Weekly drinking reports now due

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

It's that time of the week again; time to tell us what you have been drinking. My pick of the week was

d'Arenberg 1997 Dead Arm Shiraz Aug 05

The wine opened with more than a touch of VA, cherry, lightly composted earthy notes; it was broody with black fruits. The VA blew a fairly quickly and the bouquet was dominated by black berry fruits and dill. A full-bodied wine with loads of powdery tannins that were bordering on course, which supported a river of rifle shot straight fruit, that barrelled down the tongue, finishing long and with excellent persistence. Chocolate, black fruits and dill were certainly enough to take care of the tannins, and with a highly-spiced, roast shoulder of lamb, it was absolutely delicious. Rated as Excellent, another couple of years won't do any harm.

Tasting notes, impressions or just general vibes are most welcome. Lurkers, if you have never posted before, give it a go, we don't bite.... well not often, and not hard, especially to new posters.

[Attila]

1996 MOUNT PLEASANT Elizabeth Semillon-Hunter Valley

Pleasant, fairly mature and ready. Hole in the middle palate, lacking richness, length and focus. Lanolin, melon and a little citrus fruit. Not as good as the more powerful 1997 or the richer and better 1999. AU $20

2001 McWILLIAMS Regional Collection-Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

Vibrant cherry red colour. Excellent and varietal blackcurrant nose with spice. Rich and ripe palate with blue berries, black cherries and plum. Seductive sweetness of fruit, medium to full bodied. Perfect drinking now or cellar 3 years. Very good length and toasty oak on the finish. (This wine spent 15 months in oak.) By far the best Coonawarra Cabernet I've drunk in recent memory for less than 20 dollars.

Cheers,
Attila

[corcoran]

Let's see, I had a few this week but have to dig through the recycling bin to refresh my memory:

2003 Thorpe Shiraz (McLaren Vle) Somewhat translucent reddish purple. Medium bodied, with mixed aromas of black raspberries, chocolate, earth, and a floral component. Disappointing concentration and the flavors just did not match the aromatics, with marginal black raspberries and chocolate. Short finish. I've seen much better reviews on this, perhaps a bad bottle? Rated as Acceptable.

2002 Buller Calliope Shiraz (Rutherglen) I don't know why I opened this so soon, but I enjoyed it. Powerful aromas and flavors of raisins, dark chocolate, blackberry, and kirsch. Long, sweet finish. Almost like a dry vintage port. Rated as Highly Recommended, I think I pretty much like all things Buller.

2002 Sanguine Shiraz (Heathcote)The best Sanguine release I have tried, this was an explosion of raspberry, earth, licorice, brush and dark chocolate. The aromatics are spectacular, and the flavors and finish are excellent as well with real depth and concentration. Rated as Highly Recommended, should be Excellent in another year or two.

[Craig(NZ.)]

1995 Esk Valley Reserve Merlot Cab.

From an under rated Hawkes Bay vintage that produced many long term reds. This was a super merlot in great shape, integrated, full of a tail of cranberry, redcurrents. Juicy big and ripe still with a number of years life. Very fragrant and showing good deep ruby red still. finely structured, good acid balance (this label sometimes seems a bit 'flabby' on release not the 95 but they tend to grow structure in the cellar as the puppy fat fades). No rush if stored well, and would indicate 1995 Esk Terraces has 5-10 years life in it still (backs up what I heard from a friend who tried the 95 terraces a month ago)

This bottle I remember buying on one of my first full tours of the Bay in Jan 1997. Good memories

C

[Ian S]

2003 Paul Blanck Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France c. £10
Michelle just doesn't like this (or any other Gewurz it has to be said). The alcohol is prominent, the aroma if floral, there's a touch of sweetness and an oily texture/taste - yup that's gewurz! I'd hoped for something really good from an excellent producer, however maybe the grape is the limiting factor. I found it pleasant but it's a wine I'd only enjoy when I'm in exactly the right mood, or the food is a great match (Gewurz is a great match for spicy food).
Ian

[RedVelvet]

I've managed to make my way through a number of wines this week a few of which i will give mention to below for a first time post in your forum. Unfortunately i didnt keep up with my practice of taking notes this week as i have in the past so i will do my best to recall from memory.

1971 Orlando Cabernet, considering its age i was quite surprised by its brick red only very slight orange on the rim, the nose showed red fruits, light strawberry and cedar characters. The wine was decanted and on first taste seemed hollow on the mid palate, medium bodied with earthy mushroom, some cedar and small amount of strawberry jam. After given approximately 2-3 hours of time a second taste showed stronger red fruits which seemed to fill that hollow mid palate and follow through on the finish. Very smooth and enjoyable to drink after being decantered for 2-3hrs.

2003 Torbreck The Struie Shiraz, Dark almost black purple in colour. Upon opening this bottle the aroma's seemed to leap from the bottle and slap me in the face, rich dark fruits, plum, floral and spiced aroma's seemed to promise a rich powerfull Barossa shiraz. The palate was full of dark cherry, blackcurrant chocolate, mocha, liquorish and spice, velvety chewy texture and not too much oak. Long and silky finish. Although young i loved this wine and it married very well with the spicy Korean lamb stew that we drank this with.

2003 Clonakilla Hill Tops Shiraz , Deep purple with a slightly ruby red tinge, very floral with a hint of dark fruits, violets and peppered spice. Intense dark fruits, black currant, spice, pepper and raspberries on the palate, full bodied and rich this is what i like to call typically very nice cold climate shiraz. Very enjoyable.

1992 Wynn's John Riddoch Cabernet, Deep purple, the nose was full of black currant and jammy sweet dark fruits. The palate was smooth and medium to full bodied showing blackberry, blueberry, currants and a persistant yet gripping finish. Not as powerfull as the complex and full bodied 98 and from memory not quite as enjoyable as the 93 tasted late last year.

[Stuart]

[quote="Attila"] 2001 McWILLIAMS Regional Collection-Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon By far the best Coonawarra Cabernet I've drunk in recent memory for less than 20 dollars.

I couldn't agree here. I recently had this wine and thought that it was the poorest vintage for this label that I have tried. I thought it showed no typical Coonawarra cabernet qualities such as the dustiness/earthiness one comes to expect even from the cheaper Coonawarra cabs. The fruit was a bit insipid and medicinal and overall I was dissapointed. Maybe I got a dud bottle.

Cheers

[Stuart]

2003 Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir

A fantastic wine for the now cheaper price of under $40 (used to be $60). The most burgundian Aussie pinot I have had for a while.
On the nose and palate great pinot notes of red berries strongly supported by decaying leaf/earthy/manure tones, which I think all great pinots usually have. Balanced well by ultra-velvety tannins.
Will not dissapoint.
Cheers,
Stuart

[TORB]

I've managed to make my way through a number of wines this week a few of which i will give mention to below for a first time post in your forum. Unfortunately i didnt keep up with my practice of taking notes this week as i have in the past so i will do my best to recall from memory.

Hi Shannon,

Glad you found the forum and welcome to it. Good to see that drinking all that wine has not dulled your memory , terrific notes and I look forward to reading more of them.

[Guest]

2002 Richard Hamilton Lot 148 Merlot McLaren Vale, Way too much leather avoid this.

2003 Water Wheel Shiraz Bendigo, One of the best $15 wines Ive had. Way underpriced. Usually when you step down to this pricelevel you end up with a lighter bodied wine than the more expensive wines from the same winery such as Kalleske Clarrys or Majella Musician. This is a delicious full bodied wine with plenty of fruit sweetness and years ahead. Along with Saltram 2002's, this is a must have at the price.Dont wait untill this sells out like the SAltrams did.

[Martin Phillipson]

Hi All

Just a couple to mention:

Penfolds Kailmna Bin 28 1998

Good wine. I know I have bagged lots of 98's (esp the Bin 407) but this is good gear and has plenty of life ahead of it. Huge nose, with powerful mint aroma. In the mouth, some black pepper and a definite hint of licorice but hte overall impression was overwhelmingly fruity. The finish is still fairly firm suggesting that this is just entering its drinking window. Nice wine and glad I have 11 left.

Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004

Ever reliable this one. Finally a screwcap in these parts as well. Fresh as a daisy, great acidity and a long piercing finish. It was pushing 30C here today and this really hit the spot. A truly remarkable match with an insalata caprese with fresh local tomatoes from the Farmer's market here. Made the wine much more full bodied and extended the already long finish. Great summer drinking.

De Bortoli 8 Yr Old Tawny Port

This appeared out of the blue at my local state run outlet. Yummo..delicious rancio characters..wonderful nose and a long finish. Great match with my tiramisu. Bargain at $20.

Happy drinking

Martin

[Chuck]

Hi all,

Orlando 1998 St Hugo Cabernet

Much better than the previous bottle however fruit seems a little tired.

Yalumba 2000 Signature Shiraz Cabernet

Nice but not a good year in the Barossa. Still a pleasure to drink.

Orlando 2001 Jacobs Creek Limited Release Chardonnay.

Nice but oak dominates reasonable fruit. A hot year in SA.

1960's Yalumba Galway Pipe Tawny Port

Contents measured in pints and fluid oz and another well cellared drop from auction.

Darenberg 2002 Footbolt Shiraz.

More balanced than last few bottles but still the alcohol @ 15% protrudes thru.

Chuck

[RedVelvet]

I've managed to make my way through a number of wines this week a few of which i will give mention to below for a first time post in your forum. Unfortunately i didnt keep up with my practice of taking notes this week as i have in the past so i will do my best to recall from memory.

Hi Shannon,

Glad you found the forum and welcome to it. Good to see that drinking all that wine has not dulled your memory , terrific notes and I look forward to reading more of them.

Hi Ric,

Thank you for the welcome. Im glad you like my notes and hope others here do also, i also look forward to participating here on a regular basis.

Cheers and thanks
Shannon

[Jersey]

Hi there,
'97 Te Mata Cab / Merlot,
Not a great deal on the nose, some small berries, hidden alcohol. Nice dark berries and smooth tannins.

'04 Mitolo Jester Shiraz. McLaren Vale.
Well this is the latest vintage (red) I've had to date and first Jester. It's a screw cap.
A lot of fruit on the nose, no overt oakiness or wood (in a good way). A lot of licorice, some what sweet spicy licorice but very nice. Quite a long finish which adds to the value. One of the better under $20.00 Shiraz in my book.

I did pick up half a case, well actually 7, Cullen Diana Madeline '01 but they will be having a long sleep now.

Mick.

[Guest]

Bit of a WA theme for me this week

Howard Park Chardonnay 2003

Not sure what to expect from this one as it was my first try and previous vintages have received mixed reviews.. Happy to say that imho a very nice wine. Complex palate and very clean with strong citris fruits and almost minerally kind of taste ( As you can tell i'm not too good at describing wine ) leading to a long finish.. Definetly one of the better chadonnays i've drunk this year and i would reccomend giving it a go



Voyager Estate Cab Merlot 2000

Girlfriend picked this up from a bottle shop and got the 00 instead of the 01 that everyone seems to be raving about. Either way pretty good stuff. Typical cabernet on the nose with an earthy/black fruit palate. Nice soft mouthfeel which i'm assuming is down to the merlot and a clean finish. Gonna have to hunt down the 01 for a comparasion this week i reckon

[Gianna..]

2002 Dalwhynnie Moonambel Shiraz"

Dark black color with a slight purple tinge at the edges.
Lovely nose of strawberries and red currants leading into a spicy hint of white pepper.
Tight grippy tannins, but this wine seems fairly closed at the moment.
A subdued flavour of dark fruit and licorice but you can tell that it needs a few more years before it will strut it's stuff. A much better bottle than my last one.

I am really beginning to enjoy the cool climate wines a lot more lately.
The shiraz's in particular seem a bit more refined.

[Attila]

Because it is refined Gianna.
The winemaker David Jones created a very good wine but what is even better (perhaps less seductive but more powerful) is the stunning 2003 vintage shiraz.
I wrote about this stuff earlier here:
http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.p ... nie+report

Cheers,
Attila

[Broughy]

2000 Moorilla Estate Pinot Noir (White Label) Bottle from Moorilla cellars. colour Bricking red rim, ruby. Noted significant crusting on bottle. Nose of cherry and spice
Palate Wonderful rich cherry,plum, spice and earth, full and satisfying not thin at all. obviously from a warm vintage in Sth Tas. Shows how good Tas pinot can be in a good vintage. No green flavours which marrs some tas pinot in cooler vintages.

[bacchaebabe]

1994 Penfolds 94A chardonnay
As my friend said, the horse and bolted and the gate is shut but it didn't catch my finger. Very dark orange colour now and lost any primary fruit. Still quite buttery and toasty and while not undrinkable by any stretch, it is on the way down. One bottle left in my six pack which needs to be drunk.

1997 Baldivas Estate Botrytis Semillon (or something like that)
Very very dark orange. I obviously had a moment of clearing out the old stuff from my cellar. Despite the colour, not too bad but again on the slippery slope downhill. Plenty of honey and marmelade and enjoyable but it doesn't need any more time.

1998 Pelorus
Still bright and clear. Very slight honey nose. Wouldn't leave this one too much longer either. Still drinking fine but I can't see where or how it would improve. Slightly toasty and inoffensive. One of my friends loved it but I'm more taken with the 01 Salinger myself.

2002 Saddlers Creek Shiraz
Nothing much really jumped out at me about this one but I'd just had the bubbly and then some rum and ginger beer and was feeling a bit tipsy. Purple red colour. Subdued nose despite being decanted. Quite an enjoyable drop without any startling characteristics. Quite well integrated soft tannins. Could go a couple more years but drinking nicely now.

2003 Krinklewood Botrytis Semillon (or something like that)
Lovely clean sticky style. Apricots and honey with plenty of viscosity. A good sticky.

Seppelt Rare Muscat Gee this stuff is good. Worried about driving home by this stage but couldn't go past this. Quite dark brown. Very treacle like and tasted of brown malt and molasses. Lovely, lovely stuff.

[Anonymous]

I had an usually good line of wines this week.

<b>1994 Cullen Cabernet Merlot</b>: Drinking superbly now.
<b>1995 Cantina Faccognini Montepulciano dAbruzzo</b>: My second introduction to a italian wine and what a drop! I must find out more about these italian beauties.
<b>2003 Deheso Gago Toro</b>: Not too fussed about this one.
<b>1999 Crabtree of Watervale Shiraz</b>: Why do I love Clare Valley shiraz so much? This was my answer!
<b>2000 Kimbarra Great Western Shiraz</b>: Big chocolate notes that sing my kind of tune!
<b>2000 Poets Corner Montrose Mudgee Barbera</b>: I am looking for alternatives, but this one didn't inspire!

TORB: Did you notice how many Southern Highland wineries got 4 to 4.5 stars in James latest companion?

[Guest]

<b>"1995 Cantina Faccognini Montepulciano dAbruzzo</b>: My second introduction to a spanish wine and what a drop! I must find out more about these spanish beauties".

Italian beauty perhaps?

[Guest]

Quite possibly! I'll have to check the bottle again.

[PaulV]

<b>1995 Cantina Faccognini Montepulciano dAbruzzo</b>: My second introduction to a spanish wine and what a drop! I must find out more about these spanish beauties.

I think you mean Italian
Cheers

Paul

[Adair]

1997 Pauletts "Polish Hill River" "Aged Release" Riesling (Stelvin)
Did not have the depth, aged sweetness and complexity expected of an 8 year old Riesling. In fact it seemed quite fresh, bright and underdeveloped yet the acid it now just starting to falll out of the wine making further flavour development impossible. To its credit I did enjoy its intense lemon flavour and reasonably long minerality on the back palate. 15.9/20, 86/100, nice but not worth $25.

1996 Peter Lehmann "Reserve Riesling" (Bottle Number 9528) - Eden Valley
Gold. Sweet limes. Deep. Long. Complex. Honeysuckle/florals. Honey. Toast and caramel opening on the back palate. Wow! Tim and I finished this bottle very quickly. This is what I want from 9 year old Riesling. Bought at cellar door in 2001. 18.5/20, 94/100. At its peak.

Also opened: 1999 Burra Burra Lone Star Shiraz and Seppelt DP63 - enough said on these. As great as normal.

2003 Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir
A fantastic wine for the now cheaper price of under $40 (used to be $60). The most burgundian Aussie pinot I have had for a while.
On the nose and palate great pinot notes of red berries strongly supported by decaying leaf/earthy/manure tones, which I think all great pinots usually have. Balanced well by ultra-velvety tannins.
Will not dissapoint.
Cheers,
Stuart

I bought one of these to try last week and I will open soon. Thanks for the note.

Adair