The Auswine Forum

Earlier this morning I submitted a fairly long post for the Sunday report.

It had definitely been posted, but has now disappeared.

Not happy it has evaporated into the ether, but nevertheless, please let us know what you have been drinking.

a couple of wines from 1996...

1996 Geoff Weaver Lenswood Chardonnay : cork did its job , ie : came out in one piece , wine not oxidised and no taint ! Glowing deep gold colour , not a hint of brown on the nose, lovely poised citrussy and creamy honied characters on the palate and good length. Good match with roast chook. I'd much rather drink this than one of the infamous and much more expensive oxidised white burgundies. A bargain at $13.80 from auction.


1996 Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon : not bad at all. An aged cabernet' - perhaps a bit over oaked but I enjoyed it.

some new release Cabernet (and blend) tastings....

2004 Yalumba "The Signature" Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz
This looks the best in recent memory, lovely fruit, fine tannins, crisp acidity, deserves a decade in your cellar. Tremendous value.

2005 Yalumba "The Menzies" Cabernet Sauvignon
Just a fantastic cabernet, beautiful fruit, balanced tannins / oak / acid, very long savoury (with just a hint of mint) finish. Will live for 20 years or more. Super wine, again tremendous value.

2005 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot
I thought that the 2004 version of this would be hard to follow, but this wine does it with ease. Dense and plummy, smoother, crisper, finer tannins, and plenty of length. Be sure to watch for this.

2005 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon
Make some room in your cellar, Big John is back in town, this is easily the best JR since the early 1990s, full of power, and precision, enormous depth of structure, and length. Stand-out wine. Good enough to give a point score. 97/100

Some fantastic South Aussie Cabernets.

Di Iulius Show Reserve 2003 Shiraz
Pretty impressive wine, lovely nose of spices - cinnamon, cloves and plush oak, with a velvety medium bodied palate, tons of fruit, blueberries perhaps, but in balance and nice length. Midweight style, very pleasing. I'm not often drinking Hunter wines but this makes me think I should get into more of them.

Wayno wrote:Di Iulius Show Reserve 2003 Shiraz
Pretty impressive wine, lovely nose of spices - cinnamon, cloves and plush oak, with a velvety medium bodied palate, tons of fruit, blueberries perhaps, but in balance and nice length. Midweight style, very pleasing. I'm not often drinking Hunter wines but this makes me think I should get into more of them.

Wise words. (As your attorney) I strongly suggest you invest in some 07 Tyrrell's promptly..
GW

PS. It is Iuliis...it's a bugger to spell.

Duly noted.

2003 Barossa Valley Estate Black Pepper Shiraz. A slightly restrained nose with savoury, meaty characters and some charry oak. The palalte was richer with ripe, sweet fruit - blackcurrants & plums with drying tannins and slightly hard finish. A few more years should make it a bit softer, more complete and less agressive,
2000 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon Heard bad things about the 2000 vitage across the board, so didn't expect great things. Really beautiful wine - soft, rich and full of flavour with ripe sweet fruit, chocolate and some hints of chocloate. For what was meant to be an ordinary vintage this was just beautiful!
Morris Liqueur Muscat Yum! Rich, sweet raisin character with warm spirit and a beautiful oily texture. Must spend a few more dollars and get a bottle of their premium muscat - should be bliss!

2004 Groom Shiraz (Barossa) {cork, 13.8%, $50}
Spicy and peppery. Good weight of ripe fruit, tight, clean. No development yet, but attractive balance suggests a few years will see it do well. Don't recall anything 'standing out' in the way of tannins or acids; still, it was quite a price tag. One to watch, perhaps.

2006 Stonier Pinot Noir (Mornington) {screwcap, 14%}
Clean, chewy, 'modern-pinot' - friendly tannins, ripe but not over-the-top fruit, lick of clean acid. Nice weight, no great complexity, decent quaffing pinot with varietal character.

2005 Penley "Hyland" red blend (Coonawarra) {cork, 15%}
Didn't note constituent grapes particularly; dark ruby, burnished porty-fruit aromas, Ripe fruit and oak, but really, just too hot. Alcohol is overt and distracting - a pity, since the ingedients seemed to avoid overly-raisined characters.

cheers,
Graeme

Penfolds Bin 06A Chardonnay 2006
Can't say I was too enamoured with this, at least not at it's current stage of life. Very tightly coiled, not giving much at all, a slight nose of quality oak and loads of acid, this seemed to finish a bit short and presented as a touch bland. The quality is there I think, just needs some time.

William Fevre Petit Chablis 2005
Pongy nose, a bit thin on the palate, characterful but so-so.

Castagna Genesis Syrah 2005
Big, well presented wine, polished and buff with a dab of viognier, quite rich, with spices and an immaculate veneer lining of oak, lovely, full blown palate but in balance and nice long finish. Could be forgiven for mistaking it for a shined up SA shiraz but then my Beechworth experience is pretty limited.

Vidal Soler Syrah 2001 Possibly the oldest NZ red I've had under s/c. Has matured nicely, but is unusually (for a HB syrah) jammy.

Clos Henri SB 2007 A class act -- great mouth feel, minerally & dry, but still distinctly Marlborough SB.

Te Mata Awatea 1998 Fine tannins, epitome of cigar box on the nose, drinking very nicely.

Cheers
Peter

Peter NZ wrote:Clos Henri SB 2007 A class act -- great mouth feel, minerally & dry, but still distinctly Marlborough SB.

Thanks for the note. Just picked up a bottle of this on the recommendation of a Merchant. Earmarked for this weekend.

04 Seppelt Original Sparkling shiraz
Drinking well, not going to improve.

05 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz
Much brighter and fresher then the 04.

04 Gramps shiraz
Good for the price

04 Pennys Hill Red Dot shiraz
Great drinking for $20

05 Wayne Thomas shiraz
This is good.

04 Kilikanoon Covenant Clare shiraz
Terrific wine.

04 Wirra RSW
Very good, and ready to go.

05 Two Hands Ares shiraz
Was ok on day 1, but day 2 it had oxidised badly. Not as good as another bottle consumed recently. Damn corks

03 Standish Relic
Fantastic.

04 Noon Eclipse
Boring.

04 Noon cabernet
Very good, no usual Langhorn mint

98 Wirra Penley Coonawarra Cab
Bloody corks. Not as good as it should have been.

02 Wirra RSW
Very good wine, needs drinking up.

02 Burge Filsell
I think they need to change this style. Too old fashioned, lots of oak, lots of tannins, mint. Boring.

04 Grove Estate Cellar Block shiraz
Hilltops. Very different, but really nice.

02 Jenke Cab
Green streak really turned me off this bottle. Previous bottle was better.

04 Seppelt Chalambar shiraz
Nice. No rough edges.

02 Warrabilla Shiraz Durif
Opened with about 4 other bottles. Simply outclassed. Pass.

98 Kays Block 6 shiraz
This was good. It was more savoury then I was expecting. Its aged well, and is a classy wine.

98 McWilliams Lovedale semillon
Damn corks. real hard going.

Bruce

Brucer wrote:04 Seppelt Original Sparkling shiraz
Drinking well, not going to improve.

05 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz
Much brighter and fresher then the 04.

04 Gramps shiraz
Good for the price

04 Pennys Hill Red Dot shiraz
Great drinking for $20

05 Wayne Thomas shiraz
This is good.

04 Kilikanoon Covenant Clare shiraz
Terrific wine.

04 Wirra RSW
Very good, and ready to go.

05 Two Hands Ares shiraz
Was ok on day 1, but day 2 it had oxidised badly. Not as good as another bottle consumed recently. Damn corks

03 Standish Relic
Fantastic.

04 Noon Eclipse
Boring.

04 Noon cabernet
Very good, no usual Langhorn mint

98 Wirra Penley Coonawarra Cab
Bloody corks. Not as good as it should have been.

02 Wirra RSW
Very good wine, needs drinking up.

02 Burge Filsell
I think they need to change this style. Too old fashioned, lots of oak, lots of tannins, mint. Boring.

04 Grove Estate Cellar Block shiraz
Hilltops. Very different, but really nice.

02 Jenke Cab
Green streak really turned me off this bottle. Previous bottle was better.

04 Seppelt Chalambar shiraz
Nice. No rough edges.

02 Warrabilla Shiraz Durif
Opened with about 4 other bottles. Simply outclassed. Pass.

98 Kays Block 6 shiraz
This was good. It was more savoury then I was expecting. Its aged well, and is a classy wine.

98 McWilliams Lovedale semillon
Damn corks. real hard going.

Bruce

Gosh you have been having a bad run with the corks lately! Hopefully it will even out soon for you.

cheers

Carl

Orlando St Hugo Cabernet 1981
Birth year wine purchased at auction, it was past its best however was still an interesting and enjoyable wine. I stood it upright for a couple of days and poured carefully rather than going down the decanting path.

It smelled sound right from the start and the fruit came good around 30-60min after opening. Still a little zesty fine tannin present, a little plummy fruit and lots of herby and earthy type characters that were constantly changing in the glass.

Meerea Park "The Aunts" Shiraz 2003
Still a baby, loads of chewy tannin and great hunter shiraz fruit, forget about it for another few years at least.

Farmer's Daughter Cabernet 2003
The last of 4 bottles, previous two were great for the money, this one corked

Unknown Maker? Mudgee Black Shiraz
Straight down the sink, either a victim of the cork seal or just plain acidic and terrible.

winetastic wrote:Unknown Maker? Mudgee Black Shiraz
Straight down the sink, either a victim of the cork seal or just plain acidic and terrible.

Montrose perhaps?

cheers

Carl

Got it in one, I think it was a 2003.

winetastic wrote:Got it in one, I think it was a 2003.

I remember liking the late 90's versions. Not sure what is going on with them now.

cheers

Carl

Brucer, the last time I had 02 Wirra Wirra RSW it was monolithic, thought it needed a decade, but that was 3 years go and haven't gone back for the remainder. what is it that prompts you to a drink now view?
agree on the filsell style, seems over oaked, out of proportion to the fruit.

Home Hill 05 (red label), good depth of fruit from the ripe end of the spectrum, judicious oak handling. I think this will go some distance. Had the 2000 version of this and it was superb showing no signs of tiredness.

Hardy's Oommoo 2004, ok, bit rough around the edges , better with food.

Derwent Estate Riesling 2007, more towards the lemon than lime, strong acidity. full flavoured long palate. should cellar well.

Saltram No.1 Big lush style , oak eaten by the fruit. I quite like this with a big streak, but not sure I want to cellar.

2005 Chapple Hill Cabernet, on the money, opened too early but is good drinking and should improve in the medium term.

ST Henri 99, 375 ml format, corked.

Turkey Flat 02 Shiraz 375 ml, drinking well secondry flavours developing, opened up to some great complexity in the glass.

Parri Estate Pankarra Grenache 2005
Parri Estate has two cellar doors, one in McLaren Vale (Ingoldby Road) and one in the hilly terrane of the Fleurieu Peninsula, between Mt Compass and Victor Harbor. Some weeks ago I visited the latter one (on Sneyd Road) after we tasted and bought cheese from the nearby Alexandrina Cheese Company. Parri Estate’s Mt Compass cellar door is a stunning locality with the classy and spacious tasting room overlooking the vineyards and Currency Creek. The panoramic view is just magnificent. I tasted a couple of wines but bought in the end only one bottle of the Pankarra Grenache because it was my favourite. The Grenache grapes for this wine were handpicked from 50-70 years old vines from the Ingoldby Vineyard in the McLaren Vale. Colour is a medium deep red, not too dark. The nose is a little bit restrained offering subtle wild strawberry, raspberry and black cherry aromas and a little bit of spice, maybe cloves and vanilla. After some time the wine opened up a little bit more revealing some spirity-plummy notes but still not too expressive. The same for the palate. Hints of sweet red fruits and spices, a little bit of alcohol (but not bad)…medium body…fine tannins…still I found the wine somehow closed. Remembered it more open and expressive at the CD. But definitely a good wine, maybe my palate and nose were a bit tired. Try also Grenache from other producers. Not too long ago I had a gorgeous Deisen Grenache (yum!!!) and also highly enjoyed the luscious and caressing Longhop 05 Grenache.

Haldane Red Bottom Port Lincoln Shiraz 2004
Spent some days over New Years Eve in the south of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. There are a couple of wineries in the vicinity of Port Lincoln, with Boston Bay Winery probably the biggest and most well known due to their nice cellar door. However, in the local bottle shops you can also pick up wines from other producers, often with ‘interesting’ labels on the bottles. Love the home-made, underground, grass roots appeal of such labels. The Haldane Shiraz was a complete random buy and there is more or less no information about Haldane available. The wine has a deep crimson colour, is fairly dark and has quite a lot of sediment in the bottle. On the nose rather restrained, some vanilla oak aromas but also some barnyard notes. On the palate the wine appears rather closed, not too much fruit, some astringency, ok tannins, ok to drink but not overly exciting in its current form. Don’t know if this wine will develop into something more interesting? Nevertheless, recommended for a BBQ.

Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir 2006
Many good reviews, was mentioned a couple of times on this forum, so I also wanted to try it and see if it could be something for my dad who prefers more lighter style red wines. And yes, I can see that this is a fairly attractive wine and I enjoyed drinking it very much. I think it’s a very good Pinot Noir (but not in the same league as for example the Kooyong single vineyard PNs, which are of course more expensive).

Rymill Coonawarra June Traminer 2005
Made from botrytis affected, raisined grapes. Deep golden colour. Attractive scent of lychees and sweet dried fruits, maybe apricots and pine apples. Palate clearly shows botrytis aromas, some honey but also again lychee. Powerful sweetness (almost 200 g/l residual sugar) but not overly sweet, not cloying, with nice lively acid. First thought that the finish is a little bit short but after a minute of 'palatal numbness' the lychees miraculously came back. Luscious dessert wine with great depth and concentration. Superb!!!

Some fairly forgettable wines the past week.

1999 Moet et Chandon - fairly simple champagne with some nice citrus notes.

2004 Kalleske shiraz - not the greatest example of this.

2001 Lindemans Limestone Ridge - boring, one dimensional.

1991 Yalumba The Signature - corked. 4 out of the 6 pack.....

[quote="Wayno"]
William Fevre Petit Chablis 2005
Pongy nose, a bit thin on the palate, characterful but so-so.

By coincidence I had this on Sat night too (watching the swans sneak home)
I didnt mind the pong, but definitely a product of a warm yr and more like a cool climate Aussie Chardonnay than a Chablis.

Also consumed watching the football
Tim Adams Cab Sauv 1999 Opened as a brutish, powerful beast of a red with a very thick, (somewhat) oak rich palate. It really slaughtered our pizza and needs steak to calm the sheer volume of flavour. Lacking a little charm and whilst it will go for bloody ages yet I'm not sure if it will ever be balanced.

Mesh Riesling 2002 My cellar is at my parents house and this was left in the fridge for us to drink together.... Sadly I got it at day four or five so the nose was a little oxidised, but the acid backbone was prominent and superbly intense. Wish I had been able to try some on Day 1.....

Broughy,
I suggest you open an 02 RSW, and see what you think.
I first revisited it about 3 months ago, and after a bottle, the rest in my cellar was put on the "drink up list", as I thought it really needed drinking.
It was then that a run of crook bottles of this was discovered,2 leaking and oxidised, followed by 2 corked bottles. Upon discussing this with Wirra, they commented that the 02 vintage hadn't aged as everyone thought it would (in McLaren Vale) and it was thought to be a bit like 98, fantastic to begin with, but simply not a vintage that will age well.
I have been looking thru my wine list, and most of the 02s from McV have been drunk. But a few come to mind that have turned to crap, Fox Creek short row, Mitolo Gam, Cape Barren Old Vine, Scarpantoni Block 3...long gone. Obviously, there will always be some wines that hold together.
I used to say I liked my McV reds at 5-8 years, but now, I would say more like 3-6. The 02s are now 6 years old. I tend to drink my reds younger these days, (as compared to the early 90s reds) which were oaked to the max, but with restraint in the oak dept, many reds are approachable earlier IMO.
I am currently drinking a good few 04s, which are terrific now.
These are just my observations, and I know not everyone will agree.
cheers
Bruce

Brucer

I tend to agree, I tried an 02 RSW recently and it wasn't all that. Felt like it was a bit on the slide, unless it was in a hole of course...? I figured I might not wait too long either.

Wayno wrote:Brucer

I tend to agree, I tried an 02 RSW recently and it wasn't all that. Felt like it was a bit on the slide, unless it was in a hole of course...? I figured I might not wait too long either.

Has anyone tried 97 RSW? I tried it about 2 years ago, wasn't oxidised nor corked, just nothing (read as hollow) in the wine and headed to the sink . Since then I haven't touched my last bottle as I didn't want to make myself disappointed.

deleted

I suggest you open an 02 RSW, and see what you think.
I first revisited it about 3 months ago, and after a bottle, the rest in my cellar was put on the "drink up list", as I thought it really needed drinking.
It was then that a run of crook bottles of this was discovered,2 leaking and oxidised, followed by 2 corked bottles. Upon discussing this with Wirra, they commented that the 02 vintage hadn't aged as everyone thought it would (in McLaren Vale) and it was thought to be a bit like 98, fantastic to begin with, but simply not a vintage that will age well.
I have been looking thru my wine list, and most of the 02s from McV have been drunk. But a few come to mind that have turned to crap, Fox Creek short row, Mitolo Gam, Cape Barren Old Vine, Scarpantoni Block 3...long gone. Obviously, there will always be some wines that hold together.
I used to say I liked my McV reds at 5-8 years, but now, I would say more like 3-6. The 02s are now 6 years old. I tend to drink my reds younger these days, (as compared to the early 90s reds) which were oaked to the max, but with restraint in the oak dept, many reds are approachable earlier IMO.
I am currently drinking a good few 04s, which are terrific now.
These are just my observations, and I know not everyone will agree.

Thanks Brucer I will give them a go. The perils of deciding a drinking window too far in advance!

Sean wrote:2005 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz - While I think Chalambars usually need 4 or 5 yrs until they’re ready to drink, because of the big, powdery tannins, this is very approachable already. This is the only point of difference, because there’s no doubt about the quality of this wine. The colour was a very dark red, some beautiful plummy and cherry aromas, spicy, and while I could taste the oak it wasn’t overwhelming, rather it was fruit driven, still primary, but nicely balanced.

The 2004 was rather tannic and unapproachable when I first tried it not long after release. Left it a couple of years then was prompted to try it again after a tasting of the 2006 that reminded me of the young 04. The 04 showed very nicely. I've a couple of bottles of 04 left, think it'll peak about 2012 but may try one in 2010 to check it's development.

Cheers

daz

Daryl Douglas wrote:

Sean wrote:2005 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz - While I think Chalambars usually need 4 or 5 yrs until they’re ready to drink, because of the big, powdery tannins, this is very approachable already. This is the only point of difference, because there’s no doubt about the quality of this wine. The colour was a very dark red, some beautiful plummy and cherry aromas, spicy, and while I could taste the oak it wasn’t overwhelming, rather it was fruit driven, still primary, but nicely balanced.

The 2004 was rather tannic and unapproachable when I first tried it not long after release. Left it a couple of years then was prompted to try it again after a tasting of the 2006 that reminded me of the young 04. The 04 showed very nicely. I've a couple of bottles of 04 left, think it'll peak about 2012 but may try one in 2010 to check it's development.

Cheers

daz

Interesting. I found the 06 a style change of sorts with the warmer, plusher, Bendigo fruit component. I like the 04 quite a lot actually.

cheers

Carl