The Day Before Monday

[daz]

So wotchya bin drinkin'?

Rosabrook Cab Merl 08 - just good, savoury, subtle oak, could do with a bit more fruit, regional green character on the medium finish.

[Chuck]

Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Merlot. Brown tinge developing but fruit is still fresh as a daisy.

Jacobs Creek 2003 Johann Shiraz cabernet (cleanskin). Well developed and drinking a treat but can understand why it was not commercially released at the usual $75.00.

Wyndham Estate 2006 Black Clusters Hunter Shiraz. Typical hunter shiraz will earth and leather. Good effort from a difficult vintage.

Chuck

[Wayno]

Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon 2003 - quite good, upfront palate
Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1998 - subtle, excellent wine
Kabminye Hubert Shiraz 2002 - bit disappointing for a 'flagship' - good on release but tannins all amiss. Very silky finish though but could do with more structure.

[Sean O'Sullivan]

deleted

[via collins]

Poderi Colla 2007 barbera d'alba - Luscious dark berry weight, lustrous volume, meats and chocolate. Delicious

Domaine des Gros Nore 2004 Bandol - medium weight wine with lots of depth in the dark berry spectrum, layers of spice in the back end, and a wicked finish. Delicious

Mayer close planted 2007 pinot noir - dark colour, dark palate too - a veritable plate of Italian small goods with darker cherry. Very good.

Chestnut Hill Liberty 2006 chardonnay - clean, fine body, hints of pineapple, unoaked (I'm guessing) with acid balancing against a nutty sheen. My attempts at description are lamentable, I actually liked this a lot, and will buy more.

Pipers Brook 2009 gewurztraminer - Really strong spiced pineappale and pear upfront, a little musky too, but really clean on palate.

Tyrells Belford 2004 semillon - Cut grass and honeysuckle nose, perfect welcome to spring. Lime zest upfront, and an intriguing zinginess about this wine. Delicious, but really perky, maybe 2004 is still too early?

Collector 2008 Marked Tree Red shiraz Silky and heavy bodied yet subtle at the same time. Fair degree of floral business on the nose, but welcoming all the same. Condensed blackcurrant on the front, but not too much sweetness at all. The word balanced springs to mind, and also fresh. A really fresh fruit shiraz with lots of tannins in back to suggest that there are many good years ahead.

It's been a truly fabulous few days of wine, I wish every week could be like this one!

Salut!

[GrahamB]

Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon 2003 - quite good, upfront palate
Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 1998 - subtle, excellent wine
Kabminye Hubert Shiraz 2002 - bit disappointing for a 'flagship' - good on release but tannins all amiss. Very silky finish though but could do with more structure.

Wayno, I had the 2001 Hubert only last week! Good colour, still some nice fruit and very soft tannins. I thought it was very good. Saved about 100ml for the next night but it was a bit oxidised. Normally Kabminye wines are as good or better next night.
I bought some 08 Hubert this year along with the 07 Durif, Carignan, Shiraz and 08 Barossa Shiraz.

[peckel]

I had an interesting weekend of wine , some tasting notes below

2006 Colonial Estate Exile Shiraz (Barossa)
Ripe plum and influence of high quality oak is evident on the nose , palate is brooding with plum, blackberry and spicey dark cherry, finishes with considerable length and soft tannins. Slightest hint of the 15 % alcohol suggesting a few more years required

2008 Shadowfax Shiraz (Vic Regional)
Dark fruits and a hint of mint on the nose , the palate is rich with plum, cedar, spicey notes and menthol. The tannins are ripe and mouthfiling with good length

2008 Tamar Ridge Kayena Pinot Noir (Tassie)
Candied red cherry on the nose, lifted ripe cherry with slightly astringent tannins. A short term cellaring proposition.

2006 Colonial Estate Emigre GSM (Barossa)
Ripe plum , vanillian oak and almost gamey undertones. Palate has layers of fruit with plum , blueberry. Even though pushing 15.5% alcohol has tremendous balance

2005 Nicholson River Winery Syrah (Gippsland)
Savoury notes and soy on the nose. Dark cherry , cigar box and leathery charcters on the palate the wine finished with firm but not overbearing tannins , with some nice spice thrown in for good measure. A truly entriguing wine

[Pelican]

2008 Carpineto Chianti Castaldo ( $13 ) : good , clean and dry " modern " Chianti - 13 % alc. too " modern " perhaps ? But good QPR and better than most Oz attempts at this style.

2009 LA LINEA Tempranillo Adelaide Hills ( $26 from a tea house in Adelaide ! ) : Persuaded to try as made by Peter Leske who was winemaker at Nepenthe when they were achieving more with younger vines than they achieve nowadays with older vines. Anyway - probably best expression of Tempranillo I've tried from outside of Spain. Nice pure fruit of that Strawberry - Vanilla vein. Still lacks that lovely " pretend claret " dryness of stuff from Spain that costs a few bucks less. Good though !

1977 Hardy's Port Magpies Premiership Port : just for looking at and reflecting on past glories after just 4 wins this season - actually the seconds are in the Grand Final - as far as the Magpies from Vic - I don't care less. In screwcap too !

[daz]

Barwang Hilltops Chardonnay 2006. Drink up now if you have any and want to skewer your tongue with toothpicks. Oak is so dominant I didn't notice the fruit. Awful, blechhh!

[Waiters Friend]

Momo Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008

Not heard of this label before, but I had to buy it given that Momo is the name of one of the songs my band does. I couldn't resist taking a bottle to our demo recording session today. Quite good for mid $20 price range. Medium bodied, strawberry and light cherry against a light touch of oak. Enjoyable (and the rest of the band said likewise) and a good lunchtime wine for us.

Tucks Ridge Mornington Peninsular Chardonnay 2007

Still as it was a year ago. Tight, citrus and pink grapefruit against some even tighter French oak. Drunk over two nights, and it opened up only a little more on the second night. This will go another couple of years without any trouble.

Cheers

Allan

[orpheus]

Momo Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008

Not heard of this label before, but I had to buy it given that Momo is the name of one of the songs my band does. I couldn't resist taking a bottle to our demo recording session today. Quite good for mid $20 price range. Medium bodied, strawberry and light cherry against a light touch of oak. Enjoyable (and the rest of the band said likewise) and a good lunchtime wine for us.

Tucks Ridge Mornington Peninsular Chardonnay 2007

Still as it was a year ago. Tight, citrus and pink grapefruit against some even tighter French oak. Drunk over two nights, and it opened up only a little more on the second night. This will go another couple of years without any trouble.

Cheers

Allan

While the "Momo" may have facilitated your afternoon recording session, it sounds like just the sort of NZ pinot that upsets me. I much prefer the darker, more savoury pinots coming out of NZ. I think they should make rose out of reds like this.

[n4sir]

Impressions at an instore showing Kay Bros & Johnston wines (of Oakbank):

http://www.johnston-oakbank.com.au/
http://www.kaybrothersamerywines.com/

NV Johnston ‘Christina’ Pinot Noir Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills (cork): A good mousse, but it seems to go flat rather quickly. A great wine to open with, quite complex and bready, baked apples with a creamy mouthfeel and a crisp, mineraly finish. There’s a lot of bang for buck action here.

2010 Johnston Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills (screwcap): I wasn’t as impressed with this offering, also made by David O’Leary, quite sweaty, raw onion & passionfruit characters with a very dry and rather sour palate.

2010 Kay Bros Moscato, McLaren Vale (crown seal): Colourless and very sweet/sugary and lollied, lemon sherbet characters that aren’t particularly fizzy or long. At the moment it may be a good sorbet or palate cleanser – maybe I’d appreciate it a lot more in the hottest days of summer.

NV Johnston Sparking Shiraz Merlot, Adelaide Hills (cork): This blend of 50/50 shiraz/merlot, and going by the colour and the characters I’d say there’s a fair age to some of the base wine (or it’s the merlot influence). It’s creamy, chocolaty and smoky with ripe, sweet raspberries and a little barnyard, but after opening with a bang it does pull up short; not a keeper, but solid drinking now - it lacks the weight and length of top wines of this style.

2009 Johnston Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills (screwcap): I don’t know what the hell went wrong here, most of the Adelaide Hills was pre-verasion during the heatwave but this definitely has a ‘baked’ feel to it. It’s jammy, disjointed, short and seemingly lacks any kind of complexity, and there’s some heat on the very end (14.5% alc). This is a poor wine considering what else is around from the vintage.

2005 Johnston Cabernet Sauvignon, Adelaide Hills (screwcap): A cool, classic cabernet with some development already (perhaps too soon), medium weight with menthol/ashtray, chilli powder, mushroom and blackcurrant; it could be fatter and longer though, and despite those cool characters there is also a little heat on the finish (14.3% alc).

2008 Kay Bros Amery Basket Pressed Grenache, McLaren Vale (screwcap): Very hot and very jammy, dusty, cooked cherries/blueberries and a minty, hot finish. No thanks.

2007 Kay Bros Amery Basket Pressed Cabernet Merlot, McLaren Vale (screwcap): The first vintage of this blend (I’m guessing because there wasn’t enough of either to do their usual bottlings of the separate varietals). Cool dusty/earthy and a little gamey, cassis, some leather and dried herbs, only medium-weight at most with a modest finish. It was a tough vintage and it shows in the lack of weight and length, but at least it’s decent.

2008 Kay Bros Amery Basket Pressed Shiraz, McLaren Vale (screwcap): Very similar to the Grenache with the addition of sweet vanillin oak; it’s rather hot but at least there’s some additional weight this time, although that minty, short finish is still enough to put me off.

2006 Kay Bros Amery Hillside Shiraz, McLaren Vale (screwcap): A much bigger step up on the basic shiraz, with sweet vanillin oak and cherry/cola fruit tinged with herbs and liquorice, a medium to full weight palate and very good length, just a touch of heat on the finish. Not as good as the 2004 or 2002 vintages, but clearly the best of the reds at this tasting.

2007 Kay Bros Amery Block 6 Shiraz, McLaren Vale (screwcap): Very sweet coconut/vanilla on the nose gives way to a deeply perfumed/dusty core of blackcurrants/black cherries with attractive meaty highlights; the palate’s only medium weight and rather one-dimensional, and strangely still seems a little hot despite only being 13.5% alcohol. The oak is superb but unfortunately the fruit from the 115-year-old vines doesn’t live up to expectations; as tough as the vintage was, it’s still a disappointing result for a $75/bottle wine.

Cheers,
Ian

[Wayno]

Yarrabank 2001 Cuvee - this is a virtually indestructible sparkling it would seem, it hardly seems to have budged since purchase, some years back (our wedding sparkling). Dry, pithy lemon, nice length, decent bead.

Pirathon 2009 Shiraz - upfront fruit slut but there's a 'by-the-numbers' feel about it too. I'd been a bit of a fan of this wine in the past but (my) track record with it shows that it loses it's oomph within a year or so. VFM bistro wine.

[burgster]

While the "Momo" may have facilitated your afternoon recording session, it sounds like just the sort of NZ pinot that upsets me. I much prefer the darker, more savoury pinots coming out of NZ. I think they should make rose out of reds like this.[/quote]

It all depends how much you want to pay really. Mid $20s you get this, mid $50s you can have your preferred style. I think there is a place for both styles.

[Sean O'Sullivan]

deleted

[jafa]

Stink weather over the weekend, so opened the door on a French themed get-away.

2005 JM Brocard Chablis 1er 'Fourchaume' was quite disappointing seeming flabby and ordinary. A hint
of 'prem-ox' around as well. Sub good. Most of bottle languishes in fridge as cooking wine.

1998 Ch. Gigault 1er Cotes de Blaye 'Cuvee Viva' The heatwave year. Bright red colour, no sign of age and
pronouned red fruited aroma wafting around immediately on opening. Bold Merlot fruityness on palate which
develops darker black fruited characters with time. The appearance of some coarse tannins and some liquorice
flavours later on suggested some Malbec in the blend. Needs another 8-10 years in cellar to hit a good drinking
window for my tastes. Very good.

cheers jafa

[Bick]

Pirathon 2009 Shiraz - upfront fruit slut but there's a 'by-the-numbers' feel about it too. I'd been a bit of a fan of this wine in the past but (my) track record with it shows that it loses it's oomph within a year or so. VFM bistro wine.

Exactly my impression also. Show pony. Which is a real shame, as it looked such a good label early on.

[Loztralia]

A couple of non-reds over the weekend:

2010 Clonakilla Semillion Sauvignon-Blanc: Bunged a couple of these in my Clonakilla case to restrict spending levels and because I remember quite liking it last year. Not so impressed this time round, though I should say I am also wondering if I'm just not enjoying sem-sauv blends very much at the moment full stop; I'll have to find a Cullen Mangan to find out for certain. Anyway I thought this was a bit too much cloying sauvignon at the front then overtaken by semillon acidity at the finish. Ok but not one I'll be repeating.

2009 Charles Melton Rose of Virginia: Now you're talking. Very subtle for a rose and I can see why it's generally considered Australia's best: lovely sweet nose but completely dry in flavour. Could have got through several of these.

[Jordan]

1996 Lanson Gold Label: this was a really bright bottle, with lively lemon ascidity, fresh cut green apples and some toasty, oxidative notes on the finish. Very nice and drinking close to its peak in my view (I like it with some zing).

2009 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling: I love this wine. Great floral nose. Really slatey opening with crisp lime acidity running through to the finish which reveals a more weighty spread of citrus fruits. Love the balance of acidity and fruit weight. Approachable now but should hold well over 10 years.

2002 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz: This is entering it's drinking peak (through the next 5 years IMO) and looked rather smart. It's not a great BP (96/99/04/06) but a very good one. The nose is enticing with flourishes of raspberry, smoked meats, anise and a touch of vanilla. The palate has great length and superbly silky tannins and lots of dark, plummy fruit and nice notes of liquorice, dark soy and quality oak. However, it just pushes up towards the jammy spectrum for me. But all-in-all a very good wine.

2008 Clos Clare 'Hayes Boy' Grenache: This was a really interesting wine consumed with Moroccan spiced lamb which worked perfectly. 35 year old vines, biodynamic vineyard. This wine is really elegant and refined for an Aussie grenache. The nose shows fresh crushed raspberry and a hint of spice and something floral - violets perhaps. Something i could poke the nose towaqrds all night. Medium bodied, fine tannin, good length. Bright raspberry fruit, pepper, spicy and lots of interest and subtle complexities develop as the wine opens up. A great take on grenache which leans more towards Southern France than Clare's southern Barossa neighbour.

Also some nice quaffing whites in 2009 Vase Felix Classic White and 2006 Mt Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon.

[Roscoe]

Shiraz week....
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 1999
I have had a couple of bottles of this that have been just ok. Not obvious TCA, but you wonder. This was excellent and drinking now for mine.
De Iuliis Shiraz 2006 (cleanskin)
Very good. Not very typically Hunter. Could improve over a few more years.
Tatachilla Reserve Shiraz 2008
Tasted next to the De Iuliis and lacked character in comparison. Clean, good quality, but a bit ho hum.

[rens]

2007 CApe Mentelle Cab Merlot. Bit much oak for me. it was passable... Just

[Michael R]

2009 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz....really enjoyed this, very drinkable now but will last a good few years more, plenty of dark fruit, typical spice elements, and a savoury backbone.
Compared to the 09 Nick O'Leary (same price range), i think this just shades it, a touch more juicy/generous on the palate.

2004 Gibson Isabelle, Barossa (Merlot 57%, Cab Sauv 38%, Petit Verdot 5%)...this was ok, definitely showing signs of fatigue. Alot of leather on the nose, and somewhat short on the finish.

Cheers
Michael

[TiggerK]

Good to see lots of interest this week in the 'Sunday' thread, good stuff.
Myself, hmm, mixed bag. Nothing too flash. Lots of Solid Good.

Chateau Mont-Redon 2007 CnDP - elegant and nice acidity with some very good fruit. Not a rich wine as such, but you can sense the quality and refinement. Would age well. Worth $82?? Maybe not, but I'll try another one. Very Good.
Barwang Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2008 - Great QPR @ $16 IMHO. Wife loves it, try not to drink too cold though. Not as complex as the Hoddles, but Solid Good.
Noster Priorat 2005 - Enjoyed this early on, albeit a bit hot. Grenache/Carignan 50/50ish blend. Interesting, tannic, yet good with food, but the alc spoils it a touch. 3 days on and it's still going OK, decent length, although a touch boring now. Solid Good
Yarra Burn Sparkling Blanc de Blanc 2004 - Quite good looking silvery labelling ($25). Nice fine bead, clean taste, not much fruit depth though. Not for the champagne lover, but a good summery 'gift' wine or crisp BBQ starter. Solid Good.
Hewitson Miss Harry GSM 2008 - Meh, have rather enjoyed some bottles, not so much others, bit soupy. Reserve judgement for now. Just Good.
Q2O Albarino Rias Baixis 2008 - Fun summer wine pity it's $30, not $20 though. Great grape, must try a savignin! This one richer and fuller than the Valminor which I prefer for it's elegance and finish, but this is still Solid Good.
Stonier Pinot Noir 2008 - Smelt Pinoty cherry good on quick double decant, and was a decent Aussie Pinot at a reasonable price. Indian food probably dampened any subtlety it may have had though, but certainly light red summer quaffing goodness methinks. Solid Good.

Cheers
TiggerK

[daz]

Chandon NV - seemed fresh so probably not a lot of aged components, nice and dry apperitif style.

[orpheus]

Bannockburn shiraz 1995 - sensationally good. Hue definitely aged, with significant bricking and watery rim, and also suggests minimum filtration, slightly cloudy, and particulate as the bottle progresses.

Nose - seductive (initially slightly truffley/forest-floorey, which is attractive, but this goes), vanilla oak and velvety cherry, slightly shifting from moment to moment, now a hint of cashew, other times liqourice.

Palate - marvelously poised and balanced, dark cherry and liquorice, with incredible, weighty but not obtrusive tannins which carry the finish, was is incredibly long, 30 seconds plus.

This is the sort of bottle that restores a person's faith in wine.

Domain Chandon 2004 zero dosage - the last of 6 bottles confirms to me that this fashion of not dosing is an abdication of responsibility. Boring, boring, thin, wrong.

[Michael McNally]

Good to see lots of interest this week in the 'Sunday' thread, good stuff.

Cheers
TiggerK

Due to the demise of the mid-week thread?

2007 Kurtz Family Vineyard 'Seven Sleepers' Red Blend. Barossa Valley. SC. $12.
Honest medium-bodied Barossa blend with some real interest after a couple of hours in the decanter. Good dark fruit with a tinge of raspberry for contrast and minimal oak. Some meaty notes (Malbec perhaps?). Ridiculous QPR. I have now tried this, the KFV 'Boudary Row' GSM, and KFV 'Boundary Row' Shiraz. At $12, $15 and $20 respectively these are all extremely good value for money. The Shiraz is probably the best in terms of overall quality and QPR, but this blend gives it a run for the money in the QPR stakes.

Cheers

Michael

[Sean O'Sullivan]

deleted

[ticklenow1]

I had an interesting weekend of wine , some tasting notes below

2006 Colonial Estate Exile Shiraz (Barossa)
Ripe plum and influence of high quality oak is evident on the nose , palate is brooding with plum, blackberry and spicey dark cherry, finishes with considerable length and soft tannins. Slightest hint of the 15 % alcohol suggesting a few more years required

2008 Shadowfax Shiraz (Vic Regional)
Dark fruits and a hint of mint on the nose , the palate is rich with plum, cedar, spicey notes and menthol. The tannins are ripe and mouthfiling with good length

2008 Tamar Ridge Kayena Pinot Noir (Tassie)
Candied red cherry on the nose, lifted ripe cherry with slightly astringent tannins. A short term cellaring proposition.

2006 Colonial Estate Emigre GSM (Barossa)
Ripe plum , vanillian oak and almost gamey undertones. Palate has layers of fruit with plum , blueberry. Even though pushing 15.5% alcohol has tremendous balance

2005 Nicholson River Winery Syrah (Gippsland)
Savoury notes and soy on the nose. Dark cherry , cigar box and leathery charcters on the palate the wine finished with firm but not overbearing tannins , with some nice spice thrown in for good measure. A truly entriguing wine

Interesting to read your comments on the Colonial Estate wines. I got a couple of dozen of them and apart from Halliday's ratings it is hard to find any info on them. I am a Grenache lover so I got a lot of the Grenaches and GSM's along with the single vinyard shiraz's. I think I'll put them at the back of the cellar for a couple of years before we look at them.

2001 Rockford Moppa Springs GSM. (Barossa Valley) I found this when I was going through some wines and remember drinking it in a vertical a couple of years ago and thinking it was not that great compared to more recent offerings. This bottle was sensational. Everything I like about GSM's. Everything Halliday hates about them! Lots of cherry and turkish delight fruit and has held up extremely well. Medium bodied at best. Beautiful nose as well. At it's peak now I am guessing. Sadly, my last bottle of this vintage. Oh well, on to the '02's and 03's

2002 Barwang Cabernet. (Hilltops) Improved after 24 hours in the decanter. I think this still has a few years in it yet. It took a few hours for the fruit to shine through. Not excellent but a nice quaffer. Great value wine. I think after reading some other threads, I might start looking more at Hilltops and Canberra Shiraz's. I have only ever tried Clonakilla's and Barwang's.

2004 Paulmara Syna Shiraz. (Barossa Valley) Very nice wine. Fine tannins and once the fruit came out to play it was wonderful. Alcohol was not evident and lots of dark fruits with a hint of olives on the nose. A few more years yet.