Come in sinner - or is that spinner? Sunday again...

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

Its that time again. My highlight this week was last night when Marion and i went to Eschalot in Bowral.

We cracked a bottle of Peter Lehmann 1994 Black Queen FRS before we went. This wine just keeps getting better and better and for my money, is the best under this label

With dinner we had a Seppelt 1998 Reserve Shiraz. It shows a fair whack of oak but with a couple of hours breathing, the fruit surfaced and it was delicious. Close to its peak now, it should hold for sometime.

With desert (we out and had the plater of 2) we hd a couple of glasses of Morris CD Release Tokay; bloody stunning for the price.

Now what have you guys been drinking?

[Craig(NZ)]

did you wet the bed torb? havent drunk any wine so far this weekend! havent bought any either. miracles on a sunday can occur even if it is not in the form of a springbok win

Hope the Springboks flog 'em

Sorry Daryl maybe next week

[Wizz]

I'l just make this a list, havent taken notes al weekend.

Friday night ROckford Dinner:

01, 02 and 05 Vine Vale Riesling: 01 was good, 02 not so nice, 05 good.
00, 01 and 05 disg sparkling black: Didnt like the 00 much, 01 was integrated and drinking nicely, 05 is waaay to young.
99 Home Block Cabernet: nice dry red, some varietal cabernet character. Nice to see 12.8% alcohol.
92 Cabernet : still alive and drinking like a lovely old cabernet.
99 Basket Press: not sure if I tasted this at all?
01 Basket Press: Nice, good effort from a warm vintage
97 Dry Country Grenache: got one sip of this, cant recall what it was like
97 vintage port: Fortified Sarsparilla. Hold for 10 more years
I think there was 95 and 00 Basket Press floating around as well.

Bottom line for me is that there seems to be a Rockford house style, as the wines had a lot in common and nothing stood out as being very far from the pack. This isnt a bad thing, as long as you like the style!


Sat morning, taking my hangover to an instore tasting of heaps of Southern Rhones:

2004 Chateau Mont Redon Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc: whatever
2005 Rio Tord Cotes de Provence Rose: others raved abotu this, I didnt see it
2005 Domaine du Gros Nore Bandol Rose: OK
2003 Mont Redon Cotes du Rhone rouge: liked this for $20
2004 Gerard Charvin 'Le Poutet' Cotes du Rhone rouge: OK
2003 Mont Redon Lirac rouge: well and truly oaked, pass
2001 Domaine Les Hauts Cances Cairanne Vielle Vigne: ageing very quickly I thought
2003 Montirius Vacqueras 'Clos Montirius': wow, tannins here
2003 Montirius Gigondas rouge: nice - white pepper and spice
2003 Mont Redon Chateauneuf du Pape: noooice. what youd expect for CNdP and not ripe as the vintage would suggest
2003 Domaine de Villenueve Chateauneuf du Pape: very ripe as the vintage woudl suggest
2004 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape: Ah, a step up, as you'd expect for a $100+ wine. Poise, balance, everything in its place already. Nice.

and two other reds at the end, Cahors I think?


some Henriot Brut Souverain last night.
AB

[griff]

Had my 30th last weekend so I had a few wines open for friends. No notes taken but I'll try to remember what I thought before it became a blur...

Tyrell's Vat 9 2001 Shiraz
Funky (Brett?) nose that opened to quite a powerful palate for a hunter valley shiraz. I thought I detected a slight metallic finish but that was neither here nor there. I decided to put it out halfway through the night and it went, one person even stating it was the best wine of the night and the best he has had for months (shrug)

1996 McWilliam's Rosehill Shiraz
Somebody brought this around. Brief impression was that it was still quite primary. I usually expect significant development by now from the Hunter but not this one. Medium weight compared to the Vat 9.

Wirra Wirra Anthem Sparkling Shiraz
Very dry for a sparkling shiraz with some christmas spice thrown in. I like this one a lot and agree with many here that it really is the best SS until you go way further in price. Having said that, I wouldn't mind comparing head to head with Schild.

Seppelt Original Sparkling SHiraz 2002
Well I like this normally and think it great at the price. Straight after the Wirra Wirra was quite sweet and somewhat blowsy but great fruit! Still, it was the favourite one 1 person at least.

Houghton white burgundy 1999 (magnum)
I've been waiting to open this one for a while but could never find the opportunity. Didn't finish it all at the party. I think I was with red wine drinkers mostly. It has developed nicely and was a golden yellow with toasty nose. On the palate was medium weight, toasty with a hint of pineapple still and carried its age very well. I want another magnum to cellar! I guess it left me wanting more

Leasingham Bin 7 cellar reserve riesling (stelvin)
Well, this wine was just starting to develop. Searing lime with a hint of toast on the nose and a heavy slightly viscous concentrated lime on the palate. Long finish. More impressive than the above wine but also more complete and wasn't left with the wanting more feeling. Needless to say, this bottle wasn't finished either.

Coldstream Hill sparkling White 1999
I think this is the best value heavy-style australian bubbly on the market at the moment, but please let me know if there are better. Slight gold colour, with strong yeasty nose and good palate weight. decent length of finish.

Leasingham Classic Clare 2002 Shiraz
The baby of the party. Just starting to speak. Quite oaky on the nose but very concentrated dark fruit. Still a bit wrapped up. Same again on the palate. Very primary but powerful. I think this wine would be a cracker in 5-10 years time but if you like them young, this one's for you! WOTN for 2 people at least.

Rockford Cabernet 1998
Well I have to admit to being slightly disapointed with this one. Lovely savoury nose and the colour was still dark red with a slight brown tinge. Developing nicely. On the palate though although it had a savoury slightly chocolately expression of barossa cabernet it was quite lean. Was singing perfectly all the notes in the octave except the bottom three.

Rusden Christina Vineyard 2001 Grenache
Opening with a very light (see-thru ) colour. Most fragrant nose that left you wanting to smell it more and more. Light fruity but spicy palate. I have to say I was expecting a monster here but got the opposite instead. Not sure if it was anyones favourite but it went and I liked it.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 1996
My WOTN. My 1 and only bottle and I wish I got more. Emerging from adolescence with aplomb. Cabernet dominant on both nose and palate. The shiraz is just 'plugging the hole' adding weight to the middle palate. Beautiful dusty tannins and VERY long finish for a table wine. Very happy with this one, anyone here want to give me another?

McWilliams 1982 vintage port
Well this was lovely but wasn't the experience it was at the cellar-door earlier this year. Bottle variation strikes again it seems. How do you describe a port that is savoury, oily, tarry yet tastes great? Very intense and very different to a portugese style. ALso quite different to the South Australian style as well.

Seppelt 1978 vintage para port (tawny)
A nice wine to finish with. Strong rancio and a much heavier weight para than the standard number series which seems to have become lighter in style over the years. Not often a single vintage tawny can be balanced as well this one but Seppelt can do it (or should I say they DID it and I hope they still will be able to)

Had a few whiskys to finish...

cheers

Carl

[Pelican]

1999 Ashton Hills Adelaide Hills Riesling ( Cellar ) : Developing nicely now - was a very stern wine on release - has some aged characters now but with good nervy acidity. Still got quite a few of these dans la cave.

2001 Josmeyer " Les Folastries " Gerwurtztraminer Alsace ( $33 ) : Excellent - deep , weighty and pungent in a good way with an almost linseed oil character ( the stuff you used to put on cricket bats in the old days ). I also have tried the very good Penfold's '05 Gerw' recently and really enjoyed that but this wine is at another totally different and more interesting level IMHO.

1996 Wilson Vineyard Hippocrene Sparling Red Sevenhill Clare ( $20 ) : Lovely aged Spkg Red. Quite smooth now. Nice old fashioned label with some ladies picking grapes !

1998 Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon ( cellar ) : Disappointing , still quite " young " but I found this oppressively oaky ( like someone who over applies perfume ) and it also had that " flat coke " aspect that I find in too many Coonawarra Reds - also had a 98 Redman Cabernet' which although not so oaky was still fairly " cokey ".
I also thought both these wines lacked pleasing fruit - they were rather ungiving in the fruit department. However I did find a 1996 Petaluma Coonawarra recently was showing some worthwhile aged characters and was a lot lighter on any coca cola like aspects.

2004 Majella Sparkling Shiraz Coonawarra ( $22 ) : Enjoyable as many have recently stated on this forum. Sparkling Reds seem to express the eucalypty minty sarsaparilla aspects of red grapes in a pleasing way. Commendably in crown seal. Given my disappointment in some recent Coonawarra dry reds maybe the region could specialise in Sparkling Reds a la Champagne.

[GRB]

A couple on Friday afternoon.

Craggy Range Te Muna Road chardonnay 2004
Shaw & Smith M3 chardonnay 2004
Preferred the Shaw and Smith but not a big enough fan of Chardy to spend the bucks required.

Felton Road pinot noir 2005
Nicely balanced wine and I can see why people go for this stuff but the flavour profile of most Pinot just isn't me.

De Bortoli Reserve Release pinot noir 2004
Probable preferred this to the Felton but still only Pinot.

Stonecroft Syrah 2003
Medium bodied and shows its cool climate origins spices and sour cherries not bad gear at all.

Battely Syrah 2004
Now we are talking this is quite an amazing wine has a core of intense black olives overlaid by spices and red fruit flavours intersting and complex nose and lovely layered palate. Only slightly above medium bodied but the depth of flavour is quite amazing, nice balance and while it is excellent now I can only wonder what it will be like it 10 years.

Balgownie Estate Cab Sav 2004
Friday afternoon office drinks nice varietal cab with excellent balance. Tannins still a bit much at this stage but should round out to be a lovely wine in a couple of years.

Woop Woop Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz N.V.
This is another Ben Riggs wine acording to the label an is one of the better FRS at the price. Nice plush fruit with some spices and not to much overt sweetness. Only grabbed the 1 bottle to try but I think I will track down some more.

Wirra Wirra Church Block 2004
In running with most other reviews and also with a lot of McLaren Vale 04 wines, great fruit in this one and is an excellent quaffer at the price.

Rosemount Show Reserve Cab Sav 1996
Showing some nice aged characters on the nose a palate but it is on the down hill slide from this example.

Glen

[Gary W]

Me too

Craggy Range Te Muna Road chardonnay 2004
Smells like a freshly opened can of corn. Palate much better. Pass

Shaw & Smith M3 chardonnay 2004
Beautiful wine. Poise, balance and most refreshing.

Felton Road pinot noir 2005
Had this a couple of months ago and it has settled down well. Very nice wine but too expensive.

De Bortoli Reserve Release pinot noir 2004
Excellent. Bought a bottle to re-taste - my 1st sample was not so good.

Stonecroft Syrah 2003
Spicy and medium bodied. Very attractive wine.

Battely Syrah 2004
This looked very apricotty today but it is really supple and lovely.


Coldstream Hills Pinot 2005 - Really very good. Settling down well and a very enjoyable well priced wine.

Taittinger NV - Tasty. A lovely delicate style.

[Craig(NZ)]

Craggy Range Te Muna Road chardonnay 2004
Smells like a freshly opened can of corn. Palate much better. Pass

Take it you mean not much better? Have to agree with you. Craggy Range has one weak arm to its portfolio - chardies are way over oaked and raw. occassionally they taste ok but most the time i try them i cringe

Felton Road pinot noir 2005
Had this a couple of months ago and it has settled down well. Very nice wine but too expensive.

Solid but overpriced. Way more highly regarded internationally than at home surprisingly. Havent tried the 05 yet though

[Maximus]

Felton Road pinot noir 2005
Had this a couple of months ago and it has settled down well. Very nice wine but too expensive.
Stonecroft Syrah 2003
Spicy and medium bodied. Very attractive wine.

Gary, were you down in Central with Campbell when he was over? If not, when did you try the Felton a couple of months ago? I'm one of the Felton Fanatics and it's a worry when someone has tried the new release twice before I've laid hands on it! (not including barrel samples) I await anxiously for my delivery which has been held up by the late bottling of the chardonnay.

At NZ$40 from cellar door over here it's a very attractive prospect, given every other run-of-the-mill-'premium' pinot is at the same price, if not more.

The Stonecroft is good stuff.

[Gary W]

I'm one of the Felton Fanatics and it's a worry when someone has tried the new release twice before I've laid hands on it! (not including barrel samples) :

My records show http://www.winorama.com.au/?p=609 that I tasted it Jun 4 2006 - so nearly 3 months ago! In Brisbane of all places...

CraigNZ - No I mean that the palate is better. Smells of corn but tastes pretty good. Good vintages of Kumeu River is my benchmark NZ chardonnay as far as it goes.

GW

[Sean]

deleted

[invertiga]

Have to agree with you. Craggy Range has one weak arm to its portfolio - chardies are way over oaked and raw. occassionally they taste ok but most the time i try them i cringe

I personally think there is alot of bottle variation on Craggy Range Chardonnay, especially Le Boux Callioux. I've tasted the current vintage on 3 occassions, the first i was totally blown away by a quality big oak and fruint style, the last two I was dissapointed.

[Davo]

Battely Syrah 2004
This looked very apricotty today

Now there is a decscriptor I love to hear in the context of shiraz (Not)

[Jordan]

Besides my excellent experience at the Kaesler Tasting I enjoyed some fine wines at a dinner on Saturday evening.

Pikes Riesling 2005: floral notes, lime, good acidity, minerality, plenty of length and balance. Restrained power. Perfect palate refresher after 32 large reds at Kaesler. Very good wine, 88-90 pts.

Pikes 'The Merle Riesling' 2005: Better than its sibling with more powerful acidity and length, with floral notes of bath powder and rose petal on the nose. Great balance between minerals, acid and and lime, lemon and pear notes. Excellent riesling - 90-92 pts

Wendouree Cabernet Savuignon 1993: Deep purple with a tinge of ruby at the edges. Strong nose of iodine, blood, earth and blackberry. the palate shoed masculine iodine, crushed rocks, blackberry, cedar and a little mint. Quite tannic but very drinkable - an acquired taste. About 90 pts for me.

Saltram No 1 Shiraz 1999: Deep purple, wonderful Barossa nose of raspberry, blackberry, licorice, cedar and coffee. The palate showed balance and complexity with intermingling elements of raspberry, cassis, plum coffee and spice. Fine tannins and excellent length, 92+ points. More time will reveal more complexity.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I was at the Castle Hill Vintage Cellars on Saturday where they had a tasting of wines made from exotic or obscure varieties. It was an informal tasting and I made no notes. Among the wines I liked best were the 2005 Pizzini "Arneis", 2005 Lost Valley "Cortese" (apparently the only one made in Australia), 2004 Vintage Cellars "Tempranillo" (by Gapstead I think), 2004 Heartland "Petit Verdot" (a Ben Glaetzer wine), and 2001 Pirramimma "Petit Verdot".

The two whites were very good, the Lost Valley being excellent though quite expensive at over $30. The Vintage Cellars tempranillo is an excellent value and I have had it several times. As for the petit verdot Pirramimma probably makes the best one in Australia and though the 2001 is not as big and deep textured as previous ones I have had it was quite fragrant, tasty and evolved, drinking nicely. (I have some bottles of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 in the cellar). The Heartland petit verdot was a much bigger wine, young, backward and fairly tannic.

It was a good tasting, a change from the many sauvignon/chardonnay and shiraz/cabernet wines.

Mahmoud.

[oakboy]

Was a big week, being my Birthday on thursday.
started off Monday/Tues with a Wirra Wirra Woodhenge 2004 this was not a let down after i tasted it at wineoz06, a great wine, drinking well now with some years to go.
Wed, was up in Brisbane from Sydney for the big red tasting at Paddington Tavern.
Before the event, my friend from Brisbane cracked a 1988 Eileen Hardy this wine was a little past it's best but still needed a few hours to bring out some nice old tobacco leaf and leather, very light in color, drink up if you have any.
The Big red tasting was a great event with plenty of good nibbles to go with the wine. There was new release 2001 Grange on tasting but i didn't have any as the tasting size was very small!
This is a list of a few.
Barossa Valley Estate Black Pepper Estate Shiraz 2003, my WOTN
Annies Lane Coppertrail shiraz 2002 very close second, and a great follow up from the 2001
Wolf Blass Black Label 2001, didn't impress
Tyrrells Vat8 cab shiraz, going well, needs a few years
Taylors St Andrews Cab sav v Shiraz 2001, i still think the cab is better
Leasingham Classic clare shiraz 2001, i've had the 02 and think the 02 is light years in front
Brown Brothers Patricia Cab Sav 2002, best cab sav of the nite, a real sleeper
d'Arenberg Coppermine cab, was alot better then when tasted at wineoz, plenty of petrol in the tank
Yalumba Octavius 2002, unless you want to cellar this for 10 years, get the 2001, it's drinking way better now
Parker first growth 2001, and 2003 terra rossa cab, standouts of the range
Some quaffers that stood out
Red Nectar 2005 barossa shiraz, great shiraz, in my top 5 of the tasting
Saltram 2004 mamre brook shiraz, classy, should be a hit
Yering station shiraz viogner 2005, on the big viogner side but well made.
the rest became a blurr, i think we had some games of pool after that??
there are more but notes became a little hard to read!!!
Cheers Simmo

[Craig(NZ)]

I personally think there is alot of bottle variation on Craggy Range Chardonnay, especially Le Boux Callioux.

probably i dont have enough experience to make too many sweeping statements but i wouldnt come out disagreeing with you here.

Was talking to a winemaker that does a lot of consulting and he brought up the point that newish wineries often seem to over oak just because as a new venture you basically only have access to new oak. takes a few years to build stocks of used oak for that sort of treatment.

Gary, I agree Kumeu River Chardonnay is smart, though I do question its performance in the cellar. 1-4 years for the std label 3-5 for the mates i think is ideal. Mind you in a couple of weeks I get to try nearly 20 vintages of the stuff so that should confirm or otherwise my thoughts.

Agree with max, felton raod is smart, and $40 it aint a bad buy for the std label, but it is exalted overseas a lot more than NZ (well up in auckland anyway)

[Ian S]

1999 Mariso Cuomo Costa d'Amalfi Furore Gran Riserva - Italy, Campania, Costa d'Amalfi Furore (27/8/2006)
The reasonably deep claret body, gives way to a tawny rim showing a fair degree of age (albeit not untypical in Italy).

The cork smelled distinctively of chocolate and coffee (I wouldn't normally note this, but it was quite striking)

The fruit remains fresh and clear on the nose with a variety of darker fruits (plum, dark cherry, blackberry and a little blackcurrant with more airing) alongside prominent, but not overpowering oak derived flavours, including mocha coffee and a slightly smoky touch alongside a slightly lemony lift. Some black pepper in there as well. It's certainly a balanced nose of no little complexity.

On the palate the same balance is there between the fruit and oak derived flavours, integrated very nicely. Indeed the fruit itself isn't so prominent, lending the wine a subtle savoury feel. Acidity is refreshing, but again in balance. The decent length finish is still a little tannic (albeit fine, creamy textured tannins) and perhaps carrying more of the oak derived mocha flavours at this stage. Though the wine is otherwise drinking beautifully, the tannins suggest that unless drunk with food, this could use 3-5 more years in the cellar (assuming the balance remains).

Went very well with a tomato, cinnamon & smoked pepper lamb tagine (which itself was pretty tasty!)

Very happy with this, though getting hold of another bottle may present a challenge as it's not exported to UK. For those with low oak tolerance, then this might not be ideal for them, but it would be wrong to think of it as "splintery".

Bought from Cantina San Nicola (a hidden gem of a wine bar in Amalfi). Good to see them listed in the latest edition of Fred Plotkins Gourmet traveller book on Italy as they're passionate about both food and wine.

Perhaps a bit verbose on the tasting note, but when an eagerly awaited bottle delivers the goods, then I'm happy to waste a few words.

regards

Ian

[michaelw]

2001 Gibsons BarossaVale Shiraz: Lovely wine. With 5 years under the belt it still has another 10 ahead of it at least. A big powerful wine that has mellowed a bit over the past 5 years. I have had this wines 3-4 times over the past 4 years and I have not been disappointed.

[Wayno]

Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet 1999
Classy wine, good oak and fine tannins. Still a gentle brush of sweet fruit and a slightly austere, (but sturdy) structure. Drinking well.

Grant Burge Cameron Vale 2003 Cabernet
Plummy, slightly flabby but drinking nicely. Lacking a little focus but sweet and smooth. Possibly lacking a bit of varietal character.

Rockford Basket Press 2003
Massive, inky and oaky. At first it a bit like felt like chewing through a barrel but after a couple of hours had settled down very nicely and the raw edge had softened. Vanilla and spice notes. Perhaps a little ripe and alcoholic but should develop well over the next few.

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2003
A bit muddled, but with good, integrated mushroomy and earthy notes. Quite Burgundian reminiscent in a way. Pleasant length.

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2004
Very different to the 03. Fruit driven, zingy with strong acid profile. Quite light and bright in colour. Cherries, strawberries, a bit sappy. Has a promising future for the next few years, will be interesting to see how it develops.

[seddo]

Clonakilla Riesling 98 - bugger corked!!! - but maybe good fruit underneath - who knows - very pee'd off as last bottle

petaluma Chardonay 95 - left waaay too long - bland nil fruit

Killakanoon second fiddle Grenache 02 - not bad - taste of strawbs and other berries.

Bleasdale Shiraz/cab 03 - great wine! - full of black fruits - easy to drink - spot on value @ $11.99

regards

[bacchaebabe]

A mixed bag over the weekend

1996 Brookland Valley Merlot
Found this while rummaging around the cellar (as you do). Didn't know I had it and was a bit concerned I'd left it too long. The cord was soaked right to the top on two sides so poured a little into a ISO glass to check if it was OK. Not corked but was more worried about oxidisation. Had a strange bitter smell initially but seemed to be OK so poured into the riedels. Opened up nicely once the nasty smells blew off. Dark red colour and plummy sort of flavours. Quite smooth and nice. Not past it at all but certainly not worth waiting any longer. Pass

1994 Lindamans St George
This appeared to be very closed. Left in the glass for a while but just didn't open up. Was expecting this to be very good but there just wasn't enough information available. Just no distinct flavour to speak of. Pass

1927 Solera Alvear PX
OMG! YUM. Very dark brown colour. Very strong sultanas on the nose. Quite strong prunes on the palate. Very viscous. As one of my friends said, "That's not legs, you can see right up her skirt!" Perfect finish and very good with vanilla ice cream. High Distinction

And last night at an Italian restaurant

1997 Binders Bull's Blood Another very yummy wine (Don't you love these technical descriptions). Wasn't sure how this would be, being from an average year but this was the goods. Deep red colour and bursting with flavour on the palate. Felt very fresh with deep red fruits. No specific flavour jumping out but very juicy and multi layered. Well done Rolf, this is very nice. Still have half a dozen so happy with that. Distinction

BTW Carl, I have a couple of six packs of 96 Bin 389 to spare if you're interested. My sister bought them on my recommendation but has since decided she doesn't like red wine (no accounting for some folks) so she wants to sell them. I already have quite a few so don't need any more. She's looking for auction price (but obvously no commisions either way). PM me if you're interested.

[Adair]

As well as the 1998 Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne, which was a highlight of the week, I tasted:

2005 Knights Granite Hills Riesling - 13% - very aromatic, sumptuous on the palate, loads of soft acidity. Very nice wine but without the balance and line of the best of best. Great wine at less than $20 though. 91/100 (17.5/20)

2004 Knights Granite Hills Chardonnay – 13% - I loved everything about this wine except the structural power on the palate, which was lacking. Unoaked, this was a piece of Chablis in Australia. Melon with heaps of mineral characters. A wine I will follow, especially at $18. 88/100 (16.5/20)

2002 Knights Granite Hills Shiraz - $32 at CD, a wonderful, classy, lightly oak Shiraz, again showing the terrior of the cold climate. 93/100 (18/20)

2000 and 2003 Knights Granite Hills Pinot Noir were excellent for their prices ($24 and $22), full of complexity with good depth or a medium body. Bought the 2000 as it was a CD special and I will post again once I open it.

The Merlot and Cabernet were disappointing but every wine at a CD is rarely excellent, especially in such a marginal climate. I recommend the Knights Granite Hills CD to anyone travelling along the Calder.

Also stopped in at the Hanging Rock. Tasted the range. It reminded me a bit of Brown Brothers – everything good but nothing exceptional. Of note was that I thought their flagship Macedon Cuvée XI Non Vintage, you know, the one that is meant to taste like Bollinger, lacked depth and I would choose the Bollinger NV for $20 more without a thought. I liked their Macedon NV Brut Rosé though, even at $25. Interestingly, the Pinot Noir and blush is added as part of the dosage. It is worth knowing that Australia’s most expensive sparkling wine is the Macedon LD Extended Lees Aged Cuvée VI at $110, even though I did not taste it. I amused myself that James Halliday rated the 2004 Kilfara Pinot Noir 94 points – very simple. The CD man asked my thoughts and I told him my honest opinion. He asked what my favourite grape was and I replied “Pinot Noir” – he was actually a great bloke and we got on very well. Of the standard reds, the 2003 Yin Barun Merlot Cabernet Franc took my fancy, but the top wine was by far the $60 2003 Heathcote Shiraz, which had power, complexity and class allowing the cool fruit to speak.

I would also highly recommend Hanging Rock CD if in the area, but Knights Granite Hills had that little bit more romance for me.

Dropped by North Sydney cellars on Friday afternoon, which I normally do if work has not grinded me into the ground. A quick summary from my view:
2004 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Chardonnay – ripe and luscious but without elegance and class.
2004 Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay – the wine of the tasting for me. Ripe but with cool climate quartz acid characters and obvious grain-like, mealy characters. Worth a big thought at $35.
2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir – I liked the style, but not the depth and complexity. Fine, elegant with exceptional acidity.
2004 De Bortoli Reserve Release Pinot Noir – This was a big step up in depth, complexity and power. Oak still needs a little time to mesh but quite a superb red wine. Priced at and worth $45.
2003 Stonecroft Syrah – Complex and full of cool interest in the Hawkes’s Bay savoury style that I like - similar oak treatment and style to the Unison actually. Lacking a little depth but this is probably a result of the vintage. I suspect that it will fill out with time in the glass or the cellar. A great wine to sit on for an evening. $50.
2004 Battely Syrah – A totally ridiculous wine for my palate. It was like drinking mulled wine although there was a fine structure pulling it all together. I am not sure if it will age, but a great wine for those who like the very, very silky and very, very perfumed style of Shiraz.

Also had a 2003 Henschke Henry’s Seven, a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Viognier. Marvellous wine when chilled slightly to stop the 15% alcohol making its presence felt. Believe it or not, it drinks like a Burgundy! I liked my first glass but the second was a little harder to drink.

Finally, opened a 2001 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, but drank it too fast for it to reveal its full potential. The best taste was the last 15mL after I left it for a few hours for the dark, layered fruit to open over its fine, quite acid driven, structure.

Nice week looking above.

Kind regards,
Adair

[Wayno]

Houghton white burgundy 1999 (magnum)
I've been waiting to open this one for a while but could never find the opportunity. Didn't finish it all at the party. I think I was with red wine drinkers mostly. It has developed nicely and was a golden yellow with toasty nose. On the palate was medium weight, toasty with a hint of pineapple still and carried its age very well. I want another magnum to cellar! I guess it left me wanting more

Rockford Cabernet 1998
Well I have to admit to being slightly disapointed with this one. Lovely savoury nose and the colour was still dark red with a slight brown tinge. Developing nicely. On the palate though although it had a savoury slightly chocolately expression of barossa cabernet it was quite lean. Was singing perfectly all the notes in the octave except the bottom three.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 1996
My WOTN. My 1 and only bottle and I wish I got more. Emerging from adolescence with aplomb. Cabernet dominant on both nose and palate. The shiraz is just 'plugging the hole' adding weight to the middle palate. Beautiful dusty tannins and VERY long finish for a table wine. Very happy with this one, anyone here want to give me another?

Interesting, I had a few botles of Houghtons White Burgundy stashed away because of the supposed reputation for ageing. I remember an Adelaide Wine Writers Festival some years back when, during a presentation by Ben Caneider and his writing off-sider, a bloke jumped up (during a Q&A session) and declared his favourite cellaring wine to be Houghtons WB. I happened to know that bloke who, funnily enough, was no cellaring cheapskate and had a taste for a good wine or three. Anyway, the presenters basically laughed him off a bit, as if it were a bit of a joke and there was a collective chuckle through the crowd, or at least my part of the crowd. Around that time, I decided to put a few cheapo $9 bottles away as an experiment and lo and behold, some years later, they turned out to be quite delicious, characterful wines- very satisfactory indeed for the price. I appreciate that this is a round-a-bout way of getting to the point, but basically, I agree that the Houghtons WB is an underrated cellaring wine and I can only imagine that magnum format would improve it as well.

I totally concur with your notes on the Rockford Cabernet. Nice nose but ultimately lean and thin. I recall reading far more complimentary TNs about this very wine but for me, not so great. I have my last bottle perched, ready to go, in the 'drink now or very soon' pile.

As for the 96 389, what a sensational wine that is. Probably one of the best Aussie wines I have tasted, better than some Granges and similar (all in context of course). Beautiful, classy, polished wine with all the boxes ticked (or in the process of being so) that made the other bottles we drank with it seem a bit lowly. I have a small stash of these put away and won't be drinking them too quickly as I believe there's still at least three to five years of positive development in it, let alone the plateau which could go on even longer. In fact, the vast bulk of my 96 wines, especially the Pennies are a good stride ahead of the pack, most notably the 98s which seem to be short circuiting in comparison (but were/are still exceptional).

[Wayno]

1927 Solera Alvear PX
OMG! YUM. Very dark brown colour. Very strong sultanas on the nose. Quite strong prunes on the palate. Very viscous. As one of my friends said, "That's not legs, you can see right up her skirt!" Perfect finish and very good with vanilla ice cream. High Distinction

I drained a bottle of this recently (well everyone else drained it). Fantastic, rich, viscous drinking. I want some more...

[Partagas]

1998 Wolf Blass Black Label - Extremely well balanced palette of luscious medium to full bodied cabernet fruit with no sign of stoppage quite yet.

1996 Penfolds 407 - A very enjoyable drop but more elgant in style to the 98 vintage. Not as good for my taste.

1999 Leeuwin Estate Art Cab Sav - Once again this is travelling outstandingly well. Rich cabernet with still a lot of bottle time left to improve. A very underrated wine and vintage.

[Daryl Douglas]

Hope the Springboks flog 'em

Sorry Daryl maybe next week

How about next century?

Cheers

daz

[bacchaebabe]

1927 Solera Alvear PX
OMG! YUM. Very dark brown colour. Very strong sultanas on the nose. Quite strong prunes on the palate. Very viscous. As one of my friends said, "That's not legs, you can see right up her skirt!" Perfect finish and very good with vanilla ice cream. High Distinction

I drained a bottle of this recently (well everyone else drained it). Fantastic, rich, viscous drinking. I want some more...

The exact reason I tried it on the weekend really. I wanted to check it out while I could still get some more. I only got three in my original order but might order a six pack now. Pretty good QPR for the age!

[Sean]

deleted

[dkw]

[quote="bacchaebabe"]

1927 Solera Alvear PX
OMG! YUM. Very dark brown colour. Very strong sultanas on the nose. Quite strong prunes on the palate. Very viscous. As one of my friends said, "That's not legs, you can see right up her skirt!" Perfect finish and very good with vanilla ice cream. High Distinction

You might like Gonzales Byass 'Noe' as well. Slightly more viscous, more sultanas, more molasses and more toffee! Wonderful nose, very tasty.