The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Its that time of the week again. Please let us all know what you have been drinking. Lists, vibes or TN's welcome.

An esoteric but good week this week -

Escarpment "Voyager" Single-Vinyard Pinot Noir 2006
Best NZ pinot I've had since Carrick 2005 at Craig's place. I like my Pinot seductive, not extracted. Yum. Craig this is worth to track down. Cellar 5 years ...
Excellent.

Penfolds RWT Shiraz 1999
Improved gradually over 3 days open. Too oaky at first but simply brilliant by day 3 when the oak had integrated. Makes me re-evaluate aging quality of RWT ... Come back in 10 years I'd say based on this.
Excellent+

Leoville Poyferre - St. Julien 1996. Bought at a local Indian mini-mart who were flogging a few at about 13 quid (on wine-searcher this retails at 50 quid normally). Classic Bordeaux despite my misgivings on storage and needs a bit longer to bloom fully. Great balance/structure and very good length. Three more bottles to cellar 5 years.
Excellent

Pontet Canet - Pauillac 1999. Fresh and clean but uninspiring. Slightly dilute and a nice quaffer but not much more. Also 13 quid from the same place so no complaining. Drink now.
Good

RWT probably the best wine, Escarpment Voyager the sexiest, and the Leoville tasted SO good as it was one of those freak bargains. Drinking second growth Grand Cru Classe for lunch is so in right now.

Jay

Seppelt 1999 Drumborg Riesling - slightly burnished pale gold. Toast and honey nose with remnants of glorious citrus hanging in there underneath. Palate less developed with some crunchy lime marmalade fruit, a touch of minerale and a solid minerally/moderately acidic finish of some duration. More developed than my last bottle opened and not as good. Vagaries of cork at play here. Will hold for a few more years but why wait.

Tyrrell's 1992 Vat 1 Semillon - Still holding particularly well. Reticent nose at first that improved greatly with air revealing mature toasty/honeyed/nutty/citrus aromas. Palate's fully resolved - smooth and rounded with glorious honeyed/toasty Semillon fruit and melting acidity delivering excellent delineation. Very long and moorish finish. This, too, looked more advanced than my last bottle opened earlier in the year. Drink now-2010.

Robert Chevillon 1996 NSG Les Roncieres - very reticient at first but much better by itself after a good breathe. Mostly sappy plums, earthy cherries with a tart masculinity that only Nuits-Saint-Georges can produce. Nice wine nearing its prime drinking window.

All three wines around 90 points

A few older Riesling's opened for curiosity's sake earlier in the week - Alkoomi's 1998's always been a personal favourite and apart from the first whiff of slightly oxidised fruit on the nose, everything else that followed was at least very good to excellent 88 points - wouldn't hold them any longer (but it's more than likely that no-one ever did hold them in the first place, 'cept moi, I suppose!). The 1988 Crabtree also is looking extremely good although fully mature with impressive toast and honeyed bottle development. 87 points

And Tyrell's 2000 Vat 1 Semillon looks to have a very long life ahead. One of the first bottles I've tried, I cannot believe the Tyrrell's label suggests a drinking window until 2010. I'll drink my next one in 2010 and the remainder of the case over the following decade! 92 points!

I've had a busy week with a friend cramming in a couple of tastings before they flew out for the MW exams yesterday, but I still managed to have a brief look at O'Leary Walker's wines at an instore yesterday afternoon:

2004 O'Leary Walker Hurtle Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir Chardonnay: Decent cheaper sparkling with good strawberry/blossom characters and bubbly mouthfeel, but the finish is a bit short.

2008 O'Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling: Still a lot of banana/ester and sulphur on the nose; palate's better with bright tropicals/blossoms and soursob, and a crisp mineraly finish. Needs time to settle down - I'd like to see it again in a couple of months.

2008 O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling: A little more citrus and steel on the palate, but remarkably similar to the Polish Hill especially on the bouquet - likewise it really needs time to settle down.

2007 O'Leary Walker Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc: Huge globs of passionfruit and sweat; the palate's fat and tropical, aiming to be Kiwi-like in style (which I'm not a fan of) but it doesn't have the same crispness.

2007 O'Leary Walker Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir: Lovely pinot characters of dark cherries, cigar box and rhubarb, but the short and slightly bitter finish of the wine just lets it down.

2005 O'Leary Walker Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Inky and plummy and very ripe, the only giveaway it's a cabernet is the chalky structure front and back - looking more like a Clare dry red than a cabernet I would have sworn this had something else blended in. Nice though.

2005 O'Leary Walker Clare Valley McLaren Vale Shiraz: Again inky, plummy and earthy, but with a good dose of pepper, the oak adding a fresh lick of vanilla mid palate and a lovely French cheesecake-like finish. Very good, and the pick of the wines today - excellent QPR for under a $20.

2006 O'Leary Walker Clare Valley McLaren Vale Shiraz: A bit darker, lifted and sweeter than the 05, and the oak's a bit more prominent too at this stage - will settle down in a year, and be an excellent follow-up.

Cheers,
Ian

2006 Jacobs Creek "Reserve" Shiraz
While looking for a decent cheap quaffer, came across this wine, a fairly new release. This is quite elegant, and nothing like the Barossa blockbusters of old, with dark fruit (plums, blackberries), some charry bbq meats, chalky tannins, firm acid, moderate oak (not overdone) and quite a surprising long finish. Can be had from $10-16 per bottle. Great QPR, and better than the 2005. Very Good

2006 Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir
This just keeps getting better every year. Unlike some Pinots, this is highly drinkable right now, structured ripe strawberries, cherries, firm minerally tannins, smokey, spicey oak, crisp acidity (will cellar well too), a long savoury finish with some sour fruity notes. Excellent.

Galafrey Riesling, 2005 - straw yellow, relatively quiet nasally but all apples and pears on the palate with lemon and honey on the finish, rounded out by lovely tooth-drying acidity. For me, this Great Southern region is producing the best rieslings in the country right now. Broad generalisation I know, but the consistency, variety and quality in this area is just amazing!

Redman Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001 - mint and blackcurrant on the nose with a touch of vanilla. Quite unctuous and mouth-coating with savoury blackcurrant, lots of chocolate and soft, powdery tannins to finish. Good length.

Cheers

Dave

Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2006
Spritely, fresh and lifted pinot, quite vibrant if a touch raw but certainly full flavoured. Good stuff.

Morris Rutherglen Shiraz 2001
Minty, midweight, slightly leathery ad nice sense of balance, quite unassuming and good length.

Wickhams Rd Pinot Noir 2007
Big and bold, smelt of dark fruits and was very perfumed, to me it seemd like Shiraz Viognier. On the palate, chunky fruit concentrate themselves on the front of the tongue, there is some middle and not much fruit finish, with chalky tannins powering through. A big pinot, for me at the start too many shiraz characters, settled a bit to reveal some pinosity, but in the end it is only an 87+.

Primo Estate Joseph Moda Amarone Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
In the glass, there is fine sediment, crimson at the rim and dark ruby in the centre. On the nose, this wine introduces itself with an intense nose overlayed by graphite, leaf, and cedar, which developed to reveal more fruit towards the end of the bottle. Medium bodied at best, but there is great complexity in the mouth, with brooding plum and blackcurrant characteristics still evident. Long, acidic, drying finish. Excellent 93.

Has anyone else noticed that these wines get pale at the rim really quickly?

Brown Magpie Geelong Pinot Noir 2004
This is one wine that has lost quite a lot of colour (if it was there to start with). Very pale pink/crimson at the rim, almost a murky colour running through the wine. On the nose, magnificent! Very perfumed lift, hinting at cherries and strawberries. The gaminess on the nose deeply affects me, I could sniff this all night. A lightbodied wine, nonetheless it packs great flavour across the entire length of the palate. The wine is held together by vibrant acidity, and well integrated, but still present tannins through the mouth. The wine tails off a bit as it carries itself to a long finish. Drink soon, the oak is poking out a bit, but nonetheless one of the better pinots I've had of late. 92 (Awesome nose).[/b]

Some bits & pieces from the past couple of weeks:

Te Mata Elston Chardonnay 2000 Drunk twice: 1st bottle was dead -- not corked, not oxidised, just dead ... opened 2nd bottle last night after reading a recent note of Geoff Kelly's ("19/20 ... sensational at the moment") & this was far more like it ... just stunning fully mature Hawkes Bay chardonnay. Not sure when Te Mata started bottling Elston under diam -- '05? -- but am sure looking forward to these ... while I'm a big fan of Elston with some age, there's a huge amount of bottle variation across the aged wines, with at best a 50% strike rate ...

Unison 2001 With lamb racks tonight, & drinking just beautifully -- more satisfying than the 2000 Selection a week or so ago, which just wasn't particularly exciting. While '01 wasn't rated as a vintage, I've had a few recently that were pretty good -- syrahs from Trinity Hill, Stonecroft & Te Kairanga (a one-off made from Craggy Range fruit) come to mind.

Veuve Clicquot la Grande Dame 1996 While I don't have a lot of experience with vintage champagne, this was pretty impressive ... a big step up from the NV with lots happening.

Vinoptima Noble Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2004 Decided to give this a go on the strength of Neal Martin's review ... outstanding purity / precision of fruit, viscuous but not at all cloying, & will be interesting to try again in a few years -- should keep for quite some time.

Pegasus Bay Riesling 2007 Stylistically somewhat different to the '06, some spritzig (which isn't unusual) & perfectly balanced fruit & acidity. Excellent.

Cheers
Peter

1999 Turkey Flat Cab Sav
Drinking at its peak, integrated smooth, good fruit great secondary. I can't see this getting any better drink up

2003 Booth's Taminick Cellars Shiraz
I was woried 12 months ago that this wasn't going to be much good. No it was just too young. The initial harshness has softened and the lavish fruit that these can have has come to the fore.

1997 Charles Melton Shiraz
Colour says it is aging. Not yet brown but going that way. Lighter in colour and flavour I'd expect from Melton's - nice enough but time to drink up.

2004 Cape Mentelle Shiraz - outstanding. Great now even better later.

2004 Wynns BL - had many of these since release. Starting to become in between fazes I think. That is it was very good to start with but is not so great at the moment (still not bad). Think it will be a nice traveler but not the classic I thought it was going to be.

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 04- unable to get into this wine seemed thin and weedy and too much pepper/spice on the palate for me.

Blackstone Paddock 05 Shiraz - beautiful dark purple with a nose of rich fruitcake - wonderful palate of dark berries - great wine from Aldi


cheers
Seddo

Escarpment "Voyager" Single-Vinyard Pinot Noir 2006
Best NZ pinot I've had since Carrick 2005 at Craig's place. I like my Pinot seductive, not extracted. Yum. Craig this is worth to track down. Cellar 5 years ...
Excellent.

Jay. I actually bought the Te Rehua version, just cos it sounded more like me. I had a couple of opportunities to taste them all but bad luck and timing saw those opportunities slip past.

I had a bottle of 05 Carrick last weekend. It was sensational, totally seamless, red fruited, textured and delicate. Loved it and restored a bit of faith for me after countless average CO pinot experiences lately.

Also had 06 Pegasus Bay Riesling and 06 Forrest Doctors Riesling. Surprisingly the Doctors showed up the Peg Bay. It was fresher and more vital, also seemed a tad sweeter. Both good wines at sub $20 though

As for drinking last night:

1994 Penfolds 407 Cabernet Sauvignon. I have always rated 1994 as one of the very best Australain vintages to cellar and I always felt the 1994 vintage as the best 407 made. Not everyone feels that way, but I do. It certainly hasn’t disappointed and the bottle we opened today doesn’t distract me from my belief . It is now ruby red compared to the opaque purple I remember it being on release. The nose is dusty revealing dried leaf, sawdust and lifted sweet blackberry. The palate displays resolved dusty tannins, good freshness from fine acids, introducing an amalgam of juicy flavours with red currants and dark fruit cake dominating with a spot of black liquorice. It all follows on to a long fresh almost delicate finish. It is complex, multifaceted and interesting. Mature Cabernet Sauvignon can be a delight transforming and improving with age and this wine is proof that it doesn’t always have to be expensive to show well. It is enough to make you give up on drinking young red wines and will spoil my palate against new releases for weeks. This wine is obviously at its apex now, I would dig into it and enjoy it when the mood next strikes you with no fear. 98/109

Te Mata Elston Chardonnay 2000 Drunk twice: 1st bottle was dead -- not corked, not oxidised, just dead ... opened 2nd bottle last night after reading a recent note of Geoff Kelly's ("19/20 ... sensational at the moment") & this was far more like it ... just stunning fully mature Hawkes Bay chardonnay. Not sure when Te Mata started bottling Elston under diam -- '05? -- but am sure looking forward to these ... while I'm a big fan of Elston with some age, there's a huge amount of bottle variation across the aged wines, with at best a 50% strike rate ...

Elston is a bargain! $30 on occassion in the supermarkets and competes with anything on its day.

Richard Hamilton Burtons Vineyard Old Bush Vine Grenache Shiraz 2001
Bought this wine at a museum tasting at their cellar door about a year ago. It’s one of their three red reserve labels which are all worth checking out. This wine was mainly made from grapes that were planted in1947 in the McLaren Vale. Grenache makes up about 60% and Shiraz about 40%. Colour is deep purple. It has a very attractive and rich nose of red fruits, raspberries and maybe dark ripe cherries. The palate is dominated by delicious juicy red fruits supported by some spicy-earthy aromas, the oak is very well integrated and the tannins are fine grained. It’s rather medium- than full-bodied and has a reasonable long finish. What really excites me so much about this wine is its remarkable acidity that is in no way sharp or harsh but gives the wine an amazing freshness and vitality. It immediately puts a smile on your face and the wine reminded me of some of the better reds from Gigondas and Vacqueras that I drank when I lived in Europe. JO and JH rated this wine a couple of years ago not very high but I think it just needed a bit of time to come together. At this stage I found this wine wonderfully balanced and so delicious to drink.

Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz 2006
Very big and very dark wine. Quite attractive sweet-spicy-plummy-oaky aromas on the nose. Full-bodied, voluptuous wine, first glass not bad at all but in the end for my taste (or current mood) a little bit too fat and opulent. Thought it was also a little bit chunky and raw towards the finish due to some smoky-charcoaly notes (I guess that’s what Jay Miller calls ‘scorched earth?’). Didn’t mind the alcohol but wished I could drink this wine in front of a crackling fire and watching snow flakes dancing outside the window in a dark and cold winter night. Tempted to try their more expensive wines when it gets really cold here in Adelaide.

Newtons Ridge Millie’s Pinot Grigio 2007
From time to time I do some fieldwork in the area between Warrnambool and Port Campbell in the SW of Victoria (Shipwreck Coast – Great Ocean Road). The landscape is fantastic - the Twelve Apostles are there – and there is one winery: Heytesbury Ridge. The winery and cellar door (also B&B) is about 15-20 km northeast of Port Campbell. A range of handcrafted wines are produced under the Newtons Ridge label. Vines were first planted in 1998 and they are unirrigated (well, sometimes it can be very wet in the area). The grapes are handpicked by local community groups, then basket pressed and the wine is made on site. In the past I tried their Pinot Noir which didn’t impress me very much. But recently I drank a bottle of their 2007 Millie’s Pinot Grigio, which is a very fine wine and very enjoyable. The wine shows a light golden colour and has a lovely sweet scent of pears, apples and honey. On the palate medium rich, fruity and with a fine acid. Frankly, a very positive surprise and definitely one of the better PGs I tried.
By the way, if you are in the area visit also the nearby Timboon Railway Shed Distillery which makes an excellent, fruity single malt whiskey. They also have a café and sell a lot of local produce such as cheese, smoked eel, ice cream, chocolate, honey, beer, wine, etc.

Wirra Wirra Fortified Sweet White
This wine was maybe only sold at the cellar door and is probably not available there anymore. The label says “In 1994 the very oldest and finest barriques of our varied fortified white stock were blended to make a special wine in celebration of Wirra Wirra’s Centenary”. Ok, colour is a deep chestnut brown. Pour a glass and you can already see how viscous and syrupy it is. Take a sniff, aaahhh...intense rancio aromas. Take a sip…oh boy…this wine is powerful, intense and enormously concentrated. And it is very sweet. I know, for many Australians this wine would be too sweet and too thick but not for me!!! You can taste syrup, caramel, burnt toffee, raisins, black tea, and many other things you might find in Australian tokays. The wine also has fairly strong rancio/acetone characters, like nail polish or paint stripper, quite reminiscent of some Hungarian tokays I had in the past. Love it!!! Oh, how sad…the bottle is already empty.

Cheers,
Mario

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Wayno wrote:Morris Rutherglen Shiraz 2001
Minty, midweight, slightly leathery ad nice sense of balance, quite unassuming and good length.

I cruised through at least a case of this a couple or so years ago. Very quaffable - think I paid $10-11/btl.

My current favourite quaffer is Metala shiraz/cab 2005. Another bargain for $10.90. Bought 19 btls all up and I'm presently enjoying sipping the seventh....

Cheers

daz

I tried a few Waiheke Island wines over the long weekend. I didn't take notes but here are a few impressions:

Goldwater Zell Chardonnay 2005 - nice enough, not especially memorable
Goldwater Cab/Merlot ("Goldie") 2000 - quite liked this, but given its cab sauv domninant, was surpised its all red fruit on the palate

Stonyridge Church Bay Merlot/Cab Franc 2006 - not bad, nothing too special
Various Stonyridge-made "Fallen Angel" wines - not too impressed with the range tbh, (poor QPR)

Te Motu Dunleavy Cab/Merlot 2002 - quite leafy, firm tannins, not much on the nose
Te Motu Cab/Merlot 2002 - better aroma but still a bit leafy and earthy for me (this is pricey stuff)

Passage Rock Sauv Blanc 2008 - crisp, quite fruity and rich
Passage Rock Gewurztraminer 2008 - good gewurtz, typical of variety, but not so spicy or herby that it would only go well with curry
Passage Rock Pinot Gris 2008 - I liked this - gently sweet and nice pure fruit
Passage Rock Viognier 2006 - liked this too - quite a creamy finish, but enough fruit and acid
Passage Rock Reserve Merlot 2006 - ok, but not so memorable
Passage Rock Reserve Syrah 2006 - liked this. I've not actually had the 05 which won various awards to compare but was good - plum and white pepper and good length

Kennedy Point Reserve Malbec 2005 - interesting, good drop, I'd buy this
Kennedy Point Reserve Cab Sauv 2004 - didn't stand out, but perfectly drinkable
Kennedy Point Reserve Syrah 2005 - pleasant, well made syrah in the N. Rhone style - a noticeable dollop of viognier coming through, but its not overbearing

I tried a few Waiheke Island wines over the long weekend. I didn't take notes but here are a few impressions:

still so much questionable vfm on waiheke. you have to care little about money to have a good time over there i think. i only seem to get there once every 3 or 4 years. seems also that the bdx blends they do are so much out of fashion at the mo, syrah the rage and a few like Passage Rock asre cashing in well. The 06 res is a more gentle fragrant syrah, the 06 a blockbuster concentrated and intense

Bick wrote:Te Motu Dunleavy Cab/Merlot 2002 - quite leafy, firm tannins, not much on the nose
Te Motu Cab/Merlot 2002 - better aroma but still a bit leafy and earthy for me (this is pricey stuff)

What is the difference between the two wines in appearance? I have a Te Motu Cab Merlot 2002 (new release) It also has Dunleavy on the label. It costs about $100, I think.

Bick wrote:Passage Rock Sauv Blanc 2008 - crisp, quite fruity and rich
Passage Rock Gewurztraminer 2008 - good gewurtz, typical of variety, but not so spicy or herby that it would only go well with curry
Passage Rock Pinot Gris 2008 - I liked this - gently sweet and nice pure fruit

Where were these wines sourced from? They don't mention any 2008's on their website.

SueNZ wrote:

Bick wrote:Te Motu Dunleavy Cab/Merlot 2002 ... Te Motu Cab/Merlot 2002

What is the difference between the two wines in appearance? I have a Te Motu Cab Merlot 2002 (new release) It also has Dunleavy on the label. It costs about $100, I think.

Only the Te Motu Dunleavy wine says 'Dunleavy' on the front label (underneath the Te Motu logo); Te Motu just has the winery logo and the descriptor of the varieties and year. In the glass they look pretty darned similar!

SueNZ wrote:

Bick wrote:Passage Rock Sauv Blanc 2008 - crisp, quite fruity and rich
Passage Rock Gewurztraminer 2008 - good gewurtz, typical of variety, but not so spicy or herby that it would only go well with curry
Passage Rock Pinot Gris 2008 - I liked this - gently sweet and nice pure fruit

Where were these wines sourced from? They don't mention any 2008's on their website.

At the winery. I had lunch there on Sunday and they had a beautiful tasting plate for an appetiser featuring these three whites, all advertised as being the 08's. I didn't see the bottles so can't categorically confirm... but would definately recommend the starter!

Craig - you're not wrong, good QPR is very hard to find on Waiheke - I reckon those Passage Rock whites (around the $20 mark) are probably the best bet at the mo. I was there for a nice break and tasting a few wines was an added bonus - I didn't actually buy any at cellar door, where I think prices are hiked up anyway. I might get some Kennedy Point Syrah though - while its a bit pricey, its styled differently to Bullnose, Stonecroft or Elspeth, for instance, and would make a nice change to these.

Craig - you're not wrong, good QPR is very hard to find on Waiheke - I reckon those Passage Rock whites (around the $20 mark) are probably the best bet at the mo. I was there for a nice break and tasting a few wines was an added bonus - I didn't actually buy any at cellar door, where I think prices are hiked up anyway. I might get some Kennedy Point Syrah though - while its a bit pricey, its styled differently to Bullnose, Stonecroft or Elspeth, for instance, and would make a nice change to these.

yes prob with passage rock is from a purely numbers perspective by the time you pay to get a car and yourself to the winery its no qpr holiday hehe. its well out of the way. of course there is plenty to see out that way if you have never been and a nice day out on a sunny day

Is it just me or is this forum getting swamped with Kiwis!?!?

Craig(NZ) wrote: still so much questionable vfm on waiheke. you have to care little about money to have a good time over there i think.

Too true - We went to Waiheke on the final day of our last trip and were bitterly disappointed in the wine. (Not the Island itself though - lovely place)

As far as tastings go, most places where geared towards bus trips over wine lovers, so it was hard enough to even get a pour of a wine made made from Waiheke grapes. (Goldwater had a nice Marlborough Sauv though).

Wayno wrote:Is it just me or is this forum getting swamped with Kiwis!?!?

Steady on, I'm a Pom!

Is it just me or is this forum getting swamped with Kiwis!?!?

Australia is practically the West Island of New Zealand anyway.

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Is it just me or is this forum getting swamped with Kiwis!?!?

Australia is practically the West Island of New Zealand anyway.

You may have a point, given the number of kiwi refugees who now live in Australia.

Some of them probably wanted better wine.

Certainly better chardonnay!!!

It is bit late for a report, but thought never too late

1998 LEAS Chardy ($40) - This wine has never failed to disappoint me think it is on its peak now and should consume now.

1997 Tintara Shiraz ($22)- Drinking well now and believe it should consume very soon as I don't think won't improve any further.

2000 La Testa Cab Sauv - Very good, colour still youthful and it is on its peak now and can go for another 5-7 years, I reckon.

2002 Rosenvale Shiraz - It has changed since last time I tried was 2005 and now it is more approachable and very smooth. It will hold another 5 years probably.

Thats all for now folks.

PS. Prices in bracket are what I paid.