Catching up on the last couple of weeks 'interesting' drinking...
1998 McWilliams Mount Pleasant OP & OH Shiraz (Hunter)
First bottle mildly corked. Far more obvious on the palate than the nose, which is often the case with mild contamination. A second bottle proved the point. Nose of soy, vanilla and charry oak. Far from typically Hunter - and 14.0% alcohol as well. Full bodied palate, quite warm to hot. Tannins have softened out somewhat, but there's not much development of interesting secondary characters under all that oak. I still think the label claim of 25 years aging is optimistic. Was a lot more impressive when released. Maybe a few more years will help, but I worry that it'll be a downhill slide into a hot oaky mess as the fruit fades. Paid $25 in 2002. TCA replacement policy is OK only - a rep will visit my workplace and swap with a 2001 (still under cork). The Mt Pleasant CD claimed that the 2004 vintage of this will be under screwcap, but the QA boss at HQ wasn't so sure. I offered my encouragement...
1996 Louis Jadot Vosne Romanee
Moderate brick red with a definite lighter tint at the rim. A truffly, earthy, spicy nose which grows slightly sweeter as it sits in the glass. The palate has plenty of acid which verges on a spritz note, but is otherwise integrated and not unpleasant. Tannins have softened right out, but the wine's lovely balance across all parts of the palate is its strength. Medium weight, with a good length finish, this is a very attractive pinot, which for the price paid ($65) would I suspect knock most local offerings out of the park - particularly those at 9 years of age. Conveys a little of Vosne's velvety-ness, but without great sophistication. Still very good though for an auction buy ($65 a couple of years ago).
2002 Cullen Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (Margaret River)
I'm becoming less of a fan of this wine as time goes by. The last vintage sealed exclusively under cork (I think), it's hard to believe even a Stelvin would have kept a wine less evolved than this. It's all pungent asparagus and cut grass, the sauvignon component dominating the aromatics. Polarising in the way that Marlborough used to be (before they moved to passionfruit smoothies) if you get my drift. The acid has softened a little perhaps, but the wine still has a real green side to it. It can't be that unripe, because it's a thumping 14.0% alcohol, and you really feel that in the size and impact on the palate. I don't recall the finish being especially long, however. Half the bottle remains refrigerated in a 375ml - I'll try it over the weekend and see what changes occur. Last time I looked this label was pushing $30 (this cost $26 in 2003), and that's way too much. My remaining cellared bottle I might keep for 5 years and see what kind of monster it becomes...!
Postscript: the fierceness did settle down with 4 days in the fridge - at least it was no less a drinking experience.
1998 d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz (McLaren Vale)
Still a dark blue/black colour. The nose is lifted and intense - soy, vanilla, charry oak, raisin fruits. Nothing subtle at all, and with little sign of much secondary development. Warm on the palate, swingeing tannins from the oak which feel somewhat coarse, although softened a bit by age. Little acid to speak of. The flavour comes on the palate like a wave - but a dumper, a great wall of oaky sweetness which rushes over the tongue, but leaves very little behind. It lacks the volume of a 'flavour tsunami', the kind of depth which persists in great wines. I think at 14.5% this is at the very limit of alcohol that it's fruitiness and structure can carry, and I fear it will grow more disjointed with age. As the wine sat I suspected a little VA was adding to the aromatics, but I wouldn't insist on that. $42 in 2001, and I'm not sure my remaining pair are likely to improve much.
1996 Chateau Liversan (Haut-Medoc)
This Chateau is the subject of modest enthusiasm by Johnson MW and Tom Stephenson (Sotheby's guide) and even Parker, but I've no specific notes on this vintage. I picked this up for $41 in Hobart last year as a gamble. The colour is quite a light red. The aromatics are very restrained indeed, just a hint of sour cherry and a little earthiness. Might almost be mistaken for a chianti. Initially at cellar temp of 14C it was quite unyielding ('I don't like metallic wines', says my wife). Warming up fails to really bring out much in the way of interest. The palate is quite dilute - tannins have faded, acid is very soft; the only real impression is of a dry bitterness. It's balanced in the sense that nothing stands out very much, but there's also nothing memorable about it either. High yield vines, I presume, cleanly processed no doubt - it couldn't be called dirty by any means. But it's pretty undistinguished now and would have been much better at 5 years old.
1993 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Paulliac)
Still a very healthy dark red colour. The nose is classic Bordeaux - cedar, graphite and blackcurrant. It's a bit leafy and earthy as well, of moderate intensity, certainly not over-ripe. The palate still has soft astringency; there's not much primary fruit left, but it's not thin or dried-out at all. Although the wine is not especially intense, the palate balance is lovely - the tongue is evenly coated, there are no sharp spikes of flavour or acid. Only medium weight, the finish is attractively persistent. Obviously, it's a bit dilute compared to the Chateau at it's peak, but overall it's a pretty good effort from a mediocre year. For best results drink up in the next few years I would say, although I detect no sign of a precipitous decline.
cheers,
Graeme
TN: MtPleasant, Jadot, Cullen, d'Arenberg, Liversan, Lalande
Very interesting Graeme.
I found "problems" with the 1998 OP&OH on release, something wasn't quite right, what was mindblowing however, the 1998 Rosehill so I bought that instead. The 1999 OP&OH of course was very good. My most recent notes on that one:
http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=3502
The 2002 Cullen disappointed me greatly as well, it's nothing more than an ordinary 15 dollar wine. It never was very good and never will be unfortunately.
Yes, I too think the 1998 Dead Arm is at optimum drinking now because of it's tannin structure will not improve it much further.
The 1993 Pichon is Ok but far from 2nd growth standard. It disappointed me when compared to other, more succesful vintages. On the other hand, I don't ever remember having a great 1993.
Very good notes.
Thank You.
Atila
I found "problems" with the 1998 OP&OH on release, something wasn't quite right, what was mindblowing however, the 1998 Rosehill so I bought that instead. The 1999 OP&OH of course was very good. My most recent notes on that one:
http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=3502
The 2002 Cullen disappointed me greatly as well, it's nothing more than an ordinary 15 dollar wine. It never was very good and never will be unfortunately.
Yes, I too think the 1998 Dead Arm is at optimum drinking now because of it's tannin structure will not improve it much further.
The 1993 Pichon is Ok but far from 2nd growth standard. It disappointed me when compared to other, more succesful vintages. On the other hand, I don't ever remember having a great 1993.
Very good notes.
Thank You.
Atila
Attila,
I was less impressed with the 98 Rosehill than OP&OH upon release, but perhaps I was wrong (ghastly thought). But I've not tasted the 98 Rosehill since.
The only 'big-name' 93 Bordeaux I've had was a Leoville Las Cases a couple of years ago, and I though it better than the PLL. At less than $90 at auction I think it a fair buy - especially compared to, say, Greenock Creek shiraz or Fox Creek Reserve...
(edit - too many names starting with 'A'!)
cheers,
Graeme
I was less impressed with the 98 Rosehill than OP&OH upon release, but perhaps I was wrong (ghastly thought). But I've not tasted the 98 Rosehill since.
The only 'big-name' 93 Bordeaux I've had was a Leoville Las Cases a couple of years ago, and I though it better than the PLL. At less than $90 at auction I think it a fair buy - especially compared to, say, Greenock Creek shiraz or Fox Creek Reserve...
(edit - too many names starting with 'A'!)
cheers,
Graeme