The Auswine Forum

ticklenow1 wrote:Had a dinner last night at home to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Some nice wines and food.


Ian

Jim wrote:SC Pannell's 2013 Aromatico (Gewuerztraminer/Riesling) tonight. Some (16) Western and North Eastern Victorian wines tomorrow afternoon during the "East vs West Wine Challenge" tasting. Looking forward to it.

ticklenow1 wrote:Had a dinner last night at home to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Some nice wines and food.

Cheers
Ian

Cloth Ears wrote:Got some chili crab balls to cook up for dinner tonight. Maybe a 2012 Antonina to go with that - plus a couple of single malts for dessert?

Hacker wrote:My Fourriers arrived yesterday, and whilst the reds are due for a few years sleep, I thought I would try one of the few Chardonnays. It was a 2012 and opened up quite sweet, with tropical, almost new world characteristics, quite surprising for an old world wine. Leave the others for a few years to see if they meld. Can't wait to try the reds!

michel wrote:

Hacker wrote:My Fourriers arrived yesterday, and whilst the reds are due for a few years sleep, I thought I would try one of the few Chardonnays. It was a 2012 and opened up quite sweet, with tropical, almost new world characteristics, quite surprising for an old world wine. Leave the others for a few years to see if they meld. Can't wait to try the reds!

Fourrier chardonnay ?

Michael R wrote:Yes, was news to me as well.
What level/vineyard is it?

Fourrier Chardy, Clos de Lambrays....your weekday quaffers are very eye catching mate , great to see you drinking so well!!

michel wrote:local chard is better value i am guessing
m

Hacker wrote:

michel wrote:local chard is better value i am guessing
m

I would agree with that.

Mike Hawkins wrote:1990 Lynch Bages - the 90 lunch bags is one of my all time favourite wines from what was one of the most consistently brilliant vintages around the planet. For my tastes, drinking right at its peak.

Andrew Jordan wrote:

Mike Hawkins wrote:1990 Lynch Bages - the 90 lunch bags is one of my all time favourite wines from what was one of the most consistently brilliant vintages around the planet. For my tastes, drinking right at its peak.

Really glad to hear. Is this the wine you bought off me from the restaurant sale?

maybs wrote:Halfway into my first ever glass of Rockford Moppa Springs GSM. Got 6 2010 delivered the other day and decided to crack one.

Wow. This is seriously tasty wine and great value at the price. Seriously considering going back for another 6 pack.

qwertt wrote:

maybs wrote:Halfway into my first ever glass of Rockford Moppa Springs GSM. Got 6 2010 delivered the other day and decided to crack one.

Wow. This is seriously tasty wine and great value at the price. Seriously considering going back for another 6 pack.

Just opened a 2007 Moppa Springs. Quite sweet but eminently drinkable. That seems to me to be the essential characteristic of Rockford wines - moreishness.

ticklenow1 wrote:Had a dinner last night at home to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Some nice wines and food.

First up some home made Bruschetta with NV Billecart Salmon Brut. Quite nice with some creamy nutty notes and nice acidity. 3/5

Rockford Black Shiraz Magnum. Sparkling Shiraz. This was a prize for winning the Rockford Black Magnum Golf day this year. According to the note in the box - "In 1997, after 3 years maturation in oak a small amount of Black Shiraz was filled into 575 magnums, fermented, then aged on lees for another 11 years prior to disgorgement in 2008". I did have a couple of glasses but my wife and the rest of the gang were raving about this. It did seem to have a lot more depth of flavour than the standard Black Shiraz. Still had good fizz and the Magnum disappeared very quickly. 5/5 (wife's rating!)


Next up was a 2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. Absolutely stunning wine that is only going to get better. Peaches, fig, citrus and that lovely buttery oak make this my favourite Chardonnay by a mile. Not as good as the 2001 but still exceptional. 4.5/5

Onto the reds and some slow roasted pork belly and wilted spinich and rich sauce:

2002 Rockford Moppa Springs. GSM. it's amazing how a $24 wine can live like this and still be so good. Colour is starting to fade a bit, but the nose and palate are still lively though. Super smooth tannins and still some good fruit but it is starting to fade. Should hold for a few more years but drinking fantastic now. I have so much of this in my cellar and after drinking this I am so glad. Moppa has always been one of our staples and it is such a good medium term cellaring proposition for the price. Lovely wine but was overshadowed by the next. 4/5

2002 Charles Melton Nine Popes. GSM. This was a bit of a step up from the Moppa Springs. Brighter in colour, it was also fresher as well. Much better than the 2003 we had at an offline earlier this year and I guess that would be down to the better vintage. Silken tannins and still plenty of red and black fruit poking through. Best Nine Popes I've had and a couple thought it WOTN. 4.5/5

Next up was some slow cooked Beef Cheeks in red wine along with baby carrots and new potatoes.

1997 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz. On it's own you'd say this is a cracking wine. Considering the vintage, it's a triumph. It does lack a little length but it's drinking very well at the moment. Colour is only light and fading but the nose is very good. Fruit has well and truly faded and the secondary characteristics are to the fore. It was not up to the same standard as the next wine but I'd rather have 6 to 8 bottles of this than 1 of the next. 4/5

1997 Penfolds Grange. My WOTN by a whisker from the Leeuwin. Still has time on it's side but as this was a wedding present we had always intended to drink it on our 10th anniversary. It didn't let us down and was a pleasure to drink. Not as powerful as some of the better vintage Grange's but still excellent. The tannins were beautiful and still shows plenty of primary fruit along with chocolate, spice and tobacco. So well balanced and yes, it does deserve it's spot at the pinnacle of Australian Wine as it's so consistently good, but it doesn't warrant it's price tag for me. 4.5/5

2004 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro. Still a pup and it really needs another 5-10 years. It was still very good and spent 12 hours in the decanter. Still quite tightly coiled and on the nose there was a distinctive note of mint/menthol. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it reaffirmed my decision to get on the mailing list and purchase the wines. Colour looked like a current vintage wine and was still ultra bright. The wine had good balance and was on the big side of medium bodied. With plenty of swirling by the end of the night it was trying to open up but I suspect I should have decanted it the night before. 4/5

2003 Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz. Only one word for this - Big! Like the Wendouree, the colour was so youthful. Just a big, slap you in the face fruit bomb. Oak only plays a minor role and the fruit is the star attraction. Even at 16% alcohol there was little to no heat at all. Like the colour, the wine is still youthful and has the tannin stucture to only get better. Not one for Pinot lovers or the anti RPJ set, but if you like them big, get onto this. Very good way to finish the reds. 4/5

Onto desert, a Caramel tart with home made milk chocolate and vanilla ice cream with whipped cream.

2001 Wendouree Muscat of Alexandria. I've had this a few times and it's just not my thing. Some at the table just loved it though. NR

We finished with an array of cheeses and some tea and coffee. A great night was had by all and the clouded head this morning suggests a good night!

Cheers
Ian

maybs wrote:2014 Rockford Alicante Bouchet. BBQ lolly water for hot evening quaffing.

maybs wrote:2014 Rockford Alicante Bouchet. My first try. Not bad sort of BBQ lolly water. The missus is stuck on Brissie with the bad weather and cancelled flights but I think she will be happy I picked up a few of these for hot evening quaffing.

ticklenow1 wrote:Had a dinner last night at home to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Some nice wines and food.

First up some home made Bruschetta with NV Billecart Salmon Brut. Quite nice with some creamy nutty notes and nice acidity. 3/5

Rockford Black Shiraz Magnum. Sparkling Shiraz. This was a prize for winning the Rockford Black Magnum Golf day this year. According to the note in the box - "In 1997, after 3 years maturation in oak a small amount of Black Shiraz was filled into 575 magnums, fermented, then aged on lees for another 11 years prior to disgorgement in 2008". I did have a couple of glasses but my wife and the rest of the gang were raving about this. It did seem to have a lot more depth of flavour than the standard Black Shiraz. Still had good fizz and the Magnum disappeared very quickly. 5/5 (wife's rating!)


Next up was a 2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. Absolutely stunning wine that is only going to get better. Peaches, fig, citrus and that lovely buttery oak make this my favourite Chardonnay by a mile. Not as good as the 2001 but still exceptional. 4.5/5

Onto the reds and some slow roasted pork belly and wilted spinich and rich sauce:

2002 Rockford Moppa Springs. GSM. it's amazing how a $24 wine can live like this and still be so good. Colour is starting to fade a bit, but the nose and palate are still lively though. Super smooth tannins and still some good fruit but it is starting to fade. Should hold for a few more years but drinking fantastic now. I have so much of this in my cellar and after drinking this I am so glad. Moppa has always been one of our staples and it is such a good medium term cellaring proposition for the price. Lovely wine but was overshadowed by the next. 4/5

2002 Charles Melton Nine Popes. GSM. This was a bit of a step up from the Moppa Springs. Brighter in colour, it was also fresher as well. Much better than the 2003 we had at an offline earlier this year and I guess that would be down to the better vintage. Silken tannins and still plenty of red and black fruit poking through. Best Nine Popes I've had and a couple thought it WOTN. 4.5/5

Next up was some slow cooked Beef Cheeks in red wine along with baby carrots and new potatoes.

1997 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz. On it's own you'd say this is a cracking wine. Considering the vintage, it's a triumph. It does lack a little length but it's drinking very well at the moment. Colour is only light and fading but the nose is very good. Fruit has well and truly faded and the secondary characteristics are to the fore. It was not up to the same standard as the next wine but I'd rather have 6 to 8 bottles of this than 1 of the next. 4/5

1997 Penfolds Grange. My WOTN by a whisker from the Leeuwin. Still has time on it's side but as this was a wedding present we had always intended to drink it on our 10th anniversary. It didn't let us down and was a pleasure to drink. Not as powerful as some of the better vintage Grange's but still excellent. The tannins were beautiful and still shows plenty of primary fruit along with chocolate, spice and tobacco. So well balanced and yes, it does deserve it's spot at the pinnacle of Australian Wine as it's so consistently good, but it doesn't warrant it's price tag for me. 4.5/5

2004 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro. Still a pup and it really needs another 5-10 years. It was still very good and spent 12 hours in the decanter. Still quite tightly coiled and on the nose there was a distinctive note of mint/menthol. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it reaffirmed my decision to get on the mailing list and purchase the wines. Colour looked like a current vintage wine and was still ultra bright. The wine had good balance and was on the big side of medium bodied. With plenty of swirling by the end of the night it was trying to open up but I suspect I should have decanted it the night before. 4/5

2003 Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz. Only one word for this - Big! Like the Wendouree, the colour was so youthful. Just a big, slap you in the face fruit bomb. Oak only plays a minor role and the fruit is the star attraction. Even at 16% alcohol there was little to no heat at all. Like the colour, the wine is still youthful and has the tannin stucture to only get better. Not one for Pinot lovers or the anti RPJ set, but if you like them big, get onto this. Very good way to finish the reds. 4/5

Onto desert, a Caramel tart with home made milk chocolate and vanilla ice cream with whipped cream.

2001 Wendouree Muscat of Alexandria. I've had this a few times and it's just not my thing. Some at the table just loved it though. NR

We finished with an array of cheeses and some tea and coffee. A great night was had by all and the clouded head this morning suggests a good night!

Cheers
Ian