The Auswine Forum

so your weekly drinking reports are due. You know the drill; tasting notes, impressions and other information welcome.

2005 Kaeslers The Bogan Shiraz

At 16% alcohol I didnt know what to expect but loved what I found.

Rich flavours of plum and liqorice. This has all the hallmarks of the Barossa big red I always look for and is testiment to why Kaeslers is one of my favourites.
And it was the perfect wine for our 3rd anniversary dinner...

Hi all,

Have not posted for a while but last night there were some good stuff around:

Pepperjack 2002 Barossa - Good straight forward Barossa cab and good value. Drink up.

Evans and Tate Lionel's Vinyard 2001 Cabernet Merlot. Unknow from auction and was pleasantly surprised. I liked it a lot.

Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Cabernet. Now this is a serious wine. Lovely French oak poking out a bit in its youth but fruit is stunning. Needs time to integrate.

Irvines The Baroness NV. 50% Merlot from 1999 and 2001, cab and something else from different vintages. This is an absolute ripper drinking really well now. Invine does great Merlot and it shines in this blend

Penfolds Grandfather Tawny Port NV. This is the real deal. Best tawny I've had apart from the Great Grandfather.

Chuck

Chuck wrote:Classic McLaren 2002 La Testa Cabernet. Now this is a serious wine. Lovely French oak poking out a bit in its youth but fruit is stunning. Needs time to integrate.

Chuck, where did you get the 2002 La Testa pls? (PM might be better than a post).

I've been waiting for the LT 2002 Cab and Shiraz to come out, they told me mid last year it would be out about last October, but it's taken them a long time to clear the 2001 stock despite heavy discounting.

Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 1988

The only other two >10y old wines I've had were undrinkable, so I was hesitant.
I was pleasantly surprised. Initially very flat and woody, it opened up over an hour to display earthy, mushroom and a little smoky bacon flavour. These were still a bit overshadowed by the oak, but a very enjoyable drink nonetheless.

Drank too quickly, finished my second glass at the one hour mark wishing there was more to see how it developed.

Serafino "Sharktooth" McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004 - Powerful yet elegant Shiraz. Soft and long on the palate. Totally delicious.

Old Plains Power of One Shiraz 2005 - Black purple colour. Luscious aromas of blackberry and dark plums. The palate is huge showing hints of licorice and pepper. This is a big, full-bodied, sensational Shiraz. Another great wine from Old Plains.

Cheers
Leigh

Kay's Amery Block 6 Shiraz 02 - Hmm barnyard characters on the nose, confirmed that with the official "nose" in the household - "wet hay" came her reply - what the!! - the palate was also those barnyard characters I have read about - after about 3 hours the fruit started to shine through - not a bad wine but not what I remembered from the 92 and the 96

cheers
Seddo

04 Schulz Marcus Old Vine Barossa Shiraz
This has a lot of great fruit and some furry tannins, and seems to be ripe and slightly green at the same time. I loved it.

04 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec
Wow, what a surprise. This cant be Wendouree! It was a glassful of rosepettles. I loved it. After a few minutes, the hardness started showing, and a faint aroma of dirt. But, it was one of the best Wendourees Ive had had in a long time. I need to look at more 04s

99 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro
I opened this about 3 weeks ago, and wanted to comment.
It smelt of a sewer, and dirt. Quite typical, but at the extreme end of the scale. Kept it for 3 days, but couldnt drink it any of them.

98 Rockford Black Shiraz
This was disappointing. The cork broke whilst trying to get it out. The wine was dried out, so to speak. It had a few bubbles , and wasnt corked, but it was not as good as it should have been.
I had an 01 a few weeks ago, and it was fabulous.

02 Magpie Estate The Election Shiraz
This wine is what Barossa shiraz is all about I recon.
Its ripe, sweet, rich, oak in perfect balance, and hard to stop drinking it.

02 Wirra Wirra Chook Block Shiraz.
Bloody fantastic wine. Almost perfect fruit, and oak way back.
Better than the 98.

04 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz
Huge wine. Lots of everything. reminds me of Dead Arm. Still fairly closed after 3 days. Could be good?

05 Lazy Ballerina Shiraz
Pass.

94 Yalumba Signature
This was over oaked. It was sort of enjoyable, as it had aged really well, but the oak was too much for me.

My first real attempt at tasting notes - last weeks wine

05 Pertaringa Over The Top Shiraz

First tasted this wine at cellar door in the height of summer from an open decanter.
Not as I rembered it, this time- the nose, I get more fruit, plum and backgound mocha. I remember the fine french oak and enjoy the same levels this time. On the pallet I get a little sweetness, berries and a dose of chocolate. Cellar 4-5 years - Wine Maker Ben Riggs

2002 & 2004 Rockford BP's. Both were decanted and enjoyed immensely by all for my birthday dinner at a city restaurant...bloody good steak as well, no wonder they just received a state award. Wine was a dream and the decantering gave the BP's another layer.

I forgot one, seeing it mentioned in another thread, prompted my memory.

04 Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz

Cherry and raspberry on the nose, Very smooth, med to full bodied with the fine tannins. Not sure on cellaring, my guess would be a max of 6 years.

L Plater,

I'm almost certain the first Stonewell was the 1989. Happy to be proven wrong, but I cant recall ever seeing an 88.


Mike

Mike Hawkins wrote:L Plater,

I'm almost certain the first Stonewell was the 1989. Happy to be proven wrong, but I cant recall ever seeing an 88.


Mike

Not sure I can correct you Mike. This was a friend's wine, but I was sure it was an 88 Stonewell (?Museum Release) - but I'm more likely to be mistaken.

I did a quick search on the net, only reference I could find was a TN on winestar forum -

1988 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
Excellent quality Barossa fruit, but basically over-oaked (2 years in oak). As well as changing to French oak more recently, they have also realised they were over-oaking in this period, and have since reduced the level.


Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me can answer definitively.

Have just arrived back in Australia after a 3 1/2 month Europe trip, so am keen to get stuck back into the local wine.

2005 Glaetzer Godolphin Shiraz/Cabernet - Surprisingly non-varietal; on opening could definitely smell the cabernet, but after it settled, the shiraz and cabernet were in such balance that neither really stuck out enough to be identifiable. I stumped all my friends with this one tasted blind - none could guess the varieties. Having said that, it's a lovely, smooth, balanced red; slightly sweet, with brilliantly applied coconutty oak.

Mike Press Adelaide Hills Cabernet - A friend brought this and I tasted it blind and couldn't believe the price when he told me - $10. Fabulous wine with hugely varietal aromas of cassis (I said "That's a cabernet" the second I sniffed it) and firm but not overpowering tannins. Not sure what vintage it was.

I had to pop down to Queenstown at the end of last week and tried a few Pinots head-to-head. A few impressions:

Wooing Tree 2006
Bright red, not too much on the nose, very soft tannins - very "easy drinking", but with nice upfront fruit. Acid seemed quite well balanced with the fruit, but a bit too much of a drink-young style for me, and lack of the varietal aroma I look for was a bit off-putting. I've heard very good things about the 2005 Wooing Tree though, so will have to try them head-to-head sometime. Perhaps my slight cold didn't do it justice.

Quartz Reef 2004
This was more like it. Lovely complex aromas, gamey, forest floor, and stronger red-fruit, with cherry upfront. Very varietal and a top drop IMHO. One of my favourite Pinots. I had a bottle of this later that night.

Two Paddocks 2006
Not sure how well balanced I thought this was - perhaps just needs a bit more time in the bottle as its pretty young. Seemed almost sour, as I found the acid overbearing, but there was a bit of spice there and a decent red fruit palate.

Bannock Brae Barrel Selection 2005
Very vice, I'd not had any Bannock Brae before, but will again. The second best Pinot I tasted after the Quartz Reef. Deep rich red colour, with earthy, raspeberry and plummy fruit. Just didn't have quite the depth of aroma of the QR.

van Asch 2000
This was interesting. Almost tawny in colour and quite different from all the others tasted, unsurpringly. Roast meat, herbs and leather nose - very gamey. Very soft mouthfeel, felt very "resolved". The palate was interesting - more raisins and stewed fruit than new red fruit. If you like this sort of thing, perhaps a good example of an 'aged' Pinot, but I'm thinking its peaked.

Cheers.

A couple of quaffers this weekend:

2005 Stovehaven ‘Stepping Stone’ Shiraz

Medium bodied, subdued palate of mulberry and blackberry fruits, with a touch of pepper. This wine has good balance and reasonable structure for the price (2 for $20) and a reasonably good lingering finish. Under screw cap it needed 30 min or so of breathing to open up. This represents good value for money and I suggest would gain some complexity with short term cellaring. A good quaffer.

2003 Mount Pleasant ‘Philip’ Shiraz

If you like cedar and heavy oak treatment this wine is for you. For me I could not get past the oak treatment, there is some fruit hiding in there somewhere. It was not any better on the second day. Personally I did not like it and would not recommend this.

2004 Mr Riggs Shiraz Viognier
As expected of a Ben Riggs shiraz the color was very deep and inky. Body, medium. The 15% alcohol is a bit high in this wine. The nose got a wiff of alcohol before the red fruit made a show. It seems a bit unbalanced and needs time to evolve in my opinion as the palate seems a bit lean. Rasberry on the palate initially, the viognier not prominent moving to a sustained, slightly hot black pepper finish. The palate opened a little more on the second day and appeared rounder and fuller. Initially felt disapointed but am now intrigued to try again in four years as this wine still has enough power and concentration left.
Enjoyed with meatballs in a thick red wine and tomato sauce.
A satisfactory experience that I feel can only get better.
Dr - 307.

L plater wrote:

Mike Hawkins wrote:L Plater,

I'm almost certain the first Stonewell was the 1989. Happy to be proven wrong, but I cant recall ever seeing an 88.


Mike

Not sure I can correct you Mike. This was a friend's wine, but I was sure it was an 88 Stonewell (?Museum Release) - but I'm more likely to be mistaken.

I did a quick search on the net, only reference I could find was a TN on winestar forum -

1988 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
Excellent quality Barossa fruit, but basically over-oaked (2 years in oak). As well as changing to French oak more recently, they have also realised they were over-oaking in this period, and have since reduced the level.


Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me can answer definitively.

The online sales records of Langtons (sales & vertical TNs) go as far back as 1987, so this could very possibly have been a 1988.

Cheers,
Ian

Thanks guys - the value of collective wisdom !

I do know the 89 won the Jimmy Watson, and was only released in magnums. I cant remember if there was an 88.
Bruce

A few different wines this week:

Faiveley Bourgognes 2005: drank over two nights and held up well with the wine a little better on the second night. Strawberries and sour cherry with a bit of a stemmy/leafy character. Good.

Condado De Haza Tinto 2003: meaty nose with scents of crushed black berries and touches of earthy dried herbs - think rosemary. The palate offers a good depth of black currant and dark berried fruit with more complex notes of dried herbs, earth, a little iodine, cola and a crack of pepper. Very good.

Dominio de Tares Baltos 2006: Made from the mencia grape. A really interesting nose of sweet raspberry, vanilla, dark chocolate and a little dried earth. The palate is medium bodied showing raspberry. a hint of vanilla and an earthy mineral spectrum. A little simple. Interesting wine.

Primo Estate Joseph Moda Cab Sav Merlot 2004: Amarone styled wine. Powerful, full on wine yet still structured and well balanced. An explosion of concentrated cassis, dark plums, chocolate, licorice and spicy oak. Firm tannins draw through the finish. Delicious.

Back in pommieland and off to Majestic to pick up a mixed case. Amazing choice but seeming weak on Australian and NZ booze these days ...

La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 1999
Classy booze. An elegant middle-weight at only 13% alcohol ... worth seeking out. Gorgeous, very sexy, interestingly almost Pinot-like.

St Hallett "The Reward" Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Classic Barossa Cabernet - black fruits yet remains fresh and unextracted. 14%, no alcohol sting at all and in balance. A great mouthful, at a silly price for the quality - discounted to GBP6.99 a bottle. Not to be compared with Bordeaux styles ...