The Auswine Forum

Howdy Good Peoples,

You know the drill.... Please let us know what you have been drinking over the last week. Notes, vibes, impressions and lists all welcome.

Last night, at a wedding, only one wine:

2005 Jacob's Creek St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon- Solid Good. Delightfully varietal, and true to it's terroir with the distinctive mint/menthol.

Everybody must be watching the race!

02 Noon Reserve cabernet. This was ok. Bit ripe and un cabernet like.

04 Meerea Park Terracotta semillon. Wow. Floral, very good.

04 Meerea Park Alex Munro semillon Wow +. Amazing wine. Hunter sem at its best.

08 Head The Brunette syrah. Barossa shiraz. Alcohol 13.5%. Took about 4 days open before this started to become approachable. It was finished on day 7, and was looking really good. About the opposite of what I normally drink. Needs lots of time.

08 Head The Blonde. More approachable, and a good wine. Needs a bit of time.

02 Bullers Calliope shiraz corked

96 Penfolds 389. oxidised.

03 Rockford Basket press shiraz Drinking really well now

91 Wynns Centenary shiraz/cabernet. Opened to find it really boring. It was drinking better the next night.

04 Glaetzer Amon Ra. Closed the first night. Really opened up the second night, and lovely.

04 Murray Street Vineyards Gomersol shiraz. Yummo.

94 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling shiraz. This is wonderful. Hard to fault. Up thyere with the very best.

Here's a couple of interesting wines I tried at an instore yesterday:

2009 Beach Road Greco Di Tufo, Langhorne Creek (screwcap): Fresh, clean bouquet full of ripe citrus and a hint of grassiness; likewise the palate’s like something in between a riesling and pinot grigio, clean citrus with a little fatness, crisp acid and a long finish. The very first wine produced from this varietal in Australia, it was made with no frills and saw no oak; a very interesting and enjoyable first effort.

2005 Minnow Creek ‘The Black Minnow’, McLaren Vale (screwcap): 65% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec. This was very good, reminding me of a young Chianti Classico in style; medium-weight, very lightly oaked, mineraly and clean with bright cherries on entry and a long tannic finish. I have a suspicion it could cellar a few years longer than the recommended three years on the back label too.

Cheers,
Ian

Penfolds Grange 96 not sure about how this was cellared/stored before I purchased it - but I think it shows slightly oxidised in colour lacking fruit intensity but overall a nice wine but not as good as the 94(from memory).

Turkey Flat shiraz 01 very nice dark fruits and soft tannins may hold for another 2years


cheers
Seddo

15 years with the Mrs means I deserved something to dull the pain. Add to that the engagement of the sis in law to her long term boyfriend and we needed the top shelf to be raided

01 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes - True perfection and genius. Wine does not come better than this. As satisfying as 01 Yquem to me. It could not be found wanting from any angle except for the fact that the 750ml bottle was too small to share among 4 people! Wine of the year for me.

05 Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay. Concentrated, elegant, fresh and balanced. Fantastic sipping chardonnay of great complexity.

and a pile of other pretty good stuff which looked pretty average next to these wines!

Last night the folks were over for roast chicken. I opened two bottles for the occasion - Grosset's 2005 Watervale Riesling (91) and Hoddle's Creek 2006 Yarra Valley Chardonnay (92). Both wine's exemplary, but special mention to the Hoddle's for value for money. The Grosset revealed a smidge of reduction on the nose for a short while but came up beautifully thereafter revealing tightly-coiled schisty lime fruit and blessed with a steely mineral-laden acidity that augurs well for a long and distinguished haul in the screw-capped bottle. The Hoddle's has filled out nicely and improved over the period I've owned it. Developing some attractive white- nectarine/peach smells and flavours with subtle smoky, nutty undertones, this superbly constructed Chardonnay still displays all the hallmarks of the stayer it promised in its youth - flinty with tight grapefruit/pear fruit, a whiff of struck match with a horribly good minerally backbone. Brimming with an astute confidence, this superior Australian Chardonnay should provide sensational drinking over the next 3-4 years and punches well above its weight. And to think, I paid less than 20 bucks a bottle!

Whilst Get Wines Direct has received some uninspiring internet chat and some over hyped wines the 2006 Cleanskin Coonawarra Cabernet from about 12 momths ago is a very honest well fruited and well made wine that was a pleasure to drink mid week. Although I doubt it will last as long as stated it will be a regular here for the next 3-4 years.

Not much else of note this week. Note to self; open some really good stuff this week. Its pleasing to see the cellar has been worked on very hard over the last 15 years or so and there are many multiple bottles of wines from great vintages (86, 90, 91, 96, 98, 02, 04, 05) ripe for the picking now and into the future. Also there is a broader representation from all over Australia including Margaret River Cab and Cab Merlot and Adelaide Hills Chardy and Cabernet that have been in focus over the last few years.

The Rhone; one from the North, and one from the South...

2005 D. Courbis 'Champelrose' Cornas. Tried this a month or so ago at Rockpool in Sydney-so bought more based on the strength of enjoying it then and consumed one last week over 2 nights. Great lifted nose of ripe spicy plums and forest floor (in a positive context-none of this dank earth stuff ) . Toasty fresh background oak, only just perceptible (as it should be imhho). Nice layered palate with great length and really fine tannins-dare I say soft? I didnt think it had changed too much over 2 nights, but I did notice it opened up a fair bit after the initial extraction of the piece of old tree wedged in the neck after a couple of hours.
All of this and only 13% alcohol (on the label). I wish we could get that level of fleshy fruit in our region at that sort of alcohol.. I digress...

2006 D.Pierre Usseglio & Fils CDP. Recommended by a friend, so took a punt given my obvious interest in all things Rhone.. Initial classic CDP aroma of old concrete tanks ( ) and that intoxicating (no pun intended) aroma of savoury dark fruits and spice. I have absolutely no idea about the varietal make up of this wine, but it appears to be Grenache dominant. The palate shows that classic varietal fruit sweetness, with a really well managed foil of fine tannins-not sure if oak or ferment derived (the French would never add any extra tannins, non, non, non..). The finish is long, and clean and shows a lot of New World winemaking influence ( maybe thats why I liked it!!!). Alcohol 14.5%. Really enjoyable wine indeed.

[quote="seddo"][b] Penfolds Grange 96[/b] not sure about how this was cellared/stored before I purchased it - but I think it shows slightly oxidised in colour lacking fruit intensity but overall a nice wine but not as good as the 94(from memory).

[b]Turkey Flat shiraz 01[/b] very nice dark fruits and soft tannins may hold for another 2years


cheers
Seddo[/quote]

I had my last bottle of the TFS 01 with friends a couple of weeks ago. Very nice indeed, really enoyed it. I reckon it'll hold for a few years more than two, perhaps develop a more tertiary character.

At dinner with friends last week:

[b]Teusner Riebke Shiraz 2007[/b] went very well with lean lamb cutlets and veg. The fruit featured with oak providing only background structure. The hosts' [b]Saddlers Creek Shiraz [/b](forget year and model, possibly "Bluegrass") displayed much more obvious oak, less sweet fruit but was ok after a bit of air and palate adjustment.

Cheers

daz

PS I'll post later on the Ringbolt CS 07 I'm planning to have with a rib fillet steak tonight.

Tim Smith wrote:The Rhone; one from the North, and one from the South...

2005 D. Courbis 'Champelrose' Cornas. Tried this a month or so ago at Rockpool in Sydney-so bought more based on the strength of enjoying it then and consumed one last week over 2 nights. Great lifted nose of ripe spicy plums and forest floor (in a positive context-none of this dank earth stuff ) . Toasty fresh background oak, only just perceptible (as it should be imhho). Nice layered palate with great length and really fine tannins-dare I say soft? I didnt think it had changed too much over 2 nights, but I did notice it opened up a fair bit after the initial extraction of the piece of old tree wedged in the neck after a couple of hours.
All of this and only 13% alcohol (on the label). I wish we could get that level of fleshy fruit in our region at that sort of alcohol.. I digress...

2006 D.Pierre Usseglio & Fils CDP. Recommended by a friend, so took a punt given my obvious interest in all things Rhone.. Initial classic CDP aroma of old concrete tanks ( ) and that intoxicating (no pun intended) aroma of savoury dark fruits and spice. I have absolutely no idea about the varietal make up of this wine, but it appears to be Grenache dominant. The palate shows that classic varietal fruit sweetness, with a really well managed foil of fine tannins-not sure if oak or ferment derived (the French would never add any extra tannins, non, non, non..). The finish is long, and clean and shows a lot of New World winemaking influence ( maybe thats why I liked it!!!). Alcohol 14.5%. Really enjoyable wine indeed.

Love that Champelrose and normally love the Usseglio wines (not had 2006). Not sure if you had the 'tradition' or the 'mon aieul'. The tradition is about 80% grenache usually with about 10% Shiraz and Mataro and Cinsaut doing the rest. No new oak.
GW

PS. Love your work Bruce R

seddo wrote:Penfolds Grange 96 not sure about how this was cellared/stored before I purchased it - but I think it shows slightly oxidised in colour lacking fruit intensity but overall a nice wine but not as good as the 94(from memory).

Pity about the '96 Grange Seddo being a little below par from what you have said. You obviously would have paid a bit for it.
Was it a big occasion to open such a bottle?

Numerous offerings but tonight a Winter Creek Barossa Shiraz 2003> ...Lovely brooding and very good for a 2003 vintage at that price point

ross

[b]ring.bolt Cabernet Sauvignon 07 [/b]Deep, dark colour, verging on crimson at the edge. Cedar, blackberry aromas. Sweet cassis fruit up front, some black olive savouriness mid-to-back palate, great balance, soft acid enhances the fruit with very well-judged oak stitching it all together, linear palate with very good length extended by a slight menthol bitterness under the fruit, cedar oak and ripe, mildly-drying tannins. Bloody nice wine, excellent, should last 10+ years. A real bargain for $16.90. I want more

daz

daz wrote:ring.bolt Cabernet Sauvignon 07 Deep, dark colour, verging on crimson at the edge. Cedar, blackberry aromas. Sweet cassis fruit up front, some black olive savouriness mid-to-back palate, great balance, soft acid enhances the fruit with very well-judged oak stitching it all together, linear palate with very good length extended by a slight menthol bitterness under the fruit, cedar oak and ripe, mildly-drying tannins. Bloody nice wine, excellent, should last 10+ years. A real bargain for $16.90. I want more

daz

+1 it is great wine for the money.

My weekend effort was a 2005 Fraser Gallop Cab. Sauv. Really nice. Medium bodied. Great tannins. A more complex wine than the Ring Bolt which is so good I want to guzzle it. The Fraser Gallop is more of a slow burner.

seddo wrote: Penfolds Grange 96 not sure about how this was cellared/stored before I purchased it - but I think it shows slightly oxidised in colour lacking fruit intensity but overall a nice wine but not as good as the 94(from memory).

Turkey Flat shiraz 01 very nice dark fruits and soft tannins may hold for another 2years


cheers
Seddo

Seddo,

Shame about the 96 Grange. This is a fantastic wine, and a great Grange. I would urge you to try another, as I doubt very much the wine has entered the "no great wines, but great bottles" domain.

Cheers,

Monghead.

Tonight, we enjoyed:

2005 Lucien Muzard Santenay- Solid Good. Quite slurpable.

[quote="AndrewCowley"][quote="daz"][b]ring.bolt Cabernet Sauvignon 07 [/b]Deep, dark colour, verging on crimson at the edge. Cedar, blackberry aromas. Sweet cassis fruit up front, some black olive savouriness mid-to-back palate, great balance, soft acid enhances the fruit with very well-judged oak stitching it all together, linear palate with very good length extended by a slight menthol bitterness under the fruit, cedar oak and ripe, mildly-drying tannins. Bloody nice wine, excellent, should last 10+ years. A real bargain for $16.90. I want more

daz[/quote]
+1 it is great wine for the money.

My weekend effort was a [b]2005 Fraser Gallop Cab. Sauv[/b]. Really nice. Medium bodied. Great tannins. A more complex wine than the Ring Bolt which is so good I want to guzzle it. The Fraser Gallop is more of a slow burner.[/quote]

I picked up a Fraser Gallop Cab 07 today, may get another bottle or two when I go back to get some more of the ring.bolt. The latter is what I'd call medium-to-full-bodied, think it has satisfactory complexity for $17 - the former is about 30% more expensive. As far as I can determine, the r.b is a varietal cab whilst the FG is a Bordeaux blend, the minor varieties naturally adding to the latter's complexity. Incidentally, Halliday has rated the FG 05 93pts, the FG 07 95 pts, with the r.b 07 in the middle on 94 pts.

Cheers

daz

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna 1996
In great shape, tannins softened but still structured, blackcurrant, licorice and leather. Should hold for another 3-5 more years on this form.

2008 Jamsheed Silvan Syrah- heaps of whole bunch action along with some sappy tannins. Smokey, twiggy and savoury. Dark fruits shot through with red. A veritable deli of smoked meats on the nose. Loved it.

Last night, BYO at a Polish restaurant: 2005 Rippon Pinot Noir. Pretty happy with the timing on this as I think it's about ready to go now. Would have liked to give it a bit more time to open up as it was only hinting at some lovely sweet strawberriness on the nose. Very subtle drinking with tannins already quite subdued and the whole package very restrained without being ascetic. Would be nice to have more but if you have any I'd recommend drinking in the next year or two.

ross67 wrote:

seddo wrote:Penfolds Grange 96 not sure about how this was cellared/stored before I purchased it - but I think it shows slightly oxidised in colour lacking fruit intensity but overall a nice wine but not as good as the 94(from memory).

Pity about the '96 Grange Seddo being a little below par from what you have said. You obviously would have paid a bit for it.
Was it a big occasion to open such a bottle?

Numerous offerings but tonight a Winter Creek Barossa Shiraz 2003> ...Lovely brooding and very good for a 2003 vintage at that price point

ross

Hi Ross
paid $360 a few years ago - occasion father's 75th - the main thing was he really enjoyed it

cheers
Seddo

Over the weekend and today at lunch and not counting the 16 + hunter semillons and shiraz from the tasting on friday:

01 Mount Pleasant ELizabeth This one is showing it's age a little, unlike the Vat 1 we had on Friday. A more developed yellow colour but still some primary lemon and lime but developing a little toastyness. Nice lanolin too. 91

07 Vasse Felix Cab Merlot Bought a few WA 07s in the $15-$25 bracket to try and taste through to see what to stock up on. This was the first from the group. Deep purple red colour. Certainly easy drinking but in that slightly simple vanilla caramel way. A bit of cedar and black fruits too. A crowd pleaser but I personally won't be buying more than six - if that. 88

08 Madfish Bay semillon Sav Blanc In a pub with thai so was a pretty easy drinking fresh accompanyment to the spicy hot thai. Typical bright passionfruit and guava flavours. Another quite decent crowd pleaser. 91

NV Chandon At Est with lunch. Part of the let's do lunch series as part of SIFF. The lunch at Est is particularly good value with most mains being around $35 anyway. We got some extra oytsters to start and had the chandon. Very good fresh clean style of sparkling. Medium bead. Really quite good actually. 93

08 Brown Brothers Cab Sav As part of the deal at Est - it's all Brown Brothers wines. I had the Duck confit so it was a shame they didn't have a pinot on offer as it obviously would have suited the main better. Still, it was pleasant enough in a very young, early drinker kind of way. Not particularly varietal. It really just tasted like a young red to me but I wasn't paying a lot of attention. Solid quaffer that won't offend. 88

seddo wrote:

ross67 wrote:

seddo wrote:Penfolds Grange 96 not sure about how this was cellared/stored before I purchased it - but I think it shows slightly oxidised in colour lacking fruit intensity but overall a nice wine but not as good as the 94(from memory).

Pity about the '96 Grange Seddo being a little below par from what you have said. You obviously would have paid a bit for it.
Was it a big occasion to open such a bottle?

Numerous offerings but tonight a Winter Creek Barossa Shiraz 2003> ...Lovely brooding and very good for a 2003 vintage at that price point

ross

Hi Ross
paid $360 a few years ago - occasion father's 75th - the main thing was he really enjoyed it

cheers
Seddo

Well Seddo a fantastic achievement for your father...75 and i am glad he enjoyed it. I have 2 x '96's sitting and waiting for 'one' special day as well.
$360 i think is a pretty good price for that wine

ross

2007 Felton Road Riesling - less refined than the '08; rougher, crunchier, juicier. More phenolics, but I like that.
2002 Fromm Riesling - exquisite; NZ's answer to the Mosel. One of the best Rieslings I've ever had from this country.
2006 Mountford Chardonnay - the LEAS of NZ. Gobs of fruit, magic oak, wonderful texture.
2006 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot - a little coarser than usual, but perfect with the venison.
1996 Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz - juuust starting to enter its drinking window; hold and drink next 5-15yrs. Brilliant.
2005 Tamar Ridge Botrytis Selection Riesling - unctuous and very sticky next to the Kiwi equivalent.
2008 Northburn Late Harvest Riesling - the ultimate end-of-meal cleanser; equivalent to a cheekly little svelte Auslese.

Cheers,