Three’s which seemed a nice match. Right in a perfect drinking window for my palate, though should hold for a bit. Glad I have a couple more bottles and will put this on the must buy list from now on. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

[Rossco]

2015 Dog Point Chardonnay. Marlborough NZ. Just loved this. Colour starting to deepen. Slight spice though not overly noticeable, pleasant toastiness and biscuit, citrus, creaminess, wonderful acidity with some nuttiness to finish. Great balance to this wine. Everything just seemed to be where it should be. Bottle emptied in record time. My wife doesn’t normally have a second glass on a school night, but pretty sure she had more of the bottle than I did. Big compliment for the wine that! Drank from Plumm Three’s which seemed a nice match. Right in a perfect drinking window for my palate, though should hold for a bit. Glad I have a couple more bottles and will put this on the must buy list from now on. 4/5

Cheers
Ian

I really like this wine too, probably their best in the whole range BUT their Section 94 is a favourite as well.
Love the flinty barrel notes coming from it. Which reminds me, im out of both!

[Rossco]

A final Xmas event for one of my wine groups that focuses on Italian wines.

As its the Xmas finale, the offerings are a little better than usual

Theme was anything from Piedmont, Tuscany or Sicily - but exceptional

Again another nod to my #OnlyFan who stalks these pages daily waiting patiently for the notes

As always, all wines served blind

Wine # 1 - (Starter) – Sara Vezza Alta Langa Brut
Lovely nose here, black tea, camomile, very herby and floral all at the same time.
Some green apples on the nose too, I wonder if that’s acidity?
Missing that X – Factor of minerality I want to see in these wines.
Lovely Acid profile, lemon / citrus (not apple like I thought) all the way through the wine.
Very fruit forward, not super dry as it has this roundness about it – I wonder what the dosage is. Not sweet, but there is some residual sugar here. Lovely mousse, fine bead. Love the fruit in this, its stunning. More fleshy white peach, green apples, orchard white florals, very nice wine and surprised the quality of sparkling coming from this region.
Not sure of grape variety, but could be majority chardonnay?


Wine # 2 - 2008 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino
Faulty – Bloody Corks – Of course it was my wine.


Wine # 3 – 2012 Sottimano ‘Curra’ Barbaresco
Lovely colour in the glass. Dark red cherry type – clarity too. Very clear in the glass.
Nose is all red fruits, some tar, some tobacco – ethereal nose here, could smell it all day.
No browning at all. Those red florals are just leaping out of the glass, all rose petal and strawberry with some glacé cherry sweetness. Acid starting to come through now, lovely and soft and very entertaining. Only medium body, good length without being great. Tannin is soft and furry in the mouth, fruit holding up – again red spectrum redcurrants, some slight strawberry and red cherry and rosewater.


Wine # 4 - 2004 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
A bit darker red in colour than the previous wine, still clear though – no browning. Raspberry and sweet ripe red cherry. Feels like a very fine boned Brunello such is the elegance here. Lovely florals, purity of fruit is outrageous, this is a VERY high-class wine. So fruit forward here, it’s a joy to drink, length is just stunning, it just doesn’t end…. not sure I have had a wine last this long in the mouth.
Rosemary herbs, purple florals of violets and lavender, orange rind and blood orange powerful fruit. Some light tar, liquorice, more red fruits and some lovely cranberry tartness/acidity. Just stunning, thought provoking, ethereal beauty. Calling wine of the night already. I never score a wine, BUT this is easily a perfect score (are we at 105 points yet?). I cant fault it – makes baby Jesus cry its so beautiful.


Wine # 5 – 2007 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano
Darker red in the glass once again. This smells of piedmont. There is that nose of tar, tobacco, red fruits and florals that are just synonymous with piedmont – Archetypal if you will.
Some oak on the nose too, which is a little distracting but there is lots of acid. Almost feels like its been added its that intrusive. Juts out and needs to calm down more. Bit surprised its Barbaresco, but that Acid profile seems disjointed. Lovely length, red fruits, purple florals, some violets and slight dried oregano herbs. Some old leather and aniseed with really nice grippy tannin. Slight bit of mushroom/damp forest floor, but dark cherry as well. Nice wine.


Wine # 6 - 2004 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco
Very badly oxidised


Wine # 7 - 2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabaja
Dark, brick red – some very slight blurring. Nose has a bit of oak, but lots of dark red fruits. Huge grippy tannin here… mouth coating and dominant. Not as fruit forward as the past wines, not knowing what it is, I question if there should be more fruit (or its drying out a bit?), or if this is how its meant to be. Some tar; there is power to this wine, but not fruit power. More tannin power, not as balanced as the previous wines. I want more florals and fruit, is the fruit at its end of life or just shut down a bit? Spicy, white pepper-ish and
Finishes fractionally short too.


Wine # 8 (Back up) – 2004 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe
Again typical piedmont nose. Cherry, tar and oak again. Either im sensitive to oak this night or these wines have more than I want. Is this a Barbaresco? It’s a bit thin and has some pokey acid, lovely dried herbs but again lacks a bit of fruit. No florals, I don’t think this bottle is quite right, or im not on my game – but still drinkable.


Wine # 9 - 2000 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia
Very dark colour here – Black Cherry colour. Lots of spice on the nose, star anise but…. Yes… here comes that oak again. Lots of oak but this time its balanced by the fruit. Soft, rounded fruit but its up to the task of taming that oak- new oak, barrique; feels like an oaky Brunello. Rich wine here, nice ripeness, dried herbs again the word ‘round’ keep entering my thoughts. Ripe Plums & Prunes, blueberries, blackberries. Sweet oak, dominant structure – is the fruit thinning and drying out? Lots of new leather, coffee grounds, and dark chocolate.
Drink now, nice length but not my style – Bloody hell, no wonder – a super Tuscan. For sure im getting trolled now. I am genuinely confused as to the prices these fetch now. Can you imagine the utter rage and trashing of the wineries if Sangiovese was to be planted in Bordeaux – or Nebbiolo in Burgundy. That’s my thoughts on French varietals in Italy.


Wine # 10 - 2011 Vietti Barolo Ravera
Nice red colour, not dark, not bright – just red. Tannin sits on the back of the tongue – Puckering Tannin, dominant and powerful. Forces a kissy face amongst the group. I have a quiet chuckle to myself. Fruit is well and truly up to the task here, ripe red fruits, sweet fruits as well. Raspberry, medicinal cherry, some light prunes as well. Nice balance, I do like the balance this wine has. Doesn’t show its age or vintage, good length; quality wine here. Some herbs starting to come through, fennel in particular and some orange citrus acid. Big old oak casks clearly on display here, exactly the way it should be - very subtle, perfectly judged. Some truffle and mushroom notes, red earth, tobacco but that tannin…. Love this structure.


Wine # 11 (backup) – 2011 Roberto Voerzio Barolo La Serra
Black Cherry red in the glass. Dark and powerful fruits. Red to black fruits – similar to the colour, this is all back cherry, some blackcurrants, redcurrants, very powerful fruits, however this isn’t at the same level as the last bottle. Its missing that X factor the last bottle had.
Nice integrated and subtle oak, acid it still holding the wine together and supporting those fruits, but
Feels a bit tired and on its downward spiral. Doesn’t have the energy of the previous bottle a couple of years ago. Such is corklife the storage and history were exactly the same, so can only be bottle variation.
It’s a really nice wine but I know there is better examples. Feels a bit tired and on its downward spiral. Drink now based on this showing.


Wine # 12 - 2000 San Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto Riserva
Pretty standard and by the numbers Brunello. Nothing wrong with this wine (ie I cant pick a fault), just uninspiring and a little boring. I think the Mascarello ruined me. Too much oak here, lacking fruit and short length. Tipped out.


Wine # 13 – (finisher) – 1980 Taylor’s Vintage Port
Colour is very red and translucent. You can tell just from the colour its Portuguese. There is something mystifying as to how they do VP versus how we do it in Australia. Night and day difference. This is salty and briny on the nose – fresh sea air. Quite a bit of herbs as well.
Liquorice, marzipan and some more grilled nuts (hazelnuts?)
The purity of fruit on show is fascinating for a 40+ year old wine. Freeze dried raspberries, glace` cherries and possibly some fresh figs. Powerful fruit, surges through the palate, but then the spirit hits. Its slightly too strong for the wine, imparts a small chlorine character that you have to get past; and get past I do with those fruits and now some baking spices – in the fruit cake realm. Lovely wine, great finisher. I am still lusting after that Mascarello…..

[JamieAdelaide]

I’ve got all those wines Rossco. It’s just superb to see folks drinking them here in Oz. Monprivato can be an incredible experience. The 2004 was something else on release. It just resonated with me. I sent six to Australia though I lost four that were smashed in transit. In my wine group one of our guys was an Italian auctioneer and swears Voerzio doesn’t drink well beyond a decade or so. I’ve enjoyed them young though carelessly have them in the cellar. Stella can be really good but an odd one to have in a Barolo line up as its terroir-less. Cavallotto can be both temperamental and subtle. Ornellaia is for Instagram.

[Rossco]

I’ve got all those wines Rossco. It’s just superb to see folks drinking them here in Oz. Monprivato can be an incredible experience. The 2004 was something else on release. It just resonated with me. I sent six to Australia though I lost four that were smashed in transit. In my wine group one of our guys was an Italian auctioneer and swears Voerzio doesn’t drink well beyond a decade or so. I’ve enjoyed them young though carelessly have them in the cellar. Stella can be really good but an odd one to have in a Barolo line up as its terroir-less. Cavallotto can be both temperamental and subtle. Ornellaia is for Instagram.

I want my last wine i ever drink on this earth to be the 2004 Monprivato

I think you are spot on with your Voerzio comments. The last bottle was absolutely stunning (under 10 years old) and this was wasnt as good. COULD be cork variation, or as you say - they just might go down hill after 10 years. Thats certainly what this tasting showed.

[Ian S]

Hi Rossco
We used to enjoy Ornellaia as something of a guilty pleasure. It's supremely approachable, like a warm blanket. There's nothing particularly cerebral about it, but sometimes it's just perfect for instant gratification. As with so many prestigious wines though, pricing has elevated past the point I'd be a buyer, with our last bottle drunk over a decade ago.

Sad to see so many disappointments in this line-up, wines that ought to be capable of being the star of the show, but bombed out in disgrace. Even the star of this show (the Monprivato) is getting some strongly negative comments (led by Galloni) for recent vintages.

[JamieAdelaide]

Recent Monprivato gets great reviews locally from WineFront. I thought some of Galloni’s criticisms due personality clash or dismissal of a winery red carpet treatment? Just online goss and unsure if veracity.

Rossco, Monprivato left me babbling a few years ago. The 1989 & 1990 kindly provided by Nigel ( rare visitor here now ) on a number of occasions. I checked my BBR receipts and I bought 12 x 04 for $70 AUD. I know I lost four and drank a few. Yet no record in my Aussie cellar if any. They must be there buried away. I’ve got about 75 bottles including magnums back to 90’s. I am supposed to be moving to Melbourne next year with work so will let you know if I do a Monprivato event.

[Ian S]

Hi Jamie
Whilst there are people on WB forum echoing some of Galloni's disappointments in recent(ish) bottlings, there can I'm sure be an element of groupthink. In addition, I don't have a huge amount of respect for Galloni, so treat his attention grabbing pronouncements (+ve and -ve) with a big pinch of salt. FWIW I do have much more respect for Ian d'Agata, but it's difficult to read his original native grapes book and not develop some respect for him.

The best answer is to keep tasting / keep drinking and simply trust our own palates. Always the best guide.

Regards
Ian

[JamieAdelaide]

Fair enough. I’ve lost touch with it all and I once hoovered up every bit of info and goss I could find. Not a great place to be- Piedmont lover in Australia- and I think I need to wander back abroad. Over 20 years i ferreted a pretty amazing Piedmont cellar into Oz but all the fanatical, like-minded drinkers are abroad.

[VinoEd]

The Singlefile Great Southern Riesling was excellent. Always enjoy trying something from new, and this has stone fruit, crisp, balance. Ready to go.
Cheers Ed

[phillisc]

Pikes Merle 2022
Lovely wine, depth, complexity, phenolicy and textural and a twinge of sweetness. Lemons limes and a lick of acid. So much going on, love this wine bench mark of the vintage for me. Might have to get more.
Metala 2006, found a case of these $84 a dozen. Bright colour, plush fruits nice depth. Feel there is easily another decade here, medium/full bodied really good
Cheers Craig