Sunday - only 60 shopping days till XMas....

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

Tis that time of the week yet again. Please let us know what you have been drinking over the past week. Tasting notes, vibes, lists, and impressions all welcome.

[Chuck]

Brands of Coonawarra 1994 Cabernet. A lucky dip from auction that paid full dividends. Cork was only slightly stained and after about an hour it was showing all those flavours of aged Coonawarra that I do love. However it was slipping very quickly during the last glass. Nice to catch a wine in its peak drinking window both in years and hours.

Some nice french fizz on Friday night to celebrate our daughter's last day at school. Next year ex one set of school fees we can move into a higher value wine bracket. Yeehaaa!!!

Chuck

[Wayno]

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2002
After some of the chatter recently about this one, I thought it timely to get one from the cellar to try. 'Porty' is probably a fair description although it's also silky, warming, viscous and delicious. Certainly not the balanced and poised critter that the 04 is and probably a touch more in common with the (only just) abberant 05, it was still very enjoyable and showed itself as a class and a half beyond it's bottle-mates on the night, following...

Orlando St Hugo Cabernet 2001
Green and herbal after the BP but opened up over the night, to progress from thin and weedy to suitably varietal, with more flesh apparent then on first opening. The mint/eucalypt was so obviously apparent and was unmistakably Coonawarra. In fair shape.

Kays Hillside Shiraz 2004
A slight disappointment on the night - this seemed to be lacking depth and the X factor that the BP so obviously demonstrated. Nothing special about this and I thought it would show more, given vintage and producer reputation. All that said, this was unmistakeably McLaren Vale.

[via collins]

Cuilleron "Les Serines" St Joseph 2006 A real winner from the cork pull, right through the meal. Rich berry fruit, lovely warm mouth feel, dark inky purple colour. Would love to have stuffed a bag with 'em.

Chateau de Corcelles Beaujolais Villages 2007 Lovely BJ, just a cut above the average, well worth the effort

Domaine Gamenon Cotes du Rhone 2007 A bouquet that encourages just diving right on in, Grenache/syrah blend that brought the Avatar to mind, Chewy and delicious

Domaine Breton Epaule Jete 2008 Perhaps viognier based? Restrained apricot taste on palate, would love to get this next to some cheddar cheese. Winemakers says "frais et savouriex". No argument. Very good Loire.

[b]Cave du Tilleuls 2007 Gamay[/b] Deliciously earthy expression of Gamay from Switzerland. Oh yum.

[Wayno]

Morris Durif 2001 - still a monster with a wall of tannin and acid. Chewy and textural though and drinking surprisingly enjoyably.

[Matt]

ringbolt 2007 cab sav
thanks for the tip guys, girls. fighting above its weight at $20. a beautifully balanced wine...lashings of berries, undertones of cherry and subtle dusty dark chocolate. they have the tannis just right for early drinking.

[monghead]

Nothing for 2 whole days!

Economy class travel to Europe hardly tempts one...

[seddo]

Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz 05 took about 4 hours to open up and flesh out, nice crimson colour on the palate there was a stong taste of coconut from the american oak, nice fruits with a hint of spice but overall the main impression was coconut - which I hope settles down.


cheers
Seddo

[Broughy]

2001 Cullen Diana Madeline Decanted for an hour and needed a day! very closed still, on the basis of this would be leaving the next bottle for at least 5 years. Quite rich, deep and clean, but unfortunately unyielding at this stage. A mistake to open this, but you will never know if you don't have a go

2004 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir yeah ok, some interest with this one. colour quite murky and cloudy (it is unfiltered). Some intersting nuances opening up with time. Plum and not very varietal. Suppose this is like a lot of Penfolds wines (presume it is a blend and not vinyard specific). Have seen a note saying drink to 2016, can't see it lasting that long.

[jeremy]

2006 Coldsteam Hills Chardonnay- curious wine. Needed some air to regain its definition after a blurry start dominated by cream & oak. Some nice grapfruit and acidity cut a decent line in time, but the oak still jutted out awkwardly.

2006 Pizzini Sangiovese- text book example of Oz Sangi in terms of flavour. Cherries, almonds (and their skins), orange rind, aniseed and a touch of bitumen. Only medium bodied and made me long for the heavier 2004 & 2005 vintages to be honest. Game of two halves in stuctural terms, firstly acid then chewy tannin. Plenty of life left, hope the palate fills out. Try again in 2 years.

[Wayno]

2004 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir yeah ok, some interest with this one. colour quite murky and cloudy (it is unfiltered). Some intersting nuances opening up with time. Plum and not very varietal. Suppose this is like a lot of Penfolds wines (presume it is a blend and not vinyard specific). Have seen a note saying drink to 2016, can't see it lasting that long.

Broughy
I worked my way through a number of these Penfolds Pinots (02, 03 and 04) before parting company on amicable terms. They are monster wines but not without charm and appeal. I thought the 02 was probably the best in the way it delivered like a sledgehammer - unashamedly a house style - but was full of spice and iron and plum and wit... I wouldn't be surprised if that one was still kicking on in 2016. The 04 was definitely more on the refined side and perhaps more 'conventionally' closer to a typical Hills pinot but not without it's heft. I found the 03 a poor cousin though, muddy and lacking clarity, and an early drinker at best.

[Sharkey]

We Have been trying to drink some of the stuff that is in the Declining list in the cellar so opened a couple of oldies with dinner for 10 people on Saturday night.

Wynns Black Lab el Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Only 11.5% alc!! I thought this would be way past it's use by date so grabbed the other wine at the same time, expecting to pour the Wynns down the sink. OMG, this was good. An almost perfect example of aged Coonawarra Cab. Low alc, high acid, still plenty of Coona fruit and a looong finish. A real celler delight.

Redbank Sally's paddock 1988 Magnum. I had high hopes for this seeing as Redbank rate 1988 a 10 out of 10 vintage. This wine was a shodow of it's former self. Still quite drinkable, but it was all acid and very little fruit. The first glass or so was OK, but I was glad to see the end of it. A real cellar dud.

[Michael McNally]

We Have been trying to drink some of the stuff that is in the Declining list in the cellar so opened a couple of oldies with dinner for 10 people on Saturday night.

Wynns Black Lab el Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Only 11.5% alc!! I thought this would be way past it's use by date so grabbed the other wine at the same time, expecting to pour the Wynns down the sink. OMG, this was good. An almost perfect example of aged Coonawarra Cab. Low alc, high acid, still plenty of Coona fruit and a looong finish. A real celler delight.

Redbank Sally's paddock 1988 Magnum. I had high hopes for this seeing as Redbank rate 1988 a 10 out of 10 vintage. This wine was a shodow of it's former self. Still quite drinkable, but it was all acid and very little fruit. The first glass or so was OK, but I was glad to see the end of it. A real cellar dud.

Nice they weren't both duds!

Cheers

Michael

[cuttlefish]

We Have been trying to drink some of the stuff that is in the Declining list in the cellar so opened a couple of oldies with dinner for 10 people on Saturday night.

Wynns Black Lab el Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Only 11.5% alc!! I thought this would be way past it's use by date so grabbed the other wine at the same time, expecting to pour the Wynns down the sink. OMG, this was good. An almost perfect example of aged Coonawarra Cab. Low alc, high acid, still plenty of Coona fruit and a looong finish. A real celler delight.

Redbank Sally's paddock 1988 Magnum. I had high hopes for this seeing as Redbank rate 1988 a 10 out of 10 vintage. This wine was a shodow of it's former self. Still quite drinkable, but it was all acid and very little fruit. The first glass or so was OK, but I was glad to see the end of it. A real cellar dud.

I see this time and time again. Well aged lower alcohol wines seemingly from out of nowhere being very, very good drinking. I really wish they made more wines like that today, for us to enjoy in 25 years time. Obviously the Wynns Cab. has a great pedigree, but still, I wish winemakers produced more wines below the 13% alcohol mark these days. It's difficult to find one, let alone one with pedigree.

[jeremy]

We Have been trying to drink some of the stuff that is in the Declining list in the cellar so opened a couple of oldies with dinner for 10 people on Saturday night.

Wynns Black Lab el Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Only 11.5% alc!! I thought this would be way past it's use by date so grabbed the other wine at the same time, expecting to pour the Wynns down the sink. OMG, this was good. An almost perfect example of aged Coonawarra Cab. Low alc, high acid, still plenty of Coona fruit and a looong finish. A real celler delight.

Redbank Sally's paddock 1988 Magnum. I had high hopes for this seeing as Redbank rate 1988 a 10 out of 10 vintage. This wine was a shodow of it's former self. Still quite drinkable, but it was all acid and very little fruit. The first glass or so was OK, but I was glad to see the end of it. A real cellar dud.

I see this time and time again. Well aged lower alcohol wines seemingly from out of nowhere being very, very good drinking. I really wish they made more wines like that today, for us to enjoy in 25 years time. Obviously the Wynns Cab. has a great pedigree, but still, I wish winemakers produced more wines below the 13% alcohol mark these days. It's difficult to find one, let alone one with pedigree.

Fascinating to read stuff like this. I think I got on board (red) wine too late to have tasted any sub 13% reds (Actually, I think the 1994 Hungerford Hill Cab Sav I enjoyed so much last year may have been 12.5%?). Hopefully I'll get a chance to taste some in the future... If anyone starts making them again. And that comes from someone who has no problem with 15%+ wines if they are still balanced & tasty. I wonder how the higher ABVs in my cellar will age? Time will tell I guess.