The Auswine Forum

Hi,

Tons of tasting this week, quite excited by these two though,

Mr Riggs The Gaffer Shiraz 2004 - $18 - 92 points

Fruit, glorious fruit. Just a juicy mouthful of fun, lightly touched by the oak fairy and given a quick sprinkle with the spice shaker. It is quite aromatic too, maybe a touch of viognier but i'm not sure, I was too busy enjoying it. Ripe, slightly jammy, no hard edges and highly recommended. One of the best value red wines this year.

Leo Buring Eden Valley "Leonay" Riesling 2005 $30 - 96 points

Stunning is the best way to describe this. In a blind line up of 2005 rieslings, this was the class act. It creeps up you, slightly austere at first, but it changes in the glass as it sits, evolving aromatically with spice features becoming more apparent. In the mouth it is quite magnificent, with the mineral and spice characters carrying the wine for an eternity. It is very tight at the moment, with fresh, slightly tart acidity, but this will live for eons, with a drinking window of up to 20 years. A great wine.


Cheers

Can only agree on The Gaffer. Had it a couple of nights ago amongst six other reds and this to me was a standout and then when I discovered it was $20 I fell in love with it.

What was Campbell's line a while back? "slips down easier than low cut jeans" !

A must buy for me, at the price I can even make it a quaffer even though it's too good for that. Who cares, lets be decadent!

Grant wrote:Hi,

Tons of tasting this week, quite excited by these two though,

Mr Riggs The Gaffer Shiraz 2004 - $18 - 92 points

Fruit, glorious fruit. Just a juicy mouthful of fun, lightly touched by the oak fairy and given a quick sprinkle with the spice shaker. It is quite aromatic too, maybe a touch of viognier but i'm not sure, I was too busy enjoying it. Ripe, slightly jammy, no hard edges and highly recommended. One of the best value red wines this year.

Cheers

Grant

re the Gaffer, great timing, this stood out in an auswine tasting panel a night or two ago.

Deep red purple, tiny touch of bottle stink that quickly blew off revealing black and dark fruits, touch meaty character (also thought perhaps a 'dash of viognier, but not over done), exotic spices and a huge middle palate of ripe and plummy fruits. It is very mildly oaked, but has great length and is quite complex for a wine at its price! Simply put, great fun to splash in the glass!

Grant wrote:
Leo Buring Eden Valley "Leonay" Riesling 2005 $30 - 96 points

Stunning is the best way to describe this. In a blind line up of 2005 rieslings, this was the class act. It creeps up you, slightly austere at first, but it changes in the glass as it sits, evolving aromatically with spice features becoming more apparent. In the mouth it is quite magnificent, with the mineral and spice characters carrying the wine for an eternity. It is very tight at the moment, with fresh, slightly tart acidity, but this will live for eons, with a drinking window of up to 20 years. A great wine.


Cheers

Agreed - tried this at the Wines of Distinction Roadshow and was suitably impressed by it. The rest of the Leo Burning range is good too, but this is by far and away the leadcar!

How does the Leo Burring compare to the previous 04 vintage?

Tom

Tom,

They are always classic wines, in my opinion. 2005 just looks like a stand out SA riesling vintage to me, very pure, very intense wines. As for the vintages you mentioned, sorry I havn't tried them all but it is quite close in character to the 2002, from memory.


Cheers

Anonymous wrote:How does the Leo Burring compare to the previous 04 vintage?

... and also to the Seppelt Drumborg 2005 Riesling?

Cheers, Staybaker.

Havn't see the Drumborg. I've heard that it is a cracker though. I think at that top end there are four standouts, Leonay, Drumborg, Grosset Polish Hill and Crawford River, and when they are at their best there is little between them quality wise. They are all a little different too, so individual preference may be just a matter of style. I think you can buy them all with a lot of confidence.

Cheers

I've had a bottle of the Gaffer open a few days now. On the first night it was pretty raw and tight and didnt show much. A bit boring actually. But last night (72 hours later) The fruit was starting to show nicely, luscious plum, blackberry, licorice, some malty oak. Although my personal preference is for something a little less ripe and alcoholic, this is very nice indeed, especially for the sub $20 money.

AB

I was impressed by the Gaffer too during the past week. Do you think it is cellar worthy or just an week-day quaffer? I haven't been able to decide.

Jordan wrote:I was impressed by the Gaffer too during the past week. Do you think it is cellar worthy or just an week-day quaffer? I haven't been able to decide.

I think it will be better with a short rest in the cellar. Based on my one bottle sample it needs a bit of breathing to make it drink well now,

AB

I was not impressed with the 05 Leonay. I may have purchased a dud bottle, but I and several other people thought it was very watery, lacking in acid and flavour, and not very different from the 05 Eden Valley (at less than half the price!). No body, no length, nothing... I've rated the Grosset Polish Hill and Clos Clare (probably from what's almost the same vineyard as the Leonay[?]) higher.

I've seen a few people speak very highly of it, though. I'm starting to think I need to buy another bottle or two to investigate.

As I've mentioned in another thread, I've had more of a "wow" reaction to 2002 rieslings than I've had to the same wine's 2005 version.