The Auswine Forum

Hello

Quick straw poll. (must be a slow Friday!)

So far this year, which wine has been the best surprise for you. Which wine has made you think WOW! either because of the outright quality, or because of the value for money it represented. Which has surprised you positively.

Alternatively, which wine has been the biggest disappointment for the same reasons?

If you have one, or can jot one down, try to provide a tasting note or feeling?

Best: Barwang 2000 Cabernet: very nice surprise QPR
Most Disappointing: Cullen DM 2002: After a string of sumptuous hits Vanya did not nail this one.

I have been drinking the last few vintages of the Clonakilla shiraz viognier over the last six months. Would be my personal find for the year- refreshingly different style and another feather in the cap for Australian shiraz.

Many boutique South Australian shiraz producers continue to disappoint; especially in the hit and miss $30 price bracket.

Dead Arm shiraz 2002 a winner for me.

dereksalmons wrote:Dead Arm shiraz 2002 a winner for me.

As previously flagged on the positive side

Bargains
2002 Mamre Brook Shiraz
2002 Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz

Mid range
2002 Kalleske Shiraz and Grenache were stunning debuts

Upper echelon
2002 Dalwhinnie Shiraz
2002 Australian Old Vine Collection Shiraz
2002 Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz (n4sir you got this one well wrong!)

Disappointment, despite Derek Salmon's recommendation, is probably 2002 Deam Arm which I rated just in front of a corked wine at Blacktongues Super Shiraz.

I know I keep banging on about this but the quality of the 02 Castagna Genesis blew me away a bit.

Also had a 55 Taylors VP last night - mind boggling.

AB

Wizz..that Taylors 55 port was up there with the 71 grange as the best wine i've drunk. Thank you for sharing it.

Cheers

Paul

Biggest disappointments:
99 Bannockburn Shiraz; it was unlike any other Shiraz I've had, and it was not at all a style I like; to my unexperienced pallate it seemed more like a pinot, which I seldom like, than a shiraz.
01 Sanguine Shiraz; first 2 bottles I had last year seemed fine, but then the last 4 bottles all has a medicinal, menthol taste that seemed more pronounced the longer I decanted. Maybe it could'nt even stand up to a single summer of poor storage conditions?

Biggest surprises:
Mitchelton Print 98 and 99
Seppelt St. Peters 98 and 99.
I liked these Vic shirazes better than most of the Barossa shirazes that I had been drinking. I'm much more of a wine drinker than a wine taster; I have no idea how to do good TN, but I love wines with food, and these Vic shirazes went great with all kinds of things.

Biggest surprise - the first bottle of Moss Wood 1983 Cabernet (I paid $30 for this one) - glorious, mature, still fresh - a wonderful example.

Biggest disappoinment - the second bottle of Moss Wood 1983 Cabernet (I paid big money for this one) - green, herbaceous garbage.

Best So Far - Yalumba Cab Sauvig Menzies 2000 - deep purple red colour, classic blackcurrant fruit nose, ripe, rich and smooth flavours, long finish and an overall very well balanced wine. A good food wine. Should age very well, drinking fine now and represents value for money. Better than previous vintages tasted in recent years which have been known to be variable. A good food wine as well - try with roast beef.

Neville... I can't believe you appreciated the Barwang!! It just doesn't seem like your kind of wine.

Anyhow,

My best suprise: a three way tie for the '96 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz and the '92 Mount Mary Cabernets and the '96 Giaconda Chardonnay.

Biggest dissapointment: really tuning my palate to Brett!

Rory

My biggest disappointment was the 1991 Seppelt Show Sparkling that was undrinkable and loaded to the gunnels with plastic band-aids.

As to the biggest surprise, the 96 Lehmann Stonewell which was now far better than when I had it on release.

TORB wrote:My biggest disappointment was the 1991 Seppelt Show Sparkling that was undrinkable and loaded to the gunnels with plastic band-aids.

As to the biggest surprise, the 96 Lehmann Stonewell which was now far better than when I had it on release.

Is that the sparkling shiraz that many retailers were giving as a bonus with the 99 St. Peters last year? It was my first experience with SS, and I could'nt find any food that I thought went well with it, so I assumed that SS was just not my style.

I'm glad you liked the 96 Stonewell. I read your earlier TN after enjoying the wine so much last week and I thought I must really know nothing about tasting.

Bob

Hi Bob,

It was the Sparkling, no wonder they were giving it away. I purchased mine.

I am now really peeved that I can not find the tasting note I did on the wine. Brian served it to me blind at a red bigot dinner and it was very bloody good, rated as Excellent. I now have to wonder if the first bottle I tried may have been not representative of the wine. Although there was no obvious fault and I doubt it was TCA, it may have just been not what it was meant to be.

I had a bottle of the 91 Show Sparkling the other day. Whilst I could see the Brett (meaty and savoury rather than fruity like the 94) I did not find it undrinkable.

I reckon the article in Winefront Monthly on Brett raised some fascinating points, not the least of which is that two bottles of the same wine with Brett can be very different as it can grow in the bottle. One thing that can accelerate its growth to the point of being objectionable is cellaring at 20 degrees and above for example (which makes me think about some of the notes on wines I have read from posters in Sydney and QLD).


regards
Chris

Best

02 Bullers Calliope Shiraz
94 Alkoomi Blackbutt

Worst

98 Chapel Hill Vicar

Best: '99 Barossa generally, Oscar Semmler in particular...

Worst: '96 Glaetzer (not the Biship)....very tired, with little residual fruit...cellered from new...tasted side-by-side with the '98, which is still holding up well, if not as good as when issued.

JM

Biggest surprises:
1979 Taltarni Cabernet (didn't expect it still to be singing)
1998 Jamieson's Run Limited Release (who knew Jamieson's Run could make a wine this fruity ?)
1993 Craiglee Shiraz (magnificent effort from an unrenowned vintage)
1986 Penfolds Bin 389 (I knew the vintage was hyped, but this was exceptional)
The Craiglee 2002 tasting (What other winemaker puts on a vertical of 5 previous vintages dating back to 1984, then lets you pour them yourself ?)

Biggest disappointments:
2002 d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier (it had gone green)
1998 Rosemount Estate Balmoral Syrah (way too much oak)
1998 Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz (so shut down right now it was wasted)
1996 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz (where's the fruit ?)
2001 d'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz (these have turned ! They've fallen apart in under 3 years, what a sad end to an excellent value wine)

Disappointments:

Henschke Sauvignon Blanc 2003
Penley Estate Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Surprises:

Turkey Flat Marsanne Semillon 2002
Lindemans Limestone Ridge 1991
Dalfarras Cabernet Sauvignon 1991
Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

Cheers all

daz

Must admit to trying some outstanding wines at the Coonawarra Wine Roadshow with some of the Blacktongues and 707 last night.

Outstanding wines for me were the Brands 2000 Patrons Reserve, 2001 Majella Malleea (this was most outstanding wine of the night for me) and also the 1998 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Coonawarra Cabernet, Wynns 2001 Black Label Cabernet.

Find of the night/show was the new Flints of Coonawarra 2002 Gammon's Crossing Cabernet. $23 a bottle and $20 a bottle if you buy by the dozen.

Their (Flints) sales staff were fast and friendly and quick to pour you more wine. Worth a look for those who havent heard of it before. They have vineyards near rymills but no cellar door as yet. Have a look at their web site at www.flintsofcoonawarra.com.au


cheers

Winky

Paul T wrote:Wizz..that Taylors 55 port was up there with the 71 grange as the best wine i've drunk. Thank you for sharing it.

Cheers

Paul

You didn't mention a certain Pinot Noir we both think was good QPR ... oh, okay, I'll do it then. De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 03. $10 bang! There I've said it.

I don't think I have had a truely disappointing wine for some time. Must think on that one.....

David Lole wrote:Biggest surprise - the first bottle of Moss Wood 1983 Cabernet (I paid $30 for this one) - glorious, mature, still fresh - a wonderful example.

Biggest disappoinment - the second bottle of Moss Wood 1983 Cabernet (I paid big money for this one) - green, herbaceous garbage.

Biggest surprises - 2002 Kalleske Greenock shiraz (super stuff, that) and 1976 Wynns Cabernet (still so youthful)


Biggest disappointments - 2002 Dead Arm, 1999 Grange (not a fan of the crushed ants nose)

Biggest Surprise

2002 Garlands "Saros" Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon (Mt Barker WA).

Top wine and found at the last stop of a quick tour around Mt Barker. Best wine of the day and I thought a good half head better than anything at Plantagenet (and they were not bad). Well worth hunting out for $25.

Cheers

Mark G

Biggest Surprises
Jim Barry Lodge Hill Clare Valley Shiraz 2002 - value for money
Sanguine Estate Heathcote Shiraz 2002 - great zinfandel!

Biggest Disappointment
Hazyblur Baroota Shiraz South Australia 2002 - My TN said "This wine is not well balanced at all, and was thus unpleaseant to drink." OK?

Mike

Mike,
The Sanguine? I had the '00 which I liked, than a coupe of bot of the '01 which seemed fine, then 4 bot in a row with a VERY strong menthol/medicinal taste that led me to cancel my '02 order. My retailer tried to explain this as a "stalkiness" due to whole bunch pressing, but I have my doubts. Was it just the result of a single summer under stress storage conditions (27 C).

Bob wrote:Mike,
The Sanguine? I had the '00 which I liked, than a coupe of bot of the '01 which seemed fine, then 4 bot in a row with a VERY strong menthol/medicinal taste that led me to cancel my '02 order. My retailer tried to explain this as a "stalkiness" due to whole bunch pressing, but I have my doubts. Was it just the result of a single summer under stress storage conditions (27 C).

Bob:

My TN should be on the forum somewhere, or you can find it here. The '02 is the first Sanguine I've had so I can't comment on previous vintages. I detected no medicinal flavors. There was some hardness and heat due to the alcohol. But if I adopt the attitude of my American friends and double decant and then let the wine sit for 24 hours that won't be a problem!! (I almost never decant young wine.) I put the Sanguine down simply because it actually does taste more like a zin - well to me anyway. $ for $ the Thorn-Clarke William Randell Barossa Valley Shiraz 2002 is a better wine.

As regards your problem I would think if multiple bottles of the same vintage stored in the same manner have not tasted the same as previously opened bottles then it could well be a storage problem, especially if the problem was noticed after they had been at 27C for a full summer. The problem should be easy to sort out because other wines should be affected by such heat as well.

Mike

Pleasant surprises

-Mamre Brook 2002. Great QPR even from our price inflated Liquor Board.
-Chateau La Fleur Chantecaille 1998, St-Emilion. If you can get your hand on anything from the Right Bank (Pomerol/St-Emilion) from the 1998 vintage, it is well worth it.

Disapointment:

Xanadu Merlot (2001?). Fairly uninspiring.

Cheers,

Francois