It's Sunday........

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

Time for your weekly drinkin' reports. Lists, vibes and tasting notes welcome.

I have been "attacking" the new releases by Troy Kalleske and will post the notes as soon as they are typed, but so far they are all damn good wines, and the (theoretical) best are yet to be tasted.

Now what have you guys been consuming?

[Ian S]

A light Vina Esmeralda 06 by Torres which was great in an non wine-nerdy way.

Tonight 1994 Spanna Colline Novarese by Vallana. Not of the class of earlier vintages, but still a good wine in an off-vintage. Still pretty youthful for a 13 yr old.

[Gary W]

The favourite wines tasted were 05 Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz and 05 Te Mata Bullnose.Syrah Polar opposites in style but both super wines. I'd much rather drink the Bullnose at the moment though. Very classy wine.
GW

[griff]

Went to the Perth Good Food & Wine Show. I have to get off my chest that the coupon system for tasting doesn't do the lesser-known wineries any favours as I unfortunately had to cherry pick to a certain extent. I praise the wineries that allowed one to taste many of their range for the single ticket. Boo to the wineries that didn't bring their premium wines to the show.

So brief thoughts

2005 Voyager Chardonnay: Tight, hint of grass, crisp. Very Good potential. Starting to shut down slightly compared to last tasting a few months ago.

2005 Cape Mentelle Chardonnay: Increased lees contact, mouth filling and I suspect an early drinker. Good.

2005 Picardy Chardonnay: Hay, struck match, forward on the palate (perhaps served too cold). Excellent potential and white of the show.

2005 Nicholson River Chardonnay: Autolysis, slightly oxidative style. Crisp finish that is slightly bitter perhaps. Very good.

2003 Nicholson River Semillon: Chalk on the nose, Lean chalky palate that lingers on the finish. Excellent and 2nd white wine of the show.

2006 Woodlands Chloe Chardonnay: Banana ester on the nose (I don't think they liked us mentioning this though). Dilute palate and although it was said that this is on bottle over 3 months now I wonder if it is in a 'stage' as it didn't show well at all and it was nowhere near the 2005.

Woodlands sparkling Pinot Chardonnay 2001: Hazelnut and bitter orange on nose and palate. Interesting and good to very good.

Onto the reds:

2005 Nicholson River Pinot Noir: red brown and very pale colour. Leafy nose but no stalk Lean palate with lifted acid. Very forward mouthfeel but long finish. Good.

2004 Nicholson River Syrah: Vivid violet colour slightly cloudy. Perfumed nose ++. Again a forward palate ripe with lifted acid. Decent length on the finish. Who needs viognier Very good.

2005 Picardy Pinot Noir: For some reason I forgot to write notes on this stand. From memory this had a dark red colour. Supple palate and long finish. The fruit has swallowed the oak. Excellent and great value!

2005 Picardy Shiraz: OK. I have to confess to not liking the Picardy oak regimen. Both of us think it smells of smoke taint. The 2003 pinot had this characteristic as well. As did this one. Hard to look past it to be honest but maybe it meshes in time.

2004 Picardy Merlot cabernet cabernet franc: Well I tell a lie. This had that smokiness but it managed to be surpassed by the fruit. When it works it works! Praise from the partner. Very good.

2004 Picardy Merlimont: Same wine in two years oak. Well the smokiness was too much for us.

2004 Woodlands Rachael Cabernet: Ripe nose with fruity palate. Not quite as structured as I would like as it was slightly 'juicy'. Very good and one of the family there was telling me that this was great value (after initially saying that they don't really have it on show). Not so sure. Didn't try to 2006 standard release as I ran out of coupons

2003 Voyager Cabernet Merlot Uh Oh. Must be a bad bottle. I hope it was as we both could smell a chemical note on the nose. Rebecca picked it as Windex. Must try again as everyone is praising this one!

2005 Gibson Wilfreda SMG: This has a high component of Mataro (it was funny seeing the man behind the counter saying Mouvedre but when Gibbo came along he immediately said Mataro) and it showed. Lovely inky nose with some tar and maybe some musk. Huge ripe (but NOT overripe) palate with lengthy finish. Excellent and very good value at show prices.

2004? Gibson Isabelle Merlot Cabernet Petit Verdot: Found this slightly hard on the palate with a closed nose. Not sure what this will go.

2004 Gibson Shiraz: Well the nose again was slightly closed but some fruit. The palate was structured with ripe fruit but not sweet. Oak in the background. Copious tannin. Excellent.

2005 Old Vine Eden Valley Shiraz: Fantastic intensity. I agree with roughred with blueberry on the nose and mineral notes on the palate along with dense, concentrated shiraz fruit. Superb. Red wine of the show.

2005 Majella Cabernet: wrote this up the other day. This bottle showed slightly more oak on the (longer) finish Otherwise the same. Excellent and 2nd best red wine of the show.

2005 Majella sparkling shiraz: slightly aged character? Slightly sweeter dosage than I would like. Very good.

2005 Majella Merlot. Saw this after the cabernet probably to its detriment. Similar ripe style with just not quite the length and structure of the cabernet on the palate. Very good.

2001 Nicholson River Botrytis Chardonnay: Dark yellow gold. QUince and mandarin nose. Syrupy palate and slightly jammy finish. I prefer more acid to balance.

cheers

Carl

[n4sir]

I tried the Lengs & Cooter range at an instore yesterday, but the biggest news from that is possibly the departure of stalwart Barb Lengs who after over 20 years of service walked out of the Penfolds Magill Estate Cellar Door two weeks ago. She was one of the most recognizable faces of Penfolds to customers, and this is yet another sign of the big corporate influence taking over Penfolds at the expense of real personal identity.

Back to Lengs & Cooter anyway - the new wines were the 2007 Watervale Riesling and 2005 Victor Shiraz (with 12% Grenache), and the rest were back vintages.

I was really impressed with the 2007 Riesling again which was bottled just last week, full of juicyfruit, lime blossom and crisp acid, a worthy follow up to the 2005 & 2006 that have been regulars on Qantas business class.

The 2005 Victor is very solid, ripe plummy fruit backed by toasty/nutty oak, the best since 2002 although I still still miss the extra sweet, juicy Grenache that was a great feature.

The 2003 Old Vines Shiraz is still very smart, an inky crimson colour and ripe, minty/plummy fruit with the oak in the background, still going strong for what was supposed to be a lesser vintage.

The 2002 Swinton Cabernet Sauvignon is showing some age already; it's shaken off the big nutty oak of youth, but it's unusually a little jammy and yet green with some squashed peas. Dunno where this one is going.

The 2003 Reserve Shiraz has similarly shaken off the heavy coffee/nougat oak of youth but it seems much more assured, the ripe fruit and length excellent with just a little mint in the background.

Cheers,
Ian

[Wayno]

Third official themed wine tasting group - this time Grenache. A great night.

Misplaced my notes and memory a bit foggy but from recollection..

D'Arenberg Soils Series 2002 - none stood out as exceptional however 'heavy sand on loam' (I think) was memorable for it's extraordinarily poo-ey nose and nice palate. Others struck with high levels of acid and tannin but fruit failing.

La Curio Reserve Bush Vine Grenache 2005
Inky, massive wine with McLaren Vale qualities seething through it's veins. Big but balanced, slightly hot alcohol but really delicious.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache 2002
Very dark, quite hot and a touch imbalanced. Black fruit characters. In the Penfolds big style and not particularly Grenache-like. A weaker bottle than some of my previous ones but I suspect may soften up in time. A big, uncoordinated wine.

Gibson Bush Vine Grenache 2003?
Classic, impressive Grenache profile, loads of red fruit, strawberry, leathery notes and lovely finish. Good, balanced wine with loads of power but kept within the veritable velvet glove.

Vinrock Grenache 2005
Lighter style, slightly artificial, chemical notes on the nose (nail polish). A bit thin but has character and I quite enjoyed.

Baltasar Garnacha 2003
Savoury, meaty characters exhibiting lots of Old World style but a good rush of fruit and undergrowth obvious. Very much medium bodied and drinkable.

and earlier in the week:

Wynns Johnsons Block Cab Shiraz 2003
Have enjoyed this previously but this blighter was corked and only the barest of fruit character was discernable below the blanket of dull cork taint.

George Wyndham Shiraz Grenache 2005
Nice, varietal wine - gluggable and slightly spicy. Can't remember much more but it was a touch better the next day.

[n4sir]

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache 2002
Very dark, quite hot and a touch imbalanced. Black fruit characters. In the Penfolds big style and not particularly Grenache-like. A weaker bottle than some of my previous ones but I suspect may soften up in time. A big, uncoordinated wine.

The last couple of times I've tried this in the last year the alcohol was far more obvious, and I'm beginning to wonder if that will be this wine's undoing in the long run?

While it didn't appear searingly hot the end effect was you say 'uncoordinated' or clumsy. Do you think this will get better or actually worse with a few more years under the belt?

Cheers,
Ian

[Dave Dewhurst]

A few more impressions from the Perth food and wine fair. Went on a bit of a mad riesling-fest and there were plenty of crackers to keep me happy . A number were 07's which had been bottled in the last month and obviously needed a bit more time to settle.

Dukes Riesling 2006 and their Magpie Estate Riesling 2006 both just lovely. The former a bit more fruit driven and open, limey with good acidity; the latter, made from first press clear juice, was much more austere and slaty with bracing acidity and could probably be poured direct on oysters! Preferred the latter style but both eminently quaffable.

Capel Vale Whispering Hill Riesling 2007, again an austere style, gorgeously dry with good aging potential.

Castle Rock had both 07 and 03 Rieslings on show. The 07 was bracing, all citrus fruits and acidity and a bit disjointed right now, but had only been bottled 3 weeks ago. I imagine it will settle down with time and join their list of crackers! The 03 had developed kero on the nose and the beginnings of toast on the palate but still with plenty of lemony fruit.

Bellarmine from Pemberton had three rieslings on show from 2006 and 2007. The Riesling Dry (3g/l RS) 2007 lived up to its name, slightly fruit driven, with lemon and limes and a lovely drying acidic finish. The Riesling 2006 is an off dry style (20g/l RS) with perhaps a touch of orange amongst the dominant lemony palate but again good acidity to finish. At 120g/l RS, I was expecting the Riesling Auslese 2006 to be a right cloying mouthful, but I could not have been more wrong. Sweet smelling nose and lovely light, mouthfilling lemon and orange fruit, but in no way glycerolly, with great acidity and good clean finish. These are an absolute ripping bargain at $15 a pop!

A few others included Ashbrook 07 Riesling which was a bit too fruit driven for me but well made nonetheless and the West Cape Howe 07 riesling was clean and crisp and reasonable value.

The other white that stood out for me was the just released Eagle Vale Sauvignon Blanc Fume 2005, clean, crisp, grassy and citrussy with a faint touch of very restrained oak. I liked the 02 and 04 of this style which is much different to the tropical fruity savs and sav/sems common in Margaret River, which admittedly don't rock my boat!

Reds were more of a mixed bag, lots of sweet fruit and too much noticeable vanillary oak being the main issues for me.

Woodlands were pretty good across the range (what little they had, much sold already!), although the wine that really stood out for me was their 01 Pinot-Chardonnay sparkly, with good bready/toast characteristics and very mouthfilling! Probably a heretical thing to say given their reputation for reds !!

I never used to be much of a fan of Salitage until I tried their 02 pinot about 6 months ago. That particluar wine made me go and empty the shelves (admittedly only 4 bottles!) of one of my usual haunts! Their 05 pinot shows great potential too, lovely Burgundian nose almost, very mushroomy, perhaps a bit feral and a gorgeous mix of red and black cherry fruits. The Salitage Pemberton 2002 is a cab sav dominated bordeaux blend, in a lighter style but with good fruit depth and length.

West Cape Howe had a couple of interesting reds, a Tempranillo and a Nebbiolo, both from 2006. Both definitely had varietal components with powerful fruit and tannin structure. The fruit is well up there but as long as you don't expect them to be like their Spanish or Italian conterparts, they make good, solid drinkers in themselves, especially at $17 a pop.

A couple of non-WA wines that I enjoyed were Carlei Tre Rossi 2005 and Tre Amici 2005. The former is a shiraz/barbera/nebbiolo blend, which has a solid sweet plum/blackberry shiraz base but a more savoury finish with the Italian varietals poking through. The latter is a supertuscan style blend of sangiovese, cab sav and merlot, with dark sour cherries and powerful tannins. Needs time to develop, food too, but great potential.

I was happy to come across Majella too given the good press that has been receiving lately. However, my impression of the 05's is similar to that of the 04's in that some very good fruit seems to have been a bit spoiled by the amount of oak used. Maybe this will integrate with some time, but right now, I wouldn't describe it as a style I would go for.

OK, that's probably enough for now. Just remind me next time to leave my credit card at home

Cheers

Dave

[Duras]

This is my first post with information about bottles consumed, but only short notes this time. Over the last week or 10 days have opened...

2001 Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz
lovely drinking, soft meaty flavours. My favourite right now.

2004 Cleanskin Cabernet-Merlot (Kemenys)
ok as a quaffer. Not much on the nose, even after some time.

1995 Hardys Insignia Cab/Shiraz
corked

2002 Secret Garden Chardonnay
some aged characters, smooth honey toast but short.

2000 Wood Park Pinot Noir
distinctively pinot on the nose with some fruit remaining, but probably 2-3 years past prime.

2000 Classic McLaren La Testa Shiraz/Cab
Bought these on the recommendation of RB and maybe should have knocked them off sooner.

2000 Hay Shed Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Still got a few of these - having opened 4 I know to give them plenty of time after double decanting, even better on day 2. Nice easy drinking but not much on the nose.

1990 Chateau Reynella Cabernet Sauvignon
have carted a case of these around since buying from Cellarmasters back in early '90s. A bit past it now and this was my last.

1980 Balgownie Estate Hermitage
interesting.

2003 Binder Mitchell Dovetail SGM
An HFW wine - "plum and spice of shiraz with the berry and gamey characters of Grenache and Mouvedre". Pleasant enough but an early drinking style lacking some flavour.

PeterS

[Anonymous]

The favourite wines tasted were 05 Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz and 05 Te Mata Bullnose.Syrah Polar opposites in style but both super wines. I'd much rather drink the Bullnose at the moment though. Very classy wine.
GW

We tried the 05 Bullnose at an offline recently. My notes said: The typical “white pepper” nose of cool climate shiraz was unmistakable. This was an elegant, medium bodied wine. There was attractive spice and pepper on the palate. It was beautifully balanced with some silky tannins to finish. Looking lovely.
"Classy wine" indeed.

[Maximus]

D'Arenberg Soils Series 2002 - none stood out as exceptional however 'heavy sand on loam' (I think) was memorable for it's extraordinarily poo-ey nose and nice palate. Others struck with high levels of acid and tannin but fruit failing.

Wayno, can you tell me more about these "Soils Series" wines from d'Arenberg? Were they a special trial/experiment conducted with identical viticulture and variables kept as consistent as possible, except for the soil? I'm intrigued and a tragic soils geek.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache 2002
Very dark, quite hot and a touch imbalanced. Black fruit characters. In the Penfolds big style and not particularly Grenache-like. A weaker bottle than some of my previous ones but I suspect may soften up in time. A big, uncoordinated wine.

This is somewhat concerning. I bought a six pack on release (at bargain basement pricing) and loved it then. Still loved it 15 months ago when I had my last bottle, but I do have three to go. I think it's always had that warm palate fruit, but I never found it hot. What about bottle provenance and all that? Though if Ian has found the same thing, I may have to start drinking up.

Baltasar Garnacha 2003
Savoury, meaty characters exhibiting lots of Old World style but a good rush of fruit and undergrowth obvious. Very much medium bodied and drinkable.

IMO, this is one of the best value Grenache money can buy. The tempranillo from Baltasar is just as good, though someone chunkier and more savoury. Have you tried the '04 yet?

Cheers,

[GraemeG]

2003 Chatto Hunter Shiraz [screwcap, 14%, ~$35]
Deep purple colour. Intense nose of ripe black fruits with earthen character. Like a coal mine filled with iodine. Tight-wound palate, fine tannins, nothing out of place, not over-fruited, but just dripping with class. Keep for a while longer and watch it blossom. Another great Hunter red.

2001 Tardieu Laurent St Joseph
A handsome mid-red with no bricking. It was served blind, and the intital oddly-candied aromas led to be suspect some southern Rhone grenache. The longer it sat, the more bretty it became, with classic used band-aid/horse-hair aromas coming to dominate. I don't recall much of the palate; it wasn't especially offensive, but really this wine is a bit extreme. Pass.

2002 Torbreck The Descendent Shiraz-Viognier (Barossa) [cork, 14.5%]
This followed the St Joseph, also blind, and signalled its warm-climate, new-world origins loud and clear. I didn't initially pick the viognier (oops), but in retrospect its exotic contribution to the nose is obvious. A big warm cuddly wine, nicely balanced, with a general feeling of restraint, of power held in check. Good rich finish of decent length, all still quite youthful and undeveloped at the moment. Wait.

2001 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra) [cork, 14%, $25]
Still very deep red/purple colour. A classy nose of very ripe cabernet fruit, overlaid with a lot of oak; good oak, to be sure, but plenty of it. The palate still packs plenty of punch but has loosened up a bit over the last few years. Moderate tannins, decent length; it's never going to be mistaken for anything other than Australian, but there's nothing wrong with that. Good wine, worth holding a bit longer, but I wouldn't expect any great complexity. Actually, that sounds harsh - it's good value for money and no-one could complain that the wine under-delivers, especially considering the vintage...

2004 Lark Hill Chardonnay (Canberra) [screwcap, 13%, $28]
Deep yellow, yet still showing a flash of green. The nose is at the cashew/fig/nut end of the spectrum, with subtle oak, and a distinct cool climate aspect. Tight palate, with taut cut of acid, stone-fruit flavours, and a handsome even finish. Getting better as it ages, no doubt has some time to go.

cheers,
Graeme

[Red Bigot]

2000 Classic McLaren La Testa Shiraz/Cab
Bought these on the recommendation of RB and maybe should have knocked them off sooner.

I suspect you mean Ric (TORB), he has positive TN on these two on his site, I've only ever mentioned the 2000 Cabernet as a possible auction buy (November 2004). I didn't buy the 2000 Shiraz (nor did Ric I think), I did buy some of the Cabernet and the last one I had last year looked OK for 2-3 more years yet.

[Wayno]

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache 2002
Very dark, quite hot and a touch imbalanced. Black fruit characters. In the Penfolds big style and not particularly Grenache-like. A weaker bottle than some of my previous ones but I suspect may soften up in time. A big, uncoordinated wine.

The last couple of times I've tried this in the last year the alcohol was far more obvious, and I'm beginning to wonder if that will be this wine's undoing in the long run?

While it didn't appear searingly hot the end effect was you say 'uncoordinated' or clumsy. Do you think this will get better or actually worse with a few more years under the belt?

Cheers,
Ian

I suspect a bit of time will help it as there was plenty of everything there, just all a bit out of whack. Certainly the bottles I've had previously were better than this but it's always been a wine on the bigger side and when tasted against the others we had, this also made it appear big and clumsy, not finessed like some of the more classic Grenache styles. In time I suspect it will settle into place and will try another in six months or so.

[Wayno]

D'Arenberg Soils Series 2002 - none stood out as exceptional however 'heavy sand on loam' (I think) was memorable for it's extraordinarily poo-ey nose and nice palate. Others struck with high levels of acid and tannin but fruit failing.

Wayno, can you tell me more about these "Soils Series" wines from d'Arenberg? Were they a special trial/experiment conducted with identical viticulture and variables kept as consistent as possible, except for the soil? I'm intrigued and a tragic soils geek.

Penfolds Cellar Reserve Grenache 2002
Very dark, quite hot and a touch imbalanced. Black fruit characters. In the Penfolds big style and not particularly Grenache-like. A weaker bottle than some of my previous ones but I suspect may soften up in time. A big, uncoordinated wine.

This is somewhat concerning. I bought a six pack on release (at bargain basement pricing) and loved it then. Still loved it 15 months ago when I had my last bottle, but I do have three to go. I think it's always had that warm palate fruit, but I never found it hot. What about bottle provenance and all that? Though if Ian has found the same thing, I may have to start drinking up.

Baltasar Garnacha 2003
Savoury, meaty characters exhibiting lots of Old World style but a good rush of fruit and undergrowth obvious. Very much medium bodied and drinkable.

IMO, this is one of the best value Grenache money can buy. The tempranillo from Baltasar is just as good, though someone chunkier and more savoury. Have you tried the '04 yet?

Cheers,

Don't know a whole lot about the Soils series other than it's three batches of grapes, each from three different vineyard areas, made in exactly the same way, to demonstrate the particular 'soil' terroir. It was an interesting exercise and demonstrated the effect that the soil type has. It reminded me in a way of trying wines from different Burgundy villages (ie. Volnay vs Pommard etc) and the dramatic differences. They were all three quite different wines. Not sure if this 'experiment' has been carried on again by D'arenberg?

The Penfolds did have a bit of heat but probably not as much as I made it out. In retrospect, it was more awkward and imbalanced than anything else. I do think (hope) it will settle in time as there was plenty of fruit, acid, tannin, structure etc still in it. As I noted above, it was similar to the previous bottles I've had but not entirely representative.

[michaelw]

1998 Wynns Coonwarra (White Label) Shiraz: This was a great, honest drop upon release and a few years later. I opened one on Friday night and decanted it. The nose was full of lovely fruit characters and seemed to be in harmony - not one character overpowering the whole bouquet.

Drinking this wine was another matter. There were no fruit characteristics on the palate and barely any tastes at all. I was most upset and hoped upon hope that it would open up over the next couple of hours/overnight. No such luck.

I have another couple of bottles left and am wondering if the wine has had its day in the sun or if that was an ordinary bottle.

Anybody else tried this recently with a different result?

[tpang]

This should technically be in another thread as I spent sunday cleaning the apt, but I met with Joe Cz on Saturday, popped a couple of bottles and dragged him through a fat arse chook parma at the corner gastropub.

Earlier, I had tasted the 05 Craggy Range Sophia and Gimblett Merlot, thought they were abit out of structure, acidity abit out of whack and I know I prefer the 04s.

Also had the 05 Cullen Diane Madeline Cab Merlot and the 04 Moss Wood Cab Sauv blend. Both are very soft and complex wines, I think the Moss Wood is drinking better now, but the Cullen might be able to go further. I'd stock up on them if they weren't so expensive!

The 05 Balnaves Tally was a good drink too, but having it immediately after the above wines, I thought it was too much of a jump in oomph.

Met Joe Cz at the James Squires pub for a couple of pints later in the day, before we have the 04 Torbreck Descendent and a 1996 Ojai Bien Nacido Syrah. The Ojai had a touch of brett, still holds its vibracy as a mature wine, very subtle and nice. The Descendent was just a punch of blueberry and dark, sweet fruit.

[Damo961]

I had a Wynns 2001 (while label) shiraz the other night
Was taken to a restaurant for a casual meal so no decanting and fairly ordinary glasses.

Was nicely balanced and integrated. The large mouth-filling flavours have mellowed. Dark berries on the palate blending nicely with fine tannins and resulting in a nice long flavour.

Not a great wine - but certainly good drinking and well worth the price.
I have 2 more and made a mental note to drink them in the near future as I suspect it might well head downhill before too much longer.

[Michael McNally]

Don't know a whole lot about the Soils series other than it's three batches of grapes, each from three different vineyard areas, made in exactly the same way, to demonstrate the particular 'soil' terroir. It was an interesting exercise and demonstrated the effect that the soil type has. It reminded me in a way of trying wines from different Burgundy villages (ie. Volnay vs Pommard etc) and the dramatic differences. They were all three quite different wines. Not sure if this 'experiment' has been carried on again by D'arenberg?

Tried a similar threesome at the Brisbane Wine Festival on Friday. Chateau Tanunda have three Barossa Shiraz for separate sub-regions that have been treated in exactly the same manner in the winery. The Ebeneezer was quite restrained and floral; the Greenock was muscular and darker; the Lyndoch was simply gutsy yummy Barossa at its best. All three were excellent though at around $40 retail not sensational VFM.

[GraemeG]

1998 Wynns Coonwarra (White Label) Shiraz: This was a great, honest drop upon release and a few years later. I opened one on Friday night and decanted it. The nose was full of lovely fruit characters and seemed to be in harmony - not one character overpowering the whole bouquet.

Drinking this wine was another matter. There were no fruit characteristics on the palate and barely any tastes at all. I was most upset and hoped upon hope that it would open up over the next couple of hours/overnight. No such luck.

I have another couple of bottles left and am wondering if the wine has had its day in the sun or if that was an ordinary bottle.

Anybody else tried this recently with a different result?

From my post of May 23rd - a recent tasting and two old ones. Now I know who ignores my postings...
Short answer is I don't believe your bottle was typical.

1998 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz {cork, 13.5%}
(Jun02) Quite a deep red. A nose of pepper & spice. A light-medium bodied wine with spicy fruit. Perhaps a little simple on the palate (how much of the best fruit went into Michael?) and possibly even a little stalky & extractive. Reasonable balance, although the finish is a little short.
(Sep 05) Still a bright, quite deep red. Much sediment. Smoothly peppery nose with lifted spice notes. Light-medium weight on palate, with only soft grape tannins remaining. The mid-palate is it’s strength, but the palate balance is generally not bad. Not a long finish, but balanced. Opinion evenly split on whether it deserves more than another 2 years.
(May07) Now nicely aged, the developing nose offers soft spicy notes. Low-medium acidity gives gentle mouthfeel, coupled with low-level tannins. Aging, warm spicy shiraz fruit has developed that classic sweet-candy characteristic that so many Oz wines show with age. Only medium bodied, but attractive layering across the palate gives a satisfying medium length finish. Ready to drink.

[mattECN]

Quiet week on the wine front, the Bay of Fires was a highlight of the week:

2005 Bay of Fires Pinot Noir (Tasmania), $35 ex Cellar Door

The wine was very good on opening but about an hour in the decanter really saw this wine open up nicely. A medium bodied wine, displaying dark fruits, good structure/complexity and length. The palate was very attractive with dark cherries, touch of musk, well judged oak, very good tannin and acidity. Overall a very good wine. This is drinking well now but I am not sure it is one for the medium term however it should be good to drink over the next 2 years. Was a prefect match with Roast Rack of Lamb and Stuffed Tomatoes.

2003 Peter Lehmann Clancey’s Red. This was left at our place, no wonder why, this was average at best. Thin weedy, green. PASS.

2004 McGuigan Black Label Shiraz (US export Label). Again left at our place. This stuff is ribbeana juice. Over ripe, sweet, lacking any real structure. What I would call this a ‘bonfire’ wine - Drink it from plastic cups around a bonfire to get pissed.

2005 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz

After the above wine, this looked the goods (anything would really), although to me it was displaying slightly over ripe, almost confectionary characteristics about it. It had reasonably good structure, length and touch of spice (which I enjoyed). A nice enough wine for $11.

[Partagas]

Sorry no t notes

Brown Brothers Patricia Shiraz 2002 - Superb 94/100 even better in 5

Voyager Cab/Merl 2003 - Every bit as good as write ups. An extremely classy wine with greatness in every way (nose, palette, mouth feel, length). This should IMO age into an beauty. 94-95+/100 in 5+ years.

[DJ]

2004 Ingoldby Shiraz
Ouch - why oh why did I buy a case without a sample bottle, 01, 02 and 03 punched above their weight but I really find this a let down. Nothing technically wrong just the fruit quality is down and the tanin balance out of joint. Its sole redeeming feature is that it is a food wine to open when we are trying to be kind to the waist line and budget and only have half a bottle a night Passable but not recommended

2006 Rockford Alicante Bouchet
That's better not a serious wine but so drinkable

1991 Lindemans Steven Shiraz
Fully mature old Hunter Shiraz. I am heading towards preferring a little more primary fruit but a good wine which should hold for some time.

1996 Penfolds Bin 389
Just what was called for on Friday night after a hell week. Can't remember anything other than was enjoyable

1998 Charles Melton Shiraz
Wonder if this was ever so slightly corked. The wine was good showing potential to get better but the cork itself smelt musty

[jester]

Penfolds Bin 28 1998 - Cruising along just fine, as many have noted previously not quite up to the quality of the 1996 but still a very good wine in it's own right. Plenty of fruit and subtle spicy oak with softening tannins. Will not open another for a year or so, plenty left in the tank.

Tyrells Belford Semillon 1997 - Very nice, showing some colour development. On the palate a little bit of butter with some lemon and soap, still plenty of acid backbone. Will last a while.

Taylors St Andrews Shiraz 1998 - Really bloody nice. A very creamy oak driven wine with lashings of blackberry, liquorice and chocolate. My last bottle, I may be wrong but feel the oak may become more prominent in years to come. Really plush and throughly delicious on this showing.

[Craig(NZ)]

Earlier, I had tasted the 05 Craggy Range Sophia and Gimblett Merlot, thought they were abit out of structure, acidity abit out of whack and I know I prefer the 04s.

i thought it was a well put together, elegant wine, but im with you; i think i like the perverted nature of the 04s will the piles of everything

[michaelw]

2004 Gibson Shiraz: Well the nose again was slightly closed but some fruit. The palate was structured with ripe fruit but not sweet. Oak in the background. Copious tannin. Excellent.

I haven't touched this yet, and by the sounds of this note there is no rush. I've been rapt with the previous vintages as well.

[rednut]

2002 Mouthpiece Shiraz
Lovely plums on the palate with fruity aftertaste that lingers. Good value.

2004 Two Hands Angels Share Shiraz
Deep purple in colour with tastes of chocolate and blackcurrants

[tpang]

The favourite wines tasted were 05 Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz and 05 Te Mata Bullnose.Syrah Polar opposites in style but both super wines. I'd much rather drink the Bullnose at the moment though. Very classy wine.
GW

Gary, have you tried the 05 Kalleske Grenache?
I only got my hands on a single bottle and can't jusify busting it yet, but I opened 1 of the 2 grenaches and it was super. But for some odd reason, aromatically, it took be back to the 03 Johann Georg.. can't give any rational explanation.

[Gary W]

The favourite wines tasted were 05 Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz and 05 Te Mata Bullnose.Syrah Polar opposites in style but both super wines. I'd much rather drink the Bullnose at the moment though. Very classy wine.
GW

Gary, have you tried the 05 Kalleske Grenache?
I only got my hands on a single bottle and can't jusify busting it yet, but I opened 1 of the 2 grenaches and it was super. But for some odd reason, aromatically, it took be back to the 03 Johann Georg.. can't give any rational explanation.

It is on the bench scheduled for sometime in the next few weeks or alternately on a whim.
GW

[Wayno]

and earlier in the week:

Wynns Johnsons Block Cab Shiraz 2003
Have enjoyed this previously but this blighter was corked and only the barest of fruit character was discernable below the blanket of dull cork taint.

Excellent service from Wynns, call back and replacement bottle on it's way for this. Much appreciated.