Its Sunday and I have to bloody well work....

[TORB]

Hi Good peoples,

For the second Sunday this year, I have to work; not happy Lynne!

I will post my TN later, but what have you been drinking, lists, vibes or TN welcome.

[Anonymous]

<b>2002 Annie's Lane Shiraz</b>: I saw this in the local bottle shop for $12 and thought I'd give it a try. I bought 2 bottles and will be looking for more for everyday quaffing. Lots of clare valley blackberry and chocolate.
<b>2002 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir</b>: The last bottle of the case I opened I though "drink quick", but this bottle was just right. I might leave the last 6 for another year and hope for the best. Had it with Plum Duck - perfect match!
<b>2001 Vasse Felix Cab Sav</b>: Teeth staining stuff! Great length and very pronouced blackberry and black cherry. Will be locking this away for a few more years.
<b>2004 Sacred Hill Cab Merlot</b>: I went looking for the 2003 after some good reviews, but only found the 2004. For $6 you really cannot ask for more. Simple, easy drinking, but enjoyable. The fruit is there, but flat.

[Attila]

A remarkable Chardonnay & Pinot Noir event last night with 17 wines. The 1998 VINCENT GIRARDIN Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru red burgundy was simply stunning.
Full report later.
Cheers,
Attila

[Mike Hawkins]

Back in Oz for holidays, hence heaps of drinking time over the past two weeks...

1993 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - great aged shiraz with a few years left. This one surprised me.

2002 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - my first taste of this wine and I was impressed. Did not get any of the oaky and porty notes others have mentioned. This could end up being one of the great BPs in ten years.

1994 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon - did not like this wine last time I had it, but the tannins have softened and the oak was not as obvious. A good wine.

1999 Houghtons Jack Mann Cabernet Malbec - a pup. This will be a ripper in 10 years time.

2003 (disg) Rockford Black Shiraz - a little one dimensional at the moment but will become a complete wine with time.

2003 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz - tonnes of plums and mocha. Needs time.

2003 Kalleske Johann George Shiraz - a step up in intensity and concentration on the Greenock Shiraz. A wine for the long haul.

1990 Penfolds Bin 920 Cabernet Shiraz - starting to develop greater complexity. Decent length, good tannins, but not in the same postcode as the Bin 90a. Still has heaps of life in it.

2002 Torbreck Les Amis - sensational. Best Grenache I have ever had.

2001 Killibinbin Shiraz - a little hot on the finish, but not a bad wine.

1998 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz - found this a bit hot and tarry for my palate.

1998 Chapel Hill Shiraz - corked

1998 Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz - a pleasant surprise. Lots of rich shiraz characteristics.

1991 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon - still too young, but has the hallmarks of an outstanding Coonawarra Cab.

[Grant]

Mike,

Some really interesting wines, I'm in agreement with you on the 2002 Rockford BP, it does need some time though. The 94 Bin 707 is a real mystery wine to me, I keep wondering when it is going to emerge from this reticent state it appears stuck in. I still have great hope for it though, here's to not being disappointed!


Cheers

[Martin Phillipson]

A couple of TN's from the weekend

Piramimma Petit Verdot 1999

Interesting experience this one. Lovely nose with hints of vanilla and icing sugar (??) perhaps. In the mouth fairly acidic and tannic but with just about enough fruit to keep it all in balance. By itself I might suggest that the persistent tannins and a fairly high acidity level make it hard going BUT it was great with food. We had it with some home-made gnocchi with roasted tomato, caramelised onion, goat cheese, rosemary, thyme and a balsamic syrup. With the food the wine blossomed. Had enough acidity to deal with the tomatoes and the onions, goat cheese and herbs seemed to bring out more of that perfume. Delightful with the food.

So, on it's own a bit tough but with food it was excellent. Highly recommended with anything tomatoesque or with fairly high acidity.

One question..what's the cellarability of this wine? This is 6 yrs old and still seems fairly tight. Is that just Petit Verdot, or is that it's time to drink up. Anyone an afficianado of this and can suggest how long it might last, I have access to some of the 2001 and would be interested to know what the track record of this wine is like.

Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2004

Great value here. Previous versions I found fat and flabby and overly sweet. This one was great. Plenty of acidity to keep it fresh but still that seductive nose and that lovely oily texture. Reminiscent of Turkish Delight . This is quite a powerful wine (14.5%) but didn;t notice that. As with the Piramimma, this was great with food, a Thai curry with lots of ginger, coriander and coconut milk was a great match. Worth buying and drinking!

Cheers

MP

[action2096]

Penfolds Bin28 Kalimina 02

I've tried this wine a couple of times before (99 & 00) and was never that impressed. Having read the rave reviews of the 02 i thought it was time to try again. Nothing disagreeable and a reasonably well made wine for the price but i think i'm just not a fan of the style

Seppelts St Peters 2001

mmm. Was looking forward to this one as it's my first taste of the st peters. I understand from other comments on this site that the 01 wasn't the best but i was majorly dissapointed with this one. Just seemed a little dead on the nose. No matter how much i whirled and swirled this baby justs didn't want to come to life ( even left some of it overnight ) Reasonable palate but i was expecting so much more

I can only put this down to one of the following

1. I got a dud bottle (couldn't pick up any cork taint however)
2. I'm drinking this one way to early

Anyone out there tried an 01 recently ?

Saltams Mamre Brook Cab Sav 02

I think a number of ther people have already summed this one up. A cracker and at about $19 a bottle an absolute steal. Loads of black fruit, mulberry and chocolate. Cheered me up somewhat after my dissapointment with the St Peters

[Wizz]

Seppelts St Peters 2001

mmm. Was looking forward to this one as it's my first taste of the st peters. I understand from other comments on this site that the 01 wasn't the best but i was majorly dissapointed with this one. Just seemed a little dead on the nose. No matter how much i whirled and swirled this baby justs didn't want to come to life ( even left some of it overnight ) Reasonable palate but i was expecting so much more

I can only put this down to one of the following

1. I got a dud bottle (couldn't pick up any cork taint however)
2. I'm drinking this one way to early

Anyone out there tried an 01 recently ?

This sounds like it was TCA affected, was the palate a bit flat and lifeless too?

AB

[Wizz]

A light week for me:

04 Primo Estate La Biondina (Colombard): This is a great quality summer quaffer, and brilliant in blind tastings! Apple, lemon and spice, not quite bone dry but not lacking the acid it needs for a clean finish. Drink and enjoy, dont think too hard.

01 Feraud Brunel Chateauneuf du Pape: white pepper, turkish delight, icing sugar nose, really attractive, to me a key to CnDP. Roast meat and herbs initially on the palate, and then a forest berry fruit spectrum, and more of that herbal, slightly green streak left on the tip of the tongue in the finish: this is complexity rather than a fault. Fine but firm tannin keeping this wine quite taut. 14% Alcohol shows just a touch. Needs a good decant or a bit more bottle age. This is an attractive wine already, but I think 3 or 4 years could see it blossom further. 89/100 now, potential for 90+

and the big pinot tasting at The Wine Emporium in Brisbane, which included a DRC among others (I'll post a list separately), and afterwards, where I didnt take notes:

01 Kooyong Haven Pinot: Nice gear, supple and full of yummy forest berry fruit;
02 Laurent Tardieu les Becs Fins: someone called this fish oil. it was OK, but I wouldnt rush out and buy it again;
and another corked Rhone of some description, 'twas a Cairanne I think.

cheers

Andrew

[Gianna..]

A few good ones this week:

01 Domaine Paul Blank Riesling (Alsace) : $25
A great value, easy drinking riesling over lunch.
A lovely yellow color with plenty of acid fruits on the nose with apples and apricots predominant. It was sweet but tight and a long aftertaste that had no bitterness. Good QPR

1998 Trembach Reserve Riesling (Alsace) $35
Suprisingly, not as good as the Paul Blank.
Color was a clear / lime / greenish tinge.
Nose was initially stinky, a bit of petrol and minerals and for a moment I thought this wine was not right. After 5 mins, all the smells blew off and tight "apple/melon" nose came through.
Flavour lacked complexity. Maybe a bad bottle, but will avoid in the future.

2002 Carrick Pinot (Central Ontago) - $50
A lot has been written about the 2002 Central Ontago Pinot and the Slapjack was recently one of my best, but was dissapointed with this one.
Color was beautiful, deep deep black/purple.
Nose was uninspriring, some plums, strawberries and dark cheries, but they seemed to not want to come out, even after 24 hrs.
Taste was hot. Not sure if it is a high alcohol wine, but this wine had not settled down and it lacked structure.
Lots of reports that it will be a classic so will leave for another year before trying another bottle.

1996 BIN 389 - $? ($20 bucks when I bought it)
Yes, all those reports are right.
This is my second '96 389 this year and both have been fabulous.
Color was a little murky, but it was a deep ruby red
Nose was intense, black fruits with licorice.
The tannins were very dusty and have fully integrated with this wine and it was smooth, silky and I think will easily get better. It was an effortless drink over a lamb rack roast lunch. The taste was complex and had layers and layers of fruit. Shared between 4 and it did not last long.

1998 Cullen CM $75 (then)
I know it is too soon to try this wine, but u know, after a few years of tendering to them, I just couldn't resist. And being on my own to watch the tigers finally win their first game for almost a year over the hawks, well, I just had to have one.
Color is dark, dark inpenetreble purple, no browning at the edges.
Nose is classic margaret river cabernet fruit. Very spicy, loads of white pepper and cedar and oak (although the oak is muted)
I find the taste of Cullen Cabs a touch sweet, perhaps that's the merlot.
A creamy vanilla oak, black cherry is the predominant taste.
This wine did still seem a bit all over the place and not settled and integrated yet. The fruit has not yet shone through and the tannins are still quite grippy and sharp. I'll leave these for another 2 years before trying another one as I think it is close to becoming a superb wine.
(perhaps 3-5 years will see this wine truly blossom)

[bigkid]

Hi all,

I'm afraid I donÂ’t have the words for this but will do my best:

Hill of Tara (WineBizz own brand) 2002 – Overemphasised tannin, not a lot of fruit, bit sharp for our tastes, however, we didn’t give it a lot of time to breathe, nor was it decanted. Might need some more time in the bottle.

Fire Block Old Vine Shiraz 2002 – Initial emphasis on tannin which eased and allowed fruit and wood to come through. Tannin eased after an hour. No need to decant (but we were eating spicy Thai).

The Willows Vineyard Shiraz 2001 – Lighter textured but full flavoured red. Got a lot going for it - wood, fruit, spice, cinnamon/cardamom, mocha, creamy but light. Definitely will be buying more of this one.

Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz 2003 – Bit of everything, chocolate, black fruit, balanced oak. Thoroughly enjoyed with a Turkish meal at a new restaurant just down the road.

Blown Away Bare Bottom Hills 2002 Shiraz – Velvet texture but sharpish tannin after an hour breathing, easing to chocolaty then, dissappointingly, to strong glycerol flavour after an hour and a half. Bit bland and unexciting. Fruit wasn’t detectable. There were no layers to the taste, some vanilla perhaps, or maybe I was starting to search a bit hard by now. I was surprised and expecting more given that the person who recommended this also recommended the Paul Osicka which follows. Ric advised that maybe this wine was a touch corked – may be as it definitely seemed a dud. May try another bottle. May not. There are too many others to try.

Paul Osicka Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 – Freaking stunning! This wine fairly sparkled. It had everything, balanced tannin that tingled on the tongue, black cherrys in abundance and chocolate. Will be getting a case or two when the mastercard is up to it. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine. What a way to end the weekend.

Regards,

Allan

[action2096]

Wizz,

Re the St Peters 01..

The palate was a little flat so maybe it was TCA. Like i said i couldn't detect anything obviously wrong with it but everything did seem a little subdued. The only way i could describe the nose & palate is if it was as though i was drinking the wine while suffering a mild cold !!

Maybe i should get another to try or hunt out a 98 and give that a go...Mind you i think the 98s might be getting towards the very top of my price range
[/u]

[Rory]

Not much,

'95 Crabtree Shiraz/Cab.
Only 15% Cabernet, but it shows it's presence strongly on the nose. The palate is rich the wine is has aged well, drinking at it's peak, and at only 12.5% alc, is a nice suprise.

'98 Wynns Black Label Cab/Sauv.
A greeness in this one I haven't noticed any the others. Below par.

Rory

[TORB]

Wizz,

Re the St Peters 01..

The palate was a little flat so maybe it was TCA. Like i said i couldn't detect anything obviously wrong with it but everything did seem a little subdued. The only way i could describe the nose & palate is if it was as though i was drinking the wine while suffering a mild cold !!

[/u]

That is the most incidious problem with cork taint; frequently people just think the wine is "ordinary" or "flat" - both these conditions are normally associated with low level TCA; often not enough to say for sure the wine is corked; but enough to stuff the enjoyment.

[andigold]

Hi all
I went down to the Mornington Peninsula on Saturday and popped into Marinda Park after being quite impressed with their second label pinot I had picked up at Randalls in Albert Park. Marinda Park 2003 Norms Noir Bright sparkling garnet with a nose of strawberries, black cherry, and a
hint of compost. Black cherries & plums on the palate with nice toasty oak
through the middle. Deliciously, rich mouth filling texture with excellent
structure and a spicy finish well balanced with acid. No raspberry cordial
here, this is seriously gooood Pinot. So naturally I was keen to try the rest of their range. I was a little underwhelmed by most of what they had to offer. The 2002 Pinot received 41/2 stars in the latest Winestate but that wasn't on tasting (sold out I was told) the 2003 pinot was pretty good, some nice primary fruit and very chalky tannins with good strucuture, needs 2 or 3 years to come together. The 2003 merlot was a very well structured, bordeaux style wine (the owner was pouring and she told us that they model their merlot on Chateau Petrus, a little way still to go I think) that also had the distinctive chalky tannins. We didn't buy anything here (I still have 4 of the 03 Norm's Noir at home) which is fairly indicitave I think.

We had lunch earlier at Montalto vineyard and the food was fantastic. It has 1 hat in the Good Food guide and delivered really tasty well crafted food with outstanding sauces on everything we ate. Tasted here before lunch and drank their wines during & 2 wines stood out. 1995 Pennon Hill (their second label) Late Disgorged Pinot Chardonnay Sparkling. This was excellent, a big vegemite (yeast lees for non aussies) nose. In the mouth it was yeasty & biscuity balanced with a lovely fresh and lively fruit component with some apple and a touch of citrus. Good mousse and fine bead, what more can you ask for (6 of these in the boot at $28 each. This wasn't available for tasting but we had it with lunch). The 2003 Montalto Pinot was also excellent (3 of these in the boot at $35 each) a touch of sweaty saddle on the nose with ripe black fruit. Firm and tightly structured wine (chalky tannins again) the fruit dominates the palate, cherries, plums and berries all in attendance, good long finish. This wine will benefit with a year or two in a cool dark place.

The stop of the day however was Stumpy Gully Vineyard. I have 3 of these on the wine list at work I like them so much. We tasted from start to finish, 14 in all. The wines here are all very very well made, clean and bright and true to variety, the whites were Sav Blanc Semilllon, Pinot G, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Riesling (the 2004 is outstanding, if you find it buy it) Botrytis Riesling & Fortified Sav Blanc (white port). I brought a box of the Riesling ($19 each) lemon, lime & flint with fantastic acidity, this will develop over 10 years. Picked up also 2 bottles of the fortified Sav Blanc ($19 each for 375's) The reds however are the real stars here, the 2003 Pinot is outstanding. Bright garnet with a smoky bbq meat nose interlaced with dark fruit. Big bright and perfectly balanced in the mouth, dark fruit, plenty of spice and of course chalky tannins. Very long finish. (4 in the boot @ $20 each) The reserve merlot is an enormous wine, a huge plummy sniff with a touch of prune & some spicy smoky oak. Plums follow through in the mouth with the spicy, oaky component topped with well judged (chalky) tannins. Long, long lip smacking finish, this wine is much more Petrus than Marinda Parks. (5 of these in the boot @ $45 each) Also picked up Sangiovese in two years. The 2001 is pure Chianti Classico, soft, rich and very very tasty. (1 in the boot @ $20) the 2003 however is an absolute freak. This wine was nearly not harvested as the grapes were looking quite manky at vintage, a bit of botrytis, some hail damage etc. The crushed it anyway and after 10 months in a mix of oaks this incredible wine has emerged. Deep dark red with a rich red fruit nose (raspberries mostly) this is under cut with a complex swirl of spice, earth, tobacco & some smoky oak. This is unbelievably rich and silky in the mouth, a burst of fruit flavours, raspberries, cherries, blackberries followed by deep, rich secondary flavours with a long evolving finish. I loved this wine and the bad news is that they only ended up with about a pallet of wine and as of yesterday there were only 11 cases left at the winery. (12 of these in the boot @ $25 each.) I'd urge you to get down there ASAP and put some of this into your cellar. I was assured that the winemaker has no idea how she made this wine and is under no illusion that she can ever reproduce it. The Crooked Post Reserve Shiraz I have written of in this forum earlier (2 Mar 05) and I had to pick up another 3 at $75 each. All up a very good day with 25 wines tasted and 9 in the boot. Look forward to getting down there again.
Cheers Andrew

[Ian S]

A few good ones this week:

01 Domaine Paul Blank Riesling (Alsace) : $25
A great value, easy drinking riesling over lunch.
A lovely yellow color with plenty of acid fruits on the nose with apples and apricots predominant. It was sweet but tight and a long aftertaste that had no bitterness. Good QPR

Gianna
Keep an eye out for the Grand Cru Schlossberg from Paul Blanck - exceptionally good. Expect it to be $40-$50 in Australia. Seems a very good producer.
Ian

[markg]

The mother in laws birthday on Saturday night so I thought I would earn a few brownie points and open some nice wines for her (well actually any excuse to open some nice wines will generally suffice).

With the dill and lemon rissoto cabbage rolls I opened a 2002 Cullen Chardonnay. I don't like too many Chardonnays, I generally find them overtly oaky but the Cullens are beautifully balanced with heaps of gorgeous melon and passionfruit on the nose and a lovely creamy palate full of rich apple, bannana and spicy oak with some lingering honeyed characteristics on the finish. Worth every penny.

I thought I would try one of my recently aquired 1996 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet blends With the main meal. Having recently tried one of Torbs a few weeks ago I was eager to retaste it. *&%^^^#### It was horribly corked !!!! Rats !!

I was not in a good frame of mind by this stage (Port Adelaide were also taking a hit in the first quarter as well so that didn't make things easier) With the dessert on the table I had a glass of 2002 Debortoli Noble One that made up for the Houghtons dissapointment. Lovely fresh citrus and orange flavours went wonderfully with a Lemon Bombe Alasksa... Yum ...

[Sean]

deleted

[bacchaebabe]

1993 Penfolds Bin 389
Drunk dring the week with pizza. Perfect timing on this one - the joys of a good cellar. Nice dark red still. Plums and berries on the nose and a really good mouthfeel. Plenty of complexity but maybe a bit short on the finish. A very nice wine for the vintage drinking at its peak right now.

[lantana]

We had a couple of Vasse Felix wines over the weekend.

The Chardonnay (04) was light in colour and closed at first. Tasted of pears, melon, and tropical fruit. A light style, not obviously varietal really, fresh, but lacked weight.

The Cabernet Merlot (01) was a bit musty when I opened it. Very dark purple, blackcurrant, licoricey, felt a bit syrupy. A bit warm as well maybe because of the 14.5% alcohol, which is high for a Margaret River cabernet I think. Pencilly tannins on the finish. It was probably faulty, because the fruit just didn't come up as much as it should and the flavour faded as we got to the end of the bottle.

These are nominally Margaret River wines (that is what is stated on the front label), but they were not typical of what I expected of wines from that region.

I have read that Vasse Felix now has a large vineyard at Jindong in the north of Margaret River. I suspect this is where much of the fruit for these two wines has been sourced from, because they are not the winery's premiums and lacked any real character.

Sean, sorry to criticise anyone's much appreciated tasting notes, but I fail to see how you can describe the Cab as being corked & then criticise the winery for using substandard fruit?

lantana

[markg]

I thought I would try one of my recently aquired 1996 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet blends With the main meal. Having recently tried one of Torbs a few weeks ago I was eager to retaste it. *&%^^^#### It was horribly corked !!!! Rats !!.

Just got off the phone to Hardy's - very nice PR staff, they are replacing the 1996 with a 2001, thank you Hardy's, very much appreciated !!

[Guest]

Bloody lucky, you could have gotten the 2000 instead of the '01

[markg]

Bloody lucky, you could have gotten the 2000 instead of the '01

Yeah, I was worried about that myself, they said they would be delivering the current vintage which she thought was 2001, hopefully she was right...

Is the 2000 that bad is it ?

[Guest]

A decent wine, certainly not worthy of the $90 pricetag. Atmost a $40-50 wine. Haven't had the 2001 but I am using the Gladstone '01 as a yardstick. Can the Mann be better than their "goliath" 1999, it's something I wished to know

[Guest]

Yeah, I was worried about that myself, they said they would be delivering the current vintage which she thought was 2001, hopefully she was right...

Is the 2000 that bad is it ?

Then again she might be wrong. The current vintage is 2000.
2001 is yet to be release

[GrahamB]

Eden Hall Shiraz/Viognier 2002

This is a very good wine but would you expect anything less from Big Jim Irvine. Nice without the Viognier leaping from the glass.

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1997

Remained quite closed for a time. A more refined and elegant wine than the later releases. I enjoyed this wine.

Turkey Flat Shiraz 1999

Looked as though it was going to open into something special but didn't get there. No primary fruit and seemed quite dull. Thought by some at the tasting to be mildly corked. Have contacted TF and await their answer.