The Auswine Forum

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I also found myself chugging my way through some free booze at the annual supermarket chain store shiraz show. The grange was nice as always. I also really liked the E&E, Chapoutier Sizeranne, No 1 and Ebenezer Shiraz. The Bleasdale sparkling was also a nice change.
I've been sipping some DM clean skins this week. The 2010 DM3 Cabernet Merlot is very good value at $3.50.
2001 Peel estate shiraz. Corked currently in talks with the Qld rep as to a time and place for my replacement.
2009 Fraser Gallop Cabernet Merlot. Nice drink with black current and lots of tannins. another 2 years and it will be even better.
I wish the chain store did a Cabernet expo. hmm.

Domain Day Saperavi 2008? - very nice, warm but not heavy hitting. I enjoyed this.
Kangarilla Road Zinfandel 2004 - in good shape, meaty and savoury notes with decent length.
Lobethal Road Bacchant Shiraz 2007 - spicy, well composed, very good
Pewsey Vale Riesling 2010 - reliable - lime cordial with some floral aromatic notes

2006 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir. To me this wine was best on release where it was an exciting drink. It hasn't gone anywhere in the cellar. Felt like a bride that had let herself go after the wedding with a few too many homely meals. Just a bit podgy and clumsy. Tasty enough but no pretense at being a top rank Pinot. This is where I really like carrick pinot it keeps its elegance and structure with cellaring...this stuff just doesn't

2004 Unison Selection. Drinking really well now, should be good for another couple of years. Very dark fruited and reasonably primary still. Tannins are pretty hefty but at the moment the fruit balances them out. Spicy and interesting. Pretty classy effort really from a vintage that must be argued as one of Unisons best.

Craig(NZ) wrote:2006 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir. To me this wine was best on release where it was an exciting drink. It hasn't gone anywhere in the cellar. Felt like a bride that had let herself go after the wedding with a few too many homely meals. Just a bit podgy and clumsy. Tasty enough but no pretense at being a top rank Pinot. This is where I really like carrick pinot it keeps its elegance and structure with cellaring...this stuff just doesn't

Agree with this -- now half way through a 6 pack of these & have struggled to get excited with any of them.

Colder in Wgtn this weekend, so felt right for some bigger Aus reds:

1998 Penfolds Bin 389 By far the best example I've had of this, which is leaving me hopeful for the 12+ I still have -- seamless & velvety, with plenty of age left. This particular bottle was up there with better examples of the '96 for my taste.

1994 Orland Centenneray Hill More mature than the 389, but by no means past it -- well integrated & a very good example of a mature shiraz.

Rosemount Blue Mountain 2000 Okay, but rather clumsy.

Cheers
Peter

Rosemount Blue Mountain 2000 Okay, but rather clumsy.

Wow do people still drink this style of wine. Bit of a milkshake?

Also went to the shiraz tasting on Saturday. The 06 Grange was not as punchy as apparently the 2005 was according to Red Smurf, just velvety and perfectly balanced but perhaps just a little closed at the moment (plus the wine was cold so it took about 45 minutes to start opening up in the glass before we decided to start tasting it). Very fine.

08 RWT beautifully balanced and hard to fault. I wasn't a fan of either St Henri, the 03 was strange, just not well combined (in a hole? hard to say when it's a tough year), whilst the 07 was a little unripe for my tastes (a common characteristic for the vintage?). 2 tough years so it's easy to be forgiving as they made do with what they had, although The Man's asking price of $100 for the 03 leaves you choking a little.

The 2005 E&E Black Pepper was a stunning wine, my favorite of the tasting (besides the young grange, that is). Dark berry fruits, licorice and cola with a very silky mouthfilling palate and a long finish.

Other favorites were the 07 St Hallett Old Block, 08 St Hallett Blackwell, 07 Howard Park Leston (with Scotsdale nipping at its heels), 05 Jim Barry McRae Wood, 09 Teusner Riebke and a favorite quaffer to finish up with was the 08 Penfolds Bin 28 - thick, syrupy juice and as black as night. An obvious wine, yes, but after tasting 25 odd wines it took a big punchy wine to get noticed. Very Penfolds and very Bin 28.

Cheers
Andrew

Hi
I also went to the shiraz tasting (by accident) at the merchant we shall not name. Too late for the Grange, RWT or '07 St Henri.
Tasting the highlights I thought the 2004 Saltram No 1 was terrific, the freshness a testament to the screw cap closure. The '03 PL Stonewell and '03 St Henri looked less strong by comparison on the same table, reflecting the vintage as well. The 2005 E&E Black Pepper was a tremendously rich wine, classic ripe Barossa fruit and drinking well. The St Hallets "Blackwell" was also good. The Octavious 2005 was also a ripper, still fresh young with lots of fruits and just some secondary characteristics emerging.
Sam

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Rosemount Blue Mountain 2000 Okay, but rather clumsy.

Wow do people still drink this style of wine. Bit of a milkshake?

Yep. Bought at auction a few years back for well under $20, & haven't exactly rushed to open them. Visitors this weekend who were more than happy to drink it ...

Blue Poles 2009 teroldego Margaret River. Deep purpley black colour nose is mysterious - hints of tar. Charming. Complex palate features blueberries and smallgoods at front, strong tannins present, and fairly high acid as well, but it settle soon - a broad spread of dark fruits and dark chocolate, and a lustrous volume too. The fruits are not sweet, but just right, and the finish is pretty fine for a youngish wine. First time I tried this blind a year back it really did my head in, and it continues to do so from the bottle. Hints of nebbiolo pop up too. Another half to go tonight, looking forward to it.

Grant Burge 2004 cabernet sauvignon Barossa. Generous fruit in good order, but a little too icky sweet at times. Enjoyable on the whole, nothing wrong with it, but nothing memorable either.

Yep. Bought at auction a few years back for well under $20, & haven't exactly rushed to open them. Visitors this weekend who were more than happy to drink it ...

Yeah know the feeling. It was actually also sold by supermarkets for a while there very cheap.

I wish the chain store did a Cabernet expo. hmm.[/quote]

They do Rens, it's usually in August, although last year (in perth anyway0 it was later than usual...October. They don'y advertise it as much as the Shiraz Expo, best get onto an email list with one of the "fine Wine Managers" at the store.

I also attended and this is my "hit list" on the day.

Favourites, in no particular order, QPR's in Red

Outstanding:

Wolf Blass Grey Label 2005 Shiraz
Penfold's RWT 2008 Shiraz
BVE 2005 Black Pepper Shiraz
St Hallett Old Block 2007 Shiraz
Teusner Albert 2008 Shiraz

Excellent:

Penfold's St Henri 2007 Shiraz
St Hallett Blackwell 2008 Shiraz
Saltram Mamre Brook 2005 Shiraz
Jim Barry McRae Wood 2006 Shiraz
Penfold's Bin 28 Kalimna 2008 Shiraz
Langmeil Orphan's Bank 2008 Shiraz
BVE Ebenezer 2006 Shiraz
Pikes Eastside 2008 Shiraz
O'leary Walker 2008 Shiraz
Seppelt Chalambar 2004 Shiraz
St Hallet Faith 2008 Shiraz
Bleasdale Spark Shiraz NV

As for the Grange, the little i got, plus the youthfulness, there just was no chance to really judge the thing. Funny thing though, a mate of mine decided to hold his tatser of it till the end of the show, hoping to see it come alive...at least a tad,
only to spill the bloody thing and miss out

1999 Mt Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz - Simply an amazing wine. Decanted it for over an hour...and needed another hour really.... I just couldn't wait. Eucalypt was immediately noticeable (and interesting) on the nose as was the white pepper. May sound weird but also had the aroma of fresh mountain air. Two things i have never experienced in a wine before. Really dark Fruit took a slight back step to the oak (maybe because of the age) but PLENTY of life left in this....another 5+ years? Cork was simply stunning. Never seen a cork in this good condition. Little purple disk right on the end. No staining. The 1999 burnt/stamped into the top of the cork was a nice touch. I will greatly enjoy my other 18 bottles in the coming years!

2008 Innocent Bystander Shiraz Viognier. For the $10 i got it for, very good bargain. Medium bodied, lighter style and easy drinking. Great quaffer!


N/V Romate Cardenal Cisneros Pedro Ximenez - Wow.....words cannot do justice to this wine...the best fortified wine i have ever had in my life. Super dark olive green rim, lashings of burnt toffee, tar, molasses, raisins/sultanas, nuts...you name it. Mouthfeel second to none. It was so thick it was almost chewy!....legs Megan Gale can only dream of. Surprisingly it wasn't too (sickly) sweet either. At around the $53 mark....go and buy it!

Yes, that Romate CC PX was the star of our Grape Mates Spanish tasting event in August 2010, even with superstars like Alion and Clos Mogador showing in their respective styles amazingly well, that one was just stunning!