The Auswine Forum

They can be cheap, expensive, red, white or rose. What are the three wines that made you sit up and go 'wow, this is why I collect and love wine'!
For me they were;
1998 Rockford BP en magnum - beautifully resolved with lovely soft fruit and a velvet finish
2001 Fourrier CSJ - just etherial, intense with long aftertaste. beautiful cherry brambly structure.
2003 Pontet Canet - tobacco, plums with a Tarzan structure. don't think it is quite ready yet - maybe 5-7 years, but what potential. Can't wait to try 2005 and 2009.

What wines have you guys enjoyed the most in 2015?
Edit: How about you also nominate your most undervalued or best QPR wine. Mine is Teusner 'The Riebke'. Just having a 2010 from a halfie now.

wow, great to hear about the Pontet Canet 03. This wine has been given a fair old hiding in various circles, like many 03 Bordeaux, but recently a few positive words are starting to come thru. I will leave my case unopened, however, as you are amongst the majority that say it still needs a fair amount of time.

I have heard similar good things about Calon Segur 2003, I will leave that case alone for a while too.

Been drinking a few Leoville Barton, which is a beautiful wine. By the way, 2003 is certainly NOT a disaster on the right bank, Ausone and Elise Clinet are both stunning. For once, HRH Jancis agree on something!!!

Coutet '62 (part of vertical & meal at The Square, with Aline Baly as guest);
Ridge Monte Bello '99 (knocked Cheval Blanc '96 into a cocked hat);
Wynns John Riddoch '10 (best young Oz red, ever? And a bargain in UK. The '84 at a recent tasting was mighty impressive).

2009 chateau pape clement
1996 mount edelstone
1990 hill of grace

Been a lot of very very good ones. Tough call. Most memorable was probably the 2002 Giaconda Chardonnay from magnum. Blew me away and in the context of being a warm up wine for the main event, made Australia's premium reds look like back ups.

Had a few bottles of 2002 Taittingee CdC and just think this is a stunner. If there was a bottle here right now I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off the cork.

Third place...tie with too many crackers.

Best QPR, some stiff competition but I'd have to say several vintages of Seppelt Chalambar going back up to 14 years and some Best's Bin 1 going back 10 years mark these as ridiculous value. Metala work have got s run except I've never tried one with any age on it.

Good topic.

1998 St Hallet Old Block - I can remember thinking this is why I drink wine. Easily WotY for me. Was just brilliant.
1998 Kay Bros Block 6
2000 Pol Roger Winston Churchill

Best three wines is a bit hard but I can give best in each type of wine:

Best Sparkling Red
1994 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Black Queen - initial release and getting quite savoury ... just how we like them

Best Sparkling White (tie)
2002 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée - This was truly a champagne moment ... Spectacular!
2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année - still very young but this is a quality drop. If you can ... try not to open for at least 10-15 years.

Best Red
1994 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon - year on year favourite but unfortunately down to my last couple of bottles!

Best White
2012 Gaelic Cemetery Vineyard Riesling - showing really well now but will only improve with a bit of cellar time. Beautiful.

Croquet King wrote:1998 St Hallet Old Block - I can remember thinking this is why I drink wine. Easily WotY for me. Was just brilliant.

Have a few bottles of this along with the 1998 St Hallet 3rd Century Shiraz. Must find an occasion to open a bottle of each based on your note. Thanks!

Tough call. Looking back at the wines I've had this year, I've had quite a few 'wow' moments. So in no particular order, the standouts for me were:

2005 Best's Thomson Family
2006 Standish The Relic
1998 Wynns John Riddoch
2003 Hoddles Creek Reserve Pinot
1986 Prunotta Barbaresco Montestafano
1914-1918 Seppeltsfield Para (vertical)

Same for me, many pleasurable wines, but there were three standout occasions worthy of mention:

Had several great bottles at Matteo's at a dinner in Melbourne earlier in the year, one of which was an '82 Wynns JR which was just in absolutely fabulous nick. Had many of these over the years and generally great, but this was a bottle I bought at release in about '85 and was absolutely superb. Other reds at this dinner were Penfolds Bin90A and an 04 Balnaves The Tally, both of which were also in superb nick, but the JR got the gong.

Couple of others from two off-lines in Sydney

Flight of three Hoddles Ck 1er Cru Pinot (cant recall the exact years) from a dinner at The Devonshire. I have not been a fan of much Victorian pinot, but these were great wines and almost enough to change my mind

Much earlier in the year, a bottle of '69 Redmans Claret, kindly provided by Dave vino (I think, apologies if I'm wrong on that count) at Rubyos. I was doubtful when it came out, but it was in great nick for it's age and a pleasure to experience. All the more meaningful for me as Redmans was an early part of my wine experience in the Coonawarra in the 70's.

2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay
2007 Mitchell McNicol Riesling
2008 Bodegas Valdemar Rioja Conde de Valdemar Reserva

Honourable mention to these two;
2010 Oliver's Taranga M53 shiraz .
Only tasted (and bought for later) but it really wowed me.
2012 Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz .
Same as above, tasted and bought for another time but deserves a mention.

The Leeuwin Estate Chardy was a clear winner for me.
All the others were very good but nothing really touched it.

2004 Dom Perignon - Completely redefined what champagne can be

2004 Borgogno Barolo - Complex, perfumed, structured and bold yet delicate as well, everything you could want from Nebbiolo as it just starts to develop some secondary character

2012 Cigliuti Langhe Nebbiolo - Bought a whole bunch for the absurd price of $18, three bottles down so far, all have offered up sheer drinking pleasure and a level of complexity you would expect from a $60+ Barbaresco

Hacker wrote:They can be cheap, expensive, red, white or rose. What are the three wines that made you sit up and go 'wow, this is why I collect and love wine'!
For me they were;
1998 Rockford BP en magnum - beautifully resolved with lovely soft fruit and a velvet finish
2001 Fourrier CSJ - just etherial, intense with long aftertaste. beautiful cherry brambly structure.
2003 Pontet Canet - tobacco, plums with a Tarzan structure. don't think it is quite ready yet - maybe 5-7 years, but what potential. Can't wait to try 2005 and 2009.

What wines have you guys enjoyed the most in 2015?
Edit: How about you also nominate your most undervalued or best QPR wine. Mine is Teusner 'The Riebke'. Just having a 2010 from a halfie now.

I also had the Pontet Canet in my top three along with the NV Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines and Schafer-Frohlich Bockenauer Kabinett Riesling 2007.

Mark

too many good wines to nominate three.
however, my three most surprising wine "happenings" this year were:
1. 2005 Bordeaux
Over multiple horizontals this year (10 years on) I was surprised, actually amazed, just how good the right bank wines are showing, and equally amazed at just how poorly the majority of left bank wine are showing. Give the latter at least another decade. (Burgundy in a similar boat). I have always loved St Emilion 2005, but they are going into yet another gear, something I previously thought impossible.
2. 2002 Two Hands "Deer in the Headlights" shiraz.
Wow, might be the best Aussie shiraz I have seen for a long time. I sat stunned at the dinner the first time I saw this, and a second visit a few months later confirmed what a freak wine this is. I don't have any, but if you own it, you are in for a treat. Amazing, particularly as I am otherwise pretty indifferent to Two Hands wines. Certainly my QPR of the year for those smart enough to have got some, I guess a decade or so ago.
3. Wine Front
As I infrequently buy Australian wine nowadays, I had never even given this mag a thought. However, I recently subscribed, and I must say, my palate is very, very much aligned to all three authors. Superbly well written, highly informative and unusually entertaining for a wine e-mag., it might now be my favourite of the dozen or so I subscribe to. (yea, I know, that is tragic) Dirt cheap too. My QPR of the year.

1996 Henschke Hill of Grace- own cellar since release. Dare I say HofG is good value. 99pts

2002 Henschke Hill of Grace- own cellar since release. Wow ! There's a pattern. Professional cellaring presents the wow factor if it's there. Should be a lot more focus on this amongst fine wine lovers. 99pts+

Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino 1988- utter magic! I know what I like with BdM and unfortunately it ain't the cheap stuff- Soldera, Cerbaiona etc. 98pts




Whackiest wine of the year-

1996 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Silex. Loved this crazy stuff. Drank a bottle last week with the onset of colder HKG weather. 94pts

Great post Hacker! 2015 has been an amazing yr, had some amazing wines and even better times sharing them
So hard to narrow it down, but i would say my top 3 most memorable wines were 04 astralis, 04 taittinger cdc and 91 mt ed. These 3 stood out as my favs but theres so many good wines ive tried this yr that 2016 will have a tough time bettering but no doubt ill try! Hahah

VINH NGUYEN wrote:Great post Hacker! 2015 has been an amazing yr, had some amazing wines and even better times sharing them
So hard to narrow it down, but i would say my top 3 most memorable wines were 04 astralis, 04 taittinger cdc and 91 mt ed. These 3 stood out as my favs but theres so many good wines ive tried this yr that 2016 will have a tough time bettering but no doubt ill try! Hahah

Hi Vinh,
was thinking of using the Tattinger CdC as our Xmas wine. Is it still too young? TIA.

For me, it wasnt too young at all, but then again i like em young and primary.

2004 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne- Just extraordinary. Every time the glass went to your lips there were different nuances at play. Shame I only got one glass (being an off line) but it left a fantastic impression. My poor wife still has to listen to me crap on about it 8 months after the event.

1987 Penfolds Grange Hermitage Although from a 'lesser year' well stored bottles are at their peak and drinking superbly well.

2004 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Glorious wine with potential to burn. Everything you expect from a GR after it's first decade. Another will see it really strutting its stuff.

Looking back through some of this years notes:

Best white: tie between 04 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne and 04 JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Riesling
Best red: probably the 08 Soldera dall’azienda agricola Case Basse
Honorable mentions: 09 Conterno Barolo Bussia “Cicala” or the 2011 Schafer Frohlich Felsneck Spatlese Goldkapsel Riesling
Best Australian Wine: 12 Oakridge 864 Single Vineyard Chardonnay (never wrote down which one!)

Best event: http://www.brisbane-book-club.com/tasting-notes/international-chambertin-day-16-may-2015/

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1915 Seppelt 100 Year Old Para
1985 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
1990 Guigal La Mouline

QPR: 2012 Ochota Barrel The Fugazi Grenache
Cheapie: 2013 Mt Langi Cliff Edge Shiraz

This list may change by this time next week with a big wine dinner coming up...

felixp wrote:

VINH NGUYEN wrote:Great post Hacker! 2015 has been an amazing yr, had some amazing wines and even better times sharing them
So hard to narrow it down, but i would say my top 3 most memorable wines were 04 astralis, 04 taittinger cdc and 91 mt ed. These 3 stood out as my favs but theres so many good wines ive tried this yr that 2016 will have a tough time bettering but no doubt ill try! Hahah

Hi Vinh,
was thinking of using the Tattinger CdC as our Xmas wine. Is it still too young? TIA.

Sorry, question wasnt to me, but i felt compelled to respond. Ive had it 20+ times, and while it is well short of its peak, it is great so long as it is given sufficient air and isnt too cold. Bottles straight out of the fridge have been like acid mouthwash.

Mike

dave vino wrote:1915 Seppelt 100 Year Old Para
1985 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
1990 Guigal La Mouline.

Impressive!

I have to think about numbers 2 and 3, but number one with daylight behind it was 1996 Taittinger Comtes BdB

Feel bad for everyone who has given up on drinking anything good over the next few weeks.

Mike Hawkins wrote:I have to think about numbers 2 and 3, but number one with daylight behind it was 1996 Taittinger Comtes BdB

Gosh I want to try this one day!

Not sure I can restrict it to three - and as Cam says, there may be some contenders to come!

griff wrote:

Mike Hawkins wrote:I have to think about numbers 2 and 3, but number one with daylight behind it was 1996 Taittinger Comtes BdB

Gosh I want to try this one day!

Not sure I can restrict it to three - and as Cam says, there may be some contenders to come!

I have some great wines lined up for the next 2 weeks, but I have no doubt the 96 CdC will come out #1

1. 1996 lake breeze winemakers selection cabernet' ( magnum ) - bought at cellar door a fair while ago and stored well - lovely resolved cross between " claret " and " wendouree " - that is to say just 13% alc' and with some nuanced eucalypt. liked it so much i ordered 6 magnums of 2012 bernoota from the mailing list after ages of not ordering.

2. 2001 leoville barton : substantial but paradoxically with that lovely weight of water mouthfeel - also had some 1988 and 1990 this year - the reason i nominate 2001 is that this label is reliably blue chip and i've realised that after a long time of worrying about good versus bad vintages - in a certain way it does not matter - with such a good producer and the fact that in normal life you don't have 25 vintages all lined up to compare - you can really dig a wine from a lesser vintage.

3. 2011 ashton hills blanc de noir : just happy that my favorite local vineyard seems to have been handed over with minimal changes - what's this wine like ? as my wyandotte hens would say - it's cluckin' good.

Pelican wrote:1. 1996 lake breeze winemakers selection cabernet' ( magnum ) - bought at cellar door a fair while ago and stored well - lovely resolved cross between " claret " and " wendouree " - that is to say just 13% alc' and with some nuanced eucalypt. liked it so much i ordered 6 magnums of 2012 bernoota from the mailing list after ages of not ordering.

2. 2001 leoville barton : substantial but paradoxically with that lovely weight of water mouthfeel - also had some 1988 and 1990 this year - the reason i nominate 2001 is that this label is reliably blue chip and i've realised that after a long time of worrying about good versus bad vintages - in a certain way it does not matter - with such a good producer and the fact that in normal life you don't have 25 vintages all lined up to compare - you can really dig a wine from a lesser vintage.

3. 2011 ashton hills blanc de noir : just happy that my favorite local vineyard seems to have been handed over with minimal changes - what's this wine like ? as my wyandotte hens would say - it's cluckin' good.

I really like the majority of left bankers from 2001 that I've tried...