The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Its red bigot weather! Went out for dinner last night and on the way home, it started to snow and I woke up to a white blanket covering the paddocks this morning.

The wine of the week for me was a Jasper Hill 1995 Georgia.

VA with a dark, rich nose showing loads of complexity that was slightly flinty; plums, abundant menthol, iodine, chocolate and a grind of pepper.

A full-bodied wine that fills the mouth with plums, dark chocolate, meat, tar, aniseed, and a little pepper and finishes with excellent persistence. Excellent intensity for the weight and not at all heavy, the tannins are resolving and this is one of the better 95Â’s produced. Very moorish, it is rated as Outstanding and may still improve a little so there is no hurry to drink up.

Now what have you guys been drinking?

Drunk at a restaurant last night out of pretty average glasses :

1988 Penfolds Bin 389 - drinking well now but could live and develop for another 5+ years. Stll retained good structure but the chalky tannins have softened nicely.

1996 Garden Gully Shiraz - last of a few. Not really made with cellaring in mind, I think (has not developed any great complexity in the cellar). Drank well - spicy, blackberry fruit in the mid-weight Seppelt Great Western style.


regards
Chris

Just for you Torb - only 'cos it is the most amazing Aussie wine I've been seduced by for a while.
<B>Taltarni Heathcote Shiraz 2003</B> - bottled but not yet released - tasted at a roadshow here this week.
Rich inky colour, wonderful aromatics, smoky (cigar), rich ripe fruit - black fruit - liquorice, mocha, lots of spice, bitter chocolate and a mintiness that sits in well with everything else that is going on - and there is lots going on, for sure. Beautifully balanced, a powerful wine, lovely tannin structure, will evolve well.
Will retail in Aus at about $42. Hope it will retail under $50 for our market too, when it is released in NZ about October.

Cheers,
Sue

Hi all,

Penley Pheonix 2001 Cabernet

Good fruit hidden behind young tannins however typical small berry fruit started coming thru after 3 hours. Will need more sleep time for tannins to come into balance. 13.5% alcohol.

Pirramimma 2001 Stocks Hill Shiraz.

Recently placed 3rd (best value) in Edinburgh Cellars Great Shiraz Tasting I can attest to the quality of this wine. Great McLaren Vale fruit with everything in balance. On special at about $11 I would comfortably put this up against any of the rocket-fueled 2002 $25 shirazes. Only drawback has been bottle variation over last year. No known flaws but some better than others. 14% alcohol.

Pennys Hill 2003 Chardonnay.

Not a great fancier of McLaren Vale Chards this came as a rear surprise with some cool climate characteristic. Went down very well with whole Rainbow Trout and stir fried veges with oyster sauce.

Stepping Stone 2002 Cabernet.

A good quaffer. Young grapes lacking complexity. 14% alcohol.

Cleanskin 375ml unknow age vintage port.

Mother's milk at $3.00 pb at recent auction. Probably 20-30 years old

Chuck

2002 Dog Point Chardonnay , Marlborough : Pristine citrussy Chardonnay. Good.

2001 Bass Phillip Pinot Rose : worthwhile addition to the small selection of Oz Roses that are I suppose European in style as opposed to the bright pink coloured style that dominates - was perhaps a bit brown but I did not mind that at all.

2002 Penfold's Cellar Reserve Grenache , Barossa : I was disappointed last weekend with the Cellar Reserve Pinot' but this Grenache is an excellent wine. It has intense fresh , rich and deep raspberry fruit that is most impressive. Probably the best straight Grenache I can remember.

2000 Malcolm Creek Cabernet Sauvignon , Adel Hills : In a pessimistic moment I recently thought that perhaps a classy way to give up drinking would be to cultivate your tastes up past the price point you can afford - and you'd simply cease drinking booze. Happily this is not true. This wine is a good example of affordable but high quality enjoyable drinking. Lovely blackcurrant pastille like fruit with good length - and change from $20.

1992 Chapel Hill Reserve Cabernet Shiraz (Magnum): The cork was in great condition and while there wasn’t a lot of crusting/sediment, it was extremely chunky. Deep red colour. Wonderful aged nose of tobacco, mint and red berries, with coffee and vanilla accents. The mid-weight palate reflects the dominant Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, with mint, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, and tightly knit/fine tannins driving the finish. Drinking well now, but seems to be at a bit of a crossroads as to whether the tannins will either overpower the fruit, or fully integrate in another 5 or so years.

1998 Tatachilla Foundation Shiraz: Massive crusting - decanting is essential. Deep, inky red colour. A classic McLaren Vale nose of mud-chocolate, violets, mint, rich blackberries, and a hint of varnish/VA. The palate is very ripe and extracted, porty and slightly hot (14%); rich blackberry/chocolate/mocha and VA characters battle it out with very obvious powdery tannins. With breathing there’s some cocoa, leather and some boot-polish on the nose, and coffee/cinnamon on the palate, but there’s nothing subtle about this wine. This is another one at the crossroads, making you wonder if all these elements will really integrate; it should have some time on its side.

2003 Coriole Chenin Blanc: Pale straw/green colour. Beautiful floral nose of lime blossom, bubble gum and a hint of banana. The palate is just as refreshingly clean, with creamy lime/passionfruit characters cut with a healthy dose of acid, finishing with a touch of aniseed. This is a consistently good wine (the 2004 is almost identical) that’s always great value, and a must for good seafood.

2002 Turkey Flat Shiraz: Deep, inky purple colour. Rich blackberry, chocolate and a hint of boot polish on the magnificent nose. The palate is just as impressive, with the rich chocolate/blackberry fruit completely soaking up the oak at first, finishing with smoky black olives and some malty oak on the aftertaste. The massive structure reminded me of the 2002 Tin Shed Single Wire in terms of scale; it seems to be a little more compressed, and at first seemed to give an impression it could be a little hot (14.5%), but the rich fruit washed that away quickly. This is another top Barossa 2002 Shiraz that’s living up to the growing reputation.


Cheers,
Ian

Hi all,

Am off to Queenstown next week and thought I'd better calibrate my palate with an Aussie Pinot before trying some Central Otago gems.

Port Phillip Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2000
When the funky barnyard aromas blew off the wine trully revealed itself as silky and slightly tangy. A medium bodied pinot with a great length. Only 1 bottle left now in the cellar!

I'm a little concerned that the wine may have been slightly affected (ie oxidised) because the colour wasn't quite right - slight brown tinge when held up to a rather bright light. I remember trying this pinot at WineOz about 2 years ago. It was Lindsay McCall who poured both the Port Phillip and Paringa Estate pinots for me to try. I recall both wines being a vibrant colour, almost like a shiraz.

If anyone has experience with Port Phillip pinots or pinots in general, I would appreciate any comments please.

Cheers,
Vickie

2000 Primo Estate Joseph Cabernet Merlot.

Jeez I love this wine. Nothing too varietal on the nose, I found prunes and other rich dark fruits. It's the flavours that always wow me. Bitter Chocolate and coffee, more dark fruit, and maybe a hint of herbaceousness. Soft tannins on the finish which repeats the chocolate and coffee and lingers on.

A wine that always makes me happy, I'm saving my pennies to buy some 2001.

Hi Vickie,

Not suprised Lindsay poured this with the Paringa - he owns Paringa and makes the wines for Port Phillip.

Pinot Noir can drop colour at an alarming rate. Retaining vibrancy of colour is not one of this fickle grape variety's strong suits, especially if of local origin. Funky barnyard is suggestive of brettanomyces. If oxidation was a major problem the wine should smell and taste stale and musty.

Hope you enjoy your trip to N.Z. and let us know how it all panned out when you get back!

Hi David,

Many thanks for your reply.

Not suprised Lindsay poured this with the Paringa - he owns Paringa and makes the wines for Port Phillip.

Lindsay's a top bloke. At WineOz, he offered me the Paringa Reserve Pinot 2000 from under the bench and chatted to me for ages despite me knowing very little about wine. He definitely won not only my admiration but also my support (or $)

Pinot Noir can drop colour at an alarming rate. Retaining vibrancy of colour is not one of this fickle grape variety's strong suits, especially if of local origin. Funky barnyard is suggestive of brettanomyces. If oxidation was a major problem the wine should smell and taste stale and musty.

Thanks for the above comments. Quite honestly the wine just appeared "flatter" than what I expected considering how it tasted in 2002. This, with the lack of colour vibrancy triggered the "something's not right" alarms. However, the wine was still lovely. Thank goodness my tastebuds aren't too sensitive

Cheers,
Vic

Quite right David - Lindsay McCall does make the Port Phillip Estates. Though now that PPE has bought Kooyong, the guess is that Sandro Moselle will now make the PPEs. Yeah? Does anyone know if the switch has been made? Just idle, unsubstantiated speculation ...

Campbell.

Hello Guys,
Attila here from Hungary.
This sunday I've opened a 2002 Dry Furmint from OREMUS. This Tokaji wine is from the Mandolás vineyard. Pretty clean, nice and tasty but lacking the character one needs to consider it being serious. A lovely cooling dry white as it is +34 C degrees in Europe right now.
Cheers,
Attila

Greetings.

Just finishing off the of a bottle of Grosset Gaia 1999. I buy this wine for about $45 Aussie in Hong Kong. This is, on a world scale, exceptional value. Sound Bordeaux is about double that price here. It is a beautiful and reliable wine. Very variatal. Red Purple, leafy blackcurrant and blood plum aromas, very subtle spicey oak notes in the background. Medium to full bodied, well textured and savoury palate, rich but restrained flavours of dark fruits, tobbacco and spice. The wine is blanced by pleasant, fine grained tannin. Good length and an honest prospect for the cellar.

Henschke Keyneton Estate 1994 - An exceptional vintage for Keyneton. Had this wine a few weeks ago. Professionally cellared since cellar door release. Showing the melded complexity you could expect from Keyneton Estate at maturity.

Sadly, this bottle did not deliver. A recent drive from Melbourne to Adelaide, jet trip to Hong Kong and a little more rough and tumble. Hoped that laying undisturbed for a few weeks all would be well.

No sign of taint, just dulled fruit and a touch gritty. Older wines just don't travel well. Had a similar experience with a 93 Abbott's Prayer last week.

Had an old mate who was a Hungarian refugee in '57 around for dinner. Blue Swimmer (sand)crab au naturel - Cullen SBS '02. Medium endeavour prawns marinated in lemon, garlic and olive oil, grilled en brochette - Turkey Flat Mars/Sem 02. Grilled rare Tasmanian porterhouse, light salad- Seppelt Dorrien '90 and Coldstream Hills Reserve CS '00. Who needs dessert? Tahbilk Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat, St Agnes 20 y.o. brandy, almost-frozen Aboslut vodka. Oh, he was admitted as a lawyer last Monday at 51 y.o., therefore........

An all-nighter, so for breakfast- fried tomatoes, bacon, eggs with mushrooms sauteed in butter with garlic and a little dried oregano. Lots of stove-top espesso coffee.

Pizza? Phhffffttt

To borrow a term.

Cheers All

daz

[/b]

Daryl Douglas wrote:Had an old mate who was a Hungarian refugee in '57 around for dinner. Blue Swimmer (sand)crab au naturel - Cullen SBS '02. Medium endeavour prawns marinated in lemon, garlic and olive oil, grilled en brochette - Turkey Flat Mars/Sem 02. Grilled rare Tasmanian porterhouse, light salad- Seppelt Dorrien '90 and Coldstream Hills Reserve CS '00. Who needs dessert? Tahbilk Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat, St Agnes 20 y.o. brandy, almost-frozen Aboslut vodka. Oh, he was admitted as a lawyer last Monday at 51 y.o., therefore........

An all-nighter, so for breakfast- fried tomatoes, bacon, eggs with mushrooms sauteed in butter with garlic and a little dried oregano. Lots of stove-top espesso coffee.

Pizza? Phhffffttt

To borrow a term.

Cheers All

daz

[/b]

Yum... Droool...

Talk about snowing, just got back from Buller and skied in the best conditions I have seen in Australia. Powder on sunday morning.

Had up at the snow:
94 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz: at it's peak (but should hold for another 5-6 years) and drinking very well. Fruit and tannin has intergrated to leave a well balanced, quite savory wine.

02 Coldstream hills Pinot: great wine at the price level. Testament to the fab. 02 vintage for Pinot in Aus (except those who try to grow it in the Hunter ).

99 Frescoboldi Brunello di Montalcino 99: decanted 7 hours prior to drinking it and boy did it need it. Won't be looking at my other bottles for quite some time. Howver, even at such a young age it was very yummy.

Loius Roederer NV: from a fresh batch that has just come into Australia. A touch more acidic (if that's possible) than my last bottle, but with sccallops it worked a treat.


cheers
anthony

Daryl Douglas wrote:Had an old mate who was a Hungarian refugee in '57 around for dinner. Blue Swimmer (sand)crab au naturel - Cullen SBS '02. Medium endeavour prawns marinated in lemon, garlic and olive oil, grilled en brochette - Turkey Flat Mars/Sem 02. Grilled rare Tasmanian porterhouse, light salad- Seppelt Dorrien '90 and Coldstream Hills Reserve CS '00. Who needs dessert? Tahbilk Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat, St Agnes 20 y.o. brandy, almost-frozen Aboslut vodka. Oh, he was admitted as a lawyer last Monday at 51 y.o., therefore........

An all-nighter, so for breakfast- fried tomatoes, bacon, eggs with mushrooms sauteed in butter with garlic and a little dried oregano. Lots of stove-top espesso coffee.

Pizza? Phhffffttt

To borrow a term.

Cheers All

daz

[/b]

Big night hey Daz! Hey...