The Auswine Forum

been drinking. As usual, lists notes or impressions are all welcome.

As per Gavin's request, please keep your best wine and post it as a separate TN starting Monday.

.... and no, I haven't been sleeping late; the forum has been down all morning.

Magpie Estate The Sack 2004
Probably pushing the boundaries on ripeness and looses a little balance because of this. Still not a bad drop and others liked it more than me. There are better wines in the current Magpie wines as well.

Mr Riggs The Gaffer 2004
Haven't had one of these for a while and it is starting to develop nicely. Still has masses of fruit but the sweet tinge is settling a bit and it is starting to show some lovely complexity. Good future ahead for this one and I have enough stashed away to watch it develop

Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz 2002
In good years when they get this wine right it is great qpr and this is one of them. Quite a dab of oak in the mix but good complexity and reasonable length for a $12 wine.

Wynns Red Stripe Cab Shiraz Merlot 2004
Much better than the previous few vintages of this wine. Nice fruit tucked in there making a pleasant enough quaffer. Didn't really do it for me though.

Bleasdale Winemakers Selection Shiraz 1999
Just entering its drinking window, nice rich palate with hints of cigar box on the nose. Acid and tanin just starting to settle in. Good future ahead for 5 years+

Glen

2004 John Forrest Collection Chardonnay, Wairau Valley
Bright light straw coloured. On the nose there's lemon and graperfruit, whilst on the palate there's good crisp fruit (lemon, pineapple, grapefruit). Most noticeable however is the bready/yeasty component coming through, particularly strongly on the surprisingly long buttery finish. There's a touch of vanilla, but it subtely supports and there's 'just' enough acid there to refresh. Drinking well now and whilst not falling over, I doubt further cellaring would offer more rewards and perhaps even a little risk. Pretty impressive and another decent alternative to Te Mata Elston for us, albeit a bit more worked / less classy.

Seppelts Great Western Reserve Shiraz 1997
Outstanding combination of length, power and balance. The oak was apparent but integrated upon opening: it does not detract from the wine but does not add to it either. Family resemblance to the Great Western 1991: super stuff.

A single bottle, bought at auction, I'd buy a lot more if I saw it again.
Grabbed a couple of St. Peters 1998 also

Veuve Cliquot NV Yellow Label
Stylish, fine bead, not a terribly distinct nose but satisfying and classy. Not the most characteristic champagne but reliably fine.

Ashton Hills 04 Picadilly Pinot Noir
A bit flabby but I think that was the wine temperature. Plenty of developing plummy and spicy qualities with lovely rounded mouthfeel. Slightly musty nose but not detracting although some kept smelling brie but I think 'Burgundian cheese cabinet' sounds a bit more romanticised.

Ashton Hills 05 Picadilly Pinot Noir
Slightly different impression to my last experience. Basically the 04 but fresher and lighter and with a warmer, bigger feel. Flavour profile remarkably similar and consistent.

Vinea Marson Rose 2006?
Top Rose from Heathcote. Fruit sweet with good, dry, savoury characters, in a full bodied, balanced style. Excellent. Will be seeking some of this for summer. Worlds away from the lolly water Alicante Bouchet model.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1996
Sensational as ever. Bony, rigid tannin structure with loads of fleshy fruit and refined oak. Still youthful and with years ahead. Consistently excellent wine and one of the greats in that sphere of interest.

Several others that I can't remember but a biggish night will do that to a person.[/b]

Just a couple of notes in amongst others of which I will never remember...


Wine: 2004 Delatite “Devil’s River” Cabernets (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and malbec)
The wine smells quite hot on the nose, which considering the alcohol content (12.5%) is very strange. It has aromas of plums, earth, nutmeg and tobacco. As the wine opens up, it reveals a touch of feral character Palate has a touch of sweet fruit and feels quite full on the palate, but I can’t help feeling that it finishes a touch short before the fine tannins kick in. There is a rather spicy aftertaste, followed by some leather.
Overall, I think it is a very complex wine, but at the moment seems a touch out of balance perhaps???

Wine: 2003 Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon
Has got mint, has got rotting wood and dust. There is some tobacco and bay leaf there as well Has a touch of truffle on the nose, and some menthol Full of plums and blackcurrants. Tastes nice and ripe.. Quite drinkable now, but will be so much better with cellaring. Beautiful wine. Elegant, even.

2004 Serafino Shiraz (McLaren Vale)

Full bodied shiraz, lovely ripe upfront fruit flavours, chocolate, mocca and hint of vanilla. Nice oak and veletity finish. Nice drop and will be sourcing this again.

2006 Pauletts Polish Hill River Riesling (Clare)

Nice nose, but fair whack of acid on the palate, a bit too tartaric at this stage for me. I think give this wine another 6 months in bottle to sort itself out.

Chain Of Ponds Novello Nero 2004
A great quaffer, predominantly Sangiovese with Grenache and Barbera. Opens up after an hour to reveal a morello cherry nose with pleasing dryness and acidity. Ideal with home made pizza.

Lucien Albrecht Riesling 2004
This is a very good wine. Perfectly sits as a combination of the relative fullness of an Eden Valley riesling with the aromatics of Mosel riesling as it has some residual sweetness.Marries so well with Vietnamese food. At the equivalent of A$23 in Hong Kong it makes great value in this land of overpriced vino.

Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2005
Enough said already about this good value wine. It certainly is at the fuller end of pinot and this shows up when tasting other pinots at similiar pricepoints from around the world.

Eldertone Shiraz 1998
Very dissapointing. very acidic & volatile. a dead tiny core of fruit.

Bowen Estate Cab Sav 2004
Excellent. got better with every glass. Beautiful fine tannis and lush fruit. What a great wine. Best red for mine in a while, & the price!!! hang your heads in shame +$30 coonawarra reds.

Balnaves the blend 2004
Very good, enjoyed this heaps

Mitchelton riesling 2000
very yellow, oh no, fu&king cork!!!! Not the first of these either

JYT HV semillon1998
Very good. lovely smooth honeyed HV sem.

Seppelts Orig Skpl Shiraz 2002
onto case #5 if this stuff. Great stuff

2004 Bowen Cab Sauv Nice wine good berry fruits and dusty tannins, improved as the bottle was emptied. 90 pts

1997 Charles Melton Nine Popes Raisin flavours on the nose and palate on opening that mellowed a little and good spice and fruit and depth of flovour - fruit still going very strong if a bit too ripe for my tastes 88 pts

1988 Mildara Cab Sauv A wine that I thought would be well past it surprised me with this particular bottle - good fruit and nice secondary falvours - other bottles from this auction purchase have been OK to past it but this one was very good 88pts

parb wrote:Bowen Estate Cab Sav 2004
Excellent. got better with every glass. Beautiful fine tannis and lush fruit. What a great wine. Best red for mine in a while, & the price!!! hang your heads in shame +$30 coonawarra reds.

Geez I don't know about this wine. Yes love the pristine cassis fruit, even the hint of mint and the tannins are indeed lovely and fine. But the alcohol really stands out on the back palate and for me gets worse with every mouthful. To me it would have been a wonderful classy mid weight wine if the alcohol could have been around the 13% . I think I'll pass sadly.

Cheers

Paul

Am in 'study mode' at the moment so only the 1 sneaky wine..

Rosemount Show Cabernet 2000
Cork was gone, with leakage all the way to the wax
but the wine was good, a nice blend of black/raspberry's & choc/vanilla oak. Nice weight mid palate, soft tanins, considering the condition of the cork this was drinking very well, in its window?(because of the cork??)
/* As I only had 1 wine will wait till next week for the WOTW */
Cheers
Simmo

deleted

PaulV wrote:

parb wrote:Bowen Estate Cab Sav 2004
Excellent. got better with every glass. Beautiful fine tannis and lush fruit. What a great wine. Best red for mine in a while, & the price!!! hang your heads in shame +$30 coonawarra reds.

Geez I don't know about this wine. Yes love the pristine cassis fruit, even the hint of mint and the tannins are indeed lovely and fine. But the alcohol really stands out on the back palate and for me gets worse with every mouthful. To me it would have been a wonderful classy mid weight wine if the alcohol could have been around the 13% . I think I'll pass sadly.

Cheers

Paul

FWIW I found no hint of alcoholic heat in the bottle I had - and my tolerance for heat is reasonably low.

parb wrote:

Bowen Estate Cab Sav 2004
Excellent. got better with every glass. Beautiful fine tannis and lush fruit. What a great wine. Best red for mine in a while, & the price!!! hang your heads in shame +$30 coonawarra reds.

I noticed while doing a bit of a stocktake [need a cellar program?] I have a 98 Bowen Cab Sav. Does any one know if this vintage aged well or would it be past its peak

Cheers.
Nick.

Yarra Burn Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Opened by mistake... only after a quaffer and wasn't it a position to think much about what I was drinking. Hints of cedar and leather, soft tannins. Humming along.

1997 Dry River Pinot Noir - crap
2004 Meerea Park Hell Hole Shiraz - restrained goodness
2006 Pegasus Bay Riesling - good flavour
2006 Carrick Riesling - excellent off-dry/medium
2005 Meerea Park Shiraz Viognier - superb
2004(?) Yering Station Late Harvest Pinot Gris - tough after a glass
1995 Leasingham Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec - amazing nose
2000 Stonecroft Gewurztraminer - strange; spice and warmth wreaking havoc
2004 Alan McCorkindale Pinot Gris - good without being great

Cheers,