The Auswine Forum

Hey guys. Ill be coming straight from work! What's the official theme?

alexc92 wrote:Hey guys. Ill be coming straight from work! What's the official theme?

The theme is "open that bottle". We all hold onto special bottles waiting for that right time or event or sufficient aging before opening. Sometimes that event/time doesn't come. So instead of letting a bottle go past it's peak, we open it tomorrow.

If anyone else would like to join us but is keeping silent because they don't have a special bottle or whatnot, don't worry about it. You can bring anything you like. It's all about sharing wines over a great meal with great company.

Awesome, see what I can dig up

So with an open theme everyone brings Cabernet or Bordeaux blends. I am perfect happy with that.


Great wine, food and most of all company.


Thanks again and till the next one.

Notes and WOTN to come.

What a great night! Thanks everyone. I'll post photos and tasting notes tomorrow.

Photos and my tasting notes are below, but before I get to that, I want to firstly thank Pete for organising the offline. The food and ambiance at France-Soir was fabulous. The glassware was also good. I'd definitely return here again.

Our wines were tasted blind, except for wine #1. Despite our theme not being limited to a particular grape variety, we ended up with a great line up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends from around Australia. All the wines were fantastic and it wasn't easy to pick WOTN, but after tasting and re-tasting by a vote of 3 to 1 the winner was the 2007 Voyager Estate. That's the second time this label has been WOTN at a Melbourne offline (2001 vintage previously).


The Line Up


Wine #1: 2010 Pooley Family Reserve Cabernet Merlot

Blackberry and plum fruit. Good structure and balance. Smooth dusty tannins. Wisp of acidity on the finish.

Wine #2: 2009 Barwang Hilltops GDR Cabernet Sauvignon

Fruity blackcurrant and black olives. Tannins and fruit well balanced. Long finish with a hint of mint.

Wine #3: 2007 Houghton C.W. Ferguson Cabernet Malbec

Medium bodied blackberry and raspberry fruit, with a hint of sweetness. Coffee and black olive too. Firm silky tannins. Great structural balance.

Wine #4: 2007 Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot - WOTN

Blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Bay leaf? Good integration of fruit, tannins and oak. Elegant and refined. Will age gracefully for a long time to come.

Wine #5: 1992 Wynns Coonawarra Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon

A few years past it's best. Fruit still there but fading. Oak, acid and tannins still left. Drink now if you still have any.


Looking forward to the next offline. We've chosen a theme already -- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Great night as always! Loved the Cabernet theme in the end..

Pooley was excellent, The Voyager a class above; A wine I find NEEDS a bit of bottle age to show its best.

Happy to see the Wynns hanging in there, a pleasant surprise and my oldest black label!

See you all the next one

Thanks Oz for the photos and notes.


Now in the states drinking some refreshing ales before my next flight.