The post Christmas sales are on, but save your money and buy wine instead.
By now the Turkey (including leftovers) should just about all be gone and life will be returning to normal, so there is no excuse for not telling us all what you have been drinking. Hopefully some really good stuff on Christmas day, so please tellk us all about it. Lists, vibes and tasting notes all welcome.
Christmas Day
Delatite Demelza Sparkling 2003 Good start to proceedings. A lovely, juicy and characterful wine made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Yarra Burn vintage sparkling Rose 2004 OK. Seemed a touch drier style than the Demelza, but then it also lacked interest for me.
Yellowglen Perle Rose A long while since I'd tasted a Yellowglen Perle wine. This one apparently a special release made for one of the large retailers. Much drier than I was expecting. Still not an earth moving experience for me.
Kumeu River Chardonnay 1998 (magnum) Dead set golden in colour. Opened up nicely showing sizzled butter and vague mineral aromas. The palate was rather good, but perhaps lacking a little in presence. A very interesting wine, and still in pretty good nick, but I wouldn't be holding on if I had any left.
Spring Vale Pinot Noir 2002 Quite a stunning nose to this with piercing cherry/small berries. A little secondary development, but not really that much in the grand scheme of things. Years left in this wine.
Petaluma Riesling 1999 Showing some development, but I actually found this quite a lot more subdued aromatically than what I was expecting. A touch of kero, and quite sound.
Mc Williams Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz 1991 Good aromas. Unmistakeable Hunter dirty leather, and that omnipresent touch of brettanomyces. Still fruit there, but unfortunately the palate just didn't come up to the standard of other recent bottles of this wine. Ah well, three more to go, and no need to wait...
De Bortoli Noble One 1996 Dark amber in colour. Took a little opening up, but turned out to be quite superb.
A couple of beers 'tween lunch and dinner...Kirin, and one other...
A tiring but enjoyable day !
Last night we had a bottle of the Symphonia Alborino 2008 which was lovely. Nice zesty acidity, and good clear citrus aromatics.
We also opened the Di Giorgio Francesco Cab.Sauv 2000, which showed nice tobaccoey, cedar characters. Plenty of fruit there, but well laced with steady development. Juicy tannins. Will go for a few more years yet. Quite a well balanced wine.
Primo Estate The Red NV. First for me but wouldn't rave. Lacking in bubbles and complexity. But I am on a Cabernet journey at the moment.
Houghtons 2001 MR Cabernet Sauvignon. Really nice after 2 hours and will improve further.
Grandfather Port. Nectar.
Seppelts 1982 Vintage Port. Very nice.
Too many others to remember. It's a bit of a blur.
Chuck
Your worst game of golf is better than your best day at work
Reilly's Sparkling Mad NV Sparkling Shiraz which had huge gobs of ripe Clare Valley fruit with a creamy leasy finish, persistent fine bead, and a lovely soft persistent pink mousse and at $14 a bottle made the
Rockford Black (? 2006 disg) we had with the evening meal of leftover jumbo prawns and home baked ham look very poor value for the money. By comparison it was a bit light on for fruit and lighter body and seemed a coarser wine altogether.
Wehl's Mt Benson Sauvignon Blanc 2006, a SB that even I can drink and get some enjoyment out of. Lovely expression of the fruit without the ghastly presence of asparagus/cats piss. Just lovely tropical fruits and a hint of minerality.
Mitolo GAM 2004, started well, huge sweet black berry/fruit nose and palate but then just became too much and about an 1/8th of the bottle was left untouched.
Jim Barry McRae Wood 2002, great nose but disappointingly short palate. If the nose had been flatter I would have thought a touch of TCA but I think it was just the wine. Disappointing.
Greenock Creek Alices Block 2002, a horse of a different safari to the McRae Wood. Huge nose and a huge full body palate with a persistent finish.
NV Moet & Chandon Champagne Quite fresh but also for my tastes maybe a bit bland. Usual yeasty bready notes with a touch of lemon.
I was driving (all over Sydney) so that was it for lunch. Then off to the outlaws with a 1991 Seppet Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz Full of Brett but drinkable. Deep purple with red edges but strong band aids with a core of purple fruit. Disappointing to be honest.
However things were looking up on Boxing Day with a 97 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz Finally picked a winner with this one. Lovely sweet falvour profile with complex blackcurrent jubes and some plums. Very much the wine of the week and possibly the month (if i could just remember what else I've drunk recently). Thanks Finney!
02 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz Got a bit confused here as I thought I had the 02 and 05 in the fridge but turns out it was the 02 and 98. Anyway, this seemed very simple in comparison to the Leasingham. Obviously a lot younger too. Still a fine drink but paled into insignificance after the previous wine but we all managed to get it down some how.
98 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz This opened much better than the 02. I guess the extra time really does make quite a big difference. Much more depth of flavour, a bit sweeter and certainly more complex. Nice core of blue black fruits.
Didn't end up having a Black Shiraz after all that as when cleaning up the house for the guests, I hid the bikes in the cellar and put them all in front of the rockford stack making it all too hard to bother to get them out.
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
BTW Ric, I bought a 10 kg monster turkey so the end of the leftovers is nowhere in sight. There was at least half the bird left after 18 people had a go on Boxing day. I'm officially on a turkey and ham diet for at least the next week and possibly even longer. Our dog, Wizz, is very happy about this state of affairs but being a Min Pin / Chiuaua cross (emphasis on the cross) he doesn't eat enough to make a real dent.
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
Moet & Chandon Vintage Champagne 1996: yum, excellent bubbly;
Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Moscato 2008: nice fizzy drink on a hot summer day, fairly sweet;
Alkoomi Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007: good crisp summer wine;
Penfolds Bin 28 1998: the beautiful sunshine of South Australia...;
Wynns John Riddoch 1994: excellent wine, still very youthful with lots of gutsy tannins over dark cassis fruit;
Fairbrosson Estate Pedro Ximenez: although not having the greatest complexity I still loved it very much - delicious dessert wine (winery in the Perth Hills, Bickley Valley; PX grapes from Swan Valley).
Penfold Grange 1983 Excellent. May be better in 10-15 years
Henschke Hill of Grace 1985 Probably red WOTY for me. Much lighter but more complex and balanced than the Grange right now. Drink now. The Grange may well outshine it in time.
Rockford Basket Press 1996 Not a great bottle- partly oxidised. This is usually a great wine, let down by its seal in this instance.
Richmond Grove Limited Release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 Very typical and very good Coonawarra Cab. I think it has potential to improve over the next few years.
Rockford Black Shiraz (Disgorged Sep 05) Excellent right now.
Rockford Basket Press 1997 Excellent. At its peak.
Brands Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 Very good. Typical. Drink over next 4-5 years.
Stonehaven Limited Release Shiraz 1998 Very good. Will try again in 2-3 years.
Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 1999 Excellent. Typical. This still tastes very fresh and could possibly go another 5-10 years. I don't think it is quite at its peak yet, but it depends on your tastes. Still has lots of citrus character and fresh acidity.
Yalumba Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2007 Excellent
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV Good, if a little uninteresting in this group.
Apart from the disappointment with the BP 96, it was a great Christmas for wine overall.
"It is very hard to make predictions, especially about the future." Samuel Goldwyn
2006 Disgorgement Rockford Black Sparkling Shiraz: 93/100. I remember this being sweet on release. It is a different wine now. Lovely. (Different impresion to Dave above)
2007 Seppelt Drumborg Jaluka Chardonnay: 90/100. Balanced, deep but a hint boring. Will improve.
2006 De Bortoli Estate Chardonnay: 92/100. Balanced, impressive very fine chalky structure. Will improve.
2003 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling: 92/100. Ready but will still improve.
1998 Houghton’s White Burgundy: 92/100. Ready.
I have listed the above more for my future recollection than to provide any meaningful analysis. If anyone really is interested and wants to know more about a wine, let me know.
Loads over xmas and boxing day, but the memorable ones were
Maglieri Steve 1997 Shiraz Lovely rich shiraz right in it's drinking window. Still a fair amount of oak evident but meshed in well with the fruit.
Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz 1998 No brett evident in this one just a lovely complex FRS.
Leasingham Classic Clare Cab Sav 1998 had this alongside the
Henshke Cyril 2000 Both lovely wines but the Cyril showed its class with better balance and depth, top showing from a lesser vintage.
Glen
Winner of the inaugural RB cork-count competition
Runner up RB-NTDIR competition
Runner up TORB TN competition
Leave of absence second RB c-c competition
Jean Foillard Morgon 2007 - looking super...great transparency....the soils in Morgon comprise of decomposing schists as opposed to the granitic goodness found in the other Cru's and wines from Morgon display a definate thumbprint which makes them standout in a blind tasting...the wines also display the most depth of fruit of any of the other Beaujolais crus.
Jean Foillard Morgon Courcellette 2007 - this one parcel actually is on a patch of granitic soil and is bottled seperately from his other offerings....a little finer, not as broody but still with great crunchy gamay fruit and a precise drive across the palate.
Jean Foillard Morgon Cote de Py 2007 - wild cherries, soft spices, iron and rich earthy overtones with a waft of calvados....super wine with great depth of fruit and a solid but harmonious flowing structure.
Domaine Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 2007 - excellent...consumed with some friends over Yum Cha at Ding Hao in Adelaide yesterday(food was super!!)..... from east facing slopes and granitic shingles of Fleurie....the Chignard has only just rocked up into Australia for the first time...same gear as the Kermit Lynch bottling....a little finer than the Morgons above...showing more perfume and less power. Lovely fragrant fruit.
Pierre Gonon St Joseph 2006 - I've got to get some more of this...super pure fruit and a brilliant structure....Pierre and Jean Gonon are one of the superstars of the region and produce earthy, old-school St Joseph with great structure and freshness.
Domaine Gramenon La Sagesse 2006 - this Cotes du Rhone producer is just super sick and makes some of the best straight Genache wines I've tasted recently.....these are wines that bear no resemblence to other Cote du Rhones.....concentrated and heady.....super ripe, pure fruit from old Grenache vines many over 100 years old, no fining or filtration, no sulphur, no pumps, old wood = bloody super wines
Marc Brocard Meursault 2002 - pretty developed colour but very nice soft peachy fruit, spice and oatmeal with a nice lingering finish in the mouth.
Stonecroft Syrah 2004? - enjoyed this....meaty and peppery...I've had a few '04 Hawkes Bay Syrah recently and I eckon the vintage looks pretty smart.
Gunn Estate Syrah 2004 - from the same sort of mould as the Stonecroft but a little rougher around the edges...still a very nice wine.
A few other bits and pieces.... a Wolf Blass Grey Label that was a bit oak %#^$@ed.... a Jeraboam of Jacobs Creek sparkling that wasn't too bad with a bit of Creme de Cassis dosage, some back vintage Teusner gear that looked really smart, some nice savoury Spinifex Rose and a very smart new riesling from Larry Cherubino.
Ohh and Xmas day wines.......
Larmandier Bernier Terre de Vertus
Rockford Black shiraz magnum 97 Dis
Radford Riesling magnums 2008
Radford Riesling 2005
FX Pichler Loibner Frauenweingarten Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2007
Pra Soave 2007
Domaine de la Vougeraie Bonne Mares 2005
Domaine Prieure-Roch Vosne Romanee Les Clous 2005
Jean Foillard Morgon Cotes de Py 2007
Domaine Pegau CNdP Cuvee Reservee 2005
Edwards & Chaffey Section 353 Cab Sauv 1998
GRB wrote:Loads over xmas and boxing day, but the memorable ones were
Maglieri Steve 1997 Shiraz Lovely rich shiraz right in it's drinking window. Still a fair amount of oak evident but meshed in well with the fruit.
[ Glen
I had a 1999 version of this and couldn't believe how lovely it was. I got 6 in 2006 and opened one without being too impressed but the Xmas wine was glorious.
1997 Peter Lehmann Stonewell - opened this and was sure it was corked but of course you can't successfully ring up the winery and plead for another one on Xmas day. However it was just tricking me (not hard) and 4 hours later turned into quite a nice wine without any trace of wet socks. Still probably not worth the $60 bucks someone spent 4 years ago buying it for my 50th.
2000 Cathcart Ridge Estate Grampians Merlot - a wine made for the crown roast of lamb; beautifuly balanced, minty, fruit that hits just the right spot and leaves an aftertaste you can bask in.
Luke
If you can remember what a wine is like the next day you didn't drink enough of it Peynaud
2007 Dalrymple Sauvignon Blanc Up there with the best Aussie SB in my opinion. Grassy without being overtly herbaceous, just a dash of mulchy funk, passionfruit and waxy stonefruits. Great in the mouth, really nice texture, I'm presuming a little time in oak, and soft acids that just keep on truckin down the back palate. Improved with time out of the chilly bin.
Bleasedale Sparlking Shiraz First bottle was great. So was the second. Third bottle was almost as good as the first. Cant remember much about the fourth...
2005 Louis Pinot Noir Freycinet's second label I think. A big plush style, plum and cherry fruit, with cinammon and nutmeg spice. Slightly raspy oak, rich through the middle, and a touch of heat. Lacking in a little finesse, but tres gulpable, and weighs in at a hefty 14.5%
2003 Cullen Mangan A little anonymous at first but coaxed out some blackberry, prune, spice, earth and undergrowth characters. A bony structure, suggesting another 5-6 years won't go astray.
Last edited by roughred on Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:22 am, edited 2 times in total.
Leeuwin Art Series Chard 2005,... Excellent again..Was worried when I saw someone said it had closed down recently but (thankfully) this hadnt...97 Points
Neudorf Moutere Chard NZ 2005,... Another Excellent Chard with lots of creamy complexity but probably the sweetness not balanced enough for mine (if I am been picky) which I probably am given it was drunk the same night as the Leeuwin....94 Points
Kooyong Meres Pinot 2003 Diam,...Not a fan, Too much bitter fruit and none of those lovely pinot flavours...I beleive theyve really hit their straps with the latest releases....85points
Very nice balance and good length. Mouthwatering acid. Strong acid but in balance, strong phenolics, very powerful palate, needs more time. Would suit fattier foods. (There is considerable bottle variation in the 1993 Triolet, we had to open a few bottles to find a good one, must have been a bad batch of corks. We have found this on other occasions with the 1993 Chardonnay as well)
I keep drinking this wine over three days. There is not much deterioration. Its qualities are growing on me, enabling me to overlook its deficient aspects. Hard to rate with points. 87/100 if pushed, maybe more.
