The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

More computer problems this week. With the crap I have gone through - a special thanks BigPong Satellite second level technical support for their assistance there - I have had far too many AFD's.

Now what have you guys been drinking?

I just got back from the party. I asked one of the guests:
"What are you drinking"?
His answer was straight forward: "shit"!

So we asked the host to open 2003 Clos du Jaugueyron, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux I brought.
My TN: 2/6/2007: I can't pin point it, but this wine is missing something. Very one dimensional, lacks excitement. I won't buy more. Still a GOOD wine, just not my type.

The wine was a hit at the party. Best $19 I spent on the crowd pleaser.

Seppelt DP59 Rare Tokay
Layers and layers of favour - raisins, nut, fruit cake, burnt toast. Smooth long finish, great stuff.

2006 Pewsey Vale Rielsing
Clean, crisp and well balanced with a touch of citrus tang. Lovely summer drinking.

2003 Bleasedale Frank Potts
My first experience with this wine. Very coarse and oaky immediately on opening. Certainly improved with time in the glass though the oak was ever present. Good, but did not meet with my expectations given some of the reviews I have read.[/b]

02 Punters Corner Cabernet: coffee bean nose, blackcurrant with a bit of oak but not too overpowering. Lovely texture and length. Will keep the rest for a while longer.

02 Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz: had this a while ago and it was good. This bottle had a definite sulphurous edge to it which killed everything else. Hope this was just an anomoly.

Yering Station Pinot Noir Rose 2006
Blood red. Very varietal in a relaxed rose style. Nice savoury edges and crisp palate. Handy.

Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay 2004
Delicious although perhaps a touch simple compared to the last bottle (?) Nose somewhat withdrawn although a hearty sniff elicited the telltale stone fruit and light oak characters. Palate exceedingly fresh and limey and with good balance. Very good drinking.

Henschke Littlehampton Innes Pinot gris 2006
Quite spicy but with a touch too much sweetness for me. Quite glycerol and textural mouthfeel. OK.

The Riposte 2005 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir
Good varietal plummy fruit with notes of five spice and earth. Good length and very nice poise and balance.

Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay 2005
Very flavoursome, perhaps a touch too oaky and developed but very drinkable, with savoury, nutty characters. Nice sherbet zing on the end palate.

Pauletts 2006 Riesling
Relatively simple awash with lemon and lime but lacking concentration and focus.

Finally had the Carnival of Love last nite in a Krug marathon - Yay!

Did I like it? Um, sort of. Not as great as Parker says and nowhere near as bad as oliver thinks...somwhere in between for mine....

Am currently writing up notes....

2004 Ingoldby Shiraz
Various vintages of the Ingoldby have been a house quaffer over the last few years - the amount it softens after 24 hours suggests a few years would be a good idea. Not as instantly appealing at the same age as the 01 and 02, a touch better than the 03

2004 Marquis Philips Shiraz
YUK - this is terrible, dead fruit over stewed, alcohol alcohol alcohol - be surprised if only the 15.5% claimed by the label. A little better 2 days later but thank God only bought one bottle to try. The Sarah's Blend was okay but this

1993 Penfolds Bin 389
Not bad - an aged 389, savoury aged character. Time to drink up

1999 Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling
Nice easy drinking but lacking in intensity of say the Richmond Grove Watervale etc.

Julio wrote:2003 Bleasedale Frank Potts
My first experience with this wine. Very coarse and oaky immediately on opening. Certainly improved with time in the glass though the oak was ever present. Good, but did not meet with my expectations given some of the reviews I have read.[/b]

Julio
This has been a favourite of ours for a while. It's always seemed to have good complexity from the grape mix, but prominant oak is a little surprising. Might be worth another bottle (maybe a different vintage) before giving up on it.
regards
Ian

1996 Katnook Odyssey - starting to hits its peak. Cedar & blackcurrants abound. Better than I expected.

1997 Wynns Michael - perfumed nose of vanilla & eucalyptus. Medium to full bodied, wont improve IMO.

1997 Petaluma Tiers Chardonnay - last bottle and wont be buying this again. I would have preferred just a touch more malo and greater length.

1998 Brands Laira Patrons Reserve - not a bad Bordeaux style blend, but overpriced for what it was.

2001 The Standish Shiraz - too pruney for my liking

1999 Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz - IMO, the best Platinum made to date. Pristine fruit, still fairly primary, great balance, super length, not overdone at all. Still just a pup.

Couple of cheap bottles from France, gift from a Frenchman who works with me. One from Margaux (2001, from memory) and the other from St.-Estèphe (2000). Didn’t even take any notes, the Margaux went down the sink, and I’ll bet the rest the St.-Estèphe followed it last night. Fortunately Miranda and I made our escape to another state and left our house guest with the bottle. He'll enjoy the Russian River Pinot we left him a lot more.

Mike

Tonight and yesterday, Wolf Blass Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2001. More Wolf Blass than Coonawarra or Cabernet Sauvignon. Apparently they've eased back on the oak, but it still tasted distinctly Wolf Blass like.

Also a quick taste of a Gruner Veltliner Eiswein, which I'll aim to give more of a write up on next week.

Ian

2000 Henschke Julius Riesling - very good (Screwcap)
2000 Grosset Semillon Sav Blanc - surprsingly ageworthy, gluggaable (Cork)
2004 Pipers Brook Estate Pinot - less green and stalky than the previous time I tried. Acceptable (Screwcap)
2004 Savaterre Pinot - Sensaational

Two weeks here; trting to keep up to date.

2004 Taltarni Brut Sparkling White (Tasmania & Victoria): and 2004 Taltarni Brut Taché Sparkling (stained – rosé) (Tasmania & Victoria): both very impressive for their less than $20 price tag and must rate, or at least get close to, as Australia's best-value for money in that range. The White had deep flavours and good complexity without relying on sweetness and the Rosé Sparkling had elegance and balance with typical light strawberry flavours and hints of gameness that might not be enjoyed by some, but went down easy for me. Both 17/20, 90/100.

2002 Seppelt “Original” Sparkling Shiraz – Great Western, Victoria: After all the talk of the 2004 versus 2002 Original, I was too tempted when I saw this on the shelf at one of my locals. FWIW, my palate memory was confirmed with the 2002 being more ripe and sweet than the 2004, but to its own detriment. I much prefer the 2004's complexity and elegance. It will also age longer. 16/20, 87/100.

2000 Gartner Shiraz - Padthaway: Good depth of fruit with spice and pepper complexities. A little too much oak but it is high quality and well-integrated so not so bad. 16.7/20, 89/100.

2006 Long Flat Destinations Pinot Noir - Yarra Valley - 13.5%: I believe the Destinations range is a step up from the standard Log Flat range, and if this wine is a good example, it is a range that offers great value. This wine is a serious Pinot Noir, an unmistakable Pinot Noir! Quite lean but good focus from front to finish, and a juicy middle palate. Obvious Pinot Noir ripe cherry and sappy flavours with spice and cedar complexity. Great acid that might be too prominent for some but it has a similar quality to the young 2005 Hoddles Creek and tells me than a few year in the bottle will be of benefit. In fact, this is a bit of a little 2005 Hoddles Creek! 16.7/20, 89/100. Grab some at around $10!

2006 De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir - Yarra Valley - 13.5%: Another example of Australia, actually make that Victoria, excelling with this grape. Another varietal Pinot Noir at around $10! Riper flavours and sweeter than the Long Flat Destinations, which will probably be more pleasing to others than me. Sweet oak is also more prominent. Ripe, fine tannin is present and pleasing but next to the above wine, the sweetness and oak seems a little unbalanced. Unfortunately, after a few hours, this imbalance gets worse. Nonetheless, you could do a lot worst at this price. 15.5/20, 85/100.

2005 St. Hubert's Cabernet Sauvignon - 14.5%: I really liked quality and sensation of the tannin, especially on the back palate, as they carried the wine flavours, but the dried out, small berry flavours could not be overlooked. Good depth. Good winemaking, but the grapes really needed to be picked earlier, but then again, the tannins might not have been so fine. Nonetheless, enjoyable for my palate but hard to recommend at the $20+ price tag. 16.5/20, 88/100.

2004 Rockford "Eden Valley " Riesling - Eden Valley, SA: Lime, flowers, white mineral. Great balance. Fine, fresh texture. Well balanced. Nice wine. 17.5/20, 91/100.

1997 Tahbilk Marsanne - Goulburn Valley, Vic: Ripe, developed honeysuckle flavour dominates, which is thoroughly enjoyable, but maybe would have been better one or two years ago as it is verging on cloying territory. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. 17/20, 90/100.

2006 Tahbilk Marsanne - Goulburn Valley, Vic: Crunchy acid. Dried flowers and lime. Excellent structure creating a fine, good-lengthed(?) palate. 17/20, 90/100.

1996 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon - Hunter Valley, NSW: Probably the best bottle from my case so far. Colour nearly the same as the 2002. Ripe lemon butter and toasty flavours with sensationally fine acid. 17.5/20, 91/100.

2002 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon - Hunter Valley, NSW: Flavours as expected but a little leaner than I expected. Nonetheless, a focused and elegant palate than will take a few years of age. 16.5/20, 88/100.

2005 Jean-Marc-Brocard "Sainte Claire" Chablis (AC) - Chablis, Burgundy, France: Very classy. Honeydew melon, melon and nectarine throughout the entire palate with loads of fine mineral acids. Intensity and depth. I want more! 18.3/20, 94/100. $35 at Dan's.

2005 Stonier Chardonnay - Mornington Peninsula, Vic: Served its purpose to contrast the Chablis. Very enjoyable melon, nectarine, vanilla and cream on a smooth palate. Looked slightly flabby next to the Chablis, but it always was. A good wine for those who like the creamy style. 16.8/20, 89/100.

2006 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand: Nearly blew my front palate away but seemed as if there was nothing left on the back palate. One for the fruit juckies but even then I don't think this a great example. 16/20, 87/100.

2005 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir - Yarra Valley, Vic: A favourite of mine and still so after the weekend. More ripe red fruits are developing on the front and middle which maybe takes away a little from its focus but it is still the medium bodied Pinot with excellent length and complexity that I think everyone should have in the cellar. 17.7/20, 92/100.

2005 Scotchmans Hill Pinot Noir - Geelong, Vic: Better than the 2004 but the balance of the Hoddles Creek really showed this wine to be lacking. It seemed than slightly green fruit was trying to be covered up by sweet caramel oak. Unsuccessful. 15.5/20, 85/100.

2004 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Coonawarra, SA: Classic, classic, classic Coonawarra Cabernet that I have been missing. Like seeing a good friend again. Great line throughout the entire palate. Classic Cabernet leafiness but totally encapsulated in terrific red and black fruits. Buy for the cellar. 18.2/20, 93/100.

2004 Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon - Barossa Valley, SA: I have had this previously and considered it a very good Cabernet (well, red wine) and exceptional value for money, but next to the 2004 Zema it looked over-oaked and a little disjoined between fruit and acid. It improved over the evening with ripe dark sweet blackberries and peppermint patty chocolate, but never in the same class as the Zema. 16.5/20, 88/100.

1995 Yanmah Ridge Cabernets - Manjimup, WA: At or past its peak depending on your preferences but still a lovely, elegant and very complex wine; full of cedar, gravel, developed red fruit and hints of herbs, capsicum and cigar. 16.8/20, 89/100.

2003 Mount Pleasant Phillip Shiraz - Hunter Valley, NSW: Great vintage; Great Phillip! Bigger, riper core of dark fruits than usual, but heaps of liquorice and leather as well. Fine tannins and integrated acid provide great control. It will take a few years of aging and needs a good breath now. 17.5/20, 91/100.

2005 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz - Barossa Valley, SA: I did not think I would enjoy this given its 15.5% alcohol content but wow what great fruit! Full bodied but with balance and elegance. Alcohol not noticed!!! Lots of dark fruits but nowhere near being a fruit bomb. Exceptional winemaking resulting in savoury aspects and great control. Fine, ripe tannins., Wonderful finish. 18.5/20, 94/100. $39 and worth every cent.

2005 De Bortoli Shioraz Viognier - Yarra Valley, Vic: Very, very classy wine. Full of savoury flavours. Beautifully ripe, dark cherry open up after a day. Good depth and length. Fine tannic structure but there always seems to be just that little too much acid, which I thought would subside after time in the bottle. Nonetheless, sensational value at less than $30. 17.5/20, 91/100.

2005 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay - Yarra Valley, Vic: I stayed away from Chardonnay only until recently. A few quality Victorian producers drew me back: Epis and Curly Flat particularly. This wine reminded me why I left. Don’t get me wrong; this is a wine of serious quality. Beautifully controlled flavours showing its cool climate origins, complex, no flavour dominating. Acid fine and fully integrated assisting in a long finish. Excellent winemaking. But the alcohol! It destroys my sensation of minerals and provides a hot finish - a long hot finish though! When I open a white at 4pm on a Sunday and don’t finish the bottle by bed-time, there is a problem. 16.5/20, 88/100. HH, JO, JH might have enjoyed their 30mL tasting glasses of this wine, but I bet they never sat down to a meal with it. Maybe it will be better tonight!

Kind regards,
Adair

Baby Chickpea wrote:Finally had the Carnival of Love last nite in a Krug marathon - Yay!

Did I like it? Um, sort of. Not as great as Parker says and nowhere near as bad as oliver thinks...somwhere in between for mine....

Am currently writing up notes....

My god Danny

You are not going to be impartial are you???

Lord knows, no one else is!

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Oh god... is it Monday again already?
Oh well, only 3 more days of the Tokyo winter, then it's 3 weeks of holiday sunshine at home on the Gold Coast....

2005 Donnhoff Riesling
The cheapest of the Donnhoff lineup, but superlative in every way. Intoxicating wine of light straw; and grassy aromatics, lifting from the grass with a hint of lime and white fruit. Pink grapefruit dominates lychee, white-fruit, honey and lime nuances on a palate of mild, natural sweetness. A light, fruit syrup texture coats the mouth, while a soft acidity guides it towards a long, mouth-watering finish.

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03 Maurice O'Shea shiraz - first night was acidic, full and mixed in it's impression. Second was a lot more focused, fruit forward and much better. I think it has a very long life ahead but at this stage not quite as good as 2000 vintage. Wait and see 92-93.

2002 Hungerford Hill Reisling .. lets just say I will stay this side of the tassy when tasting Reislings .. unless anyone can direct me to a good < $40NZD Aussie. Was experimenting with the old tastebuds and trying something different. Thinking about doing a Tassy Reisling challenge if we could get three top Aussie Reislings and compare with their Kiwi couterparts

Continuing the current 04 Coonawarra theme

Balnaves Cab Sav 2004
Yet another winner that can only improve with some years in the cellar, the Tally must be something special indeed if this is anything to go by.

Vasse Felix 1997 Shiraz
In the groove lovely aged character with solid fruit still there to support it.

Wirra Wirra RSW 1996
Dissapointing after the Felix, I suspect low level TCA not detectable just a bit flat.

Rosemount Balmoral 1995
Ahh more like it and definately made up for the Wirra lovely complex wine with length to burn.

Anderson Dulcet N/V
Slightly lighter drier style of desert wine very enjoyable.

Seppelt OSS 2002
Agree with Adair on this one nice wine but I think I prefer the 04 with slightly less sweetness and a bit more character.

Glen

Due to 40 + temperatures lately here Ive been a bit quiet on the reds but managed to chill one on Saturday night and partake.

Heritage Wines 2004 Barossa Shiraz

This Shiraz is made from 100% Shiraz grown at Marananga & Greenock.

Lovely wine which has intense colour, showing blackberry and spice on the nose. Smooth on the palate with lovely lingering aftertaste.

I think Adair drinks far too much and needs to bring some more over to NZ on his next trip!!

Share I say .. share

Some wines from Saturday night...

NV Petros Sparlking Brut (Golden Bay)

'01 Te Mania Riesling
'03 Kahurangi Riesling
'01 Mitchelton Marsanne
'05 Neudorf Moutere Riesling

'96 Yalumba D Sparkling Cabernet/Shiraz
NV d'Arenberg The Peppermint Paddock Sparkling Chambourcin

'02 Rosemount GSM
'01 Majella Malleea Cabernet Shiraz
'05 Whistling Buoy Pinot Noir (Canterbury - Akaroa)
'99 Robinsons Cab Sauv (Granite Belt)
'98 Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz

'98 Giesen Reserve Botrytis Riesling
'02 Giesen Reserve Botrytis Riesling
'83 Trittenheimer Auslese

The NV Petros was a surprisingly good example considering the state of the vineyard and general look of the place (along with climate considerations) when viewed as we were driving through Golden Bay some six weeks ago. I thought there were qualities similar to Billecarte, minus the flavour intensity and finish.

The Te Mania Riesling caused a massive split among patrons - the most divided and adamant seperation of opinion I think I've been part of. Excellent nose of fruit, petals and mineral with fusel characters on nose and palate. Half the crowd claimed they tasted dirt, some likening the taste to mychorrizal similarities. I think others may have jumped on a bandwagon, and at the time I thought they all had a screw loose.

Both Sparkling reds went down a treat during the interval between nibblies and lasagne. '02 Rosemount GSM was surprisingly drinkable, the '99 Robinsons from Qld was excellent (suspected Coonawarra blind), the '01 Majella Malleea was a letdown with none of the jubey fruits I'd seen in the past, and the '98 Orlando performed as expected with no shortage of coffee oak.

The '98 Giesen was full-on bot with some astringency (not a patch on the classy '95) and the '02 was too young. The '83 Auslese was drier than exptected but incredibly fresh and young.

There were nine of us, and several jugs of Macs Gold flowed at the pool parlour afterwards. A good time was had.

Cheers,

Sean wrote:Adair,

Thanks for the note on the Zema Estate. I've already got some of it, and based on what you have said (and confirmed what I'm already thinking) I'll buy some more.

You too? Very classy wine for the $18.95 the local barn has it at. After all of the plaudits for Majella and Balnaves 04s (especially The Tally - too expensive for me) the Zema seems to be getting a bit of well-deserved attention.

Cheers

daz

1995 Yarra Yering Underhill shiraz (Yarra) [cork, 13%]
Glowing garnet - a glorious colour. Not a nose for the purist perhaps, with lashings of damp earth, rotting timber, exotic spice, and all laced with VA. Wonderfully complex and lush. The volatility is a little intrusive on the palate, true, but the soft earthy forest-floor flavours are wonderful, although the tannins have almost completely melted away. Not huge on the palate, but with some persistence, and just enough warmth to be interesting. Lovely stuff, but drink within the next year or two.

cheers,
Graeme

After taking a trip to New Zeland the other month I have been getting stuck into the Pinot Noir

Escarpment 2004 ($45) - as always my favourite PN, great drop

Te Kairanga 2004 - Also from martinborough, and around $22 I think. Okay, but not that of the Escarpment, quite earthy on the nose with some spice and plums coming through on the palate. As I say not bad, but for slightly more I would go with Strugglers Flat ($28ish)

I am finally enjoying living in Australia .. I mean I arrived last year, English sport was in tatters .. then we got white washed in the Ashes ... but then I see both England and NZ walk away with thorpies ... life is on the up ... well until the cricket World Cup

Adair wrote:2005 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay - Yarra Valley, Vic: I stayed away from Chardonnay only until recently. A few quality Victorian producers drew me back: Epis and Curly Flat particularly. This wine reminded me why I left. Don’t get me wrong; this is a wine of serious quality. Beautifully controlled flavours showing its cool climate origins, complex, no flavour dominating. Acid fine and fully integrated assisting in a long finish. Excellent winemaking. But the alcohol! It destroys my sensation of minerals and provides a hot finish - a long hot finish though! When I open a white at 4pm on a Sunday and don’t finish the bottle by bed-time, there is a problem. 16.5/20, 88/100. HH, JO, JH might have enjoyed their 30mL tasting glasses of this wine, but I bet they never sat down to a meal with it. Maybe it will be better tonight!

For what is it worth, I opened a bottle of 2005 Epis Chardonnay after I finishing off the 2005 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay last night to make sure that it was not my palate that had the problem (or, at least, changed) but I can confirm that the Epis was and is in the same echelon as my previous bottle over a month ago, one much higher than the Coldstream Hills. Controlled fruit and heaps of minerals. At least 95/100!

Adair

BenK wrote:2000 Henschke Julius Riesling - very good (Screwcap)
2000 Grosset Semillon Sav Blanc - surprsingly ageworthy, gluggaable (Cork)
2004 Pipers Brook Estate Pinot - less green and stalky than the previous time I tried. Acceptable (Screwcap)
2004 Savaterre Pinot - Sensaational

Yeah, that 2000 Julius was nice.... even if I did have to get you out of bed to drink it with me!

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A couple of Tas Riesling worth trying 2004 &2 005 Bream Creek are super stars. 2004 Pooley is excellent. Freycinet 2004 is also very good, not sure if 2005 released yet. I have a bottle of 2004 Pipers Brook to try.