Last Sunday before Christmas

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

It's peak silly season time so you should all have been doing lots'a drinkin'.

Please let us all know what you have been consuming. Tasting notes, vibes, impressions or lists welcome.

[Nayan]

"Last Sunday Before Christmas"??

TORB, you're really getting ahead of yourself this time...

[n4sir]

Jumping the gun a little Ric - then again you did say it was the peak of silly season!

I struck three cheap Spanish duds during the week - luckily they were freebies, but they aren't exactly inspiring my confidence in the importer either:

2000 Valdevi Tinto Maduardo En Roble, Toro: Medium crimson/brick. Another budget Spanish wine with a crappy composite cork with accompanying TCA taint. In this case maybe it’s no big deal – how good could a wine be that has “matured in oak” (and American at that) as part of its title?

2003 Masia Hill Tempranillo Ull De LLebre, Penedes: Medium red. Another budget Spanish wine with a crappy composite cork stuffed with TCA. I can see a pattern evolving here…

NV Campo Burgo Vino Tinto, Rioja: Before opening this Spanish trio this Tempranillo Grenache blend was the I had my biggest doubts about, but despite having another crappy composite cork at least it wasn’t TCA effected. Light brick red colour. Bright and slightly funky nose with minty/meaty overtones lifted by sweet Grenache, and brought down by bilgy old oak. The palate’s lightweight with minty/meaty characters with a porty sweetness, finishing with that same bilgy old oak. Bloody ordinary, but at least it’s barely drinkable.


Cheers,
Ian

[griff]

2002 Schloss Liesen Kabinett
Zesty lime meringue on the nose. Rich, intense palate of spritzy red apple sherbet with some earthiness and spice for additional interest. Crisp finish that lingers. Even better the next day. 50g residual apparently. Excellent.

cheers

Carl

EDIT: AP # 2 589314 3 03

[Daryl Douglas]

Tahbilk Roussanne 04 Still quite a light colour with a light gold hue. Honeysuckle and citrus aromas, on the palate it is quite fullbodied, good mouthfeel, orange marmalade moving through to a dry, citrussy finish with just the slightest hint of bitterness. Very nice, mouthfilling wine showing some aged characters but still reasonably fresh, it'd probably cellar for another couple of years but it's aged enough for me.

Cheers

daz

[Wayno]

Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1998
Not as impressive as some of the other bottles I've had of this but good nonetheless. Nice core of sweet berry fruit, slightly rustic, rough-around-the-edges palate with decent length. Good, medium-weight uber-quaffer.

St Hallett Faith Shiraz 2006
On the good side of confected - some Barossa character evident but altogether a fairly sweet full frontal assault, with a lick of oak and notes of bubblegum, musk and boiled lollies. OK.

Seppelt Sparkling Shiraz 2002
In good shape, a pleasant savoury streak running through it, certainly not overpowering and quite well balanced. Textural bead.

[bacchaebabe]

NV Joseph Sparkling Red I'm pretty certain this was disgorged in 06. Deep red with purple tinges. Fine mousse. Deep plum and current flavours. Finely integrated tannins. Drinking very well indeed. Just lovely. Will definitely have another one of these for Christmas.

06 Bowen Estate Shiraz We decanted this while drinking the Joseph as I was thinking it was a little young to be drinking just now. It was a gift to one of our dining companions who decided to drink it pretty well straight away. Not sure how much the air time made a difference but this was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful blackcurrent nuances, perfect medium body and barely noticable tannins. Very easy to drink and surprisingly approachable right now.

02 Mount Mary Chardonnay Starting to yellow a little now but still bright and clear. Cashews and hazlenuts on the nose. A classic aged chardonnay just starting to mellow. Still quite linear though. Good time to start drinking these but no rush with a couple of years ahead of it still.

94 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz Deep red with brick tinges. A little musty and forest floor/mushrooms on the nose. Lost the primary fruit characters on the palate so tasting more like a very fine aged wine than any particular characteristic. Still a good medium body and excellent complexity and good length. Probably at the far edge of it's drinking window but very enjoyable none the less.

99 Torbreck The Steading Obviously a lot more fruity and vibrant after the Graveyard. Dense core of black fruits and sweet raspberries. Drinking probably at its peak now. Very good wine.

A pretty good week for wine on top of a ridiculously large number of Coronas and other assorted beers and wines I can't remember. The silly season is in full swing in my life.

[Waiters Friend]

Given the silly season, I've been drinking surprisingly little. Unfortunately, most of that has been 'out', at social occasions where beer is the predominant tipple, its not BYO, and the host has thrown a couple of Houghton's cheapies into the esky to keep the women happy

So, the highlight has been a Pewsey Vale Riesling 2008, with my teriyaki chicken and stirfry, and I'm currently supping a Jacobs Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2006 as a quaffer.

Next week should be better!

Allan

[Sean]

deleted

[TORB]

Bah and Humbug! I just wish it was over!!

Kris, re the Joseph, they now have the disgorgement date in tiny letters on the back label.

[roughred]

A few sweet things...

Torbreck 2005 'The Bothie'
Pleasant nose, with a honeyed tokay character, and some minty, menthol notes in the background. Well balanced sweetness, just pulls up a little short.

Wendouree 04/05 Muscat of Alexandria
Dried sultantas, and a confronting petro/chemical note which subsided after a while. Good acid/sweetness balance, but lacking a little freshness.

Domaine de Durban BDV 2005
A broader nose of raisins and honeyed fruits, and a dirtier brandy spirit character. Very much salvaged in the mouth. Great texture and viscosity, layers of fruit flavour, candied citrus, toffee apple, and a waxy honey note. Huge length and a clean drying finish.

Primitivo Quiles Moscatel
NV (I think!). Good intensity of dried fruits on the nose. Cleaner in the mouth than the nose suggests, with plenty of caramelised pineapple and cirtus fruit richness, and balancing acidity. Good length, and great value at about $16.

Rutherglen Estates BDV
Aromatic muscat fruit, with rose petal turkish delight and sweet citrus. Subtle sweetness, delicate with a soft mouthfeel and cleansing finish. A very pretty wine, quite distinctive from others in the tasting.


...and a swag of sparkling reds, with the clear standouts being the Brown Bros 2004 Sparkling Shiraz (CD release) and the Bleasedale NV Sparkling Shiraz. Will both feature prominently at my table over the coming weeks.

[pstarr]

Roughred, did you get the Brown Bros 2004 sparkling red recently from anywhere in particular? The CD has moved onto the 2006.

[Partagas]

Clairault 1996 reserve Cab Sav – Inky, rich, ripe and very good. Just about at its peak and still a couple more years to go.

Cape Mentelle 2004 Shiraz – Have had many and all were like this. Simply superb. Very fragrant medium full bodied with great finish.

Kalleske 2002 Greenock Shiraz – outstanding balance and structure. Elegant medium bodied in style. Would like to try the 2004 to compare (might be fuller).

[rednut]

1999 Greenock Creek Creek Block Shiraz

Well almost black mud best describes this. Strong earthy tones but opens up when left for a while. I should have left a bit longer.

2005 Greenck Creek Alices Shiraz

17.5 alc, very strong plum and berrys. Beautiful drop that gets better with air time. Almost too much alcohol though.

[Daryl Douglas]

Tahbilk Roussanne 08 Light straw colour, slow moving beads after swirling. Tropical fruits, a little flintiness and citrus on the nose. In the gob, the mouthfeel is viscous, the tropical fruits explode on the fore-mid palate moving to lime/lemon at the back, the softish acid with a reprise of the tropical fruits mingled with the citrus, providing very satisfying length on the finish. I think this is probably the best of the line that I've had and with only one bottle left, will get more. Highly recommended if you like the style - sauv blanc is swill by comparison.

daz

[Wayno]

Orlando Lawsons Shiraz 2003
Had this at a work lunch today. Terrific wine but perhaps not up to the high standard of other recent vintages. Lovely nose of mint, cherries, dark chocolate and red fruits with quality oak furnishing the fullsome and velvetine palate. Whilst the mint was there in this, as it is in other vintages, it did not seem as obvious, to me at least. Quality for sure but perhaps not made to last like the others but very drinkable.

[dlo]

NV Joseph Sparkling Red I'm pretty certain this was disgorged in 06. Deep red with purple tinges. Fine mousse. Deep plum and currant flavours. Finely integrated tannins. Drinking very well indeed. Just lovely. Will definitely have another one of these for Christmas.

02 Mount Mary Chardonnay Starting to yellow a little now but still bright and clear. Cashews and hazlenuts on the nose. A classic aged chardonnay just starting to mellow. Still quite linear though. Good time to start drinking these but no rush with a couple of years ahead of it still.

94 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz Deep red with brick tinges. A little musty and forest floor/mushrooms on the nose. Lost the primary fruit characters on the palate so tasting more like a very fine aged wine than any particular characteristic. Still a good medium body and excellent complexity and good length. Probably at the far edge of it's drinking window but very enjoyable none the less.

Cryptic typo in the Joseph TN.

I've tried my first one of the MM '02 recently. Lovely wine right in its prime with gold medal (18.5/93 points) written all over it.

Have you tried the '98 version of the Graveyard? I only bought three (the vintage was supposedly crash hot) but I haven't had the guts to open one yet.

[roughred]

Roughred, did you get the Brown Bros 2004 sparkling red recently from anywhere in particular? The CD has moved onto the 2006.

Actually despite being CD only it came from an e-tailer in Melbourne with a number of other single bottles I picked up. Not sure how they got hold of it, but didn't ask.

[bacchaebabe]

NV Joseph Sparkling Red I'm pretty certain this was disgorged in 06. Deep red with purple tinges. Fine mousse. Deep plum and currant flavours. Finely integrated tannins. Drinking very well indeed. Just lovely. Will definitely have another one of these for Christmas.

02 Mount Mary Chardonnay Starting to yellow a little now but still bright and clear. Cashews and hazlenuts on the nose. A classic aged chardonnay just starting to mellow. Still quite linear though. Good time to start drinking these but no rush with a couple of years ahead of it still.

94 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz Deep red with brick tinges. A little musty and forest floor/mushrooms on the nose. Lost the primary fruit characters on the palate so tasting more like a very fine aged wine than any particular characteristic. Still a good medium body and excellent complexity and good length. Probably at the far edge of it's drinking window but very enjoyable none the less.

Cryptic typo in the Joseph TN.

I've tried my first one of the MM '02 recently. Lovely wine right in its prime with gold medal (18.5/93 points) written all over it.

Have you tried the '98 version of the Graveyard? I only bought three (the vintage was supposedly crash hot) but I haven't had the guts to open one yet.

Ha, touche re the typo. Ric, why didn't you pick this up???

Haven't tried the 98 Graveyard. This was brought by my friend. I don't think I actually have any in the cellar and if I do it would be a single bottle somewhere. I've never bought any in bulk but I know I've been to the cellar door and may well have bought one then.

Ric, re the Jospeh disgorgement date, I left the bottle in the restaurant and all the other bottles are wrapped in red paper and I don't want to undo them BUT I do know I bought them two years ago so I'm pretty certain they are 06's.

[Red Bigot]

NV Joseph Sparkling Red I'm pretty certain this was disgorged in 06. Deep red with purple tinges. Fine mousse. Deep plum and currant flavours. Finely integrated tannins. Drinking very well indeed. Just lovely. Will definitely have another one of these for Christmas.

02 Mount Mary Chardonnay Starting to yellow a little now but still bright and clear. Cashews and hazlenuts on the nose. A classic aged chardonnay just starting to mellow. Still quite linear though. Good time to start drinking these but no rush with a couple of years ahead of it still.

94 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz Deep red with brick tinges. A little musty and forest floor/mushrooms on the nose. Lost the primary fruit characters on the palate so tasting more like a very fine aged wine than any particular characteristic. Still a good medium body and excellent complexity and good length. Probably at the far edge of it's drinking window but very enjoyable none the less.

Cryptic typo in the Joseph TN.

.

Ha, touche re the typo. Ric, why didn't you pick this up???

Because he needs a spell-checker and editor at the best of times.

[orpheus]

The Oak Barrel in Sydney, under new ownership, is holding various tastings.

Last night was a Moet and Veuve Clicquot night.

First was the Moet NV. I enjoyed it. Full-bodied and generous, mouth-filling, apricot and mealy/yeasty palate. Not great length or persistence, but not a bad champagne.

Second was the Veuve NV. It had good acidity, and citrus fruit on the palate, but was lacking in body, length, and complexity. This is the style that is often referred to as "elegant". I find it underwhelming.

Next was the Veuve 2002. THis was the WOTN by a long margin. Lovely caramelised orange, lemon, grapefruit peel palate, very lively in the mouth, and a long and tight, grapefruit finish.

Then there was the Moet Rose, which was unremarkable, followed by the Moet NEctar, which was, unfortunately I thought, served with a slice of lemon in it, but I don't think it would have been particularly interesting otherwise.

Very generous servings. The Oak Barrel "tastings" have been more like cocktail parties so far (the "tastings" flow fairly freely), long may it continue that way!

By the way, a vote was held to determine preference between the Moet and the Veuve. The Veuve won by a large margin, so "elegance" is in!

[griff]

The Oak Barrel in Sydney, under new ownership, is holding various tastings.

Last night was a Moet and Veuve Clicquot night.

First was the Moet NV. I enjoyed it. Full-bodied and generous, mouth-filling, apricot and mealy/yeasty palate. Not great length or persistence, but not a bad champagne.

Second was the Veuve NV. It had good acidity, and citrus fruit on the palate, but was lacking in body, length, and complexity. This is the style that is often referred to as "elegant". I find it underwhelming.

Next was the Veuve 2002. THis was the WOTN by a long margin. Lovely caramelised orange, lemon, grapefruit peel palate, very lively in the mouth, and a long and tight, grapefruit finish.

Then there was the Moet Rose, which was unremarkable, followed by the Moet NEctar, which was, unfortunately I thought, served with a slice of lemon in it, but I don't think it would have been particularly interesting otherwise.

Very generous servings. The Oak Barrel "tastings" have been more like cocktail parties so far (the "tastings" flow fairly freely), long may it continue that way!

By the way, a vote was held to determine preference between the Moet and the Veuve. The Veuve won by a large margin, so "elegance" is in!

The world has gone topsy-turvy with Veuve being described as an elegant champagne. I have to agree though and the style has changed! Had an aged one a couple of months ago and it was super with bready, yeasty, brassy character. Just reminded me what this batch is lacking.

Love the 2002 Veuve as well. Lovely intense fruit.

cheers

Carl