Sydney Tasting Group - Shiraz Afternoon 3/7/10

[TiggerK]

Hi all, another great event yesterday afternoon. Theme was 'Quality Shiraz under $60", to complement the previous 'over $60' Shiraz event last month.

Many thanks to Alex and Eve for offering their North Sydney apartment for the hosting, great setting and ambiance for an event like this and a good time was had by all eleven of us.
As usual, not enough food was provided , leftovers will prevail for days methinks. Lots of great cured meats, dips, cheeses, pork neck and bocconcini sandwiches, moroccan lamb sausages, roast onion & fennel,
meatballs and some tasty mushroom aranchini balls, amongst other dishes!! Yum.

Some good value Dopff sparkling from Alsace kicked things off while we got the wines organised. We tasted single blind, groups of four, pouring order was revealed after a few minutes of tasting and guessing.

So, to the Shiraz.... (no proper notes from me, will leave that to better palates, just my general scoring and brief comments)

Flight 1 - Cool Climate Regional Tour.. my favourite flight, nicely balanced and fresh, although a touch of funk from France. Very evenly divided on WOF, came down to preferences.
Plunkett Reserve Shiraz 2002 - nice balanced wine, good fruit and oak - 17
Craggy Range Block 14 ‘GG’ Syrah 2007 - vibrant blackberry fruit and pepper, good acid structure - 18
Mount Langhi Ghiran Shiraz 2005 - quite similar to the Craggy, just a bit more fruit weight - 18
E & J Durand St Joseph Les Côteaux 2005 - Nice, but just a little bit funky for my taste, esp after the previous fresher wines - 17 - WOF

Flight 2 - A Few Aussie Legends
Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz 2005 - wow, big wine, gobs of porty ripe fruit and alcohol. Bit much for me, love to try it with a big steak or stew though - 16
Mitchelton Print Shiraz 2002 - overwhelmingly WOF, travelling very nicely indeed, in it's drinking window, and will continue for years. - 18 - WOF
Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 1998 - Bit of bottle variation here, touch of oxidisation, but not too bad. - 15.5
Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2003 - A bit awkward, could be in a hole or maybe just an unbalanced St Henri. Still has that Penfolds profile, just lacking some acid and tannin structure - 16

Flight 3 - More big beaut Aussies.
Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 1998 - More bottle variation at play here. Quite good finish, but muted nose and fading palate. Have had much better - 15.5
Bullers Calliope Shiraz 2002 - Rich, deep fruit, well made wine showing good structure and balance, go Rutherglen! 18 - WOF
Tower Estate Barossa Shiraz 2006 - A solid wine, just not showing much character, quite enjoyable I thought though. 16.5
Marius Shiraz 2000 - A bit in that overripe vein for my tastes, but some enjoyed it a lot. 16

Flight 4 - Unannounced, backups and extras...
Macquariedale Reserve Hunter Shiraz 2006 - Some of that Hunter sweaty, funky note, nice fruit behind it though. 16.5
Scarpantoni Block 3 Shiraz 1990 - corked - duh. 0
Clayfields Grampians Shiraz 2004 - no notes taken but I recall this was pretty good - 17
Bremerton Old Adam Shiraz 2007 - WOF - very nice indeed, a lovely drop, now and into the future. 18 - WOF
(Due to my distracted sommeliering error, there was confusion over the correct order of these last two wines, think we got it right in the end, but apologies to all for that, I did lose sleep over it last night, hate letting you all down!)

An interesting look at Alex and Eve's port, before and after cask, then some great coffee (and tea) to finish. Was waiting for Alex to open up the excellent piano for a singalong, but didn't happen.. ah maybe next time

No vote was taken on Wine of the Day, it would be close between the 4 WOF's I think. Give us your votes and comments attendees....

Cheers
TiggerK

[Red Smurf]

Had an excellent day once again, thanks to Tim and Andrew for organising and Alex and Eve for their hospitality.
An excellent shiraz line up and yummy food.

Really enjoyed the E & J Durand, although bretty it was really interesting with the different structure and complexity it had compared to the Oz shiraz.
All the Craggy Ranges have been really grabbing my attention with their distinct nose, the Block 14 a good example again, with that Le Soul at the last tasting being excellent.
Favorite though would proberbly be the Mitchelton for me. Had opened up nicely with the huge decant I gave it thanks to Tims tip.

Cheers,
Smurf

[orpheus]

Sounds great, some pretty interesting wines, and plenty of variety.

The Mt Langhi is an excellent wine, and drinks very well when still reasonably young.

[odyssey]

Thanks to all contributers for all the lovely wines and piles and piles of good food as always. What a great way to spend a beautiful sunny saturday afternoon in good company with good wine. I'd also vote for the Mitchelton as my WOTD - just so well balanced and right on song.

Cheers
Andrew

[monghead]

Nice one guys.

Was John at the tasting? We were just saying last week how well the '02 Mitchelton Print was drinking, with many years left in it.

Is the Bullers Caillope the one the is >16% alcohol?

Cheers,

Monghead.

[GRB]

Have to love the variation in peoples preferences, the first flight was probably my least favourite, but only slightly so. A wonderful lineup of wines, my pick for the WOTD was the Mitchelton wish just shaded the Bullers. Yvette's vote went to the Bullers. Thanks to Tim, Andrew, Alex and Eve for making it all happen.

Glen

[Alex F]

Thank you everyone for all the lovely wines and all the great food. We really enjoyed hosting the event and hope to have more here in the future. The tasting sheets were really great, upon which I had the following written down.

Flight 1 - Cool Climate Regional Tour. A very nice flight, the funkiness of the French wine in contrast to the pure style of the Craggy and Mount Langhi, with the Plunkett showing some lovely age. I admit to not appreciating Langhi as much as some others though After preferential voting the French emerged a close winner.

Plunkett Reserve Shiraz 2002 - from Strathbogie Victoria, apparently before they merged/changed and became Plunkett Fowles. Fairly deep colour still, developed smells emerging, stewed fruit and leather. A touch of candy on the palate, a very nice wine, possibly drink now. 90

Craggy Range Block 14 ‘GG’ Syrah 2007 – Purple in the glass, indistinguishable from the following wine. A superb, flowery, peppery, spicy nose (cloves?), intense fruit, sweetness, and length on the palate. One of the standout wines for me, made the Langi look clumsy in comparison! I originally thought this was the Langi at first. 94

Mount Langhi Ghiran Shiraz 2005 – thought this might have been the Craggy Range. Tasted and smelled the youngest, lashings of blackberry/plummy fruit, I thought maybe some viognier type lift as well. Some oak evident. With breathing developed some gamey/sweaty smells. 90

E & J Durand St Joseph Les Côteaux 2005 – One of the most interesting comments about this wine was that the tannin profile was different to the other 3. For me it was much dustier, chalky, less plush and fine. Onto the nose, very funky, pooey, earthy nose, overwhelming preunmasking favourite for the Frenchy, I thought this has some stalk and black pepper, with lovely perfume and presence in the mouth, rather reminiscent of a Hunter. Later in the afternoon the brett got worse on the nose and the palate I think. 92

Flight 2 - A Few Aussie Legends. Very different wines, all exceptional wine, bar the St Henri which was overwhelmed in this lineup. The Mitchelton was the overwhelming winner of this flight, and for me one of the standout wines of the night.

Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz 2005 – Nose, I did not like so much. Had a touch of nail polish, VA. Tastes are a much different matter though. Yes, it’s big, it’s porty, it’s jammy. But it has terrific presence and power, and for me not at all overdone. A pleasure to try my first Greenock Creek! 90, but 92 for the palate.

Mitchelton Print Shiraz 2002 – This smells very good and rich still. Candied, lolly touch n the palate, complementing dark fruits. Powdery finish, dusty throughout, with a lifted acidity. This was a wonderful wine that filled every corner of my mouth. Embarrassingly I thought this might have been the St Henri. 94.

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 1998 – Did not taste or smell so good when it first came into my glass. Funky, pooey aromas, thin in the mouth. However, these blew off, and the wine suddenly became supple, smooth, with white pepper, funk, onion, garlic, very lifted and floral in the mouth. A light bodied wine, but carried itself forward with tremendous prettiness and elegance. Much improved in the glass. 92

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2003 – The lack of notes here is a good indication of how lost this wine was in the lineup. All I have is stalky, developed somewhat, slightly minty with breathing. I thought this might have been the Mitchelton. Not a good wine at the tasting. I have now tried the 01, 02, 03 St Henris with some age, found them unexceptional. A hole at this stage? 88. I tasted the dregs this morning and they are showing a touch of oxidation over plummy fruit with powdery tannins and mouthfeel.

Flight 3 – Big, Bold, Beaut Aussies. Calliope, in its various pronunciation guises, overwhelmingly took this flight, with (dare I say with some mischief) two sympathy votes awarded to the Penfolds ; ). For me picking the two of the wines in this flight were easy, having brought the Tower, had previous experience with the high octane Calliope. The toss up was between the Penfolds and the Marius, which were quite similar in profile. I guessed on the basis that 98 was a strong vintage for the Bin 28 compared to 2000 for Mclaren vale.

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 1998 – Developed, leathery nose. Pre unmasking favourite for the Penfolds. Nice wine, not much past the leather on the nose, but very nice palate, balanced, dusty, still fruitful. 92.

Bullers Calliope Shiraz 2002 – Wonderful wine! Thick, unctuous, in glass and mouth. Not surprised to see its high alcohol content. I got mint, menthol, curling up amidst heaps of blackberry. Pure drinking pleasure, similar, yet different to the Greenock Creek. 94

Tower Estate Barossa Shiraz 2006 – Big wine, perhaps a touch overly so? Fly spray, crushed ants on the nose, blackberry and plum in the mouth. Mouthfilling, did have some power, but at the same time also a bit boring. 90

Marius Shiraz 2000 – Dusty and developed, for my taste not much fruit left, with some mocha flavours developing in the glass. 88

Flight 4 - Unannounced, backups and extras... I can’t say any particular wine stood out for me in this flight, with except perhaps the Scarpantoni which garnered a sympathy vote. Of course, at this stage the prospect of staring down another 4 wines was starting to make me slightly twitchy ; )

Macquariedale Reserve Hunter Shiraz 2006 – Dusty, sweet red fruits, typical of the Hunter, maybe typical of the 06 vintage? Leather. 90

Scarpantoni Block 3 Shiraz 1990 – corked, a pity, the cork did look very good, deep purple, no staining at all up the sides.

I am totally confused over my illegible notes regarding the last two wines. What was I doing at this stage? Well, one wine was peppery and garlicky and stalky, with menthol on the palate. The other was ripe, flyspray, too much oak in my opinion. Sorry this doesn’t help anyone ; )

For me the standouts of the afternoon were the Craggy Range, Mitchelton, and the Buller. I also enjoyed very much the Seppelt, Greenock Creek and Penfolds Bin 28.

[Alex F]

Is the Bullers Caillope the one the is >16% alcohol?

Marked on the bottle as 16%.

[ufo]

[quote="Alex F"]Thank you everyone for all the lovely wines and all the great food. We really enjoyed hosting the event and hope to have more here in the future. The tasting sheets were really great, upon which I had the following written down.

Flight 1 - Cool Climate Regional Tour. A very nice flight, the funkiness of the French wine in contrast to the pure style of the Craggy and Mount Langhi, with the Plunkett showing some lovely age. I admit to not appreciating Langhi as much as some others though After preferential voting the French emerged a close winner.

Plunkett Reserve Shiraz 2002 - from Strathbogie Victoria, apparently before they merged/changed and became Plunkett Fowles. Fairly deep colour still, developed smells emerging, stewed fruit and leather. A touch of candy on the palate, a very nice wine, possibly drink now. 90

Craggy Range Block 14 ‘GG’ Syrah 2007 – Purple in the glass, indistinguishable from the following wine. A superb, flowery, peppery, spicy nose (cloves?), intense fruit, sweetness, and length on the palate. One of the standout wines for me, made the Langi look clumsy in comparison! I originally thought this was the Langi at first. 94

Mount Langhi Ghiran Shiraz 2005 – thought this might have been the Craggy Range. Tasted and smelled the youngest, lashings of blackberry/plummy fruit, I thought maybe some viognier type lift as well. Some oak evident. With breathing developed some gamey/sweaty smells. 90

E & J Durand St Joseph Les Côteaux 2005 – One of the most interesting comments about this wine was that the tannin profile was different to the other 3. For me it was much dustier, chalky, less plush and fine. Onto the nose, very funky, pooey, earthy nose, overwhelming preunmasking favourite for the Frenchy, I thought this has some stalk and black pepper, with lovely perfume and presence in the mouth, rather reminiscent of a Hunter. Later in the afternoon the brett got worse on the nose and the palate I think. 92

Flight 2 - A Few Aussie Legends. Very different wines, all exceptional wine, bar the St Henri which was overwhelmed in this lineup. The Mitchelton was the overwhelming winner of this flight, and for me one of the standout wines of the night.

Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz 2005 – Nose, I did not like so much. Had a touch of nail polish, VA. Tastes are a much different matter though. Yes, it’s big, it’s porty, it’s jammy. But it has terrific presence and power, and for me not at all overdone. A pleasure to try my first Greenock Creek! 90, but 92 for the palate.

Mitchelton Print Shiraz 2002 – This smells very good and rich still. Candied, lolly touch n the palate, complementing dark fruits. Powdery finish, dusty throughout, with a lifted acidity. This was a wonderful wine that filled every corner of my mouth. Embarrassingly I thought this might have been the St Henri. 94.

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 1998 – Did not taste or smell so good when it first came into my glass. Funky, pooey aromas, thin in the mouth. However, these blew off, and the wine suddenly became supple, smooth, with white pepper, funk, onion, garlic, very lifted and floral in the mouth. A light bodied wine, but carried itself forward with tremendous prettiness and elegance. Much improved in the glass. 92

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2003 – The lack of notes here is a good indication of how lost this wine was in the lineup. All I have is stalky, developed somewhat, slightly minty with breathing. I thought this might have been the Mitchelton. Not a good wine at the tasting. I have now tried the 01, 02, 03 St Henris with some age, found them unexceptional. A hole at this stage? 88. I tasted the dregs this morning and they are showing a touch of oxidation over plummy fruit with powdery tannins and mouthfeel.

Flight 3 – Big, Bold, Beaut Aussies. Calliope, in its various pronunciation guises, overwhelmingly took this flight, with (dare I say with some mischief) two sympathy votes awarded to the Penfolds ; ). For me picking the two of the wines in this flight were easy, having brought the Tower, had previous experience with the high octane Calliope. The toss up was between the Penfolds and the Marius, which were quite similar in profile. I guessed on the basis that 98 was a strong vintage for the Bin 28 compared to 2000 for Mclaren vale.

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 1998 – Developed, leathery nose. Pre unmasking favourite for the Penfolds. Nice wine, not much past the leather on the nose, but very nice palate, balanced, dusty, still fruitful. 92.

Bullers Calliope Shiraz 2002 – Wonderful wine! Thick, unctuous, in glass and mouth. Not surprised to see its high alcohol content. I got mint, menthol, curling up amidst heaps of blackberry. Pure drinking pleasure, similar, yet different to the Greenock Creek. 94

How long do you think Calliope 2002 would keep ?

[Softie]

Was John at the tasting? We were just saying last week how well the '02 Mitchelton Print was drinking, with many years left in it.
Monghead.

Not this one Lennart - otherwise engaged.

Yes I saw the cool climate flight and the popularity of the Print 02 - and smiled. Anyone with some Print 02 in the cellar is entitled to feel pleased with him/her self.

John

[TiggerK]

Yes was thinking of you John, your tasting note on the Print 02 was timely before the event. T'was a lovely wine, only got one left myself

As for the Calliope, it's drinking very well now of course, always hard to pick an expiry date, but I'd posit 3-4 more years to be safe... But I'd be drinking up, amazing how little the alcohol showed itself, I was hoping it wasn't a porty, hot monster based on my limited Rutherglen red experience so far, and it was nothing of the kind, lovely balanced wine.

My lingering memory wines for the day were the Print 02, Calliope 02, Craggy Range 07 and the Langi Ghiran 05. Wine of the day... hmm OK I'll go the Print too.

Spanish event next, sometime in August.... maybe to coincide with celebrating their World Cup win ?? (picking them or Germany)

Cheers
Tim

[monghead]

Is the Bullers Caillope the one the is >16% alcohol?

Marked on the bottle as 16%.

I've got a bottle of the 2004 Bullers Shiraz, and the EtOH rating is 16.4%. I have been looking at it with some trepidation...

Cheers,

Monghead.