The Auswine Forum

A few truncated dinners over the last months, squeezed between the raging pandemic.

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=45328]NOBLEROTTERSSYDNEY - ODD YEAR REDS - Fix, St James, Sydney (9/09/2020)[/url]

A lull in the raging COVID pandemic grants us a brief window to gather and drink wine! Nearly nine bottles between the six of us. Needs must, I suppose. The theme was odd-vintage reds, with a near-twenty-year window. There were, as ever, minor deviations.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690976]NV Perrier-Jouët Champagne Grand Brut[/url] - France, Champagne
  {12%} [Stephen] Older packaging indicates some cellar age here. Lovely sourdough nose, developing. Dry, faintly musty palate in flavour, yet fresher than the nose, bright, even hard. Seems oddly youthful. Medium weight, with medium-sized creamy bubbles. Fairly even across the palate. Decent acidity too. Seems like it could longer easily.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690977]2015 Pyramid Valley Chardonnay Growers Collection Sutherland - Till[/url] - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Aaron] Quite deep yellow colour. Nutty, oaky nose. The palate offers plenty of malo character, buttery, with nuts and grapefruit. Slippery sort of oak. Medium weight. Low/medium acidity suggests it doesn’t need more time; the palate is nice and even, with a long finish that only falls a bit short for complexity but otherwise is very impressive.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690978]1989 Château Haut-Brion[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  {cork, 13%} [Gordon] After a few tastings of this over the years (common provenance – thanks Gordon!) I found this to be sub-par given recent context. Much of the greatness of the wine is here; the graphite, cigar-box, curranty aged fruit flavours. The silky texture, too, but there’s a slightly scalped, musty quality which trims the finish and saps the glory experienced previously. Double-decanted three hours prior, no other obvious cork issue, but I bet a second bottle would have proved this to be not typical.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690979]1997 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette[/url] - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  {cork, 13%} [Graeme] I had low hopes despite a good level, but this turned out pretty well. Double-decanted three hours earlier, which helped it open out a bit. Softly earthy, dust, and old leather aromas. Aged mulberry flavours, with an iodine quality, a blackness, and a twist of spice. Red olive seeds, says Glenn. Are they a thing? Some leather here too. Low/medium dusty tannins, medium acidity. About medium weight, with even presence along the tongue, medium long finish, lacking the last word in complexity but otherwise pretty impressive. Drink up though.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690982]2005 Best's Great Western Shiraz Bin No 0[/url] - Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Aaron] Sweet black pepper nose, exotic and spicy. Not over-oaky. Has moved off primary in character but not hugely. Big, ripe and polished palate, medium/full in weight, with medium chalky tannins. Despite the richness and warmth of blackberry flavour, it does manage a savoury character, with balancing medium acidity and a medium long finish. Half-way in style between Barossa and Hermitage, in a true Victorian style. Will sail through another decade’s cellaring easily, and probably improve all the while.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690983]2009 Plantagenet Shiraz[/url] - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker
  {screwcap, 13.5%} [Glenn] Marginally developing cool-climate shiraz; all menthol, spearmint and a black inky aroma and flavour. Plenty of generic black fruit flavours rather than a particular profile; I’d concede a raspberry leaning though. Gentle acidity, low/medium powdery tannins, subtle oak and a weighting towards the front palate culminate in a medium length finish. Tidy wine which will be helped by more time for sure.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690984]2005 Penfolds Bin 389[/url] - Australia, South Australia
  {screwcap, 14.5%} [DavidH] Something of a bruiser, in the 21st century Penfolds style. Obvious, fairly youthful nose of oak, coconut and vanilla, with crowd-pleasing appeal. The palate has softened a little but has a charry, worked character still, with black fruit and gluey oak. Warm presence too. Has a certain rawness to it, medium/full in weight, with medium gritty tannins and medium acidity. Medium length finish. Still somewhat raw. I’ve had plenty of wonderful aged Penfolds reds at 12.5-13.5%, but almost none at 14.5% (or is it higher – I suspect so). My jury is out on the aging of this - still.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690985]2001 Château Raymond-Lafon[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  {500ml, cork, 13.5%} [Stephen] Deep gold/amber colour. Vibrant though. Fabulously complex aged nose of molten copper, mead, vanilla, nougat, marzipan. Wow. The palate impresses equally, with its coppery, caramel aspect adding to the aromas, and shot with vanilla bean. Crème brulee. The works, basically! Fragile, delicate nuances dance evenly across the tongue; it’s medium/dry, with balanced medium acid, medium/full weight, and a medium/long, balanced finish. Top class effort. At twenty it’s drinking perfectly. Aging further might be a crap-shoot, I dunno. But a super wine now.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690986]NV Campbells Rutherglen Topaque[/url] - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
  {375ml, screwcap, 17.5%} [Stephen] Candied, caramel fruit, looking rather simple after the Sauternes, which exaggerates the confected sweetness here. Molasses and cold tea flavours, medium/sweet, and about medium weight. Some alcoholic warmth, but does sit on the tip of the tongue and finishes on the short side. The regional hierarchy of Rutherglen/Classic/Grand/Rare really does reflect the complexity of the contents, in my experience.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8690987]2009 Michel Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées Vieilles Vignes[/url] - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
  {screwcap, 13%} [Graeme] Developing nose; pungent, dusty earthy. Not much fruit, although not dirty or faulty, to be fair. Even, low-key palate; light/medium in weight. Slightly dried-out brown leaf and dust flavours, but not oaky. Medium dusty tannins which eventually tend to overwhelm the medium length finish a bit. Might age OK, but has a bit of a dilute feel to it, without the complexity to give it real length. OK wine.

A good night. With an early-ish finish we attempted to repair to a nearby bar but were instantly refused service on the grounds we were too inebriated, apparently. Responsible Service of Alcohol and all that. Amazing.

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=45416]NOBLEROTTERSSYDNEY - EVEN YEAR REDS - Fix, St James, Sydney (14/10/2020)[/url]

The twin of last month’s odd-year theme saw the even-year (mostly) reds tonight. COVID & complications are still keeping numbers down. We muddle through…

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751329]2019 De Salis Wines Olaf Knight[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {crown seal, 11%} [Glenn] Young gun winemaker out Orange way. What is the methode ancestral, I wonder? This is a fairly simple fizz, with a candied, sweetish fruit salad nose and palate, with perhaps a leesy twist, but also raw and ferment like. The palate is rather prosecco-ish, partly a function of obviously short time on lees. Has a sense of not much cleaning up having gone on, though it’s hardly what you’d call natural. Verging on demi-sec, which takes any edge off the bubbles, making them appear small and creamily delicate. Light-bodied overall, with some mid-palate presence, but the finish tends on the shorter side. I find the sweetness cloys a bit; and at ~$50 the price is pretty ambitious too.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751330]2010 Peter Lehmann Riesling Wigan[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
  {screwcap, 11%} [Gordon] Still a pale yellow/green colour. Typical big Eden nose of lime, citrus, bathpowder. The palate is medium weight, but way too low in acidity, giving it a flabby presence, despite the evenness of the simple yellow fruits across the tongue. Gives a thick, lemon custard sort of flavour impression despite being dry, but finishes very much on the short side. I doubt this is a dumb phase at ten years; I think it wasn’t structured to develop in the first place and should have been drunk early.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751331]2012 Clonakilla Shiraz - Viognier[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
  {screwcap, 13%} [Gordon] Had a double-decant two hours prior. Subtly developing nose of dark cherries with an inky black twist of dark chocolate or liquorice. Very seductively spicy. The cool-climate palate is subtly etched with black flavours and the giveaway apricot twist of viognier. It’s medium weight, with low/medium dusty tannins, medium acidity, and a medium long finish, but in a low-key way. Will hold, but you’ve got to like that sweet twist to the flavours; the viognier lifts the nose but does nothing for the palate in my view. I’d take the stablemate straight Murrumbateman syrah over this any day.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751344]2004 Grosset Gaia[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
  {screwcap, 13.5%} [Graeme] Double decant two hours prior, and it’s opened up beautifully since then. Cigarish nose, with lots of cabernet, and that classic sweet aussie twist, with an exotic note as though the cab franc has taken over somehow. It’s medium weight on the palate, dry, with decent medium acidity and fine medium level powdery tannins. Resolving red/black flavours with some complexity on the medium length finish. Very pure, very clean, very modern. But still feels like a real wine, not a lab creation. Doesn’t really have the structure of top Bdx perhaps, but will happily hold longer. Cab-S/Cab-F/Merlot in the ratio 70/25/5.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751346]2006 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon[/url] - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
  {cork, 14%} [DavidH] Still a purple-tinged ruby colour. Dark, malty cabernet flavours, leathery, earthy. Lovely. Perhaps a bit advanced for 14 years, but no worse for it. Curranty palate, not herbal. Open, medium, dusty tannins, balanced oak. Medium/full bodied. Bdx in style, but with a rich fruit component and a softly tannic, medium length finish. Sits more on the front palate, but still beautifully built. Still think it will hold another five years no risk. A noble effort.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751347]1998 Haselgrove Shiraz H[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
  {cork, 14.5%} [Geoffrey] Aging, fading garnet appearance. Leathery, musty aromas, picking a hint of volatility with time in the glass. Tending to ‘anonymous old red’ on the palate as far as region or variety go, medium weight, with low/medium furry tannins (the remains of the oak I think) and a medium length, even, but fairly simple finish. Not too warm either, but not a wine for cellaring further.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8751349]NV Morris Muscadelle Old Premium Rare Topaque Liqueur[/url] - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
  {500ml, screwcap, 17.5%} [Glenn] Cold tea, caramel tart, rich and treacly, a bit dusty and musty, with some carpet like quality. Then caramel and honey, hints of molasses. Lighter and more pointed than the stablemate old premium muscat (which I do prefer), with plenty of acidity, a medium/sweet presence, and a long finish which does hold the interest. Very nice indeed.

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=45424]NOBLEROTTERSSYDNEY - RANDOM NIGHT - Fix, St James, Sydney (4/11/2020)[/url]

A random theme to replace the impossible-in-these-times Christmas lunch. Bring a decent red. Pity we were so few, but the wines made up for it.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8752558]2008 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Vintage[/url] - France, Champagne
  {cork, 12%} [DavidH] Freshly youthful nose of sourdough and autolysis. Handsome palate, with small/mdium fine bubbles, a medium/full weight, slightly yeasty, subdued, chardonnay-dominant flavours, medium acidity. More texture than flavour. Even palate, medium/long finish. Seems very closed and youthful – seems like it needs more cellaring time (only recently disgorged?)
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8752559]2012 William Downie Pinot Noir Yarra Valley[/url] - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
  {diam, 13%} [Graeme] Translucent garnet. Gorgeous nose of cherries and spiced meat ; such intense aromas, only partyl developed. Fairly new world in its ripe overtness, but it’s way better than formula pinot. Spicy flavours, with an earthy aspect. Light/medium in weight, with lowish fine dusty tannins and medium acidity. Subtle oak. Even palate; nicely balanced, medium length finish. Good now, will drink , even improve, for another five years easy. Lovely example of the Yarra’s version of the grape.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8752563]2012 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Vineyard[/url] - New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels
  {screwcap, 12.8%} [Stephen] Maturing, white pepper over lightly-weighted black fruit. Subtle blackberries and cranberry on the spicy palate, with low/medium dusty tannins and gentle oak presence. Light/medium-bodied overall, with a medium length savoury finish. A kiwi version of chianti. Can age longer; I not convinced there’s evolution available here though.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8752565]2012 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Scotsdale[/url] - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Great Southern
  {screwcap, 14%} [Glenn] A real change of pace here; the nose screams cabernet, with blackcurrant and black-tinged herbs. Very much new world cabernet, with some leafy character too. Warmly spicy on the medium/full-bodied palate; currants again, with a whack of oak and liquorice. Dense, low/medium acidity, medium length finish but there seems a bit of a hole in the middle of the tongue to me. Will be better with more time I think; three to five years will help.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8752567]2004 Penfolds Shiraz RWT[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Gordon] Bottle 40991; double-decanted three hours earlier. Barely developing nose. Plums, blackberry jam, sweet vanilla and coconut too. Slight porty note to the aromas. An odd mix of young and old. The palate is about full-bodied, ultra-ripe fruit, despite any pretence RWT has to elegance. Big blackberry fruit, a touch raisin-like too, confected a bit; lots of heft on the mid-palate. Feels a little formulaic to me; maybe at an awkward age. More time will help. It’s a crowd-pleaser, don’t get me wrong, with plenty of flavour and punch, I just think it would have been more nuanced were it a bit less ripe and ’worked’ somehow. Come back in five – or ten – years.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=8752568]NV De Bortoli Sémillon Black Noble[/url] - Australia, New South Wales
  {500ml, screwcap, 17.5%} [DavidH] Tawny brown colour. Hard to find traces of botrytised Semillon here, I must say. There’s caramel, nougat, with an ‘oil change’ quality to the fumey nose, which continues on the palate. Full-bodied, with high levels of acidity and a gently tannic dusty feel to it. Medium-sweet but not cloying, with a vanilla aspect to the finish. Nicely balanced if not especially complex for flavour.