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

[VinoEd]

Have another one of these a whirl this week. Still holding up OK, quite tertiary and the fruit restrained. This bottle was in good condition and a deeper colour with less tinge than the last. Good aged drinking at the price point.

Cheers Ed

[mychurch]

But I’ve had a few that others have put on and were lovely interesting and very enjoyable. I think someone from here put one on at a Melbourne offline a few years back.

Yea Con, there was a 79. Did you bring it, or was it one of mine ?

I had an 04 a few months ago and was drinking well. I think have an 82 somewhere. Nice wines for such a modest producer.

[WineRick]

Have another one of these a whirl this week. Still holding up OK, quite tertiary and the fruit restrained. This bottle was in good condition and a deeper colour with less tinge than the last. Good aged drinking at the price point.

Cheers Ed

Great vintage and I'd say remarkable drinking at the price point given that TWE made 26,000 cases of the stuff or 18.5 semi-trailers of it.

[mychurch]

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I bought a few 80’s vintages of this wine at auction recently and only after I won, did I read som reviews. This was meant to be dead and while the cork was in great shape, the contents were brown, aged and had a lot of raisin on the nose. With a slow ox it came back a bit, with prunes and red fruit on the nose. These is still body in the mouth and it has none of the Necromantic flavours. It does seem to be very sweet though and while there is acidity, there is no complexity. Odd stuff and not in the same league as last nights 91 Cabernet.

Update.

Amazing what slow oxygenation does for these older wines. It’s still too sweet for me - more like an unfortified port. Quite round and plump and while it’s not my cup of tea, it’s not the old decrepit thing I thought it was going to be.

[mychurch]

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Had my first fail with a Durand tonight. My 2nd bottle of 95 Wolf Blass Gol Label Riesling. Ended up double decanting via the finest sieve I had. No damage, but it was a shock - I thought these things were full proof.

[phillisc]

Have another one of these a whirl this week. Still holding up OK, quite tertiary and the fruit restrained. This bottle was in good condition and a deeper colour with less tinge than the last. Good aged drinking at the price point.

Cheers Ed

Great vintage and I'd say remarkable drinking at the price point given that TWE made 26,000 cases of the stuff or 18.5 semi-trailers of it.

Thanks for the note Ed, think there's a sixer still to be found somewhere. Agree WR made in industrial quantities, remember having an 86, bottle number X of 324,000.
I've said it many times before, pound for pound best VFM wine ever made. Of the hundreds of bottles I have purchased over the years, $11 may have been the highest price
Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

1994 Coriole Lloyd Reserve. Lovely old wine, bright colour, cork 1mm stained. Wine holding up well, texture like water, gentle gentle tannins. Will drink the remaining 3 next year with the lad for his 30th. Cheers Craig.

[Rossco]

Another wine event held late last month.

Theme was 'Burgundy' - ie anything from there and as always all wines served blind

Wine # 1 (Extra) – 2013 Domaine Latour-Giraud Meursault-Charmes 1er cru
What a colour, bright sparkling yellow, tinge of green on the edges. Nice nose, young but lots of fruit there already. Powerful nose with a bit of air, this was popped and poured so took a bit to open up. Nose smells like a young Meursault. Lovely herbal note of fennel, mineral stoney things and some matchstick but not reductive.
Thing that hits me immediately is the length and intensity…. Gee this should be interesting.
Oak is just sitting perfectly for such a young wine, supporting role, lets the fruit shine; and how good is that fruit. In the white peach spectrum, some green apple, lemon zest, and a touch of some orchard flowers. Acid is still a touch bright at this stage, kind of citrus type acid but its exactly where you want it to be at this stage. Still loving this oak, so subtle so well handled. More fruits just come rushing in, then that spice… some slight cinnamon, ginger, clove and more of that matchstick flinty notes. Again length is just stunning. Great start, belies its age. Felt less than 5 years old it was so fresh.


Wine # 2 (Starter) – 2009 Billecart-Salmon Vintage Champagne
The colour here is the most startling immediate aspect, has a copper/peach blush to it, kind of like the dosage is pinot noir or a pinot meunier … only the slightest blush, but enough to get the whole table taking in admiration of such an interesting colour. Lots of chalk and talc on the nose, just so minerally its quite something, ONLY champagne can do this, so that’s where I am. Soft pillow like bubbles leap out of the glass. This is a really leesy wine. Lots of fresh bread, yeast but its not rich or ripe at all. Acid is in the lemon type but very fine, very long… long spine here.
In the mouth it feels chardonnay dominant, cant see a rich ripeness of red fruits that indicate pinot, so it almost feels Blanc de Blanc… although the colour indicates different…. Im very torn I pick blend with majority chardonnay. Fruit is only just ripe and more green apple, green pear and lemon type fruits with some raw cashew notes as well. Still only see chardonnay fruits in here…. Fantastic wine regardless.


Wine # 3 – 2016 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne Blanc
Something very wrong here, cant pick an exact fault, but it looks very oxed… however no oxidation notes but this has seriously aged for such a young wine. Its honey yellow in colour and the cork was fully saturated. Such a letdown for what was supposed to a very expensive, highly regarded wine. Poured out with a tinge of sadness. My first leroy and will be the last at those prices - Of course it was my wine and no i had no backup sadly.


Wine # 4 – 2005 Domaine Perrot-Minot Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Les Perrieres’ 1er Cru
First of the reds, and we are in serious burg territory. So earthy (forest floor earth) on the nose, raspberry fruit type profile and some mushroom/ Sous bois notes. Feels like there could be a touch of whole bunch in here too just adds to the complexity and intrigue.
The perfume leaping out of this glass is just sublime, this is a top burg regardless of who has made it. Great fruit and it just screams burg like no other pinot can. It’s a little older as the tannin is nearly fully integrated into the wine, some violet florals and red cherry with a cranberry acidity is interesting and unusual. Im in Premier cru territory as the fruit power is missing that tiny bit. Lovely length but the real star is the nose, could smell this all day. Ready to go now.


Wine # 5 – 2012 Alex Gambal Chambolle-Musigny ‘Les Charmes’ 1er Cru
Dark cherry in colour, some slight funk to it but in a good/interesting way, smells like autumnal leaves when they are slightly damp, weather is turning cold, and they are falling off the tree.
Large quite dominant tannins in this wine, hit the tongue with immediate effect. Its flush with rhubarb acid and astringency, this is a very interesting wine but completely different from the previous one. This is all about structure, oak is there in spades, but it needs to be to handle that tannin. Liquorice root, dark cherry and a touch of charcoal mineral. Some pepper spice, more dark cherry fruit at the end, but the tannin is the real star here. Feels 10ish years old, needs more time to integrate I feel. Hold for another 5 at least.

Wine # 6 – 2010 Domaine de L'Arlot Vosne-Romanee ‘Les Suchots’ 1er Cru
Slight brown tinges in this wine when poured. Looks quite old in the glass, has a slight dullness to it.
Nose is again very earthy, red clay type earth this time, then weirdly grass clippings are coming up. I must be having an off night as I have never had grass clippings in a burg before. More autumn leaves, but in a decaying state, mushroom compost. Fruit is so subtle and delicate, very light strawberry, some rustic notes as well, then the oak comes in. Lots of oak, feels like older oak but its there. Dry, dusty and powdery tannins, young cherry fruit, star anise and baking spices. Nice length.

Wine # 7 – 2002 Domaine Bertagna Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru
Now we are talking, bright red glistening in the glass. Not as perfumed as the previous wines, there is a slight muted nose here. Oak is masking that fruit at the moment. Mocha type oak it feels like, very intrusive tannin at this early stage of its life. Acid also dominant and again the structure is really overpowering the wine and hiding those red fruits at the moment. Hard wine to get through, but has a big future, just needs time and a long rest. LOL its 20 years old and my notes still read like it’s a barrel sample. Ahh burgundy.


Wine # 8 – 2002 Domaine de la Vougeraie Corton Le Clos du Roi Grand Cru
I really like this colour – Dark Cherry in the glass, with a purity of fruit leaping out of the glass. Freshly squeezed raspberry, this is astonishing fruit power. Pure raspberry syrup, silky, sweet and rich with perfect oak and beautiful acidity just playing its supporting role. The balance here defies belief, I cannot get over the fruit here, how fantastic it is and utterly delicious. Subtle powdery tannin that again just complements the fruit. Such skill and poise. Im thinking under 10 years old. Wine of the night so far. Hows that, we have back to back 2002 vintage burgundy that could be more different.


Wine # 9 – 2005 Domaine Bertagna Clos St. Denis Grand Cru
Whole bunch funk coming out of the glass. Pungent Forest Floor…the presenter took offense to the term ‘funk’ as a description. It wasn’t meant in a negative way just a description for mushroom/umami, wet earth and whole bunch. He associated funk as a wine fault and a negative descriptor. Some agreed, others stayed quiet for possible fear of retribution. Would be interesting to get others opinions (if anyone actually reads these ramblings) . Note to self, don’t use funk as a positive descriptor verbally amongst present company. Once again, this puts a big dampener on my night, and I’m getting tired. When the tension calms down a bit, we get back to the wine. Slight strawberry, gravelly tannin, earthy but more on the brown / dry earth spectrum. Astringent tannin, very dry. Doesn’t feel like a GC when compared to the 2002 la Vougeraie.


Wine # 10 – 2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Cru Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Lighter red in colour, very clear and translucent. Again this is very earthy, and some of that pungent mushroom notes and slight sweaty socks, we dare not utter the word ‘funk’. Has a leafy character in here and this time some mint in the background. Grilled nuts and some more black cherry and ripe strawberry fruits. The power of this wine is really something to behold, its commanding, it’s a complete wine. Has to be GC fruit, oak again is well handled and holds the fruit in check nicely, really this is only just entering its drinking window possibly even too early, but better than too late I guess. Just a WOW wine.


Wine # 11– 2010 Joseph Clos St-Denis Grand Cru
Another cherry red coloured wine, however there is some browning starting to creep around the edges. Very minerally nose, iron filings type thing. Fruit is dry, like dried/powdered cherries and its very savory, nothing sweet or rich about the fruit, sour cherry type fruits as well. Only just ripe too, I wonder if this was a cold/wet year? More charcoal minerals in the mouth, puckering tannins…powerful wine here, dried leather other tertiary notes starting to come through, I think it’s a GC, but could easily be a ultra-high quality Premier cru. Toss of the coin really, I choose GC. Got one right!


Wine # 12 – 2014 Jean-Jacques Confuron Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Bright red, gleaming in the glass. Gee this looks very young. Very savory again similar to the previous wine, lots of tannin and even more acid. It’s a battle of the structures here.
Fruit is totally bening dominated at the moment by all that structure. Feels slightly underripe, a bit hot on the nose, that alcohol really poking out. I wonder what % it is. Hugh chalky tannin, sour cherry fruit, some menthol notes. Lean wine and again a fair whack of oak. Revisit in 10+ years to integrate, soften and let the fruit come up.


Wine # 13 (Fortified) – 1972 Metala Vintage Port
Nice colour coming out of the bottle. No blurring a deep purple with some dark plums in colour, I do really love this colour, defies its age and still looks so primary. Most pick 90’s due to the colour. All are wrong. Has a marzipan and almond spirit, however its not a balanced spirit and it really sits outside of the wine, sits on top and hides/hinders those fruits. Nowhere near as good as the 71 we had last year. Fruit still ripe and fresh, but really overpowered but that spirit. Shame, not a dud like the leroy, but not a superstar either.

[mychurch]

I hope the remarks about the tension around a funky descriptor were tongue and cheek. I can understand the wine maker being maybe being put out (well actually I can’t - everyone has their own wine terminology) but just one of the lads (sadly there are just too few lassies at these type of tastings) sounds weird.

[mychurch]

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Been drinking a lot of older Auz wines recently, including a few Rieslings. They have been good, but none have been as old as this 1990 Spatlese Hasenspring from Prinz Von Hessen and none have been in as good a condition. At 10.5 % it’s alcoholic for a Spatlese which means less sugar. It’s now fruity rather than sweet, with creamy apricots and a lovely streak of acidity. First older German for a while and it’s a style I really should drink more of.

[VinoEd]

Liking this. I don’t drink much straight Grenache, but purchased these (2021) at an auction (good price) and this is looking very approachable already. Soft, red fruit, solid acid profile, but of crunch, touch of mineral and decent length on it.

[Matt@5453]

Opened a 2017 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec last night with dinner. A bit of aeration and into a decanter.

Notably really approachable from the first sip. Very much medium bodied. Its a lovely blend, with cabernet nuances with some malbec 'jubiness' coming through too. Elegant in style and balance, very good length with a touch of drying tannins. Trademark Wendouree stylistic oak and spice, and some rustic notes. Interesting the colour is just starting to brown on the edges in the glass, but still feels youthful; I feel it lacks the structure for the real long haul, but overall drinking really well. My son, who is showing more and more interest in wine, suggested on his first 'sniff' and sip, was the best wine he has had to date - good lad.

[phillisc]

2022 Gaelic Cemetery Celtic Farm Clare Riesling, lovely wine, particularly at price landed through VM. Fruit salad and limes, a lick of acid, texture like water. Needs time to fill out a little, but very good.
Cheers Craig

[Mike Hawkins]

2022 Gaelic Cemetery Celtic Farm Clare Riesling, lovely wine, particularly at price landed through VM. Fruit salad and limes, a lick of acid, texture like water. Needs time to fill out a little, but very good.
Cheers Craig

Yet to try the 22 but have had a few 21s. Nice quaffer with Thai food

[phillisc]

2022 Gaelic Cemetery Celtic Farm Clare Riesling, lovely wine, particularly at price landed through VM. Fruit salad and limes, a lick of acid, texture like water. Needs time to fill out a little, but very good.
Cheers Craig

Yet to try the 22 but have had a few 21s. Nice quaffer with Thai food

Mike, that is funny and I agree. We had it with a Pad Thai, a fantastic accompaniment. The price I paid is indeed in quaffer territory, a no brainer in picking up a dozen
Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

2019 Wynns Michael Shiraz...might start looking at a few more wines on release. This is a beauty, the epitome of Coonawarra Shiraz, bright, silky, dark/blue fruits, very textural, fruit to the fore, oak playing a supporting role, tannin and palate flick between being robust and delicate, certainly can drink now, or put away for three decades. Another outstanding example of the vintage.
1968 Wynns BL, very high shoulder, still very dark in colour with a fraction brown on the edges. Cork almost came out in one piece, soaked all but 5 mm from the top, so done its job. A little bit of VA, bandaid as one person said, so a bit of brett perhaps, and then a touch of nail varnish which all blew off. Nose of the faintest violets for me, and after an hour's breathing opened nicely. Leathery, spice and lovely remnants of tertiary fruits, and a twinge of sweetness. Not often that one gets a birth year wine, but my partner was 55 on the weekend, so a treat. A graceful old curio, have more of this plus some other sixties editions. I know Con you have a few, based on this bottle, think the others might be OK, but simply luck of the draw and wouldn't go on too much longer.
2012 Patrick Wrattonbully Shiraz, very nice wine, just entering its drinking window, cool blue fruits, very different to the Michael. Very good indeed and this is a sub region which is doing good things.

Cheers Craig

[Mike Hawkins]

2004 Godme Les Alouette St Bets BdB. Really good but still quite youthful. Mandarin and lime notes with a racy acidic finish that when on and on.

2002 Camille Saves. Based on CD prices, has to be close to the best value champagne, though it’s a shame Oz doesn’t seem to get the vintage release. Lots of strawberries on the nose and palate, with crunch Granny Smith acidity. Love it.

1996 Dom Perignon…. A bit of a weird one, and probably not a representative bottle based on numerous other samples.

1986 Henschke Mt Edelstone… bees knees. Awesome. Everything in perfect balance. Still my favourite ME.

2002 Grosset Polish Hill… way more salinity and slatiness than other bottles iVe had. Not the overt lime characters I’m used to, but still really good.

1991 Wynns Centenary Cab Shiraz… very good but misses the lofty heights of other bottles from the six pack. Greater astringency than I’m used to, but then again, it’s is 32 and at that age, many things in my personal physical makeup,weren’t great either.

[Con J]

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Been drinking a lot of older Auz wines recently, including a few Rieslings. They have been good, but none have been as old as this 1990 Spatlese Hasenspring from Prinz Von Hessen and none have been in as good a condition. At 10.5 % it’s alcoholic for a Spatlese which means less sugar. It’s now fruity rather than sweet, with creamy apricots and a lovely streak of acidity. First older German for a while and it’s a style I really should drink more of.

Haven’t logged in for a while just saw the photo.
Lovely colour for the age, I’ve had mid 2000’s darker than that.

Cheers Con.

[Con J]

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Had my first fail with a Durand tonight. My 2nd bottle of 95 Wolf Blass Gol Label Riesling. Ended up double decanting via the finest sieve I had. No damage, but it was a shock - I thought these things were full proof.

The corks they used Australia in the early 90’s were absolute crap.

I haven’t had a fail with mine yet, a couple of times I have pushed the cork in putting the screw part in.

Cheers Con.

[mychurch]

I have a couple of bottles left of the ‘90 Spatlese Con. I might bring 1 along as a back-up on the 6th. I have drunk a few bottles of the Penfolds 56 Club. Fine, but i have had better - I think that’s all down to storage.

I bought 6 bottles of old Sancerre at MW. Already tried some of the 95, which I bought another 3 bottles of. It’s old, but it has some interesting aspects. Picked 3 of the 02 to compare.

[Sean]

deleted

[VinoEd]

Enjoying this 1996 tonight… last one of a few purchased at auction a while back. Low neck fill. Nearly got the cork in one, last 1/8 of it didn’t quite make it but easily removed.
This wine is holding up well as you’d expect from WDC. Tannin still showing, well balanced with perhaps a bit acid on the back palate perhaps (not sure I’m describing that well…). Fruit slowly coming forward a little, definitely tertiary, barn floor, leather couch. Good stuff

Cheers Ed

[Rossco]

A wine evening with the theme of Pinot from Yarra vs Mornington

As always, the wines were served blind - Fascinating and educational evening.


Wine #1 (Extra Sparkling starter) – NV GH MUMM Tasmanian Brut Prestige
Very fresh, young nose, quite a chalky nose as well. Bright yellow, green tinges.
Lots of sherbet, red and green apples on the nose as well with a hint of dry grass.
Nice texture in the mouth, vibrant tiny bubbles, but its missing that trademark champagne line of acid, so I’m in new world. New world fruit too, rich and ripe, nice fruit but no a GC type French quality so I stick to my new world thoughts. More of this powdery sherbet in the mouth too, not a sweet style however. Length is a touch short, kind of what young vines can do. Very well made, cashew, white peach, touch of lemon & zest. Feels cooler climate, so I’m in Tas (good start!). Well this is a first for me! A French Champagne house using Tasmanian fruit and made in Tassie, when the price was revealed, it was quite a shock. Excellent VFM and beats the majority of sparkling’s at this price point. Good buy


Wine # 2– (Extra Starting white) – 2018 Mac Forbes Woori Yallock Chardonnay
Light yellow, white rim and a tinge of green in the glass. Very fruit forward nose and a touch lean. I chose new world and my mind went immediately to the orange region in NSW. Missing that punch of fruit power, again could be young vines, but I felt this was quite a high altitude and struggled for ripeness a touch. Lean fruit, missing that intensity. Some grapefruit notes and acid profile, raw macadamia, touch of green apples as well as some freshly cut green grass. Missing a bit of acid too, maybe this was just opened too young. Interesting choice of cork from an Australian producer. Not even Diam but actual natural cork. Bit of a rarity these days.


Wine # 3 – 2018 Mac Forbes Yarra Junction Pinot
Corked – Simply unforgivable in this day and age for an Australian Wine, when screwcaps are so widely accepted (I may even suggest preferred) and diam’s are now at an excellent standard. Why risk the wine on bloody overseas tree bark. Hopefully the bottle is replaced by the winery.


Wine # 4 – 2013 Yabby Lake Vineyard Single Block (1) Release Morning Peninsula
Well will you smell the perfume leaping out of the glass! First thing that hits you is that huge nose of strawberry compote. Rich, sweet and very, very inviting. Colour is a slight dark cherry, no browning or blurring – screwcap.
That nose is so intense, has this presence about it – commanding nose of pure strawberry fruits.
Silky texture, velvety just a thing of beauty in the mouth, this wine lives up to what the nose promises. Nice spices in here too, clove type things, very earthy, some mushroom complexity and salty minerals – I pick Mornington due to what I see as a maritime influence here. Glorious wine, sublime length this is the complete package & well worth every $. Impeccable storage and still feels young – 5 ish years old, so was very surprised to see it double that at 10. Would hold its own at a 1er cru burg night for sure at a ¼ of the price.
I have had some pretty disappointing Pinot from this producer, but this wine has made me take another look and buy some of their single block releases. The detail on the bottle is just another feather in the cap. Fruit came from Rows 1 – 11 on block 1. Bottle # 2541 of only 3383 produced. Tiny production run, exquisite wine. Big yes


Wine # 5 – 2015 Main Ridge Estate Half Acre
This was a bit of a wine moment for me..... a rare one. I Have only ever done this once before EVER; with a ByFarr Sangreal, where I picked the winery AND vintage just from the nose alone. Only thing I got wrong was I thought it was the Acre Pinot and not the half acre. Bloody Close.
This wine is exactly why we do these nights, beautiful striking colour, bright red cherry with an almost blood orange hue to it, mesmerising really. You can easily see the trademark Mornington traits in here and the Main Ridge style. Extremely youthful nose, fresh fruits and probably a bit too much acid at this early stage. This was built for cellaring and feels like 2 or 3 year old. New season cherry, strawberry and raspberry. So much red fruits in there it’s a delight, but young. Has a lot of rhubarb in her too, my note says rhubarb juice…. If that’s a thing. Its very tart (must be that rhubarb juice) and dry at this early stage. Some nice tannins albeit young and firm, dances on the tongue, beautiful length. Don’t open for at least another 5, but really hold for longer if you can. Excellent wine will buy more.


Wine # 6.1 – Left Glass – 2021 D.M.L Yarra Valley Pinot
One thing that is starting to become a theme of the night so far is just how pure fruited these wines are (this one included). Not masked or hiding behind oak, they are excellent examples of highly skilled winemaking, where they let the vineyard do all the talking. Takes a special type of confidence in your viticulture, vintage and vines to produce this type of style.
Again, pure raspberry fruit nose here, lovely long nose that draws you in and forces you to inhale as deep as your lungs allow. Translucent Cherry in colour, bright red and just shines in the glass. Very tart and dry in the mouth, this is all about structure at this young age (and it is young). Lots of fine grained, dry tannins that envelops the whole palate. Fresh Alpine notes & some green herbs, this feels like a higher altitude wine. Not as fruit forward as the others, so I pick yarra. Has some cranberry and red cherry fruit - wonderful acid almost blood orange type acid, but again that structure his hiding the fruit at the moment. Cellar for 10 easily.


Wine # 6.2 – Right Glass – 2021 D.M.L Mornington Pinot
Very similar in colour to the left glass, maybe a touch darker. Nose has similar raspberry fruit but its much juicer and fruiter than the left glass. I pick Mornington just on the nose again. I think this may be the same wine maker but different vineyards, Not sure about vintage on this one, as it feels more ready to drink now, but its still young(ish).
Less tannin than the left glass, geeze I cant get over how juicy this fruit is, so slurpable now, there is a touch more complexity too. This is more earthy, more mushrooms and damp forest floor but doesn’t lose that fruit purity. Both wines have such minimal oak its really great to see. Length for days, and just another excellent wine. This night has started off brilliantly.
What a fascinating comparison. Same winemaker, same winery and exact same method of vinification AND same vintage (which I didn’t get right). Geography is the only difference here and it shows in spades; Its night and day! My preference was Mornington at the moment, but with time I have no doubt the yarra will be the better wine (and my future choice). That structure was almost timeless and the fruit will be up to the task, just needs time. Drink mornington now while you wait for the yarra to come around. Cannot go wrong here – excellent wines, big buy recommendation


Wine # 7 – 2019 Gembrook Hill Estate Yarra Valley Pinot
Heady perfume here, again purity of red fruits. Raspberry, red cherry and more young red fruits.
Very light red in colour, I have seen some Rose` darker than this, almost looks like a light body wine.
Forest floor and earthy notes starting to rise out of the glass, some herbal notes as well but more a slight sage or fennel type herb.
In the mouth its very delicate. That lightness in colour really comes through on the palate as well, hasn’t lost any of that purity, but its more mineral than the other wine preceding it. Fruit not as intense, so im thinking higher altitude and maybe a slightly colder vintage. Fruits are ripe, no question but its a soft/delicate style of pinot. Its not trying to be the Alpha Male, its intellectual and thought provoking - Wonderful discussions being had around the table type wine. Another very high quality wine, very little oak (winemakers take note!) in fact its so small you have to struggle to see it. Length is fantastic, bit to much acid at this stage of life, again that will calm down with age. Cellar for 5+


Wine # 8 – 2015 Mount Mary Pinot
The thing that strikes me immediately is just how much darker this is in the glass. Black cherry type colour and the darkest one of the night so far. Nose has lots of Sous bois and forest floor, very prominent oak on the nose….. oh dear…. We were going SO well.
This is a rich and ripe fruit style in the mouth, again that oak is dominating. Black cherry, some plummy notes as well. This was made for a particular buyer and style. Oak is masking the fruit at the moment. Big, heady tannin, powerful oak tannin that again dominates the fruit. Im in yarra due to that structure. Old style of winemaking that I question if it suits modern Australian Pinot. I know they are trying to imitate a burgundy style, but I don’t get a burg nose here at all. Would be a much better wine with less oak, my jaw hit the floor when the wine was revealed… did NOT pick it as a MM. Ummmm yeah, not much else to say.


Wine # 9 – 2013 Mount Mary Pinot
Similar to the previous wine, it was very dark…bordering on almost black in colour. Is this even a Pinot? Again lots of oak on the nose, and like the previous wine, that bloody oak is masking all the fruit. Surely this isn’t another MM is it?
In the mouth the fruit is super ripe… rich and concentrated, different style of fruit to the last one but here comes that oak again. It’s locomotive like in its sheer dominance, nothing is getting in its way: No one stops the oak train.
Large tannin, Plums, black cherry, almost a blueberry character too. Another old style of winemaking again…. Yes its another MM.
Neither of these are to my taste, however I question whether they have been made for a 20 year drinking window? Needs to let that oak and fruit integrate, if it ever will (I am unsure). For the money these are commanding now, i make a note that there will be much better options out there – Basically the wines preceding these MM. Not my style or taste, but they sell out every year - so who is right (hint - not me!)


Wine # 10 – 2012 Moorooduc Estate ‘The Moorooduc’ McIntyre Pinot
Another darker colour Pinot, but different. Looks younger and brighter. A Bright blue/purple type hue. Very pungent nose, wet pine, forest floor and umami notes here. I wonder if there is some whole bunch? Fruit is in the darker cherry spectrum, some oak, but its not overpowering or dominating that fruit. Nice tannin, again without being dominating, letting the ripe fruit shine through. The whole group picked Yarra, however I was alone in my Mornington Choice. Fruit, Structure and tannin profile was all wrong for yarra. This smelt like Mornington fruit, so that’s what I chose. (good choice too it turns out!) – I made a comment that this smells like Main Ridge Fruit but not in the main ridge style. Same winemaker maybe experimenting a bit with whole bunch and/or different vineyard fruit? Nope – but hey, gotta shoot for the stars right.
Liquorice root adds complexity, nice length with some spice of sage, cedar and some twiggy rosemary maybe? Good wine, different to others we have had. Fruit is probably a tad ripe for me but at least the oak didn’t ruin the show. Good wine


Wine # 11 – 2018 Riorret (DeBortoli) Balnarring Pinot
Riorret is Terroir backwards, so i assume that's where DeBort's is trying to go with this brand/label.
Yet another interesting, and completely different wine again to anything we have had tonight. Cant put my finger on why, but its hard to pick which region. This has a real pungent nose to it, structured nose as well. Wet Earth, forest floor and some dark berries, more blackberry type fruit style than raspberry. I initially thought it was a Yarra as it was missing the red fruit sweetness from Mornington and there was a lot of tannin and acid, so that’s where I went. Well I was close – Mornington fruit, trucked to, and made in the Yarra Valley.

Oak was nicely handled, yes its there, but so was the fruit, Concentrated dark fruit too, not rich or ripe, but deep and dark. Different Pinot style, acidity added really a nice balance to this wine; well balanced my notes say. Length was ok, probably a fraction short. Good without being great.


Wine # 12 (finisher) – 2002 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Fortified
First year S&K went from Vintage Port to Vintage Fortified on their label. Doesnt make a difference to the wine, but more
for historical significance.
Look at that colour. Striking blue black, inky and shiny. This looks like a barrel sample, not a 21 year old VP! Lots going on with that nose. Blueberry, boysenberry and some blackberry jam waft out of the glass. It’s a nice nose that doesn’t burn the hairs with the alcohol or spirit. Clearly Australian VP those fruits are just so prominent, it cant be from anywhere else. Region is a bit different though. Could be McLaren Vale, may be Barossa.... but its Rutherglen.
On the palate the minerality really stand out. Coal and Charcoal minerals especially, touch of graphite possibly but then the fruit comes storming in. Similar to the nose, blackberries, blueberries, dates and some plums, but that mouthfeel is something else. So silky and refined the spirit in perfect harmony, not overpowering or hot/harsh, just sitting there nice and quietly, enjoying the view.
This has lots of Portuguese notes in here, feels like majority Touriga which is a favourite grape of mine for VP. Indian spices, cloves, cinnamon & nutmeg especially, but those tannins are so dry and savoury, they really balance the wine out. Length is unbelievable, you only need a small sample and it stays with your for a long time.
Touriga Nacional, Shiraz, Durif, Tinta Barroca is what the bottle says, which I assume is in order of %.
Astonishing wine, undervalued and underappreciated in Australia. No sign of ageing or blurring, this is all still primary fruit that will live for another 30+ years if the cork gods play nicely. Perfect end to the night

[mjs]

2010 Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (the white label wine)
great aged character, but a little too much oak, somewhat out of balance. Looking past that, it was an ok wine with a bit of age.

[mychurch]

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Now that the clocks have changed it’s easier to catch up with Jelle in the Netherlands. We tried these 2 last night and they were both brilliant.

The Denton is made by Luke Lambert and spent 4 years under Flor (bottled in 2020) Very complex, but at the same time very drinkable. Fino, old Champange, cream, granny smith, grapefruit. Will be better in a few years, but cracking tonight.

Not a fan of the Southern Rhone in general and its a while since i had a Chateauneuf as good as this. Its the mid palate that is the star here, with animal tones and small pebbles making for a mineral wine. Neither large or alcoholic, this has some finesse. Apparently the vineyard is adjacent to Rayas and Jelle thinks its a wine at the same level, but not the same cost.

[Con J]

I found an old wallet that I haven’t looked in for over 20 years, I found this article below in it. I know it’s its at least 20 years old because there was a bank card that expired in 2003. This might have been one of my very first chase for wine in my journey, don’t think I found any.

Cheers Con

[mychurch]

The London International Wine Challenge used to be linked to the now defunct Wine Magazine. It was my bible for wine recommendations in the early 90’s but it had lost its way by the end of the decade. I’m sure the Rayner is a great wine, but maybe not quite the wine best wine in the world

[Sean]

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[Mike Hawkins]

1986 Henschke Mt Edelstone…. Pleasant enough but starting to dry out. Other recent examples have been much better.

1991 Wynns Centenary Shiraz Cab…. Ditto sadly.

2004 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons… starting to enter what will be a superb drinking window. Acid has softened and the tropical flavours I got last time had morphed into floral and more reserved citrus flavours. A finish that goes on and on.

2015 Schubert Estate Gooseyard Block…. Sorry Steve and Cecilia, this is a bit rich and porty for my tastes.

2004 Elderton Command Shiraz… didn’t expect to like this but was pleasantly surprised. Not as fruit forward as I expected and quite balanced. Pretty good.

1990 Dom Perignon… definitely developing quickly and unlikely to get better. Nuts meet caramel and coffee. Quite hedonistic actually.

[DaveS]

2019 Mayford Shiraz
This arrived the other day so snapped the top off tonight. Mayford Shiraz is one that I’ve been trying to buy each year. This 2019 (new release) is a lovely lovely wine. Best since 2015.