High Good Peoples,
I haven't had much of a wine drinking week due to bronchitis that did take note of a rather enjoyable bottle last night.
Annie's Lane 1996 Contour Shiraz showed a little lifted alcohol, dill/coconut oak -- lots of it, and aniseed. The palate has abundant oak tannins but there is enough fruit to hold it togetherand the flavours are savoury with aniseed, dill and a concoction of dark fruit and chocolate that finishes with loads of eucalyptus/mint. Muscular in weight, the wine won't get any better so if you have any drink up over the next year or two.
This is a great example of the overuse of oak that was so prevalent in that era. A little less oak would have made this one a lot better in the longer term.
Now what have you been drinking? Tasting notes, vibes or general impressions are all welcome.
Its time for your Sunday drinking reports ...
Interesting point Ric. I have a fair tolerance to oak but I'm now finding that many wines of that era are showing too much oak for my taste. I think this is one area where current wines are superior to those of just a decade ago.
That said, it was that overt oak that many of us enjoyed at the time.
In the next coupla months I'm about to start breaking out alot of significant 96 and 98s from their six packs for a progress check, how much overt oak will I find? One of those styles of wine is the 97 Pirramimma Reserve/White Label Shiraz which had alot of prominent oak at release. I recently tried it for the first time in three years or so expecting too much oak but was surprised how integrated and enjoyable it is now.
That said, it was that overt oak that many of us enjoyed at the time.
In the next coupla months I'm about to start breaking out alot of significant 96 and 98s from their six packs for a progress check, how much overt oak will I find? One of those styles of wine is the 97 Pirramimma Reserve/White Label Shiraz which had alot of prominent oak at release. I recently tried it for the first time in three years or so expecting too much oak but was surprised how integrated and enjoyable it is now.
Cheers - Steve
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!
-
Lolly
Dominique Laurent 1998 Beaune 1er Cru V.V.
Excellent example of red Burgundy delivering an imposing nose of savoury oak, satsuma plums, pinot sap and hints of raspberry and strawberry. Impressively solid palate, largish frame and body, fruit and oak in balance, integrated fine tannin and good acidity provides freshness and good structure. Very good length. Liked this for its' seductive, juicy fruit at release - the new oak now plays a much greater role. I'm opting to drink my remainder sooner than later. I'm not suggesting this is about to fall over.
Grosset 2000 Watervale Riesling
Somebody posted somewhere how a couple of Oz 2000 Rieslings weren't travellin' that well. Whoever you were - cop this!
Pale straw/green, starbright. Powerful primary varietal nose of kaffir leaf, lime, herbs with a touch of pineapple and tropical fruit and the first hint of toasty bottle-aged development with extended breathing. Tight as a fish's on the palate with a taut, steely structure all bound in a shroud of minerally acidity. A solid core of limey fruit is just bursting at the seams to strut its' stuff with several years in a good cellar. This Excellent white drinks well now but my gut tells me much better things are in store on the palate. Just the slightest dip at the back before everything kicks back into shape with a wonderfully long, soft citrus-infused finish. Drink 2008-2015.
13% A/V
N.B. Probably only my 2nd or 3rd bottle tried since release. Looking forward to enjoying this wine's development over the next 10 years. Thank "insert your current spiritual leader/icon here" for stelvin-sealed aromatic whites!
Caveat - This wasn't showing anywhere near as well the next evening. Hugely blown out toasty nose now dominating the fruit and the palate shows far more oxidation and flatness than I was expecting. Perhaps my drinking window was too optimistic - Drink now-2010 may be more like it.
Grosset Watervale Riesling 1999 - Unbelievably gorgeous wine revealing a very youthful straw/green colour, an ethereal nose of lime, minerals and just a hint of lightly browned toast. Juicy citrus palate, great acid cut, everything in perfect balance, displaying great poise with an amazing flavoursome, long crisp finish - simply outstanding. Drink now or good for several years in the cellar.
Evans and Tate Margaret River Chardonnay 2003 - A very bright pale gold followed by very good aromatics encompassing cream, meal, charred barrel ferment characters, smoky bacon, spicy oak under melon and fig fruit. In the mouth this wine displays a tight personality, crisp and well-delineated with good acid, oak very much in the background with sufficient melon/fig fruit to suggest a reasonably good future. Found this was better by itself. The (scrumptuous) blackfish fillets poached in garlic, butter, chives, cream and garlic tended to shorten the length and blunt the bright acidity. Lovely touch of meal and butterscotch to complement the citrus on a moderately long finish. Nicely understated style of Chardonnay. Rated as Very Good, almost Excellent but most excellent value for money at well under $20 a bottle by the case.
JHK visit to Canberra
The arrival in Canberra, for a flying visit/offline, of international pilot and long-time board member Jamie Hong Kong (previously Jamie Bahrain) was eagerly anticipated by the local natives.
Last night's JHK Dinner seemed to go off pretty well. Great bloke and both his Chapoutier's showed magnificently! Great to finally meet you, old mate. Thanks for the time, expense and effort in getting down here.
Brief summary of the night:
95 Pol - excellent - complex and refined
95 Dom - simply awesome and several notches above the Pol at every level (and for the price it should be!) - greater things in store here - bordering on Exceptional!
98 Fritz Haag Spatlese - very good/excellent, perhaps a little young but full of yummy citrus/redcurrant/stone fruit, great acid cut providing impressive counterbalance. Most enjoyable.
Very ordinary '98 Heggies Riesling - overblown nose and a trifle phenolic.
03 Hillcrest Chardy - bananarama, overworked - just acceptable for me, others liked it more.
98 Lequin-Colin Chassagne 1er Cru "Caillerets" (Chardonnay) - this is more like it - Excellent - elegant, restrained but full of complex personality, lovely balance, ready to go. Mealy, very good peachy fruit, terrific oak. Long.
01 Nine Popes - Did get better as it breathed out - but holy toledo's - way too much cooked fruit and confected, at first. Lotsa licorice later. Good.
01 Vieux Telegraphe La Crau - much more refined and savoury than the 9 popes - albeit way too young - needs 5 years. Funny thing is this finished with potent anise/licorice flavours too after a good breathe. Very Good.
Outstanding '98 Clos de Cailliou Reserve CNdP from Vacheron Pouizin. Class act! Ripe, virile, beautiful oak treatment, seamless - great potential for the long haul. Sublime structure.
94 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz - crown seal - very good but seemingly lacking compared to the 2 cork versions I've tried. Nice subtle berried nose but way too light, eucalypt and minty on the palate. Errant bottle?
Opulent and excellent '95 Chapoutier les Granits (St Joseph, single-vineyard) - lovely tobacco, sweet earth, game, ripe fruit, excellent structure - hedonistic. About ready.
Outstanding/Exceptional '94 Chapoutier Le Pavillon (Hermitage, single-vineyard) - brilliant wine from a relatively good but not great northern Rhone vintage. Unlike Parker's blockbuster tasing note (96 points) from 1996, this wine has reached its plateau of maturity and shows remarkable poise, finesse and elegance. Every component and aspect of this wine is without fault, IMHO. A great tasting experience. Thank you JHK.
Guigal 1996 Chateau d'Ampuis (Cote Rotie) - Excellent/Outstanding multifaceted, complex wine in need of a lot more time in a dark, cool place. Terrific effort from a difficult vintage. Plenty going on here with this one.
Castagna 2001 Genesis Shiraz/Viognier - finally we have an Aussie contender worth crowing about. Excellent wine with great depth of floral-tinged berried fruit, fantastic structure and plenty of body. Marvellous result from such young vines. Will last for many years on this showing. Bravo!
d'Arenberg 1993 Botrytis Riesling - the colour suggested this was past it. Others confirmed it was. DNPIM.
Forget the identity of the last bottle of sticky - tried a smidge - bloody corked!
Thanks to all who attended. Hope you enjoyed yourselves.
Excellent example of red Burgundy delivering an imposing nose of savoury oak, satsuma plums, pinot sap and hints of raspberry and strawberry. Impressively solid palate, largish frame and body, fruit and oak in balance, integrated fine tannin and good acidity provides freshness and good structure. Very good length. Liked this for its' seductive, juicy fruit at release - the new oak now plays a much greater role. I'm opting to drink my remainder sooner than later. I'm not suggesting this is about to fall over.
Grosset 2000 Watervale Riesling
Somebody posted somewhere how a couple of Oz 2000 Rieslings weren't travellin' that well. Whoever you were - cop this!
Pale straw/green, starbright. Powerful primary varietal nose of kaffir leaf, lime, herbs with a touch of pineapple and tropical fruit and the first hint of toasty bottle-aged development with extended breathing. Tight as a fish's on the palate with a taut, steely structure all bound in a shroud of minerally acidity. A solid core of limey fruit is just bursting at the seams to strut its' stuff with several years in a good cellar. This Excellent white drinks well now but my gut tells me much better things are in store on the palate. Just the slightest dip at the back before everything kicks back into shape with a wonderfully long, soft citrus-infused finish. Drink 2008-2015.
13% A/V
N.B. Probably only my 2nd or 3rd bottle tried since release. Looking forward to enjoying this wine's development over the next 10 years. Thank "insert your current spiritual leader/icon here" for stelvin-sealed aromatic whites!
Caveat - This wasn't showing anywhere near as well the next evening. Hugely blown out toasty nose now dominating the fruit and the palate shows far more oxidation and flatness than I was expecting. Perhaps my drinking window was too optimistic - Drink now-2010 may be more like it.
Grosset Watervale Riesling 1999 - Unbelievably gorgeous wine revealing a very youthful straw/green colour, an ethereal nose of lime, minerals and just a hint of lightly browned toast. Juicy citrus palate, great acid cut, everything in perfect balance, displaying great poise with an amazing flavoursome, long crisp finish - simply outstanding. Drink now or good for several years in the cellar.
Evans and Tate Margaret River Chardonnay 2003 - A very bright pale gold followed by very good aromatics encompassing cream, meal, charred barrel ferment characters, smoky bacon, spicy oak under melon and fig fruit. In the mouth this wine displays a tight personality, crisp and well-delineated with good acid, oak very much in the background with sufficient melon/fig fruit to suggest a reasonably good future. Found this was better by itself. The (scrumptuous) blackfish fillets poached in garlic, butter, chives, cream and garlic tended to shorten the length and blunt the bright acidity. Lovely touch of meal and butterscotch to complement the citrus on a moderately long finish. Nicely understated style of Chardonnay. Rated as Very Good, almost Excellent but most excellent value for money at well under $20 a bottle by the case.
JHK visit to Canberra
The arrival in Canberra, for a flying visit/offline, of international pilot and long-time board member Jamie Hong Kong (previously Jamie Bahrain) was eagerly anticipated by the local natives.
Last night's JHK Dinner seemed to go off pretty well. Great bloke and both his Chapoutier's showed magnificently! Great to finally meet you, old mate. Thanks for the time, expense and effort in getting down here.
Brief summary of the night:
95 Pol - excellent - complex and refined
95 Dom - simply awesome and several notches above the Pol at every level (and for the price it should be!) - greater things in store here - bordering on Exceptional!
98 Fritz Haag Spatlese - very good/excellent, perhaps a little young but full of yummy citrus/redcurrant/stone fruit, great acid cut providing impressive counterbalance. Most enjoyable.
Very ordinary '98 Heggies Riesling - overblown nose and a trifle phenolic.
03 Hillcrest Chardy - bananarama, overworked - just acceptable for me, others liked it more.
98 Lequin-Colin Chassagne 1er Cru "Caillerets" (Chardonnay) - this is more like it - Excellent - elegant, restrained but full of complex personality, lovely balance, ready to go. Mealy, very good peachy fruit, terrific oak. Long.
01 Nine Popes - Did get better as it breathed out - but holy toledo's - way too much cooked fruit and confected, at first. Lotsa licorice later. Good.
01 Vieux Telegraphe La Crau - much more refined and savoury than the 9 popes - albeit way too young - needs 5 years. Funny thing is this finished with potent anise/licorice flavours too after a good breathe. Very Good.
Outstanding '98 Clos de Cailliou Reserve CNdP from Vacheron Pouizin. Class act! Ripe, virile, beautiful oak treatment, seamless - great potential for the long haul. Sublime structure.
94 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz - crown seal - very good but seemingly lacking compared to the 2 cork versions I've tried. Nice subtle berried nose but way too light, eucalypt and minty on the palate. Errant bottle?
Opulent and excellent '95 Chapoutier les Granits (St Joseph, single-vineyard) - lovely tobacco, sweet earth, game, ripe fruit, excellent structure - hedonistic. About ready.
Outstanding/Exceptional '94 Chapoutier Le Pavillon (Hermitage, single-vineyard) - brilliant wine from a relatively good but not great northern Rhone vintage. Unlike Parker's blockbuster tasing note (96 points) from 1996, this wine has reached its plateau of maturity and shows remarkable poise, finesse and elegance. Every component and aspect of this wine is without fault, IMHO. A great tasting experience. Thank you JHK.
Guigal 1996 Chateau d'Ampuis (Cote Rotie) - Excellent/Outstanding multifaceted, complex wine in need of a lot more time in a dark, cool place. Terrific effort from a difficult vintage. Plenty going on here with this one.
Castagna 2001 Genesis Shiraz/Viognier - finally we have an Aussie contender worth crowing about. Excellent wine with great depth of floral-tinged berried fruit, fantastic structure and plenty of body. Marvellous result from such young vines. Will last for many years on this showing. Bravo!
d'Arenberg 1993 Botrytis Riesling - the colour suggested this was past it. Others confirmed it was. DNPIM.
Forget the identity of the last bottle of sticky - tried a smidge - bloody corked!
Thanks to all who attended. Hope you enjoyed yourselves.
Last edited by Lolly on Tue May 24, 2005 8:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Hi all,
Pick of the wines for us this week were:
Paul Osicka 2002 Shiraz
Couldn’t really get near this wine after 2 hours in the decanter – seemed acidic and strong on alcohol. After triple decanting and another hour the wine became all dark fruit, raisins and, in particular, chocolate – a Cadbury Fruit & Nut without the nuts! Tannins quite light, oak well integrated and there was a subtle sweetness. A long chocolate finish. An elegant wine which, eventually, we thoroughly enjoyed.
Stanley Brothers Thoroughbred 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rich clear dark cherry red. The whole room was redolent with violets when opened. Black berries and cherries and a pleasant sweetness on the nose. Legs cling to the side of the glass. The palate tending to the greener flavours and some smokiness and oaky vanilla, fruit becoming more dominant after lengthy decanting. Tannins well integrated. Looking forward to the rest of the case over time.
Also had a Warrabilla 2004 Durif, Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz and a Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz. The Wobblybilla was huge and way over the top for the lamb shanks and gnocci on Friday night - gee that stuff has a lot of alcohol in it! The Fox Creek is a good mainstay red for us. The Peter Lehmann showed some potential as a 'house' red at the bigkid's place, although when you can get Fire Block Old Vine Shiraz for $14.99 by the case I'm not sure.
Regards all,
Allan
Pick of the wines for us this week were:
Paul Osicka 2002 Shiraz
Couldn’t really get near this wine after 2 hours in the decanter – seemed acidic and strong on alcohol. After triple decanting and another hour the wine became all dark fruit, raisins and, in particular, chocolate – a Cadbury Fruit & Nut without the nuts! Tannins quite light, oak well integrated and there was a subtle sweetness. A long chocolate finish. An elegant wine which, eventually, we thoroughly enjoyed.
Stanley Brothers Thoroughbred 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rich clear dark cherry red. The whole room was redolent with violets when opened. Black berries and cherries and a pleasant sweetness on the nose. Legs cling to the side of the glass. The palate tending to the greener flavours and some smokiness and oaky vanilla, fruit becoming more dominant after lengthy decanting. Tannins well integrated. Looking forward to the rest of the case over time.
Also had a Warrabilla 2004 Durif, Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz and a Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz. The Wobblybilla was huge and way over the top for the lamb shanks and gnocci on Friday night - gee that stuff has a lot of alcohol in it! The Fox Creek is a good mainstay red for us. The Peter Lehmann showed some potential as a 'house' red at the bigkid's place, although when you can get Fire Block Old Vine Shiraz for $14.99 by the case I'm not sure.
Regards all,
Allan
-
Guest
La Font French Merlot
A $7 wine is never worth getting excited about but that all changes when it shows up every Aussie merlot that Ive had with the exception of Grand Merlot and most vintages of Petaluma but they are 8-12 times the price. It just goes to show that if you are going to attempt a strong powerfull Merlot get it right.
Lighter than most if not all Aussie Merlots its the best cheap wine ive had regardless of grape type. Decanted for one hour then it showed better than at innitial opening. Vannila, Plum and more Plum but more importantly NO BITTERNESS I rate it 91 points not taking value for money into account.
A $7 wine is never worth getting excited about but that all changes when it shows up every Aussie merlot that Ive had with the exception of Grand Merlot and most vintages of Petaluma but they are 8-12 times the price. It just goes to show that if you are going to attempt a strong powerfull Merlot get it right.
Lighter than most if not all Aussie Merlots its the best cheap wine ive had regardless of grape type. Decanted for one hour then it showed better than at innitial opening. Vannila, Plum and more Plum but more importantly NO BITTERNESS I rate it 91 points not taking value for money into account.
1996 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz - Now this wine is in a real hole at the moment, but I have no doubts it will come out of it over the next 5 years with glory. I had 2 bottles of this over the last 5 days just to be sure. 
1996 Penfolds St.Henri Shiraz - This is absolutely fantastic now and only getting better. Needs another 5 years at least to be starting to hit its peak drinking plateau. 18.5/20, 94/100.
2001 Kamberra Chardonnay (Tumbarumba, NSW - 13.2%) - Lovely complexity in the nectarine spectrum with white and pumice minerals. Excellent acidity but this did not seem to provide the wine with much length
.Very good quaffer at the price I bought this as a cleanskin though. 16/20, 87/100.
Also:
2003 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz - 17.6/20, 91/100 - see individual tasting note if interested.
2001 Rockford "Local Growers" Semillon - 16.4/20, 88/100- see individual tasting note if interested.
Adair
1996 Penfolds St.Henri Shiraz - This is absolutely fantastic now and only getting better. Needs another 5 years at least to be starting to hit its peak drinking plateau. 18.5/20, 94/100.
2001 Kamberra Chardonnay (Tumbarumba, NSW - 13.2%) - Lovely complexity in the nectarine spectrum with white and pumice minerals. Excellent acidity but this did not seem to provide the wine with much length
.Very good quaffer at the price I bought this as a cleanskin though. 16/20, 87/100.
Also:
2003 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz - 17.6/20, 91/100 - see individual tasting note if interested.
2001 Rockford "Local Growers" Semillon - 16.4/20, 88/100- see individual tasting note if interested.
Adair
-
Billy Bolonski
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:39 pm
- Location: Sydney
Started out Friday night with a bunch of stuff. The only really memorable one was the 2002 d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz.(It was supposed to be the 1993 Chateau Giraud Larose however on opening it was heavily effected by Brett)
The Dead Arm retails for $US80 and I only managed to get one glass poured straight from the bottle, so not an ideal tasting. It was a good wine but any further assessment is difficult, although alot of my American friends seemed impressed even though they guzzled it down!
We were then down to a bar to watch a fellow wineO play in a band playing The Bands, The Last Waltz. Great stuff!
Sunday was Roast Prime Rib with Yorkshire Puddings. I took along a 1998 Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkes Bay NZ which was superb. Deep Plumb colour with subtle and elegent cassis and dark berry flavours and a long finish. The tannin were still very pronounced and to me it seemed very young. I've only got one bottle left which I would't dream of touching for at least 5 years. We also opened a 2002 Turkey Flat Shiraz Decantered for 1.5 hours. A deep dense thick as molasses wine with an amazing amalgem of fruit flavours still very tightly put together. It's another wine that really needs a good lie down but boy it'll be yumo.
Cheers
Elvis
The Dead Arm retails for $US80 and I only managed to get one glass poured straight from the bottle, so not an ideal tasting. It was a good wine but any further assessment is difficult, although alot of my American friends seemed impressed even though they guzzled it down!
We were then down to a bar to watch a fellow wineO play in a band playing The Bands, The Last Waltz. Great stuff!
Sunday was Roast Prime Rib with Yorkshire Puddings. I took along a 1998 Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkes Bay NZ which was superb. Deep Plumb colour with subtle and elegent cassis and dark berry flavours and a long finish. The tannin were still very pronounced and to me it seemed very young. I've only got one bottle left which I would't dream of touching for at least 5 years. We also opened a 2002 Turkey Flat Shiraz Decantered for 1.5 hours. A deep dense thick as molasses wine with an amazing amalgem of fruit flavours still very tightly put together. It's another wine that really needs a good lie down but boy it'll be yumo.
Cheers
Elvis
A pretty full week for me with a full spectrum of wines. Didn't I say last Sunday that I was having a detox? Hmm.
Opened up an '02 St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz midweek and it was like shaking hands with an old friend - a satisfying and comforting reunion. It had been nearly nine months since my last and it was great to sniff and taste a wine with great qpr. This was my first red with American Oak for a little while (I think anyway) and it was pronounced on the nose, but there is gobs of sweet and ripe fruit to counter the smokiness. I like the nose because I find it a little unique and not quite mainstream, not sure what it really is though. Half of the wine was kept for 48 hours and it really mellowed into a black currant/berry, velvety drink losing that heavy oak factor. I think it'll be a cracker in five years, which is when it'll reach its peak.
I had the opportunity to taste a couple NZ reds on Friday afternoon. The 2003 Alan McCorkindale Waipara Pinot Noir was very good, with a strongly varietal nose evident by the gaminess. Lots of subtle vanilla and cherry fruit on the nose, but I found the wine a little 'spritzy' in the mouth. This evolved and tamed down a little on the palate after an hour in the bottle and had a really morish finish. Definitely a keeper. Then I sampled two reds from Capricorn Wines (basically a Craggy Range second label), the 2004 Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir and the 2003 Red Rock Gravel Pit Red (Merlot/Cab). Both wines were surprisingly good, especially the Pinot which used some obviously high quality fruit, in a style made for immediate enjoyment.
Saturday night started with a Brown Bros Dolcetto and Syrah (hey, it can only get better, and it wasn't as bad as I remember), followed by the 2002 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache. I LOVE this wine. I first tried it at the "Barossa on the Pier" tasting in Brisbane at Eagle St some 15 months ago, totally knocking my socks off (in the company of '99 RWT). I've tried, perhaps half-heartedly, to source some over the last twelve months and finally picked up a six pack with a per bottle price less than $20! Talk about an awakening. I jumped on this and couldn't help but crack one open on the same day. A gorgeous nose of raspberries and spice, with a subtle hint of earth and cigar box. I didn't take any notes, but the bottle was empty in no time. A carefully constructed wine that just oozes class and appears to have a very well manicured upbringing. I may have to buy a second six pack (esp at that price) for cellaring, knowing I won't keep my hands off these little babies for long. This was followed by a 1991 Rosemount Show Reserve Coonawarra Cab Sauv which was unfortunately corked with that slight damp wood smell, slowly worsening on the palate the longer it was opened. Still, the nose was okay while it lasted and you have to be gracious when someone presents an aged wine for drinking in your presence. The pear and cream dessert was accompanied by a 2003 Villa Maria Cellar Reserve Late Harvest Gewurztraminer which was great. Fruity, not super sweet, moderate finish and fresh. I'm also a huge Gewurz fan so this went down like water.
Sunday night was a daggy evening in front of the Eurovision Song Contest and I enjoyed an '04 MGP Sauv Blanc (Marlborough) and 2002 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz with friends. I found the Filsell very unusual when I tried it twelve months ago and wasn't sure what to make of it back then. I found the nose on this occasion had a real Allens Minties aroma with super rich, concentrated dark berry fruit. Plenty of black fruit and liquorice on the palate, lingering politely on the finish. Classy.
Cheers,
Opened up an '02 St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz midweek and it was like shaking hands with an old friend - a satisfying and comforting reunion. It had been nearly nine months since my last and it was great to sniff and taste a wine with great qpr. This was my first red with American Oak for a little while (I think anyway) and it was pronounced on the nose, but there is gobs of sweet and ripe fruit to counter the smokiness. I like the nose because I find it a little unique and not quite mainstream, not sure what it really is though. Half of the wine was kept for 48 hours and it really mellowed into a black currant/berry, velvety drink losing that heavy oak factor. I think it'll be a cracker in five years, which is when it'll reach its peak.
I had the opportunity to taste a couple NZ reds on Friday afternoon. The 2003 Alan McCorkindale Waipara Pinot Noir was very good, with a strongly varietal nose evident by the gaminess. Lots of subtle vanilla and cherry fruit on the nose, but I found the wine a little 'spritzy' in the mouth. This evolved and tamed down a little on the palate after an hour in the bottle and had a really morish finish. Definitely a keeper. Then I sampled two reds from Capricorn Wines (basically a Craggy Range second label), the 2004 Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir and the 2003 Red Rock Gravel Pit Red (Merlot/Cab). Both wines were surprisingly good, especially the Pinot which used some obviously high quality fruit, in a style made for immediate enjoyment.
Saturday night started with a Brown Bros Dolcetto and Syrah (hey, it can only get better, and it wasn't as bad as I remember), followed by the 2002 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache. I LOVE this wine. I first tried it at the "Barossa on the Pier" tasting in Brisbane at Eagle St some 15 months ago, totally knocking my socks off (in the company of '99 RWT). I've tried, perhaps half-heartedly, to source some over the last twelve months and finally picked up a six pack with a per bottle price less than $20! Talk about an awakening. I jumped on this and couldn't help but crack one open on the same day. A gorgeous nose of raspberries and spice, with a subtle hint of earth and cigar box. I didn't take any notes, but the bottle was empty in no time. A carefully constructed wine that just oozes class and appears to have a very well manicured upbringing. I may have to buy a second six pack (esp at that price) for cellaring, knowing I won't keep my hands off these little babies for long. This was followed by a 1991 Rosemount Show Reserve Coonawarra Cab Sauv which was unfortunately corked with that slight damp wood smell, slowly worsening on the palate the longer it was opened. Still, the nose was okay while it lasted and you have to be gracious when someone presents an aged wine for drinking in your presence. The pear and cream dessert was accompanied by a 2003 Villa Maria Cellar Reserve Late Harvest Gewurztraminer which was great. Fruity, not super sweet, moderate finish and fresh. I'm also a huge Gewurz fan so this went down like water.
Sunday night was a daggy evening in front of the Eurovision Song Contest and I enjoyed an '04 MGP Sauv Blanc (Marlborough) and 2002 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz with friends. I found the Filsell very unusual when I tried it twelve months ago and wasn't sure what to make of it back then. I found the nose on this occasion had a real Allens Minties aroma with super rich, concentrated dark berry fruit. Plenty of black fruit and liquorice on the palate, lingering politely on the finish. Classy.
Cheers,
Max
-----
Avant d’être bon, un vin doit être vrai
-----
Avant d’être bon, un vin doit être vrai
-
Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2747
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:39 am
Only a few this week:-
Pommery NV Champagne - best showing from this label for a while though admittedly I had consumed a million beers at the U2 concert. Biscuity, bready nose, lovely mouthfeel, decent length.
1991 Yalumba The Signature Cab Shiraz - eucalyptus, chocolate and tobacco nose giving way to a palate of leather, earth and blackberries. Still youthful with a lovely long dusty tannin finish.
2001 Wynns Black label Cabernet - much more enjoyable than last time I had it. Quite typical of the region and variety.
Mike
Pommery NV Champagne - best showing from this label for a while though admittedly I had consumed a million beers at the U2 concert. Biscuity, bready nose, lovely mouthfeel, decent length.
1991 Yalumba The Signature Cab Shiraz - eucalyptus, chocolate and tobacco nose giving way to a palate of leather, earth and blackberries. Still youthful with a lovely long dusty tannin finish.
2001 Wynns Black label Cabernet - much more enjoyable than last time I had it. Quite typical of the region and variety.
Mike
Maximus wrote:2002 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache. I LOVE this wine. I first tried it at the "Barossa on the Pier" tasting in Brisbane at Eagle St some 15 months ago, totally knocking my socks off (in the company of '99 RWT). I've tried, perhaps half-heartedly, to source some over the last twelve months and finally picked up a six pack with a per bottle price less than $20! Talk about an awakening. I jumped on this and couldn't help but crack one open on the same day. A gorgeous nose of raspberries and spice, with a subtle hint of earth and cigar box. I didn't take any notes, but the bottle was empty in no time. A carefully constructed wine that just oozes class and appears to have a very well manicured upbringing. I may have to buy a second six pack (esp at that price) for cellaring, knowing I won't keep my hands off these little babies for long.
Cheers,
Hi Max,
I've been looking around for a decent price on this for a while - was this retail or at auction? At $20 it's an absolute steal.
Cheers
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.