The Auswine Forum

I had posted this on another forum and am posting it here without editing. [Edited the title to be more polite]

As I dig deeper and deeper into the cellar, lifting boxes and rearranging them in cramped quarters in an attempt to get to the bottom ones, I have come across a few old and almost forgotten bottles. Here are four that I have pulled out.
The 1983 Rosemount Coonawarra Cabernet harkens back to the old days when Australian reds were routinely 12.5% alcohol. I probably bought this in the very early years of my wine collecting and I cannot recall if I ever drank a bottle. The back label says that it was made in the style of Bordeaux and is light bodied. Also 19 months in new French oak. I must have paid above the odds for this one, at a time when there were few Australian wines in the Edmonton/Alberta market. Back then it was all government retail stores. I have some hope for this wine because some thought went into the winemaking, however the vintage might have something else to say.

Sorry for the off kilter pictures, I have no idea why this happens with some of them. Also, it seems that I cannot post more than three pictures at a time so I will continue my post in sequence.

The N/V De Muller Moscatel Oro, Tarragona (15%) was bought in Calgary back in 1993 from a private wine store. It was inexpensive, only C$8 if I recall (about four pounds in those days?). Since it was a non-vintage I presume it was a simple desert wine but it never got opened and fell between the cracks. All I know is that back then De Muller was known for making sacramental wines. It is now noticeably darker than the yellow gold when I bought it. In fact it looks like a red wine, dark and opaque. Because it is a sweet wine it could be glorious in a maderised way or alternatively simply flat and dull. Any thoughts?

The 1995 Capogreco 'Riverside Avenue' Reserve Shiraz (14.1%) is a Mildura wine. I'd never heard of this winery and haven't seen it since. The only reason I bought it was because I was intrigued by the wine having been aged for five years in 2,500 liter casks before being bottled in 2000. I once posted a question on this wine in an Australian wine forum and got no reply. Apparently the winery is still there because the Visit Mildura website has this to say:

Established in 1976, Capogreco Winery Estate is a family owned and operated boutique winery/vineyard with a history of viticulture and winemaking dating back to approximately 1821 in Calabria, Italy.

Using grapes from the family vineyard, Capogreco produces aged, natural, traditional Italian style wines. Fermentation is on skins using the wild yeast from the grapes. No earth filters, fining agents or wine enhancing supplements are used. Clarification of wine is done by racking process and barrel ageing.

This one is a conundrum and I have no idea at all if it even has a chance at being any good.

The 1986 La Reserve du General, Margaux is the second wine of Chateau Palmer but has of course been renamed Alter Ego. This was a gift from my sister who brought it back from Paris. The store clerk told her it was good wine and I think she paid the equivalent of $50 for it. I've always thought of serving this bottle to my sister but she has been working overseas and it has remained store wrapped in paper and carton. My sister has recently moved back home but I am afraid it may be a disappointment and she will regret the money she spent on it. Coincidentally the bottle of Chateau Palmer that I do own is also from the 1986 vintage.

This is what happens to collectors when they have too many bottles and not enough time to drink them.

Cheers …………………….. Mahmoud.

I have no experience with any of them, but none of Australian wines seem that likely to be good. Maybe the Rosemount is a slim chance, cork quality pending. Mildura is not know for it's quality wines and I've never heard of that winery either. Set your expectations low, and if there is anything half drinkable it will be a pleasant surprise.