The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Times flies when you are having fun, seems like only seven days ago it was last Sunday so its time for you weekly drinking reports please.

Best of my lot was a a Peter Lehmann 1996 Seven Songs which I had last night. Its certainly in its peak drinking window, the tannins are silky smooth, the wine is harmonious and the blackberry pure fruit comes across loud and clear. Rated as Excellent, this is a great example of what can be achieved with French oak and Shiraz.

Now what have you guys all be drinking? Tasting notes, tasting vibes or just a list with a few comments are all welcome. Lurkers, don't be afraid to have a shot and come out of the closet.

Another fairly quiet week, Andrea was travelling.

Monday tasting group - 2002 Shiraz.
O'Leary Walker Clare/McLarenVale Shiraz - unanimous first rank, the first in a long time, immediately attractive on the nose, seamless palate, fine tannins, long finish. Ten of the 12 at the tasting are buying 6 or more of this in a bulk order, the first for a while too, a bargain at around $18.

Oliver Hill Jimmy Section Mclarenvale (ROTE, $27) - voluptuous wine, but lacking the absolute balance and structure of the O-W.

Tim Adams Clare (ROTE, $20) - nice bright berry fruit, good structure and length.

Cleanskin Barossa 2002 under cork, $15 and pretty good value albeit a little simple, from a mail order cleanskin / remainder specialist, bought on spec, they have a good 'return if not happy' policy.

Mountadam Barossa - $22 and a disappointment, very simple wine, a touch jammy.

Mitchell Peppertree Clare (ROTE, $20) - suffering from a sulphur problem, odour of sulphur dioxide, like a just-bottled Riesling, on the palate too, universal last ranking, a faulty bottle, I won't be trying another.

During the week:

Casas 1999 Cabernet (MR) - a big rich quite alcoholic cabernet style that won't suit all cabernet fans, I think Martin C raved about this one and in this case I agree, the second half the second night was showing more structure and varietal character, has the structure to cellar.

E&E BP Shiraz 93 - a lesser vintage in my opinion, slight macerated fruit character and not enough of the trademark rich soft middle palate of this line. Maybe just getting into it's mature phase, but I enjoyed the 92 more when tried recently.

I skipped my Thursday fortnightly tasting group, a mix of older Semillon and Sauvignon Blancs were on offer Life's too short etc.

Last night
Tatachilla Clarendon Merlot 98 - one of the relatively few straight merlots in my cellar, this one shows some decent varietal definition, in the bigger style, some fine tannins and deft oak handling, just spoilt by the level of VA that did not fully breathe off. It did drink quite well with the thrice-cooked Thai pork belly (Marinated, Steamed, roasted, deep fried) that took Andrea 5 hours to prepare.

Had a company dinner and bought some wines to go with dinner.
98 Wynns BL - this is drinking extremely well. Smooth and a good mix of fruit and tannins. I find it hard to believe this can get better it is so good now.
98 Tyrrells Vat 8 -reported this a couple of weeks ago, still excellent.
2002 Heggies Riesling - went so well with Barramundi fillets,as did the Wynns, and the garlic prawns. Such great QPR at $11.
Seppelt DP 63 Muscat - what can be said. This was one of the old tall 375ml bottles and it just sang with the variety of desserts.

Tasting notes from the last week.

Leo Buring 1991 Leonay Watervale Riesling

From the first time I ever tasted this wine the result has never been short of Outstanding. Having drunk almost 2 dozen over the last many years, this weekend's offering was again Outstanding and holding extremely well for its' age. No "black holes" or "dormant periods" with this beauty; just an amazingly well balanced Riesling tracking beautifully over the years before its' ultimate demise. When this will be is anybody's guess, provenance excepted, of course.

Bright, light burnished gold in colour, the nose exudes gorgeous lime toast aromas followed by a most complex mouthful of honeyed citrus fruit that glides across the tongue before the crisp acid seamlessly cuts in and leaves you guessing as to what the ....?
Quintessential juice.

The 2001 Mt Horrocks Riesling drinks superbly presently and has a great future in front of it. Far superior to the broad 2003 and up there with the otherwordly 2002. Rated Excellent.

Pam Dunsford's 1992 Reserve Cabernet Shiraz is an Outstanding, complex wine displaying intense cigar box, leather and sweet berried fruit with fine tannins and a heavenly departure.

Mildara 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon

The back label opens with "Mildara has produced many superb Coonawarra Cabernets since its first famous 1963 vintage". Without fear or favour, the '98 smells and tastes like a Peppermint Pattie! There's traces of menthol, spearmint, spicy plums, licorice, cedar and vanilla too, but that telltale chocolate-coated peppermint cannot be overlooked, even after considerable airing and vigorous swirling. So do we have a similar rendition to the the famous '63? I have NFI!

Rounding out the other components of this fine wine:-

Reveals a saturated dark ruby colour with enormous viscosity drizzling down the side of the glass (disclosed A/V of 13%) Only the slightest of ligtening to dep red brick in the outer edges.

There's an amazing 'old-vine' creaminess providing a thickness of texture rarely seen in wines at this pricepoint.

The wine is finely balanced displaying wonderful soft acidity, an outstanding fine-grained tannin regime and the chocolate/spicy oak is just so laidback and well-integrated you'd hardly know it's there.

Finishes ohso long with the tannins persisting alongside the spice and peppermint flavour. I timed the finish out at almost 60 seconds, I kid you not!

Big call, especially, after some of the recent posts on this wine on the local boards, but I can't help rating this little number Excellent .

I don't think it has peaked, as has been recently suggested, and as this is the first bottle from the case I purchased, I'm feeling very comfortable about drinking this wine for many years to come.

Not having tried the '63, I hope this one turns out to drink as well for every lucky soul out there as it did for me tonight.

I'll bung the cork and have another look at it tomorrow night and report back for anyone who's interested in how it holds up to some extended air.

Postscript (7.50 am Sat) - a quick check of this wine revealed a severe degradation on both nose and palate. The lovely peppermint (and other descriptors) have been replaced by savoury oak over plum jam fruit. Not a patch on last night's performance. I generally regard such a transformation as reflecting limited cellaring potential. Major Bummer Would downgrade this to agreeable at best on this morning's showing. What a difference half a day makes.

(Sat night) Oxidising badly. Quite soupy, virtually no palate length and finish. The wine is now totally stuffed! 180 degree turn on the longevity comment above. Total recant.

Richmond Grove 1999 Watervale Riesling

Screwcap. 12% A/V

Pale lemon. Surprisingly developed and complex on the nose showing intense honey, toast, lime and a touch of petrol, mineral and smoke. More primary fruit evident on the palate; mostly lemon and lime with a tinge of honeyed, toasty development peeping through. Lovely acid integrated throughout a crisp, lengthy, citric finish. No world-beater here, just a relatively mature, well crafted Riesling with 4-8 year life expectancy. Highly Recommended.

I've been one of those lurkers for sometime, and considered it was time that I tested the water:

- Penfolds Kalimna 98 (a favourite quaffing wine and lucky enough to be able to purchase 3 dozen recently for under $18pb), many years of enjoyable BBQ drinking ahead

- Seppelt's St Peter 99 thoroughly enjoyable, plenty of tannins and fruit

- Basedow Johannes 96, although double decanted it need time to open up

Difficult to put into words the drinking process, particularly as I have not properly resolved the issues relating to oak, tannins, acid etc, notwithstanding that I have read many words relating to these particular attributes (including the TORB site which I have found to be an excellent source of information - well done Ric!). Accordingly, I have bitten the bullet and will commence next week a 8 week wine tasting appreciation course.

To all, keep up your informative comments.

George

Monday: Rockford Black Sparkling shiraz (dis. '99). The last of my stash and consumed with a roast chicken dinner for my b'day. Still fantastic, dark mixed berries, a little chocolate, medium to full bodied magnificance. Wish I had more of these.

Saturday: French bubbly tasting at VC Manuka. Didn't take notes, but favourites included Billicart, Moet, Pol Roger (and a '93 Winston Churchill Pol Roger which was amazing), and one I had not heard of before, Gosset. This was my absolute favourite as it had a more yeasty palate, which I prefer in Champagne, but was also quite fruity and didn't finish too dry. I think it's about $70/bottle (not from VC though, almost $90 there).


Jamie

George wrote:I've been one of those lurkers for sometime, and considered it was time that I tested the water:

Hi George,

Welcome to the forum. You did well on your first note, it was fine. I have not tried the 96 Johannes because of the asking price for a first vintage wine with no track record. What did you think of its value?

Good luck with the wine appreciation course, you will learn heaps (just ignore what your instructors say about c-through. )

Mid-week:

Seppelt St.Peter '98
Fantastic wine, a wine of finesse and great balance. Showing alot better than when it was first released. Everything is immense - aromas, palate, intensity and lenght without going OTT. A class act!

Tatachilla Foundation '97
A weak Foundation IMO.


Last nite:

High Noon or high on NOON's. My 1st tasting of the NOON's Rsv.Shiraz after a dismay Eclipes 2000. Notes to follow after I polish the leftover half bt. tonite.


P.S. Brian H., Glad u enjoyed ur Casas Cab'99. Skip the 2000, a weak follow up. The '99 is a bit freakish for a MR Cab.


Rgds,

Back on track and had some great wines.
99 Leeuwin Art Series Chard: very restrained and tight, has years ahead of it.

01 Bannockburn Range Shiraz: last made in 96 and only made when quality is exceptional. If you like cool-climate shiraz you will love this. Great fruit, great structure, great wine.

01 Katnook Chard: fat, flabby and over-worked. very one dimensional

Yalumba black Sparkling D': don't know about sparkling cab but they haved seemed to pull this off quite well. Very savoury.

Gembrook Hills Yarra Chard 00: not a bad Chardy but nothing exciting. Everything is in all the right places but at the end of the day, just a wine.

Jim Barry Merlot 01: don't know if he is going to release this commercially but for a Merlot, this is excellent. Great nose and has some good palate weight without being over-the-top. Best Merlot I have had this year.

Off to the Clare and Flinders Rangers for a few days with Andrew Hardy from Knappstein Wines (who reckons he has packed a few bottles of his VP) so will give you the round-up on what we drank when I get back.

cheers
anthony

Two aussies this week:

Wild Duck Creek Springflat '01
Wonderful balanced aussie with perfumed, spicy nose, distinct acidity, ripe tannins and floral velvety and complex fruit. Balanced with lots of cherry on the finish. Promising, but needs a little time I believe.

Merlot Reserve 2000
Collossal nose with dark chocolate, minerals, womens perfume and crushed berries. Placed on a table before drinking the aromas filled the room. Explosive on the palate with obvious tannins and acidity and thick spicy fruit. Needs some time in the cellar to settle down. Huge potential I think.

Tom

Turkey Flat Shiraz 01 - regardless of the absence of icon wines from the Shiraz Challenge, this one is exemplary, certainly deserves it's gong and is perhaps itself becoming an icon. Had to open a 2nd bottle because the 1st was so good. 2nd (half left) bottle stored overnight in the fridge with the cork reversed, retained the deep plummy fruit although the slight but noticeable pepperiness had diminished. Tannins are there as is oak but are so well integrated that the fruit is what this wine is all about. Loved the 99, iffy about the 00, the 01 as above - 02 should be a stunner. Damn, the last few bottles of the 99 are living dangerously!

Interestingly, about the middle of the 2nd bottle's cork, as I look at it, is a gaping hole that extends about a fifth of it's length and perhaps a third of the way through it's diameter. The missing portion wasn't in the bottle nor could I find it after an assiduous search of the area surrounding where it was opened. The staining has barely passed the end of the cork but I wonder whether, with prolonged cellaring, this cork fault may have adversely affected the wine. If the wine had soaked the cork to about a centimeter where the hole starts and it had filled with wine, what may have been the resulting effect on the wine? Was considering sending it back to TF but if Tyson wants to check it out, I'll send it to him if he cares to email an address.

Ric and Brian can stop reading!! Also had a bottle of TF Marsanne/ Semillon 02. Interesting wine and a change from SSB/SBS blends. Quite elegant, the barrel fermented component adds some complexity. The marsanne provides supple mouthfeel, some stonefruit, with semillon extending the finish with citrus. Preferred to Tahbilk Marsanne 02 also tasted recently. TF Rose - look out Mr Melton!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Regards

daz

Lets see, been a busy week or two:

1998 Yarrabank thibaut & Gilet Sparkling - Excellent and a another 5+ years

1997 Thalgara Show Reserve Shiraz - Very good, but not up with other vintages. One of my favourites regardless. 2003-2010

1998 Campbells Barkly Durif - Yuk! As for drinkign window - who cares!

2000 Leeuwin Prelude Cab Merlot - Good-ish but short and showing soem odd scents (not corked). Drink 2-5 years

1999 Leeuwin Prelude Cab Merlot - much better. good depth and varietal character. much better example. Drink now-2010.

2000 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir - Good nose and clear varietal character. Well made and expressive, but seemed disjointed. Maybe closed down at the momentr but I failed to see anything sensational in this. Very good, but expensive. Drink now -2006.

2000 Rockford Basket Press - Again, good but not up to speed with other vintages. A perfectly balanced wine, perhaps a touch too high on the acid and the fruit was a little diluted against this which made it seem a little austere. Drink 2005-2008.

I'm sure there's others but haven;t been keeping good notes.

Cheers
David

A weekend of lows really:

1996 Mitchelton Cabernet

Bought this one in a "Cabernet Clearance" from a respectable cellar.

Cork came out beautifully - clean with no leakage up the cork. Nose showed lots of promise. After four hours I can only describe it as HOLLOW.

Left it until Saturday and there was no change.

1997 Mountadam "The Red"

At the Barossa tasting in Brisbane last Monday, I asked the MountAdam person to comment on the 97's I still had.

Comment was "Drink them"

Only time to clear these will be at an occasion where there is lots of talk and not much attention to the wine. Another HOLLOW wine.

I am just going to have to be more critical when buying wines to cellar.

Graham

Henschke Keynton Estate 1995 375ml - still had the $12.95 sticker on it!!! Very rich red that needs partnering with appropriate food. On the first night I had it with fish and salad and the clash detracted from the wine. Showing the vintage conditions with the fruit not quite up to the remaining structure. I was expecting more and got less. All in all not a bad wine but not memorable by any stretch. Drink up if you have any while there is still some fruit.

And on a side note, I have just returned from a visit to the underground cellar at Steve' Hotel in Nedlands (Perth), If you haven't been there beforedo yourself a favourand check it out. Lots of back vintage wine at fair prices and cellared with airconditioning. I was like kid in a toy store but resisted the temtptation to dent the credit card. I vowed to come back after next pay. The place was so full of wine it was a struggle to walk around. Dont even try to go down there if you got a big beer gut, because you wont fit. Seems like more of a hobby for the owner/buyer. I dont see that it makes much financial sense for them to provide such a cellar of extravagance. They have top wines from Oz, France and USA and back vintages of almost everything.

Anyway, enough from me.

Justin

... I have just returned from a visit to the underground cellar at Steve' Hotel in Nedlands (Perth), If you haven't been there before do yourself a favour and check it out. Lots of back vintage wine at fair prices and cellared with airconditioning.... The place was so full of wine it was a struggle to walk around. Dont even try to go down there if you got a big beer gut, because you won't fit. Seems like more of a hobby for the owner/buyer. I dont see that it makes much financial sense for them to provide such a cellar of extravagance. They have top wines from Oz, France and USA and back vintages of almost everything.

Justin


A veritable Aladdins's Cave. I remember picking up 1978 Mouton, 1981 Margaux, 1983 Compte de Vogue Musigny in the late 1980's for $60-$70. Tpo end Guigal.They were expensive then and some of the prices seemed too good to be true. As lawyers will oft say:when you see a head kick it.I think once it is priced it lies there until it is bought and often years later it has the original price tag. You can be lucky and for wine lovers it is one of those gorgeous places where on your hand and knees buried treasure lies in wait. I have seen Gary Steele of Domain Shippers there. Perth can be amazing. I remember in about 1988 at John Gens' former shop in Cottlesloe seeing cases, I mean about 8 cases, of 1982 Petrus freshly stacked in the carpark. Those Bondy days must have been good.


Also has a great beer garden and terrific Sunday Sessions. A classic pub.

Went to a Giaconda tasting this week and quite honestly I was totally underwhelmed with the famed Giaconda Chardonnay 2001. Two bottles were opened and both so different. The first quite lean, pale straw in colour with perfumed, delicate, mealy barrel-ferment aromas, quite spicy in the palate but very very restrained, very very dry, so ethereal it was almost not there. It was quite salty and showed the acidity and nutty mineral notes that the supplied tasting notes referred to, but no real fruit depth. Very long in flavour, lingering with a touch of hotness, it's a wine to develop in the bottle and hopefully let that fruit emerge.

Others in the room that knew Giaconda thought this wine was faulty, so another bottle was opened. This second bottle to me had a suggestion of cork taint as it did to some others, but it was a wine that left the room divided as to whether it was faulty or not - others said it was simply sulphides. It had more colour and more flavour, an underlying textural richness and long, lingering nutty notes. I had to wonder, though, does this wine ever show fruit?

I thought the first was the better, opening up well in the glass over time.

To me the Nantua Les Deux, a blend of 84% Chardonnay and 16% Roussanne, was the better wine on the day. The pale gold Nantua Les Deux 2001 had a subtle smokiness on the nose with hints of smoky bacon, apricot and other stone fruit. Very dry but as soon as the wine went in the mouth I knew it was something special. Very fine oak in the background, savoury, smoky and refined mealy nuttiness and oak spice marrying to the lovely fruit. Great weight, concentration, balance and length - Burgundian in style though Chardonnay not as obvious as in the 2002. There's a floral honeyed lift to the finish. A beautiful wine with a white satin texture.

Nantua Les Deux 2002 is more overt in its aromas, smelling of creamed nuts and mellow oak overlain with spice. It's more generous in its flavour showing a typically Chardonnay full body with creamy, mealy, nutty characters, the dry core of Roussanne emerging mid-palate and a lovely dry smoky, nutty, slightly spicy finish, which is long, lifted and bready. A lovely cool-climate Burgundian/Rhonish wine with a fat unctuous, harmonious texture, still very youthful and seemingly a little sweeter with more obvious honeyed oak than the 2001. This will appeal more to Chardonnay drinkers.

We also tasted the Aeolia (100% Roussanne) 2001 and 2002, very dry wines with incredible roundness, body and concentration - I would love to see these with some age (say at least 5 years), the harmonious 2001 already promising signs of great things to come. The 2002 a little chardonnay-like in some respects, needing the vanillin oak and malolactic characters to integrate more and let the Roussanne speak.

The Giaconda Pinot Noir 2001 is a bit tough and tannic, with jarring acidity right now - a wine 'well poised' for aging, perhaps.

The Giaconda Shiraz 2000 - was it Shiraz? I really failed to see what the fuss was about. I found the acid in this wine quite high and this bottle seems to be fading and drying out. 'Different and individual' said someone. Mmmmm. You can't argue with that.

But redemption with the Giaconda Shiraz 2001 - at least it had varietal characters I could identify. Pepper and spice intertwining with earthy savoury characters, blackberry and plum fruit, vanillin oak and the wonderful leather and rose petal that cool climate Syrah does so well. An impressive array of flavours - a merge of Aussie Shiraz and Rhone Syrah backed up by sound tannins, a terrific grainy texture and an impressive length that becomes almost chocolately as it lingers with a peppery signature that remains. I liked this.

Wine with hype. Very expensive wines. Interesting to taste and see what all the fuss is about. I think that once the Nantua Les Deux raises it Chardonnay levels to 85% so it can be labelled 'Chardonnay', this could be become one of Aussie's superstar wines.

Cheers,
Sue

Friends wedding in Dunedin couple people brought wines for tasting. wine was tasted blind, Stonyridge 1995 Larose a blended red predominately cabernet and from Waiheke Island. Lovely old world cabernet on the nose, hadn't really started to brown up much, lovely length and bdx. flavours of spice blackberry cassis etc, good balance and many years of life left, haven't drunk much Larose so not sure how this stacks up with other vintages

Cheers
Geoffrey[/b]

Anthony wrote:01 Bannockburn Range Shiraz: last made in 96 and only made when quality is exceptional. If you like cool-climate shiraz you will love this. Great fruit, great structure, great wine.


cheers
anthony

Anthony,

At a huge trade tasting I was at, most wines ended up blurring as I tried so many.

One wine, first sip, opened the eyes and brought a smile, it was the "Range" Shiraz ... absolutely terrific.

Only problem, so little I could not get any for auswine.

That said, your note is correct, great wine making on excellent cooler climate fruit.

1998 Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz - my first bottle (of a case)> I'm glad I didn't buy any more.

1999 Tollana Shiraz - many of you will note I drink this every few weeks. I love this stuff at the price. Rich, yet soft, peppery, decent length. Once again I'll whinge about Southcorp abolishing the label.

1998 Stanley Bros John Hancock Shiraz - haven't had one of these for a year or two and it has softened dramatically. Beautiful perfumed nose, typical Barossa on palate.

1998 Tollana Botrytis Riesling -smlled and tasted like green cordial -rich and syrupy. A beauty for the $11 or so price.

1998 McWilliams Ltd Release Botrytis Semillon - this label is my favourite sticky. Marmalade and honey on the nose, lovely balanced palate, cleanish finish.

A slow weekend for drinking - preparing the house for new building work, which is happening partly because we want to store more wine.

Roberts Shiraz 02 - Bought this from a local shop because of some hype in my Inbox about it showing well at the Jimmy Watson. Anyway, the fruit weight was amazing, though I'm not completely sure about the structure. The next day the fruit weight was gone and it tasted like an ordinary red wine, which gives me doubts about the cellaring potential. But right now it's a great drink at the price. I'd call it Highly Recommended with at least **** for value, ***** if you're into this sort of thing. I certainly recommend that people try it for themselves.

De Bortoli Black Creek Cabernet Merlot 01 - I won this in a bridge tournament...if I was buying I probably would have gone with the Shiraz which got better press. For now it's a bit stilted - maybe Agreeable - but with time it will probably improve to Recommended. Probably *** at RRP (about $14 I think) but upgrade that to **** on special at $10.

Jenke Chardonnay 01 - Bought at the cellar door earlier this year. To me, this just tasted like a well-made, but not amazing, chardonnay. It's not my thing, but it's probably Recommended with *** for value.

Looking to open a Noble One 00 soon, while I can still get it below $20. Also drooling over a cleanskin 22yo PX which flowed straight down my throat a couple of weeks ago.

Kieran

Slowish week

2000 Rockford Eden Valley Riesling - a disappointment, shouldn't expect much from a 2000 I guess, lacking fruit or balance - really enjoyed the 1999 so had put a few of 2000 when trying to make a case with no wine budget last year.

1994 Wynns Shiraz - drinking pleasantly, reasonable balance fruit with malo overtones - drink soon

1999 Rockford Moppa Springs - still uncertain about this and Butchers Block - prefer the Moppa to Butchers but not quite my style (yet like nine popes - go figure ) bit feral on the nose on opening but pretty good overall

2002 d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viogner - been wanting to try this wine since the first release - finally managed. Poor baby shouldn't have been taken from its mother - love to try again in 5 years. Very enjoyable - apricot on the nose rich interesting palete

Not much on the weekend unfortunately but did have a Hawkes Bay Chardonnay - the 1997 Coopers Creek Reserve Chardonnay. It was a very nice wine that was a deep gold in colour and drinking very nicely.
Also got stuck into a 1998 Robertson's Well that went down well with the steak on offer.
Cheers
Popov

Tasted 4 this week.

-2000 Barossa Valley Estates, Ebenezer Shiraz. By far the weakest vintage I have ever tasted from this producer. Dark berries and oak with a very short finish.

-2001 Vasse Felix. Muted nose and tight on the first night, same on day two (vaccue pumped, tried only one glass each night). This wine finally opened up on the third night, with good lenght and balance. The tannins are not unpleasant but this wine will definitely benefit from a few years of cellaring.

-2001, Palandri Cabernet Sauvignon. Asparagus dominates the nose, along with herbaceous tones. Not unpleasant but the fruit is definitely subdued. A little short on the finish.

-2001 Langmeil, Valley Floor, Shiraz. Quite nice overall. Not a blockbuster wine but good fruit up front with the right amount of acidity to make this a very food friendly wine. Very nice, clean finish.

Cheers,

Francois [/b]

Francois,

It may be possible that the bottle of Palandri that you had was slightly corked or faulty in some way. I only say this because my notes on the wine were related to the abundant fruit character,in fact,gobfulls of ripe fruit. I hope you get to try it again because I was very impressed with it as a VFM wine,(I paid around $15 AUD) and thought that it represented excellent value.

Cheers

Grant,

Thanks for the comments. I have one more bottle at home and will give it a try later this week. Have you tried the Shiraz yet? Both are selling here at 24.00Cdn.

Cheers,
Francois

1991 Vicomte de Castellane "Commodore" (Champagne, France) - A cheaper vintage Champagne, frankly quite average, big bubbles, relatively little yeast autolysis, quite dosage, lacks elegance. OK for what it was, but nothing special by any means.

2001 Riesling Steinhaus, Heidler (Kamptal, Austria) - Very decent Austrian Riesling, whereas the 2000 was bone dry, this one has a discernible level of residual sugar, nice lime/grapefruit fruit and minerality. Not as good as the 2000, but very good nonetheless.

1999 Domaine du Colombier Crozes Hermitage (Rhone Valley, France) - Initially very sulphurous on the nose, which was somewhat concerning. However, the palate was fine; medium bodied, quite elegant, dark fruits intermingled with spice, acidity is somewhat prominent on the finish. Okay value for £8.45.

1997 Ramos Pinto Late Bottled Vintage (Porto, Portugal) - Plenty of youthful sweet red berry and plum fruit, spirit is barely discernible. Unlike many LBV's, this is one that will improve with a bit of time in the bottle and develop some complexity. Nice stuff.

2003 Yalumba Y Series Viognier - A tad flabbier and not showing quite the fruit intensity or complexity of the 2002, nonetheless some decent lemon and honeysuckle fruit. A decent companion to Pakistani nosh.

Cheers
Phil

samples of the weekend:

Scorpo Chardonnay '01
Very good wine worthy of cellaring, an elegant well structured Mornington eninsula chardy.
Dromana Estate Pinot '00
A good example of a Peninsula Pinot from a great vintage, if you like Aussie Pinot!
Peter Lehman Mentor '97
Great big juicy nose, earthy too. Young wine on the palate with still much acidity, good fruit and length years ahead of it!
Elderton Cab/Sauv '93
If you like Barossa cab, very good, good fruit, well balanced, good length. Drinking well.
Elderton Shiraz '01
If the standard label is this bloody good, especially for the price, I can't wait to try the Command!

Thats all!

Rory

Waipara Springs Reserve Pinot 2001 - A favourite of mine and the wife.Beautiful ripe fruit, long finish.Great wine.
Waipara Springs Pinot Noir 2001 - Nearly as good as the reserve.Ripe fruit and a nice silky long finish.
Debortoli Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2000 - Funky wine with a long silky finish.Another favourite and excellent value.
Mesh Reisling 2003 - Elegant restrained wine.A joy to drink but will only get better.

Same old wines on the table this week. With the hot weather up here of late its left me predisposed to the pinot's and whites.Hopefully we will get a few more cold nights to pollish of a few bigger reds.

Cheers

Paul

<b>Henschke ‘Henry’s Seven’ 2001</b>
This is a Henschke!!??!! More like a d’Arenberg with its early fruity forwardness. Frankly the nose suggests nothing to remind me of my beloved Henschke reds. Sweet plum & ripe raspberry fruit with spicy/peppery notes & notes of peach perfume – all in a pretty big way & quite exotic. The palate is very easy & deals with the ripeness easily with lovely silky tannins and its baked vanillin infused fruit and low acidity. A cracking easy going crowd pleaser wine (certainly not a geek one) packed with juicy fruit. Very enjoyable for the UK£12.50 paid. Not one for cellaring. The bottle label says 70% Shiraz, 25% Grenache, 5% Viognier. 14%abv. The first vintage produced & only too easy to drink now.

Anyone know if the fruit for this wine is bought in or from HenschkeÂ’s vineyards?

<b>Gourt de Mautens Rasteau CdRV 2001</b>
A completely different animal and far more serious wine overall. Initially a very burnt rubber nose. This does disappear with extended decanting thankfully. Quite frankly is a Grenache blend on steroids. Huge spicy & (white) peppery black fruits on the nose all very primary at the moment. The palate gives dense spicy black cherry & currants with lovely acidity, massive tannins & oak integration. This could do with 3 years to settle down but quite frankly with extended decanting I could dozens on bottles of this now. Textured, pure & long. Mainly Grenache I’d say but not 100%. 14%abv. Getting pricey now at £18.

Phil

Rory wrote:samples of the weekend:

Elderton Shiraz '01
If the standard label is this bloody good, especially for the price, I can't wait to try the Command!

Rory

Couldn't agree more, and improving each time I try it!