Its almost that time of the year again and no doubt many of you have been attending many Xmas drinkies functions and consuming loads of dross, but no doubt there have been some good and great bottles consumed as well.
So come on, tell us all about them please!
As its a busy week for me at work wine has had a lower than normal priority but the most enjoyable wine in the last week for me was a 1996 Majella FRS. (Fizzy Red S**t as the good Prof calls it. )
Its getting close to its drinking window, sure its not in the same class as Rockford's, Classic Clare or Primos but its great value for the $.
BBQ with friends last night. Five of us shared a bit of juice.
We were greeted with a
Jim Barry Semillon 1998
Typical wooded sem from SA that is drinking well now but one suspects is going nowhere fast. A bit over the top for me, too much like a heavily worked chardy.
Tatachilla Sparkling Malbec
The vintage is forgotten and I am trying hard to forget the wine. I should have suspected something as it was given to me by a mate who hates sparkling shiraz but reckons this is just terrific. The BBQ was at his place and both he and his Missus raved about it again. Horrible syrupy sweet plum juice with bubbles. Gives sparkling reds a bad name if you ask me.
Houghton Gold Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1995
From a terrific Great Southern vintage. Pity this wine did not live up to it. Great sweet red fruit on the nose but very soft and simple in the mouth.
Kaiser Stuhl Selected Release Cabernet Sauvignon 1981
A touch of bricking at the rim, sensational combination of fruit and saddle leather on the nose and a palate to match. Must have been a great wine in its youth and still very nice now.
Kays Amery Hillside Shiraz ?2000
The hosts bottle and he raved about it, especially as the first bottle he had shared with me some weeks ago was corked. This is a pleasant enough wine but not to rave about.
Mick Morris Durif 1990
May have had a touch of the cork as it was not as big as the last bottle I had a year ago, fairly flat on the nose and palate and was somewhat disappointing. Certainly no overt signs of taint though.
Jim Barry Shiraz 1997
Not a bad drop from a supposedly poor vintage. Good varietal characters with lovely mouthfeel.
Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
Although the JB before it demonstrated a fair intensity of flavour this floored it. Huge classical Coonawarra nose and palate, again from a supposedly poor vintage.
Richmond Grove Cabernet Sauvignon ?1999
Yep, I have vague memories of this being opened and even tasting some, but we were all a bit tired and emotional by then.
Sorry if the notes are brief, but my memory is a bit shaky today, and as I did not contemporaneous notes it is all I have to go with.
1992 Lindamens Sparkling Shiraz Dense red in colour, very soft and clean feel on the palate. lively bubbles and a very easy and excellent wine to drink on a hot day
1998 Chandon Vintage Brut Pale yellow in colour with a tinge of green on the rim. Full mouth feel with a fine bubbles almost like the frenchy that soften out with a delicious and dry finish.
1999 Chandon vintage Rose Light orange with a hint of pink just like the red grapefruit. on initial taste it is light, but gradually expanding and awakening all the palate with a clean finish
1999 Chandon vintage Sparkling pinot shiraz Light burgundy not as red as the Lindamens. Pinot character up front with a shiraz like finish. Tannins is just noticeable and enough to let you know its existance. A nice sparkling red a touch sweet to my liking. Not as nice as the Lindamens and of course no comparison to the Rockford or Sepptelt.
Plantagnet riesling 1997 - very good wine and showing lots of youth with a light yellow tinge to the colour. Should do another 5 years comfortably. Nice balance and intensity. First one I have tried and have a few more well cellared bottles which will be interesting to try in coming years. Seems like the Great Southern may have had a better year than SA from forum comments on some SA 97 rieslings. Is that right?
Pattersons Pinot Noir 2001 (Great Southern) - very yummy stuff. On first open I thought hmmm, seems a bit tart but opened up showing excellent varietal character and fruit intensity. Deservedly won a gold medal at the 2003 Wine Show of Western Australia. The WA wholesalers sold out within a week but only had a small allocation of this small production wine. Priced in the mid-$30's and good value. If you only drink Pinot occasionally, then make this that occasion. If you can find some grab it.
Penfolds St Henri 1996 - Needed more breathing than when tasted. A powerful wine that should not have been opened for another few years at least. What was on show was very enjoyable and in good balance. Monster tannins. Am looking forward to the next one in 2007.
Taltarni Shiraz 1991 - I remember I bought this wine with about 5 years bottle age and I think the first few years weren't cellared all that well because on first taste it was a let down. Dull and lifeless, but still showing some fruit and considerable tannin. I dont think it was corked but may have been midly so. You win some you lose some. Only had one bottle, thankfully.
Stoneleigh NZ 2002 Pinot Noir (I may have part of this title wrong as it was a couple of weeks ago). Took the wine out to Jacques in Perth and regretted it. Bloody ordinary wine, but hey what was I expecting from a $15 Pinot. Apart from being a very boring wine, there was nothing really wrong with it. Avoid unless your desperate and there is nothing else to drink.
Some brief memory impressions and some TNs, mostly whites.
Pol Roger 1996 Brut - Infantile colour, finest of bead, impressive nose and palate, all finesse and freshness, very clean, long future ahead. Top wine.
Mildara 1998 Cabernet - For its' pricepoint, textbook Coonawarra - mint, menthol, sweet black fruits, good weight, cedar and spice from the French oak, balanced fine-grained tannins, quite long. Drink now or hold for up to 5 years. Excellent for what it is.
Drumborg 2003 Riesling - Intense nose of limes and blossoms. Very tight palate with limes, wet stones, minerals and plenty of acid. Heaps of potential but should be cellared for many years to show its best.
Tyrell's 1997 Reserve Belford Semillon - Festooned with trophies and gold medals, this Excellent wine still has a way to go to reach it's apogee but is drinking just fine today if you would like to try one.
Pale lemon in colour and quite bright, the nose offers up attractive citrus, straw, soapy aromas with the first hints of a classic bottle-aged hunter Semillon lurking in the background - honey, toast and grilled nuts. The palate is brimming with citrus (mostly lemon) and grassy fruit that fills the mouth with a seamless acid cut of some authority and a pleasing 30+ second mouth coating finish. I'm buying a case in the hope this wine will merit a higher rating in 3 or 4 years and hold for some time thereafter.
Petaluma 2003 Riesling - Thought this pretty darn good at release compared to the 2002 at the same time (the '02 was all bath powder and high acid initially, transforming into something quite special some months later)
So with many reports, here and elsewhere, fundamentally suggesting the '03's "not a patch on the '02", thought I'd crack another to see what it's doing with 6 months in the bottle.
Starbright with the palest of straw/green. Slight reduction on the nose; mostly lime, pear and apple with some classy input from slate/minerals. Relativey fat on the palate with expansive fruit (as per nose), a little sweetness, some nicely judged acid and quite a good minerally finish. Drinks like it needs to be drunk sooner than later. With 13.1% A/V, I will drink most of these before trying another 2002. Relatively straightforward/correct wine without much 'wow' factor. Rated as Highly Recommended, but a downgrade on my initial reactions.
Lindeman's 1991 HR Chablis Bin 7875 - Apart from the annoying heretical labelling, this wine's been a fave for some years now. Tight as a fish's for many years this wine has blossomed over the last several and will continue to sing for a while yet. Brilliant yellow gold in colour, the bouquet holds your interest for ages - smoke, toast, nuts, honey, even some lanolin and beeswax for added interest. The palate is much younger tasting with more primary fruit and gorgeously integrated, indelible acidity helping create an impression of freshness, balance and harmony.
Pewsey Vale 2003 EV Riesling - Brilliant pale straw green colour. Terrific young riesling nose - baker's dough, orange blossom, lime, green apple, pear and lotsa minerals; quite voluminous. Plenty of oomph on the palate, too, with crisp lime, 'Granny Smith' apple fruit, good acid balance and a sensational long, mouthfilling finish. This drinks so well now, I doubt whether I'll cellar the few bottles bought. For those who like their Rieslings with age, 4-6 years cellaring will probably be enough for this lovely wine. Went so well on a warm summer's afternoon with some light hors d'oeuvres before a traditional Sunday evening roast bird. Rated Excellent.
Davo, I agree on the Tatachilla Sp Malbec, I used to quite like it some years back and I don't think it's my tastes that have changed that much, the recent editions have not suited me or anyone in the tasting group that tried the latest version recently.
The same Monday tasting impressed me last week by showing a clear preference for the amazing Bullers Calliope 91 Shiraz (16.0%) as the best wine in a flight of 6 15.0% or more reds to round out the year. Wines were opened at the tasting, not decanted.
I ranked the Summerfield Reserve Shiraz 98 15.0% top, a big firm wine, showing good dark cherries and plums in a firm oak/tannin blanket, nicely balanced and will live for many years. (group 3rd)
Bullers Calliope Shiraz 91 16.0% - distinctive and obviously carrying some age, initial touch of VA and portiness quickly blew off, revealing mellow ripe plums and prunes with some developed complexity, mellowed tannins, long finish, not at all hot, clean finish. (group 1st)
Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz 2002 15.0% - pretty closed and took a while to open up, not quite as good as I expected from the reputation (Bushing Festival top shiraz), just lacking a bit of fruit intensity, but a good wine for under $25. (group 4th)
Three Hills Shiraz 1999 15.3% - another initially quite closed and subdued wine, overshadowed by the Summerfield, I took about a third of the bottle home and a couple of hours later it had blossomed considerably, showing a degree of refinement an complexity that possibly surpassed the Summerfield. (group 5th)
Noons Reserve Shiraz 1997 15.8% - not the greatest vintage, but this one was slightly disappointing in this lineup, no fault evident, just not up to the structure and complexity of some of the others, a trifle disjointed. (group 6th)
Noons Eclipse Grenache 2002 15.9% - sweet and rich, but ultimately a bit simple, perhaps my bias against grenache is showing here, the group rated it second.
Rest of the week was mainly work-related drinks and poolside bbq, mostly mid-range white and red bubbles of good quaffing quality but no great distinction. We'll be getting into the good stuff this week and next...
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Red Bigot wrote:Bullers Calliope Shiraz 91 16.0% - distinctive and obviously carrying some age, initial touch of VA and portiness quickly blew off, revealing mellow ripe plums and prunes with some developed complexity, mellowed tannins, long finish, not at all hot, clean finish. (group 1st)
Brian,
I bought this as a re-release (after it won a big trophy in the UK, I think) for something like $12-13 (does that sound right?) and served the last of it at a Wine Club dinner, December 2001, where it stumped everyone! Guesses ranged from Grange, 707, J. Riddoch amongst others! (Says somewhat more about the calibre of the guessing, than the wine, it must be said)
While on that subject, a close friend organised a "blind" mini-vertical of grange some years back. No years were known to the invitees prior to the tasting. Went like this, 85 Grange - disappointing, 84 Grange - better, but not great, next wine - 'wow!' - I still remember my first comment -"this is more like it, must be the '83!" (sucked in by following the sequence!) Sorry, ring-in! The cheeky bugger had inserted a '83 Bailey's Classic Hermitage! (the one with the black label and red stripe) The '83 Grange did come next and, eventually, flogged the Bailey's which fell apart in the glass within 20 minutes. For the rest of the night, I kept my teeth in and mouth pretty well shut. Just for interest the wines served after were the '82, '81, another ringer, but a good'un, the 80A, '78 and '76.
Not a bad line up for one night's drinking.
Red Bigot wrote:Bullers Calliope Shiraz 91 16.0% - distinctive and obviously carrying some age, initial touch of VA and portiness quickly blew off, revealing mellow ripe plums and prunes with some developed complexity, mellowed tannins, long finish, not at all hot, clean finish. (group 1st)
Brian,
I bought this as a re-release (after it won a big trophy in the UK, I think) for something like $12-13 (does that sound right?) and served the last of it at a Wine Club dinner, December 2001, where it stumped everyone! Guesses ranged from Grange, 707, J. Riddoch amongst others! (Says somewhat more about the calibre of the guessing, than the wine, it must be said)
While on that subject, a close friend organised a "blind" mini-vertical of grange some years back. No years were known to the invitees prior to the tasting. Went like this, 85 Grange - disappointing, 84 Grange - better, but not great, next wine - 'wow!' - I still remember my first comment -"this is more like it, must be the '83!" (sucked in by following the sequence!) Sorry, ring-in! The cheeky bugger had inserted a '83 Bailey's Classic Hermitage! (the one with the black label and red stripe) The '83 Grange did come next and, eventually, flogged the Bailey's which fell apart in the glass within 20 minutes. For the rest of the night, I kept my teeth in and mouth pretty well shut. Just for interest the wines served after were the '82, '81, another ringer, but a good'un, the 80A, '78 and '76.
Not a bad line up for one night's drinking.
Not much recently, apart from a few rieslings (Petaluma, Tahbilk).
However, at my team BBQ/picnic last Friday I did make the effort and bring along a bottle to share with a couple of mates.
2000 Baileys 1920's Block Shiraz. Obviously still quite young, but this wine was not as harsh as I would have imagined. Lovely dark colour and wonderful nose of dark berry fruits. On the palate the oak and tannins are well balanced. It went quite well with the BBQ'd lamb and other assorted offerings.
I'm sure it will keep well for at least another 5-8 years but will most likely try another in 12-18 months to see how it is going.
Had the sniffles all week, so consumption limited to 1 red.
95 Leasigham Show Reserve Shiraz - Cost me $30, Think it's Bin 61 base material, 20 mths in oak, and 5 years bottle age. More medals than the Thorpedo.
Dark purple, with a heap of bottle staining crust, unfiltered. A superb nose of dark berries, cherry, hint of vanilla and licorice. The palate follows the nose, with some back-palate acidity to suggest it can continue to safely age. A wonderful drop, recently released and available. Excellent VFM considering age alone.
1985 Penfolds Grange Hermitage - given one and half hours air, this mature wine produced aromas of mint, leather and charry oak. Indicative of the year, this was only a medium to full bodied drop, with a developed earthy palate and good mouthfeel. Still reasonable length, this wine was nearing the end of its drinking window.
1994 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling - lovely golden colour with intense lime aromas and a touch of Chanel No. 5 for good measure. Slatey and minerally palate. In short, this was surprisingly youthful wine, nonetheless, highly enjoyable. Should develop even further.
1996 Leasingham Show Reserve Shiraz - I had a similar thought to Pana (though vintage differed) - this wine has won more trophies and gold medals (3T, 9G) than Ian Thorpe would if he was swimming in the Parramatta under 12 championships. All oak on the nose, I thought I must have been one of Robin Hood's merry men in Sherwood Forest. Palate was medium bodied and revealed pepper and berry flavours. Decent length, needing two to three years to really peak.
1987 Penfolds MacGill Estate Shiraz - oaky nose with no obvious fruit characteristics. The palate was as tired as I get when my TV remote control is not working. Drink up. (others described it as having the aroma of a toilet in a 747 three hours after takeoff).
1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - fairly closed on the nose, even allowing for five hours in the decanter. On the palate, this was all chocolate. Great length, with a velvety mouthfeel reminiscent of the 1991. In another six years this may turn out to be one of the all time greats.
1991 Seppelts Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz - at first sniff, this was in-your-face aromas of stale mushrooms, but this quickly blew off to reveal some gorgeous spicy notes and hints of leather. On the palate there was lashings of sweet fruit, but it had the customary Seppelts dry and lengthy finish.
1990 Wolf Blass Brown Label Shiraz - not as much oak as I had come to expect from this label. (My most recent notes on this wine simply had "vanilla milkshake"). Nevertheless, vanilla was evident, as was some pepper on the nose. Sweet fruit and balanced oak on the medium bodied palate, reasonable length. A pleasant drinking experience, and a timely one, as this was nearing the end of its vinous mortality.
Petersons Vintage Cuvee Chardonnay - mainly 1991 with 1990 and 1992: Highly Recommended fully developed Chardonnay obviously with very honeyed flavours but still with good length and floral intrigue. I am surprised it was so good given its cellaring conditions.
2002 Meerea Park Shiraz/Viognier: Recommended and probably would not get a mention except for the absence of anything else to replace it with in my memory. Probably needs a little more time in the bottle to show better. Good value for money wine though.
Lucky the Hunter Valley once again stepped in to ensure that the weekend was not a total wine write off!!!
Mike Hawkins wrote:An enjoyable 1996 Leasingham Show Reserve Shiraz - I had a similar thought to Pana (though vintage differed) - this wine has won more trophies and gold medals (3T, 9G) than Ian Thorpe would if he was swimming in the Parramatta under 12 championships.
This comes as no surprise. Both the 95 and 96 have been entered in every major show for years. I was wondering if they would ever see the light of day.
Work commitments have kept me busy the last week but had some very good wines.
81 Tahbilk Shiraz. They sure don't make them like the old days. Great wine, still going stong even though it is 20-plus years old.
Grosset Watervale 03: second bottle in the space of a couple of weeks. An absolute stunner. Tempted to keep drinking this all summer.
Piper Heidsieck NV: probably the best bubbly at the cheaper end of French champagne. Great for the price.
Wither Hills Sauv Blanc 03: been dissappointed with the quality of 03 Sauv's from New Zealand and Australia. This is one of the better ones. Typical NZ with lychee and gooseberry really dominating.
Cheer
Anthony
Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach
Spanish saying
2001 Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) - on form - nice full wine with decent complexity - one of the best NZ Sauvignons IMHO - the 2001 is way better than the 2002.
2001 Viognier, Yves Cuilleron, Vin de Pays de Collines Rhodaniennes (Rhone Valley, France) - This wine is made just outside of the Condrieu AC by one of the best Condrieu producers and has received some very positive press here in the UK. We all thought it was good - rich, quite fat with decent fruit intensity - but lacking that "wow" factor. I'd like to put it up against the Yalumba Virgilius or even the Eden Valley Viognier.
2001 Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir (Central Otago, New Zealand) - Further proof of the top quality Pinot Noir NZ is capable of producing - one wouldn't mistake it for Burgundy, but who cares? This is no overworked Shiraz like Pinot - there's lots of violets on the nose, and pleasant damson plum and dark spices on the velvetty palate. Excellent, albeit not a long term cellaring proposition.
1994 Quinta de la Rosa Vintage Port (Douro Valley, Portugal) - Quite an elegant VP - starting to approach its peak which may sound quite young for a VP - drinking well now and I think it will improve over the next 3 or so years - however, the spirit is just a touch obvious and I can see it becoming more pronounced as the fruit starts to fade.
A decadent start to Sunday...
Bollinger Special Cuvee NV (Champagne, France) - Along with Louis Roederer, my fave NV Champagne from the larger houses. This wine had been purchased over 18 months back and in that time, it's built more power and complexity - from oak, maturation on lees and in the bottle. A rich toasty bouquet overlaying citrus fruit, reflected on the powerful palate - not a Champagne for the faint hearted - this wine needs food and made a perfect combination with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon - if only every day could start like this!!!
Merry Christmas all - I hope everyone has got some good drinking planned over the next few weeks.
Unfortunately I have a gripe today - the 2000 Notley Gorge Pinot Noir that I had on Saturday night upset me. Why is Australia making wine like this? If I had been shown this wine blind I would have picked it as a shiraz/cabernet. So little varietal defininition - just trying to make a big ugly monster. There are a number of Australian pinots I really enjoy, but this just upset me. Gripe over.
On a positive note - 02 Kaesler Stonehorse GSM, 01 Elderton Shiraz, 01 Houghton Cabernet, 88 Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne & 02 Hugel Gewurztraminer have all made life enjoyable of late.
Anyone got a tip for a good pinot for Christmas day?
Andy wrote: Anyone got a tip for a good pinot for Christmas day?
Cheers
Andy
Andy
Pinot, above all grapes, appears to be a very personal taste - For me Martinborough Vineyards (NZ) & especially my last bottle of the 2000 vintage really hit the mark a couple of months ago.
Hamilton-Russell from South Africa is also an irregular favourite.
best of luck
Ian
The supply of dercent oz pinots i expect to be very limited in the UK given most are produced by small makers.
Had the 2002 Coldstream Hills Pinot [not the reserve] at a restaurant in Perth this week and it was excellent for what it is. The nose in particular was super ravishing and seductive - all fresh cherry and raspberry fruit and only a kiss of oak. The palate is only mid weight at best with minimal tannins - just don't drink it too warm or it will lose any structure it has - probably not a problem in London at Chrissie.
Vickie wrote:2003 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Perhaps my expectations were too high - I was expecting to be totally blown away. Recommended
Hey Vickie, where did you get the Cloudy Bay? I wasn't quick enough to get my usual case from Cloudy Bay / Cape Mentelle but am still keen to pick up a case if possible.
Interesting you were expecting to be blown away. I obviously can't comment on the 2003 vintage but usually its just lovely fresh clean fruit mainly passionfuit and gooseberries and I just love it. Cloudy Bay Sav Blanc is summer for me.
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
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