Hi Good Peoples,
Sunday drinkin' reports are now officially due. Please let us know what you have been tasting, guzzling, sipping or drinking. As usual, notes, vibes, impressions or lists welcome.
Sunday - come in everyone....
Only two of note this week.
1993 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon if this is a poor vintage, then bugger me. Lovely aged Cabernet. No hurry to drink.
1985 Guigal Brune et Blonde Cote Rotie seems to be a bit of bottle variation with this (probably no surprise after 23 years). This bottle was sublime. One left; thinking about bringing it to Oz with me.
1993 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon if this is a poor vintage, then bugger me. Lovely aged Cabernet. No hurry to drink.
1985 Guigal Brune et Blonde Cote Rotie seems to be a bit of bottle variation with this (probably no surprise after 23 years). This bottle was sublime. One left; thinking about bringing it to Oz with me.
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2004
Pleasingly smelly, composty, earthy, with a somewhat meaty, rustic palate. A bit unfocussed, but quite good all the same.
Geoff Weaver Pinot Noir 2004
Quite pure, but with a similar lack of serious line - good stuff just not mind-blowing.
Pleasingly smelly, composty, earthy, with a somewhat meaty, rustic palate. A bit unfocussed, but quite good all the same.
Geoff Weaver Pinot Noir 2004
Quite pure, but with a similar lack of serious line - good stuff just not mind-blowing.
Cheers
Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
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Daryl Douglas
- Posts: 1361
- Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 7:23 pm
- Location: Nth Qld
Possums Vineyard McLaren Vale Shiraz 2005 The fruit used to make this is from the Blewitt Springs vineyard. The colour is dark, dark red with a strong tinge of purple. The nose has plums, blackberry and oak. On the palate it's definitely a McLaren Vale shiraz with the plum, blackberry and some regional bitter dark chocolate. There's plenty of fruit that's soaked up the oak that adds structure and a hint of malty, cedar characters to the flavour profile. It finishes with reasonable length and a touch of warmth from the 14.5% alc/vol. The regional character in this wine is unmistakeable so perhaps not to everyone's palate. But it was a real bargain for ~$10.50/btl delivered.
Cheers
daz
Cheers
daz
Some brief impressions from a instore yesterday:
2008 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Riesling (screwcap): Very pale green, almost colourless. Nice nose of lime blossom, soursob and mineral; palate’s good in all facets without being exceptional, a solid short-medium term Riesling.
2008 Oliver’s Taranga Viognier (screwcap): Fat, oily, apricots, dry finish – part sticky, part dry, none of it particularly attractive. By the way, everyone knows I hate most Viognier, right?.
2004 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Semillon (screwcap): Reminds me a lot of the Mitchell’s but with more bottle age/oak influences, tinned tuna, a touch of lemon butter, good weight and a slightly nutty finish. Solid wine.
2005 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon (screwcap): Medium red. Perfumed, dusty and minty like good Cabernet should be, the palate’s medium weight and lacks a little length for my liking.
2005 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Shiraz (screwcap): Medium red. Riper than the cabernet, eucalyptus and black liquorice, still medium weight but just a little longer and better balanced.
2005 The Willows Vineyard Bonesetter Barossa Shiraz (cork): Inky red/purple, a big step up in concentration. Impressive nose with expensive oak and tarry, velvety fruit, definitely riper than previous vintages I’ve tried; the palate confirms this, with minty alcohol and short length detracting from the sweet cherries and white pepper. Disappointing for its price and pedigree.
2006 Oliver’s Taranga Cadenzia Grenache (screwcap): Light to medium crimson. Quite funky and herbal with a nod to the old world, but it’s also light bodied and rather hot despite being just 14.5% on the label.
2006 Corinna’s Blend Shiraz Cabernet (screwcap): Alcoholic, and just a tad rubbery – didn’t like this at all.
2006 Oliver’s Taranga McLaren Vale Shiraz (screwcap): Darker red colour, with spicy/ripe berries and better balance, but again it’s fractionally short and hot.
2005 Oliver’s HJ Reserve Shiraz (cork): Inky red/purple. Impressive nose not unlike the Bonesetter at first, lashings of oak and velvety fruit before developing lovely cedar and herbal characters, the palate long, excellently balanced and the alcohol in check this time. The best wine of the day and a major step up on the 06s, but I’d rather have the Samuel’s Gorge for significantly less.
Cheers,
Ian
2008 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Riesling (screwcap): Very pale green, almost colourless. Nice nose of lime blossom, soursob and mineral; palate’s good in all facets without being exceptional, a solid short-medium term Riesling.
2008 Oliver’s Taranga Viognier (screwcap): Fat, oily, apricots, dry finish – part sticky, part dry, none of it particularly attractive. By the way, everyone knows I hate most Viognier, right?.
2004 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Semillon (screwcap): Reminds me a lot of the Mitchell’s but with more bottle age/oak influences, tinned tuna, a touch of lemon butter, good weight and a slightly nutty finish. Solid wine.
2005 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon (screwcap): Medium red. Perfumed, dusty and minty like good Cabernet should be, the palate’s medium weight and lacks a little length for my liking.
2005 The Willows Vineyard Barossa Shiraz (screwcap): Medium red. Riper than the cabernet, eucalyptus and black liquorice, still medium weight but just a little longer and better balanced.
2005 The Willows Vineyard Bonesetter Barossa Shiraz (cork): Inky red/purple, a big step up in concentration. Impressive nose with expensive oak and tarry, velvety fruit, definitely riper than previous vintages I’ve tried; the palate confirms this, with minty alcohol and short length detracting from the sweet cherries and white pepper. Disappointing for its price and pedigree.
2006 Oliver’s Taranga Cadenzia Grenache (screwcap): Light to medium crimson. Quite funky and herbal with a nod to the old world, but it’s also light bodied and rather hot despite being just 14.5% on the label.
2006 Corinna’s Blend Shiraz Cabernet (screwcap): Alcoholic, and just a tad rubbery – didn’t like this at all.
2006 Oliver’s Taranga McLaren Vale Shiraz (screwcap): Darker red colour, with spicy/ripe berries and better balance, but again it’s fractionally short and hot.
2005 Oliver’s HJ Reserve Shiraz (cork): Inky red/purple. Impressive nose not unlike the Bonesetter at first, lashings of oak and velvety fruit before developing lovely cedar and herbal characters, the palate long, excellently balanced and the alcohol in check this time. The best wine of the day and a major step up on the 06s, but I’d rather have the Samuel’s Gorge for significantly less.
Cheers,
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
As well as performing my Australian Weekend duty of eating massive amounts of lamb, I drank through a fair bit of Hunter Shiraz. Due to work being rather hectic, I have not had the chance to post but I still thought it worth doing so:
2006 Mountain X Shiraz - Hunter Valley (with a hint of Yarra Valley Pinot Noir): You will do very well to find a more satisfying wine than this upon opening. It presents a dense and captivating mix of sweet and savoury nuances with gorgeous mouthfeel. Polished leather, clove spices, savoury oak and liquorice allsorts on waves of sweet raspberry and plum fruits on a middle palate of satin juiciness controlled by masses of silky ripe tannins and inconspicuous acidity that take the gamut of flavours to all breadths of the palate and provide adequate although not impressive length and focus. The wine made me smile and laugh, similar to when I pour masses of chocolate Milo on vanilla ice-cream in my youth! With breathing time the wine lengthens as the tannins gain greater grip but the middle palate loses its captivation. A classy wine that will handle age but it is hard to imagine it wine providing any more joy than it does right now. Taking the average between Hour 1 and Hour 24, 92/100.
2007 Meerea Park “Terracotta†Shiraz: My grapevine has told me that the 2007 Alexander Munro Shiraz is something really special, so I was excited to be able to look at this wine for a number of days. Lucky, as it took me a number of days to see the quality of this wine. Its velvet, seamlessness and Viognier-floral lift took a while to reveal all the “goodies†underneath. Red and dark fruits, savoury earth, liquorice, leather and quality sweet oak that plays a positive part in the finish. Medium-full body, I needed a number of days to see its depth and class. 93/100 with time.
2007 David Hook “The Gorge†Shiraz: Plums, fresh red berries, dust, pepper spice, a little leather. Bony with enough meat. Looked better with time. Medium finish. A more traditional, earthy wine that I enjoyed. 90/100.
2007 Margan “Limited Release†Shiraz: The first taste was alright with red fruits and earthiness, then each subsequent taste revealed more metallic dirt more commonly referred to as Brett! Although not totally destroyed, once it is noticed, it is hard to get past. 85/100.
2007 Lindemans Bin 0703 Shiraz – Cheap and sweetened. 83/100.
Adair
2006 Mountain X Shiraz - Hunter Valley (with a hint of Yarra Valley Pinot Noir): You will do very well to find a more satisfying wine than this upon opening. It presents a dense and captivating mix of sweet and savoury nuances with gorgeous mouthfeel. Polished leather, clove spices, savoury oak and liquorice allsorts on waves of sweet raspberry and plum fruits on a middle palate of satin juiciness controlled by masses of silky ripe tannins and inconspicuous acidity that take the gamut of flavours to all breadths of the palate and provide adequate although not impressive length and focus. The wine made me smile and laugh, similar to when I pour masses of chocolate Milo on vanilla ice-cream in my youth! With breathing time the wine lengthens as the tannins gain greater grip but the middle palate loses its captivation. A classy wine that will handle age but it is hard to imagine it wine providing any more joy than it does right now. Taking the average between Hour 1 and Hour 24, 92/100.
2007 Meerea Park “Terracotta†Shiraz: My grapevine has told me that the 2007 Alexander Munro Shiraz is something really special, so I was excited to be able to look at this wine for a number of days. Lucky, as it took me a number of days to see the quality of this wine. Its velvet, seamlessness and Viognier-floral lift took a while to reveal all the “goodies†underneath. Red and dark fruits, savoury earth, liquorice, leather and quality sweet oak that plays a positive part in the finish. Medium-full body, I needed a number of days to see its depth and class. 93/100 with time.
2007 David Hook “The Gorge†Shiraz: Plums, fresh red berries, dust, pepper spice, a little leather. Bony with enough meat. Looked better with time. Medium finish. A more traditional, earthy wine that I enjoyed. 90/100.
2007 Margan “Limited Release†Shiraz: The first taste was alright with red fruits and earthiness, then each subsequent taste revealed more metallic dirt more commonly referred to as Brett! Although not totally destroyed, once it is noticed, it is hard to get past. 85/100.
2007 Lindemans Bin 0703 Shiraz – Cheap and sweetened. 83/100.
Adair
Wine is bottled poetry.
Standout of the week:
JAJA Shiraz 04- beautiful Barossa shiraz with everything i enjoy dark colour rich fruit but not over the top.
Others were:
D'Arenburg Laughing Magpie 04 - nice silky wine but to many apricots.
Chapel Hill Cabernet 05 - nice wine , return to form - lost something the next night.
cheers
Seddo[/b]
JAJA Shiraz 04- beautiful Barossa shiraz with everything i enjoy dark colour rich fruit but not over the top.
Others were:
D'Arenburg Laughing Magpie 04 - nice silky wine but to many apricots.
Chapel Hill Cabernet 05 - nice wine , return to form - lost something the next night.
cheers
Seddo[/b]
2005 Chapel Hill Shiraz/Grenache (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale) - Needed about 6 hours decanting time, integration not the best and a tad hot. Improved the next night.
2005 Hugh Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon The Villain Glenelg (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale), not sure where this one is going, the oak is massive in this wine, the fruit is there, but presently it's diminished from release, much more quickly than I'd like. Very very hot.
2005 Hugh Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon The Villain Glenelg (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale), not sure where this one is going, the oak is massive in this wine, the fruit is there, but presently it's diminished from release, much more quickly than I'd like. Very very hot.
1998 Bodegas Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva
Not seen a lot of Spanish wines mentioned here so I hope this will be something interesting. I believe this is a typical Rioja blend, about 80% tempranillo.
Lovely colour - intense ruby red. Fruity on the nose without quite opening out as much as expected even after a couple of hours decanted, but with hints of leathery spiciness. Lots of cherry on the front with nice acidity followed by softened tannins. I can't quite decide if the fruitiness overpowers the quite subtle length and on balance I think it might. But overall a pleasant diversion.
Not seen a lot of Spanish wines mentioned here so I hope this will be something interesting. I believe this is a typical Rioja blend, about 80% tempranillo.
Lovely colour - intense ruby red. Fruity on the nose without quite opening out as much as expected even after a couple of hours decanted, but with hints of leathery spiciness. Lots of cherry on the front with nice acidity followed by softened tannins. I can't quite decide if the fruitiness overpowers the quite subtle length and on balance I think it might. But overall a pleasant diversion.
3, 65, 7, 50
A few wines I've had (and commented on) before but interesting to see how they're doing and all were pretty enjoyable. I'm having to raid the cellar for all my wine lately as I'm not buying any for a few months...
Pegasus Bay Riesling 03 - good, lots of tropical fruit, still pretty fresh;
Te Mata Awatea 05 - nice wine. Pencil shavings melding well with black fruit. Very much like a cru bourgeois bdx;
Pirathon Shiraz 05 - still drinking very well, but seemed to have lost a bit of backbone, while the fruit was presenting almost like a ripe grenache - I wonder if this will be a little less long lived than I'd hoped, or maybe it just needs a longer sleep. I have 4 or 5 left, so would be interested to hear other views. Anyone else had this lately?
Pegasus Bay Riesling 03 - good, lots of tropical fruit, still pretty fresh;
Te Mata Awatea 05 - nice wine. Pencil shavings melding well with black fruit. Very much like a cru bourgeois bdx;
Pirathon Shiraz 05 - still drinking very well, but seemed to have lost a bit of backbone, while the fruit was presenting almost like a ripe grenache - I wonder if this will be a little less long lived than I'd hoped, or maybe it just needs a longer sleep. I have 4 or 5 left, so would be interested to hear other views. Anyone else had this lately?
Cheers,
Mike
Mike
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Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2771
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:39 am
Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Chardonnay 2002
Past its best
Meerea Park "The Aunts" Shiraz 2001
Developing some regional characters but still retaining a lot of fruit. Could be kept quite a while longer (even up to 5 years) but drinking well now. Very good.
Buller Beverford Botrytis Semillon 2006
Lashings of tropical fruit with a touch a citrus. Excellent. Could cellar 1-3 yrs.
Past its best
Meerea Park "The Aunts" Shiraz 2001
Developing some regional characters but still retaining a lot of fruit. Could be kept quite a while longer (even up to 5 years) but drinking well now. Very good.
Buller Beverford Botrytis Semillon 2006
Lashings of tropical fruit with a touch a citrus. Excellent. Could cellar 1-3 yrs.
"It is very hard to make predictions, especially about the future." Samuel Goldwyn
1994 Yalumba Signature: Needed a good 5 hour decant. It is just plain brilliant. I believe it is getting close to its peak but will hang in there for a good while.
2000 Ibis (Orange Region) Cab. franc: This is one of my discoveries from the Orange trip. Never new Cab. franc can be this good very fragrant nose and very balanced palate, still some good fruit. Just great specially considering the $ 12 price tag.
2000 Ibis (Orange Region) Cab. franc: This is one of my discoveries from the Orange trip. Never new Cab. franc can be this good very fragrant nose and very balanced palate, still some good fruit. Just great specially considering the $ 12 price tag.
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Waiters Friend
- Posts: 2857
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:09 am
- Location: Perth WA
-
Waiters Friend
- Posts: 2857
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:09 am
- Location: Perth WA
Waiters Friend wrote:monghead wrote:2004 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon- Average...
So the 2004 Elizabeth has been released? Retail? And is it average for Elizabeth, or average in general?
Yeah, the 04 Elizabeths are out and I picked one up at $12.50 last week.
But I think it is average in general...
Though, I must add that I don't have a wealth of tasting background in semillon...
Monghead.
Hahaha. Found this lazing around in a mate's fridge and took the liberty of cracking it open and sharing it around. I thought it the first Elizabeth for a number of years worth buying, and not just because of the screwcap. I bought another to look at more closely, which is in the fridge... my fridge.monghead wrote:Waiters Friend wrote:monghead wrote:2004 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon- Average...
So the 2004 Elizabeth has been released? Retail? And is it average for Elizabeth, or average in general?
Yeah, the 04 Elizabeths are out and I picked one up at $12.50 last week.
But I think it is average in general...
Though, I must add that I don't have a wealth of tasting background in semillon...
Monghead.
But I don't expect any change of my opinion. FWIW, I think 2004 is the greatest Hunter Semillon vintage for a long time.
Adair
Wine is bottled poetry.
Weekend Wines
2003 Mitolo GAM: Rich wine, but not over the top like some Shiraz wines can be. Good balance and acidity, viscous and a beautiful taste. This is wine you could take anywhere and serve it without apology.
2004 Mischief and Mayhem Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers: I'm not wild about the cute names creeping into European wines, but the results are undeniable. This started off very tight, but with good fruit and balance. As it opened up there was a very pleasant and surprising caramel taste at the end that lingered for several minutes on the palate. This wine is still quite young and has the stuffing to last for a number of years. Good stuff!
2004 Mischief and Mayhem Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers: I'm not wild about the cute names creeping into European wines, but the results are undeniable. This started off very tight, but with good fruit and balance. As it opened up there was a very pleasant and surprising caramel taste at the end that lingered for several minutes on the palate. This wine is still quite young and has the stuffing to last for a number of years. Good stuff!
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Waiters Friend
- Posts: 2857
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:09 am
- Location: Perth WA
Adair wrote:Hahaha. Found this lazing around in a mate's fridge and took the liberty of cracking it open and sharing it around. I thought it the first Elizabeth for a number of years worth buying, and not just because of the screwcap. I bought another to look at more closely, which is in the fridge... my fridge.monghead wrote:Waiters Friend wrote:monghead wrote:2004 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon- Average...
So the 2004 Elizabeth has been released? Retail? And is it average for Elizabeth, or average in general?
Yeah, the 04 Elizabeths are out and I picked one up at $12.50 last week.
But I think it is average in general...
Though, I must add that I don't have a wealth of tasting background in semillon...
Monghead.
Adair
Ah, thank you Adair. I will be doing my usual (i.e. a case in the cellar each year, and a couple drunk young). Good to hear 2004 is a good one.
Cheers
Allan
Wine, women and song. Ideally, you can experience all three at once.
2002 Coriole Redstone Had a half case left over from the engagement that I had forgotten about for a few years. Has developed well and showing no signs of falling over anytime soon but I think that I'll try to get through these this year.
2006 Wirra Wirra Church Block Always a good drink and this didn't dissapoint.
1999 Deep Woods Verdelho 2nd of a 6 pack and is (IMHO) a really good example of aged Verdelho. Everyone loved it.
2002 Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz Holding fairly well but need to drink up.
2006 Wirra Wirra Church Block Always a good drink and this didn't dissapoint.
1999 Deep Woods Verdelho 2nd of a 6 pack and is (IMHO) a really good example of aged Verdelho. Everyone loved it.
2002 Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz Holding fairly well but need to drink up.
Decided to open this a little early today at work. I think it is wonderful. Finally an Elizabeth whose:Waiters Friend wrote:Ah, thank you Adair. I will be doing my usual (i.e. a case in the cellar each year, and a couple drunk young). Good to hear 2004 is a good one.Adair wrote:Hahaha. Found this lazing around in a mate's fridge and took the liberty of cracking it open and sharing it around. I thought it the first Elizabeth for a number of years worth buying, and not just because of the screwcap. I bought another to look at more closely, which is in the fridge... my fridge.monghead wrote:Yeah, the 04 Elizabeths are out and I picked one up at $12.50 last week.Waiters Friend wrote:So the 2004 Elizabeth has been released? Retail? And is it average for Elizabeth, or average in general?monghead wrote:2004 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon- Average...
But I think it is average in general...
Though, I must add that I don't have a wealth of tasting background in semillon...
Monghead.
Adair
Cheers
Allan
1) flavours are complex but whose flavours are also balanced between its facets (lemon butter, lanolin, toast, grass, honey, a hint of dried herbs and a touch of caramel), which I suspect shows good ripening, and
2) structure facilitates a juicy mid-palate but also has enough strength and fineness to be a positive textural aspect on its own, which is admittedly the most important aspect I look for in wine.
However, it is not as if the length and depth or weight of this Elizabeth is great, maybe showing its price a little, but if I get balance and harmony and 10.5% alcohol with flavours I enjoy at $12, I am buying.
92/100 FWIW
Adair
Wine is bottled poetry.
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cuttlefish
- Posts: 1017
- Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:46 pm
- Location: Sunbury
Adair wrote:Decided to open this a little early today at work. I think it is wonderful. Finally an Elizabeth whose:Waiters Friend wrote:Ah, thank you Adair. I will be doing my usual (i.e. a case in the cellar each year, and a couple drunk young). Good to hear 2004 is a good one.Adair wrote:Hahaha. Found this lazing around in a mate's fridge and took the liberty of cracking it open and sharing it around. I thought it the first Elizabeth for a number of years worth buying, and not just because of the screwcap. I bought another to look at more closely, which is in the fridge... my fridge.monghead wrote:Yeah, the 04 Elizabeths are out and I picked one up at $12.50 last week.Waiters Friend wrote:So the 2004 Elizabeth has been released? Retail? And is it average for Elizabeth, or average in general?monghead wrote:2004 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon- Average...
But I think it is average in general...
Though, I must add that I don't have a wealth of tasting background in semillon...
Monghead.
Adair
Cheers
Allan
1) flavours are complex but whose flavours are also balanced between its facets (lemon butter, lanolin, toast, grass, honey, a hint of dried herbs and a touch of caramel), which I suspect shows good ripening, and
2) structure facilitates a juicy mid-palate but also has enough strength and fineness to be a positive textural aspect on its own, which is admittedly the most important aspect I look for in wine.
However, it is not as if the length and depth or weight of this Elizabeth is great, maybe showing its price a little, but if I get balance and harmony and 10.5% alcohol with flavours I enjoy at $12, I am buying.
92/100 FWIW
Adair
I'm sorry, but I won't be buying a single bottle of this until it is festooned with gold medals
Smack my [insert grape type here] up !