Weekenders Feb 20th and 21st

[monghead]

Hi all,

Been told to drink better wine...

Coincidentally, last night, I did.

2009 Clonakilla Riesling- Lime zest with a hint of pomegranite. Pure, tight and long. Very Very Good.
2004 Craggy Range Sophia- Rich concentrated plums and currants. Hints of dried spices- herbs de provence. Fulfilling muscular palate. Very Good.

Cheers,

Monghead.

[rooman]

2005 Domaine Epis Pinot Noir - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges
This was actually from a lunch last week. An exellent Australian pinot. From the same region as the Bindi pinots. Semi-opaque plum/garnet colour. Cherry and stawberry bouquet. Forestial tones with red cherries. I suspect it is unfiltered which is my preferred approach but since I can't find a website for them, I can't confirm this. Good length. Right up there in terms of Australian pinots for anyone who doubts they can't be made in Aus. Especially good value for price when you consider at around $50 it is on par with entry level burgundy. (93 pts.)

2007 Emrich-Schönleber Riesling Lenz (Germany, Nahe)
Excellent structure with a superb balance between the off dry fruit and the crisp acid at the finish. Though it does seem over the past 12 months the sweet edge has faded just a tad. Lemon fruit blossoms on the palate with a refreshing schist/mineral finish. 11.5%Alc (90pts)

[rens]

Hi all,

Been told to drink better wine...

Coincidentally, last night, I did.

2009 Clonakilla Riesling- Lime zest with a hint of pomegranite. Pure, tight and long. Very Very Good.
2004 Craggy Range Sophia- Rich concentrated plums and currants. Hints of dried spices- herbs de provence. Fulfilling muscular palate. Very Good.

Cheers,

Monghead.

I too had the sophia this week, twice (once at home and the other at a chain store tasting). Very closed at first but after 4-4.5 hours it was sensational. Monghead summed it up well.

[jeremy]

Hi all,

Been told to drink better wine...

Coincidentally, last night, I did.

2009 Clonakilla Riesling- Lime zest with a hint of pomegranite. Pure, tight and long. Very Very Good.
2004 Craggy Range Sophia- Rich concentrated plums and currants. Hints of dried spices- herbs de provence. Fulfilling muscular palate. Very Good.

Cheers,

Monghead.

Oh dude, that 09 Clona Rizza has some serious tropical action.

2008 Nantua Les Deux- mealy with grapefruit, almond slivers mixed with the odd pecan, black jasmine tea and suggestions of beeswax, pecans and grilled pine nuts. There is a touch of maple butter and yellow peach adding sweetness to an otherwise savoury profile. Damn, damn good.

[via collins]

Williams Crossing pinot noir 2006 Super dark in colour, and strong on palate - sour cherry, and a hefty body. I'd like to have matched it with a darker meat than I did today to get full value. Will be back...

Cope Williams sparkling chardonnay NV. Hailing from Gisborne, Vic, just a few KM from the above, this was a joyous wine to meet - superb golden colour, and strong apple on the nose and palate, it settled after a while into a yeasty/cheesy affair with a delicious length. Had never heard of it before, but the restaurant was only serving wines from the neighbourhood. Noice.

Rose Creek Estate semillon 2008 All the way from East Keilor, Victoria. Lovely lime/gold colour, autumnal to the max - Lemon cough lolly on the palate, without the medicine. Lovely body for such a young wine, and a refreshing finish. yum.

Congrats on the return to fine wines Monghead. That Clonakilla 09 riesling is one out of the box.

[Tucker Wine Studios]

A rare sign of life from me…another victim of a killing job…but enough whinging – on to the wines:

Jansz Tasmanian Premium Vintage Cuvee 2004
Chandon NV Brut Rose
Chandon Vintage Brut Rosé 2005
Kreglinger Vintage Brut Rose 2003
I enjoyed all of these bubblies immensely and I ask myself why I don’t drink more sparkling wine – they rarely disappoint. Ok, task set – buy more bubblies!!!
Egon Müller-Scharzhof Scharzhof Riesling 2003: Probably the most famous Riesling producer in Germany. But let’s be true – this is their absolute entry level wine and their fame is not based on this sort of wine. It’s a pretty good quaffer but there’s nothing special about this wine – and it should have been consumed earlier.
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2007: Now here is more joy. It’s probably the ideal picnic or Sunday sunny afternoon wine. It’s absolutely delicious, semi-sweet with the sweetness perfectly balanced by a citrusy acidity (nothing steely here). Its freshness and liveliness just makes you smile and feel good. And you can drink lots of it – only 7.5% alcohol.
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon Aged Release 1994: Fairly delicate and elegant wine, very light style, not really with pronounced aging characters. Some lime and fennel perhaps but no honey or lanolin. Good drink but a little bit simple – have expected more complexity at this age.
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2003: Classic wine with moderate development characters, still fresh and gorgeous. Excellent.
Kooyong Faultline Chardonnay 2003: Same age as the Leeuwin Chardonnay but here stronger caramel, malt and sherry characters, so more developed but definitely not less enjoyable. Actually more interesting than the Leeuwin Chardonnay. Great stuff.
Standish Wine Co. The Relic Shiraz Viognier 2004: Simply outstanding. Best wine I have had for a very long time. Hard to describe why I like it so much…everything is just in the right place in this wine. Originally described as a ‘kick arse’ wine by TORB, it calmed down and is now a smooth and super-seductive wine. Could drink it all day and night long (until the angles carry me to heaven).
Geoff Hardy K1 Adelaide Hills Merlot 2003: Wow, what a surprise. I reckon this is the Australian Merlot I enjoyed most so far. It’s a ripe, juicy, fruity, sweet plumy wine, more in the style of Shiraz rather than Cabernet. That’s why I like this wine. Later vintages were apparently more austere and savoury and more Cabernet-like.
SC Pannell McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache 2005: Unfortunately not good at all, tasted slightly oxidised – a dud bottle, heat damaged?
Rosemount Balmoral Syrah 1995: Has a good reputation and should be a good wine. Tasted indeed great immediately after opening but unfortunately quickly fell apart. Probably a bottle that wasn’t stored under the best conditions (auction purchase) – see great potential for better stored bottles.
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1996: Bonzer!!! Also an auction purchase, but here I got lucky. Fantastic wine and I’m now completely convinced about the rave. Believe me, you will immediately know if you got a good bottle because you start to smile and smile and smile…
Dutschke Sun-Raisined Shiraz (2007 bottling): Ooops, developed some crazy funky notes. Not as good as on release. An early drinker.
Gregory’s Wines Barley Stacks White Port (Chardonnay)(York Peninsula-SA): Very thick and sweet, moderately complex, I liked it a lot.
Sandalford Sandalera: Oh yes, this is great stuff!!!

Cheers, Mario

[Michael McNally]

2006 Kabminye "Irma Adeline" Barossa Valley Shiraz Mataro Grenache. $25. SC.
Deep dark colour here as the Shiraz dominance (66%) would suggest. Dominates the nose as well with blackberry and black plum, though there is a hint of candy (from the 11% Grenache?) and some meaty notes (from the 22% Mataro?). Not sure what that other 1% might be! Savoury, meaty, earthy black fruit on the palate, with only a touch of initial sweetness. The palate is fuller than I remembered. Lovely complexity - I could pick a bundle of things in here if I let my imagination go. This could get better with time/air (it later does!). Excellent.

2008 Willow Creek Victoria Shiraz/Cabernet Cleanskin. SC.
Deep nose of floral prune and brandied plums. Semi-sweet morello cherry and plum fruit on a frame of finely built tannin. Primarily fruit driven wine but has some depth and structure. A tad short but otherwise Very, Very Good. Picked these up at auction for a song.

2008 Kirrihill Clare Valley Shiraz. $10. SC.
Deep garnet. Nose dominated by dark plums with some dried herbs. Complex and quite beautiful bouquet. Juicy savoury plum and spice fruit. Good acid balance and great tannin management. Classy length for a wine that cost $10 on special. Very, Very good. Excellent when you take QPR into consideration.

Cheers

Michael

[rooman]

Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2007: Now here is more joy. It’s probably the ideal picnic or Sunday sunny afternoon wine. It’s absolutely delicious, semi-sweet with the sweetness perfectly balanced by a citrusy acidity (nothing steely here). Its freshness and liveliness just makes you smile and feel good. And you can drink lots of it – only 7.5% alcohol.

I love these Kabinett wines in general. I rediscovered them a year or so ago and adore the semi-sweet flavours offset by the crisp acidity. I find them a perfect way to start any dinner party. The low alcohol means the dinner guests remain semi sober at least until the mains arrive

[Jay60A]

A rare sign of life from me…another victim of a killing job…

Cool, I always wanted to meet a hitman.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1996: Bonzer!!! Also an auction purchase, but here I got lucky. Fantastic wine and I’m now completely convinced about the rave. Believe me, you will immediately know if you got a good bottle because you start to smile and smile and smile…

Co-incidentally I also had the first bottle of this last night to have a peek at how it's going. I reckon this is a great australian classic and have most of two cases left. This wine is still very young and the powdery tannins are far from resolved although it is not locked up as tight as it was 3-4 years ago. Fantastic yeah ... it starts out like a heavyweight, holds beautifully on the mid-palate and simply flows into a finish of great elegance and length. Really multi-faceted, I think it's still starting to enter it's drinking window but will peak in 5 years and, if well cellared, will hold for ... another 10? The only bottle of Australian wine I can definitively say I would rather drink a whole bottle of (that I have tried) would be the 1990 Grange.

A special bin A-blend (60A, 80A, 90A) Coonawarra Cabernet - Barossa Shiraz from 1996 could have been stunning, perhaps Penfolds thought it too soon after the 1990s so went for the Block 42 Barossa Cabernet instead.

Perhaps an inpromptu blending experiment with a 707 and Grange from 1996 is needed? With the right equipment perhaps we could make a Bin 96A (Cab-predominant) and a reverse blend Bin 96 at the next corking clinics. Now who's got Peter Gago's number ...?

[monghead]

2005 Domaine Epis Pinot Noir - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges
This was actually from a lunch last week. An exellent Australian pinot. From the same region as the Bindi pinots. Semi-opaque plum/garnet colour. Cherry and stawberry bouquet. Forestial tones with red cherries. I suspect it is unfiltered which is my preferred approach but since I can't find a website for them, I can't confirm this. Good length. Right up there in terms of Australian pinots for anyone who doubts they can't be made in Aus. Especially good value for price when you consider at around $50 it is on par with entry level burgundy. (93 pts.)

I too am a great fan of the Epis Pinot. However, when we tried one recently with a couple of Burgs, the disparity became quite evident. I note however, the price differential.

Monghead.

[monghead]

To finish off the weekend, we had last night:

1999 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon- Seering citrus acidity with a buttery toast. Great length. Very Very Good.
2007 Kooyong Haven Pinot Noir- Dark raspberries with meaty undertones. Good mouthfeel and depth. Very Very Good.
2001 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon- Inpenetrable purple. Deep blackcurrant and dusty pine, with an eucalypt lift. Sensuous palate, great length, but slightly hollow in middle. Also, slightly one-dimensional at present- ? in a cabernet hole at present. Very Good.

Monghead.

[Bick]

I've been tasting around the world in my choice of wines lately, with a very good Chianti Classico from Fontodi last week. In the last few days:

Shoffit Chasselas Vieilles Vignes 2008 - Very enjoyable, starting out melony and herby like a gris, then finishing with the clean citric tang of a riesling. Interesting, not had chasselas before.
Bodegas Felix Callejo Ribera del Duero Crianza 2006 - good, full bodied, nice structure, 100 % tempranillo. Lots of saft tannins and agreeable fresh acidity.
Daniel Barraud Saint-Veran En Creches 2005 - nice white burgandy; richly fruity, nutty and biscuity, but coupled with a dry stoney finish. Better than many lauded new world chards, and 'only' around $40.
Villa Maria CS Syrah 2005 - Back to the southern hemisphere; enjoyed this at the Tom Jones concert last night at the Villa vineyard in Auckland. Mr Jones rocked btw.

[TiggerK]

Now we're talking monghead!!

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2007 - Choice wine bro. Lovely citrus freshness, but some rich honey notes to keep it all in balance. Very Good.

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2007 - A respectable pinot. Plush, stalky nose, with a vibrant cherry and musk palate. Medium length. Will finish off tonight. Good Good.

(is Good Good better than Very Good I wonder??)...

Cheers
TiggerK

[Craig(NZ)]

just a couple of glasses of 08 fromm spatlese with lunch yesterday....very noice!

[Rawshack]

2005 Dog Point Pinot Noir. Delicious. I would say more, but I was too busy drinking this delicious wine to take any notice

2008 (might be 07 can't remember) Preece Cabernet - Central Victoria: wasn't expecting too much from this, but I do have a soft spot for Central Victorian reds, so I might have a halo effect thing going here, but I really enjoyed this wine. Simple Blackcurrant and Plums, a bit of olive tapanade and some well balanced oak. The tannins were ever so slightly green and the residual sugar ever so slightly noticeable, but overall it was a good affordable Cabernet. Solid. There's a good adjective to use.

[monghead]

Now we're talking monghead!!

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2007 - Choice wine bro. Lovely citrus freshness, but some rich honey notes to keep it all in balance. Very Good.

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2007 - A respectable pinot. Plush, stalky nose, with a vibrant cherry and musk palate. Medium length. Will finish off tonight. Good Good.

(is Good Good better than Very Good I wonder??)...

Cheers
TiggerK

For me Tigger, Good Good is not as good as Very Good.

FYI

Not Good at all
Not Good
Sub Good
Just Good
Good
Solid Good
Good Good
Very Good
Very Very Good
Extremely Good
Uncontrollably Good / Out of Control Good
OMG Strap me Down Good

Cheers,

Monghead.

[griff]

For me Tigger, Good Good is not as good as Very Good.

FYI

Not Good at all
Not Good
Sub Good
Just Good
Good
Solid Good
Good Good
Very Good
Very Very Good
Extremely Good
Uncontrollably Good / Out of Control Good
OMG Strap me Down Good

Cheers,

Monghead.

Duodecimal scale. Nice

cheers

Carl

[Sharkey]

We opened a few wines for my daughters 19th birthday.

2004 Tahbilk Riesling – Good development on this wine, lots of citrus and a long finish. Excellent value – probably cost $12.

2005 Woodstock Viognier – This had quite a lot of depth and character and even the red wine drinkers liked this one. I will have to let a few more viogniers age for 5 or so years.

1991 Metala Black Label Cabernet Shiraz – There were signs of the cork leaking and the level was high shoulder. Nevertheless, this was an exceptional example of an aged wine. Smooth was the description most used.

1991 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz - If tasted blind you would not have picked it for a 19 year old wine. While there was some bricking around the edges in the decanter there was still an abundance of fruit, acid and tannin - all in balance. It would easily last another 5 or even 10 years.

1996 Lindemans Pyrus – Another superb wine that also would have another 5 to 10 years left in it.

[Rawshack]

Oh dude, that 09 Clona Rizza has some serious tropical action.

Clona Rizza?

Have you been on the sherry Jeremy??

[jeremy]

Oh dude, that 09 Clona Rizza has some serious tropical action.

Clona Rizza?

Have you been on the sherry Jeremy??

I wish No, tasted this blind at a panel and many guessed it was some sort of savy. I'm told by people with far more Canberran Riesling experience than me that the tropicals may have been just a result of the vintage. And doesn't Clona Rizza just have a ring to it? I think Tim Kirk may use it on the front label for coming vintages

[Bick]

Not Good at all
Not Good
Sub Good
Just Good
Good
Solid Good
Good Good
Very Good
Very Very Good
Extremely Good
Uncontrollably Good / Out of Control Good
OMG Strap me Down Good

I can't recall seeing you give a 'solid good', Monghead, although you've given planty of 'good' and 'good good' ratings. Is that down to chance, or have you just refined the scale on the fly there?

My scale, when I can remember to use it is as follows:
(faulty)




and may be used if I can't work out if its good or not, or if the price was especially good, respectively, in concert with the main smiley

[EricJames]

I had the 2009 Clonakilla Riesling once & I loved it. It was the best wine I have ever had.
25th Wedding Anniversary

[monghead]

Not Good at all
Not Good
Sub Good
Just Good
Good
Solid Good
Good Good
Very Good
Very Very Good
Extremely Good
Uncontrollably Good / Out of Control Good
OMG Strap me Down Good

I can't recall seeing you give a 'solid good', Monghead, although you've given planty of 'good' and 'good good' ratings. Is that down to chance, or have you just refined the scale on the fly there?

My scale, when I can remember to use it is as follows:
(faulty)




and may be used if I can't work out if its good or not, or if the price was especially good, respectively, in concert with the main smiley

Hi Mike,

I don't use it often, but from a couple of months ago for example:

2007 Guigal La Doriane Condrieu- Great acidity, spicy minerality. Very Good.
1998 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape- Spicy, savoury, long. Solid Good.
1999 Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz- Rich, sweet, fulfilling. Good Good.

I guess I tend to use it for a wine I liked, but probably wouldn't buy myself for the cellar.

For me:

Not Good- Won't touch again, unless nothing else available, and the water was polluted (unless faulty, then will give it another chance)
Sub Good- Will drink it if available, but will certainly not seek it out.
Just Good- Will buy some if the price it very good, as a quaffer.
Good- On par, aim for this as the day-to-day drink/quaffer, if pricing reasonable.
Solid Good- Liked most aspects of it, but not exciting.
Good Good- Some aspect of the wine gets me excited, but others may just be on par.
Very Good- Ticks all the boxes, leaves me wanting more.
Very Very Good- Could not fault any aspect. Usually with a facet being exceptional.
Extremely Good- Just shy of perfection.
Uncontrollably Good / Out of Control Good- The complete package. Everything in perfect harmony, a sheer pleasure to drink.
OMG Strap me Down Good- Beyond perfection.The stuff that takes my breath away, leaving me speechless. The stuff that haunts me.....

Cheers,

Monghead.

[monghead]

Carl,

Duodecimal.

Thank you, I had to google it.

Cheers mate.

[orpheus]

On the Monghead scale;

Bilancia La Collina syrah 2002 - uncontrollably good.

Shaw and Smith syrah 2007 - very good.

I will resist the urge to embellish, because the simplicity is the point, I think.

[daz]

[quote="Sharkey"]We opened a few wines for my daughters 19th birthday.

2004 Tahbilk Riesling – Good development on this wine, lots of citrus and a long finish. Excellent value – probably cost $12.
[quote]

Along with the roussanne, the riesling is a favourite white from Tahbilk.

daz