Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[catchnrelease]

1997 Wendouree Shiraz - Damn corks! A little bit of fruit trying to come through the taint but unfortunately it's not looking too good. Leaving it in the decanter and we'll see how it goes, but my hopes aren't high.

Update: It's now down the sink.

[rossmckay]

Tried a 2007 Blue Poles Allouran - right in the groove, starting to introduce some secondary characters but heaps of blue fruit and mocha left
then a 2009 Chapoutier Banyuls - porty, raisins, thick, blah undrinkable
now a 2012 Woods Crampton Graciano, vibrant and zingy, love this

[Duncan Disorderly]

2014 Unico Zelo Fiano

This could be the wine de jour for Spring. Beautiful nose of pear, almond, rose water and a bit of funky character, with pear, marzipan and bit of lemon zest on the palate. It has a lovely mouthfeel too, slightly oily and a sense of sweetness as the rose water aroma envelops your taste buds. Give at a fair bit of air and savour it, as it's worth the effort.

[rooman]

Had dinner with a couple of friends at Maclay St Bistro. I know the food wasn't fantastic at the offline but with smaller parties the food is still excellent. I took along a Clonakilla SV 2008, Seppelt Chalambar 2010 and a Voyager Cab Sav Merlot 99. The Seppelts was to give us something to drink when we first sat down and whilst we waited for the two main wines to be decanted. In this context it did a superb job. The Clonakilla took a while to open up in the decanter but once it did was clearly the wine of evening. Fragrant aroma without being excessively sweet, savoury moorish fruit with hint of forest floor. Lovely wine with still a long way to go. The Voyager is starting to show brown bricking around the edge. Tannins are softening and integrating into the fruit now. A middle short through the middle but I suspect the fact I grabbed it straight from the cellar before going to dinner didn't do it any favours. Enjoyable without being stunning.

[tj2]

2011 Yangarra Estate Rousanne Really enjoy this wine having tried a few times. Still quite primary I think. Honeysuckle on the nose is enticing without being overwhelming. Lovely mouth-coating texture, viscous without being oily, delivers a chalky mineral character which lingers...assume it will build more richness with age. Has that refreshing springwater finish which conveys a sense of lightness and freshness which belies the underlying complexity in the wine. Good fun...anyone know of any other good Oz Roussane?

[conformistpete]

Last night was beer, evit twin, red duck and yeastie boys.

This afternoon Les Griottes Beaujolais 2013 and Guigal Cote due Rhone later for some steak.

[Hacker]

Last night, 1993 Tyrrells Vat 1. Cork gods looked after us, very nice.
1998 Joseph Moda Cab Merlot. Lovely!
2002 Brokenwood Warner's Vineyard Mclaren Vale Shiraz. Also lovely, actually better.

Tonight, Woodlands 2012 Cab Merlot. Just a bit thin perhaps? Was expecting a bit more. Maybe time might fill out the middle palate. I would give it 5 years.

[maybs]

Got a chicken roasting in the oven and hit opened a bottle of 2010 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay to go with it. Very nice, grassy, oaky (well integrated), strong peach and almost a hint of rock melon? Creaminess, acid, Long finish.

[catchnrelease]

2012 Cirrilo 'The Vincent' Grenache - More savoury than I anticipated, not as juby as I expected. Still plenty of fruit up front though, although a bit of disjointed acidity on opening detracting from an otherwise top value grenache. Tannins are fine and grippy, finished with decent length. Improved with breathing.

Update - a few hours later and that acidity is backing off, and the tannins are becoming better integrated with the fruit. Much better!

[rooman]

Last days of winter lamb roast on Saturday night meant dragging out a couple more reds. First up was a David Clark Bourgogne 2008, still not really showing any sign of secondary flavours associated with pinot. Tasted blind I would have struggled to identify this as a wine made from pinot noir. Second up was the much larger Ben Glaetzer Godolphin 2005 , a shiraz/ cab sav blend from the Barossa. Sadly this wine suffered from a classic case of infanticide. At 9 years young, it is just far too early to drag this monster out of the cellar and crack it open on a Saturday night in 2014. A strong tannin structure hide what will be an excellent wine in 10 or even 20 years time with dark berry fruit lurking just beneath the surface giving great length and depth of flavour on the finish. Since I only have a couple left, I will keep them for a similar dinner late 2020s when my son who was born in 2005 will be old enough to join in and enjoy them as a fully mature wine.

[Panda 9D]

2011 Yangarra Estate Rousanne Really enjoy this wine having tried a few times. Still quite primary I think. Honeysuckle on the nose is enticing without being overwhelming. Lovely mouth-coating texture, viscous without being oily, delivers a chalky mineral character which lingers...assume it will build more richness with age. Has that refreshing springwater finish which conveys a sense of lightness and freshness which belies the underlying complexity in the wine. Good fun...anyone know of any other good Oz Roussane?

I reckon you've found the best. Give the 2013s a spin.. wow.

[The fish]

Domaine Faury Saint-Joseph 'La Gloriette' 2009: bacon fat, violets and herbage.....mmm. Still fruit forward but the smoke I've found in previous bottles is less pronounced. Yum.

[TravisW]

2011 Yangarra Estate Rousanne Really enjoy this wine having tried a few times. Still quite primary I think. Honeysuckle on the nose is enticing without being overwhelming. Lovely mouth-coating texture, viscous without being oily, delivers a chalky mineral character which lingers...assume it will build more richness with age. Has that refreshing springwater finish which conveys a sense of lightness and freshness which belies the underlying complexity in the wine. Good fun...anyone know of any other good Oz Roussane?

I reckon you've found the best. Give the 2013s a spin.. wow.

Collector, The Lap Lit.

[The fish]

2011 Yangarra Estate Rousanne Really enjoy this wine having tried a few times. Still quite primary I think. Honeysuckle on the nose is enticing without being overwhelming. Lovely mouth-coating texture, viscous without being oily, delivers a chalky mineral character which lingers...assume it will build more richness with age. Has that refreshing springwater finish which conveys a sense of lightness and freshness which belies the underlying complexity in the wine. Good fun...anyone know of any other good Oz Roussane?

I reckon you've found the best. Give the 2013s a spin.. wow.

Collector, The Lap Lit.

Concur. Sublime...

[Croquet King]

Just finished a bottle of Penfolds 1984 Magill Estate Shiraz.

Still drinking well. Leathery, cigar slightly smokey. Not huge length but went well with lasagna.

Ah life is good

[daz]

Angove Long Row Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, not bad for <$8,

[Waiters Friend]

Plantagenet Chardonnay 2010. Fully oaked and developed, and probably only going to go another 1-2 years. Pretty good, in a bigger and almost buttery style.

[phillisc]

A surprising good wine, Wynns 2000 Riesling.
Straw yellow mildly citrusy on the nose and a hint of sweetness on the palate with some acidity to finish.
Original receipt of $3:99 pb and found some 98s, 96s and a single 1990 in the cellar clean up.

happy days

Cheers Craig.

[Redback]

2001 Penfolds BIN 389. Good cork with a 2 hour decant. Currants with leafy notes. Dry tannins, with a touch of vanilla. Enjoyed with a roast beef. Will not improve with further age, so if you have any, drink up now!

[Ozzie W]

2005 Mildara Rothwell Cab Sav from Coonawarra.

This could easily be mistaken for a current vintage wine. It's so powerful with blackcurrant fruit, oak, spices and smooth velvety tannins. Lovely rich vanilla smell. Well balanced with a long finish. Has many years left in it. The last vintage made under the Rothwell label. Why don't you make this any more TWE?!

[Michael McNally]

Angove Long Row Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, not bad for <$8,

One of the best cheapies around for many a year!

Cheers

Michael

[Teisto]

Finally opened the 1993 Tyrrels Vat 1 Semillon on the weekend for my brothers 40th Birthday.

Wasn't expecting too much however this was very good. The colour was still a pale yellow, the cork in perfect nick. A little toasty and maybe a little short on the finish but very surprising given the age.

[George Krashos]

Uncle had his 60th and splurged. Line up was:

Grange 1995
Henschke Cyril 1999
Rockford BP 1996
Wendouree Cab Sauv 2001
Elderton Command 1999

All in all, a lovely night.

-- George Krashos

[conformistpete]

Paradise IV Geelong Chardonnay 2012 in the park.

Edit: Also finishing off last nights Janz Late Disgorged 2004 Sparkling. More fresh apples on the palate than last night and slightly more oxidative but not really affecting the fruit more of a funk on the nose. Great Australian bubbles really.

[Boyeah]

Greenock Creek Apricot Block Shiraz 1999 14.8%
Still surprisingly young, with a slight hint of Truffle, earth, Blackberries, mulberry- medium length follow by a smooth tannic, not a bad drop but could be........
Cheers Boyeah

[TravisW]

Paradise IV Geelong Chardonnay 2012 in the park.

What was it like?

Cheers, Travis.

[Duncan Disorderly]

Last night we had: a 2010 Phi Lusatia Park Sauvignon Blanc that was beautifully balanced, but still with years left. A 2007 Campbell's Bobbie Burns Shiraz which I found a bit short, although I can't say I'm much of a Rutherglen fan. Lastly a bottle of the 2006 The Story Grampians Shiraz which is a great wine that needs a longer decant than we could give it, however my remaining bottles will stay in the cellar for another two years at least.

[conformistpete]

Travis,

The Paradise IV was great. Probably better than the Chablis we had later. Mealy cashews, a little toasty and lemons abound with a good streak of acid but not so it felt like it was trying to be 'chablis' like some recent Victorian chardonnay.

Would like to see it again in a year or three but it was my only bottle.

[conformistpete]

Also had the Scott Paul La Paulee Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley last night. Dark in colour and very fruity, dark cherries et al, with a good tannin structure. What was missing was some of those other pinot flavours... however could have been the warm vintage (2008) in Oregon. Good drinking but not VFM in Australia.

[PDG]

After having to cancel a game of golf on a lovely Sunday due to an emergency call from work, 2013 Ravensworth Nebbiolo. Love the nose and the fine tannins. So happy I have another 5 of this. And then some Clonakilla Muscat