I trust you all had a great end to 2004.
The wine highlight of my holidays was the 2000 Disgorgement of the Rockford Black Shiraz.
This bottle was the first of my 6, opened due to a low level. Furthermore, when I tried to open the wine, the top of the cork came off and I needed to open it with a normal corkscrew. Luckily for me, the wine inside was superb. It had many similar in characters to the 1987 Seppelt SR Sparkling Shiraz opened by TORB a few months. The was a base of strawberries and cherries upon which were layers of fruitcake, plum and earth on an elegant, fine and long palate. The antithesis to the many of the over-the-top big and rich expressions of Sparkling Shiraz. Worth every cent. Rated Outstanding. It went sensationally with poached eggs and ham with hollandaise sauce on muffins for breakfast on 27th December 2004.
Other wines consumed:
2003 Rockford Vine Vale Riesling
Lime dominant. Florals and minerals. Very fine but powerful acid structure. Great food wine. Highly Recommended/Excellent.
1999 Jansz
Credible vintage Australian bubbly. I didnÂ’t expect much given my dislike for their very beer-like (hops) Non-Vintage offering but was pleasantly surprised. Powerful and complex but lacking real Champagne class. Worth $25 but not much more. Recommended/Highly Recommended.
2002 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz (14.5%)
2 bottles because I liked the first bottle so much. It was quite wonderful, but unfortunately the other seemed as if it needed time for the wood to integrate with the fruit. Anyway, based on the first bottle, I am happy to suggest that this is as good as and possibly better than the 1998 in typical classy, complex, restrainted ripe Shiraz fruit and earthy Seppelt sparkling style. Excellent.
Scarpantoni Black Tempest (1999 I think)
Big and rich with well-controlled sweetness. Smooth and long. One of those ridiculously easy to enjoy wines that doesnÂ’t challenge the mind too much. Recommended/Highly Recommended.
1995/96 Rockford Pinot Chardonnay – Disgorged 2001
Now showing developed characters without enough fruit underneath, thus opening up a hole on the palate. Needs to be drunk but enjoyable nonetheless. Agreeable.
1991 Rosemount Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (Rose Label)
Pure, sweet blackcurrant fruit. Never have I had a wine so much like Ribena. Very simple but enjoyable for what it was. Drink now or yesterday. Agreeable.
1989 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay
Quite amazingly made wine. Well done Mr. Halliday. Its structure was still impeccable but the fruit was, not surprisingly, fading. Now high quality oak dominant with hints of nectarine. A curio.
1986 Mamre Brook Shiraz Cabernet
2nd bottle of 3. Bottles in fantastic condition. Not drinkable.
2000 Graciano (or something like this – yes I know this is a grape variety as well) Chianti DOCG
Bought a local bottle in Anna Bay (NelsonÂ’s Bay) for $17 out of interest. Acid dominant, as expected, but just a bit too coarse. Nice red berries that opened up well but also a bit too much savouriness. Used as a cooking wine. Just drinkable.
2001 Wendouree Muscat of Alexandria
Although there is nothing truly special about this wine, I am getting quite fond of these sub-$20 beauties. Nice length of palate. Apricot, orange and pineapple. Nice spirit. Needs to be chilled to be enjoyed. Recommended.
1998 PROMONTORBOR Tokaji Aszu 5 puttonyos (12%) (500mL):
From the Penfolds of Hungarian wine, I did not have great expectations of this wine from an average vintage. Luscious apricot, marmalade and raisins are balanced by an undercurrent of citrus fruit and pineapple. An unusual combination of flavours in the Australian context. Smooth and viscous. Acid is hardly noticeable but the flavours are controlled well considering their lusciousness and there is good length. The wine's golden-orange colour is the only indicator of this wineÂ’s age, although I suspect that further age might overdevelop the wineÂ’s flavours. I am quite impressed and enjoy the wine immensely. Rated Highly Recommended, I would be willing to pay $30 for this experience but in this case, I must thank Attila for my first Tokaji Aszu experience. Funnily enough, I have drunk many dry Hungarian wines, white and red (!), and even a dry Tokaji.
Kind regards,
Adair
A couple of full bottle photos, just for fun:
