The Auswine Forum

Time for your weekly guzzling reports. TN's vibes and impressions welcome.

My best wine this week was:

Zema Estate 2004 Family Selection Shiraz June 07

The cool climate origins are noticeable with black pepper dominating the aroma which also shows sweet vanillin oak notes and dark fruits; all in all, very attractive. Its' a muscular weight wine that is well balanced with abundant, slightly powdery tannins, refreshing acid and deep, strong, intense fruit; yet despite this description, given time, it should turn into something more elegant, and special. There is a modicum of genteel Coonawarra class to the wine too. The flavour profile is delightful with perfectly ripe, vibrant fruit wafting through the palate; pepper, high-tone blackberry and milk chocolate which finishes long and dry. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine reaches its peak about 2012. Anyone who thinks Coonawarra Shiraz is second rate to the warmer regions of SA, needs to try this wine.

nothing iconic this week, but 2004 Saltrams Mamre Brook Shiraz has been installed as the house red for the winter. At $17.50 kiwi paso, who would bother with $15 shiraz. Love it, its fresh, dark and sensible oak handling

Friday - A 1991 St Joseph (Rhone - red) from the improbably named J Marsanne. Holding together well, but not sure aged Rhone (at sensible price levels) ever offers the complexity I seek from ageing. Not disimilar to previous aged C9duP, with that body of raspberry sitting there in the background (or foreground in some cases). At least this was good value at shy of £10. Gigondas at a relatively young age seems to offer best value for us, but will give Cornas and Hermitage a whirl somewhere along the line.

Saturday (as well as the remaining glass each of the St Joseph)

• 1954 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Piemonte Nebbiolo Spanna Campi Raudii - Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC (6/30/2007)
  Having experienced this wine before, expectations weren't too high and as I was opening it said "It will definitely be fading".
  
  Fading perhaps, but stonking with it!
  
  Cork was pretty soft & soaked and came out in two pieces. The level was a concerning, (albeit unsurprising with it's age) upper shoulder
  
  The colour is edging from claret to mahogany with the red tones hanging in there - just. The browning at the rim has a touch of amber, but not as much as I've noticed in other older nebbiolos. This one definitely darker and heading towards brown.
  
  The nose is certainly very mature, with a fair degree of sweet decaying fruit giving it an overall caramelly nose (in a good way, this descriptor cuts both ways for me). There's some earthy mushroom in there and a nice fresh lift (VA?) that fits well, perhaps a touch of sweet spice as well?
  
  On the palate there's a degree of sweetness and balancing refreshing acidity that matches really well. Relatively light in body, with a finish that isn't powerful, but long and complex (it almost fades away, yet seems to come back again, and again). Works very well with food (in this case roast chicken with a porcini and Morel gravy). On it's own, perhaps the acidity dominates the finish and makes it a little drying. Still a minor quibble.
  
  _______________________________________
  
  For comparison, another note from earlier in the year at a (mostly) aged nebbiolo tasting. Similarities show my narrow wine vocabulary I'm sure . Interesting as to why tonight's wine was enjoyed more - perhaps a better bottle, palate variation, or maybe it just looked better on it's own than in a larger line-up.
• 1954 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Piemonte Nebbiolo Spanna Campi Raudii - Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC (1/28/2007)
  Colour-wise, this was really showing it's age, with a mahogany colour and little hint of red left. However the colour was quite deep. Fill level was upper shoulder IIRC. The nose had a strong tertiary mushroom nose, with shades of licorice and medicinal sweetness. Certainly impressive and complex. On the palate the dominant mushroom aromas were replicated, together with the licorice. Initially it fell away quite quickly on the finish, though with a little air, it held up slightly better and some caramel notes appeared. Overall highly enjoyable, but definitely on the slide and you have to appreciate aged characters to get the same enjoyment I did.

Sorry if this has gone on a bit

Loads of bits and pieces

Ashton Hills 2005 Pinot Noir
Plum, full of flavour and nice balance. Quite Adelaide Hillsesque! Nice.

DeBortoli Gulf Station Pinot 2006
Showed quite strongly up against the Ashton Hills- lighter, in both colour and body but nice textured warm mouthfeel. Simple but a cheap delight!

Henschke Keyneton Estate 2002
Lovely wine, very Barossa specific in it's character. Quite medium bodied, tons of rounded sweet fruit and good oak, vanilla ice cream buried in amongst the redfruit brambles. Tops.

Hastwell and Lightfoot Cabernet 2001
A touch salty and meaty - rather savoury wine with a pretty rustic quality.

Kooyoong Massale Pinot Noir 2006
Light style, not as impressive as my last bottle, still exhibiting curt, chalky tannins and the fruit not quite so obvious this time. Pretty refreshing early dinner wine and complemented the always excellent Kenji tasting platter well.

Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz 2000
Very full of flavour with tons of fruit and a bit of Huntery leather which seemed to blow away after a short time. Showing nice secondary characters and I would think this has got quite some time left, based on this bottle.

Pikes Shiraz 2002
Nice, lifted, lively and approachable shiraz with muscle but not overbearing. A bit of a blast after the Rosehill but enjoyable and pretty good value as well.

2007 Paracombe Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ( $22 ) : first 07 wine for me. Ultra lemon fresh passionfuity nose that brings to mind a nice white linen shirt hanging out to dry in the fresh breeze ( or something like that ). I agree with someone on this forum who was saying that Paracombe have lost the plot a bit with their Reds recently as they seem to be getting bigger and bigger. However this white was good.

2006 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio Alto Adige Sudtirol Italy ( $20 ) : in stelvin. Pinot Grigio/Gris is my least favourite white as I almost always find it " heavy going " after just one glass. I occasionally buy one in the hope that I'll like it but even this Italian one was too fruity and heavy for my stern white wine palate !

2005 PATRIZI Roero Arneis Italy ( $20 ) : ah , this is more my style - nice and dry and subdued. Not bad match with blue eyed trevalla fish and braised fennel. Enjoyed the last glass watching Port Power kick the ball backwards in the dying minutes against Brisbane !

2005 RUSDEN Barossa Valley Ripper Creek Cabernet Shiraz ( $33 ) : Cork. 15.5% alc. I was much looking forward to this wine having tried a couple other Rusden wines this year. Sadly I reckon this was bretty in that "metallic" way that distracts from what other positive aspects the wine might have had to show. Also seemed a bit " pricked". Perhaps a bad bottle ? Disappointing.

2006 Spinifex Papillon Barossa Valley Grenache Cinsault Carignan ( $ 27 ) : stelvin. Youthful raspberry rhubarb Barossa health tonic. Nice.

Voyager Estate 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Margaret River, 14%
- Bought and consumed far too young as a taster to see if I should buy more (which I just did). This is lovely Margaret River blended cabernet - full of blackcurrant and gravel and appealing dusty characters, as well as a little olive. The tannins mass quickly, being fine and drying, in good combination with heaps of bright, tight acid. This will make old bones. Very good value as well, compared to other current release MR cabernets.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate 2001 Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, Coonawarra, 14%
- Another taster of a few, to see how it is travelling. Well, it turns out. There is a sense of shiraz 'bulking' through the palate on this, but enough evident cabernet to work with the food (veal marsalla). There is a hint of slackness in the tannins here, though still excellent acid. I'll drink my remaining bottles of this over the next few years, rather than longer term storage.

Lark Hill 2004 Pinot Noir, Canberra, 13.5%.
- My lucky dip with Lark Hill's pinots continues. I'm usually not significantly disappointed with their wines, but even within a single vintage of a single wine they can vary a great deal. I guess this is to be expected from their 'living wines' philosophy, and things like tartrate crusts are easily managed. This bottle took a long time to open up, presenting at the beginning a fairly simple and light profile of cherries, but with several hours in the decanter a good mix of red fruits and caramel came out. The finish is certainly shorter than the last release of their reserve pinot I've had, but worked well with organic chicken schnitzel and buttered steamed vegetables.

At a dinner earlier in the week at the Ginger Room I had a good (though fading) Lustau manzanilla, some excellent Ashton Hills pinot noir (2003, I think) and a 2000 Guigal Crozes Hermitage that was drunk too quickly before it really opened up.

I tried a range of Peter Lehmann stuff at an instore Thursday - in recent years I've found them more hit and miss, and this was a case of more of the latter:

The 2006 Riesling was solid Eden Valley fare, tight and pithy but not a patch on the exotic 2005.

The 2001 Semillon is right in its drinking window now, very nice but already there's signs of the finish starting to dry out.

The 2004 Barossa Shiraz fairly lightweight and oaky, it's decent but looks to have really dropped weight in recent years (then again it's still only $17)

The 2004 Barossa Cabernet on the other hand still punches well above its weight and price range.

Does anyone seriously like the 2002 Shiraz Muscadelle?

The 2004 Eden Valley Shiraz was tight, minty, mid-weight and elegant, my favourite of the Shiraz.

The 2004 Futures Shiraz was too porty, oaky and clumsy, with some alcohol heat on the finish.

The 2002 Mentor Cabernet blend was my favourite of the tasting followed by daylight; it's a complex wine with a fair whack of oak, but it has the structure & fruit to handle it. Great drinking now and very cellar-friendly.

I didn't think much of the 2002 Eight Songs Shiraz either - already very stocky and leathery, lacking punch and length for the price, especially compared to the Mentor.

Cheers,
Ian

n4sir wrote:Does anyone seriously like the 2002 Shiraz Muscadelle?

** Yes. I received 2 free bottles with an order of the '04 Shiraz and Cabernet. And I thought it was bloody wonderful. I really appreciated the slightly sweet edge and characters reminiscent of fine Tokay that were imparted by the Muscadelle component.

It went wonderfully with a Thai green curry (with chicken).

I will be ordering some more. Anyone know of retailers stocking this on the cheap? Or is it CD only?

Stuart

beef wrote:

n4sir wrote:Does anyone seriously like the 2002 Shiraz Muscadelle?

** Yes. I received 2 free bottles with an order of the '04 Shiraz and Cabernet. And I thought it was bloody wonderful. I really appreciated the slightly sweet edge and characters reminiscent of fine Tokay that were imparted by the Muscadelle component.

It went wonderfully with a Thai green curry (with chicken).

I will be ordering some more. Anyone know of retailers stocking this on the cheap? Or is it CD only?

Stuart

It's basically CD only Stuart.

The reason I asked is because for the last few years they've wheeled out this particular CD-only 2002 wine to this instore, and it's very rare to hear a kind word about it and it doesn't sell. The bottles have been overly brown & stocky/leathery resembling something that's slightly oxidised, and that's been scarily consistent over the years.

I guess it could be a style I just don't get, but I could say the same thing about Eight Songs too.

Cheers,
Ian

n4sir wrote:It's basically CD only Stuart.

The reason I asked is because for the last few years they've wheeled out this particular CD-only 2002 wine to this instore, and it's very rare to hear a kind word about it and it doesn't sell. The bottles have been overly brown & stocky/leathery resembling something that's slightly oxidised, and that's been scarily consistent over the years.

I guess it could be a style I just don't get, but I could say the same thing about Eight Songs too.

Cheers,
Ian

** You mean the actual colour of the wine was brown? Or it somehow tasted "brown"? Either way, your comments are completely at odds with what I experienced from my bottle.

IIRC, the colour was a deep red/black. It was an extremely full-bodied wine, with the fruit up front and singing, and a back-bone of very fine tannins carrying through to the long finish. And all across the palate were subtle undertones of fine, ever-so-slightly-sweet Tokay. I don't know about improvement potential, but it's certainly not falling over any time soon.

Maybe your retailer got a bad batch, and continues to trot out bottles from that same bad batch, year after year.

When I order some more, I shall try another. And report back.

Stuart

beef wrote:
When I order some more, I shall try another. And report back.

In fact, I'll take a bottle to the next Brisbane Wine Club dinner, and see what everyone thinks.

beef wrote:** You mean the actual colour of the wine was brown? Or it somehow tasted "brown"? Either way, your comments are completely at odds with what I experienced from my bottle.

IIRC, the colour was a deep red/black. It was an extremely full-bodied wine, with the fruit up front and singing, and a back-bone of very fine tannins carrying through to the long finish. And all across the palate were subtle undertones of fine, ever-so-slightly-sweet Tokay. I don't know about improvement potential, but it's certainly not falling over any time soon.

Maybe your retailer got a bad batch, and continues to trot out bottles from that same bad batch, year after year.

When I order some more, I shall try another. And report back.

Stuart

The colour wasn't quite brown but a lot browner than I expected - it was a dull brick red, nothing like the deep red/black you describe; also it would have been mid-weight at best, with the fruit very stocky/leathery and the finish tired and dry.

The first time we tried it we thought it was oxidised, queried the presenter and was told it was the particular style and not to everyone's tastes. A number of bottles over the last few years (and one at CD) have been exactly the same - the outlet in question is about the only one apart from CD who stock the wine and it could possibly be a bad batch, although I'm puzzled why they would continue to present the stuff if that's the case.

Good luck with your order - I hope you guys get the good stuff!

Cheers,
Ian

Hewitson Miss Harry GSM 2005
Sunday night dinner with home made beef, beetroot and olive pie! Quite simple but with a liveliness and youth that was very appealling and matched well with the rich flavours of the pie. Slightly gamey qualities just discernable beyond the full, primary fruit flavours and run of the mill oak backbone. In context, just about perfect although the pie would easily have given a fuller bodied wine a good run for it's dosh as well.

Picardy Chardonnay 2005: Melon, peaches and a fair whack of spicy buttery oak on the nose. The palate is generous with melon and white fleshed stonefruit but pretty oaky early. As the wine breathed, the sweet oak was less apparent with the wine becoming drier and more savoury. Good length and acidity. Nice stuff

Torbreck 'The Gask' Shiraz 2005: Wow, what a nose! Cool eden valley fruit nose of blue berry and blackberries with floral aromatics, clove spice and pepper. The palate is in the full bodied, supple Torbreck mode - very alluring indeed. Great depth of flavour here - blueberry, plums, pepper, deli meat, milk chocolate, espresso and smokey oak. Fine tannins draw through the slightly warm finish. Great wine in the bigger Torbreck style.

Noons Eclipse 2005: the nose shows liquered plums, berries and some vanilla, coffee oak as well as a touch of aniseed. The palate is densely flavoured with raspberry, plums, blackberry, licorice and dark chocolate. What you expect and want from an Eclipse. Soft tannins and warmth but no imbalanced alcohol warmth.

This week I tried two Californian wines to satisfy a curiosity. I've heard from people at work (and in Sideways) that Cali Chardonnay is far too oaky with too much malo. The Newton Chardonnay 2003 was exactly that. I liken it to chewing on a piece of fresh Paw Paw dipped in oak chips. My parents thought it was pretty good, but I suppose they're used to the old school Chardy's from the 80's and 90's. I also opened a bottle of Etoile which is made by Domaine Chandon California. The fruit is a blend of Napa and Sonoma and is an extended Yeast age, Late disgorged Cuvee. Quite delicate, fine bead, a little crisp due to it's low dosage of 3g per litre (reminded me of Chandon ZD if anyone has tried it?). Clean and fresh, quite a nice drop.

Managed to drink a few wines as well as too much beer when watching the rugby ... oh the pain a Brit has when they watch Australia win (again!)

Voyager Estate Cab/Mer 2000 - Decided to try this as wanted to see whether I would like the style and therefore buy some of the highly rated 2003. On this ocassion, the simple answer no. I found it a bit too herbal and earthy for me so none of the '03 for me

Torbreck Steading 2003 - Had this over two days. I found it pretty closed on the first day, but alot better on the 2nd. I really rather enjoyable drop with plums and red currants coming through.

Tyrrells Pinot Noir ($8.50) - Wanted to try something cheap, as already have my fav PN (Escarpment (especially the 2004)). This went down really easily with a pizza, strawberries, rasberries. An easy, refreshing drink which you can't complain for the price.

02 Kays Hillside Shiraz
Too young. Lots of oak.The second night it had integrated a bit, and was mixed with the following wine!

99 Greenock creek Creek Block Shiraz
Opened after the Kays, and it was not very exciting. Showed vegemite, and stewed fruit. The second night it had come together, but was made in the huge ripe, full of everything style, but not quite right. Still a good wine, and when mixed with the Kays, both improved.

02 Two Hands Bellas Barossa Shiraz
A favourite. Well made, not over the top, good fruit, balanced.

02 Two Hands Bad Impersonator Single Vinyard Barossa Shiraz
Another favourite. Not overdone, balanced, more personality than the Bellas. Very good wine

05 Koltz "The Pagan" Shiraz
This has to be the best young wine I have drunk in years. The grapes were picked, then layed in racks for 6 weeks, then pressed. It shows impeccable balance, beautiful rich fruit, and oak in the background.
Its from Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale. Simply sensational.

91 Mt Edelstone
Opened up with a little vegemite, so decanted it. Took about an hour for it to settle, then it was very good. Probable near its peak, but will keep, if you like old wines.

04 Mitolo GAM
I have been reading how good this is, so opened one. Yup, its very good. Fairly balanced, but needs a couple more years for the oak to integrate.

05 Glaetzer Amon Ra
Opened my first one after reading a thread on Ebobs site, where just about everyone was raving.
It is far too young. It has everything there to make this sensational in about 3+ years. Fantastic rich fruit, top quality oak, balanced, just still not integrated.

99 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
Needed to breath a bit, and opened up with beautiful fruit, oak in the background, and balanced. An old rustic style of wine. I really enjoyed it.

96 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
Opened the night after the 99. I love the 96, but thought the bottle of 99 was actually better. I think the 96 was not perfect.

96 Haselgrove H Shiraz
Still holding up, and drinking well. Fruit is fading a bit, but showing lots of strawberries. I am drinking the rest within 6 months.

02 Ulithorne Fru Frugis Shiraz
From Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale. I love this wine. Big with everything. Big ripe fruit, lots of great oak, balanced, long finish. Fantastic

02 Mitolo Reiver
I have been drinking a bit of this lately. Its simply yummy.

04 Schubert Gooseyard Shiraz
Another favourite. Needs a bit of time, but has lots of everything. Its rich, and balanced. I prefer this to the 05.

96 Greenock Creek Creek Block Shiraz
Not a perfect bottle.

97 Greenock Creek Cabernet
Needed time to breathe. Was better the second night, has years left.


Bruce
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2005 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a fantastic wine for the price, nice fruit and well integrated oak, the finish is long and enjoying. The group I was with had never had a Wynns Cabernet before and were thoroughly impressed. This should cellar nicely but is very good now.

2005 Metala Shiraz Cabernet

Not real impressed by this wine, after having the Wynns, this wine seemed to have green/under ripe characteristics and the palate was lacking in general. It did not offer me anything good to write about it (unfortunately) as I have liked other vintages of this wine in the past.

2001 Woodstock ‘The Stocks’ Shiraz

Full bodied, concentrated intense ripe fruit, fairly well integrated oak. 15% alcohol but does not show. Over the course of about 1-2 hours the oak started to show more and more and dominate the palate, this is in contrast to a bottle I had a year ago. Overall a very good wine, perhaps needs more time.

mkcoleman wrote:Voyager Estate Cab/Mer 2000 - Decided to try this as wanted to see whether I would like the style and therefore buy some of the highly rated 2003. On this ocassion, the simple answer no. I found it a bit too herbal and earthy for me so none of the '03 for me

This is the same logic as saying I tried the 91 Margaux therefore no 90 Margaux for me...
GW

mattECN wrote:2005 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a fantastic wine for the price, nice fruit and well integrated oak, the finish is long and enjoying. The group I was with had never had a Wynns Cabernet before and were thoroughly impressed. This should cellar nicely but is very good now.

I had this on Saturday night and, maybe it was due to palate fatigue from the night before, but I didn't really see what all the fuss is about.

The bottle was not faulty in any way, but I found the wine subdued and lacking the varietal definition that Wynn's usually has. Much preferred the 04.

Having said that next time I pass a DM this week, I will drop in and grab another bottles and post my thoughts here.

TORB wrote:Time for your weekly guzzling reports. TN's vibes and impressions welcome.

My best wine this week was:

Zema Estate 2004 Family Selection Shiraz June 07

The cool climate origins are noticeable with black pepper dominating the aroma which also shows sweet vanillin oak notes and dark fruits; all in all, very attractive. Its' a muscular weight wine that is well balanced with abundant, slightly powdery tannins, refreshing acid and deep, strong, intense fruit; yet despite this description, given time, it should turn into something more elegant, and special. There is a modicum of genteel Coonawarra class to the wine too. The flavour profile is delightful with perfectly ripe, vibrant fruit wafting through the palate; pepper, high-tone blackberry and milk chocolate which finishes long and dry. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine reaches its peak about 2012. Anyone who thinks Coonawarra Shiraz is second rate to the warmer regions of SA, needs to try this wine.

Sounds suprisingly fine for a wine weighing in at 15.8% (from memory)
GW

Rockford Rod & Spur Cab/Shiraz 2000: not tried one for a while so was pleasantly surprised at how well this is drinking - chocolate, good fruit and an attractive savoury thread. Wish I'd bought more.
Mike Press Shiraz 2005: first try of the dozen bought earlier this year, good everyday drinking and top value at $10.

mkcoleman wrote:

Voyager Estate Cab/Mer 2000 - Decided to try this as wanted to see whether I would like the style and therefore buy some of the highly rated 2003. On this ocassion, the simple answer no. I found it a bit too herbal and earthy for me so none of the '03 for me




This is the same logic as saying I tried the 91 Margaux therefore no 90 Margaux for me...
GW

Gary, are the two vastly different? I am pretty crap at working out how a wine will age, so thought it might be a good idea to see if the style was what I would personally like, I think JO rated the 2000 at 91, so reasonably good. I am pretty new to Oz wine, so getting to understand what I like and not. So far it seems my bag is SA, inparticular Coonawarra, Clare, Barossa. I have tried a few from Margaret River and they don't seem to fit my tastes. However if my idea (tasting an older vintage from the same label) isn't reflective of a wine for a different vintage, should I try a bottle of the 2003?

Cheers for any advice

I've had a few different Voyager vintages, and didn't find the 2003 to show particularly herbal or earthy.

As per my short note below, I did get quite a bit of gravel and some dusty characters, which are often what I like in MR cabernets. I would buy more of this than I already have, were it not for an attempt at a wine buying moratorium for a few months.

"Voyager Estate 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Margaret River, 14%
- Bought and consumed far too young as a taster to see if I should buy more (which I just did). This is lovely Margaret River blended cabernet - full of blackcurrant and gravel and appealing dusty characters, as well as a little olive. The tannins mass quickly, being fine and drying, in good combination with heaps of bright, tight acid. This will make old bones. Very good value as well, compared to other current release MR cabernets. "

A couple over the past week:

97 Saltram Classic? Shiraz I'm pretty certain someone bought this to my place some time ago as is was in a pile of single bottles I'm pretty sure I didn't buy. Showed exceptionally well for a cheapie from 97. Great body, depth of flavour and even colour. Enjoyed this a lot - very pleasant surprise. Credit.

99 Lesnik Wines Cabernet Merlot Another one from the same bin of wines that I didn't buy. This is from the Hunter and is 14% alcohol. Intially cherry, plums and some tomato with a very barnyardy, leathery finish. This wine reminded a lot of a pinot, surprisingly. A strong blackcurrent base though and quite full bodied. Another nice surprise which we quite enjoyed. Credit.

05 Noons Twelve Bells Not so sure about this one right now. Very purple almost pink colour. Quite full bodied without overbearing tannins but very sweet for my palate. All of my older Noon's cleanskins drink quite differently. This is the first I've tried of this dozen and I might leave the rest for a few years. Pass - at this stage of development.

98 Wynns Cab Sav Finally these are coming together. Haven't had one for at least a year and very glad I waited. This is really starting to sing now. Great depth of flavour, nice black fruits and tannins all resolving. In their window now and will improve for at least another two years before plateauing for a while, I reckon. I bought three dozen of these so I'm glad to see them turning as I did have some reservations for a while. Credit but should be distinction very soon.

mkcoleman wrote:Gary, are the two vastly different? I am pretty crap at working out how a wine will age, so thought it might be a good idea to see if the style was what I would personally like, I think JO rated the 2000 at 91, so reasonably good. I am pretty new to Oz wine, so getting to understand what I like and not. So far it seems my bag is SA, inparticular Coonawarra, Clare, Barossa. I have tried a few from Margaret River and they don't seem to fit my tastes. However if my idea (tasting an older vintage from the same label) isn't reflective of a wine for a different vintage, should I try a bottle of the 2003?

Cheers for any advice

2000 was a more herbal wine and a weaker vintage than 2003 for MR red. MR does have that more earthy/gravelly character and less sweet round fruit than Coonawarra. I'd say 2003 was a significantly better Voyager than 2000 - they really pulled a rabbit out of the hat with that one..and the other best Voyager CM would be 2001. The 1999 and 1998 very good but you have to like bretty animal characters. 2000 onwards much cleaner wines. I'd say everyone would like the 2003 but based on vintage I'd say VE will be making a rip-snorter 2004..
GW

Gary,

Cheers for the extra info on MR vintages. I will buy a bottle of the 2003 and see how it goes.

Mind you in a way I hope I don't like it as my wallet is getting hit a bit, what with the Coonawarra 2004 Cabs (Majella, Katnook, Petaluma) ...oh the pain ... and pleasure of wine

Cheers again for advice/thoughts

MC

1991 E&E Black Pepper Shiraz
Clear highlight of the week. To think I only paid $12 for this (but my Hardy's house acccount only lasted 2 years). This was fully mature. I perhaps perfer a little more primary fruit but this was great. Mrs DJ liked it even more than me. The nose seemed to swing from floral and scented to oak and malo and back.

2002 Booths Taminick Cab Sauv
Good value but seems to be going through a quiet patch

1999 Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling
Good but not in perfect balance. Aged character with clean acid and some reasonable fruit. Won't get any better drink up.

Must have been something else but can't remember what

Had the last bottle of Yalumba Barossa Cabernet Shiraz 2002 on the weekend. Probably near peak but should hold for another 5 years, if not longer. Very much in the traditional style for this blend. With 100% french oak there's some spicey characters adding complexity to the deep-seated dark berry fruits and nice gravelly tannins on the finish. Very good value, very good wine.

daz

Gary W wrote:[

Sounds suprisingly fine for a wine weighing in at 15.8% (from memory)
GW

Gary,

It was a good wine. I don't look at the label alcohol percentage, preferring to taste and assess what is in the glass. The alcohol percentage is meaningless; the only thing that is important is balance, and if it is high alcohol, that there is no heat and the alcohol doesn't stick out.