The Auswine Forum

I notice that Wickman's Wine Auction are hosting a Noons vertical tasting of both Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Cabernet and a dinner accompanied by several good vintages of Eclipse.

Any of the Adelaide based guys, and there's heaps of you I believe, going to this as I'd love to see some TNs or thoughts.

Bump!

Notes?

cheers

Carl

I didn't go to this dinner, so I'm waiting to read some TNs with the rest of you guys.

Sorry about the tardiness of reply here but I've just found my scribbled notes in a coat pocket.

This was an excellent event, thanks to Mark Wickman and Drew Noon for putting it together. A full house (of course) of thirty diners and tasters, including Silkwood from this forum, five of those dastardly Blacktongues and half a dozen who flew in from Sydney for the event.

Whilst I drink a reasonable amount of Noons, I just don't have enough of each vintage to look at an extended line up so the opportunity here was much appreciated.

Before dinner we did a selection of Reserve Shiraz and a selection of Reserve Cabernet from both lesser and classic years. The Cabernet line up was equally impressive as the Shiraz line up. As a group they were outstanding and for those who reckon higher alcohol wines may not age, it was an eye opener.

Both 1997s were ready to drink, supple with the Shiraz still having plenty of rich ripe fruit and the Cabernet showing nice blackcurrant.

The 1998 Shiraz was still closed, ripe fruit but a classy fineness to it, excellent. Even better was the 1998 Cabernet, huge, intense, powerful fruit but in no way unbalanced, just sheer class, best of the Cab line up.

The 1999 Shiraz was my and many others WOTN. Outstanding wine, still tight and intense with powerful berry fruit and a waft of spice, fine tannins and very long. Will live alot longer. The 1999 Cabernet was a big wine with lovely red berry fruit, classy and drinks well now but behind the 1998 in rank.

The 2001 Shiraz is a big rich opulent style, tar & ashphalt on the nose, ripe but not overripe palate, good structure, plenty of length, it shows it's from a hot year. The 2002 Cabernet was classy with blackcurrant, a little mint, ripeness and slippery in the mouth with good length.

More later as I've run out of time!

Sorry guys, I ran out of time yesterday as I had to get to the Great Shiraz Challenge tasting.

The 2004's were both very impressive and may be classics in the 1998/99 mould. The Reserve Shiraz was ripe with spices and sweet fruit, still very tight but displaying real finesse, fine tannins and a very long finish. The Reserve Cabernet had lovely blackberry intensity, excellent balance, again a very long palate.

Sorry about the brevity of some of the notes but there was alot of tasting to do and alot of talking done and not much time devoted to the notes.

Thanks again to Mark & Drew, put me down as a starter for the next one!

Thanks for the notes on the cabernet and the shiraz. I shall have to look at the 99 again (crosses fingers that I have any left).

I foolishly tried the 2004 shiraz shortly after shipment and it was looking like an ugly duckling and to be honest I thought 'Oh dear' but it sounds as though it has grown up a bit since then

Any thoughts on the Eclipse vertical?

cheers

Carl

Sorry, forgot about the Eclipses, we did 98, 02 & 04 with dinner, all very good wines, in fact I often prefer the Eclipse to the rest of the range.

Didn't take any TNs, was too busy wandering around meeting people by then.

I'm drinking a few 03s at home at present, very good wine with any food I'm finding. Might need to hit the auctions to stock up on some more of this vintage.

- "the half dozen who flew in from Sydney (707 above)"
Report: Well- lucky us for Mark allowing us off-worlders in! Never have been able to taste Noon's before so a golden opportunity not to be missed for us. Wow! - has Robert Parker been active or what on S.A.'s younger makers? Talk about a plethora high alcohol wines here and about in recent years - especially from younger makers!!
Unfortunately for us old fogies - fans of more 'traditional' styles (i.e no higher alcohol than maybe 14/14.5% or so) most of the wines tasted had alcohol well evident on the nose and some of the had it on taste also. This was particularly evident in the blend where 3 vintages were offered. Only in the hallmark years of the Shiraz and Cab.Savs was there enough body and fruit to cover the obvious alcohol taste - even then though - not the smell.
Still, that aside, all of the wines are clearly right on the money of young Drew's apparent aim so we can't whinge about that and he sells it all anyway each year in rapid fast fashion and at top prices so the problem is clearly with us.
Just not our thing it would seem and since they are largely unobtainable anyway except through the secondary market here's no real problem for anyone involved.

jimmyk wrote:- Well- lucky us for Mark allowing us off-worlders in!

Yeah !! Real lucky, if I had known you were from interstate I would never have let you through the doors !

Still, that aside, all of the wines are clearly right on the money of young Drew's apparent aim so we can't whinge about that and he sells it all anyway each year in rapid fast fashion and at top prices so the problem is clearly with us.

.

I wouldn't say they are at "top prices", especially the cellar door price.