The Auswine Forum

Rory wrote:On the subject of Grenache.
It can, like Gamay, be absurdly variable in its iterations to label what is varietaly correct.
There is the wildly bretty versions like Ch Rayas, over ripe and jammy like in Australia, juicy and gluggable from Spain, and spicy dark fruit from Sardinia in the form of Cannonau.
And then the Yangarra sounds interesting, as does Cirillo.

Benchmark wrote:

Mahmoud Ali wrote:I love barbera, it has a flavour profile so savoury that even the cheap ones, made by large scale producers, I find satisfying in it's own way. If I had to drink a $10-$15 wine and there was a barebera in the mix, that would be the one I would choose.

Here at the ready, perhaps for tomorrow with a beef stew, is an oldish barbera:

MarcariniCiabotBarbera2009.jpg

Cheers .................. Mahmoud.

Did you crack this?

mjs wrote:2018 Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Bought this to try and it didn’t disappoint, it was generic and characterless
Nice Penfolds colour, red crimson, some red fruits and oak, yeah, it’s Cabernet, but not hugely so. Are there other Cabernets in Oz that I prefer that are cheaper and more varietal, fuck yes! I can think of quite a few from Coonawarra for example. Not worth the money tbh.

Benchmark wrote:

mjs wrote:2018 Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Bought this to try and it didn’t disappoint, it was generic and characterless
Nice Penfolds colour, red crimson, some red fruits and oak, yeah, it’s Cabernet, but not hugely so. Are there other Cabernets in Oz that I prefer that are cheaper and more varietal, fuck yes! I can think of quite a few from Coonawarra for example. Not worth the money tbh.

Only five more bottles to plough through.

Benchmark wrote:

mjs wrote:2018 Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Bought this to try and it didn’t disappoint, it was generic and characterless
Nice Penfolds colour, red crimson, some red fruits and oak, yeah, it’s Cabernet, but not hugely so. Are there other Cabernets in Oz that I prefer that are cheaper and more varietal, fuck yes! I can think of quite a few from Coonawarra for example. Not worth the money tbh.

Only five more bottles to plough through.

phillisc wrote:

Benchmark wrote:

mjs wrote:2018 Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Bought this to try and it didn’t disappoint, it was generic and characterless
Nice Penfolds colour, red crimson, some red fruits and oak, yeah, it’s Cabernet, but not hugely so. Are there other Cabernets in Oz that I prefer that are cheaper and more varietal, fuck yes! I can think of quite a few from Coonawarra for example. Not worth the money tbh.

Only five more bottles to plough through.

Perhaps Malcolm is already "maxed out!"...too early for Christmas presents?

This working from home is really doing my head in...world wide alcohol consumption is up 2%...is it time for a red yet?
Cheers
Craig

Benchmark wrote:

phillisc wrote:

Benchmark wrote:
2% is very conservative at my place.

Sean wrote:OK maybe a PG is going too far...

145880AB-BF07-4433-AA47-C8AC9B617437.jpeg

Paringa Estate Pinot Gris 19 - You see more of this style of PG on the peninsula. Two thirds tank fermented and one third wild yeast and barrel fermented. Should give it both freshness and a bit of complexity. Not so much of the latter however. A year or two might see more weight on it. Light straw colour and musky/honey aromatics. Apple, nashi pear, spice and lychee. Nice mid-palate flavour and a moderately dry finish.

Benchmark wrote:

mjs wrote:2018 Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Bought this to try and it didn’t disappoint, it was generic and characterless
Nice Penfolds colour, red crimson, some red fruits and oak, yeah, it’s Cabernet, but not hugely so. Are there other Cabernets in Oz that I prefer that are cheaper and more varietal, fuck yes! I can think of quite a few from Coonawarra for example. Not worth the money tbh.

Only five more bottles to plough through.

Sean wrote:

94292C8D-C1D3-4262-A635-C3C897B4608F.jpeg

Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 18 - Coldstream Hills is owned by Treasury Wine Estates. I have been thinking about that lately, and what will happen with wineries like this in the “new” TWE if the Penfolds demerger goes ahead. Would things go better or worse for them? It is not the same winery it was back in 1985 when James Halliday started it from nothing - planting vines, building a winery a few years later and made some really good wines for a while there in the 90s. I have the same nostalgia for Seppelt, Wynns and the other TWE wineries (or wine brands as they are now) for that matter, so in the end it might be a moot point. At least it has its own winery. But there is a trade-off for that. They have an annual crush of about 1500 tonnes, half of that is Coldstream Hills and St Huberts wines. They are an offsite winery for others in Yarra Valley and like everyone else in TWE had to ramp up production in recent years. They have more vineyards now around Yarra Valley or Upper and Lower Yarra Valley as they put it. That is a plus because it means they have more grape selection and can vary the picking dates. It also means a lot more of their wines do not come from the “original” Estate vineyard. It has been that way for many years anyway. Are their wines still any good? Well if you go up to the Reserve level, no question the quality is obviously there. A lot of money is being thrown at those wines. To be fair to the winemakers, Andrew Fleming and Greg Jarratt, they have had to stick to their guns to make wines like that. (This is why it is all about the winery and the people, not the wine brand.) But I don’t think I’ve felt excited by any of their wines for a long time. I haven’t been there for a long time, I drive past it and go somewhere else. Maybe I need to do a trip to the cellar door and see if I am wrong about that. Meanwhile I usually buy a bottle of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir each year. It has been a while since I went long on any of them. Might be a couple of reasons for that. They tend to be pretty much the same each year, which is good I suppose. Again it’s not exciting. Second you have a lot more choice, even perhaps better choice. Rather than 12 bottles of their Chardonnay, you can easily make up a mixed dozen from around Yarra Valley that is much more interesting drinking. So now I come to this wine - Is it any good? Well yes it is actually. The fruit comes from around Yarra Valley. (A lot of very good Chardonnay comes from Yarra Valley for a reason.) Barrel fermented. So it’s not part tank and part barrel - which is all too common with many wineries unless you go to the Reserves. Got 9 months in seasoned and new French oak barrels of various sizes. That oak influence is really good, it is both subtle and persistent. Quality fruit, the oak barrels and hits that sweet spot between lean and rich flavoured Chardonnay that many of us enjoy drinking. That will be the leesy influences and barrel character - not malo. Jancis Robinson said that chardonnay is a nothing grape until you add oak. Well not too much oak in this case. You smell it, taste it and feel it in the wine. It’s understated or measured like everything else about the wine however. Straw coloured and bright. Melon, stonefruit, spicy/almond smelling oak, cashew and sufficient acidity that makes it feel clean and fresh on the palate. Nothing to rave about. But I enjoyed drinking this wine last night. And I’m going to get another bottle or two.

Rossco wrote:2016 Mayer Yarra Valley Syrah
2010 Petaluma Coonawarra.

This bottle was quite flat and uninviting. Gave very little away despite a 2+ hours Decant.

Still quite a bit of cedar on the nose. Very thin palate....austere or stringent if you will.

Lacking fruit and weight. Can help but thinking this was faulty in some way....dumb phase after 10 years?
Screw cap so not sure what to expect.

Confusing!

Mahmoud Ali wrote:
Hi Sean,

Nice commentary to go along with the tasting note. Good to know that Andrew Flemming is still making the wines at Coldstream Hills. Many years ago, when I found a bottle of Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir, I knew I had to have it because of its association with James Halliday. The first book on Australian wine that I read was Hallidays. It was from the weak 2001 vintage so I only bought the one bottle. Many years later I downloaded the winery spec sheet on my 2001 and it said the wine was made from "handpicked grapes from various sites throughout the Yarra Valley", made by Andrew Flemming, and peak drinking should be from 2003 to 2010. As is my custom I generally ignore cellaring guidelines and finally opened it in 2018, about double the recommended cellaring time. Weak vintage or not (they made no reserve pinot that year), and from fruit across the region, the wine was lovely, full of pinot character, and in no danger of falling off anytime soon. If Andrew Flemming is still making their pinot I would recommend buying and not be afraid of giving it plenty of time.

Cheers ...................... Mahmoud.

PS: I don't know much about their chardonnay but if Flemming is making it like the pinot, "made using a variety of handling and fermentation techniques, most borrowed from Burgundy", and my experience with cellaring Australian chardonny, I say go for it and cellar a few bottles.