Sunday

[Wayno]

Groggy one this morning...

Shaw and Smith Shiraz 04 - classy blockbuster, some Rioja and too much Morris Old Premium Tokay (delicious).

You ?

[seddo]

Had a Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 02 the other night with a rare roast beef(rump) - this wine was absolutely devine and is a candidate for my wine of the year. I reckon it will go another 5yrs in a good cellar

cheers
Seddo

[Chuck]

A bit slow out of the blocks this am after a big birthday celebration for SWMBO and friend. Also Bob Dylan celebrated another year onthis planet on 24/5/10.

Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Shiraz. Excellent fruit and all components in balance. Will hold for years.

Jamiesons Run 2000 Winemakers Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet. Let winemakers loose with reserve fruit and oak and this is the result. JH gave it 96 and we agree. Many years before it will be ready. Jh says 2020 but can we wait that long? Matched the Coorong Angus T-bone well.

Yalumba 2007 Eden Valley Viognier. Lovely with zuccini flowers stuffed with cheese.

Mike Press 2006 Cabernet. A bit raw 2 years ago it is now coming together and a good well made wine

Chuck

[monghead]

Hi all,

Just starting to get back into the swing of things...

2009 Clonakilla Riesling- Nice sherberty lemony zest, a hint of talc. Very Good.
2007 Thomas Kiss Shiraz- A potent wine full of vibrant fruits, intertwined with meaty, smoky charcuterie elements, finishing with juicy silky tannins. Extremely Good.
2003 Gralyn Old Vine Shiraz- Big, sweet, tremendously oaked. Slightly hot finish. Just Good.

Cheers,

Monghead.

[rens]

2007 Langmeil The Fifth Wave Grenache Took about 3 hours to open up. A medium body lacking some of the robust flavors I was hoping for. Still nice sweet fruit with a hint of christmas spice. A slightly short finish but some good tannin structure holding it all together. I still have half in a 375 ml bottle for tonight. Hope the extra time will give it some 'wow factor' but at the moment this is a solid good.
No change tonight. Still finishing short and the 'wow factor' has not magically infused itself over night. I will not be buying more to go into the cellar.

[TiggerK]

Some of us had a bit of an offline on Friday night, was quite the special night. Food at Etch (in the Intercontinental Sydney) is excellent, as was the service. Don't normally allow BYO on Fridays but we managed to talk them into it for $20 p/p. Recommended place. Remember some of the wines more than others, but I'll go from memory and see what I can recall. As you might expect, the latter stages weren't quite so clear. I'll try for some points, as best I can recall to at least provide for some comparison.

Launois Champagne Cuvee Maxim 2002 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - Yeasty and reductive nose, never had it before so not sure if it was intended, I thought quite oxidised, but some good fruit hiding in there somewhere. 11
Le Brun Servenay Exhilerante Vielles Vignes Champagne 2000 - Crisp and clean nose, small fine bead, nice inital palate but a bit short on the finish. 13
Giaconda Aeolia 2008 (100% Roussanne) - Apples and touch of ripe pear. Fuller rich style, quite different, good texture. 16
Tyrells Vat 1 Semillon 1998 - Every time I've had this, it never fails to amaze me with how young and fresh it shows. Waxy lemon peel and pith on the nose, with a bracing acidity on the palate. It'll be great to see this wine every few years to see how well it develops. 18
Hurley Vineyard 2006 Balnarring Mornington Pinot Noir - Riper Aussie style but a bit more savoury than many. Good whack of oak, but quite well integrated, will enjoy some more time. 16
Laurent 1er Cru Les Beaumonts 1999 Burgundy - Oak and more oak, with a solid spine of fruit doing fairly well to keep up. The age was helping nicely. Not elegant, but enjoyable nonetheless. 14
Domaine G Roumier Chambolle Musigny 2007 - Bit of star it seems this Roumier, table was quite excited about this one, and fair enough. Much more delicate, elegant and perfumed, roses and cherries and a little spice. Needs time, but Very Good. 17.5
Camille Giroud Latricieres–Chambertain Grand Cru 2003 - Hot year this one, showing a bit of that. Fuller in style, not bad at all. 15
Faiveley Latricieres–Chambertain Grand Cru 1999 - More evolved as you'd expect, still in a bigger style with lots of fine tannins on the finish. Needs even more time. 16
Mt Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Show Reserve Shiraz 1998 - Great Hunter Shiraz - no notes from here in my mind, but it was still in good shape, and will last a fair bit longer. 17
Lakes Folly Cab Sav 1993 - Don't recall the taste specifically, but I know I really enjoyed it! 17
Pio Cesare Ornato Barolo 1998 and Elio Altare Barolo 2004 - a lovely couple. The Elio stood out for it's vibrant fruit and more obvious Barolo palate, while the Pio was more subtle and perhaps 'old-fashioned?'. Should have decanted the Pio for longer. 17 and 17.5
Il Favot Poderi Aldo Conterno Lange Nebbiolo 1999 - I thought it was stripped when I opened it at home, so I bought the Pio instead, but wanted others to try it just in case. They agreed. No score, pity.
Wendouree Shiraz 2000 and Wendouree Cabernet Malbec 1998 - Lovely couple of wines, esp the Shiraz. Velvety and delicious. the CM was also in good shape but still keen for some more cellar time. 18 and 16
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2008 - still a pup, but a very tasty pup indeed. Have had a few of these, so knew it would be good, and it was. Just needs time. 17 (will be 19 one day).
Eric & Joel Durand Cornas Empreintes 2005 - Northern Rhone 100% Syrah. Pencil lead, sour cherry and iron, rich and dark fruit, still a bit closed (had decanted for 3 hours). I liked it, but then again I bought it. Still too young. 17.5
Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese 1998 and Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese 1990 - Long names these germans eh? I know they were both nice, but I'm a blur sorry... Must write down in future, too busy talking! Not fair to score.

Great night, here's a link to some bottle shots and some of the food at Etch.

http://s1046.photobucket.com/albums/b469/Tigger_K/Winestar%20Offline%20May%2028%202010%20at%20Etch/

Cheers
TiggerK

[Gavin Trott]

This should probably be in the Boutique wines section I suppose, but for me it was weekend wine, and the wine of the weekend, indeed, the wine of many weekends!

Head Wine Old Vine Grenache 2009

Dark earthy notes, deep dark and meaty raspberries, dark berries, spice, dark berries, spice, berries, spice .... well, you get the idea. Toss in kirsch, touches of cassis, herbs, pepper and that 'wild' earthy edge and you get the idea, this is one interesting, fascinating nose on a wine! Can this really be Barossa Grenache ... its so Southern French, and so intriguing I cannot remember a wine like it!

The palate follows through wonderfully, the weight is, surprisingly given the intensity and power of this wine, medium weight only, with a beautifully spicy, tangy mouthfeel ... yet with quite incredible intensity and length. Its all dark raspberries, peppery berries, earthy tinges, exotic spices and plums, blackberry and mulberry, touches of caramel, and real 'whole bunch' twiggy edge ... its just a 'wow' palate and a wow wine.

This is a 'natural' wine, and it tastes it. Natural meaning fruit picked, wild yeast used, hand plunged, foot trodden whole bunch fermented, old oak aged and unfined and unfiltered, what could be more natural than this.

More than this though, this is a wine made with great integrity, intelligence and intuition, no 'wine making text book' used here, just someone who really knows and loves wine! This is the most interesting and intriguing wine I have tried this year, well, for many years perhaps, and just what I think wine should be ... challenging, interesting and individual. Great wine ... full stop.

If you hate surprises, and wish your Barossa reds to taste the same, this is not for you, if you love wine, drop everything and grab this wine!

.

[Michael McNally]

Ummmm Gav, the wine was.........???

[Jay60A]

Penfolds Bin 389 1996 - wanted to find out if my palate has morphed given I wasn't overly keen on the Yalumba Signature 1999 I tried mid-week.
Nope, it's as magnificent as ever. The balance and freshness for it's weight is quite amazing plus it's transitioning from primary to secondary characteristics now - and for a few years I reckon - so lots going on. Impeccable. Drink now - 2030.

Also tried the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Autumn Riesling 2008 - nice quaffer, grapefruit & lime, goodish length. Opens a bit musky and I heard there's some Gewurtz in there? More pure and riesling like the second night so might be nice in about three years. Quite individual in style so kudos to Penfolds, and the retro packaging is way cooler than the sanitized styles of today.

[rooman]

Tigger an excellent evening on Friday. Having just read your notes, I am amazed at how similar our respective notes over what was a long evening. Mine are as follows.

Launois Champagne Cuvee maxim 2002
Very developed hue, yeasty nose, flat bubbles, strawberries on the palate. Whilst none of us knew the wine from previous occasions, the general feeling was there was considerable bottle variation at foot.

Le Brun Servenay Vielles Vignes 2000. Very fresh nose, extremely full front palate but with a rather abrupt finish. As one wit at the table put it, “it explodes into nothingness”.

Giaconda Aeolia 2008. Roussanne grape. Crisp red apple bouquet, full bodied style, tropical fruit with a pleasing citrus finish. Still a bit restrained nevertheless I really enjoy these Rhone grape varieties and this was an excellent wine.

Tyrells Vat 1. 1998. Remarkably fresh. The first sip has that slightly waxy feel associated with maturing Semillons however the wine has great acid and balance with a crisp finish. Lemon and grapefruit that reminded me of the fruit I used to get off my mature grapefruit trees. Just starting to take on a hint of honey. Much fresher than a 1999 I had out of my cellar a month or so ago. A lovely wine.

Hurley Vineyard 2006 Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir. An enjoyable fragrant bouquet but still very young and with noticeable oak levels the Pinot Nazis around the table were champing at the bit to get to some of the Burgundies lined up behind this wine. Definitively would benefit from 3-4 years in the bottle.

Laurent 1st Cru, Les Beumonts 1999 Overly oaked according to the Oracle FKAN. No doubt the oak levels are still robust but Danny was gracious enough to observe there was a sweet core of fruit peeping through the timber. I think I will leave the remaining bottles for another 5-6 years before cracking another.

G Roumier Chambolle Musigny 2007. Still very young but with softer tannins and a more delicate style. Rose petal nose. Fragrant finish. WOTN for many.

Faiveley Latr icieres –Chambertain GC 1999 Another robust wine with grippy tannins. The first time I have had a wine from this AOC so sadly I have little to reference it by.

Camille Giroud Latricieres –Chambertain GC. 2003 By this stage I was remember a caustic comment from Michael Broadbent I read years ago along the lines that drinking burgundy is like walking through a minefield. A respectable producer from Bordeaux in a classic year will produce a decent wine. Sadly with the fragmented structure of wine production in Burgundy, you have to have to resemble Rainman to be able to pick your way through the wines to find the roses. This wine was another robust style of pinot with grippy tannins. Not dissimilar to the Laurent IMHO.

Strangely enough no one brought a Bordeaux but we were lucky enough to have a Lakes Folly 1993 12%. Not particularly varietal in style it was nevertheless a pleasant change from the emotionally charged burgundy section of the evening.

[Sadly at this stage the notes were becoming more scribbled and less detailed as the food flowed and the converataion levels increased.]

Mt Pleasant O’Shea 1998. Ink black colour, leathery nose shiraz with slightly sweet fruit , nevertheless a lovely Hunter Valley shiraz..

Elio Altare Barolo Arborina 2004. Dark garnet colour, lovely balanced yet intensely flavoured and concentrated fruit and a savoury licorice finish with that claissical hint of tar.. Soft tannins for such a young Barolo. Gorgeous wine.

Pio Ceseare Ornato Nebbiolo 1998 sweet dark cherries and saddle leather, dense body with dark brown bricking around the edges. Strong tannins but by no means overpowering.

Aldo Conterno Il Favot 1999 Nebbiolo. Only grabbed a small taste so minimal notes. Tannic fruit driven style. Not as polished as the previous two Barolos but no rush to knock this one back

Wendouree Shiraz 2000. Previously when I have tried Wendouree shirazes, I have always wondered what all the fuss was about. This shiraz I found much more approachable though it was from a lesser vintage I was told. Perhaps previous vintages simply required an extra decade. Whatever the difference, this was a much softer wine and positively Moorish. Strong fragrant boutique. Medium to full bodied with silky tannins. Red and black berry frui and an excellent balance.

Wendouree Cab Malbec 1998 compared to the previous wine from a more reputable vintage this wine was far more tannic. If I had any of these wines, I doubt I would open another one before 2020.

Clonakilla shiraz-viognier 2008, definitely very approachable at such a young age, this was a strong competitor for my WOTN. With a bouquet of Turkish delight and orange essence, the wine has amazing depth and complexity. Someone at the table let slip that Tim Kirk was offering magnums of the SV the previous week and at least 3 or 4 of fellow diners started making notes to call the vineyard the next day.

Cornas Eric du Joel Durand 2005, drier tannins, soft fruit.

Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese [1990?] Sadly this wine would have benefited from being served earlier in the evening. Golden hue, limes with a hint of passionfruit, this would have been superb with something like a roast chicken.

Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese 1998 Superb texture and flavour. Wonderful intensity and depth of flavour. Honey and tropical fruit. Excellent length with superb acid to round out the finish. An amazing wine to finish the meal with.

Overall a superb evening. The food at Etch is top quality leading edge Sydney cuisine at its best.

[dazza1968]

Ummmm Gav, the wine was.........???

yes its so good Gavin doesnt want to Share LOL
Regards Dazza

[dazza1968]

This should probably be in the Boutique wines section I suppose, but for me it was weekend wine, and the wine of the weekend, indeed, the wine of many weekends!

Dark earthy notes, deep dark and meaty raspberries, dark berries, spice, dark berries, spice, berries, spice .... well, you get the idea. Toss in kirsch, touches of cassis, herbs, pepper and that 'wild' earthy edge and you get the idea, this is one interesting, fascinating nose on a wine! Can this really be Barossa Grenache ... its so Southern French, and so intriguing I cannot remember a wine like it!

The palate follows through wonderfully, the weight is, surprisingly given the intensity and power of this wine, medium weight only, with a beautifully spicy, tangy mouthfeel ... yet with quite incredible intensity and length. Its all dark raspberries, peppery berries, earthy tinges, exotic spices and plums, blackberry and mulberry, touches of caramel, and real 'whole bunch' twiggy edge ... its just a 'wow' palate and a wow wine.

This is a 'natural' wine, and it tastes it. Natural meaning fruit picked, wild yeast used, hand plunged, foot trodden whole bunch fermented, old oak aged and unfined and unfiltered, what could be more natural than this.

More than this though, this is a wine made with great integrity, intelligence and intuition, no 'wine making text book' used here, just someone who really knows and loves wine! This is the most interesting and intriguing wine I have tried this year, well, for many years perhaps, and just what I think wine should be ... challenging, interesting and individual. Great wine ... full stop.

If you hate surprises, and wish your Barossa reds to taste the same, this is not for you, if you love wine, drop everything and grab this wine!

.

Marco Cirillo Grenache MMMM Maybe rusden Grenache Regards Dazza

[dazza1968]

2000 Barossa settlers shiraz ,, Now this little winery has been closed a while and gee this was pretty good A bit lighter than normal with plenty of light berry fruits ,, elegant for the Barossa and will go a while yet but truly justdrink it if you have some as i have had others and with great sorrow wished i had drunk them earlier ......................

Grosset 04 Adelaide hills Chardy ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Yummy Great wine !Still quite youthful and in no hurry even a nice amount of toasty oak (well just enough to make you ponder)

Rosemount 99 Cabenet , good losing its fruit ut still respectable wine with duck LOL

Regards Dazza

[Mike Hawkins]

1997 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz - I don't buy too much from alleged 'off' vintages, but this is one I'm glad I did buy. This wine has a great balance between elegance yet still retaining the fruit intensity Barossa is known for. The finish goes on and on. No rush to drink up.

1994 Penfolds Bin 28. Back in the day, all of the premium fruit went into the bin labels and this shows how good those fruit sources are. Excellent wine for the price and will hold for many years yet.

[Craig(NZ)]

Penfolds Bin 389 1996 - wanted to find out if my palate has morphed given I wasn't overly keen on the Yalumba Signature 1999 I tried mid-week.
Nope, it's as magnificent as ever. The balance and freshness for it's weight is quite amazing plus it's transitioning from primary to secondary characteristics now - and for a few years I reckon - so lots going on. Impeccable. Drink now - 2030.

Jay

I reckon your palate is lying to you, and you actually do hate this wine. Send your 6 packs over here and I will dispose of them in an environmentally friendly manner free of charge

For me just one wine again this weekend, though next weekend promises to be a bit of a wine orgy thanks to the queen. 2006 Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah. For the $25 paid it was a pretty good drink but didn't excite motivations to write home to mum about. Good but not great

[rens]

Ummmm Gav, the wine was.........???

I'm reading the note thinking: OK tell me, tell me! Nooooooo...

[Rednick]

2008 Ara - Composite SB - Really enjoyed this, passionfruit and white peach along with some nice minerality and a slight spritz & not overly acidic- more old world than new.

2008 First Drop - The Big Blind (Nebbiolo/Barbera)- Plush Roses, really lovely fruit with some spice and secondary interest although a little short - still a great quaffer though.

Nick

[Teisto]

2006 Southern Highlands Wines Riesling - Starting to develop kero on the nose. Crisp acidity still with a strong lemon flavour coming through. Back pallet was showing some sweetness. Good offering

2004 Peppertree Reserve Orange Cab Sauv - Not much in the way of notes however drinking well and still has life in it. Good fruit with soft tannin

2003 - Pizzini Nebbiolo - Once again not much in the way of notes but drinking very nicely. Took some time to open up

[via collins]

Mac Forbes YV 2008 Chardonnay green apples and a funky, cheesy nose, super light body, and a nice aggregation of stone-fruits and grapefruit on the palate. Really demure wine, dry and elegant. But not my style. Once I go north of $30, I want to be gobsmacked. And this was a solid good.

La Luna e i Falo 2006 barbera d'Asti Cherries and blueberries blended with earthy notes, a hint of oak all add up to an expansive mouthfeel, super moreish, a terrific quaffer.

[Sean O'Sullivan]

deleted

[Sean O'Sullivan]

deleted

[Red Smurf]

For me,
Domaine Galevan Chateauneuf Du Pape 2007. 90% Grenache 10% Mourvedre. Nose, Subtel oak and white flowers, spice and dark cherry. Was not hugely floral like most young Cdps. Palate was cherry and red berry, great full mouthfeel and moved on to a nice savoury note. Finish was beautifully long with slight tannins and a punch of acid carried the fruit to the end. Very Very nice.

Cheers
Smurf

[dazza1968]

2000 Barossa settlers shiraz ,, Now this little winery has been closed a while and gee this was pretty good A bit lighter than normal with plenty of light berry fruits ,, elegant for the Barossa and will go a while yet but truly justdrink it if you have some as i have had others and with great sorrow wished i had drunk them earlier...

This will be the Hoffnungsthal you lucky bastard.

I think that vintage is the 135 year label?? It has been a few years since I have had the wine, but I loved it. My old dad had the 1999 and 2000 vintages in his cellar and whenever he said I could pick what I wanted to open, often this was the wine I picked. I agree about it being a lighter style of shiraz, but this had some great old vine Barossa fruit in it and the last bottle I had was sublime. I also agree if anyone has one they should drink it now rather than keep it any longer.

I would be interested to know what is happening with the winery or the fruit now. I think the story was the kids didn't want to go into the wine industry and when the cellar door was open a few yrs ago, they were just selling old stock.

Spot on Sean , I was there when the parents were hoping that the young lad would take over and continue the legacy but to no avail i picked out a truck load out of their special bins 94,96,98. etc so wow . i was told where the fruit was now going maybe rusden so no slouch with good reds LOL but just not sure now have maybe 6 bottles left so end of an era close ..........................Regards Dazza

[Julio G]

First visit home (Perth) for over 18 months last week so a good chance to raid the stash given the numerous social events the week brought. In no particular order:

2006 Picardy Chardonnay: This has come together nicely after showing its oak a little when I first tasted it a couple of years ago. Complex, long, fresh, vibrant. Is this the best value chardonnay in Oz?

2001 Brookland Valley Reserve Cabernet: This too has come together a little better than the last time I had it (Xmas 2008). Full bodied, rich cassis and a bit of forest floor... alcohol pokes out just a little on th finish. Nice wine... no hurry.

2002 Marribrook Marsanne: In pretty good shape for an 8yo $15 marsanne. Honey and lime, lovely buttery texture but the alcohol is too prominent. Good qpr.

2004 Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz: CHOCOLATE!!! both milk and dark. Rich dark fruits, decent length, just not much complexity. Recall it being a better wine on release. Not going to fall over in a hurry.

2003 Plantagenet Cabernet: Medium bodied, bricking slightly, prominent dusty tannin, red fruits and spice with a nice vegetal edge adding complexity. Very nice... drink over the next few years.

2006 Pewsey Vale Riesling: In an interesting spot with the lime profile sweetening up a little and a bit of sherbert coming in. Acid is still very prominent but the fruit is a match. Really refreshing and long. Wonderful value and no hurry to drink these if you have any stashed.