The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Its that time of the week again.

I had my last Rosemount 1995 Balmoral on Friday night. The wine is at its peak and very enjoyable but what was interesting was the tannins. I have always thought that if tannin was added correctly and at the right time, you could not tell it had been added. In this wine, even at nine years old, the tannins were powdery and seemed a little disjointed from the rest of the harmony of the wine. Still a very enjoyable wine and rated as Highly Recommended.

Also has a 2001 Burge Family Draycott Shiraz. This wine is ready to drink now. Supple tannins and pure fruit flavours of meat, chocolate, plum and more chocolate finish with terrific persistence and power despite the ample weight.

Now what have you guys been drinking?

2001 Grosset Polish Hill : ageing nice and slowly under stelvin , interestingly I enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd glasses more once the wine got colder as I served first glass at about 12 degrees , then put the bottle in an ice bucket. It seemed crisper at the lower temperature.

2002 Moss Wood Amy's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River : this was a pleasant surprise as it was nice and drinkable now - quite calm with nicely judged oak and good cabernet fruit. I say it was a surprise as in recent times I have found some Margaret River "second" wines very raw and not a real pleasant drink ( eg Howard Park Scotsdale comes to mind ).

1976 Yalumba Thoroughbred Port " Without Fear " : I recall getting various vintages of this from Auction a couple of years ago as my partner wanted them for the nice pictures of horses on the label. I also quite clearly recall her breaking her knee after falling from her friends horse on the Adelaide Cup long weekend and the surgeon who fixed her knee was a Dr Brumby - and then a few days later we got these Thoroughbred Ports !!!
Anyway these seem to have kept quite well but seem fairly simple with a dominating menthol character that wears a bit thin. Still for $8 a bottle you can't complain. I believe these were once reasonably expensive when released - be interested to hear what they cost on release if anyone knows !

Pelican wrote:I say it was a surprise as in recent times I have found some Margaret River "second" wines very raw and not a real pleasant drink ( eg Howard Park Scotsdale comes to mind ).

Pelican,

It is amazing how many people have gone ape **** and raved about the two HP second labels. Like you, I can not see what all the fuss is about.

Hi all,

Leasingham Bastion 2001 Shiraz/Cabernet,

This wine continues to improve and impress. Combining shiraz with cabernet provides a complete palate package with shiraz filling the mid palate void common to cabernets particularly at the cheap end. Wonderful fruit with all components in balance. Plenty of fine grained tannins and to a lesser degree acids to see this improve over the next year or so. A real bargain. 13.5% alcohol.

Steppingstone 2001 Padthaway Shiraz.

Padthaway is developing a reputation for quality generously flavoured user friendly shirazes at both ends of the price spectrum. Those lovely chocolate flavours I enjoy are found in this wine along with good fruit etc. It will not get any better so enjoy now at ridiculously low prices. 14% alcohol.

Penfolds 1990 Kalimna Shiraz

Last of this wine and very good without being memorable. As with the Balmoral Ric, Penfolds regularly added tannins to beef up the wine. After 14 years the excellent fruit is still hidden behind the tannins. Somewhere between this style and current (super sweet, high octane) is my style of wine. Read 1998 Bin 389 that is just about as good at it gets in the price range.

1979 Yalumba Thoroughbred Vintage Port.

Good well made VP but not in the class of Reynella but at $5 - $10 who cares. Remember the famous quote about the early Granges – “A nice dry vintage port”. VP’s offer a whole new taste sensation with a wide spectrum of flavours to dazzle the palate.

Pelican,

Don't know what they cost on release however there was a huge trend to invest in VP's particularly vertical runs with huge profits predicted. Unfortunately the sales blurb was just that. Many are being sold at rediculous prices but not as low as say 5 years ago when the Thoroughbred series were on offer. $5 was standard price. Watch the auction market in Adelaide for great bargains.

Chuck

Torb

Reference the Burge Family Draycott Shiraz 01 - what is the cellaring potential of the wine?

I get some of Rick's wines most years, including quite a bit of the 01 Draycott ( 94 Parker ), but don't get to try them until a few years down the track.

I bought the 01 Draycott in the hope of a mid to long term cellaring proposition.

Jamie,

I have the window as 2004 -2007.

Cheers
Ric

Thanks Torb but further questions.

I am a little confused with the Draycott labelling. I realise there is no more reserve, but is the wine you drank the Draycott Premium?

So is there a Draycott and a Draycott Premium?

Now, if it was Draycott Premium, this was rated at 95pts by Parker and a classic Barossa shiraz with a 15+ year evolution ( Wine Advocate #148 ).

So, do the Americans get a better Draycott than us? Remembering the Burge Family "The Grateful" from the 99 vintage!

Cleveland Heathcote Shiraz 1999 - Inky purple Shiraz cropped less than 1ton/acre. Coarse tannins dominated, othewise it's a very enjoyable wine. Huge palate, great flavours and finished very l-o-n-g. Being a tannin swine, I even found it unbearable and abrasive. Didnt show any integration since released. Excellent phenolic ripeness but those harsh tannins which I suspected came from the pips, seeds and stalks(fermented in bunches ala Burgundian style?)

Wopn't be buying anymore unless there is a change in style.

Jamie,

There is now only one Draycott Shiraz every year, no Premium, no Reserve, just the bog standard (but bloody good) wine.

As to Parkers drinking window, this is just another example which reinforcement my belief that the Mr Parker does not understand how Australian wines age.

deleted

TORB wrote:Jamie,

There is now only one Draycott Shiraz every year, no Premium, no Reserve, just the bog standard (but bloody good) wine.

As to Parkers drinking window, this is just another example which reinforcement my belief that the Mr Parker does not understand how Australian wines age.

TORB also wrote:Jamie,

I have the window as 2004 -2007.

Cheers
Ric

Agree wholeheatedly Ric. To me this was excessively chocolatey, and I dont see it going anywhere. i dont follow Parker much, but to see he has given this a long drinking window makes me giggle. he also gave 93 points and a 20 yr drinking window to the 01 Ross Estate Reserve Shiraz, which a few of us tasted last year and thought was drink now and would be dead in 4 or 5 years.

cheers

Andrew

1997 Louis Max Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice
Quite tannic and a touch thin on the palate a couple of years ago, this has filled out nicely. Now possesses earthy-raspberry fruit and really nice to drink. A surprisingly lovely Burgundy.


regards
Chris

Others took notes, but over the weekend I tried:

97 Giaconda Chardonnay (Excellent, developed and still perfectly balanced, drink now for me)
01 Giaconda Chardonnay (Outstanding, creamy, complex, nutty, minerally, nuanced, yummo, quite reductive though)
97 Giaconda Pinot (Excellent, cherry and rhubarb, while also very reductive)
99 Giaconda Pinot (Excellent, cherry strawberry fruit)
02 Castagna Genesis Shiraz (Amazing wine, intense, concentrated black cherries and berries, fishermans friend type menthol, lightly white-peppered, heaps of fine tannins)
98 Te Mata Coleraine (Perfect balance and poise, cassis, hardly a touch of greenness, could drink this over and over)
96 Rockford Basket Press (As usual excellent expression of Barossa Shiraz, plum, blackberry, vanilla chocolate, touches of leathery development)

Spoiled rotten.

cheers

Andrew

Checking through a few wine boxes, I found this bottle had just started to leak and so decided to open it.

Hardys Vintage Port, 1977
In the glass this has a lovely brick red colour with slight orange hue and an orange rim. Charred oak on the nose which is still quite evident, along with a scent of Brandy, candied honey and golden syrup. Initially, this is very lushous in the mouth, seemingly gliding across the tongue, but after a few seconds, a hot, spirit-like finish takes over which detracts from it's initial mouthfeel, but does not detract too much from it's overall enjoyment. Golden syrup/toffee flavours are still evident though. Bought at auction a year or so ago, coming from, what I suspect to be less than ideal storage conditions, the bottle has held up well and is still acceptable drinking. A well cellered example would be sublime.



Jamie

<b>1995 Tollana TR16 Shiraz</b> I have opened a few bottles of this lately and had a mixed bunch. A few have been past it. But one or two have been superb. Lots of sweet fruit can be found in the good ones.

<b> 1998 Tollana TR222 Cab Sav</b> As I have said in the past... love this stuff.

<b>2000 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz</b> This continues to surprise. As I open a new bottle each is an improvement on the previous bottle. I opened one this week and found fruit cake flavours popping out at me. I am looking forward to an opening 6 months down the track.

<b>2002 Mission Estate Marlborough/Hawkes Bay S Blanc</b>. Not a bad S blanc. Lots of tropical fruits and grassy flavours found in most s blancs. Went very well with the Asian soup I had tonight.

<b>2000 Yarra Ridge Pinot Noir</b> I picked this one up from a bottle shop this week. I am very impressed at how well this has matured in the past few years. Definitely a bargain pinot for $20.

Some terrific wines over the last week with only one disappointment.

Domaine Fourrier Clos Salon 1999

(my first sip of alcohol in 2 weeks )

Saw a cuppla bottles of this at Langton's, so I cracked one to see if it was worth the effort buying. Although the horrible flu symptoms have finally left my body (and soul), I still have a heavy head cold, but at least I (think I) can smell and taste much better now. So here goes:

Typically coloured for a Fourrier, in that, it looks a trifle light and watery; light red cherry/ruby hue verging to onion skin in the very outer edge. Simple, but impressive, nose of cherry, sap, roasted chestnuts and a kiss of malty/savoury oak. The palate reveals an awful amount of structure without any great fruit weight providing counterbalance. May be in shutdown mode. Again, predominantly, sappy, cherry fruit and a little oak, bright acidity, followed by some resolute ripe tannin and substantial grip on a long, authorative finish.

In summary, there's bits of this that are very good and others that underwhelm. Perhaps my sensory perceptors are still somewhat out of whack. A straightforward, technically sound Pinot, without anything much to crow about, but still, Recommended. Oh, and I didn't buy any more. Worth about $40-45, if I had to put a price on what was actually in the bottle, tonight. Drink 2006-2011.

Boyer-Martenot Mersault-Perrieres 1er cru 1996

A discreet, elegant Mersault, this bright light gold Chardonnay creeps up on you as it sits in the glass. Quite reticent at first, with an hours' breathing, the bouquet offers up gentle scents of ripe honeydew melon, oatmeal, minerals and a touch of butterscotch. Finely honed and well delineated, the flavours of the palate mimic the nose precisely balanced by excellent crisp acidity akin to biting on a new-season's Granny Smith apple. Ample minerality and buttercotch enhance the calibre and authority of an impressive, resolute finish. Unlike so many local examples, this fine wine displays the capacity to improve over many years. If served blind you'd think it only a few years old. Highly Recommended. Drink now-2011.

Giaconda Cabernet 1996

Medium ruby. Solid plum, licorice and savoury/cedary/sandalwood nose. Medium-bodied. Smooth entry into the mouth with a similar fruit profile, slightly disjointed by elevated acid levels and grippy tannin. Excellent length. Needs a few years for the palate to soften and integrate. Highly Recommended today but sure to go higher when it sorts itself out. Drink 2006-2011.

Chateau Cantemerle 1983

Medium cherry/ruby core leaning to brick red in the edges. Lovely nose of cedar, cigar box, plum, blackcurrant, saddle leather and savoury oak. Smooth, rounded, medium-bodied palate displaying excellent mouthfeel, all the components well integrated, nicely focused with good fruit as per the nose, low acidity and melting tannins on a sustained, satisfying finish. A very sound, mature Bordeaux with no rough edges and probably at the peak of its' powers. Drink soonish. Rated close to Excellent or around 18 or 90 points.

Lake's Folly Cabernet 1992

If this was served to me blind and you asked what I thought of this Australian red wine, I'd tell it's the best Pinot Noir ever made in this country.

Plummy red with a distinct amber edge, this wine offers up sappy plum and cherry fruit over perfectly judged savoury oak and the vaguest hint of mocha and old leather. The silky light to medium weighted palate revelas a creamy texture and is beautifully balanced with bright acidity and the finest, laciest tannins imaginable matched to moderatly sweet green plum and red cherry fruit and more of that great oak handling. Still amazingly youthful, yet soft, round and so easy to drink, this beauty has much to commend, especially the way it lingers so well with a plummy richness hovering in the mouth for over half a minute. It begs you to go back for more with each whiff and sip.

Which leads me back to my opening paragraph and raises the question - with the absence of Cabernet varietal character and a structure more akin to a top-line Burgundy, should I be critical of these facts and mark it down accordingly? What do you think?

Hugel Riesling Vendange Tardive 1989

A remarkable wine. Still only a very light gold colour and starbright this Riesling exhibits a remarkable degree of freshness yet is amazingly complex and compelling. Seductive nose of honeyed citrus, dried apricots and overripe yellow peaches with the telltale Alsace minerality and exotic spices (probably some botrytis, one would think) in tow. The powerful palate displays an emphatic, mouthfilling viscosity dripping with honeyed fruit as per the bouquet, terrific cleansing minerally acidity, great length - faultless structure.

With the Trimbach Clos St Hune Hors Choix VT, Clos St Hune VT, Cuvee Frederic Emile (standard and VT) and the Zind-Hundbrecht Brand VT (all from 1989), this rates as one of the finest Alsace Rieslings I've had the pleasure of drinking. Outstanding + (95 or 19 points) and will live for yonks.

Just noticed on the label this was Hugel's 350th vintage!

And the Bowen Estate Shiraz 1998 - Recommended - the tasting note posted on the board earlier this last week.

Sean wrote:Last Tuesday night W and I went over to J's place for tea. 6.30pm: 94 Tahbilk Shiraz - This was J's wine. He had given it some air time in a decanter. At first it was a bit tangy, but by the second glass it had opened up and had typical earthy, aniseed characters. It was mellow and long. 7.30pm: I opened my wine - an 01 Campbells Bobbie Burns. W tried it and said, "There's something wrong with this. It's corked." J added, "Yeah, but I've still drunk a lot of wines like this." W turned to me and said drily, "I'm surprised you don't think this is corked." She was referring to my current rant that every second or third bottle has been corked. I replied nonchalantly, "The fruit's a bit flat, but all I can taste is the Tahbilk we had." I poured the wine back into the bottle and put the cork back in. 7.45pm: J and I did a quick trip to the bottleshop and exchanged it for the 02. We would have been a bit quicker, but J wanted to take a look around and picked up a couple of six packs of the Seppelt Chalambar. 8.20pm: I opened the 02 Campbells Bobbie Burns. It had good fruit more at the red berry end of the spectrum, but it's a lightweight. 10pm: We got home and watched the rest of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and I could still taste the Tahbilk.

Last night we had the 02 Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz - Off older vines in the northern end of the Barossa Valley and open fermented. It has been matured for 18 months in a mix of American and French oak and at this stage the oak still dominates the wine a bit. It has dark colour and dark berry, licorice and spicy oak characters. The 15% alcohol is no issue. The palate is noticeably soft and full of tannins, but still has an intensity that I liked and I think it will cellar really well.

Sean, it seems as though the Tahbilk Shiraz 94 must've been impressive if your memory retained the taste of it for 3-4 hours. Was it the 1933 Vines (Reserve) Shiraz 94? If so, I'm wondering when the aforementioned wine will be at it's best because I have a bottle that I'm considering consuming in a couple of months time. If it was the standard shiraz, it reinforces my opinion that Tahbilk is a much underrated winery. The qpr of Tahbilk wines generally, I've tried, has made me an advocate of the winery.

There seem to be so many recently-established wineries/labels that hit the market with stunning wines from one vintage that apparently are not able to maintain consistent quality. That includes many of those winemakers who don't own a vineyard and those farmers who decide to hold back their best quality fruit for a contract winemaker to work magic on, or farmers who think they can make better wine than the experts. Some do come through, but most of the better ones are well-established family operations like Tahbilk, Lehmann, Coriole, Henscke, Cullen. FWIW

daz

Pelican wrote:
1976 Yalumba Thoroughbred Port " Without Fear " : I recall getting various vintages of this from Auction a couple of years ago as my partner wanted them for the nice pictures of horses on the label. I also quite clearly recall her breaking her knee after falling from her friends horse on the Adelaide Cup long weekend and the surgeon who fixed her knee was a Dr Brumby - and then a few days later we got these Thoroughbred Ports !!!
Anyway these seem to have kept quite well but seem fairly simple with a dominating menthol character that wears a bit thin. Still for $8 a bottle you can't complain. I believe these were once reasonably expensive when released - be interested to hear what they cost on release if anyone knows !

Pelican,

When I was working in Liquor outlets in the 80s these were retailing for around $15 a bottle. The Crofters VP was around $20 at the same time. Years later they were selling for upwards of $60 a bottle as some idiots tried to complete their collections. Interestingly the price has started to go up again, they were selling for under $5 a bottle at auction 4 to 5 years ago and are double that now. Actually the price of all VPs has started to rise again as people start to realise the good value offered by these once ignored wines.

A most amazing week. My European tour is winding up. Today I've tasted the most beautiful botrytis wine of my trip in Hungary. Yesterday the Somló Hill visit was fantastic. Tasting, drinking, etc.
Tomorrow I'll introduce the 1998 Bin 389 to the Hungarian public with many other Australian Shiraz wines. A grand tasting is coming up.
Cheers, I'm exhausted!
Attila

David Lole wrote:Lake's Folly Cabernet 1992

If this was served to me blind and you asked what I thought of this Australian red wine, I'd tell it's the best Pinot Noir ever made in this country.

Plummy red with a distinct amber edge, this wine offers up sappy plum and cherry fruit over perfectly judged savoury oak and the vaguest hint of mocha and old leather. The silky light to medium weighted palate revelas a creamy texture and is beautifully balanced with bright acidity and the finest, laciest tannins imaginable matched to moderatly sweet green plum and red cherry fruit and more of that great oak handling. Still amazingly youthful, yet soft, round and so easy to drink, this beauty has much to commend, especially the way it lingers so well with a plummy richness hovering in the mouth for over half a minute. It begs you to go back for more with each whiff and sip.

Which leads me back to my opening paragraph and raises the question - with the absence of Cabernet varietal character and a structure more akin to a top-line Burgundy, should I be critical of these facts and mark it down accordingly? What do you think?

David
Typically I don't like Hunter Cabernet especially when young but the fact they lose the Cabernet and especially Hunter Cabernet character is a bonus in my judgement - typically I think the Hunter Shiraz and cabernet get closer together in style as they get older - as to being akin to a top line Burgundy don't ask me the only ones I remember trying were at a Duke and Lynch tasting in early 1994.

This week
2002 Penfolds Bin 138 recommended and reasonable value - bit closed to begin pleasant wine but not a long ager

2003 Houghton White Burg - the old stand bygood as usual

2001 Grant Burge Zerk Semillon - Acceptable - this wine has real wood flavour - bit out of balance at the moment - probably for good

1991 Wynns Ovens Valley Shiraz - Excellent heaps of secondary development but a great core of fruit underneath - no point keeping much longer - but needs some air before drinking to clean up and allow the fruit through

Vevue N/V piccolo - a nice taste of champagne for two before the above red

2002 Yarra Burn Shiraz Viogner - Highly recommended may get better with a few years but would cellar more than 5 - a nice change to the Sout Australians we usually drink.

Must try and post weekly can't remember the previous week though I did open another 90 Kalimna after the last one was oxidised - Highly recommended but not sure it is going any where

DJ

A few decent bottles opened, sullied somewhat by the code id da doze that I can't quite shake.

Waverley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 95 - OK, probably a little past its best. Agreeable, * for value.

Rymill Shiraz 99 - Consumed with Indian. Nice drink...will hold for a while but I can't see that it has the tannins for much improvement. Recommended, ***.

Casella Yendah Vale Durif 00 - Not quite as good as I remember from tasting, but still a nice wine; big, tannic, can use lots of time. Next bottle in 2-3 years. Recommended, **** (@$15).

Lewis Hunter Shiraz 91 - Decent - not flawed but not exciting. Probably a year or two past its best. Agreeable, *** (@$13).

Andrew Harris Reserve Chardonnay 00 - Lovely wine, quite austere, lots of acid for long term aging. Tastes every inch like a cool climate wine. Highly Recommended, ****.

Clonakilla Chardonnay 01 - Mildly corked (although I couldn't detect it). A (current vintage) replacement is apparently on the way.

Schild Chardonnay 00 - An agreeable quaffer at the $100/case that we paid. A touch of residual sweetness isn't to everybody's liking. Agreeable, ****.

Rosemount Orange Vineyard Chardonnay 00 - Lovely cool climate chardonnay. Highly Recommended, ***** at the $11 this sold for at auction.

Torbreck "The Bothie" 02 - I thought this would be a good idea with Indian, but half of the table disagreed with me. A very nice frontignac, but next time I'll serve it with sweeter-toothed people or with a light dessert.

HWB 03 - We only bought this for the $1 Yattarna (23 bottles to go, after fobbing two cases off onto friends). I didn't taste it, but everybody seemed to like it.

Morris Chardonnay 01 - A little of a surprise packet - quite a nice drop. Recommended (maybe a bit better than that), ***.

The Settlement Wine Co Black Pedro - Yummy stuff - thick and rich with a burned toffee nose and coffee palate. Begging to be poured over ice cream.

Kieran

Wedgetail Pinot Noir 2000 14% alc.

Was a bit knocked around on the way home so a bit dusty in the glass. There was a very slight stalkiness to the nose before opening up and gaining some plums and strawberries caked in dried desert dirt. The palate was plummy with a bit of earth, and generously long, holding off the alcohol with ease. I am not a big Pinot fan, but I liked it a lot 91/100, and fair at $32. Thanks Paul T for recommending it.

cheers,

deleted

Jamie, after trying all the big gun 70s Aust VP several times at blind tastings in recent years I can confirm the two standouts are the 75 Hardys and 77 Reynella. The 75 Reynella had all the hype at release but the 77 has been all over it for sheer class for a number of years now.

As to the Yalumba horse ports, I can confirm the first three were around the $6 mark then all the hype started here in Adelaide and auction prices went through the roof. I was visiting Sydney in my LJ Torana GTR about that time and noticed them (Surround and Family of Man) still on the shelves. I visited every store and pub on the north shore and bought every bottle they had. Could hardly squeeze in the car for cartons and bottles shoved in every corner. Scraped the wide tyres under the guards on every bump on the way home!

Sold the lot at auction in Adelaide, except for a few I kept, for between $22 and $48 a bottle. Made what was then a fortune. I remember the clamour for the fourth in the series Dulcify, it was on strict allocation. Soon after that the whole ridiculous scene imploded.

Since then they've been the great bargain at auctions, many are somewhat sweet simple reds but excellent VP quaffers. I feel Family of Man may be the best of the series.

707 wrote:Jamie, after trying all the big gun 70s Aust VP several times at blind tastings in recent years I can confirm the two standouts are the 75 Hardys and 77 Reynella. The 75 Reynella had all the hype at release but the 77 has been all over it for sheer class for a number of years now.

As to the Yalumba horse ports, I can confirm the first three were around the $6 mark then all the hype started here in Adelaide and auction prices went through the roof. I was visiting Sydney in my LJ Torana GTR about that time and noticed them (Surround and Family of Man) still on the shelves. I visited every store and pub on the north shore and bought every bottle they had. Could hardly squeeze in the car for cartons and bottles shoved in every corner. Scraped the wide tyres under the guards on every bump on the way home!

Sold the lot at auction in Adelaide, except for a few I kept, for between $22 and $48 a bottle. Made what was then a fortune. I remember the clamour for the fourth in the series Dulcify, it was on strict allocation. Soon after that the whole ridiculous scene imploded.

Since then they've been the great bargain at auctions, many are somewhat sweet simple reds but excellent VP quaffers. I feel Family of Man may be the best of the series.

Thanks Steve. I've been getting into port more and more lately, and love the fact thta they are relatively cheap nowdays. Makes it easy to experiment.

By the way, the LJ GTR Torana (was yours an XU1?) was/is a great car! No match for the Capri V6 GT though.


Cheers

Jamie

A mixed bag over the weekend.
Friday:
Mainly impressions. A 2002 Pepper Tree something. Didn't look close enought o register if it was cabernet or shiraz and wasn't really paying enough attention to think about it at all. All the same it was quite pleasant and was a nice dark red with ample body. Lovely drink but not overly complex.

Followed by a 1998 Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz. Amazing nose on this. Jumping out of the glass and punching everyone in the nose. Still quite a dark purple but the overwhelming ribeena blackcurrent smells were just lovely but then I'm rather partial to Blackcurrent. Much more subdued on the palate with a wider range of the fruit spectrum including plums and other black fruits. Nice length and virtually no tannis at all. Drinking very well now but has plenty of time in front of it. Still seems to be very much the primary fruit but it's quite delish.

Sunday
Had a christmas in July kinda thing on Sunday so brought out some 1998 Seppelts Original Sparkling Shiraz. Still quite purple too and a bit pongy on the nose. Not sure if this is the same Brett problem as with the 91 Sparkling but it is very barnyard indeed initially. That largely blew off only to be refreshed with each new glass poured but with some air time it improved and this characteristic blew off each and every time. Not so keen on it myself (the inital taste) but lovely once it disappeared. A bit hard to get converts when it's like this initally though. The unitiated weren't so keen at all after the first sip. Still, such a bargain at around $12 a bottle when on sale, if one is willing to persevere.

We had earlier had a Lindemans? 1999 Padthaway Chardonnay. Very big and buttery and showing typical aged characteristics. A bit too much like hard work these days I think. We followed this with a 2002 Mount Mary Chardonnnay and the difference was night and day. Very youthful indeed but but a totally different flavour spectrum. This was all tropical fruit flavours like pineapple and peach and maybe just a tiny bit of butter but not butterscotch. More just a sort of smooth flavour really and very elegant and not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting something more like the earlier chardonnay but with more complexity but it was a different beast altogether. I bought a case of these so I was keen to try it young and very glad I did. No idea what will happen to this with age but I'm keen to drink a few more while young and check out some of the older ones I've had away for a while and see how they are travelling.

Sean wrote:
Hi Daryl

It was the standard 94. I probably harp on about this a bit, but I find time and time again the "standard" Shiraz and Cabernet come up beautifully with a bit of age. It's nearly always a mistake to make judgements about them when they are released, because after 10 years or so they come into their own and often can be something a bit special.

I dunno about the 94 Reserve Shiraz. But the 96 and 97 are ones that I don't plan to open for a long time.

Just out of curiousity, I noticed that you live in Townsville. Is that Saint still up on Castle Hill?

Yep, Sean, it's still there though there was a bit of controvery last year when the council floated the idea of removing it - graffiti, that sort of thing, you know. Public opinion was against it though and the guys who originally put it there even outed themselves after 40 years. Your question is probably indicative of it's status as a local landmark, perhaps even an icon.

I just can't keep the standard Tahbilk shirazes and cabs. They drink as very good wines even when young and the prices are very reasonable for club members so they tend to get consumed within 6-12 months of purchase to save the corks of the more expensive wines.

Cheers

daz

Jamie, no not an XU1 but I've driven plenty of them. What a feeling when they get up on the cam and those triples start to really suck it in. Bloody lumpy and painful to drive around town though, use third as much as fourth.

Mine had the bobtail spoiler, wide rubber, flared guards to fit the rubber, heavy duty springs and sway bars, stage three head, extractors, big bore exhaust and upgraded twin throat carby. Went like the proverbial shower of sh..!

Got a 5.7 litre SS 6 speed now, still a boy racer at 50. Love to get into an XU1 again for a spin, bet it would seem like agricultural motoring now!

You may get eventually over that FFFFFFFFord afffffffliction you've got!

Onto wine, I'm a long term VP'ophile so just e-mail if you want to know anything, I've got it all stored away in the grey matter. BTW, had a Without Fear last night, showed very well, a bit more serious than I've previously given it credit for. Keep on enjoying those VP bargains.

Had some good wine during the week,

98 Bannockburn 'South Eastern Australia' Shiraz: this is te wine made from several different vineyards after the Bannockburn vineyards got wipes up from hail. If you still have any of this wine lft, leave it. It has years in front of it. Planning not to touch my 7 bottles for at least another 5 years.

82 Redman claret: Ah, the good old days. After hearing how good the '82 John Riddoch is I thought I'd try a bottle. This wine is a marvel to drink. Still heaps of fruit left and it seems still quite a few years left in it. Brick red in coour, tannins have softened considerably.

86 Lindemans Pyrus: I have never been a big fan of Pyrus. This bottle was ok, but for the money the Redman was better. A touch green (which I normally don't mind) but without any real length and complexity.

02? Smidge Zinfandel: I normally don't like Zin, but this is close to the best example I have tried in Aus. Fruit carries the alcohol weight nicely.

cheers
anthony