The Auswine Forum

Sunday: Wolf Blass Masterclass @ Barossa Winery

2004 Grey Label Cab Sav: mint, cedar, menthol, cassis and vanilla on the nose. Quite an intoxicating nose. Palate backs up the nose with mint, eucalyptus, dark berry fruit, spice, chocolate and drying tannins. However, slightly overwhelming dill flavour is a downside to a pretty good Langhorne Creek Cabernet. 90/100

2004 Grey Label Shiraz:Simple vanilla and cedar nose. Palate sees dominant oak, pepper spice, espresso coffee and dark berry fruit. OK but not value at $38. 87/100

2003 Platinum Label Shiraz:Sweet red fruit, oak, lifted floral aromatics and dark chocolate on the nose. Quite a broad, juicy palate of red berries, plum, spice, coffee with the oak underplayed and framing the wine quite well. Long finish. Good wine but nothing amazing, good effort from tough vintage. Little value though and needs 10-15 years. 92/100

1998 Black Label Cab Sav Shiraz:Big wine which has aged very well. Typical cedar, mint/eucalypt and cassis bouquet. Palate showed a big wine of sweet raspberry, mint, ribena like blackcurrant, plum with overt oak flavours and quite prominant tannins. Quite long. Pretty good with a few years ahead of it. 93/100

1999 Black Label Cab Sav Shiraz: In the shadow of the 98 yet still quite good. Nose of blackcurrant, mint and raspberry and a palate of confected raspberry and blackcurrant, with minty notes. 91/100

2002 Black Label Cab Sav Shiraz Malbec: WOTD. A great change in style, much more elegant than the previous BLs. Bouquet of coffee, cassis, mint and chocolate was quite lifted and intoxicating. the palate was complex and elegant with mint, plum, cassis, spice, cedar, ripe fruit and long tannins with gravel and dust lingering in the background. Good now but will improve. So balanced and long. 94-96/100

Well run with canapes and champagne before and light finger food with 98 and 99 Black Label after the class. Very informative and well presented by the entertaining winemaker Chris Hatcher.

This Wolf Blass class was also run in Sydney yesterday (presented by VC).

I had family commitments - did anyone else go?

Jordan wrote:2004 Grey Label Cab Sav: mint, cedar, menthol, cassis and vanilla on the nose. Quite an intoxicating nose. Palate backs up the nose with mint, eucalyptus, dark berry fruit, spice, chocolate and drying tannins. However, slightly overwhelming dill flavour is a downside to a pretty good Langhorne Creek Cabernet. 90/100

2004 Grey Label Shiraz:Simple vanilla and cedar nose. Palate sees dominant oak, pepper spice, espresso coffee and dark berry fruit. OK but not value at $38. 87/100

Thanks Jordan, I'd hoped for better from 2004. Street price at the (so far) exclusive outlet is $27.90/$25.90, makes the value a bit better and a mockery of RRP.

Red Bigot wrote:

Jordan wrote:2004 Grey Label Cab Sav: mint, cedar, menthol, cassis and vanilla on the nose. Quite an intoxicating nose. Palate backs up the nose with mint, eucalyptus, dark berry fruit, spice, chocolate and drying tannins. However, slightly overwhelming dill flavour is a downside to a pretty good Langhorne Creek Cabernet. 90/100

2004 Grey Label Shiraz:Simple vanilla and cedar nose. Palate sees dominant oak, pepper spice, espresso coffee and dark berry fruit. OK but not value at $38. 87/100

Thanks Jordan, I'd hoped for better from 2004. Street price at the (so far) exclusive outlet is $27.90/$25.90, makes the value a bit better and a mockery of RRP.

I'd have to say that I was pretty hard on the Grey Label Cab as I loved it at first, ie giving it 93 points, but as i went back to it during the tasting the dill character became more obvious. Maybe drinking it in surroundings of 3 pretty good Black Labels was unfair. At $27 it would find its way into my cellar. Have to say even at $100 the 2002 Black Label willfind its way into my cellar. And the Grey Label Shiraz does not interest me at all but thats my opinion - My brother loved it!

Jordan wrote:2004 Grey Label Shiraz:Simple vanilla and cedar nose. Palate sees dominant oak, pepper spice, espresso coffee and dark berry fruit. OK but not value at $38. 87/100

Funnily enough the 2002 Grey Label that won the top red award at the 2004 Adelaide Wine Show was in last weeks first red Blacktongues for the year. In three tastings it's gone progressively worse, last week finishing dead last in the group vote tally.

Surprise, surprise the problem was too much oak with too little fruit/structure to back it up...

Cheers,
Ian

n4sir wrote:

Jordan wrote:2004 Grey Label Shiraz:Simple vanilla and cedar nose. Palate sees dominant oak, pepper spice, espresso coffee and dark berry fruit. OK but not value at $38. 87/100

Funnily enough the 2002 Grey Label that won the top red award at the 2004 Adelaide Wine Show was in last weeks first red Blacktongues for the year. In three tastings it's gone progressively worse, last week finishing dead last in the group vote tally.

Surprise, surprise the problem was too much oak with too little fruit/structure to back it up...

Cheers,
Ian

Assume this is the Shiraz? I wouldn't write it off just yet. I only bought a couple of bottles of this vintage to see how it turns out, they have a habit of going into a bit of a subdued fruit stage for a few years before the oak integrates. I don't know whether this was one of John Glaetzer's wines, I suspect he had moved on from this level of wine by then. I can't say I've been impressed by the new style - less oak, but too lean and acidic it seems so far. To repeat again, the 96 Brown Label is still drinking very well, fruit definitely survived the oak that vintage. Must be time to see how the 98's are going, didn't buy 97.