TN: Notable wines Mar-May 24

[GraemeG]

• 2017 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (25/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.4%} Mild, hardly-developing leafy-but-ripe mainstream cabernet. Little different to my last note in Jan-23. Ticks all the boxes but doesn't really excite otherwise.
• 2022 Lethbridge Wines Saperavi - Australia, South Australia, Lower Murray, Riverland (23/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 14.8%} As virulent a ruby/purple as I've ever seen from a wine not still in oak! Fresh but rustic aromas; earth, tobacco, tractor tyres. Like a bleld of wild malbec and carmenere gone feral. Some weird red berry aromas and flavours, but almost animal-like. Initially spritzy, but this blew off with time. Medium/high acid, fine dusty tannins, medium weight, and medium length although it seems to sit on the front and back palates with a hole in the middle. Ticks all the rustic boxes, that's for sure. Think it better young, I must say. Fine peasant wine for a weeknight.
• 2013 Caillard Cabernet Sauvignon Reynell Selection - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (19/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.4%} As for January last year, although a bit more minty than I remembered. Otherwise, in fine shape, although I don't see a whole lot of complexity still to come. No hurry to drink, despite that.
• 2019 Grosset Pinot Noir - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills (14/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 14%} Hint of rust in the pale garnet hue. Softly developing nose. Spicy nose, fermenting not-too-ripe strawberries. Palate is diffuse, also spicy, with a strong meaty character, and soft-grained oak. No more than light/medium-bodied though. Prickly, low-key finish, dry, patchy on the palate. Decent if not really memorable. Ready to drink
• 2014 Peter Lehmann Shiraz VSV Carey - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (11/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Deep colour, but with a bricking edge in line with a decade. Rich nose of blackberry, soy, cola, liquorice. Palate is a bit light for structure, despite the overall medium full weight, with low dusty tannins and low/medium acidity. Also sits toward the front of the tongue, and with a barely medium-length finish. Not overly alcoholic but lacks finesse and true development. Nowhere to go in my view, although it’s going to be ‘drinkable’ for years.
• 2018 Campbells Chardonnay Limited Release - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen (10/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 13%} Deep yellow. Rich but muted semi-tropical fruit with even a whiff of banana. Palate is thick with oak texture, malo characters, rockmelon and faint mango flavours. The acid does its best, but the full-bodied weight seems to overwhelm it. I thought it might be alcohol at first, but there's no heat on the finish. It seems to collapse a bit on the palate, with a lump of ripe fruit on the mid-palate but nowhere else, and the length is short/medium at best. It's OK, but not that exciting, and clearly ready-to-drink.
• 2015 Pressing Matters Riesling R9 - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River (9/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 11.9%} Solid dark yellow, verging on gold. Honeyed nose, hint of lime, apple crumble. Palate is less sweet than you expect, barely off-dry. Brown apple quality, with medium acid lacing through the light/medium body. It’s quite enticing, but it’s more plain old aged as opposed to having evolved into something magical. The finish is a bit short and simple, with some drying lemon at the death. Drink up I reckon.
• 2018 Mount Pleasant Wines Mount Henry Shiraz Pinot Noir - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (5/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 14%} Maturing, malty kind of aromas. Black fruit, touch of vanilla (oak?) too. Quite intense and enticing. The palate disappoints, relatively; it's ripe enough, but diffuse, and the initial richness of fruit seems to dissipate rather quickly. It's only just medium-bodied, with crisp acid, and low, finely grainy tannins, with little sense of oak. Fruit seems rather black cherry, subtle enough. Knowing it's Hunter, there's an implied feel of sandy loam to the palate; it's probably a decent nod to the styles of yore. For that reason, there's no reason to say it won't be still perfectly drinkable in 20 years, but will it really develop complexity, or just age in a fading way? The finish doesn't seem all that long, nor extend past the mid-point of the tongue - that's the real concern in the long term.
• 2018 Birgit Braunstein Zweigelt Mitterjoch - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland (4/05/2024)
  {screwcap, 13%} Plenty of deep garnet still. Black cherry and cola nose - bit like a decent new-world pinot. Some voluptuous cherry fruit initially, with medium/high acid, little oak; the palate weight starts out hefty but fades quickly; the finish seems very short and sharp. A kind of firecracker wine. Hardly going to improve.
• 2019 Yalumba The Signature - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (30/04/2024)
  {cork} Decanted just prior to service. A bit old-school, in that it's mostly vanilla oak and that often-anonymous blend of black fruits that this classic Oz blend can be in its youth. The palate is medium/full in weight, against a bit anonymous for black flavours, plenty of oak, only medium length finish at best. A quarter-century ago this was close to Yalumba's top red; the label's maintained but so many new cuvees get the better fruit these days. Ain't what it used to be, in other words. Acceptable but not otherwise exciting. At an astounding $172 from the list at Rockford Bar & Grill as well - well three times retail.
• 1986 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (28/04/2024)
  {cork, 13.6%} Level right at the base of the neck. Cork about a third soaked. Decanted off plenty of sediment and then served. Classic old Coonawarra, with a lash of mint, but also leathery currants and vanilla oak, nicely judged (last JR made by John Wade I think?). Medium/full weight, softly resolved dusty tannins, medium acidity. Medium/long finish, very good indeed. Really impressive.
• 1994 Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz - Cabernet - Australia, South Australia (28/04/2024)
  {cork, 13.5%} Perfect level, no leakage, crumbly cork, decanted off medium sediment just before serving. Classic aged Penfolds nose, not too oaky though. Lots of leather, gentle tar and roses. Medium weight. Little tannin left now. Beautifully balanced and tasty but let down by an oddly short and dull finish. Passed peak in my view, but still quite drinkable for a while.
• 2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago (28/04/2024)
  {screwcap, 14%} Partly aged, spectacular nose of pastrami and other deli meat. An undercurrent of composting red fruit. Really great stuff. Palate is very fine too, medium/full in weight, still with medium powdery tannin, medium acid, medium/long finish. Just a great pinot by any standard. No rush to drink either, it seems. (From Bron & Andrew)
• 2015 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon - Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina (28/04/2024)
  {screwcap, 9.5%} Full-sized bottle, which has staved off the premature aging that this wine tends to show in this century's vintages. This example is straight from central casting, with a darkening coppery colour. Copper flavours too, apricot, lots of botrytis, medium-sweet, fullish bodied flavour. Still enough acidity to keep it fresh. Medium length finish. Right at peak - drink now.
• 2017 Bodega Garzón Tannat Reserva - Uruguay, Maldonado (28/04/2024)
  {cork, 14%} Tannins have settled down after some years; a solid, medium-weight dry red, with black berry sort of fruit, low/medium powdery tannins and medium acidity. Decently ripe fruit without being too sweet or fake-tasting. Short-medium finish, but generally an OK wine which could hold another half-dozen years easily enough.
• NV Joseph Perrier Champagne Cuvée Royále - France, Champagne (28/04/2024)
  {diam} Clean and polished medium weight fizz, modest autolysis, white-fruit flavour, medium acid, fine bubbles. Medium length finish. Decent, but not especially distinguished or outstanding.
• NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Grande Réserve Brut - France, Champagne (28/04/2024)
  {cork} Not much to say - I thought this a bit bland and short-finishing after even a nv Joseph Perrier. A bir earthier in flavour, with fine bubbles and medium acid, but a light-medium weight only. Not great value at A$55 either.
• 2021 Lethbridge Wines El Matador - Australia, South Eastern (24/04/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.9%} Young still, a mix of black fruit and cola. Soft tannins, moderate acidity. Seems a but confused about its identity; you don’t often see these two grapes blended. Juicy and ripe but a bit nondescript. Medium weight, medium length finish. Fair.
• 2016 Caillard Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (20/04/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.4%} Plenty of garnet colour. Some development, strawberries, vanilla, blueberry. Soft dusty tannins, medium but gentle acidity. Medium weight wine with plenty of sweet but not too sweet on the palate. Tobacco, earthy hint too. Likely to evolve over plenty more years, changing in character. So pick your preference point. Medium length finish. Tidy stuff.
• 2015 Campbells Durif The Barkly - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen (19/04/2024)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Still dark garnet with ruby red. Mildly developing nose, mostly of liquorice, black fruit and vanilla. Palate is the same. It's not oak, though, and the tannins are very soft and powdery. Gentle, low acidity too, so although the wine not's especially sweet, nor obviously alcoholic, despite being medium/full in initial weight, it's just compromised for structural interest overall. Therefore, medium-length finish at best, with a sense that this is best drunk sooner than later.
• 2019 Josef Chromy Riesling Botrytis - Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania (14/04/2024)
  {375ml, screwcap} Developing lime. Fresh acid, subtle botrytis. Very riesling, but very Tasmanian too. Medium weight, medium-dry, medium length finish. Glows on the palate. Good for five more years
• 2017 d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (12/04/2024)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} A little fading at the deep garnet rim. Partly developing big, clean, blueberry fruit. Big and jammy, new world, but not too sweet. Almost even grenache/shiraz, with Mouvedre stealing 3% out of the shiraz. Yet it's the big blue/black shiraz that dominates - although with air and time there's a tobacco character to the aromas and flavours too. Medium/full weight, low/medium acid, soft, furry tannins, less of oak than skin. Slightly patchy and hollow finish, not quite matching the nose. Very decent wine, but best before a decade I think.
• 2020 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (31/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Malt, liquorice, black pepper. Medium acid, fairly soft/low powdery tannins. Blackberry-tinged fruit, still quite youthful, but also very ripe. A bit of a fruit-bomb, but in a classy sort of style. Medium-full weight, still dry in the patchy, slightly warm, medium length finish. Decent enough. Hardly worth cellaring, but will half half-a-decade OK.
• 2019 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz V & A Lane - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (30/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 12.4%} Absurdly young, even at five years. Spice and white pepper. Not obviously unripe, despite the very old fashioned alcohol level. Cherry flavours, spice, medium acid. Also minimal oak, with low/medium gritty tannin. There’s almost an Italian feel to this, with its lean, savoury mien. Medium weight, no more, and with a barely-medium, dry, almost astringent finish. Not a wine of charm; this could take another decade of cellaring and possibly it will bloom then?
• 1994 De Bortoli Melba Barrel Select Reserve - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (29/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13%} No ullage, no decant. Yet, an alarming murky brick/brown colour. Leathery, old nose and palate, with some trembling volatility on the way. Acid otherwise moderate, tannins have faded away, ancient ripe grapes of no particular varietal character; plausible considering this is a blend of CS,shiraz, CF, merlot. Rotting leaves, generic red fruits on the way out. Medium weight, shortish drying finish. Cork looked fine; likely either poor storage or simply too old.
• 2012 Tahbilk Marsanne - Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes (25/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 12.5%} Deep yellow with a golden hint. Intense nose and palate of rockmelon, paw-paw, vanilla bean (not oak though), all shot through with a kind of sandy steeliness. Quite a mixture of youth and experience, if you like. I'd call this full-bodied for a white wine, still with medium acidity which comes through on the finish, plenty of overt fruit in development. Rich in aging fruit, but always dry, and with a savoury, crisp finish. Quite a heavy hitter, with a medium long finish. This is very impressive at a dozen years, and for a wine that was sub-$15 on release.
• 2008 Tim Adams Shiraz The Aberfeldy - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley (24/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 14.5%}Some fading on the edge of the deep ruby colour, but all as expected. Very Clare, so spearmint, dark hued flavours, black fruit, blackberry, mint overall. At 15 it’s softened out, with a furry texture, little obvious oak, low powdery tannins, low/medium acid, medium weight. Not too hot on the alcohol, with the sense of a fading star a bit. May have been bigger in its youth I suspect. At any rate, I think this has peaked (presuming good storage - an auction buy) and further cellaring won’t benefit it at all.
• 2005 Clarendon Hills Grenache Kangarilla - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon (22/03/2024)
  {cork, 14.5} A bit murky, with sediment (should have decanted). Soggy but (just) intact cork. High pH shines through; lots of acetic characters, with ancient jammy fruity, little obvious primary fruit left, dissolved dusty tannins. Getting sort of dessicated on the patchy, warm but fairly simple finish. Used to be full-bodied ages ago, not so much now. Meh. Better at ten years old; this needs rapid drinking (or put it in the sauce).
• 2004 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Single Vineyard Johnson's Block - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (20/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.5%} Silkily seductive nose, quite developed, mostly of cabernet blackcurrant with a spicy pepper edge. Vague coconut oak. Palate has lovely Coonawarra spice, with minimal apparent oak, soft furry tannins and medium acidity. The fruit is blurry and soft and has almost a fermenting strawberry kind of character to it. It's medium weight, perhaps a bit more, quite intense initially, although the finish is becoming soft, diffuse, with a hint of tinned tomato and twist of acid. Medium length. And, about medium weight in the end. Tidy wine, but at or even moving beyond peak I think. Time to unscrew!
• 2017 Pond Paddock Pinot Noir Martinborough - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough (19/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13%} Translucent light garnet colour. Developing nose of cured meat, strawberry, undergrowth. Attractive. Minimal oak, light weight, maturing flavours, sweet berry fruits, medium acid, soft dusty tannins. Simple enough, but also seductive; it’s not sugary or thin or fake. Makes a great case for Martinborough as the premier home of kiwi pinot. Suspect this is close to peak though; drink soon for best effect.
• 2001 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Harold Vineyard - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (18/03/2024)
  {cork, 13.5%} Perfect level, perfect-looking cork, good garnet colour with a little bricking. Double-decanted off mild sediment. Lightly corked. Just enough to ruin the wine. Stripped. Think Wynns had gone to all screwcaps by 2005, and with good reason. NR (flawed)
• 2013 Oakridge Syrah 864 Winery Block - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (17/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.4%} Planty of garnet left here. Mildly developing nose, restrained in character. Spicy blueberry, rich jam. Not sweet though. Ripe sort of palate, a bit vanillan and gluey, with blue-tinged fruit, lowish acidity, low/medium gritty tannins, just-medium weight, but a fairly short and not terribly interesting finish. Not altogether convincing, although it might be worth keeping for a really long time just as an experiment; the winery was in early days still, and I have little experience with this label.
• 2015 Baileys of Glenrowan Petite Sirah - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen (15/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 15%} Nowhere near a decade-old in all aspects! Plummy fruit, voluptuous, vanilla and milk chocolate. Hint of coconut oak. Lots of warmth on the full-bodied palate - every bit of the 15% alcohol is on show. High furry tannins too, it's quite drying and astringent on the medium length finish, which ends a bit abruptly with quite some heat. Think this drinks better when on the cool side - nearer 14C than 18C I think, given the lowish acidity. Still, given the overall style I reckon it's best to hock into these fairly soon, before they turn into a light, dry port!
• 2017 Grosset Nereus - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley (11/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13,7%} Mid-garnet, bright sort of colour. Smoke, earth and blackberry fruit, modest and restrained. Black flavours on the palate, medium acidity but also pointed, as though a hint of volatility was being sought. Low gritty tannins, fine-grained. Medium weight, modest sort of thing finishing barely medium length, with a twist of black olive. Not sure it will evolve any more, but I've no experience with shiraz from Grosset - they don't seem to go together in my mind at all.
• 2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago (10/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 14%} Even at fifteen years still has plenty of colour. Gorgeous nose and palate of maturing spicy pinot fruit, a meaty character, tiny hint of compost. Always clean, but with arresting complexity. Even palate, low/medium dusty tannins, medium acidity. Medium long, even finish. A clear step up from the Two Paddocks that preceded it. Lovely now, but showing no sign of falling over. Wouldn't be out of place in a blind tasting of decent burgundies, apart from the pronounced fruit. Great stuff.
• 2018 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago (10/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13%} Fresh and vibrant pinot, full of strawberry and deli meat flavours, with soft low/medium dusty tannins, subtle oak, medium acidity and a medium length finish. Dry but still with decent fruit richness, this is impressive stuff for a decent price. ANy time over the next five years is good with this one.
• 2021 Louis Latour Pinot Noir Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (10/03/2024)
  {diam, 13.5%} Sound entry level pinot. A little bit of earth, some vague raspberry/cherry fruit, minimal oak, medium acidity. Not thin but a bit dilute for flavour. Low-medium dusty tannin. Short/medium finish. Serviceable but expensive.
• 2002 Yeringberg - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (9/03/2024)
  {cork, 13.5%} Quick decant, then drunk immediately. Perfect cork, moderate sediment. Fully mature, even a bit verging on malty and volatile. Black cabernet fruit, a bit leathery, medium weight, medium acidity, low powdery tannins. Medium weight and length of finish. Seemed just a bit simple for flavour. The least of three bottles I've tried, not for any apparent reason, nor from being overtly too old, just - I suspect - the magic(?) of bottle variation.
• 2011 Mudbrick Syrah Shepherds Point - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island (9/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 13.5%} Some bricking, but colour is still pretty deep. Maturing nose of ripe blueberries, with a tobacco tang. The palate is about medium weight, with pleasantly mature spicy aromas and rich ripe fruit without being dense at all. Medium acidity, but resolved low-level dusty tannins. Medium length finish. It's good, but I think the back label claim of 8 years' aging is about right; this feels like it's just ont he downslope a bit.
• 2021 Pocketwatch Pinot Noir - Australia, Victoria (8/03/2024)
  {screwcap} Dire. Ripe pinot juice drink, quite worked, but a bit coarse. Seems there’s sugar left in the wine, possibly to offset total lack of tannins. Lowish acidity and a predictable lack of finish. Yes, dire.
• 2017 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1 - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (7/03/2024)
  {screwcap, 11.5%} Pale straw. Hard to make much of this, to be honest. Still absurdly young it's mostly just a grassy impression, not even especially acidic. Light-bodied, maybe with a bit of rockmelon or faint hint of lime juice. The palate is quite even, but also faint, and the finish dies away leaving fleeting hints of texture without much flavour. It's so neutral you wonder if it'll ever evolve; will take twenty years at least. It was widely acclaimed as a very good vintage for reds; not sure that the top years for reds & whites ever coincide much. Still no real point in drinking it now!

[Michael McNally]

Thanks for posting these notes Graeme!

Cheers

Michael