It that time of the week again Sunday reports due

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

The Red Bigot and Andrea have just left my place after a day of serious eating and drinking and I have not had time to type up the TN's yet, but there was a "reasonable" amount consumed.

Brian even brought a bottle of smart Frog Stuff which was almost the wine of the night.

Now what have you been drinking

tasting notes, tasting vibes or just brief impressions welcome.

[MartinC]

Hi Ric,

Old Bastard'98 vs. Young Bastard('01)
Sensational!!!! Notes to follow.

TQ for bringing this "gem" to the radar screen during ur trip to SA 2-3yrs ago.

Cheers,

[Murray]

Martin;

You are the only one who can see your Avatar. In order for the rest of us to see your Avatar you got to put it on a public server.

To see what I mean, right click on your Avatar and select Properties and check "address", it points to your C drive. Do the same to mine, you see I've plonked it on my own space that Pipeline gives me with my web account.

You've got to put yours somewhere and then link it for the rest of us to see and admire it.

[Pelican]

1998 Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling ( $23 ) : I won't bother describing but mention as a commendation for being a 5 year old release in Stelvin. For me it is about half way to aged loveliness - I may get half a doz. for the cellar - who said you can't buy time !

2002 Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz ( stelvin ) ( $23 ) : Very fresh and quite alcoholic. Impressive in a way but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. A bit Hot for me on this occasion. Perhaps needs time.

2001 Greenock Creek Alice's Shiraz ( $26 ) : My partner bought this when I probably would not have. She said something along the lines of " you are disappearing up your own ASS with your like for Riesling and austere Cabernet ". So I was determined to dislike this 15.5% alcohol wine. However over a shared bottle I was persuaded. It did not get tiring ! It was one of the most chocolatey wines I've ever tried but it went down well. Nice to be proven wrong sometimes ! Not sure what FOOD goes with it - maybe chocolate !

[Rory]

'99 Pierro Chardonnay.
Opened from my cellar, couldn't remember nor find previous tasting notes on it,but was looking forward to a powerfull wine.
Unfortunately, more woody than a Toy Story, very dissapointing for the price.
Feel like chucking out the rest!

Rory

[Rob]

1996 Lindemens Bin 9203 Shiraz

Tried this wine 2 years ago and it was closed, tried it again this week it has blossomed to a beautiful wine, well balanced, dark clocolate and well intergrated tannins. This wine is at its peak.

2001 Leeuwin Estate Art series Riesling

I had this wine at a restaurant. The lighting of the restaurant was so dark that I was not able to tell the colour. The wine is very clean, but lack fruit. It does not impress me at all. BTW the meal was very ordinary and expensive.

[DJ]

1990 Pol Roger - My initial impression was this was not as good as 4 years ago but perhaps just needed the first glass to clear the palate This is a great wine great balance and length - unless you like very developed champagne I'd be drinking it fairly soon.

1993 Tyrrells Vat 47 - probably at its peak and drinking very nicely - didn't concentrate on this as between the above and

1990 Wendouree Cab Sav - not sure but this may be the first Wendouree I've had - the overwhelming impression was CHOCOLATE and MINT - somewhere there was some berry character, firm tannins should hold the wine for many years


1996 Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling - there was about a third of the bottle left in the fridge from Wednesday night - Wednesday it was certain good but las night was outstanding - fresh character plus some extra depth and viscosity - promises to live for sometime

David

[peterk]

Penfolds 707 1978
Dark brick red in colour,soft leather,cassis and meaty/earthy nuances.
Still some primary fruit,earth leather and cedar on the palate. well intergrated with a soft almost buttery mouthfeel. Silky tannins a very nice wine

Penfolds Grange 1977

med to full red purple in colour no signs of bricking
intense perfumed nose of chocolate,earth,sweet berrys.
a nice wine well intergrated,long on the finish,great depth of flavours,leather, earth ,red berry fruit some slight gamey charecters.
It still has plenty of tannins,a tad hard on the finish


Penfolds Kalimna 1984
A bit tired looking brick red in colour with tinges of very pale brown.
very light aromas salami,soft plum,prune
a litle thin on the palate,and slighty astringent.

Penfolds 389 1987
Medium purple in colour with slight bricking
initial whiff of bottle stink, then quite fragrent showing mint,prune,raseberry and redberry red current nuances.
Red fruits on the palate. Cherry,raseberry. soft almost minimal tannins,medium to long finish. not diluted in flavour but unmarried a drink now propersition.

Penfolds St Henri 1980

Medium purple colour
red cherrys on the nose,quite fragrant some mint.
sweet red fruit flavours some prune (not stewed) but tapers off quickly.no reall depth to the wine. It tapers of quickly. a pleasant wine . Alcohol is 11.8%

Penfolds 407 1991

Full red-Purple colour rich and vibrant no sign of discoloration
Sweet plum,blackcurrant,toffee and earthy nuances
Strong blackcurrant/berry upfront some chocolate and cedar on the palate.
Fine tannins longish finish the wine is showing nicely now and should stay for a while. a good wine but not excellent

Penfolds 407 1996

medium red purple in colour
Blackcurrent/Berry some mint on the nose and palate some raseberry tartness, and a hint of chocolate,long length. Tight and firm tannins. not a bad wine but not as rich or opulant as the 91

[michaelw]

Does anybody else notice a theme in peterk's post?

[Mike Hawkins]

A fairly quiet one this weekend:-

1999 Evans & Tate Cabernet Merlot - lovely deep red colour, trace of violet on the nose. Nic emedium body, and altogether a pleasant drink for the price.

2001 Peter Lehman The Futures Shiraz - bought this a few months ago at CD. Brilliant nose - just how I like my barossa Shiraz - all plum and chocolate. Just lacked a bit of depth and intensity on the palate.

[michel]

Does anybody else notice a theme in peterk's post?

I just assumed he was cleaning out the cellar of all his old Penfolds stuff.
BTW anyone in Brisbane going to the Barossa Dinner tonight ?
I didnt know it was on until now. Charles Melton said he is opening a magnum of 94 Cabernet I think.
michel

[Andy]

Riesling tasting at Tannin's in Clifton Hill on Friday night.

Clare Valley - 2003 Grosset Watervale
- 2003 Grosset Polish Hill,
- 2003 Mount Horrocks
Eden Valley - 2002 Peace of Eden
Heathcote - 2003 Jasper Hill Georgia's Paddock
Canberra - 2003 Madew
Central Otago - 2000 Chard Farm
Austria - 2002 Salomon Steinterrasen
- 2002 Salomon Kogl
Alsace - 2001 Paul Blanck
- 2001 Paul Blank Rosenberg

Highlights for me were the both Paul Blank's - so viscous and luscious. My king of reisling. The Georgia's Paddock was brilliant as were both Grossets - although I certainly preferred the Watervale. More than happy to also stock up on the Mount Horrocks and the Salomon's given QPR.

The Madew was the disappointment of the night for mine - out of balance and very sugary. Chard Farm also did not impress.

Otherwise, discovered a great quaffer in the Zilzie Buloke Reserve Merlot, at the grand price of $9. True variatal definition, lifted nose and oh so smooth at a BBQ. Amazing value.

Cheers

Andy

[GraemeG]

AT the local Thai:

<b>2000 Hugel Gewurztraminer (Alsace)</b>
Hard to see the colour in the low light! Nose of great typicity, with spice, roses, pot-pourri and musk - muted though. Dry on the palate, rich and warm, managing to be both acidic and somehow a little oily at the same time. Moderate length finish. A fair wine, but shaded by the better quality 'Tradition' and 'Hommage' labels further up hugel's hierarchy. Went OK with the food, but hardly a revelatory experience.

Also drunk in 2 goes a few days apart, was a <b>1998 Peter Lehmann Shiraz (Barossa)</b>. Deep red, all the usual commercial Barossa components on the nose - red & black berries, splash of coffee, chocolate. The palate was warm and semi-rich, but the tannins have submerged almost completely. Where did the oak go? The second half of the bottle (restoppered & refridgerated in a 375ml bottle) was really a blackberry milkshake, so much had the structural components receded. Stop drinking these now and hope they'll pickup with another 3 years aging, I guess...

cheers,
Graeme

[PaulSheldon]

A marathon lunch starting at 12:30pm and finishing at 8pm. Started with:

2003 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Colour: Greeny Straw
Nose: Cut grass, gooseberry, lime, quite prominent.
Palate: Rich mouthfeel with lime, lemon and gooseberry. Nice acid and a good length finish.
Rating: VG, at $10 this is a top QPR quaffer.


Entreé
=====
5 Spices Squid, served with...

2003 Brookland Valley Sauvignon Blanc (served blind)
Colour: Green tinged
Nose: Lemon, lime melon and a touch herbaceous, classic sauvignon blanc
Palate: Much the same as the nose with good length but perhaps needs a touch more acid.
Rating: VG-

2003 Ferngrove Cossack Riesling
Colour: Straw
Nose: A little subdued, citrus and lime, flinty
Palate: Lemon and lime predominantly with a background of flintiness, good acid, very good length, well balanced and very well made.
Rating: E- This time it didn't show as well for me as last time and now I am of the opinion that this isn't as good as the 2002, but it is close.


Mains
=====
Herbed lamb cutlets on polenta beds with oven roasted vegetables, served with...

1998 Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour: Violet
Nose: Plum, blackberry, mocha with a not overpowering alcoholic lift
Palate: Sweet plum and berry fruit, cassis, chocolate with a long, smooth and very fine, perfectly integrated tannins, perfect balance. Great drinking now but will still go at least another 5 years and may develop a touch more complexity in the process as it is still very much primary fruit driven.
Rating: O It perhaps doesn't have the fruit weight or complexity of the top cabernets in the country, but no one at the table could find fault with this wine. An outstanding wine at the price, around $30. I was relieved because I had read that this vintage was not particularly great for the Bowen and I still have some left in the cellar.

1999 Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz
Colour: Purple
Nose: Sweet berries, black pepper, lifted violets
Palate: Smooth, sweet black and red berries, soft tannins and a sweet touch of vanilla oak.
Rating: VG+ This is a staple wine bought every year. The 1999 is one of the better vintages.


Dessert and coffee
==============
Trifle topped with strawberries, served with...

A Garbin Estate Liquer Muscat and a Garbin Estate Port (didn't take notes on either)


Cheese and Fruit Platter
==================
Served with...

2000 Houghton Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour: Vibrant purple
Nose: Blackberry, blackcurrant, dusty earth, black olives
Palate: Black fruits, earthy, beautiful balance, fine tannins and a long, well rounded finish
Rating: E+ Magic stuff, once again very difficult to fault this wine. Even though drinking very well now I think a few years of cellaring will be rewarded.

2001 Majella Coonawarra Shiraz
Colour: Violet purple
Nose: Restrained with a touch of black pepper, red currant and cassis fruit.
Palate: Sweet red currant and plum, a nice touch of oak and a long round finish.
Rating: E- Not quite up to the Bowen or Houghton, but certainly an excellent wine.

[Geoffrey]

2000 Alpha Domus 'The Aviator'

A young wine, fruit from Hawke's Bay in New Zealand, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc.Made in a Bdx. style showing leather, spices and cigar box aromas, very dense wine,drying tannins good balance at this stage between the french oak and sweet ripe berry fruit. Excellent length and will improve all round with age and see the decade out with ease.It is a diffrent stlye of wine from the 2000 Coleraine. Everything about this wine is big as is the $nz60 asking price and its just about worth it.

Cheers

Geoffrey

[Ian S]

Highlights for me were the both Paul Blank's - so viscous and luscious.

Andy
If you get the chance, try Paul Blanck's Schlossberg (sp?). Very impressive
cheers
Ian

[Red Bigot]

A quiet week for me...

Monday tasting group, 1992 reds from my cellar:

Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet 92 - very classy wine, clear group preference too, a few years left in it yet.

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz-Cabernet 92 - still a lot of life left in it, the group found it too subtle and rated it least best (there was no worst in this set of wines), not the greatest of St Henri, but pretty good.

Yalumba Signature Cab-Shiraz 92 - Just starting to develop secondary flavours and lose the primary fruit characters, I like it now (and a couple of years ago), but it will hold for many years.

St Hallett OB Shiraz 92 - Great old-fashioned Barossa Shiraz, chocolate and prunes, deftly controlled oak, lovely.

Woody Nook MR Cabernet - nice mid-weight wine showing classic cabernet characters, drinking now, will hold a few years if you have any.

Johns Blend Langhorne Ck Cabernet - typically over the top sweet fruit and oak, the group rated it second, I was too happy with the others to rate it higher, a good wine all the same if you are oak tolerant.

Mid week

Pirramimma white label Reserve Shiraz 96 - had my doubts how long this one would live, it was so soft and balanced on release, it hasn't changed that much, slight camphory note blew off, leaving soft fleshy, marshmallowy shiraz, so smooth, unobtrusive tannins and low acid, but not flabby. The remaining half bottle was essentially unchanged the next night, I think it will go a few years yet.

Friday night - my last half bottle of Rockford Cabernet 96 went superbly with a fiery roast duck thai style curry, still enough sweet fruit and low tannin/oak structure to go well with the hot and spicy food.

Sat night with Ric, no doubt he'll post the notes.

[Mishy]

I appear to have a theme too, it's called shitty wine week !
Tonight, Coldstream Hills Briarston '96. All I can say is this wine should've been drunk 3 years ago.
The only thing I enjoyed was a bottle of Yalumba Barossa Shiraz '01 on Monday.
Cheers,
Mishy

[Phil Shorten]

2001 Magpie Estate "The Gomersal" Grenache

Very good medium-full bodied wine with well defined strawberry/raspberry fruit moving to licorice and oriental spices, good acidity, good long soft finish. Undoubtedly will improve over the medium term and should show even better with 3-5 years. Highly recommended.

Also shared a 2000 Langhe Nebbiolo that was simply too young, initially a bit green and tough, opened and softened a tad with coaxing, but still didn't show much.

Cheers
Phil

[Red Bigot]

Pelican,

We had this (Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz 2002 in stelvin) in a group of 6 2002 shiraz, including Tim Adams and Oliver Hill also in stelvin.

The bottle we had was suffering from too much sulphur dioxide, showing sharply on the nose and palate, we rated it unanimously last of the 6 wines. It had as much sulphur on the nose as a just bottled Riesling.

Based on this example and the suggestion that sulphur problems will be accentuated in stelvin, it's a wine I would avoid.

BTW, the clearly preferred wine tonight was the O'Leary Walker Clare/McLarenVale Shiraz 02, a great bargain at under $19 and the group is ordering 5 cases to split amongst us. Oliver Hill ($27) was second and Tim Adams ($20) 3rd.

[ChrisH]

Rory

Co-incidentally I had the 1999 Pierro Chardonnay as well. Given our bottle had heaps of fruit and the oak was secondary in the flavour department, I think you just might have had a poor bottle (low level TCA suppressing the fruit maybe ?).

regards
Chris

[Grant Dodd]

Chris and Rory,

I'm in agreement with Chris on this one. Tasted a year ago,very impressive wine that was one of the best Oz chards i have tried. Bundles of fruit,great intensity and length. Insidious stuff that TCA...


Cheers

[Tom A]

Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz Cabernet 1999:
70% shiraz from the hunter with 30% cabernet from coonawarra. Appealing nose although subtle and savoury with gentle spice, touch of leather and very restained oak. Would love to call it a complete lightweight but since it's a red with it can be upgraded to barely mid-weight. The wine was very thin and light in the mouth, however it continued along the savoury angle with delicate soft tannins. No great structure or complexity but could be gulped down if needed. Not sure what it would retail for as my brother bought me a mixed case from his time spent in the army's Officers Mess in Singleton. Drink at lunchtime.

O'Leary Walker 2003 Polish Hill Riesling:
Had the watervale of the same make the previous week so it seemed only fair to try the sibling. My preference is certainly the watervale for its greater depth and crunchiness. The PH was lively lean with fun acids and a clean lingering finish, all I want for summer drinking. Although we had a couple of bottles it does not have the same intensity as the 2002 but very good nonetheless.

Cape Mentelle 2001 Shiraz
Real latin meatballs rubbed in the dirt nose with a clever amount of "feralness" that helped it to be appealing rather than distracting. Fantastic mouthfeel with the fruit appearing more vibrant and cleaner than the dirty nose would suggest. I don't normally rate Margaret River shiraz too highly but this one drank real well, I'd go back for more!

cheers
TA

[Adair]

1991 Peter Lehmann "Mentor" Cabernet blend: Opened quite oaky, after 2 hours the fruit started to balance the oak and the wine was at its best presentation - Recommended wine, then died after that. Drink up.

Sunday afternoon/night:
1994 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling Eden Valley DW X17 Museum Release: Bought at VC recently. Light Gold/Gold. Honey, toast, sweet lime and a very slight petroleum product on a very broad palate. The acid was as intense as the flavours and well integrated. Long. Gave me the impression that it needed a few more years to show its best. However, the bottle disappeared quite quickly on Sunday afternoon as I lay on the lounge, glancing at the television (cricket & rugby) whilst watching my wife sow! Excellent wine will get better. Hold.

1997 Enzo Bochelli (this is my best guess - the label had characters that did not have equivalent English symbols) Dolcetto d'Alba (DOC): Opened like a good Burgundy except with to much tannin and too little fruit. As it opened, the fruit intensity increased but I wish it had not. Could not drink much of the bottle and there is still half a bottle on the longe room table remaining in hope that it might get better! Less than Recommended.

2000 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon: Had to make up for the previous disaster by opening another 375mL bottle of this trusty favourite. Not a great wine, but not bad either. Ripe, good balanced oak, just nothing special. Recommended.

[Kieran]

Nothing much last week. Spent the weekend in Tassie.

Visited Meadowbank and Moorilla CDs on Thursday Unluckily, I forgot to note the vintages, although all of these notes are for current vintages.

Meadowbank Mardi - Fairly nice bubbly. Maybe recommended with ** for value.

Meadowbank Cabernet - Fairly stalky flavour. Needs time. Recommended with ** for value.

Meadowbank Sauv Blanc - Sauv Blancs really aren't my thing. The group seemed to like it.

Meadowbank Chardonnay - Also not really my thing, although I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

Meadowbank Grace Elizabeth Chardonnay - Quite nice stuff, although the $30 price tag is a little high.

Meadowbank Pinot Noir - Reasonable, perhaps a little thin. Recommended with *** for value.

Meadowbank Henry James Pinot Noir - Nice stuff - Highly recommended with *** for value. The only one I was seriously tempted to buy.

Moorilla Reserve Chardonnay - A class act. Excellent with **** for value, worth every penny at just under $40. (Tasted like a Halliday 95/100 to me - a touch below the Penfolds 00A)

Moorilla Gewurztraminer - Interesting stuff, but a bit overpriced at $22 for a half bottle. Obviously they're not having trouble selling it though, since there was a bottle limit.

Moorilla Reserve Pinot - Not for tasting or on sale. Damn.

Moorilla Pinot - Tasty, fruit-driven stuff. Almost bought a bottle. Highly recommended with *** for value.

Moorilla Cabernet - A big, brooding beast. Needs time. Highly recommended, *** for value (perhaps better in a few years)

Other wines at Moorilla - unmemorable, including all the St Matthias stuff. Not really a slur, but I just can't remember.

Dinner Sunday night, only drinker at the table so I had a few things by the glass

Tamar Ridge Chardonnay 00 - OK, starting to develop some of the things I like about old chardonnay.

Holm Oak Pinot 01 - Well named, tasted strongly of oak (I presume American).

Wellington Iced Riesling (vintage forgotten) - A pleasant sweet wine, without the stickiness that would come with botrytis. Probably great drinking on a hot summer's night.

And (not wine)

Larks Bush Liqueur - Alcoholic heat, sweetness and a peppery touch (from the pepperberries), quite similar to Benedictine.

Old Hobart Cask Strength Single Malt Whiskey - Nice flavour, pleasant mouthfeel, then the 60% alcohol hits. Pleasant aftertaste too. I bought a small bottle.

(Forgotten the name - Whiskey Liqueur from the same place as the Whiskey) Much mellower, smoother and more honeyed than the Larks, perhaps resembling Lochan Ora. Nice stuff.

Kieran

[Paul T]

Waipara Springs Reserve Pinot Noir 2001 - a regular in my house.
Montana Reserve Pinot Noir 2000 - A very good wine for the price...are there any aussie $20 pinots that can beat this for value for money. Well done Montana.

..very quiet week in this house due to purchase of Neil Young tickets...but worth the sacrifice i'm sure.

cheers

Paul

[George Krashos]

Had the pleasure of attending the La Corte dinner on Friday night at The Melting Pot, a pretty great restaurant in Adelaide.

The La Corte range of wines are from the Puglia region in southern Italy and made by Chris Ringland of Rockford/Three Rivers fame.

The food that night was:

- Roasted fillet of mulloway, bone marrow crust, confit spring onion, sauce chasseur

- Mushroom tortellini, braised fennel, lentil Du Puy veloute, apple balsamic dressing

- Braised lamb shank en crepinette, Jerusalem artichoke puree, glazed shallots, spiced pumpkin croquettes, garlic cream, lamb jus

- Steamed loin of venison, herbed pomme puree, sauce Perigueux

- Asstd. Cheeses

The wines served with the above courses were:

2002 Anfora Zinfandel (Puglia)
2002 Solyss Rosso (Salento)
2001 La Corte Zinfandel (Tarantino)
2001 La Corte Negroamaro (Salento)
2001 The Re' (Salento)

Most people know about zinfandel or primitivo but the negroamaro grape is indigenous to this region (well, likely the ancient greeks brought it over but no-one was really paying attention then ...), The name in the brackets refers to the region or sub-region the grapes were sourced from.

All of the wines were enjoyable, and I found myself enjoying the soft, velvety tannins of the negroamaro wines (the Solyss and the La Corte) a tad more than the spicy, more edgy (a touch more acidic on the palate) zinfandel wines.

2001 was the third vintage of the La Corte winery and Chris Ringland said that it was only now that they were developing an understanding of the terroir, prime vineyards and winemaking methods that suited the area best.

The Re' (or "King") is the new premium release from this producer and was a blend of the best parcels of negroamaro with a touch of zinfandel and black malvasia. It was wonderfully balanced (we noted that all the wines showed Rockford-like balance - you can take the boy out of the Barossa, but you can't take the Barossa out of the boy ...), long and flavoursome and had that soft, velvety tannin structure that I admired about the negroamaro grape variety. If anything, this grape is closest to cabernet but with a touch more spice and a sweeter nose.

All in all, a very enjoyable night and as the wine critic Tim White was there, there may be a write-up coming in the Financial Review. I asked him but he wasn't sure if it was going to hit print - interesting guy, very funny, and full of entertaining stories. A food and wine lover, not just a wine critic.

The wines were considered to be mid-term (5-8 years) cellarers at best with the Anfora and Solyss hitting their straps at 2-4 years. I personally thought that the La Corte negroamaro and the Re' had more than that in them as they had good colour, length and structure, structure, structure.

If you come across these wines I'd suggest picking up a bottle and trying something different. They are available solely from east End Cellars in Adelaide and Ultimo in Sydney (I think ...). Prices range from $27 for the Anfora and Solyss to $85 for the Re'. Cheers.

-- George Krashos