It's Sunday and I hate corks....

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

Last night I opened a bottle of 1998 Black Pepper Shiraz and it stunk of wet cardboard so I opened my last bottle of Seppelts 2002 Original FRS and the nose was dead! It was corked too..... not a good night.

I gave up and had a vodka and OJ instead!!

Now what have you guys been drinking???

[Wizz]

Not a lot of note this week, and comments from memory only:

06 Clonakilla Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: simple but lovely pure fruit on this bottle.
05 Tahbilk Sangiovese: great example for the money. spice, fruit, medium weight - sub $12. All good. I like the Tahbilk Sangioveses younger, IMO the 02 to 04 haven't aged well.

And then some conference dinner gear:
06 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc: Sweaty, herbal SB. Nice enough.
05 D’Arenberg Custodian Grenache: Whatever. Red, wet and not that interesting.
05 D’Arenberg Laughing Magpie: Restrained and tight for this label, well built wine that will handle some bottle age.
04 D’Arenberg Laughing Magpie: Much more open and buxom. Opulent “Purple” fruit, licorice like and almost oxidative in style. Better drink now than the 05 but I wouldnt age this at all.
05 Henschke Henry’s Seven: Lighter, redcurrant lift from the grenache (and viognier), although we only started on this very late at night.

cheers

Andrew

[bacchaebabe]

A few last night

06 Wither Hills Savignon Blanc Still lovely fresh, gooseberry, passionfruit clean flavours. Getting to the bottom of this case now.

05 Oyster Bay Chardonnay Again nice and fresh, with dominant butterscotch flavours. Very friendly and easy drinking.

01 Seppelt Chalembar Shiraz Hit of the night and went very quickly. Nice dark colour, licorice and caramel with a bit of spice mainly. Quite full bodied. Nice drinking.

98 Orlando St Hugo's Cabernet Quite dark too, friendly tannins still evident but not overbearing adding just enough weight and structure. A bit of chocolate but no big fruit left. Quite nicely resolved and drinking well.

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[rorie]

1996 Glaetzer Shiraz
Opened initially with a beautiful nose but not much on the palate. After about 2 hours turned into a beautiful aged wine. Very earthy on the nose. I have another one that I will try next week. I thought the acid held it together very well.
Has anyone tried this wine recently and can comment on it?
Thanks
Rorie

[michaelw]

98 Orlando St Hugo's Cabernet Quite dark too, friendly tannins still evident but not overbearing adding just enough weight and structure. A bit of chocolate but no big fruit left. Quite nicely resolved and drinking well.

Kris, how much longer would you expect this wine to last? I've been impressed with the few I've had in the past few years and still have a couple.

[Wizz]

Andrew,

I had a 02 Tahbilk Sangiovese late last year that drank beautifully. Still had fruit, slightly savoury and just starting to show some bottle-aged character. So I came to the opposite conclusion after having that btl - that it's better with a few years on it??

I've found others like these better with age too. I like the primary fruit characters, horses for courses I guess,

AB

[Attila]

2004 D'ARENBERG The Footbolt McLaren Vale Shiraz

I actually suspected it...a light red lacking weight, structure and concentration.
Extremely boring and with no character. The Footbolt was a bargain and a very good wine years back but now for $15 all I got was a run of the mill, average red. The good stuff obviously goes elsewhere at D'Arenberg which is now expected with their huge output..
A disappointing 2004 for sure, Taylor's doing a better job at the same price in the Clare with their Shiraz.

Cheers,
Attila

[bacchaebabe]

98 Orlando St Hugo's Cabernet Quite dark too, friendly tannins still evident but not overbearing adding just enough weight and structure. A bit of chocolate but no big fruit left. Quite nicely resolved and drinking well.

Kris, how much longer would you expect this wine to last? I've been impressed with the few I've had in the past few years and still have a couple.

Hi Michael,

This still had plenty of weight and tannins to keep it going a little longer. I'd say it will continue to drink well for at least three years. Although the primary fruit has gone, there is still a lot of body and it doesn't feel like it is fading at all. Very nice right now but I can't see how it would really improve much.

[Tristram Shandy]

just a couple worth mentioning

2001 Hugo Reserve Shiraz - all the tannins have resolved and there is still some fruit remaining and a bit of acid to finish off, but I wouldn't leave this one go much longer. 90

2002 Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz - a very powerful and distinctive wine. But this style seems to sacrifice any real elegance and looks to be more of a drink now propostion. 91

2005 De Bortoli Estate Pinot Noir - Nice enough on opening, with some cherries and a bit of strawberry. But it went a little bitter with time and I'm wondering if this will age as well as some might think. I don't perceive the acid to support this. 88

[Daryl Douglas]

98 Orlando St Hugo's Cabernet Quite dark too, friendly tannins still evident but not overbearing adding just enough weight and structure. A bit of chocolate but no big fruit left. Quite nicely resolved and drinking well.

Kris, how much longer would you expect this wine to last? I've been impressed with the few I've had in the past few years and still have a couple.

Hi Michael,

This still had plenty of weight and tannins to keep it going a little longer. I'd say it will continue to drink well for at least three years. Although the primary fruit has gone, there is still a lot of body and it doesn't feel like it is fading at all. Very nice right now but I can't see how it would really improve much.

Thanks for that. Sounds as if I should have the last bottle soon if it's peaked.

Cheers

daz

[Mike Hawkins]

1985 Dom Perignon - far more developed than other bottles of this vintage. Madeirised to a large extent. A tad disappointing.

2005 Godolphin - every time I have this wine I love it. It has the most wonderful, velvetty mouthfeel for a young wine. Rich fruit, great length. I just have to keep my hands off the rest.

2002 Penfolds Bin 389 - pleasant wine but overwhelmed by the Godolphin

1998 Peter Lehmann Black Queen - the last two bottles have a hint of chlorine on the finish. Underwhelming.

[KMP]

Dropped by the local wine shop for a tasting of aged wines, some from little known producers. I’d never heard of some of this stuff. 1988 Old Telegraph Mataro (from the Bonny Doon Vineyard), 1992 Mahoney Estate Las Piedras Vineyard Pinot Noir (Caneros). There was also a couple of Ravenswood Zins (1993, 1982), and then a little thing called Yunbar Estate Sinners Shiraz, Barossa Valley 1998. The Yunbar had a little competition from a 1976 4th growth Margaux (Ch. Prieure Lichine) that started out well, but faded quite quickly. But the Yunbar carried the day and I would not have called it an Aussie Shiraz, except for that telltale inky aroma that I still see in older vintages. Pleasantly surprised when the identity of the wine was revealed. The Yunbar had years left in it.

And Ric, we only had one corked wine. And that had already been poured and tasted by a number of folks before I pointed out the problem. When new wine was being passed around to the tables someone said, “But I like that musty cardboard smell”!

Mike

[DJ]

1993 Eileen Hardy Shiraz
Fully mature good drop

1992 Turkey Flat Grenache
Much prefer this to the Butcher's Block - then I haven't bought any BB for a while. The 2001 seemed a little fuller could of months ago

2002 Tyrrells Vat 70 Mudgee Cab Sauv
I not sure about Mudgee at the moment. This is a tasty wine but the acid adjustment showed through a couple of times. Not a falling over but not absolutely convincing.

2006 Clonakilla Sem Sauv Blanc
Just what needed with pan fried snapper fillets but not particularly compelling - more interesting wines in this style available for the money.

[mattECN]

2004 Taylors Cabernet Sauvignon

On opening, wine was a little closed and not really showing a lot, after 30min-60mins wine opened up displaying blackcurrants, cassis and cedary type oak. Palate was rich and concentrated, with dark fruits and a touch of dark ‘old gold’ chocolate. Finish was a tad short with a bit of the 14.5% alcohol showing. At $12 per bottle, very good value though.


2004 Yalumba Barossa Shiraz

Nose was excellent on opening – rich plum , dried herbs, hints of chocolate with prevailing american oak. Palate was complex also – full bodied, rich concentrated fruit with a very good lingering finish. I think this is around the $16-17 per bottle mark. Excellent value, I think it will age well in the medium term also.

[tpang]

I succumbed and took a crack at a couple of Mollydookers, the Two Left Feet and The Boxer.

I opened them towards the end of Sat evening, and straight away got slapped in the face by the overwhelming alcohol. I poured a glass of each, and found them too sweet and dense. So much so that there wasn't much between them in terms of different flavours. So I put them aside and went for a few pints instead.

Next day,
Two Left Feet: alcohol had blown off, intense blackish-purple colour. The first wafts on the nose reminded me of concentrated cologne and black plum, so there was residual alcohol hidden behind after all. Chewy savoury in the mouth, with a spicey finish on the back pallet. Very good length.

The Boxer: darker colour than Two Left Feet, with a thinner rim. Greenish nose with residual alcohol still present. Tannins are still quite obvious, leaving a slight dryness in the mouth. Not as spicey as the Two Left Feet, with flavours concentrated on the back-mid pallet. Chewy, average lengthed after-taste. Thought of bbq'd chicken as an accompaniment.

I thought both were good wines for $25; however abit over the top if you poured straight away. Definately needs sometime to settle down, maybe 2-3 hours, otherwise you might burn your eyes out. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite grasp how these wines would be able to last in the mid-long term.

[Grey Ghost]

Saturday evening's dinner, seared beef 'that went well with the reds and the cheeses that followed.

2004 Marc Bredif Vouvray. Dull, (cork), flat, sweet - yes sweet - palate. Not corked (TCA) but cork-affected. I've drunk these Vouvray for years, this is the first "sweet" (supposedly) dry Vouvray I've had. There must have been 15g/litre R/S. Disappointing.

2002 Fromm Pinot Noir, Marlborough. Good sweet-fruit front palate that was maintained on to the mid-palate. Finish, soft and clean but short.Nice wine with the appetisers - but not as good as might be from this maker.

1996 Penfolds 707 - dark, bright red miniscus, good cabernet nose, with black currant still showing (not bad that, at 10yo); fresh and clean on the palate with the oak (typical Pennie's oaking), beginning to integrate with the mintiness toning down; good long finish. Years to go in the wine yet.

1996 Paulette Andreus, my WOTN, dark, almost black colour, showing some age and development; mid palate rich and deep with spicy berry-fruits and a hint of chocolate; well integrated oak - far less dominant than the Pennie's type handling - and now tending to cigar-box/cedar. High-grade Shiraz fruit with more fruit density than the cabernet without being a fruit-bomb in any way. Five years more life.

1980 Dows. Dense, colour, just showing onion-skin at the meniscus. High spirit nose lifts a rich "Christmas-cake" of fruit. Rich mid palate and a surprisingly sweet finish (for a VP), which lasted and lasted however. Good wine, well worth the $23 I paid for it on release in '85.

[GRB]

Same as a lot of folks I had to try one out of curiousity

MollyDooker Boxer Shiraz 2005
Big mean and in you face as expected. I like the big bruising style of wines but this one lacked balance and showed quite a lot of heat. Not much better on the second night.

And Continuing the theme

Marquis Philips Shiraz No 9. 2004
Quite similar to the Boxer as would be expected. I think I preferred this to the Boxer so maybe an extra year in the bottle helps these monsters settle down a bit. This is certainly a mouthful and a half of wine.

Kaesler Stonehorse 2005
Now we are talking still a big wine but far better tannin and acid structure to back it up. Lovely depth of fruit in this wine and has the balance and structure to do some time in the cellar good gear.

Penfolds 389 1995
Don't know the provenance of this bottle and while it was a nice wine I expected more. Not corked but just lacked a bit.

Grant Burge Filsell 1996
Opened fairly stinky but blew off after a half hour or so. A little disappointing at first but built in complexity and depth over a couple of hours with some nice aged characters never really impressed though.

Glen

[seddo]

2005 Mildara Coonawarra Cab - superb more complex than the 04 Bowen and a better QPR

2004 Rosemount Hill of Gold cab - same as above


cheers
Seddo

[JONZIE]

04 Mills Reef melot melbec, quite sweet and jammy but drinkable.

04 Ebano Ribera Del Duero, Very dark with a violet rim, great nose of plums,blackcurrents struggling to put the cork back in the bottle.

[Julio]

2005 Elderton Botrytis Semillon
Delightful, marmalade, slightly burnt honey flavour. Delicious.

[Daryl Douglas]

2004 Taylors Cabernet Sauvignon

On opening, wine was a little closed and not really showing a lot, after 30min-60mins wine opened up displaying blackcurrants, cassis and cedary type oak. Palate was rich and concentrated, with dark fruits and a touch of dark ‘old gold’ chocolate. Finish was a tad short with a bit of the 14.5% alcohol showing. At $12 per bottle, very good value though.

Good TN! I had a bottle yesterday; thought there was a bit of char to the oak and the finish to be of almost medium length. Also noticed a bit of alcohol heat on the finish. Yep, very good value @ $12-$13 but a bit sad at $18-$19. Zema cab 04 is considerably better at that almost $20 pricepoint.

Cheers

[Gianna]

Grey Ghost wrote:

1980 Dows. Dense, colour, just showing onion-skin at the meniscus. High spirit nose lifts a rich "Christmas-cake" of fruit. Rich mid palate and a surprisingly sweet finish (for a VP), which lasted and lasted however. Good wine, well worth the $23 I paid for it on release in '85.

GG,

I had a 1977 Dow recently and it was absolutely stunning. Probably one of the best ports that I can recall drinking. Unfortunately, I paid through the nose at a restaurant for my bottle. However, I would pay $60 easily for the 375ml again.

[Minotaur]

E Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline 1994
Didn't take any notes, going from memory....
Not from a heralded vintage, but very impressive nontheless.
Fantastic nose on opening, then decanted for 1.5 hrs.
Perhaps a little underwhelming initially, but after sitting in the glass for another hour, really came into its own. Earty, meaty and savoury, with good balance and no heaviness. Tannins well integrated.
Wish I had more of it.

[camw]

E Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline 1994
Didn't take any notes, going from memory....
Not from a heralded vintage, but very impressive nontheless.
Fantastic nose on opening, then decanted for 1.5 hrs.
Perhaps a little underwhelming initially, but after sitting in the glass for another hour, really came into its own. Earty, meaty and savoury, with good balance and no heaviness. Tannins well integrated.
Wish I had more of it.

Tried this late last year and really loved it. Thanks for the note.

[Partagas]

Houghtons Jack Mann 2000 - Simply superb in every way. Very classy wine to the last drop. Interesting because JO rated this an 86 in his compendium. No chance. No way. Try it again JO. Can’t wait to open another in a couple of years 95+

Petaluma cab/merl 1998 - Very rich in colour and depth. Oak still seemed to be too upfront. Enjoyed it but I think the other two in cellar need a heap more time before opening. JO 98/100. Wouldn’t go near that mark yet. Have to wait and see. 92+.

[andyc]

Louis Jadot Chateau des Jacques Moulin a Vent 2001
Louis Jadot can't put a foot wrong in Beaujoulais at the moment with their basic bottlings being well received. This is their top wine and after a few years the bright berry nature has subdued and integrated seemlessly with the well judged oak. A fine savoury, lip smacking wine and still very good value at around A$40 in Hong Kong and would have another five years left in the tank. Probably similiar price in Australia if available?

[Grey Ghost]

Gianna

1977, was a cracker of a vintage. I bought both Warres and Grahams en primeur at $11 and $13 a bottle (case lots), ex Dan Murphy's in Melbourne about 1988. Mind you, Lanson Black Label was also $12 and Bollinger waas $15 by the case. This represented about an hour and a half's pay at the time.

Last opened a Grahams and sound as a bell at 29 yo.

[Jay60A]

Richmond Grove Barossa Shiraz 2002
Dark red ... violets and ink on the nose ... a touch sweet so I suspect there's a bit of residual sugar keeping the palate silky and the oak is slightly bitter (admit recently I have become sensitive to oak treatment). Despite this there's a really impressive core of fresh plums underneath with excellent supporting tannins: good length. Holding strong 24 hours later (very little change) which is impressive for a wine at this level. Get the feeling some nice grapes were given the commercial treatment here.Good.

Penfolds Bin 389 1996
Still very young, needs another 10 years (or more?). Can understand it's one dimensional and feels locked in time but the quality and potential is palpable. I can imagine how the '96 Grange must be showing about 25% about now. Must find more Bin 389 from 1996 ... more I say ... Excellent+ (now).

Jacobs Creek Reserve Riesling 2001
Thought it might have aged okay. Wrong. Some length and fresh fruit is still there but lot's of acid and a very ragged finish. 2 bottles sampled ($10 for two). Definition of masochsim: drinking a second glass.

Jay