The Auswine Forum

We're closing in on the end of the year, and I don't think anyones started a thread yet on forumite awards for 2007... so I thought I'd kick one off. So who gets the gong for you in the following categories?

# Best red
# Best white
# Best value wine
# Honourable mention
# Biggest disappointment

My own nominations will be quite pedestrian I'm sure compared to most on here (Baby chickpea comes to mind!), but for what its worth, they are:

Best Red: Te Mata Coleraine 98
Best White: Kumeu Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 06
Best value: Squawking Magpie The Cabernets 02 (I got a great deal on this lovely wine)
Honourable mentions: Pirathon Shiraz 05, Carrick Pinot Noir 05, Pegasus Bay Riesling 06
Biggest disappointment: Numerous corked Newton-Forrest Cornerstone 00's I opened from the cellar! Grrr. (Though the 02's were fine, and good).

How about you?

Love it.

Best Red: 1953 Grange swizzled with diet tonic water in late July
Best White: Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2002, Epis Chardonnay 2004
Best value: Pirathon Shiraz 05, JC Reserve Shiraz 02 when tasted against 95 Grange - puts things into perspective
Honourable mentions: Turducken at El Josho's
Biggest disappointment: first year without Serge

Best Red: Puriri Hills Pope 05. From the cellar several 98 HB reds including Awatea and Esk Reserve
Best White: Kumeu Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 06, John Forrest Collection Noble Riesling 05. From the cellar 05 Fromm La Strada Spatlese Riesling
Best value: Saltrams Mamre Brook Shiraz 04, Wynns Shiraz 05, Pegasus Bay Riesling 06
Honourable mentions: See http://www.kiwiwinefanclub.co.nz/content/view/321/66/
Biggest disappointment: Prices of the good stuff, All Blacks and Serge not posting

Great concept, Craig!

Best Red: 2005 Kellermeister Temparanillo (the wine was great, but to be fair it also had a lot to do with time and place)
Best White: 1997 Richmond Grove Barossa Riesling, consumed in the company of John Vickery (NB - I have a commercial interest in this wine)
Best value: 2005 George DeBouf Beaujolais Villages, any vintage d'Arenberg Stump Jump Red
Honourable mentions: Turducken at mine, rennovations to my local pub which has become something quite nice food and wine-wise
Biggest disappointment: Lunch on Monday at the re-opened Wine Underground. Nice, but why all the local media & PR hype?
Best Discovery: Straight Cab Franc from Best's of Great Western and Rioja
Greatest moment: 2003 Jacob's Creek Centenary Hill & 2002 Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz outpointing 1995 Penfold's Grange in a Shiarz blind-tasting night at mine. As Wayno said, helps put things in to perspective (NB - I have a commercial interest in the Jacob's Creek wines)

Best Red 1996 Orlando Jacobs Creek Limited blend
Best White 2004 Eileen Hardy Chardonnay
Best Value 2006 Charles Cimicky Trumps Shiraz
Biggest Disappointment 1996 Balmoral Syrah (corked)

Best Red: Palandri 2000 Shiraz Magnum
Best White: Protero 2006 Viognier
Best value: Karra Yerta 2006 Riesling
Honourable mentions: Barossa Ridge Old Creek 2002 Shiraz, Creed Two Brothers Shiraz Viognier, Earthworks 2006 Shiraz, Pindarie 2006 'Bar Rossa' Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Shiraz Blend
Biggest disappointment: Many of those 'commercial' French sparklings...

Best Red: 1996 ST Henri/ current vintage (if I may) 03 Voyager cab merl
Best White: 1998 Yattarna Chardonnay
Best value: 03 Voyager cab merl (E&E E minor shiraz too)
Honourable mentions: 04 MossWood cab sav, 05 Cullen Diana Madeline,
Biggest disappointment: 96 Petaluma Coonawarra (will try again though).

Best Red- 1996 Chateau Ausone
Best White- 1996 Salon (if permitted), otherwise 2004 Epis Chardonnay
Best Value- 2001 Barwang Shiraz (still have cases at $8 per bottle!!) otherwise Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2002,2003,2004
Honourable Mentions- 1996 Groffier Bonne Marres, 1996 Chateau Margaux, 1977 Grange
Biggest Disappointment- 1996 Chateau D'yquem

monghead wrote:Best Red- 1996 Chateau Ausone
Best White- 1996 Salon (if permitted), otherwise 2004 Epis Chardonnay
Best Value- 2001 Barwang Shiraz (still have cases at $8 per bottle!!) otherwise Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2002,2003,2004
Honourable Mentions- 1996 Groffier Bonne Marres, 1996 Chateau Margaux, 1977 Grange
Biggest Disappointment- 1996 Chateau D'yquem

Bloomin' heck!
I need to get out more... (and win the lottery)

(Oh, and bubbly is permitted, or the red bigots wouldn't be able to play... I believe its the exception that proves their rule )

Plenty of great stuff, but I haven't given up hope for the rest of the year just yet!

Best Red: 05 Tim Smith BV Shiraz, 03 Highbank Coonawarra Cabernet
Best White: 04 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay
Best value: 05 Mike Press Shiraz, 06 Rolf Binder BV Shiraz, 04 Fernfield Eden Valley Shiraz
Honourable mentions: 05 Tim Smith MGS, 02 Kays Amery Hillside Shiraz
Biggest disappointment: Every wine with TCA taint!

camw wrote:
Plenty of great stuff, but I haven't given up hope for the rest of the year just yet!

Wisest words I've read on this forum.

My love and blessings to you Cam and to all!

Yep, I have to agree thinking about it. I will strive to save the best till last.

I'll play - both absolute best and Australia only selections:

Best red: 02 Rousseau Clos de Beze; 01 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
Best white: 04 Comte de Vogue Bourgogne Blanc; 98 Orlando Steingarten
Best value wine: 06 Hoddles Creek Pinot (both);
Honourable mentions: New Zealand Riesling; 99 LEAS Chardonnay
Biggest disappointment: No biggies.

So many, it's hard to remember them all and the more recent ones are those that spring more readily to mind, so most of the following are quite recent.

Best red/s: Tahbilk 1860s Vines Shiraz 1997, Teusner Joshua 2005

Best white/s: Wilson Vineyard Polish Hill River Riesling 1999, Wise Wines Chardonnay 2005

Best value wine/s: Kaesler Stonehorse Shiraz 2005 (@$17.99)

Honourable mention/s: Teusner Salsa Rose 2007, Polleters Cabernet 2006, Zema Estate Cabernet 2004

Biggest disappointment: Bullers Calliope Shiraz 2002

monghead wrote:Biggest Disappointment- 1996 Chateau D'yquem

Why? Just because it is so young and oaky at the moment? It is a very backwards vintage but a pretty good one.
GW

# Best red- 1975 Jaboulet Thalabert Crozes Hermitage

# Best white- An adolescent Grand Cru white burgundy.

# Best value wine - Any Rockford Basket Press. Not being a snob but this is world class stuff in most vintages at 10 years plus for under $50

# Honourable mention- The Cabernets of Wendouree. At 20 plus years!

# Biggest disappointment - Continues to be Red Burgundy.

Lot of odd replies in this thread. Surely the point is to name current release wines rather than 1953 vintages of whatever?

I only have nominations in a few categories:

Best value: Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir 2006
Honourable mention: Seppelts Silverband Sparkling Shiraz NV (it's hardly a Best Red nominee, but it's a very tight little fizzy red)
Biggest disappointment: Grosset Polish Hill 2007

ChrisV wrote:Lot of odd replies in this thread. Surely the point is to name current release wines rather than 1953 vintages of whatever?

But the author nominated the 98 Coleraine as his best red. I bought that at cellar door a long time ago! Which, incidentally, would be my best Kiwi red of the year.

So best new release wines of the year? Best wines for the year? Impressions of the years drinking?

ChrisV wrote:Lot of odd replies in this thread. Surely the point is to name current release wines rather than 1953 vintages of whatever?

If they're my rules ( ) then I meant the best you've tasted this year - i.e. your personal highlights of whatever vintage. More interesting to me than your view of best current vintage - although that's a good category if you want to add it... The fact that many of mine were current vintage reflects more on my tiny cellar (<100 btls) and the fact I'm relatively new to wine...

Edit: by the way Chris, was the Polish Hill disappointing because it needs more time (its very young) or do you think its a bad vintage that wont come good?

monghead wrote:

Biggest Disappointment- 1996 Chateau D'yquem


Why? Just because it is so young and oaky at the moment? It is a very backwards vintage but a pretty good one.
GW

Spot on GW, disappointed with myself for not displaying restraint with such a sleeper of a vintage. Now only left with another half bottle...

Monghead.

Best red is a fight to the death between the 96 petaluma cabernet from the Perth offline, and the 04 Bannockburn Pinot from the Adelaide nov offline.

Best white: also a toss up between the Longview Whippet current release Sauvignon Blanc, and the Penfolds Reserve Gewurtztraminer fromt heir christmas dinner.


Honourable mention: 1980 Chateau Coutet Barsac from the Perth Offline. Hands down. Awesome. They have an 04 version here in adelaide for $140 and i'm wondering if i could wait that long for it to develop into the beauty of the 1980 version.

Biggest Disappontment: all the sadly corked or heat affected wines. RIP.
And overpriced French Champagne, which the uninitiated continue to fork out for and get ripped off when there are stellar tassie bargains to be had.

Best Value: hmmmm have to think about this one some more...

Biggest disappointment: 96 Petaluma Coonawarra (will try again though).

Interesting - maybe you had a bad bottle, as this was one of my favourites in 07. Stick with it! I'd love to get my hands on some!

I think it was just too "elegant" in style for me. Merlot was a bit too up front. The 91 was a bit more cabernet focused. After all that though, I will be giving it another try soon. It was definitely not bad IMO, just a little disappointing.

Best Red: Can't say, ITB !
Best White: 1996 Pol Roger Magnum
Best value: 2006 Mongrel Creek SBS, and Vino Blanco Frizzante from supermarket in Sardinia at Euro 59c.
Honourable mentions: A friend that brought us 2 bottles of Run Rig.
Biggest disappointment: Haven't started building the cellar.

It’s a hard one to reflect back over the entire year, a few hazy moments in there too, these all stand out in my mind:

# Best red – 2001 Woodstock ‘The Stocks’ Shiraz
# Best white – 2007 Bremerton Verdehlo / NV Roederer
# Best value wine – 2007 Jacobs Creek Riesling
# Honourable mention – 2005 Darymple Vineyards Pinot Noir (Tas)
# Biggest disappointment – 2003 Peter Lehmann ‘The Futures’ Shiraz, expected a lot better

# Best red- 2004 Sangreal By Farr (now a Pinot convert)

# Best white- 2006 Freycinet Chardonnay (great now, and will improve)

# Best value wine - Wynns 2005 Chardonnay (around $9 from a chain, very easy drinking Chardy)

# Honourable mention- 2004 Guigal CDR (good bottles are great)

# Biggest disappointment - Wynns 1999 Cab Sav (3 bottles from a chain, must have been badly stored)

ChrisV wrote:Lot of odd replies in this thread. Surely the point is to name current release wines rather than 1953 vintages of whatever?

Um, I was just being stupid with my 1953 reference... which is probably breaking someone's rules somewhere. I mean who swizzles Grange with diet tonic? Maybe the same people who drink red wine with fish.

Best Red: 1994 Orlando Lawsons Shiraz

Best White: 1996 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc

Best Value: 2004 Bin 389.

Honourable mention: 1996 Bin 389

Biggest Disappointment: 1989 Chateau Beaucastel

Wayno wrote:

ChrisV wrote:Lot of odd replies in this thread. Surely the point is to name current release wines rather than 1953 vintages of whatever?

Um, I was just being stupid with my 1953 reference... which is probably breaking someone's rules somewhere. I mean who swizzles Grange with diet tonic? Maybe the same people who drink red wine with fish.

Grange goes well with chocolate fish.

river wrote:

Wayno wrote:

ChrisV wrote:Lot of odd replies in this thread. Surely the point is to name current release wines rather than 1953 vintages of whatever?

Um, I was just being stupid with my 1953 reference... which is probably breaking someone's rules somewhere. I mean who swizzles Grange with diet tonic? Maybe the same people who drink red wine with fish.

Grange goes well with chocolate fish.

There's no accounting for some people's preferences