It's a lovely sunny summer Sunday

[TORB]

Hi Good People,

Your weekly drinking reports are now due. Tasting notes, vibes, or lists welcome; please let us all know what you have been consuming over the last week.

In my case, but unfortunately not much except for some Sparkling Shiraz and a bottle of Orlando 1996 Centenary Hill Shiraz. I love this wine on release, and even up until recently was very good. I don't know if the last bottle was just not what it should have been, but unfortunately oak was poking through with more dominance than was enjoyable. I struggled through half a bottle and the other half went down the drain.

[707]

Ric or anyone, any opinion on the 2002 Orlando Centenary Hill, I've got my eye on a six pack at $35.

I liked some of the earlier vintages and now the price has been slashed I might like the 2002 even more!

[Red Bigot]

Ric, any opinion on the 2002 Orlando Centenary Hill, I've got my eye on a six pack at $35

Steve, I tried it at the NWS, it failed to score Gold in the Shiraz Trophy class (only gold medals listed in this class) and scored a bottle in my "remuneration pack", had it at a wine dinner early December. It's got a lot of coffee/mocha oak character at the moment, but I think the fruit is up to the task as it opened up in the glass revealing a lot of nice spicy shiraz fruit, I like it (probably won't buy though, there are too many good 2004/2005 reds around at the moment, I've about finished my 2002 buying), but the table was split fairly evenly on likes/not likes compared to the 95 which was poured at the same time. I don't remember noticing the menthol/mint that Campbell reported in his TN.

[JamieBahrain]

Seppelt Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz 1990- King of Kings IMHO. Sublime. Very tertiary now, with great crafted structure.

Joseph Sparkling Red 06- Pretentious SA shiraz on the nose. Not really a $50 palate.

Rockford's Black 06 disgorg- Some disgorgements I just don't get. However, this was ( to coin a phrase from Ian ) 'most preferred' of the group!

95 Mt Edelstone- Tertiary fruit on the sophisticated oak usage I noted in it's youth. Great wine on an admirable slide.

Cape Mentelle 01 Cabernet- Too early but showing power and class. Should be great in a few years- all in balance!

[tpang]

04 Schulz Benjamin Shiraz. Guests loved it, but I felt it had too much alcohol bobbing around, even after 4 hours.. lovely ffruity smell, but abit disjointed in the mouth. However, for $24, yea.. fair enough.

[wolf]

Some Coonawarra this week

04 Zema Cabernet: deep red/purple, vibrant fruit on the nose, tannins a bit harsh at the moment but great length. will be excellent

03 Zema Cluny: much softer and rounder than the cabernet. very good to drink now

04 Balnaves The Blend: similar to the Cluny, but with more tannic punch and fruit intensity.

04 Balnaves Cabernet: wow. magnificent dark colour, massive fruit intensity yet very balanced and fantastic length. the best new red i've tried in a while.

[seddo]

David Hook The Gorge Shiraz 05 - so good went back and purchased some more

cheers
Richard

[Shadrach]

Very pleasantly surprised with the quality of a 1995 Richmond Grove Barossa Shiraz, 13% alc. Won gold in Hobart in 1997 and Top gold at Cowra the same year. Very intense black fruit and spice flavours with soft American oak, beautiful balance and a long finish. Who needs high alcohol when you can enjoy a 12 year old wine of this quality?

[Davo]

Hi Good People,

Your weekly drinking reports are now due. Tasting notes, vibes, or lists welcome; please let us all know what you have been consuming over the last week.

In my case, but unfortunately not much except for some Sparkling Shiraz and a bottle of Orlando 1996 Centenary Hill Shiraz. I love this wine on release, and even up until recently was very good. I don't know if the last bottle was just not what it should have been, but unfortunately oak was poking through with more dominance than was enjoyable. I struggled through half a bottle and the other half went down the drain.

That was pretty LAME.

[Gary W]

A few things last night

1996 Penfolds 407 - Several bottles. This is excellent wine and looking better and better.
1997 De Bortoli Yarra Cabernet - Blackcurrant, capsicum, cedar, licorice. Still drinking very well. Lovely varietal cabernet - but not as good as the 1995.
2000 Rosemount Mountain Blue Shiraz Cab - Quite minty but still a good drink. I'd drink them over the next few years.
1999 Green Valley Cabernet - Drink quite a bit of this one way or another. Still looking good. Quite earthy and savoury but still a good whack of fruit power.

GW

[Gary W]

PS. I had the 95 Centenary a couple of weeks ago and it was very smart. Rich and chocolatey. Still holding up well.
GW

[Red Bigot]

PS. I had the 95 Centenary a couple of weeks ago and it was very smart. Rich and chocolatey. Still holding up well.
GW

Yeah, we had the 94 at the same time too, the 95 kills it in all departments despite the contrary vintage ratings.

[Red Bigot]

Hi Good People,

Your weekly drinking reports are now due. Tasting notes, vibes, or lists welcome; please let us all know what you have been consuming over the last week.

In my case, but unfortunately not much except for some Sparkling Shiraz and a bottle of Orlando 1996 Centenary Hill Shiraz. I love this wine on release, and even up until recently was very good. I don't know if the last bottle was just not what it should have been, but unfortunately oak was poking through with more dominance than was enjoyable. I struggled through half a bottle and the other half went down the drain.

That was pretty LAME.

Davo is alluding to the fact that TORB has a cast on one foot/leg at the moment as an earlier injury wasn't healing and has been diagnosed as a nasty ligament tear. He is now qualifying for the Bowral/Mittagong Crutches Handicap and Wheelchair steeplechase.

[Wayno]

A shocker weekend in Adelaide, seethingly hot here so mostly water, mineral water, beer and the occasional white.

Jacobs Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay 2003
Second bottle of this in as many weeks and this was a lot better than the first which presented very short and muted. All in all not a bad wine, quite peachy and fresh but no great shakes. Better than quaffer status but probably never worth the RRP. Corked seal.

Capel Vale 2002 Frederick Chardonnay
Very feral, funky, perhaps brett-touched. Very developed palate but quite flavoursome and characterful, lots of charry French oak and good persistent length. A bit odd, maybe faulty even but attractive in it's own way.

Sevenhill 2003 Riesling
Minerally, still quite lemony and full. Odd nose and palate on first opening, took time to open up a bit. Nice balance and length. This is holding up quite well and presents quite tidily.

[Julio]

2004 Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz
Not bad but not great. A little oak dominant and the fruit not overly exciting. At $22 this is comfortably over priced.

2000 Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz
Delicious, lovely balance, years ahead of it. Friends brought it over... no idea how much it costs.

[Mike Hawkins]

1998 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge - I've had a few bottles of this, and this one was head and shoulders above its predecessors. It was sublime, great fruit, great length, lovely mouthfeel and tannin profile. Still very youthful.

2004 Kalleske Shiraz - perhaps going through a dumb phase. Didn't have the intensity I've come to expect.

And a tonne of USD50 - 100 Barolos that were by and large, lamentable.

[Daryl Douglas]

1998 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge - I've had a few bottles of this, and this one was head and shoulders above its predecessors. It was sublime, great fruit, great length, lovely mouthfeel and tannin profile. Still very youthful.

2004 Kalleske Shiraz - perhaps going through a dumb phase. Didn't have the intensity I've come to expect.

And a tonne of USD50 - 100 Barolos that were by and large, lamentable.

Not tried any Barolos and don't intend to, so I won't lament wasting from ~A$65 to ~A$125 on lamentable wine.

[Gary W]

2004 Kalleske Shiraz - perhaps going through a dumb phase. Didn't have the intensity I've come to expect.

Had one a couple of weeks ago. Very open and expressive. Better than the 2005. I don't believe in this dumb phase stuff much though (Americans seem to use the term most). I do believe wines being slightly muted by cork is more often the thing.
GW

[DJ]

2001 Meera Park Alexander Munro Shiraz
Tasty drop - it disappeared very quickly which is often the ultimate test of how good something is - now to try and remember it . Briary nose and a firm wack of tannin - should leave for ages, good fruit and beginning to develop a little.

1998 Clare Essentials Carlsfield Vineyard Riesling
My last bottle of this label - time to drink up - just showing a hint of oxidisation - would have gone longer in screw cap. A very nice example of aged riesling. Shame marketing department couldn't get it to work - all the fruit in something like Annie's Lane these days.

2004 Houghton Cabernet Shiraz Merlot
Haliday gave this a big wrap in the Top 100 and the White Burgundy (now White Classic) has been our main house white for years. No question for the money a really good wine. Good balance and length - especially under $10 worth looking at. But lacks bit of interest to want to buy by the case for me.

2005 Woodlands Cabernet Merlot
Been wanting to have a look at this given the write ups it and the 04 have been getting plus it is time to reduce the proportion of Shiraz in the cellar and Margaret River Cabs is something I'd like more of (but I can't afford Cullen etc).
Overall impression is that it needs time. Fairly closed at the moment. Wondered slightly whether the alcohol might show up over the fruit but time will tell. Glad to have another 3 bottles to look at over the next 10 years.

Finally my first weekly tasting note for the year - the aim was to post one each week this year but this is only the second week back at work so only just thinking about it.

Highlights for January?
Absolute hightlight a buy 67, 69 and 73 Lindemans Porphryr - great colour something to look forward to.
Shakey Tables dinner, bed and breakfast package - Their semillons from 02 and 05 are worth a look as well.
1977 Barwang Shiraz Cabenet - made me wonder if this is what a lot of current high alcohol red will be like in old age - okay but a bit porty and not really what you want.
Couple of shirazs with Classic McLaren corks but someone elses label.

[GraemeG]

2005 Tahbilk Viognier (Nagambie) [screwcap, 14%, $13]
A simple enough quaffer, mostly apricot notes with a little stoneyness, no oak, some acid freshness although I suspect it came out of a bag. Not overly hot which is good, medium weight on palate, shortish finish but really nothing to complain about at the price.

I believe in dumb phases for riesling and semillon, and to an extent cabernet, but not really shiraz...

cheers,
Graeme

[Gary W]

I believe in dumb phases for riesling and semillon, and to an extent cabernet, but not really shiraz...

cheers,
Graeme

Yes full agreement on the riesling and semillon. Whites in transition yes.
GW

[Danny]

This week the most interesting wine I got to open was a 1999 Vat 1 Tyrell's Hunter Semillon. I'm certain that everyone here is well versed in this wine, but it really is a great drop. The texture is so smooth, 'buttery' is the description that came to mind.

Of course I had to open it for the video podcast I do each week... a horrible task!

[GRB]

Seppelts Chalambar Shiraz 1998
Liked this as a young wine and it has turned into a lovely mature wine, hitting its straps now but should hold for quite some time.

Wynns Shiraz 1995
For what it is and the vintage a pleasant enough drop to watch the cricket with.

Blue Poles Merlot Cabernet Franc 2004
Like by many and a nice enough wine but I still don't get Merlot

Glen

[mkcoleman]

Only one bottle this weekend, as yet again beer was consumed at the SCG watching England finally win against the Aussies and then at the Beach Cricket with the cricketing legends of the past ... and again England won ... could the weekend get any better!???

Had dinner at the Quay, Sydney and had a bottle of Ata Rangi 2005 Pinot Noir - The reason I chose this ($155 in the restaurant, $60 retail) was that our favourite PN is Escarpment from Martinborough, so thought, yep that's the one (same region). Unfortunately I wasn't really that impressed, to me it tasted thin, light and although it was clearly balanced I just found it wasn't as full as the 2004 Escarpment which we like so much. I wonder whether the 2005 is somewhat lighter than the 2004 in general from Martinborough? Maybe this needs some time in the cellar to bring out the complexity and fullness.

[Sean]

deleted

[Michael McNally]

2004 Robertsons Well Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.5%. Cork. $13.
Bright dark red. Muted nose of berries – is some varnish there in the background. Blackberry fruit and jube. Nicely balanced/fresh acidity. Has some potential. 4 Hours later has developed the dusty berry nose and the sweet fruit is less prominent with the savoury spectrum showing through – Very Good. QPR: High.

[bacchaebabe]

05 Houghtons White Burgundy good quaffer while watching (well, dancing and singing along to) bjorn again at the zoo.

05 Rockford Alicant Bouchet A left over bottle from last year. Had a very peculiar peppermint flavour that I've never encountered with this wine before. Probably best drunk in the year of purchase. Didn't have that same zing and zest as usual.

96 Pelorus Sparkling Wine A very slight damp mouldy taste so I think very mildly corked. Not enough to not drink it but just made it taste a bit musty and old.

98 Maxwell Lime Cave Cabernet This also tasted just a bit old and musty and again it was probably very mildly corked. Some blackcurrent in there but really should have been a lot better. Once again, it didn't stop us drinking it.

05 Brands Cabernet Not my bottle but this tasted way better than the previous two. A lot fresher, more fruit, a touch of menthol and some nice juicy black fruits.

99 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling Not as good as I was hoping it would be. Lost its primary fruit and not developed enough secondary characteristics yet for my liking. A bit of lanolin and kero but not into that nice honeyed stage as yet.