Interesting article, you need purple pages access to see the TN though:
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/winenews050514
Jancis Robinson Article on Aus/NZ Cabernet
Jancis Robinson Article on Aus/NZ Cabernet
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian,
As someone not having access to the 'purple pages' (and not wishing to sign up), do you know which wines were tasted? Would be interesting to see if there were many wines with big reputations that missed the cut and could have shown well...
As someone not having access to the 'purple pages' (and not wishing to sign up), do you know which wines were tasted? Would be interesting to see if there were many wines with big reputations that missed the cut and could have shown well...
Max
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Avant d’être bon, un vin doit être vrai
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Avant d’être bon, un vin doit être vrai
I browsed the AGT Wine magazine at a local newsagent (either my subscription copy is yet to arrive or I didn't renew my subscription - that's the trouble with 3 months between issues - you forget where you stand!) but I suspect it's her own version of the Coonawarra / Margaret River / Hawkes Bay write-up in the issue that hit the newsstands last week. She was here recently, and they managed to get her along to this tasting. Most of the big names from the region were listed. Of course, panel reviews tend to be written up, so it's not clear which were her particular favourites. I figured on reading the articvle in detail later so I didn't take too many mental notes, except to note that the Wynns BL finished last in the tasting, and that she was generally impressed with the Hawkes Bay offerings.
cheers,
Graeme
cheers,
Graeme
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JamieBahrain
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I read the article in my Weekend Financial Times.
It was a good article.
Moss Wood & Cullens ( which Jancis noted her usual favourites ) showed well but not as well as expected.
Noted was the over ripeness, chewiness & bolt on acidity of some Australian expressions of cabernet.
Top showings were Cape Mentelle 2000 cabernet and Gralyn ?.
It was a good article.
Moss Wood & Cullens ( which Jancis noted her usual favourites ) showed well but not as well as expected.
Noted was the over ripeness, chewiness & bolt on acidity of some Australian expressions of cabernet.
Top showings were Cape Mentelle 2000 cabernet and Gralyn ?.
Anonymous wrote:Messr. Robinson has lost a fair share of the market in recent time.
We don't need her reviews as far as OZZies are concern.
Pay pay view - Purple pages? bleecch!!!
Maybe you mean Ms Robinson?
Are you a Parker fan disgruntled that she should challenge God? I'm happy to consider her opinions and then form my own, but I do agree with some of her conclusions on Oz cabernets.
Anonymous posters who can't even get the gender correct? Bleecch!!!
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Graeme,
FWIW the AGT wine-mag is the best for some time (not saying much) but you have to take some of the commentary and recommendations with a grain or 2 of salt - including the Cabernets review: I have been a Cape mentelle fan for more than 2 decades but the 2000 CM CS is NOT a patch on either the Cullens 2001 or MW 2001 - but I will accept that it is more approachable than either.
Similarly even luminaries like Halliday go astray remarking on Valli PN 2003 that it is "their first vintage" (whereas the Bannockburn and Colleen vineyards actually have a track record under the Valli name with the Gibbston name replacing that of Colleen for 2003). Even Homer nods. occasionally...
By contrast, there is a reasonable review of the Wynns BL (yes lowend on points but only just but batting against very differently priced opposition - and with considerable expectation of improvement with age) in the same article. As always numerical ratings are suspect other than for comparative ranking purposes (preference) at the same tasting.
I find AGT's reviewing process somewhat eccentric in its choices (and omissions), and we have a subscription courtesy of "use of otherwise valueless frequent user points...."
It still reads more like a travelogue (courtesy of name) for most issues than an informative wine magazine for a reasonably knowledgeable consumer.
regards,
fred
FWIW the AGT wine-mag is the best for some time (not saying much) but you have to take some of the commentary and recommendations with a grain or 2 of salt - including the Cabernets review: I have been a Cape mentelle fan for more than 2 decades but the 2000 CM CS is NOT a patch on either the Cullens 2001 or MW 2001 - but I will accept that it is more approachable than either.
Similarly even luminaries like Halliday go astray remarking on Valli PN 2003 that it is "their first vintage" (whereas the Bannockburn and Colleen vineyards actually have a track record under the Valli name with the Gibbston name replacing that of Colleen for 2003). Even Homer nods. occasionally...
By contrast, there is a reasonable review of the Wynns BL (yes lowend on points but only just but batting against very differently priced opposition - and with considerable expectation of improvement with age) in the same article. As always numerical ratings are suspect other than for comparative ranking purposes (preference) at the same tasting.
I find AGT's reviewing process somewhat eccentric in its choices (and omissions), and we have a subscription courtesy of "use of otherwise valueless frequent user points...."
It still reads more like a travelogue (courtesy of name) for most issues than an informative wine magazine for a reasonably knowledgeable consumer.
regards,
fred
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Craig(NZ).
"I donÂ’t know about my fellow tasters, but I was certainly expecting the Kiwi wines to stand out in this tasting (in which the wines were served from young to old but otherwise in random order). New ZealandÂ’s climate is much cooler than AustraliaÂ’s and a bracing acid level has long been the hallmark of its wines. I was anticipating therefore that this feature would rather obviously identify them."
Amazing how long generalisation, prejudice can last in the wine world.
To me Hawkes Bay certainly made big steps moving away from this thin acidic weedy style that used to be a characteristic of most nz cab blends. This started really changing as early as the 1995 vintage and the 1998 vintage kissed it goodbye. Occassionally there is still the odd weedy acidic wine, but in the realms of generally accepted above avg labels i struggle to think of a handful of examples in the last 6 or 7 years.
I still doubt NZ can compete in the 100% cab territory with Australia. Only very very rarely does Hawkes Bay put out a wine such as the 98 Vidals Solar Cab, or the 98 Brookfields Gold Label. However add a bit of merlot to the mix and it is game on.
The other prejudice surrounds NZ Shiraz. Ever since the 99 vintage i have always said 'this is the next best thing'. Only now are we seeing articles like 'is syrah the new pinot in nz' etc etc.
C.
Amazing how long generalisation, prejudice can last in the wine world.
To me Hawkes Bay certainly made big steps moving away from this thin acidic weedy style that used to be a characteristic of most nz cab blends. This started really changing as early as the 1995 vintage and the 1998 vintage kissed it goodbye. Occassionally there is still the odd weedy acidic wine, but in the realms of generally accepted above avg labels i struggle to think of a handful of examples in the last 6 or 7 years.
I still doubt NZ can compete in the 100% cab territory with Australia. Only very very rarely does Hawkes Bay put out a wine such as the 98 Vidals Solar Cab, or the 98 Brookfields Gold Label. However add a bit of merlot to the mix and it is game on.
The other prejudice surrounds NZ Shiraz. Ever since the 99 vintage i have always said 'this is the next best thing'. Only now are we seeing articles like 'is syrah the new pinot in nz' etc etc.
C.
[quote="Craig(NZ
Amazing how long generalisation, prejudice can last in the wine world.
C.[/quote]
Craig, she doesn't suggest they're going to be thin or weedy! Rather than having a shot at NZ's cabernet history, I think she's more just pointing out the obvious climatic differences between Coonawarra/MR and Hawkes Bay. I would just as easily expect Tasmanian cabernets to stand out in similar company for the same reason. THe fact that it wasn't the case just shows what a difference quality wine-making can make!
cheers,
Graeme
Amazing how long generalisation, prejudice can last in the wine world.
C.[/quote]
Craig, she doesn't suggest they're going to be thin or weedy! Rather than having a shot at NZ's cabernet history, I think she's more just pointing out the obvious climatic differences between Coonawarra/MR and Hawkes Bay. I would just as easily expect Tasmanian cabernets to stand out in similar company for the same reason. THe fact that it wasn't the case just shows what a difference quality wine-making can make!
cheers,
Graeme
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Guest
Interesting that in all the wines in that tasting, Cape Mentelle 2000 is the only one of them that I've detected a little bit of brett in, and that was the one that Jancis, raised on european cabernet, liked most. London tasters always love the bretty one!!! Kills me every time 
Australian tasters are *generally* immune to 'bolt on' acidity, and english tasters are *generally* immune to brettanomyces.
Australian tasters are *generally* immune to 'bolt on' acidity, and english tasters are *generally* immune to brettanomyces.