The Auswine Forum

and for gawd sake, please don't tell us it's either Mowet or Mowie or Maway. If you have been drinking any MC please refer to it in this thread as "that wine" or I will SCREAM!

Tasting notes, tasting vibes or impressions welcome, either in this thread or you can post them in your own thread. Lurkers, time to come out of the closet and join the party; it more fun being involved than just looking.

a pretty dry weekend for me - in fact the whole week was dry now that i think about it! Busy weeks unfortunately mean very little to drink as the good drop knocks me for six...

Had a look at the 2003 Marius Shiraz on Friday night and it was a beauty. Rich, smooth, approachable now... very hard not to like!

Here's hoping for a little more vino this week!

cheers
max

2003 Kabminye Three Posts Eden Valley Riesling: Very pale straw/green. The nose was just as fresh as last year featuring spritzy/spicy limes, waxed lemons and some yeast/dried herbs and fennel. The palate in contrast has changed quite a bit, opening with a heavy dose of biting, dry acid, followed by pithy lemon fruit and a long, dry and slightly metallic mineral finish. At the moment the structure is dominating the palate making it quite a demanding wine, but there are no toasty characters coming through so time looks to be well on its side.

2002 Murray Street Vineyards Barossa Shiraz Cabernet: Inky red/purple. Beautifully complex and slightly cool lifted/green nose of cedar/dry blood, blackberry/blackcurrant, wheat, dried herbs, mint and celery. The palate opens with tangy raspberry fruit, black olives, mint and classy cedar oak, finishing sweet and long with chewy fruit, grainy tannins, and a lick of vanillan/bubblegum oak and licorice on the aftertaste. Being so new Andrew Seppelt & Co. are a bit inconsistent but when they get it right it’s extremely good – that said this is a wine to drink now and probably only a short to medium term cellaring prospect.

2002 Tintara Reserve Grenache: This was the replacement for the corked 1998. Dark to inky red/purple. A rather over-ripe stinky/lifted nose of dried apricots, diesel fumes and stewed raspberries, then with a lot of breathing plum/blackberry but also burnt rubber. The palate is equally ripe, with spicy/peppery raspberry fruit matched to smoky oak and supple tannins, hints of cherries and apricot and some alcohol warmth just held in check; simply not in the same class as the 1998.

1998 Browns of Padthaway Myra Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium amount of crusting on the bottle so decanting recommended. A sweet, dusty nose of cedar and earth, bubblegum/vanillan oak matched to slender/perfumed cassis fruit. The palate opens with dry tannin on the attack, followed by very earthy red berry fruit and powdery tannins mid-palate, finishing clean and fresh with raspberry/blackcurrant fruit. This has developed beautifully in the last four years to become quite a surprise package.

2004 Longview Black Crow Adelaide Hills Nebiolo: Dark brick red with no inkyness. Gorgeous nose of bright cherries, tobacco spit and mineral; the palate opens with slightly porty fruit, followed by a flush of cherry/raspberry through the mid-palate, finishing with quite a sizable tannin structure and a hint of cashew. The whole Longview range was quite impressive, and this is one of the rare Australian Nebiolos to impress me, although the porty characters already are a little concerning.

Cheers
Ian

Hi all,

Shotfire Ridge 2003 Shiraz

Dark purple colour. Smoky wood, chocolate and malt on the nose. Powdery tannins, reserved red cherries. Tight as a fishÂ’s bum. Some time in a decanter and some pepper and caramel, leaf and fruit (not sure what, possibly pomegranate possibly green kiwi fruit) come through. Long sweet finish.

Kurtz Family Lunar Block 2001 Shiraz

Deep purple colour. The nose if full of spice, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. Chocolate and dark fruit come through after some time in the glass. Enjoyable, full bodied wine.

Last night we has some friends over for dinner and served up the following:

Petaluma Coonawarra 1990 Cabernet Merlot

Cherry red in colour, sweet violets and red cherries on the nose. Chocolate, some herbal notes, menthol and gooseberries, perhaps fruitcake on the palate.

Penfolds St Henri 1994 Shiraz Cabernet

Huge nose of cinnamon, dark cherries and chocolate which carried through to the palate. Probably the pick of the wines on the night.

Grant Burge 1993 Meshach

Plummy red colour, smoky nose with mocha, prunes, currants on the palate with soft powdery tannins and some acidity to balance, raspberries, cinnamon and cloves.

Domaine Sarda-Malet La Carbasse Rivesaltes 2001

This is the darkest desert wine I've ever tried. Based on Grenache grapes I think – my French ain’t so good. All plums and sweetness, although not cloying. A good match with the berry desert.

Regards,

Allan

Yering Station Pinot Noir Rose 2005 - quite nice though not a lot to it....cherries, strawberry and redcurrants with some leafy/herbal hints.

Noon Reserve Shiraz 2002 - good stuff, fairly elemental with gobs of blackfruits but finishes with a touch of heat.


Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2003 - very good....nice fruit and super creamy oak...finished a bit short and the oak pokes out a bit.

Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot 1983 - lovely.....savoury and gamey, super complex and a pleasure to drink.

Hewitson Mad Hatter Shiraz 2003 - good stuff....nice juicy fruit and a lovely structure

Lanson Gold Label 1996 - excellent....great value ....note to self....buy more

Dave

Had the following Peter Lehmann wines last Friday:

1996 Eight Songs
This was the eighth bottle. At its peak and everyone enjoyed it very much.

1996 Stonewell
Did not have time to decant and bottle emptied within an hour. Good and I will leave the other bottles in the cellar for another year or two.

All organized to go to a tasting 'Top 100 Wines' Thursday night but was canceled. Not to put off 3 of us selected some wines that were to be at the tasting and headed of to a restaurant and held our own event.

St Hallet Faith Shiraz 2003 aromas of sweet ripe fruit,creamy oak.Very varietal flavours in the mouth of dark fruits some plum,spice, lightish tannin and good to moderate length. Had been decanted for two hrs before tasting and became more open and balanced over the course of the evening. In some ways a classical Barossa Shiraz with a touch of class this would not disappoint fans of this style. For me i just find the wine a bit boring, the wine lacks a few edges to it for you to sit up and take notice $nz25. cork.
Next wine was Bridge Pa Vineyard Hawks Bay Syrah 2004 wine had been in both American and french oak, the American dominated on first taste along with aromas of plummy ripe fruit. If i had this wine blind i would have said it was from Barossa. But with time these flavours fell away and and the wine had a french oak flavour about it. Lots of pepper and spice and ripe dark fruits, excellent Syrah style. Tannin in balance with the fruit that gave the wine a soft feel in the mouth. Unfortunately the wine did finish a bit short. Drinking well now and would improve with a couple of years cellar. Comment on this wine says that it is one of New Zealand's best Syrahs, i wouldn't go that far, it a pleasant wine and given some of the inflated prices being charged for NZ Syrah good value at $nz25, cork.
Next two wines Bordeaux style. Esk Valley Reserve Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002Fruit from the Hawkes Bay. Lovely nose of french oak, spice. Ripe fruit, plum and black current on the palate with some tobacco, the Malbec gives it some body with the Cab/Sav giving it some iron at the end. The blend is 56%, 24%, 20% in order above and this blending gives it character. Good length, balanced, drinking well now but would cellar and improve 8-10yrs. $NZ49 s/c. I liked it.
Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 Another bordeaux style from the Hawkes Bay, great varietal aromas and flavours on this wine, french oak, ripe dark berry fruit and firm tannin.Grips the mouth and lets you know there is something going on. Drinking ok now but with a bit of time would balance out the tannin fruit etc. I like this style of wine its on the dry side not to rich and has an interesting ' savageness' about it. $nz30 s/c
All wines were 14% Alc.

Nugan Estate "Alfredo" Sangiovese Merlot 2003

Nice wine. Touch of spice. seemed well balanced. Definitely ready to go.

2002 Willows Bonesetter - a little unbalanced on the back palate, but a nice drink with great nose and front palate sweetness.
2004 Radfordale Riesling - delightful wine, a nice harmony between acidity and sweetness. A little diesel on the nose - to be expected - but great balance and drinkability.
2004 Kalleske Shiraz - simply a nice, nice wine - with great aging potential.

JohnP

Hi all,

Forced to keep the tastebuds downmarket lately.

2002 Pepperjack Cabernet. Mildly corked but the wonderful fruit shone thru. Interestingly we rarely encounter corked wine. As we rarely drink older wines I wonder if it develops over time? As it comes from the cork this sounds logical. Any thoughts?

2004 McWilliams Hanwood Chardonnay. A well made wine delivers well over it's price point.

2002 Yalumba Mawsons Cabernet. Great value for money.

2002 Orlando Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz. My sort of Shiraz. Not in your face.

1980 Yalumba Horsey Vintage Port. Last of 3 from recent auction it was just superb particularly at $11.00 each.

Chuck

2002 Seppelt Salinger sparkling

My favourite Australian sparkling wine. Great fruit with a dry, yeasty finish. Best value for money in the sparkling market by a mile IMO

Chandon Pinot Noir/Shiraz sparkling

Very enjoyable red sparkler - big sweet fruit. Not too complex - you don't have to think too much whilst drinking it. Great for a warm day.

2001 Taylor's Clare Shiraz

Another very good quaffer which is drinking at it's peak now.

A few first timers for us this week:

1999 Voyager Cab Merlot - Bought a case of this a while ago from Langtons and had one over the weekend. Decantered. Nose of mint, the wine had a very good structure and balance, fine, powdery tannins but not much upfront fruit on the palate, with maybe some chocolate hiding in there somewhere. Finished with a dry finish and some acid. A wine that definitely needs more time in the cellar. Built for the long haul. Enjoyed it immensely and I hope the remaining 11 bottles are as good.

2002 Majella Cabernet - had previously tasted this wine at cellar door and at Wine Oz, but this was the first bottle opened of the six pack purchased on release. A very nice wine in the usual Majella style. Didn't take any notes but can remember good balance of fruit and oak with a very nice finish. Still a youngun' and it will be interesting to see how this wine develops in the next couple of years. Could prove to be a surprise packet from a so-so vintage. In fact the wine impressed me more than expected which I suppose is always a good thing.

2002 Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz - for a $10 quaffer this is seriously good value. Laughed initially at JO's score of 93 for this wine in his latest annual. But this wine definitely over delivers on price. Could be the new house red!

2004 Red Nectar Cabernet - 2nd bottle of this. Still like this over the shiraz from the same vintage. Another good value cabernet from the Barossa and a nice change from the big, ball-tearing shiraz the region is better known for these days.

2004 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz - thought I had better try this myself after all the TN's on the Forum lately about this wine. Concur with all the positive feedback regarding this release. Another winner from Troy Kalleske. Was expecting it to be in the mold of the 2002 release, but it wasn't as much in your face as I remember the 02. Has plenty of upfront sweetness, but good balance. Powerful wine like all the previous releases. Boy this will be one of those wines that in near future people will be lining up to be involved in a 10-15 year vertical! Cannot wait!

Unfortunately a very quiet weekend this weekend as it has been filled with work commitments. Earlier in the week i made an attempt at a few bottles with some friends but failed to take any tasting notes as such.

1990 Rosemount Museum Release Cabernet

Corked.

1995 Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet

Corked.

1999 Knappstein Enterprise Shiraz

Dark purple, quite suttle on the nose with violets, the palate was rich with plums, dark chocolate, liquorice and star anise spice. Chewy texture, smooth and viscous although probably would have opened a lot more if decanted for a few hours prior to drinking. A stellar performance compared with the last two

2004 Glaetzer Godolphin

Where to start with this beast of a wine. a friend bought over the remainder of a bottle of this on Tuesday morning for me to try after opening it the night before at dinner and finding it very in ya face. Need less to say it had likely settled down considerably after being open all night. All i will say is this is simply awesome stuff, rich, balanced, full of dark fruits, mocha, chocolate, juicy, chewy, a work of art in my opinion and im glad i have some of this in my cellar.

The boss stump up for some champagne for the end of month meeting
I am didn't take any notes and I don't think it was helped by the pizza

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV
Nice enough wine but didn't really impress, I have had more interesting Oz made bubbles.

Veuve Clicquot Rich Reserve 1998
Ah now this is more like it, complex on the nose and palate and a lovely smooth finish. Went back for more of this one after I had finished eating pizza

Kemeny's Hidden Label Coonawarra Cab Sav 04
Herbs, menthol, plums, choc and raspberry nose. Some nice berry flavours on the palate. The acid in this wine is still very youthfull. The wine had settled down a bit on the second night. Stick this in the cellar for a year or so an I think it will make quite a pleasant quaffer at $10 it is great value for money.

Ah, well, I had NV THAT WINE Rosé on Friday night after work and it was as good as any $80 Champagne that I have had. Lovely. Marvellous actually! 18.3/20, 94/100.



Adair

P.S. The phone camera is not bad!!!

GRB wrote:Kemeny's Hidden Label Coonawarra Cab Sav 04
Herbs, menthol, plums, choc and raspberry nose. Some nice berry flavours on the palate. The acid in this wine is still very youthfull. The wine had settled down a bit on the second night. Stick this in the cellar for a year or so an I think it will make quite a pleasant quaffer at $10 it is great value for money.

I have not bought or tasted one of these wines but I understand that if you look closely you can see the name of the winemaker in the label somewhere. Is this true? Could you find the winemaker of this wine?

Thanks,
Adair

2002 Domaine Laroche AC Petit Chablis: broad, very evolved, I think the seal (screwcap) failed or it's a very very early drinker

2002 Domaine Laroche St Martin Chablis: tighter, more focused: minerals, stuff like that.

1993 Wynns Michael Shiraz: hmmmmmm, colour was ok, but was like a coffee bean. No fruit left at all - I suspect bad storage/bad bottle

1994 Leasingham Sparkling Shiraz: rich and sweet - really nice for a hot springs' day.

2004 Richard Hamilton Chardonnay: surprisingly good for $13 - might get a case as a quaffer for summer

2000 Diamond Valley Yarra Valley Pinot Noir: looking a bit tired, but enjoyable all the same

2003 Moorooduc Pinot Noir: far too late in the afternoon for any impressions, but I didn't spit it out.

DaveB wrote:Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot 1983 - lovely.....savoury and gamey, super complex and a pleasure to drink.

The first bottle from a six-pack no doubt. How many years left in it?

deleted

Adair wrote:I have not bought or tasted one of these wines but I understand that if you look closely you can see the name of the winemaker in the label somewhere. Is this true? Could you find the winemaker of this wine?

Thanks,
Adair

Checked in the recycling bin and it has already gone so I can't check. I seem to recall one of the bigot brothers has bought some of this in the past so maybe they can help out.

Glen

Adair,

You bought "that wine" deliberately, didnt you!

Sean,

I can send you a pair of rose coloured glasses, that may help. On second thought, the Xray ones may be better.

Glen,

I bought the Adelaide Hills Cab and it was a beauty. I don't know what Brian has tried. I think I may have an email at home that may have the answer to who is the winemaker of the Coonawarra Cab.

Just

-1979 Krug
-1995 Taittinger Comte des Champagnes Blanc de Blancs
-1982 Penfolds Bin 820
-1982 Penfolds Special Bin 23 Coonawarra Shiraz (one of components of 820 above)
-1993 Lequin Romanee-St.-Vivant
-1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou
-1982 Pichon-Lalande
-1970 Penfolds Bin 389
-Grand cru Chablis

TNs to follow later .....

Adair wrote:

GRB wrote:Kemeny's Hidden Label Coonawarra Cab Sav 04
Herbs, menthol, plums, choc and raspberry nose. Some nice berry flavours on the palate. The acid in this wine is still very youthfull. The wine had settled down a bit on the second night. Stick this in the cellar for a year or so an I think it will make quite a pleasant quaffer at $10 it is great value for money.

I have not bought or tasted one of these wines but I understand that if you look closely you can see the name of the winemaker in the label somewhere. Is this true? Could you find the winemaker of this wine?

Thanks,
Adair

Starts with L and is located in the southern part of the strip... I haven't tried this one though.

Red Bigot wrote:Starts with L and is located in the southern part of the strip... I haven't tried this one though.

I suspect you are referring to the producer as opposed to winemaker. I don't think you are referring to Lindemans, and Leconfield is more towards the centre of the strip, so you must be referring to the lads at ........ .....!

Adair

So would that be across the road from Balnaves, or next door to Parker?

Adair wrote:

Red Bigot wrote:Starts with L and is located in the southern part of the strip... I haven't tried this one though.

I suspect you are referring to the producer as opposed to winemaker. I don't think you are referring to Lindemans, and Leconfield is more towards the centre of the strip, so you must be referring to the lads at ........ .....!

Adair

Sorry guys, thought they were a bit further south, it's the one opposite Balnaves, I guess that's Paul Gordon making the wine then.

Hahaha!

Here is a map to stop the cryptic conversation:



From http://www.coonawarra.org

My original money was on Ladbroke Grove!

Adair

Wirra Wirra 2002 McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon

Second bottle within a month. Showed betterl this time and seemed a little more full bodied. Chocolate and dark berry overtones, grainy tannins with a very light oak treatment. Good value wine and drinking at its best now.

Seppelt Drumborg 2005

Steely, minearlly riesling with lime acidity running through the palate. Prisitne. Great stuuf, look forward to it aging.

Something terrible from Kangaroo Island - an impersonation of wine. Damn gift bottle which had to be drunk.

6 pack of Cooopers Pale Ale -always good!

1991 Murray Robson Cabernet

That rare beast - Hunter cabernet. Picked this up on a Hunter valley trip back in 1993. Has survived reasonable but imperfect cellaring the past 12 years. Very Hunter like. I suspect that in a blind tasting it could be mistaken for shiraz, if only for the fact that few Hunter Cabernets are made, let alone aged 10 years. Lakes Folly, Petersons and what else?
Alcohol only 12.8%, still very spritely with plenty of acid and tannin and fruit is still very much there. The back label recommendation of 5 -15 years ‘laying down’ has been spot on.

2002 Domaine Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Cn Virondot
In a dimmly lit restaurant in Hong Kong, the colour was unremarkable but crystal clear. Upon nosed it, summer fruit, floral aroma hit the sensory initially followed by apple and pear. On the palate, vibrant mineral steely and lime stone like character form the base. Critus in the middle with a hint of melon on the finish. This youngster is yet to reach puberty, but is already showing great balance between primary fruit and acidity. This wine will continue to developme over the next 3 to 5 years. Marc Morey consistantly produces high quality wine at a very reasoonable price. This domaine is one of my favourate from Chassagne-Montrachet.