The Auswine Forum

So it is Christmas week. I hope you have managed to buy all your pressies and can now bunker down this week with a decent bottle of christmas cheer or three

Had a half bottle of 1987 Warres Quinta da Cavadinha last night at Glass. Bar a poor bottle earlier this year this really is a cracking single quinta. Started off quite shy with crystallised violets when you went looking but opened over a couple of hours with cocoa, liquorice, bay leaves. savoury plum and sandalwood all taking their turn to emerge and join the chorus. Love wine that changes in the glass and wish I had a chance to decant this longer. Excellent wine.

Also a 2007 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett beforehand that really is in a lovely place at the moment with taut balance of acid and fruit with sugar playing a support role. I think this the riesling to drink when waiting for your others to develop. Very Good wine.

cheers

Carl

This weekend, I had an Aurum Riesling 2007, from Central Otago - not at all bad, in a dry style; nice sour limes and pink grapefruit; decent richness.

Thanks for kicking off Carl,

2005 Tyrell's Steven Semillon- Tight, acidic, extreme minerality. Hard work at present without food, but should get better. Good.

Monghead.

Tim Knappstein Riposte 'Traminer 2008 - started quite heavy-duty, musky and floral but with time became more akin to a big brassy SB. Quite good.

Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2006 - Did not think much of this at all. 15.5% and showing it, rough, alcoholic, and really not that appealing. Drank it anyway.

orpheus wrote:Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2006 - Did not think much of this at all. 15.5% and showing it, rough, alcoholic, and really not that appealing. Drank it anyway.

Interesting. When did Nigel Dolan leave? It was around this time wasn't it?

cheers

Carl

1994 Penfolds Bin 28 - a vintage where Penfolds wines were far better than most of their competitors IMO. This wine is in a good place right now. Lots of secondary characteristics, good length, not too sweet or alcoholic. No rush to drink though.

2001 Howard Park Cabernet - a decent enough wine, but not as good as I had hoped given the way a certain critic waxed poetic over it at release.

2002 Veuve Clicquot - this bottle seemed as though the dosage was a bit heavy handed

2004 (disg) Rockford Black Shiraz - a crowd pleaser with its upfront sweetness and earthy, long finish.

griff wrote:

orpheus wrote:Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2006 - Did not think much of this at all. 15.5% and showing it, rough, alcoholic, and really not that appealing. Drank it anyway.

Interesting. When did Nigel Dolan leave? It was around this time wasn't it?

cheers

Carl

Dolan made the 06, he left after that. I really like Mamre Brook, for a wine of its style. The 06 (like 04, 05) is a touch warming, but sometimes that hits the spot. I think it carries the alc rather well, but its a personal taste thing of course.

Bick wrote:Dolan made the 06, he left after that. I really like Mamre Brook, for a wine of its style. The 06 (like 04, 05) is a touch warming, but sometimes that hits the spot. I think it carries the alc rather well, but its a personal taste thing of course.

Thanks Bick. I liked the shiraz in 04. Haven't tried the 06.

cheers

Carl

2009 Dandelions Eden Valley Riesling- Great citrus flavours with scents of lime and talc. Very Good.

griff wrote:

Bick wrote:Dolan made the 06, he left after that. I really like Mamre Brook, for a wine of its style. The 06 (like 04, 05) is a touch warming, but sometimes that hits the spot. I think it carries the alc rather well, but its a personal taste thing of course.

Thanks Bick. I liked the shiraz in 04. Haven't tried the 06.

cheers

Carl

I seem to be outnumbered on this one.

Perhaps it is a cool weather wine, and is better when room temperature is low. Certainly didn't appeal to me.

Bick wrote:

griff wrote:

orpheus wrote:Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2006 - Did not think much of this at all. 15.5% and showing it, rough, alcoholic, and really not that appealing. Drank it anyway.

Interesting. When did Nigel Dolan leave? It was around this time wasn't it?

cheers

Carl

Dolan made the 06, he left after that. I really like Mamre Brook, for a wine of its style. The 06 (like 04, 05) is a touch warming, but sometimes that hits the spot. I think it carries the alc rather well, but its a personal taste thing of course.

Would you describe the 06 as very similar to the 04 and 05? I have tasted neither.

orpheus wrote:

griff wrote:

Bick wrote:Dolan made the 06, he left after that. I really like Mamre Brook, for a wine of its style. The 06 (like 04, 05) is a touch warming, but sometimes that hits the spot. I think it carries the alc rather well, but its a personal taste thing of course.

Thanks Bick. I liked the shiraz in 04. Haven't tried the 06.

cheers

Carl

I seem to be outnumbered on this one.

Perhaps it is a cool weather wine, and is better when room temperature is low. Certainly didn't appeal to me.

I haven't tried so who knows? I still can't work out what wines I will like before I taste them. Not even liking a prior vintage helps. I am too quixotic

cheers

Carl

Seppelt 'Aerin's Vineyard' Mornington Pinot Grigio 2008

A truly unforgettable wine for all the wrong reasons. The wine list omitted the 'seppelt' from the front of the name, so that was interesting when I googled it online.

It was bitter, a bizarre texture and mouthfeel, and generally awful. Didn't seem to be faulty, it was just shite. Undrinkable. I took it back to the bar and told them ' look i'm not saying there's technically anything wrong with it, it's just awful".

*blerch*

Avoid at all costs.

Bick wrote:

griff wrote:

orpheus wrote:Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2006 - Did not think much of this at all. 15.5% and showing it, rough, alcoholic, and really not that appealing. Drank it anyway.

Interesting. When did Nigel Dolan leave? It was around this time wasn't it?

cheers

Carl

Dolan made the 06, he left after that. I really like Mamre Brook, for a wine of its style. The 06 (like 04, 05) is a touch warming, but sometimes that hits the spot. I think it carries the alc rather well, but its a personal taste thing of course.

Nigel Dolan left at the very end of 2007. For the 08 vintage they were scrambling to get a winemaker, and I'm sure I heard that Caroline Dunn was roped in from Wolf Blass at the last second - I haven't heard anything since about who the chief winemaker is...

FWIW I thought the 2006 Mamre Brook was short and hot compared to the previous two vintages, so the above impressions don't really surprise me (especially it the room temperature is on the warm/hot side).

Cheers,
Ian

[/quote]

Nigel Dolan left at the very end of 2007. For the 08 vintage they were scrambling to get a winemaker, and I'm sure I heard that Caroline Dunn was roped in from Wolf Blass at the last second - I haven't heard anything since about who the chief winemaker is...

FWIW I thought the 2006 Mamre Brook was short and hot compared to the previous two vintages, so the above impressions don't really surprise me (especially it the room temperature is on the warm/hot side).

Cheers,
Ian[/quote]

That's good to know.