Just catching up on a few notes from recent weeks...
The 1999 Leo Buring Special Reserve Riesling (Clare), part of the stash of apparent Leonays-in-waiting when the Southcorp-Rosemount fiasco lifted off the ground (much like the Hindenburg), is growing a little darker now - perhaps mid-straw covers it. That primary zest of fruit is gone, but true secondary flavours are some way off. There's some petroleum-like development, together with some broadening of the acid, but the palate is quite fresh still, if a little heavy. Lemon and a little honey are the predominant flavours. Plenty of time left - not sure that it'll ever be a great wine.
My remaining bottle of 1997Alfieri I Fuedi de Romans (Isonzo del Friuli) was a pleasure to drink, and a terrific bargain at $21 last year. Slightly earthy, somewhat dry and peppery, the fruits seem all toward the blacker end of the spectrum. Medium bodied, the light dusty tannins balance beautifully the ripe, slightly developed fruits (12.5%). Super length for a wine of this price, and attractively devoid of simple sweetness. The best of my research suggests this wine is largely Merlot, which I would never have guessed.
2002 Shadowfax Chardonnay is cobbled together with fruit mostly from Victoria, with a one third Adelaide Hills contribution. Mid-straw in colour, the primary aromas are of nuts, grapefruit, stones and some fine French oak. There's good palate coverage, though the remains oak is in the foreground, despite its quality. With fine acid and a moderately long finish, this is a very good modern chardonnay which will benefit from at least a couple of years in the cellar.
2002 Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon (Barossa)
Goodness! Very dark, this fairly leaps out of the glass with warm climate chocolate/coffee/blackberry aromas. It's powerfully fruity on the palate, verging on sweet, but only repeated mouthfuls show any evidence of much in the way of tannin. I would call this a fruit bomb - it's very attractive to drink now, but I'd be dubious about cellaring it for very long, as I think it lacks much in the way of structure. Ripe, warm, cuddly, but don't push your luck!
Also, the1998 Gauthier Brut (Champagne), imported by a Sydney retailer, has some quite developed aromatics - biscuity notes, with nuts and a little earthiness. Semms largely chardonnay-dominant, though. Fine bead, lovely mouthfeel and respectible length.
And at a friend's, we exhumed some ancient bottles from highly unsatisfactory passive storage. Opened in the interests of science, just to see how bad they were, they didn't disappoint. With all levels at mid-shoulder, and some evidence of cork weeping, I concluded the 1975 Seaview Cabernet-Shiraz 'Claret' would be the most palatable and opened it first. Not really drinkable, this was a dark tawny colour, and showed plenty of fierce volatility on the nose. Toxic flavours on the palate, with no real resemblance of tannin or fruit, this was best spat out as soon as possible. Still it was better than 1970 Tyrrells Vat 60 Dry Red (Hunter). Damage precluded the label information being readable - I'll assume shiraz. In any event, it was fiercely astringent - perhaps it had absorbed whatever tannins the Seaview once had! Too rotten to drink. Which put it in fine company with the 1974 Yalumba FDR 1A Claret (Barossa), which, surprisingly revealed on the front label just how bad the 74 vintage was for South Australia, but nevertheless proclaimed this wine's winning of the Stoddart Trophy in 1975. The colour of used motor oil, this was all ethyl acetate on the nose. I tasted a mouthful, but spat at once. Vile. In view of all this, we've saved the high-shoulder 65 St Henri for another time...
My bad news is that Internet Nazification at work will likely see me posting here less often - but I'll try and keep up in the evenings...
Cheers,
Graeme
TN: Catching up - new releases, dead wines...
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Guest
Graeme, interesting to see your note on the FDR1A Claret, it brought back real memories.
When I started drinking reds in the late 70s, my mentor pointed me to a local auction house where I bought considerable quantities of 70, 71 & 72 Wynns Black Label Cabernet, 1971 Tollana TR222 and despite the reputation of the vintage 1974 FDR1A Claret. Also at auction was the 1974 Signature Christobel's Blend which was in fact one in the same as the FDR1A but the Christobel's always fetched and extre 50c per bottle so I bought the less glamourously labelled wine.
It drank really well for some time into the early 80s then seemed to fall apart over one summer spoiling my enjoyment of the balance of my stash. The decline was quite sudden an unexpected as I had good cellaring conditions even then, just the vintage suddenly reaching the end of it's tether.
Noted your comment on the Riesling, the Southcorp debacle certainly provided a windfall of great bargains. Over here we stocked up on 94, 96 & 98 Seppelt Dorrien for $26 to $30, we took all they could find in the warehouse I think! E&C 1998s at under $20 disappeared into our cellars in a flash too. This was the last time I bought corporates in any quantity.
When I started drinking reds in the late 70s, my mentor pointed me to a local auction house where I bought considerable quantities of 70, 71 & 72 Wynns Black Label Cabernet, 1971 Tollana TR222 and despite the reputation of the vintage 1974 FDR1A Claret. Also at auction was the 1974 Signature Christobel's Blend which was in fact one in the same as the FDR1A but the Christobel's always fetched and extre 50c per bottle so I bought the less glamourously labelled wine.
It drank really well for some time into the early 80s then seemed to fall apart over one summer spoiling my enjoyment of the balance of my stash. The decline was quite sudden an unexpected as I had good cellaring conditions even then, just the vintage suddenly reaching the end of it's tether.
Noted your comment on the Riesling, the Southcorp debacle certainly provided a windfall of great bargains. Over here we stocked up on 94, 96 & 98 Seppelt Dorrien for $26 to $30, we took all they could find in the warehouse I think! E&C 1998s at under $20 disappeared into our cellars in a flash too. This was the last time I bought corporates in any quantity.
Greame,
From memory, I think this must be one of the first time as I have ever questioned one of your tasting notes. Every note I have seen on the Mamre Brook Cabernet has been substantially more positive than yours, especially in regard to ageing.
As I have not tried the wine, I looked up Jeremy Oliver's notes and he had this to say.
"A superb Barossa cabernet of exceptional elegance and longevity. Its aromas of crushed leaves, cassis and violets reveal a dusty perfume of sweet vanilla and cedar/chocolate oak. Tightly defined, smooth and harmonious, it bursts with intense cassis, blackberry and plum flavours, intertwined around a spine of fine, firm tannins. Excellent length and balance. (Barossa Valley, 18.7, drink 2014-2022)"
Whilst I won't question your findings, I will question the bottle that you tried.
From memory, I think this must be one of the first time as I have ever questioned one of your tasting notes. Every note I have seen on the Mamre Brook Cabernet has been substantially more positive than yours, especially in regard to ageing.
As I have not tried the wine, I looked up Jeremy Oliver's notes and he had this to say.
"A superb Barossa cabernet of exceptional elegance and longevity. Its aromas of crushed leaves, cassis and violets reveal a dusty perfume of sweet vanilla and cedar/chocolate oak. Tightly defined, smooth and harmonious, it bursts with intense cassis, blackberry and plum flavours, intertwined around a spine of fine, firm tannins. Excellent length and balance. (Barossa Valley, 18.7, drink 2014-2022)"
Whilst I won't question your findings, I will question the bottle that you tried.
Last edited by TORB on Sun Jan 30, 2005 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
TORB wrote:Greame,
From memory, I think this must be one of the first time as I have ever questioned one of your tasting notes. Every note I have seen on the Mamre Brook Cabernet has been substantially more positive than yours, especially in regard to ageing.
As I have not tried the wine, I looked up Jeremy Oliver's notes and he had this to say.
"A superb Barossa cabernet of exceptional elegance and longevity. Its aromas of crushed leaves, cassis and violets reveal a dusty perfume of sweet vanilla and cedar/chocolate oak. Tightly defined, smooth and harmonious, it bursts with intense cassis, blackberry and plum flavours, intertwined around a spine of fine, firm tannins. Excellent length and balance. (Barossa Valley, 18.7, drink 2014-2022)"
Whilst I won't question your findings, I will question the bottle that you tried.
Actually, I probably tried from a number of different bottles, as it was the 'party red' at a 50th a week ago. Thing is, I was expecting something pretty remarkable too, as I remember reading great things about it, and have a handful of bottles myself. It just seemed incredibly approachable for such a young wine - and the approachability was caused more by sheer lack of tannin (I felt) just just exquisite balance. Dunno. Maybe it'll go on to age gloriously? I know these bottles came from 1st class storage in Sydney...
I'll certainly drink my bottles with great interest in the future...
cheers,
Graeme
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David Cross
FDR1A/Christobels
When this wine was young it was a most startling wine out of a bad vintage.
Only medium bodied but with a silky very long palate. On the nose it was perfumed and minty. Quite extraordinary. The palate was sweet and lively with an almost a pinot like fruit profile.
Quite a lovely wine. Had heaps and drank the lot years ago but it is one of those wines that stick in the brain.
Only medium bodied but with a silky very long palate. On the nose it was perfumed and minty. Quite extraordinary. The palate was sweet and lively with an almost a pinot like fruit profile.
Quite a lovely wine. Had heaps and drank the lot years ago but it is one of those wines that stick in the brain.