The Auswine Forum

Posted: **Wed Jun 06, 2018 11:34 am**

sjw_11 wrote:
Chuck wrote:Not quite on topic but with winter coming on I do like the odd stout or 3 ever so slightly chilled. One ice cube is enough. I do like the heavier style (not Guinness) and my go to has been Coopers Extra Stout. Recently tried a Southwark Old Stout on the recommendation of a guy who knows his stout and I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best I have ever tried. Really full bodied, great mouthfeel and flavour. At 7.2% it's not for the faint hearted in a 375ml bottle. Great value at around $60 per slab. Just got to watch the waist line. Someone once said you can live on stout and tomatoes.

Carl
Coopers Extra and Southwark Old were always my top 2 favourites in Oz. Much heavier in style than the typical English stout, but terrific on a cold winter night.

Looks like you are in London. We are heading to Europe soon and would be interested in any Euro stouts you can recommend.

Carl

Posted: **Wed Jun 06, 2018 7:17 pm**

Chuck wrote:
sjw_11 wrote: Coopers Extra and Southwark Old were always my top 2 favourites in Oz. Much heavier in style than the typical English stout, but terrific on a cold winter night.
Looks like you are in London. We are heading to Europe soon and would be interested in any Euro stouts you can recommend.

Carl

Tricky question to answer. In the UK you are looking at real ales which are generally seasonal and hence you won't see much stout unless you are here in winter. I mean, you also get Guiness in most pubs and Fuller's London Black Cab is perfectly fine, but beyond those.

If you come to London, I would recommend you visit The Glasshouse Stores in Soho. It is a Sam Smiths pub which means everything including the spirits is their own brand and everything is very cheap. They aren't my favourite beers but their stout and porter are pretty decent and the pub also has bar billiards.

Also you could try the Porterhouse off the back of Covent Garden. This is an outpost of a Dublin operation and their oyster stout is award winning. It is an unusual layout to say the least and gets a bit busy so maybe visit outside peak hour. If you are in that area you could also consider eating at Rules which is something of an institution, having opened in 1798 (I actually haven't been to it myself but keep meaning to... I doubt it is good QPR but for a dose of over the top old-timey kitsch I think it looks fun).

If we expand to dark beers, we could spend a long time just discussion the offerings from Belgium. I don't know how familiar you are with beers from Belgium but there are a lot of great options, not that many which I would call a "stout" but plenty which are very dark, heavy and strong!

Otherwise it depends where are you are going in Europe... UK, Ireland and Belgium are the main places I would think of for stout or terrific dark beer. I can't really think of any from France, Spain or Italy, but Italian craft beer especially has been having a bit of a moment. In more northern or CEE parts you will get dark beer (like dunkel, German dark lager) but not really stout, and it tends to be more a dark larger style.

All of that said, the craft beer movement seems to be spreading exponentially so keep your eyes open and who knows what you will find!

By the way, to add a wine related point- if you are spending time in London I have to plug the two guys making wine in a railway arch in Bethnal Green http://renegadelondonwine.com/ ... so East London, so 2018.

Posted: **Thu Jun 07, 2018 10:31 am**

sjw_11 wrote:
Chuck wrote:
sjw_11 wrote: Coopers Extra and Southwark Old were always my top 2 favourites in Oz. Much heavier in style than the typical English stout, but terrific on a cold winter night.
Looks like you are in London. We are heading to Europe soon and would be interested in any Euro stouts you can recommend.

Carl
Tricky question to answer. In the UK you are looking at real ales which are generally seasonal and hence you won't see much stout unless you are here in winter. I mean, you also get Guiness in most pubs and Fuller's London Black Cab is perfectly fine, but beyond those.

If you come to London, I would recommend you visit The Glasshouse Stores in Soho. It is a Sam Smiths pub which means everything including the spirits is their own brand and everything is very cheap. They aren't my favourite beers but their stout and porter are pretty decent and the pub also has bar billiards.

Also you could try the Porterhouse off the back of Covent Garden. This is an outpost of a Dublin operation and their oyster stout is award winning. It is an unusual layout to say the least and gets a bit busy so maybe visit outside peak hour. If you are in that area you could also consider eating at Rules which is something of an institution, having opened in 1798 (I actually haven't been to it myself but keep meaning to... I doubt it is good QPR but for a dose of over the top old-timey kitsch I think it looks fun).

If we expand to dark beers, we could spend a long time just discussion the offerings from Belgium. I don't know how familiar you are with beers from Belgium but there are a lot of great options, not that many which I would call a "stout" but plenty which are very dark, heavy and strong!

Otherwise it depends where are you are going in Europe... UK, Ireland and Belgium are the main places I would think of for stout or terrific dark beer. I can't really think of any from France, Spain or Italy, but Italian craft beer especially has been having a bit of a moment. In more northern or CEE parts you will get dark beer (like dunkel, German dark lager) but not really stout, and it tends to be more a dark larger style.

All of that said, the craft beer movement seems to be spreading exponentially so keep your eyes open and who knows what you will find!

By the way, to add a wine related point- if you are spending time in London I have to plug the two guys making wine in a railway arch in Bethnal Green http://renegadelondonwine.com/ ... so East London, so 2018.

Thanks. We are not going to the British Isles, spending our time in the EU area including Belgium so will check their offering out.

Carl

Posted: **Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:24 am**

2007 Seppelt Shiraz Chalambar

Decanted off a fair amount of sediment, drank over a couple of hours.
Clear, dark but slightly fading purple. Not quite bricking but looks very close to around the edges.
Clean nose of dark fruits, blackberries, fresh pack of cigarettes, tar, some nutmeg spice.
Medium plus body, medium acid, medium minus tannin. Taste was similar to the nose but also had some soy and a tiny bit of eucalyptus. The softened tannins and with still a decent amount of fruit in this made this very enjoyable and so easy to drink.
Finish was long.
I wish I had more but this was my one and only bottle. The optimal drinking window is now but with the screwcap should keep this powering on for a few more years at least. Very good. 92pts

Posted: **Fri Jun 08, 2018 5:58 pm**

Road testing the 2009 Pontet Canet. Dark red. I have to say I am a bit underwhelmed. Tastes soft with less acid than I would have thought. Tannis are in check, and there is some dark fruits, but nothing jumps out to make this a, *ahem*, 100 point wine. Quite frankly I would prefer a Woodlands Margaret or similar. It is a bit of a laugh to read Cellartracker comments about this wine with all the Parker sycophants falling over themselves to score this wine in the high 90's or worse.

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2018 12:30 am**

2008 Rockies RR.
lots of choccy, smokey, leathery components with obvious oak and long finish.
Nice balanced tannins.
Was still improving as the last drop was consumed.
Barossa cabs are odd in a good way for me. Often hard to pick but the rockies 'house style'
does pronounce itself here. But that's a good thing.

Other stuff;
10 Bowen Shiraz.... fantastic
10 redmans Cab merlot... really good.
13 noon 1200 hours...overly tannic and lacking ...something
14 Kalleske greenock....crikey this is a beast. loved it
15 St johns rd LL Cab Sav...average first night but really improved on 2nd night
15 Olivers Tar Shiraz....massive. prob too massive. almost a bit flabby and untogether
12 and 10 Wynns estate shiraz....found both of these too acidic and lacking body
12 tidswell Shiraz....great wine. really well balanced. surprised me

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:21 pm**

2015 Lethbridge Pinot Noir
Really good stuff, nice rich fruit, earthy and spiced, so much going on and no lollies in sight

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:03 pm**

Hacker wrote:Road testing the 2009 Pontet Canet. Dark red. I have to say I am a bit underwhelmed. Tastes soft with less acid than I would have thought. Tannis are in check, and there is some dark fruits, but nothing jumps out to make this a, *ahem*, 100 point wine. Quite frankly I would prefer a Woodlands Margaret or similar. It is a bit of a laugh to read Cellartracker comments about this wine with all the Parker sycophants falling over themselves to score this wine in the high 90's or worse.

had this at a dinner during Vinexpo last week. It's actually pretty closed at the moment, like several other Pauillacs. I never thought that the 09's would shut down, but some have. It's great that you prefer Woodlands to this, it's cheaper and much easier to find, so all good!!! Your description closely mimicked what we found, and is consistent with it being shut down.
personally, I think this is an excellent Bordeaux (though I agree, not 100 points

) and it should hit prime time around 2025. I certainly would rate this in the mid-90's, and it's the best Pontet to date IMO. (that is not necessarily saying a huge amount, I only really rate the 09 and 10 of this Chateau)
other 2009 Pauillacs that seemed to have shut down include LLC, GPL, Mouton (no surprise!!!) and Les Forts.
we found the 2009 Pichon Baron open and stunning, with Comtesse just as good but no-where near as big a wine. At this stage in the vintage's evolution, Pichon Baron has become one of the best Medoc wines I have seen, first growths included. (along with Palmer and La Mission, yum yum)
if you want to drink 09 Bordeaux right now, go to the right bank or Pessac.
not sure that somebody liking this wine makes them a "Parker sycophant" although I would agree that there are plenty of those around!!! (Jeff Leve to name the chief cheer-leader hehe)

Posted: **Sun Jun 10, 2018 8:28 am**

Did you try the 15 pontet at recent tasting ?

Posted: **Sun Jun 10, 2018 1:46 pm**

Last night with friends over for dinner:

Olssen 2005 Clare Valley The Olssen Six. A blend of 6 Bordeaux varieties that really works. Great oak. Everything in balance and ready to drink. Should hold up well. Unfortunately it was our last bottle.

Peter Lehmann 2009 Mentor. Blend of cabernet, shiraz and malbec. Halfway through a case that has been a little bit disappointing to date(rough around the edges, tannic etc) like many wines from 2009 it has finally come together beautifully. Balanced, lovely fruit, oak and tannins integrated. Should power on for another 5-10 years at least.

Rumball Sparkling Shiraz. Coonawarra fruit. Haven't had this for many years. Really good juice.

Macallan 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky. These guys know how to make this stuff.

Carl

Posted: **Sun Jun 10, 2018 8:01 pm**

2014 Eperosa Shiraz Elevation, Eden Valley

Decanted 2 hours prior to consumption - it is ready for drinking. Medium bodied. Excellent fruit with a good kick of spice and pepper. The tannins and wine coat the mouth nicely - with very good palate weight. The wine is coming together nicely, with a very slight touch of tea type tannin on the finish. I think drink over the next 4-5 years as a peak drinking window.

2010 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra

Brief impressions from a bottle stored not particularly well: Full bodied with concentrated cassis flavours. Colour starting to change from primary. Fruit and oak in balance, ripe and mouth coating tannins. Very good palate weight and finish. A very good wine. I'd give it another 5 years to soften out.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:59 am**

Hunter wrote:Did you try the 15 pontet at recent tasting ?

yea, pretty good. Not at the level of 09, but good. Early days though, might develop into something special.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:33 pm**

2007 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese A superb year and one of my favourite whites so far this year. I grabbed the Auslese rather than the Spatlese out of the cellar for dinner with a pork dinner. Developing sunflower yellow, the Auslese has an added depth of flavour not seen in the Spatlese, - dryish without overpowering or seering acid giving breat balance, honeysuckle and white peach with a hint of citric fruit.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2018 12:11 pm**

2015 Bellwether ANT SERIES Wrattonbully Shiraz.
good drop.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:06 pm**

2000 La Croix St Georges, Pomerol
one of my "go-to' mid-week Bordeaux wines, just gorgeous.
round and rich, packed with dark plums, liquorice and bitter chocolate. Sweet, resolved tannins, really at it's peak now. Hard to believe what great value this is/was, at $70 a bottle no more than 5-7 years ago. Stupidly, I only got two cases, and my stocks continue to run dangerously low.
this Chateau consistently produces wines amongst the best value in Pomerol. Give them 15 years in the cellar, and you have classic drinking at a fraction of the price of the big boys.
95pts drink: now-2030+

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:05 pm**

2011 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir
I took a 2010 to an offline last year and it was a green stalky mess. Wish I had taken this one. Still had some whole bunch in the background and tannin influence, but still plenty of fruit and a bit of earth to balance it out. A pleasant wine, bottle was finished with no problems.

2015 Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge
Very fruity, kind of one dimensional. Nice enough wine but wouldn't want to be paying $30 for it. Mixed a little bit with some Coke (Zero) to see what the fuss is about - holy shit it's actually great.

2016 Sorrenberg Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon
Very excited to taste this after all the hype. Gotta say it's one of the best SSBs I've ever had, not that there's too much competition. Definitely has superb structure and length, became way more interesting as it warmed up. Hits the same notes as you'd expect from a SSB, again I think the structure/length is what sets this apart. Will be very interesting to see this age.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:16 pm**

Does hype mean Wine Front gave it a high score? Halliday is totally uncool and who else does anyone pay attention to?

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:59 pm**

catchnrelease wrote:[2015 Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge
Very fruity, kind of one dimensional. Nice enough wine but wouldn't want to be paying $30 for it. Mixed a little bit with some Coke (Zero) to see what the fuss is about - holy shit it's actually great.

NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!!!

swirler wrote:Does hype mean Wine Front gave it a high score? Halliday is totally uncool and who else does anyone pay attention to?

Mike Bennie scored it 97 points.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:00 pm**

Ozzie W wrote:
catchnrelease wrote:2015 Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge
Very fruity, kind of one dimensional. Nice enough wine but wouldn't want to be paying $30 for it. Mixed a little bit with some Coke (Zero) to see what the fuss is about - holy shit it's actually great.
NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!!!

swirler wrote:Does hype mean Wine Front gave it a high score? Halliday is totally uncool and who else does anyone pay attention to?
Mike Bennie scored it 97 points.

Posted: **Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:03 pm**

swirler wrote:Does hype mean Wine Front gave it a high score? Halliday is totally uncool and who else does anyone pay attention to?

Yeah MB gave it a good write up and consequently it was pretty hard to get. I think it lives up to it, as far as SSBs go it's pretty damn good.

Posted: **Sat Jun 16, 2018 2:08 pm**

Having an orange Amperol Spritz in the sun on a fine Sydney day. Might open something a bit more serious later to have with slow smoked brisket and wqtch Aus vs France.

Posted: **Sat Jun 16, 2018 2:34 pm**

had a Penfolds Cellar Reserve 2010 Mataro last night. Continued my grand love affair with this grape. The TM Penfolds oak was there but folding back into that spicy, earthy Mataro fruit. Lovely.

Posted: **Sat Jun 16, 2018 3:43 pm**

Now? A 2010 Rockford Moppa Springs GSM. Lovely way to morph into the wine of tonight. Light on its feet. A bit of simple pleasurable drinking. 90pts for me.

Posted: **Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:46 am**

1982 Don Perignon..... nutty, coffee dominant nose. Palate just starting to get some caramel notes. Decent bubbles and great mouthfeel and length. Tremendous wine.

Posted: **Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:15 am**

Mike Hawkins wrote:1982 Don Perignon..... nutty, coffee dominant nose. Palate just starting to get some caramel notes. Decent bubbles and great mouthfeel and length. Tremendous wine.

Is this from the London or NY cellar

Posted: **Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:18 am**

catchnrelease wrote:

2015 Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge
Very fruity, kind of one dimensional. Nice enough wine but wouldn't want to be paying $30 for it. Mixed a little bit with some Coke to see what the fuss is about - holy shit it's actually great.

Yes I've always experienced a similar reaction with most wines in fact.

Posted: **Sun Jun 17, 2018 6:56 pm**

rooman wrote:
Mike Hawkins wrote:1982 Don Perignon..... nutty, coffee dominant nose. Palate just starting to get some caramel notes. Decent bubbles and great mouthfeel and length. Tremendous wine.
Is this from the London or NY cellar

Sydney

Posted: **Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:43 am**

We're cracking a 2010 Penfolds BIN 389 for our 8 year anniversary tonight. It'll probably still be a little young but it's the vintage that matters

and I'm interested to see how it's going as we have two more for future anniversaries.

A few weeks back we had a 2008 Henschke Keyneton Euphonium and it was divine. Four more to go. We had six and the idea was to wait until it was 10 years before opening one every two years to see how it's travelling but I couldn't help but open one early. However, given how it's travelled (still young but showing development / integration), I'll not open the next until 2022 and maybe stretch them out further?

Posted: **Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:48 pm**

2009 Frederic Magnien NSG 1er Cru "Chaffots"
needed three hours in the decanter, then opened into a beautiful wine full of dark fruits and roses. Needs more time, but VG. 92pts drink: 2020-30

2009 Clos Lunelles Cotes de Bourg
wonderful little Bordeaux, rich, ripe and interesting. Again, ready to go after a good decant. 91pts drink: 2020-2025

2010 Clos St Jean CNDP Deus Ex Machina
stunning wine. Masses of absolutely everything, yet balanced and focussed. Incredible. 99pts drink: 2025-2050.

2002 Clarendon Hills Astralis shiraz
suffered after coming behind the CNDP, but was surprisingly restrained and complex. Excellent. 93pts drink: now-2022

Posted: **Tue Jun 26, 2018 9:35 am**

2012 Yangarra Estate Grenache High Sands

Day 1: Dominanted by ripe and intense fruits I come to expect from this varietal when grown in SA, but a lot more restrained than most. The balance between fruit, acidity and tannins are spot on. High-end Aussie Grenache. I like the wine/style, but not worth the entry price.

Day 2: The wine has transformed into something with Italian flair.

The fruit has changed to a sweet n' sour dark cherry and now takes a back seat to the intense dry tannins and some tar n' roses. I had to double-check that I poured my glass from the right bottle.

I never expected an Aussie Grenache to taste like this. Oh, those tannins - just so good! I have to recant what I thought the previous day regarding the price. This wine will be epic with another 5+ years of cellaring. Pity I don't have another bottle.

Was my palate playing tricks on me? A freak bottle? Or is this the usual style of the High Sands (first time I've ever had it)?

The Auswine Forum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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