Drinking 16th July - 23rd tasting notes

[Luke W]

2002 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon - A "bargain" when I bought it a few months back and the locals were off loading WBL for $13 a pop and I found this on a shelf with 2 other 2002's and a couple of 2001's. Knew I was in trouble the minute I took the capsule off and discovered a very weepy cork and on opening a whiff of all sorts of nastiness. But I perservered mainly because the wine itself wasn't too bad and showed some signs of improving. There were a few minutes after 20 or so when the wine actually was lovely and the nose did a total turn around and was glorious. Both however faded within about 10 minutes and I found that taking about 100ml out of the bottle and drinking it gave me a drinking window with each glass of about 10 minutes after a couple of minutes in the glass. Now I'm a bit worried about the next 4 bottles.

Caveat emptor and "you get what you pay for"!

Cheers

Luke

[n4sir]

I tried the following at an instore last Saturday and had these brief impressions:

2010 Tim McNeil Watervale Riesling (screwcap): This bottle looked a lot better than a bottle two months ago at an instore, more limey with the typical mineral water, slate and fennel characters I associate with Watervale. It was very good today.

2011 Tim McNeil Watervale Reserve Riesling (screwcap): Bursting with fresh banana esters, picked basil, freshly squeezed limes, slate and fennel, this is looking very good at this very early stage, sweet on the nose, absolutely bone dry on the palate. I sense a positive progression with Tim’s wines, they’re getting significantly better every vintage – it was a surprise to see this out so early, and a positive sign 2011 won’t be a complete write-off.

2010 Irvine Savagnin, Eden Valley (screwcap): Oily and lemony on the nose, very much what it was like before they found they couldn’t call it Albarino anymore; the palate’s just as dry and lemony, very much like a classic Barossa Semillon. Ignore the name, it’s definitely worth a chance.

2010 Irvine Pinot Gris, Eden Valley (screwcap): There’s sweeter, peachy fruit with an even more oily palate than the Savagnin, but it’s rather lean for a Pinot Gris.

2006 Irvine Merlot Cabernet Franc, Eden Valley & Barossa Valley (screwcap): Showing some bricking already, this is rather lean but attractive with earthy currants and a medium-weight, dry structure. A good style to knock off with food now, but I can’t see it cellaring.

2008 Irvine Estate Merlot, Eden Valley & Barossa Valley (screwcap): Remarkably similar to the blend two years its elder, earthy and mineraly with sweet and also savoury currant fruit, but a little one dimensional. I expected a little more to be honest.

Irvine The Baroness (screwcap): From memory I think this release is a blend of 2008 Eden Valley Merlot, 2008 Barossa Cabernet Franc, and 2008 Barossa Merlot. There’s a whiff of volatility on the nose, a characteristic of 2008’s I’ve quickly become critical of; despite all the merlot in the blend, I still find it has a hole in the middle, and never really has the depth of fruit I expect from the blend despite the ripeness.

2006 Irvine Grand Merlot, Eden Valley (cork): This was literally the last pour of the last bottle opened on the day, so maybe it wasn’t too much of a surprise to find this was rather stocky with buttery oak and riper fruit to the fore. Likewise the palate’s rather forward and surprisingly approachable, medium-weight and more like an advanced bottle of the 1998 right now. I was a little disappointed, it certainly doesn’t have the restrained power or nervous tension of that wonderful 1999 vintage on release, or even now for that matter.

2006 Irvine Zinfandel Reserve, Eden Valley (cork): For a Zin, I found this a little lightweight, one dimensional and boring, although its balance wasn’t bad; it’s fruity but rather light and short, but then maybe coming after the Grand Merlot was too big of an ask.

2009 Tim McNeil Clare Valley Shiraz (screwcap): A lot better than the previous vintage of this wine at an instore a couple of months ago, the blueberry/black cherry fruit more than a match for the French oak this time to make for a medium-weight but complex wine with lots of spice and very fine grippy tannins. Tim thought this may have been a little “fruity” and wanted more grip and the extra spice of the 2008 vintage, but I loved its elegance and thought this had much more promise.

Cheers,
Ian

[sjw_11]

Yalumba 1996 Cuvee D-Black Shiraz Cabernet... In great condition. The colour blood red with brown tinges, on the nose sweet stewed plums, vanilla and spice. In the mount rich and sweet with a fine mousse.

[griff]

1998 Mamre Brook Cabernet: Oxidised. A shame as it a gift to me all those years ago.

2004 Noon Eclipse Grenache/Shiraz: Opens a little stinky. After a couple of hours we get a lovely raspberry wine with liquorice and brandy snaps on the finish. Not hot but perhaps a little jammy. Very good.

I have a 2001 Clos Clare Riesling up soon and I really should try a bottle of the 2002 Classic McLaren LaTesta Shiraz as well.

cheers

Carl

[Luke W]

1998 Mamre Brook Cabernet: Oxidised. A shame as it a gift to me all those years ago.

2004 Noon Eclipse Grenache/Shiraz: Opens a little stinky. After a couple of hours we get a lovely raspberry wine with liquorice and brandy snaps on the finish. Not hot but perhaps a little jammy. Very good.

I have a 2001 Clos Clare Riesling up soon and I really should try a bottle of the 2002 Classic McLaren LaTesta Shiraz as well.

cheers

Carl

Carl

Shame about the 1998 Mamre Brook - had a memorable nite with one of those a few years ago - at its best a beautiful wine.

Hope ur 02 La Testa is drinking as well as my regular ones - I usually give the 02 shiraz an hour or so in the decanter before imbibing. Don't get RSI with the bottle.

cheers

Luke

[richie32]

Carl & Luke

Have a lonely bottle of the 02 LaTesta remaining and havent figured out when to open it up, how is it drinking?

Richie

[Luke W]

Richie
I imagine that might depend on its provenance and your cellaring conditions - I think my La Testas still have a few more years before I'd worry about them and they're drinking "in their window" but I saw that someone had said that the 01 La Testa Shiraz was at the end of the window in their opinion.

Try it and let us know

Cheers

Luke

[Sean]

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[sjw_11]

Head Grenache 2010... Had this open for 3 days and looked great the whole way through. Attractive now with red berries, spice, some grenache confection, but really quite dense - I do think this could benefit from a year or two in the cellar.

[griff]

Last night was the following:

2003 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett
A very ripe year indeed. Low acid with ample fruit weight. Rounded stonefruits with lime barley sugars. Lingering tangy finish for a riesling. Very Good.

2004 Noon VP
Cracking stuff this. A fellow drinker thought it like a LBV style. Indeed, it has that plump, buxom character with low tannin. Ripe black fruits enrobed with dark chocolate. Brandy spirit if you go looking hard but very much integrated now. The profile reminds me a little of the 2007 Kalleske JMK VP. I suspect at its apogee. Outstanding.

I had better try that La Testa eh? This week then.

cheers

Carl

[orpheus]

Yering Station 2008 shiraz viognier - for those (like me) who don't like viognier in their shiraz, this is a revelation. This is an excellent wine, tight, focused, cool-climate shiraz of top quality.

Beautifully integrated, elegant, with a lovely long finish.

Lovely mouthfeel, and great tannins, powerful and grippy, liquoricy, yet so fine as to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

THis should age excellently.

Drinking better a day after opening (half of the bottle kept in the fridge overnight, with vacuvin).

95-96 points.

[sjw_11]

Coriole "Mary Kathleen" 2001 Cab Merlot (McVale)... A favourite marque of mine albeit I havent had many - a 1994 last year was a revelation. Opens with excellent colour - purple red, but not over dense in hue. The nose is immediately elegant, theres some kirsch and blackcurrant, with a hint of earth/tobacco. The palate opens sweet and full with a spectrum of red fruits fading gently into a pleasing close with fine, drying tannin - the slight shortness in the finish the only drawback. No need to drink up, this is just entering the secondary phase, and I think will age gracefully for 5-10yrs.

[dlo]

Last Friday cracked a 2003 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling and what a lovely wine it was. Although drinking really well now, I'd expect this limey/toasty/slatey wine to go for another decade at least.

And then a couple of good one's to report on over the next few days.

Firstly, J.J.Confuron's 1999 Chambolle-Musigny is in a fine place just at the minute. Typically, for a 12 year old village wine the colour is a rusty red brick/ocre and a little cloudy but the aromatics and palate flavour is simply terrific for what it is, offering up spicy plum and cherry with an appropriate amount of sweet earth, truffle, pinot sap and game to provide class and interest. Oak and acidity are well integrated and a fine backdrop to the siky texture. Drinking very well now and should last until 2016.

Secondly, Produttori del Barberesco's Riserva 1997 Asili. An excellent example of nebbiolo, holding a most beautiful light ruby robe, intense but sensual bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, violets, well-judged subtle oak and a matching nuanced palate. Pretty much ready to go from my point of view (no fierce tannin or overly acidic) but will not fall over in a hurry. About a 90 pointer.

Then over the last two nights a fabulous bottle of 1996 Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon. Another wine in its zone with amazing opulence of fruit combined with sensational cedary oak and bucketloads of structure.

[orpheus]

Lenton Brae Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - impulse buy of 6 when in wine shop, as it was only $25 a bottle.

Very bad impulse. Thin, under-ripe fruit characteristics (green and tart), as well as being perfect evidence that wine ages under Stelvin, because it was tired and sorry.

Not awful, just one of those bottles that sits in the cellar because it is never the one you pick to drink.

Avoid.

[tpang]

Eldridge Estate Gamay 2009, Mornington Peninsula, VIC
$38. Med+ black ruby colour. Generous perfume of sweet red and black berries, sweet spice, like after cold spring rains. Silky texture, med+ bodied wine, loads of ripe raspberry, blackberry flavours, opens up into rhubarb shortbread tart, hint of sweet green and pink peppercorns on the finish. 13.7% alc. Loads of clean refreshing acidity, med- soft tannins are worked in seamlessly. Serve this chilled, or off the balcony table in the present weather.

St John's Rd Blood & Courage Shiraz 2009, Barossa Valley, SA
$19. Intense black purple colour, young concentrated perfume of black cherry, blackcurrant and sweet anise. Dry, full-bodied wine with plush rich blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, finishing with dried black plums. Clean acidity with easy velvet tannins. 14.5% alc. A good drop for this price. Had this with rosemary rubbed lamb chops.

Longhop Shiraz 2010, Mt Lofty Ranges, SA
$16. Intense black ruby colour. Dense aromas of blackcurrant cordial, asian salted dried plums and anise pastille, hint of dusty rock. Dry, full-bodied wine, this is ripe and rich with incredible flavours of dense blackcurrant fruit, anise, rosemary bark flavours. 14% alc, a long fruity finish. Good value for money, fit the for family BBQ.

[BlaCkAdDa]

Im not educated enough to produce meaningful tasting notes but heres what I've drunk over the last week

2010 Pirramimma Late Harvest Riesling
Very nice desert wine for the price, sweet but not sickly (though definitely sweet) with hints of pear and apricots

2008 Geoff Hardy Handcrafted Shiraz Viogner
Disappointing, quite watery and tasteless, not sure whether to cellar and hope for an improvement or give away. Was hoping for something better having had a few good shiraz/viogners over the last couple of months, standout being an 05 I think it was Barking Owl. Though I was eating it with steak and will see how the remainder of the bottle tastes tonight. (opened 2 nights ago)

2007 Step Rd Adelaide Hills Sauv Blanc
Light and zesty considering its a 07, good flavour, not metallic tasting like some sauv blancs i've had lately.

2003 Macaw Creek, Reserve Cab Shiraz
Nice and bold, in its drinking window I'd say, the shiraz and grenache appeared to be in a good balance without one overbearing the other (though if one did it would be the shiraz)

[Sean]

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[BlaCkAdDa]

Thanks Sean.

I knocked off the Geoff Hardy tonight, tasted better than I remember the other night and it wasn't impacted by a big juicy steak. Had more of a punch but I still felt it didnt have enough complexity/flavour. Would love to hear from someone else who's tried this wine.

[daz]

Brands Laira Blockers Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 This has improved (re-sealed) in the fridge a day or so after the screwcap seal was removed and a glass sampled. Whilst still quite oaky it's not as overpoweringly so as the first glass was just after opening. There's plenty of Coonawarra character here with cassis/blackberry fruit, vanilla and some mintiness. It has a sweet/sour savouriness, perhaps some salami, about it. Tannins are ripe and rounded throughout, contribute to the lengthy, drying finish along with some cedar notes from the oak. I'm sure it's available for less than the $18.74 I paid but still rather good value at that, better than I expected after being less than impressed by the few vintages of Phoenix I've had. It's actually pretty bloody good!

Forest Hill Vineyard Estate Riesling 2010 was priced about right at about $17 (incl. freight) for its quality. Nice medium-bodied, varietal riesling. There's a slight touch of sweetness and flintiness underlying the lemon/lime fruit. Finishes dry but not with a great deal of length.

Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 2009 This was good value at <$24 delivered. Almost full-bodied, it's a showcase Barossa shiraz, fruit and oak, tannins and acid very nicely balanced with good length on the finish.

Bird In Hand Chardonnay 2009 A cracking chardy that had the whole bag of winemaking tricks thrown at it. Perhaps a bit in the older style but not with overbearing oak. A friend who has a serious preference for chardonnay said it was really nice, enjoyed it last weekend. That was not long after being informed her partner's father had passed away. He was an accomplished scientist, set up the materials testing station one of his sons (my friend) has run for some years since Bob's retirement. I'll, hopefully, never forget him saying, "I have alzheimers you know."

I'd serve all of these wines to anyone with confidence that they would be appreciated unless their preferences were for sweet moscato or lambrusco.

[AndrewCowley]

2006 Audrey Wilkinson Museum Reserve Shiraz: Fantastic Hunter Shiraz. 13.5% alcohol. Medium bodied. Glorious raspberried fruit with that unmistakable leathery hint in the background. Incredibly smooth and long finish. Great drinking now. Hard to see it as a long termer but might benefit from another 3-5 years. This was a bit of a speculative purchase from the cellar door. Very impressive.

[bacchaebabe]

Went to a great dinner party last night where the host pulled out some lovely aged wines. Didn't take notes so just impressions.

94 Tyrrells Semillon Not the Vat 1, just branded as semillon. Beautful aged characters though of toasty butter and lanolin. A very good example.
98 Pyrus Thought it was a little tired. Just outside it's peak drinking window. Certainly still enjoyable with some pretty voilets and balck fruits but I think maybe better a couple of years ago. I have one of these left myslef so will drink it soon.
98 Yarra Yerring shiraz This was from magnum and was the WOTN for me. Lovely structure and almost pinot-like with its intensity and mouthfeel. Very pure and intense with plums and black fruits. Very good indeed.
93 Noble One (750ml) Quite a dark orange, the colour giving away its age.These wines when well cellared seem to live forever. Certainly no problems here with a rich luscious wine with apricot, cumquats and a touch of vanilla. Excellent stuff.

[Bick]

A few wines from the past couple of weeks in fact. Lets see...

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 - I've commented on this one before - not quite the knockout I previously thought, but still a pretty smart wine for the price. Agree with Craig's previous comment that it probably doesn't have the structure/longevity of the 07, but its drinking very nicely now. This remains my midweek wine throughout the winter.

Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Merlot, Cabernet Suavignon, Malbec 2009 - Tasty stuff. Noce is all cedar and cigar box, quite savoury, but not a heap of fruit. The palate is much fruitier though, and stacks up well against the Villa. Lots of blackberry and redcurrent. Some nice fresh acidity on the finish without greenness.

Trinity Hill "The Gimblett" 2007 - The 05 of this wine was a stonker - a highlight of the Hawkes bay 07 vintage imho. This is a notch down though in my view. Aroma is dense and not unappealing, with a mixture of stewed raisins, varnish and oak, but little in the way of fruit on the nose. Mouthfeel is very juicy, smooth, but it all seems a little overblown and cooked for my liking.

...and from Bordeaux blends, to a pinot tasted a couple of weeks ago:
Craggy Range Calvert Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 - This is the pinot BC gave 98 to a couple of years back. And it is a beauty. Nice dark ruby colour, with a really nice floral notes, cedar, raspberry and strawberry on the nose; palate is super: rich fruit, great density of expression, silky mouthfeel and overall, just a really good balance and weight to it. Top wine.

[Peter NZ]

A weekend trip to Martinborough:

- found the Kusuda 2008 Syrah on a restaurant wine list for just $4 more than the Martinborough Wine Centre's retail price -- not a blockbuster, but very good concentration / white pepper -- excellent wine

- tasted all Escarpment's single vineyard / Escparment 2011 wines from barrel, which was interesting -- difficult to tell much at this stage, but fruit on the chardonnays in particular was very good, with (for what it's worth) the Kiwa PN looking the most obviously appealing of the pinots -- very good concentration across most of the range though.

- stopped at Cambridge Road, a relatively new producer whose wines I'd not tried previously -- very quality focussed producer of pinot & syrah still feeling the way a little stylistically, but all wines tasted ('08 & '09 pinots, & '09 & '10 syrahs) were excellent. (Vines are ex Murdoch James, circa 20 - 25 years old, & adjacent to Kusuda's syrah block).

Cheers
Peter

[Teisto]

2005 Torberck Cuvee Juveniles My last one. Nowhere near as fruit driven - a lot softer and missing the oak. Still very enjoyable
2006 Yering Station Sangiovese Really good. Lacks the depth of say a Pizzini but once again a solid drink. Smooth and supple
2008 Ten Minutes by Tractor Pinot Gris Has lost the zing, developing some oily characteristics. not bad

[griff]

Just a quick post to say I managed to try the 2002 La Testa Shiraz. Nothing wrong with it and a competent wine but perhaps just closed. I wonder if my tastes are changing though as I found it just too big. A wine to drink with meat and/or cheese!

cheers

Carl

[Luke W]

Just a quick post to say I managed to try the 2002 La Testa Shiraz. Nothing wrong with it and a competent wine but perhaps just closed. I wonder if my tastes are changing though as I found it just too big. A wine to drink with meat and/or cheese!

cheers

Carl

Thanks Carl

How long did u decant it for?

[orpheus]

I prefered the 2002 La Testa Cabernet, because it had more grip, weight, and texture.

The shiraz was a bit hot.

[Luke W]

I think the La Testa cabernets are glorious and am still drinking the 09's, and 00's. The 02's are stunning. The 02 shiraz needs a couple of hours of decanting to settle.

[ticklenow1]

I will agree with Luke about the '00 Cabernet. I got my hands on a 6 pack a few years back and they didn't last long. They were so good that I couldn't resist drinking them. As good a McClaren Vale Cabernet as I've had.

[griff]

Just a quick post to say I managed to try the 2002 La Testa Shiraz. Nothing wrong with it and a competent wine but perhaps just closed. I wonder if my tastes are changing though as I found it just too big. A wine to drink with meat and/or cheese!

cheers

Carl

Thanks Carl

How long did u decant it for?

Popped and poured a glass. Tried again the following night. Maybe there was a sweet spot in between

cheers

Carl