TNs: A Mixed Bag Including 2002 Bin 389
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:33 pm
A mix of tasting notes from the last week or so. The first three were tasted at the wine Bar at Vintage Wines in San Diego, California. Some aren't even from SA!
Lorca Petite Syrah 2002 $19.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Attractive aromas of cherries, violets and plums. Medium weight with good mouthfeel and balance. Prominent tannins on an abbreviated finish. Flavors carry through for a pleasant retronasal. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.0 = 18.1/20 Tasted February 19, 2005.
PenfoldÂ’s Kalimna Bin 28 2001 $16.99USD
Dense cherry red with a pinkish red edge. Open with tarry, burnt notes and dusty oak. Not particularly attractive. Sharp acidity followed by firm tannins but has a richness across the palate. Quite unusual, seems to be very mixed up. Flavors do carry through on retronasal. 2, 2, 4.1, 9.6 =17.7/20 Tasted February 19, 2005.
Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2001 $26.98USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Slight ethyl acetate (VA). Rich, jammy, with a big blackberry aroma. Full bodied with an excellent retronasal. A little lacking on the mid palate with acidity that pulls the mat out from under the wine at the finish. 2, 2, 4.2, 9.9 = 18.1/20 Tasted February 19, 2005.
The next few were tasted at home.
Goundrey Offspring Shiraz 2002 (West Australia) (Screwcap) $10.97USD
Cherry red with pink edge. Slight sulfur stink. Initially closed. Opened quite slowly with aroma of bacon fat and dusty oak, then plum and barnyard. Soft and supple entry, well balanced with fine tannins. The flavors carry well on retronasal. At 24 hours there was more plum and earth notes and the wine was holding together well with a touch of acidity on the finish. 2, 2, 3.8, 9.8 = 17.6/20, 13.5% alcohol. Tasted February 20-22, 2005
PenfoldÂ’s Bin 389 2002 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Shiraz $18.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. The aromatics on this wine are excellent. Initially its very open with sweet ripe fruit and vanilla oak (perhaps a hint of ethyl acetate, VA). It then closes down. In the mouth its full bodied, but lacks intensity across the midpalate. The finish is firmly tannic. Over the next few hours the wintergreen mint and cedar of the Cabernet comes up as does the acidity. At 24 hours its fuller and more complete across the palate. 2, 2, 4.4, 9.8 = 18.2/20, 14.5% alcohol. Tasted February 21-22, 2005.
Killibinbin Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2002 $31.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Complex aromas of chocolate, fried tomato, coffee, oak and blackberry. Soft entry but full bodied and with mouthwatering acidity on the finish. Filled out over time with tannins becoming sweeter and more forward on the palate. Excellent retronasal. At 24 hours the entry was soft and supple and the wine flowed seamlessly across the palate with loads of chocolate and jammy blackberry, ending with sweet, firm tannins. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.2 = 18.3/20, 14.5% alcohol. Tasted February 21-22, 2005.
Tasting the above three wines individually and together was quite instructive. The Goundrey was still quite lively after 48 hours and there really was very little between the three wines on the palate. The Killibinbin was just a little bit more substantial. The big differences are in the aromatics. The Goundrey is just not that impressive while the Bin 389 changes back and forth between Shiraz and Cabernet, or perhaps more correctly between oak/Shiraz notes and Cabernet. The Killibinbin is just Shiraz, pure but not simple.
Craneford Barossa Valley Shiraz 2002 $29.99USD
I first tasted this wine on January 29 from the Wine Bar at Vintage Wines. At that time I wrote: Dense cherry red with red edge. Initially a fried tomato–like character opening to blackberry jam. Full bodied with sweet oak but a slight bitterness to the palate. Compared to the California Syrah I was tasting at the same time it was a better wine and I scored it higher, but I wanted to taste this wine again because the bitterness worried me. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.1 = 18.2/20.
Wine from a fresh bottle was a dense cherry red with a red edge. Very open and complex with blackberry, plum, and fried tomato aromas opening to chocolate and pepper. Full bodied and well balanced with soft tannins on a persistent finish. Flavors carry well on retronasal. At 24 hours there was blackberry jam, pepper and toasted oak, soft tannins and refreshing acidity. 2, 2, 4.2, 10.2 = 18.4/20, 14% alcohol. Tasted February 22-23, 2005.
The most interesting thing about the Craneford was that I was drinking it while I was working on the computer for several hours and I would taste it every 15-20 minutes and it would continually be giving prominence to its different aromas, chocolate would predominate and then fruit notes, and so on. Its a very attractive wine.
Mike
Edit: One more.
dÂ’Arenberg McLaren Vale The Footbolt Shiraz 2002 $13.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Ripe, rich cherries, sweet vanilla oak, and pepper aromas. Full bodied with toasted/smoky oak on retronasal. Unpleasant elevated acidity on the palate puts the wine out of balance. An abbreviated clip to the tannic finish. 2, 2, 4.1, 9.6 = 17.7/20, 14.5% alcohol. Tasted February 16, 2005.
Lorca Petite Syrah 2002 $19.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Attractive aromas of cherries, violets and plums. Medium weight with good mouthfeel and balance. Prominent tannins on an abbreviated finish. Flavors carry through for a pleasant retronasal. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.0 = 18.1/20 Tasted February 19, 2005.
PenfoldÂ’s Kalimna Bin 28 2001 $16.99USD
Dense cherry red with a pinkish red edge. Open with tarry, burnt notes and dusty oak. Not particularly attractive. Sharp acidity followed by firm tannins but has a richness across the palate. Quite unusual, seems to be very mixed up. Flavors do carry through on retronasal. 2, 2, 4.1, 9.6 =17.7/20 Tasted February 19, 2005.
Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2001 $26.98USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Slight ethyl acetate (VA). Rich, jammy, with a big blackberry aroma. Full bodied with an excellent retronasal. A little lacking on the mid palate with acidity that pulls the mat out from under the wine at the finish. 2, 2, 4.2, 9.9 = 18.1/20 Tasted February 19, 2005.
The next few were tasted at home.
Goundrey Offspring Shiraz 2002 (West Australia) (Screwcap) $10.97USD
Cherry red with pink edge. Slight sulfur stink. Initially closed. Opened quite slowly with aroma of bacon fat and dusty oak, then plum and barnyard. Soft and supple entry, well balanced with fine tannins. The flavors carry well on retronasal. At 24 hours there was more plum and earth notes and the wine was holding together well with a touch of acidity on the finish. 2, 2, 3.8, 9.8 = 17.6/20, 13.5% alcohol. Tasted February 20-22, 2005
PenfoldÂ’s Bin 389 2002 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Shiraz $18.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. The aromatics on this wine are excellent. Initially its very open with sweet ripe fruit and vanilla oak (perhaps a hint of ethyl acetate, VA). It then closes down. In the mouth its full bodied, but lacks intensity across the midpalate. The finish is firmly tannic. Over the next few hours the wintergreen mint and cedar of the Cabernet comes up as does the acidity. At 24 hours its fuller and more complete across the palate. 2, 2, 4.4, 9.8 = 18.2/20, 14.5% alcohol. Tasted February 21-22, 2005.
Killibinbin Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2002 $31.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Complex aromas of chocolate, fried tomato, coffee, oak and blackberry. Soft entry but full bodied and with mouthwatering acidity on the finish. Filled out over time with tannins becoming sweeter and more forward on the palate. Excellent retronasal. At 24 hours the entry was soft and supple and the wine flowed seamlessly across the palate with loads of chocolate and jammy blackberry, ending with sweet, firm tannins. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.2 = 18.3/20, 14.5% alcohol. Tasted February 21-22, 2005.
Tasting the above three wines individually and together was quite instructive. The Goundrey was still quite lively after 48 hours and there really was very little between the three wines on the palate. The Killibinbin was just a little bit more substantial. The big differences are in the aromatics. The Goundrey is just not that impressive while the Bin 389 changes back and forth between Shiraz and Cabernet, or perhaps more correctly between oak/Shiraz notes and Cabernet. The Killibinbin is just Shiraz, pure but not simple.
Craneford Barossa Valley Shiraz 2002 $29.99USD
I first tasted this wine on January 29 from the Wine Bar at Vintage Wines. At that time I wrote: Dense cherry red with red edge. Initially a fried tomato–like character opening to blackberry jam. Full bodied with sweet oak but a slight bitterness to the palate. Compared to the California Syrah I was tasting at the same time it was a better wine and I scored it higher, but I wanted to taste this wine again because the bitterness worried me. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.1 = 18.2/20.
Wine from a fresh bottle was a dense cherry red with a red edge. Very open and complex with blackberry, plum, and fried tomato aromas opening to chocolate and pepper. Full bodied and well balanced with soft tannins on a persistent finish. Flavors carry well on retronasal. At 24 hours there was blackberry jam, pepper and toasted oak, soft tannins and refreshing acidity. 2, 2, 4.2, 10.2 = 18.4/20, 14% alcohol. Tasted February 22-23, 2005.
The most interesting thing about the Craneford was that I was drinking it while I was working on the computer for several hours and I would taste it every 15-20 minutes and it would continually be giving prominence to its different aromas, chocolate would predominate and then fruit notes, and so on. Its a very attractive wine.
Mike
Edit: One more.
dÂ’Arenberg McLaren Vale The Footbolt Shiraz 2002 $13.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Ripe, rich cherries, sweet vanilla oak, and pepper aromas. Full bodied with toasted/smoky oak on retronasal. Unpleasant elevated acidity on the palate puts the wine out of balance. An abbreviated clip to the tannic finish. 2, 2, 4.1, 9.6 = 17.7/20, 14.5% alcohol. Tasted February 16, 2005.