The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Seems like only a week ago it was Sunday.

At the recent off line in Adelaide, the 1992 Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet Sauvignon that I took did not show particularly well. The tannins seemed to be taking over whilst the fruit was dropping off. As background, it should be noted this wine was HUGELY tannic in its youth and was unapproachable for many years and only seemed to come into its own about a year ago. To see if the last bottle was a dud, I decided to try another. This time I decanted it for an hour prior to tasting. There is a lovely core of ripe pure fruit at the centre of the wine and its just starting to show the beginnings of aged leather characters. The tannins are there in abundance but they are not as intrusive as the last bottle and as a result, this one is a whole lot more enjoyable.

I still have four left and will try the next one in a year or so. I honestly do not know if the tannins will win the war or not, but if they continue to drop out the way they have in the past, the last couple will be seamless and stunning. If not, they will make good drain cleaner. It is an interesting experiment and one of the joys of collecting wine and watching them age and develop.

Now what have you good people been drinking? TN' or even vibes appreciated. Lurkers as always are welcome to post.

Summerfield Reserve Shiraz 2000 Opaque and black. Abundant fruit and oak. Slightly chalky tannis and finishes just a little short and hot. Needs time of course. Good now and great in a few years I think.

Zeema Cluny 98 Quite a large wine - still young with time needed to intergrate. Attractive but much breathing needed.

Chain of ponds Nouvo Nero 02 long and reasonably seemless palate. Sweet fruit character. A lighter, well made and enjoyable wine.

Tasted a couple on Friday night

1999 Seppelts Chalambar Shiraz a good wine for price $19 nothing over the top but well weighted in all the right areas, probably good for another 3 or 4 years. but drinking well now.

1997 Penfold Bin 407 another good one for the price $18 way back when. good but not great enjoyable. good value for the price. i dont think will improve a lot more?

Brett

Wynns B/L Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Induced by several recent unsatisfactory postings on the 98 Wynns B/L C/S

Saturday 22 May 04

Cork is recessed about 3mm below the top of the bottle and is very tight in the neck. The wine has seeped about 2mm into the cork with only one spike of seepage going a further 10mm. Half the bottle is decanted and the remainder recorked and refrigerated for Sunday.

The wine is a deep dark red with no hint of browning at the edge. Good dark red fruit and vanillin oak with some typical coonawarra cabernet (violet?) is the first thing I smell. Fine tannins with a little spice, chocolate and the same dark fruit linger on the palate.

Sunday 23 may 04

Still retains the lovely fragrant nose and soft lingering palate. Drinking beautifully now but a drinking window? IÂ’ll leave that to the experts. I really enjoyed this wine and am happy to say that it is not finished yet.



Moondah Brook Shiraz 1999

I opened this wine as I needed to leave half of the 98 Wynns for the next night.

This is the follow up vintage to my favourite Moondah Brook quaffer Shiraz (98). I mustnÂ’t have liked this as much when I first tasted it as I only bought a few.

The wine shows great colour and is probably right in the middle of itÂ’s drinking window at 5 years. The 98Â’s and 99Â’s have far outperformed all other wines of similar value that I purchased at the time.

Great fruit, structure and balance that still shows freshness and life.

Apart from the Auswine Tasing Panel last Friday (see separate post) I got to try a range from Tatachilla. I wasn't impressed, but thought I should post something anyway.

2003 Tatachilla Growers Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc Very floral nose, with a fresh mix of passionfruit and citrus fruits. The palate is rich with those flavours, with the Semillon providing structure and more lemon accents. Seems to have been heavily influenced by the Coriole Chenin Blanc in style – very good for the price.

2003 Tatachilla Makers Padthaway Chardonnay Despite being labelled “lightly oaked” the nose is heavily influenced by nutty and at times rather stinky oak, along the lines of fish emulsion/sewerage. This does blow off after a long time breathing to reveal some clean citrus and apple fruit, but not enough to justify the required patience.

2003 Tatachilla Growers Cabernet Shiraz Very perfumed nose of sweet raspberry and confectionery, almost like a fresh Grenache. The slender palate continues those flavours in a breezy, early drinking style – a lot leaner than I expected.

2001 Tatachilla McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Yet another 2001 Southern Vales Cabernet that ended up horribly wrong. Overblown coffee oak dominates the nose, and with extended breathing there’s a residue of sickly caramel and no fruit. The palate is no better, again dominated by oak with what little fruit there was dropping away on the front palate.

2001 Tatachilla McLaren Vale Shiraz The nose is very closed at first, with slender blackberry fruit trying to poke through rather stinky, wet overtones. At first I was wondering if it was slightly corked, but a second bottle was identical, and the funk did blow off to reveal more of the fruit after extended breathing. The palate is much better, with rich blackberry fruit on a plush/medium-weight structure, but it does finish with some strange medicinal characters in the aftertaste.

2000 Tatachilla Clarendon Merlot Extremely fragrant and complex nose, which would go a long way to explaining the awards it has received. Constantly evolving mixture of tea leaves, green/leafy/briary characters, chocolate, mint, caramel, and some fish sauce delights the nasal passages. I wasn’t as impressed with the palate, which while full, soft and chocolatey, had a rather unpleasant finish featuring fine but disjointed tannins, and a pungent/awful aftertaste. I prefer their Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale Merlots to this.

1999 Tatachilla Foundation Shiraz Extremely closed on the nose and palate compared to my last tasting back in March. There’s rich blackberry/chocolate/black olive fruit in there somewhere, but the wine was clearly going through a sulky stage and wouldn’t let it out. It clearly needs a few hours breathing/decanting, and shouldn’t have been shown like this.

Cheers,
Ian

1991 Henschke Mt Edelstone
Ruby-red. Perfumed blackberry fruit and American oak on nose, reflected on palate. Smooth, rich wine, drinking well now. Certainly will cellar because of inherent balance and power, although not sure if will be any better than it is now. (17.5)

1991 Mt Mary Cabernets
Medium red. Nose shows lovely cassis-plummy fruit, some violets and cedary oak in the background. Refined palate - fruitier and softer than a Bordeaux but excellent in its own style (18.5)


regards
Chris

Haven't been posting much recently............so:

2001 Chatueu Tirecul la Graverie Cuvee Madame (Monbazillac)....not as good as the 1999, which is surprising given the vintage. Bit too sweet and monolithic, not as much botrytus as the '99. May need more time in the bottle and perhaps a little short on acidity.

2001 Chateau Tirecul Vin de Pays (Perigord)....tasted next to the sweet wine, this is the Chateau's dry white..and very nice it is too. Well developed nose and palate....very well balanced, with not too much acidity. Very pleasing.

1998 Grange....fourth bottle....again a very good wine indeed. Decanted for two hours, great balance etc etc.....has all been said. Have promised not to drink any more before 2015.

1995 Pichon Lalande....at Sparky's in NYC. Well balanced full wine, with typical Bordeaux notes, well balanced, dusty tanins...although clearly still young. Very nice indeed.

Others to follow.

JM

After, drinking the 96 Black Label, I had the 98 on the table last night and pulled the cork after the first Brumbies try. First whiff and I knew something was wrong. Herbal, hession bag, no fruit: stinkin corked!!!

Haven't had a corked bottle on about two months and wham!!

Have got another bottle out to try tomorrow night along with the 99 Lawsons Shiraz, so will report back.

Cheers
Anthony

A few NZ pinots.

Mount Difficulty 2001 This wine doesn't have many faults, but just tasted like Ribena to me. Yuk.
Escarpment Vineyard 2001 Complex and thick wine with a very acid finish (much better as it opens up), very earthy. Still relatively close at this stage.
Muddy Water 2001 Light and a bit hot on the palate. Delicate and savory. It has faults and is definately not the best pinot, but I must say I enjoyed this wine.
Felton Road Block 3 2002 Wine of the night. Excellent acidity, complexity, mouthfill and structure. Love the sweet-sour taste.

Also had a bottle of D'Armailhac 1997 Fruit driven spicy Bordeaux with fine tannins. Very Pleasant.
To satisfy my curiosity, the last glass of this wine went with a small block of 81% dark chocolate. To say it didn't go well is an understatement...

Henschke Abbott's Prayer 1999 - 85% Merlot , 10% Cabernet Sauvignon & the rest Cabernet Franc. Initially VA dominates the nose, subsiding to help lift the berry, dark plum and cedarwood notes. Silky fine, medium bodied wine with a good layer of dark and plummy merlot fruit. A seasoned oak dominated aftertaste with a fine finish of tannin.

Chapoutier La Bernadine Chateauneuf du Pape 00 - Good, medium bodied, medium complexity, supple, grenache dominated CNP. Would not pay the ridiculous price that would probably be commanded, retail, in Australia.

Hollick's Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - The nose is Bordeaux like. Good varietal characteristics, you go looking though. Cassis and the classic Coonawarra earthy notes, new French oak discernible too. A good core of fruit, then the doughnut followed by spicey oak aftertaste and slightly piercing acidity. I enjoyed the understated nature of the wine( by Coonawarra flagship standards ) giving rise to more regional expression.

Went to a small Italian wine tasting at UWC in Sydney - all commercial brands - nothing much above average

1999 Roccandi Montegrossi Chianti Classico $29.95 herby, spicy nose. Light watery palate , lacks any fruit intensity - where;s the cherries! - watery, soft finish. sad

2001 Monte Antico Toscana Sangiovese Bretty, poop, earthy nose. Palate better and cleaner. till relatively light, though with some discernable cherry fruit, short finish.

2002 Allegrini Valpicello classico $32.95 Porty , over-ripe fruited, over-worked nose. Good depth of fruit on palate but slightly spirity finish

2001 Amano Primitivo 14% Puglia $21.95 (Zindfandel) Some burnt rubber sulpur on nose but did blow away after a couple of minutes. Spicy rich balck fruit palate good length and not extracted. A bit simple and linear , but it is a zin Not bad.

There was an Asti which wasn't bad but seems excessively pricey at $30.

A boring Ingolby 2002 Shiraz , and an over american- oaked dill infected Mitchelton 1995 Print Series shiraz - once you got thru the nose palate was a lot better, though looked pretty simple and fruity compared to:

1996 Savigny les beaunes 1cr "Les narbanton" JM Pavelot 13%. A lovely sunday lunch wine. Good colour mid red without any browning. Nice red fruit, complex nose with still some spicy french oak peeping through. Similar on palate - good red fruit richness, touch of earth goodish finish but acid just a bit spiky. has come out of its dumb phase and ready to drink up

Cheers

paul

2001 Diamond Valley (blue label) Pinot Noir - actually this was last week but the only thing of interest that week - this is the style of Pinot I like good mouth weight, velvet texture. Rich berry fruit with good length- yum

1997 Turkey Flat Shiraz - this is real favourite being drunk while leaving the 96 & 98' s for a bit longer - great length balance and richness

1996 Petersons Semillon - don't know if this will ever really come together, very crisp and acidic would have like to seen some more development

1991 Wynns Black Label Cabernet - was a bit too cold at the 14 degrees the cellar has dropped to. Nice change from the bigger things we have been drinking. Still remarkable red purple in colour - I remember enjoying it but no comments on flavours other than it needed to warm up initially.

2000 Rockford Rod & Spur Shiraz Cab - I know 2000 was a weak vintage and this was a case filler but nevertheless disappointing for a Rockford. Nice enough but drunk over 2 nights with out excitement.

2002 Ingoldby Shiraz - I know plenty here don't like this but for less than $12 I think it offers great everyday drinking with rich ripe fruit

1994 Bannockburn Chardonnay - Exceptional
1997 Bass Philip Premium Chardonnay - Expected More
1999 Bloodwood Schubet Chardonnay - great length but somewhat single dimensional

1996 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz - Sensational
2001 Alexandra Bridge Cabernet - improving
1996 Bannockburn Shiraz - Good

1991 De Bortoli Noble One - thick orange colour. Rich apricot. Exceptional.

Hi everybody!!

From the 14th May
Higher Plane Cabernet/Merlot 01 Margaret River. (Decanted for 2 hrs)

Colour: Deep blood red with cherry edges.
Nose: Slightly dusty, dry leaf, cherry, and a background of mulberry accompanied by very subtle meatiness.
Palate: Dark and light cherries. Some soft and ripe mulberry flavours but after an hour still quite simple. Saving grace is itÂ’s very gentle nature. Over time it opens up a bit. Lovely balance but nothing extraordinary. 88/100 $28 Good value if you are looking for a gentle, well balanced wine to drink now.


Chalk Hill Shiraz 2001 (straight from the bottle)

Colour: Misty cherry
Nose: Feral nature (wondering if it might be corked butÂ…) then the rich dark berry and plum fruit comes through. Char up from behind.
Palate: Black cherries, warm tar and tighter bitumen bitterness, green plums on the outside taken over with a wave of smoky bacon, and a very rich and generous length. Gains style with fruit depth and coffee in the glass and sticks in the brain like a long walk home after a great party. WOTN 91/10 $18 very good value

Alkoomi Cabernet Merlot 2001 (from the bottle and late in the evening)

Impression: Not too dissimilar to the Higher Plane but without the subtlety and finesse. A quaffer without any real length. 86/100

From the 21st May
Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet 2001
Colour: Deep garnet and black core with a ruby rim. Glycerine legs.
Nose: Blackcurrants, redcurrants bitumen and lite tobacco.
Palate: Cedar, blackberries, char, cassis, heat, varnish, and finally cherries (in that order!). It starts off slightly hard-nosed and stiff-collared but not altogether humourless (reminded me a bit like Tahbilk Cab. but where the Tahbilk has only black the Mamre Brook has some red characters). Astringent tannins. After an hour ripe black plums come through to soften it all and combined with an exceptional length I am proud to announce that it is a Bouncing Baby Barossa Cabernet. Give it 5yrs! 90/100

Normans Old Vine Cabernet 2000 (Decanted for 2 hrs)
Colour: Bright red with orange tinges.
Nose: Fresh sweet red berries and slightly briary.
Palate: Quite dense texture (and not what I expected). Black fruits, with cedar balancing their depths. Some licorice comes into play after a while and although not overly complex the parts all hold together well and hide the alcohol well. Tannins started off drying and then seemed to simply disappear. DidnÂ’t get any further with the notes as the guests arrived. Remembered to be very attractive for my tastes.

Not sure whether or not it will gain complexity or even last very long under cellaring conditions but give it a couple safely. 89/100 $17 good value.

cheers,

simm wrote:. WOTN 91/10 $18 very good value

,

Hi Simm

91/10 ... it must be good!!

Gavin Trott wrote:

simm wrote:. WOTN 91/10 $18 very good value

,

Hi Simm

91/10 ... it must be good!!

Not all all, thats just Nicks new scoring system.

Just a couple....

2001 Cascabel Grenache et al - OK, but a tad simple and four square - but then again it came after several pints while watching the FA Cup final!

2002 Moulin a Vent, Domaine les Fines Graves - Elegant, soft and supple - nice smoky cherry fruit leading to lemony acidity. Finishes a wee bit metallic. Very Pinot-like - blind I would not pick it as Gamay. Drinks well now, but will fill out and show more complexity in 2-3 years. Excellent value at £8.45.

Cheers
Phil

After a corked bottle on 98 Wynns Cab, I opened another bottle out of the cellar to see how it was going.

Dark purple in colour; the nose is a mix of blackberry and cassis. The palate is just starting to unwind. This wine has years ahead of it. There is still a core of sweet fruit and plenty of tannins. I can see this wine growing in complexity over the next ten to fifteen years.

Cheers
Anthony

Anthony wrote:After a corked bottle on 98 Wynns Cab, I opened another bottle out of the cellar to see how it was going.

Dark purple in colour; the nose is a mix of blackberry and cassis. The palate is just starting to unwind. This wine has years ahead of it. There is still a core of sweet fruit and plenty of tannins. I can see this wine growing in complexity over the next ten to fifteen years.

Cheers
Anthony

I have some in my glass at present and it is a very impressive example of a fruit driven powerful potentially long lived BL. I think this is as good as any other Wynns Cab Sauv to date, underlying 1998 as a great year in Coonawarra. Keep at least 5-8 years and enjoy for the same again. Anyone who has had problems with this wine may have had a faulty bottle. Thanks Wynns for a great value wine.

Over an extended lunch that started with excellent "fois Gras" (is that how it's spelt?) and then a med/rare peppered eye fillet.

1998 Henschke Mt Edelstone
Decanted for 1 hr, a little bottle stink that blew off quickly. Sweet blackberry, jammy nose. Flavor was ripe and powerful. Much better than the 99 I had recently. Very fruity. I'm not too sure that there is any improvement left though. A good wine, but lacking in great value for money.

1999 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz - Excellent
This wine took a while to open up, but when it did it was distinctly Barossa. Dark plums / blackberries / vanilla. The taste was tight and well structured. A dark impenetrable color that displayed all the characteristics of improving for at least another 5 years. This is the first time that I had tried this wine and will be sourcing a case for the cellar. The sommelier believed the 99 was better than the 98.

Anthony wrote:After a corked bottle on 98 Wynns Cab, I opened another bottle out of the cellar to see how it was going.

Dark purple in colour; the nose is a mix of blackberry and cassis. The palate is just starting to unwind. This wine has years ahead of it. There is still a core of sweet fruit and plenty of tannins. I can see this wine growing in complexity over the next ten to fifteen years.

Cheers
Anthony

Anthony

Based on your prediction, I will now wait another year or two before trying another 98 Wynns. I still have quite a few left. It seems as though some people really did get some damaged goods with their 98 Wynns.

We are now waiting on Chris Judd with his report but I think there were some seriously unwell boys & girls in Brisbane after the weekend. Three serious days tasting without some break time is about my limit these days.

Graham

Checked the cellar and have one left

Enjoyed all prior to date and will hold on.

Had a glass of All Saints rare Tokay recently @ lunch restaurant and thought this was a seriously good example of a Rutherglen fortified. Superb nose etc. I could have put this wine into an atomiser and sprayed once daily to enjoy the bouquet.

98 Penfolds Clare Reisling: not bad but prefer Grosset Watervale style. Not worth the restaurant mark up but not to bad value if purchased in discounted dozen.

98 Tyrells Vat 9 shiraz: Still needs more time. More suited to those who prefer / appreciate Hunter Shiraz. Balanced with a hint of acid suggesting further cellaring may be well rewarded.

Thalgara 2000 shiraz: Lovely wine nice balance drinking well now and will go further. Again for those who like Hunter shiraz. This wine has continued to improve with each tasting over the last 18 months as expected.

Gianna wrote:1999 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz - Excellent
The sommelier believed the 99 was better than the 98.

That is the first time I have ever heard anyone say that about this wine.

TORB wrote:

Gianna wrote:1999 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz - Excellent
The sommelier believed the 99 was better than the 98.

That is the first time I have ever heard anyone say that about this wine.

Wasn't keen on either of them myself! I like big wines but these were barely drinkable, and the 99 being better about the 98, well...

One TCA-ruined bottle of 1998 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz. The second bottle (certainly confirming my initial TCA diagnosis of the first) was a fairly simple affair - some raspberry & licorice fruits, still some soft tannins on the mid palate, and just a little acid to keep it fresh. Sadly, finish is very short. An undemanding wine which has settled down 6 years after vintage into a pleasant quaffer of no great impact. Of course, it only cost around $15 upon release, so judged by that standard it's not too bad. But I don't think it compares with the wines of the early 90s. What with Stonewell and now Eight Songs taking no doubt the pick of the fruit, the standard Barossa has gradually been slipping I suspect. I will be interested to see how the TCA-replacement bottle shows (Lehmann replace without fuss) presuming it's going to be the 01 or 02 vintage.

cheers,
Graeme

Auswine Cleanskin Shiraz # 2 (2000 McLaren Vale) - Agree with Adair's note here http://www.auswine.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1605 which sums it up better than I could.

I think this was about my 5th bottle from the case. Had half Friday night. The other half the next night was even better, even drinking out of an ordinary plastic cup at a BBQ. Was a bitter stuggle at the end between drinking the last mouthful and leaving it to enjoy the aromas. But alas, the absence of any other wine drinkers at the BBQ ultimately gave the victory to the palate.

Cheers

Scott

Sorry,

That was me. Not logged in.

Scott

TORB wrote:
Gianna wrote:

1999 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz - Excellent
The sommelier believed the 99 was better than the 98.

That is the first time I have ever heard anyone say that about this wine.

Wasn't keen on either of them myself! I like big wines but these were barely drinkable, and the 99 being better about the 98, well...


I suppose the sommelier may have added some tomato sauce to his comments, (it didn't seem like too many patrons were spending much on the day) but nevertheless I found the 99 as a quality wine. And yes simm, it really was a very big wine, however, I also found it quite approachable after about 30-45 mins.