TN: random August drinking
Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2019 5:12 pm
- [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7855468]2013 Brokenwood Sémillon Oakey Creek Vineyard[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (24/08/2019)
{screwcap, 11%} Pale straw. Fairly advanced; a bit greasy, grassy, with a lanolin character. Palate is a bit low on acid, which gives it a thick character, without making it weighty. Flint, honey, thick yellow fruit; it’s nicely drinkable but hardly the pinnacle of Hunter semillon. About ready I think, will just get broader and flabbier with much more age. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7853783]2012 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (23/08/2019)
{screwcap, 13.5%} Classic, leafy, twig-and-basil cabernet from Wynn’s. Some currant fruit and a hint of chocolate. Medium-bodied palate with medium acid, low/medium open and gently gritty tannins. Only a nudge of vanilla oak. Gently drying palate which avoids too much of a hole, but tails off a bit at the back of the tongue. Certainly no fruit bomb, if still new world, but a good middling cabernet, nicely varietal, with another decade of mellowing easily in front of it. Terrific value, if lacking the last frisson of excitement. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7851219]2016 McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Eight Acres[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin (21/08/2019)
{screwcap, 10%} Pale straw yellow. Bright grassy nose, squash flavours, mild, dry. Medium acid, although it does fade quickly, even if the spritz initial impact promises more. Has a slightly browning quality to the flavour too. Only light bodied, with a fairly short finish, it’s otherwise balanced enough. A bit four-square, but calling it disappointing would be a bit harsh. A fair wine. Will keep a few years yet, may evolve a little, but won’t win any trophies. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7849865]2014 Cigliuti Dolcetto d'Alba[/url] - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba (20/08/2019)
{diamond, 12.5%} Deep garnet still. Muted nose of stewed red fruit, but not exaggerated. The palate though is dry and dusty, with lots of dusty tannins. Quite astringent really, good with protein, but it’s not an aperitif wine. Medium weight, fairly even on the tongue, but never quite lives up to the name of the grape... - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7848324]2011 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot[/url] - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River (19/08/2019)
{screwcap, 14%} Deep ruby. Restrained nOse of malt, chocolate, currants, plums. Only a little past overtly youthful. The palate is still quite tight, with fine, low/medium dusty tannins, and medium acidity. Not generous with fruit, rather a restrained currant character is most obvious, but it’s drying and without charm. Medium weight, hard character, with an olive lick to the finish. This will age, but become more like Bovril than Haut Briton I think. That’s mean, because it’s quite ok to drink now, but there’s no greatness ahead in my view. So so. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7851221]1999 Dalwhinnie Cabernet Sauvignon Moonambel Pyrenees[/url] - Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees (17/08/2019)
{screwcap, 13%} Bricking garnet. Dusty old smell. Aged currant, classic cabernet cigar box, but also a hint of volatility too. Medium weight, aged palate, soft dusty tannins, fairly simple flavours. Mostly suffers from lack of freshness or interesting developed flavours. On the downslope. NR (flawed) - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7842004]2015 Bream Creek Pinot Noir Reserve[/url] - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania (16/08/2019)
{screwcap, 13.6} Deep garnet red. Dark, expressive nose of plums and malty notes. Not too oaky though. The palate is also dark hued, with malt, coffee, blackberry fruit. It’s fairly dense in texture, emphasised by fairly low dusty tannins and understated acidity. Medium weight overall. Nice balance along the tongue but I do miss a bit of structure. Will hold a while but I wouldn’t expect a lot of evolution. Nice wine but just misses the mark a bit for me. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7838955]2016 Lark Hill Riesling[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District (14/08/2019)
{screwcap, 11.5%} Washed out straw yellow. Chiselled, polished nose of the complete spectrum of citric aromas. The palate is poised too, just broadening out from youthful sharpness, with citrus, yellow flowers, and a rich, ripe character that’s not a million miles from quality Rheingau. Medium weight at least, with potential to grow heavier, if you like. Dry, but always ripe, and benefits from natural tasting aclidity at a medium level, but conferring a stately character. I reckon this has a decade in front of it easily. Great balance along the tongue, medium length finish. Impressive. Should have kept it longer. A great advert for biodynamic winemaking. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7838406]2015 Andrew Thomas Wines Shiraz Elenay Barrel Selection[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (11/08/2019)
{screwcap, 13.8%} I drank another of these, out of curiosity. A dead ringer for the first; it's a loose-knit, open, slightly rustic and almost rotting wine, betraying a great deal of its wet-vintage origin in the compost-like character of the strawberry-tinged flavours. Soft gravelly tannins, medium acid. What the Bdx trade might have called a restaurant vintage. ALmost medium weight, shortish finish. OK to drink, yes, but not to cellar. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7829506]2015 Larry Cherubino Shiraz[/url] - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Frankland River (9/08/2019)
{screwcap, 14%} Deep garnet. Stupidly young. Rich chocolate and blackberries on the nose. Maybe a hint of spice, but all dark-tinged. The palate is all condensed and wrapped together, with hints of those dark flavours, fine grained medium dusty tannins, not obviously oaky, medium acid, but a finish that’s only just medium length. Medium weight, fairly polished wine. Even on the tongue. Should age nicely for a decade. Wait. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7829512]NV Seppeltsfield Muscat DP 63 Grand[/url] - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen (9/08/2019)
{screwcap, 17.5ml} Dull brown colour. Fear not! Vibrant and sweet nose of sweet tea, honey, raisins. Thick, viscous texture, massively acidic to the point where it’s hard to judge the sweetness, with raisin flavours, although the flavours, the intensity doesn’t quite match the structural power. That’s the difference across the hierarchy in Rutherglen. Medium-full weight, long moderately complex, and very satisfying; the medium sweet palate carrying all before it. But, unlike the very very, very best, here one or two glasses are enough. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7826600]2013 Clonakilla Riesling[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District (7/08/2019)
{screwcap, 12.5%} Stil a fairly pale straw yellow. Slightly mature palate of honey-tinged limes. The palate has bright, medium level but not harsh acidity, although the fruit is very yellow in flavour, rather flabby in some ways. Lively enough on the palate, medium weight, dry and zesty. Decent enough, isn’t really complex enough to be truly memorable but it’s a decent, dry riesling, fair with food. Yet I feel I should have been more impressed somehow. Might keep a while yet, even develop. Riesling is like that... - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7819550]2010 d'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon The Coppermine Road[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (3/08/2019)
{screwcap, 14.2%} Deep ruby, with s bit of aged brick on the rim. Lavish nose of chocolates and liquorice. Sweetly fruited palate of jammy fruits, chocolate, blackberries, mild powdery tannins, and lowish acid. Not very cabernet, but a lavish and ripe wine, not too sweet, but very new world and fruity. I suspect at peak now, given the style. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7818013]2015 Craggy Range Chardonnay Single Vineyard Kidnappers Vineyard[/url] - New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay (2/08/2019)
{screwcap, 13%} Pale straw. Muted nose, and indeed palate. Lots of grapefruit, a seasoning of oak. Maybe a little malo character eventually, but it’s a pretty acerbic mouthful. Not especially acidic, just lean and tart. Light-bodied really, might put on weight with time, but will it put on flavour? Not going to fall over at just might be in stasis.
Graeme