The Auswine Forum

time to let us know what you have been drinking.

Tasting Notes, vibes or lists welcome.

In my case I cracked an Winter Creek 2001 Shiraz to see how its doing. Very well but still needs a bit more time, likewise the Kalleske 2003 Grenache which is turning out to be a lovely wine but is still tight and youthful.

Just been to the DM Shiraz-a-thon.
My picks but remember it is shiraz:

03 Brokenwood Rayner
02 Mitchelton Print
04 St Hallett Blackwell
04 RWT
03 St Henri
03 Bwsts Bin O
04 Fox Creen Reserve
01 Peter Lehmann Stonewell
03 Katnook Prodigy
05 Dalwhinnie Moonambel

Graham

Had a string of Dom Perignon's last night with the 66 and 82 standouts. And a super 82 Grange! TNs to follow.....

2003 Paracombe Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon ( $34 ) : a still youthful dry Red chosen to accompany a mixed grill for 2 at the Argentinian restaurant last night. No kidding I reckon I ate close to 2 kg of meat there - not bad for an 11 stone weakling !

As I type I am enjoying a partly mature 2004 Leconfield Coonawarra Old Vines Riesling. Along the same lines I liked a 2003 Capel Vale West Australia Riesling and a 2005 Skillogalee Clare Valley Gerwurtzraminer which had a nice rich honied aspect to it. All of these bought from bottle shops for under $20 each. Especially commendable for high QPR was a humble but varietal and decent length giving 2005 Hardys Nottage Hill Riesling from South Australia for all of $7 !

And to add just a bit more to the Aussie current account deficit I really enjoyed a very characterful and rich 2002 Josmeyer Alsace Gerwurtztraminer ( $ 33 ) and a 2004 Le Pigeoulet des Brunier Vin de Pays de Vaucluse ( $ 19 ) which seemed to be a nice lightish but " roasted capsicum " Rhone like Red. I understand the producer also makes the famous Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape.

Lastly can I say that my eyes lit up at 2 stelvin capped Bordeaux - both a red and a white from the producer of Lynch Bages. They are named " Michel Lynch " and are from the 2005 vintage. These were about $20 each. The white is not bad in a nice understated way - however the Red was pretty ordinary IMHO with a fair dose of the " hairdressers salon " that I don't like.

Anyway I'm off to decant a 2003 Nepenthe Zin' to round off the weekend.........

GrahamB wrote:Just been to the DM Shiraz-a-thon.
My picks but remember it is shiraz:

03 Brokenwood Rayner
02 Mitchelton Print
04 St Hallett Blackwell
04 RWT
03 St Henri
03 Bwsts Bin O
04 Fox Creen Reserve
01 Peter Lehmann Stonewell
03 Katnook Prodigy
05 Dalwhinnie Moonambel

Graham

Were the Grange and Magill on tasting too Graham?

Ive only read good things about the 04 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz so not suprised to see it in your top group.

Also went to the DM shiraz-o-thon (camberwell, Melb)

my picks:
02 grange (very good, more approachable than 01)
04 Henscke Mt. Edelstone (probably my WOTD)
04 Fox creek reserve
04 Penfolds RWT
03 Bests bin 0
03 St Henri (not as good as 02 IMHO)
01 stonewell (also tried 00 which may have been tainted, but 01 superior)
?V Mt Langi Ghiran (very good)
04 Torbreck Factor (intersting, but wouldn't buy at its price, nor drink regularly for stylistic reasons)

Many people liked the Best's and the Eileen Hardy, but unfortunately out of the 3 bottles of EH that were opened, i tasted from the 2 that were seemingly tainted.

Despite the shiraz madness, I ended up buying the 04 Dalwhinnie Cabernet. I've had it before and I find it quite enjoyable.

AJ

platinum wrote:

GrahamB wrote:Just been to the DM Shiraz-a-thon.
My picks but remember it is shiraz:

03 Brokenwood Rayner
02 Mitchelton Print
04 St Hallett Blackwell
04 RWT
03 St Henri
03 Bwsts Bin O
04 Fox Creen Reserve
01 Peter Lehmann Stonewell
03 Katnook Prodigy
05 Dalwhinnie Moonambel

Graham

Were the Grange and Magill on tasting too Graham?

Ive only read good things about the 04 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz so not suprised to see it in your top group.

Grange was (managed 2 tastes) but NO Magill

Graham

Penfolds Bin 407 1998 In very good nick. Lovely drink. Smooth, blackurranty, ever-so-slightly minty cabernet.
Wild Duck Creek Alan's Cabernets 2000. Also in very good nick. Very similar mouthfeel and classic cabernet characteristics to the Bin 407. Just a tad mintier, but not too minty.

Loved them both, after a few weeks without access to the cellar (long story) and being forced to drink just-bought-from-the-shop reds. What a pleasure to get my hands on some bottle-aged reds!

2001 Rockford Rifle Range Cab Sav...Lovely
2000 kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz...Good, but not brilliant

2001 Houghton White Burgundy
My aim of cellaring half a dozen of these very year had a hicup, so nothing between 97 and 01. Saturday night I felt like an old HWB and though it was earlier than planned opened the first aged 01.
Heck is this a good one. Drier than I might have expected but fabulous length and complexity. Probably would have picked as a Riesling blind. Sort of wish I had a case or two rather than 5 bottles. For under $10 a bottle this is one of the great wine bargains.

1998 Petersons Shiraz
I have questions over this wine. It opened with the acid out of whack. I would guess the acid ajustment was slightly too high - but no doubt someone will tell me it had none. In the glass came up nicely once the acid had settled down.

2004? First Creek Viogner
I think this was this week - perhaps I should have checked first on last weeks post
Inclined to saying Viogner should be bottled in halves. It keeps its interest for only half a bottle. The cliched overt stone fruit. Quite nice over 2 nights.

2002 d'Arenberg D'Arry's Original
This is drinking quite nicely, no hurries will probably improve further.

2004 Wyndham Estate Bin 555
Brought by a guest earlier in the week. Then I hear it has supposedly won a serious gold at an Italian show. Alright time to try it. Almost fall asleep writing it up - that boring - short and one dimensional, one glass was enough. Which reminded me I had a glass afterwards of:

1998 Noon VP
First day opened bit boring. 5 days later - yum a Noon I still enjoy, rich long, licorice, chocolate, berries.

deleted

Playing with the wino-matic machines at FWNZ again ... $18 a sip for each Grange but worth it just to try (side-by-side) -

Penfolds Grange 1986 - great wine, lovely balance: I start to see why people say Grange develops like top Bdx.
Penfolds Grange 1996 - greater wine. Tightly coiled power yet not muscular. Fantastic stuff. Having tasted 1990 last year and 1986, this seems like a late developer ... love to try in 15 years.

Interestingly these two bottles were less than half full, the 2002 Grange (also there) was over 80% full.

Also tried the new 2004 707 which was impressive but half a notch down on these, admittedly great, Granges.
If I were going to buy one, it would be the 1996 Grange.

Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone 2005. Have bought this producer before. Good in good years. Very nice wine, fresh and elegant. Will try a CdR Villages next week on this basis.

Jay

Voyager Estate Shiraz 2003
First the 2002 disappointed me and now the 03. I found this to be fairly unimpressive, soft and flat with some unpleasant rough patches and scrawny, unpleasant fruit. Hardly an appropriate description for a wine but this just did not thrill me at all. Their other wines, on the other hand, I think are fantastic.

Lawsons Padthaway Shiraz 2000
Missing the mint slice effect of my two most recent bottles, this was all class, full, a deep well of vigorous, velveteen fruit and tannin. Dropped off a touch by the end but otherwise very poised.

Stonehaven 1998 Limited Release Shiraz
Been cellared fairly roughly but still shone through, quite rustic and meaty with a vein of fruit sweetness amidst a flutter of musty oak. Good, solid wine.

Brook Eden Pinot Noir 2005
A bit unsure about this one. Quite bitter and angular - I suspect it's a touch young for me, plenty of overt ripe fruit and depth but needs time to settle in a bit. Hope the next one is an improvement.

Orlando Steingarten Riesling 2005
Pure, crisp and fresh riesling with a touch of lemon. Quite young and fairly undeveloped, I suspect this will bloom beautifully in time. Eg. the 02 developing fantastically at last taste.

Rockford Basket Press 2003
Still as big as the last bottle. Took some time to settle down, massive, inky and oaklicked fruit with some slight tobacco characters. Quite obvious, balanced, drinkable.

Bethany Shiraz Cabernet 2004
Simple, oaky, quite drinkable but nothing amazing.

1994 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz Merlot

Purchased and cracked open to compare with the 1999 I recently opened. The 1994 has held it together much better, still primary with delicious fruit flavours and dryer lasting tannins. The bottle was in superb condition, given the same bottle, it could last another 5 years.. amazingly.

Paullie wrote:1994 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz Merlot

Purchased and cracked open to compare with the 1999 I recently opened. The 1994 has held it together much better, still primary with delicious fruit flavours and dryer lasting tannins. The bottle was in superb condition, given the same bottle, it could last another 5 years.. amazingly.

I opened a magnum of the 1994 black label cabernet in January. It was excellent.

Graham

GrahamB wrote: I opened a magnum of the 1994 black label cabernet in January. It was excellent. Graham

1994 Wynns Black has been a sleeper that is only now starting to blossom and showing no sign of tiredness, will be very long lived.

Agree with Wayno on the 2003 Rockford Basket Press, much better than the vintage suggests, a big mouthful of wine now and more attractive than any number of immediately prior vintages and the 2004.

2004 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz - the best bottle of this vintage I've had. Lots of upfront chocolate and plum with a long, earthy finish.

2001 Devils Lair Cabernet Sauvignon - wow, this has really come along sionce last year. It was so good its impossible to see it getting better, though will plateau for many years.

1990 Yalumba The Signature - a bit of a letdown. Lacked complexity and length.

1999 Moet et Chandon - toothpaste like finish was my only memory of this. Disappointing.

2003 Branaire Ducru - verging on a fruit bomb. Pass.

1998 Dom Perignon - lemon, lime characteristics, nice length. I think this is great to drink while its young.

Only one really notable this week.

Marius Shiraz 2003
Not had one for about 12 months and this stuff just keeps getting better. Still a few years off its peak but I don't know if I can keep my hands off the rest for that long.

Glen

Grand Cru wrote:

GrahamB wrote: I opened a magnum of the 1994 black label cabernet in January. It was excellent. Graham

1994 Wynns Black has been a sleeper that is only now starting to blossom and showing no sign of tiredness, will be very long lived.

Agree with Wayno on the 2003 Rockford Basket Press, much better than the vintage suggests, a big mouthful of wine now and more attractive than any number of immediately prior vintages and the 2004.

Whilst I like the 03 BP, I tried the 04 BP at cellar door the other day and was admittedly pretty impressed. Beautiful, balanced, full and delicious. Quite drinkable now but with heaps of time to get better. Better than the 03 IMO - if "better" is quite the right word. Also tried a 94 BP whilst there which was pretty good too, very mellow and leathery and reminded me that the BP style is actually pretty medium bodied, just with lots of Barossa signature style.

BTW, standard cellar door all sold out of BP, Rifle Range 04 but BP still on tap for Stonewallers and half bottles of Rifle Range. 2002 BP Magnums for 120 I think. Black Shiraz magnums for 150 I think... memory blurry and inconsistent...

BTW, standard cellar door all sold out of BP, Rifle Range 04 but BP still on tap for Stonewallers and half bottles of Rifle Range. 2002 BP Magnums for 120 I think. Black Shiraz magnums for 150 I think... memory blurry and inconsistent...

I thought it was $250 for Black Shiraz magnum

Maybe so, very nice but a touch rich for my blood.

Drinking the 2001 Yarrabank as I type. Good but does not impress greatly at the price of around $30, despite this wine being under cork and not TCA affected, my previous bottle of 2001 Yarrabank under DIAM was so. It has harmonious citrus and autolysis flavours of enjoyable proportions but the acid structure does not excite my back palate and thus loses to the class of the best of Chandon - say the 2002 BdB, no dosage and vintage and 2003 Rose and BdB. 17/20, 90/100.

Now a bunch of cheap Chardonnays quaffed for a mate's wedding:

2006 Wynns Chardonnay - 13%: High quality fruit with maybe just slightly heavy-handed sweet French oak for my palate on fine, relatively long structure. A quality albeit slightly simple Chardonnay but very good at $10. 88/100.

2006 Long Flat Destinations Chardonnay - not quite as good as the Pinot under this label but still a sensational wine for the price. Performs better as it warms. Great (read: very judicious) oak handling. In a similar mould to the Pinot Noir with long structure but flavours slightly too "cool" for the punter. My favourite wine of the test and its quality shows on the second day with more stonefruit flavours. Great value at around $10. Like the Pinot, it will age. 89/100.

2004 Knappstein Chardonnay - Age, ripeness and oak starting to fall over the belt. Very good quaffer when chilled and just opened, but loses appeal shortly after. 86/100.

2005 Knappstein Chardonnay - Around $14 but due to First Choice special on the 2004 at $9.90 by the case, was able to buy at the same price at DM. Selected as the Chardonnay for the wedding primarily for its fine acid structure with mineral elements that held the ripe fruit and oak well... although it was just starting cloy after 6 or so hours but these wine only need to dance for the punters for an hour or two. 88/100.

Had a couple more wines this week but have yet to write up.

Kind regards,
Adair