The Auswine Forum

This old chestnut.

In the past I have brought out some expensive bottles with high expectations, with the wines often being quaffed by family, or get lost amongst the 'grazing' and family chatter, and therefore get overlooked/overshadowed. The other thing, in my part of the world it tends to be pretty hot, hence red wines are tricky to serve and keep at the right temperature.

Perhaps I am being a bit too precious? But I am sure others feel the same.

This year I am hosting Christmas lunch for the first time in many many years, hence will keep the drinking reasonably 'simple' amongst preparations etc, with some warm weather forecasted, some early drinking Clare Valley Rieslings (when in Rome) are definitely on the cards for out of town visitors.

What's on the drinking menu for others ?

Think we are very fortunate this year with the weather... forecasted 29 in Adelaide...about 31 in your neck of the woods then.
Not sure what I will be imbiding...about a dozen oldies pulled from the cellar but gallons of gin and fever tree for sure.
Cheers Craig

On a road trip with two dozen bottles of wine. The ones i am most looking forward to are:

Kreglinger sparkling 2007
Etienne Calsac Les Rocheforts Bisseuil Blanc de blancs
Wirra Wirra Angelus cabernet 1996
Lakes folly cabernet 2007
Chambers grand muscadelle
Ridgeview reserve shiraz 2011
Hurley lodestone pinot 2010
Some 1983 cabernet from Spain
A trio of 2010 wines from the barossa valley

Just easing in with a 98 Zema Shiraz and raising a glass to Dimitri. Beautiful nose and colour... will go well with French cutlets, new potatoes and green beans.
Cheers Craig
Fabulous palate of blue berry and mixed spice, finishes very smooth tannins at the end.
Lovely wine, drink up.
CC

On Christmas Eve I'm having Khow Suey (which is a Burmese dish made with a light curried broth made with coconut milk and chicken served with egg noodles and condiments) at my sister's place, so likely a sparking and a rich white. Christmas day at home, also under lock down, will feature a roast duck so likely an older wine from the old world, yet to be decided.

Going to be a quiet Xmas day for several reasons.
Lots of the 24th, but the actual day will be unusually
(and thankfully) quiet with just the kids and wifey. No driving!

#7 Craiglee Sparkling Shiraz
NV Bellebonne Bis Sparkling Rose
2012 Veuve Fourny BdB

Thinking of a pinot or chardonnay, but will see how the day pans out.

Rossco, not sure if you wish to recalibrate the wife's palate (or something else), but if its just the two of you I would be drinking the best wines you ever have.
Have fun
Cheers Craig

phillisc wrote:Rossco, not sure if you wish to recalibrate the wife's palate (or something else), but if its just the two of you I would be drinking the best wines you ever have.
Have fun
Cheers Craig

She loves sparkling / champagne, so hence the selection.
Could replace the craglee with a 2012 Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz.... Hmmm

Have a couple of better bottles of champagne for NYE, so we can see out 2020 finally

Family only on Christmas Eve. Includes some non-drinkers and some beginners, and some vegetarians.

Sparkling blanc de blanc from Myattsfield from magnum to start, with mini-quiches as finger food

German riesling and a Paringa Estate "The Estate" PN 2012 to accompany a range of vegetarian dishes and a roast duck. This may be supplemented with a youthful 1er Cru Burgundy if there is interest.

Possibly a vintage port to go with cheeses, again, depending on interest.

Let's just say NYE is looking a LOT more interesting on the wine front

Cheers
Allan

Well our plans to at least go to London for xmas and see our friends have been squashed by Boris "I have no idea what I am doing" Johnson, so it will just me by wife and I in Paris for Xmas.

So we have purchased the world's finest chicken (hopefully, for the price it cost!! Poularde de Bresse)... as for wine, I don't really have anything aged here. I grabbed a Ch Glorias 2013 from a shop over the road, so thinking that. Or I have a 2010 Muga Prado Enea, but I know it will be too young. Decisions, decisions ...

Enjoy the chicken Sam. They are ridiculously priced, but best to get in now - who knows what will happen next year with the Brexit uncertainties. Got to say though, that Auz chickens are every bit as good as the top French ones, especially at the lower price points - an everyday supermarket chicken here is way better than the equivalent Chickens I used to buy in the Netherlands

I have some 2005 Late Disgorged Bream Creak for tomorrow, along with a couple of bottles of 50’s Tawny. Too hot really for wine - Hampden Estate Rum, with coke and lime will be the alternative.

Having Xmas with people who like drinking wine, but are by no means wine geeks, or experts.

What I know is on the bench so far:
NV Champagne- Gardet, Bollinger
Riesling- Grosset Polish Hill, not sure of vintage
Rose- 2019 Dominique Portet
Pinot- 2012 Wintirna Lily
Sparkling Shiraz- 10 Best's, MV Rockford Black

Going red heavy this year. Not matching the weather, but there's always beer for that.

Rockford BP 97
Henschke Mt Edelstone 98
Wendouree Sh/M 06

Keen to hear how the Rockford and Henschke are travelling, George!

[url=https://postimg.cc/5jnBYBWg][img]https://i.postimg.cc/HsCBNzSq/78-B9-DB99-11- ... 41-AF7.jpg[/img][/url]

Brovia is so damn good think I’ll open another !!

The Bream received 98pts from the WineFront and while I think that’s a bit much, it’s a great sparkler with all the complexity you want from a late release. I may prefer champange, but this should hold its head up high.

Not had a Pennies wine for a while. This is the same age as my mother in law and has been open for 24 hours. Rather nice, but I question wether the time in the bottle has added anything. Still a 4* experience.

Just the usual Rockford Black Shiraz - 2013 disgorge that was extremely popular. 2016 David Franz Rose. 100 odd varieties of grapes, really good. 2020 Tomfoolery Rose - really light style but even not being being a Rose drinker I thought this was excellent. 2009 Rockford Moppa Springs. Just Wow! Absolutely in a perfect spot and the bottle was gone in double time. Stunning.

Merry Christmas to all the Forumites.

Hopefully by next Christmas the world is a much better place.....

Cheers
Ian

We started earlier this season as getting everyone together on Xmas Day is somewhat difficult. First cab off the rank was a 2010 Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz, and what a great wine! Wendouree fruit of course which adds to the gravitas of the offering. Quite full bodied with a luscious bead and amazing mouthfeel with the palate revealing the beginnings of a complex tertiary evolution. So good I dropped everything and ordered some more, 2013 being the current vintage.

Following this was a magnum of 2009 Rockford BP. Magnums always add to a special occasion! This one was close to perfect, but the amazing thing to me was the full bodied nature of the wine. Was this typical of 2009 in Barossa reds? It was almost along the lines of an intense Standish. Not confected in any way, just powerful, and almost too much for the ham and turkey.

There were other odds and sods but these two were the ones that got the table's attention.

Stay safe everyone.

kenzo wrote:Keen to hear how the Rockford and Henschke are travelling, George!

Rockford was on the plateau, integrated and with a real chocolate palate. Enjoyable but drink up.

Henschke was plush and still with lots of up-front fruit (like many 98s), and a lovely bottle.

But they were all blown away by a perfectly cellared 1990 St Hallett Old Block. That was sublime.

Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling -- July 2014 Disgorgement (13.5% ABV)

"To create the JOSEPH Sparkling Red a hogshead of the ultra premium JOSEPH Moda Cabernet Merlot from every year since 1991 and Primo Estate Shiraz from 1989 is added to a unique blend of museum vintages from the past 40 years."
(Source: https://www.primoestate.com.au/blog/The-JOSE ... n-bottled-)

Black cherry, plum, blackberry, liquorice, mushroom, graphite, tobacco, black olive, baking spices. Lovely savoury flavours on the palate without the sweetness associated with most Aussie sparkling reds (which I prefer). So much going on here. Incredible long, dry finish. The complexity is second to none and it gets better with bottle age. A masterpiece of blending, balance and attention to detail. Years left in the tank with a long window of awesomeness. Christmas in a bottle!

My only gripe is the unconventionally tall bottle which makes it difficult to store and not conducive to serving blind at a wine function.

Merry XMas to all Auswiners!

Primo's Joseph is my favourite Sparkling red, and by a country mile. If only friends and family agreed.

Obligatory Rockford Black Sparking (2015) disg, bloody thing disappeared in the blink of an eye, some chardy that kicked above its weight, a Giesen sparkling that did the same and a Hobbs Gregor Shiraz 2016 that was to die for.

Ian S wrote:Primo's Joseph is my favourite Sparkling red, and by a country mile. If only friends and family agreed.

It seems like a polarising wine for some reason.
My family and friends (not wine friends) can take it or leave it.

I personally think it's one of the best sparkling reds around. My wine friends love it.

Other sparkling reds I love is the seppelt show reserve and the now defunct leasingham.

Craglee make a great one as does Ashton Hills

Rossco wrote:Going to be a quiet Xmas day for several reasons.
Lots of the 24th, but the actual day will be unusually
(and thankfully) quiet with just the kids and wifey. No driving!

#7 Craiglee Sparkling Shiraz
NV Bellebonne Bis Sparkling Rose
2012 Veuve Fourny BdB

Thinking of a pinot or chardonnay, but will see how the day pans out.

Ended up:

2012 Veuve Fourny BdB
Beautiful green gold colour. Freshly baked bread, mineral chalky, flinty. Oak present, creamy mousse. Lovely acid backbone. Will live a long time

2012 Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz
What more needs to be said. Mythical wendouree fruit,
Graphite, blueberries, Ribena (without the sweetness), succulent tiny cloud like bubbles. The dryness is a real surprise, perfect spot and will hold for 10+ I think.

2017 DeBortoli Section A5 Chardonnay
Green grassy colour still. Nose of White peach and nectarines. More Stine fruit on the palate, with a hint of tropicals as well. Acid still so Primary and young, gee the length is impressive. Love this mouthfeel, so silky and rounded. Beautiful oak and some peppery spice.

Sami-Odi Little Wine # 6
This isn’t even anywhere near it’s peak. Smells very rich and ripe in the traditional Barossa mode, however that’s where the similarities end. This is svelte, elegant, classy. Iron graphite minerals, yet the black/blue fruits are still so primary. Oak has calmed down a bit, acid still juts out and needs some more time to integrate. This is everything I want in a wine. Complexity, length and focus. Laser like precision. Bargain really and this is where barossa winemakers should be getting their inspiration from.

Well in the end I remembered one other thing I had for Xmas day- a Domenico Clerico Percristina 2008, which was amazing but far too young. Otherwise, below is what I made note of in the last few weeks (plenty of time to taste and note under lockdown and curfew here in France!)

• 2014 Château Haut-Bages Monpelou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (12/31/2020)
  Not a cru I was familiar with but apparently a long history here. Cabernet dominant blend. Garnet red. Attractive nose, with cedar on opening and then sprightly black currant. Quite good purity of fruit and good ripeness- no green characters or anything stewed. The palate is medium bodied and even, with nice acidity and fairly gentle tannin. Ready to drink now, albeit no rush. Commendable claret. (90 pts.)
• 2019 Bouchard Père et Fils Mâcon-Lugny Saint-Pierre - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Lugny (12/31/2020)
  Pale yellow in the glass, this offers an array of white flower, white peach and just a touch of lemon sherbet on the nose. Clean and crisp on the palate, with more stone fruit and floral notes. Just lovely to drink now as an aperitif or with something like fresh seafood. Great value. (90 pts.)
• 2017 Alheit Vineyards Cartology Bushvines - South Africa, Western Cape (12/28/2020)
  Final bottle of the three and it confirms my last note. Genuinely impressive with a lovely purity of crystalline fruit. Definitely don’t serve this too cold and feel free to age this for at least 5-7 years. (92 pts.)
• 2008 Domenico Clerico Barolo Percristina - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (12/26/2020)
  Deep magenta. Ethereal nose. Bright cherry, floral hints. A touch of varnish as well (not in a bad way). The palate offers sweet and sour cherry and a concentrated wall of tannin. This is very impressive but I feel while lovers of Barolo tannin could enjoy it now this has a way to go before it reveals all of its secrets. If I had another I would leave it for at least five years. (94 pts.)
• 2017 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese ** (Golden Capsule) - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (12/26/2020)
  Yellow, flecked with green. Very bright on the nose - lots of cut citrus, some lime peel, a touch of botrytis (?), and just a hint of oil. Actually there’s a floral element as well. In the mouth... wow, that’s a lot of acid. You would almost think this was barely off dry not Auslese! Lovely stuff, I have a feeling this will live more years than I will if you want to cellar it, even though right now the balance feels just a touch off. (92 pts.)
• 2013 Château Gloria - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (12/26/2020)
  Mid red. On opening there was a distinct whiff of cork taint and while this cleared a bit with air I won’t score the wine on that basis, and my comments are subject to that. There is a distinct impression of quite ripe fruit- more in the realm of cassis, black currant liqueur (quite surprising given the cold, relatively wet vintage). Not bad, and I suspect without the scalping affect of the TCA it could show well and be ready to drink now. NR (flawed)
• 2018 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Les Terres Blanches - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (12/25/2020)
  Blend of 70pc Marsanne and 30pc roussane. It sees a mix of new, one year old oak and stainless steel. Pale yellow with hints of green, this has a really lovely, crystalline nose with classic Marsanne citrus and honeysuckle. Nice balance in the mouth, quite a light mouthfeel. My kind of white wine. (92 pts.)
• 2015 Quinta Vale D’Aldeia Douro Grande Reserva - Portugal, Douro (12/24/2020)
  According to the label this is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Sousao and Tinta Amarela from the Meda region. It sees 14 months in French oak. Still bright, purple tinged red in the glass. As a representative of the style, this is great. Lots of primary fruit characters- soft plum, red berries, plus some vanilla, spice and just a hint of secondary development. While it still offers the sweet fruit pleasure of Touriga based wines, it pulls that together into decent structure, with an almost creamy mouthfeel, decently long finish, and some fleshy tannins to close. Pretty impressive and no rush at all to drink. (91 pts.)
• 2016 Maison Albert Bichot Pommard Clos des Ursulines Domaine du Pavillon - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard (12/19/2020)
  Mid red. Powerful nose of bright cherry, with a touch of spice and floral notes as well. Quite full bodied on the palate (at least in the context of the style), with good acidity and pretty decent length. Should improve with a few years longer aging I reckon. (91 pts.)
• 2019 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu La Croix de l'Oiseau - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (12/19/2020)
  Mid yellow. This has a rich and concentrated nose, displaying plenty of typical Viognier apricot character, as well as broader stone fruit, and a touch of waxy citrus. Nice balance on the palate, with stone fruit flavor and a pleasant oiliness to the weight. Pretty decent. (91 pts.)
• 2018 Familia Carvalho-Martins Douro Golpe Legado de Quatro Gerações Reserva - Portugal, Douro (12/17/2020)
  This wine has the right name and details, but I see this listing is a red blend- anyway, the wine I have is white! "Produced from grapes of the oldest parcels of the Vale do olmo vineyards" and made from native grape varieties (not specified on the label, but apparently Viosinho, Rabigato, and Gouveio... which would all be new for me). Quite pale yellow in the glass, this has quite a complex nose, with some citrus, some riper stone fruit, and a certain minerality as well. Good weight on the palate, finishing with medium length and good acidity. Checking the price- for €11 this is an astounding bargain. Recommended. (90 pts.)
• 2016 Quinta do Portal Douro Reserva - Portugal, Douro (12/16/2020)
  This is 45% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz and 15% Touriga Franca. It apparently sees nine months in a mix of new and old French oak. The colour remains a vibrant red/purple. The nose is classic Touriga- all warm, fleshy, juicy red fruits. A touch of spice as well, but only slight. I don't know the percentage new oak, but I have to guess it isn't a lot. The palate carries the impression through, with a touch of purple fruit, finishing mid weight and with relatively gentle tannin. Not overly complex but just delicious. One for drinking sooner than later, although no great rush to open it. (90 pts.)
• 2016 Domaine Finot Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Claude - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (12/14/2020)
  As best I can find, this is pure Syrah from 50 year old vines and is managed biodynamically. It is a heavy bottle and a wax capsule which is unusual in France, and is an hommage to family so clearly some effort has been taken here. The color remains bright red and the nose is noticeably dense for Crozes-Hermitage. With air there is purple fruit, a touch of vanilla, and some lifted floral notes, although it still doesn’t give a lot away. In the mouth there is spicy red fruits, followed by quite a firm structure and distinct tannin. Very youthful still- definitely one for at least mid-term cellaring and for about twenty euros, pretty fair value. (91 pts.)
• 2015 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (12/13/2020)
  Maybe I was clouded by some of the rave reviews this received, but it took some time for me to really get into this wine. Certainly it is too young, but this was so unrevealing for several days I wondered if it might be a slightly flawed bottle, although it doesn’t show any particular taint. With air the nose starts to show some beguiling cherry and floral notes. There is some definite oak varnish as well. The palate is red fruited and quite firm. The quality is clear but I would definitely wait a few years to open this. (88 pts.)
• 2018 Vins Auvigue Pouilly-Fuissé Solutre - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé (12/12/2020)
  Pale yellow/green. This is quite tart and one dimensional at first. With more air the nose reveals a little more, but very much in the citrus line of fruit. The palate is sharp and finishes a bit simple. Probably better with the right food match and maybe it needs a bit more time to come together, but this isn’t doing a lot for me. (87 pts.)
• 2019 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie (12/11/2020)
  I was seduced by the old school label in Monoprix, and the pretty modest price (about €13). It’s a region and a grape variety I like and boy was I instantly besotted. Sweet floral aromas, raspberry and red fruits, but not at all confected. With air this gathers weight and the palate becomes richer and more savory. On day two it almost looks a different beast, it’s winsome charm giving way to a more nuanced appeal. I am keen to try more from this producer. (91 pts.)

Posted from [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/]CellarTracker[/url]

I had a 66 McWilliams Port lined up for New Years Eve, but the the news from Melbourne that we received at 17:30 meant that we were on the road at 19:30. Skipped the main border crossing at Albury and crossed over at Corowa - only 4 cars ahead of us.

Managed to get to the Melbourne ring road by midnight, where we sipped bottles water and watched the fireworks that popped out all around us.

Easy journey back in the end - if only getting a Covid test the next day was. Finally managed to get one today After 7 hours of trying.

Festivus keeps rolling along dinner with family
Pommery and Bird in Hand to kick things off...
2012 Knappstein Ackland Reisling... fantastic. Acid, fruit, mineral. First of a sixer will drink the rest don't know when
2001 Bowen Cabernet full of black currant lovely balanced palate tannins faded away. Not sure and one of the lighter editions at 13% whether this is at its peak or more to go... very good bottle
1994 Coriole Lloyd...wow what a wine purple notes lovely spice berry and dark fruits still in that primary/secondary phase palate went on and on. Fabulous wine happy to have a few more
Cheers Craig

We had a good friend over for Christmas Dinner, part of the Christmas exemption that was granted by our provincial government. The menu comprised of creamy egg noodle scallops, balsamic honey glazed roast duck, and grilled lamb chops.

NV Louis Roederer, Brut (12%) - As was the practice in our market some years ago, no disgorgement date, but I bought it about 7 or 8 years ago so quite a few years in bottle. The colour was dark enough to deceive the others into thinking it was a rose. Anyway, lots of fine, persistent bubbles, plenty of aged character, yeasty autolysis, and depth. Complex, perhaps Pinot dominant, very engaging and demanding of attention.

2017 Chateau Doisy-Daene, Grand Vin sec, Bordeaux (13%) - This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The nose was fragrant but pungently SB though the palate less so, with some fruit salad and herb notes. That led me to think it was a top Napa Valley SB. It was quite fine, elegantly cut, smart, and persistent. Very high quality. I would have preferred a bit of Semillon to temper the SB nose.

2012 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Blanc, 'Oeil de Pedrix', Brugioni Vineyard, Sonoma Coast (12%) - I picked up a pair of theses a few years ago and this particular bottle has been in my wine fridge for over a year because I wanted to serve this to my friend who served me a Belle Gloss 'Los Alturas' Pinot Noir many years before. When nosing and tasting this wine my friend kept referring to a 'Three Sisters' wine. Finally I asked him what was this Three Sisters wine and he said it was no longer made but was a big-boned Pinot Noir Rose. I had to give it to him. With age this rose had a developed a dark salmon hue and a good amount of complex elements at the same time as exhibiting strawberry and herbal elements. This was indeed very fine, lots of palate presence, depth and freshness. It even stood up to the roast duck. 1989 Chateau de al Gardine, Chateauneuf-du-Pape (13.5%) - This wine continues to evolve at a slow pace. Having had it several times over the years it has yet to develop any tertiary elements. If anything it now has secondary elements while still somewhat firm. It was still a very fine match with both the roasted duck and lamb. 2002 Collazzi, Toscana (13.5%) - I had been thinking of opening a Bordeaux this Christmas but having served my friend a Bordeaux the last time he was over I opted for something different. This is a Super Tuscan and a wine of which he had a vertical. This is not supposed to be a good vintage in Tuscany but you wouldn't know it from this bottle. It had all the hallmarks of a super Tuscan and my friend said so. Like the CdP it had secondary characters but is not yet mature. Lovely with the lamb chops though. 2011 Chateau Doisy-Vedrines, Sauterne (13.5%) - This was light gold in colour and the nose exuded .botrytis. I immediately guessed Sauterne. This was lovely, refined, elegant, complex, and long. I really like it. (This was a half bottle).

1994 Duff Gordon Vintage Port (20.5%) - This is an Osborne bottling and something that I picked up mainly on the reputation of the vintage. At this stage of the evening I don't recall much of the discussion but mature vintage port was mentioned, mainly because of its elegance if not depth. Not the greatest but a point if you ask me.

After all this we stayed up and sampled a couple of single malts. We decided Boxing Day would be a dry day. Don't worry, we'll catch up in the ensuing days.

Merry Christmas everyone .......................... Mahmoud.

PS: I had label pictures of each bottle but can't seem to attach more than three so I chose the ones that people in Australia might not have seen.

phillisc wrote:Festivus keeps rolling along dinner with family

2012 Knappstein Ackland Reisling... fantastic. Acid, fruit, mineral. First of a sixer will drink the rest don't know when

Cheers Craig

in recent months I have done a number of Riesling verticals - 2012 consistently stand outs.