The Auswine Forum

Are there any fans of this label? I have tried the 1998 and 2000 and loved the 98 with the 00 being not too bad. Has anyone sampled the 2002 yet? If genrelazing on vintage it should be very good.

Thats Shiraz

I tried it last November in a strong bracket of other 2002 Shiraz, no notes, but it is a lot less aggressive than some past vintages and was ranked behind some more up-front reds, namely Bullers Calliope, Kilikanoon Oracle, Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier and Tin Shed Single Wire, then the Reynell. This was a rare occasion when my ranking and the group's coincided as above.

Despite the lower ranking I think it is a fine wine, a bit more restrained in oak and tannins compared to the early/mid 90 vintages, but still nicely balanced and the good fruit is there. This is my first buy of this line since the 96 vintage.

I am a big fan of the 97 Shiraz. Needs a few years yet. I also have 95,96 and 98. Tasted the 02 last week, and its a beauty also.
Bruce

Hi

I had a bottle of not the shiraz, but the '94 Merlot two nights ago and could not believe how well this wine is travelling. I would say it must have at least another 5+ good years before it starts the slippery slide down.

In my opinion, one of the, if not the best Australian Merlots I have tried from the last two decades.

Petaluma wrote:Are there any fans of this label? I have tried the 1998 and 2000 and loved the 98 with the 00 being not too bad. Has anyone sampled the 2002 yet? If genrelazing on vintage it should be very good.

Hey Petaluma,

I tried the '01 Chateau Reynella (export label) BP Shiraz back in February. I posted a tasting note in a TORB Weekly Drinking Report, but have also included it below:

Having not tried any Rockford yet (don't worry, it's next on the list), I think this was my first basket pressed wine, unless I'd tried something without knowing. Colour was black/opaque, with purple rims. A delightful nose, with a fair smack of blueberry and vanilla in a very elegant way, escorted by subtle liquorice, raspberries and 'strawberries and cream confectionery'. The wine is absolutely gorgeous in the mouth, like liquid velvet and definitely one of the best 'mouth feels' to date. Blueberry ice cream is probably the best way to describe it, with silky smooth tannins.

I came back to the last two glasses having had the wine open for 48 hours. Despite a small amount of oxidation, the nose was still there and the wine had mellowed out even more (if that was even possible) to make it exceptionally morish and hard to put down. I tried my best to take my time and savour every last drop. At $25 this wine is a bargain and I'll be purchasing several to put down for a few years.

Interesting to note that the cork had solid crystals of sediment stuck to the bottom. Further more, the first glass had a substantial amount of sediment - something you might expect from a ten year old wine - and if I'd known this, I would have decanted. Should certainly help speed up the process of secondary and complex characters, but I'm not sure whether it will become a detriment with significant bottle age...

Thanks for initiating this thread, because as yet I still haven't purchased any more. Will do so asap, and patiently await the '02.

Cheers,