The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Bloody hell! Its April already; where has the year gone?

Time for you weekly drinking reports. Notes, vibes, lists, impressions etc all welcome.

Rockford Basket Press 2005
Thought it was time to give one of these a whirl. Quite unlike the 06 (and indeed the 04), this is quite open and generous - unwound and relaxed - drinking easily and well. Whilst it may yet crawl into a hole to one day emerge an even more attractive and complex creature, for now it's lovely - all cedary polished oak, forward fruit with balance and poise.

Barossa Vale 'Gibson's Shiraz' 2002:....good
Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2004: ......v good but needs heaps more time probably 5-7 yrs before getting anywhere near potential
Heggies Bortrytis Late Picked Rhine Riesling 1990: ....classic aged sticky

2002 Mount Pleasant OP & OH Shiraz- Good medium bodied, rustic, spicy shiraz.
2007 Bay of Fires Gurwurtztraminer- Sorry, horrible, sickly cloying sweet with insufficient acidity.
1989 Chateau Palmer- Sensational aged old world wine with many years left in it! If not told of age, would have guessed it was 8-10 years old.
2005 Mount Mary Quintet- Beautiful, sumptuous, silky smooth. A joy.
NV Ruinart Blanc de Blancs- Now my favourite NV. Delicious.

Cheers,

Monghead.

Yesterday at an instore I tried a number of wines from Schild Estate (Barossa Valley) & Golding Wines (located at Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills and made by Justin McNamee) – all wines were bottled under screwcap:

2008 Schild Estate Barossa Riesling: Peaty, mineral & lime characters, but the palate has a very bitter finish from the phenolics - disappointing.

2008 Schild Estate Barossa Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: There’s no bitterness this time but it’s nothing special – some grassy/pear characters, mid-weight & length.

2007 Golding The Leap Sauvignon Blanc: Unusually sweet with some caramel on the nose and palate, otherwise it’s grassy and very elegant. Not bad.

2007 Schild Estate Alma Schild Reserve Chardonnay: I don’t know how much oak they threw at this but it was too much, all toasty/smoky with the fruit pushed way into the background; lightweight/flabby palate with a near non-existent structure, a terrible disappointment.

2006 Golding Chardonnay: The complete opposite of the above, the spicy nose showing considerable restraint, the cashew/nutty oak balanced out by slippery, peach melon fruit on the palate which has a long, lingering finish.

2004 Golding Francis John Pinot Noir: Showing some significant age already, smoky/meaty with some lovely bacon characters, but it’s also starting to dry out on the finish. Good drinking right now, but it’s all downhill from here.

2008 Schild Estate Barossa GMS: After the last couple of vintages this one’s showing more immediate form, with ripe, slightly smoky, almost porty raspberries and pepper and a slippery palate that hides its 15% alcohol well, but there’s also very dominant apricot characters on the nose and palate. A friend thought there must have been a stack of Viognier in this – while I didn’t agree, I could see where they were coming from…

2006 Schild Estate Barossa Merlot: After the last couple of vintages this is a step backwards, lighter weight and very forward with under/overripe characters and a short finish.

2006 Schild Estate Barossa Shiraz: Another dud from the vintage. A little rubbery/stinky on the nose at first but that blew off with breathing, what surfaced was the same weird mix of green/porty characters, a lean palate and a very short finish.

2005 Schild Estate Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon: The best red of the tasting, a lot riper and perhaps a touch fatter than the previous vintage with mulberry and black olive, but very slippery, long and well balanced. Outstanding value as usual I must add.

2005 Schild Estate Ben Schild Reserve Shiraz: This was the shock of the day – a bricking red colour and very advanced tarry/nutty/velvety characters, and most worryingly a hollow mid-palate and a short finish. Two years ago it still looked like a raw youngster, last year showed some development but I wasn’t expecting it to thin out and age as quickly as this.

2004 Schild Estate Moorooroo Shiraz: not on tasting.

Cheers,
Ian

A couple of dinners/luncheons this week with just about everything opened of excellent/outstanding in quality. The standout was the surreal 1985 Mount Mary.

Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru "Clos des Chenes" 1997 - an excellent pinot from an almost universally maligned vintage. Ready to go, mostly bing cherry fruit, some lovely earthy/sappy undertones on an elegant frame with very good grip on a sustained and balanced departure. 90 points.

Mount Mary 1985 Cabernets - positively brilliant offering still going strong and with plenty of juice in the tank. Holding a remarkable hue, some barnyardy notes interdispersed with deepset blackcurrant and plum fruit with traces of cedar, cigar box, olive, sweet earth and dried herbs - remininscent of a top St. Julien. Similarly-etched palate, plenty of herb- and earth-tinged black fruits, medium-body, marvellous line, outstanding structure, still very much alive and a svelte, sexy finish of considerable duration. Almost exceptional. 94 points. Drink now -2014.

Orlando Lawsons Padthaway Shiraz 1991 - incredibly dark, deep colour. Nose reeks of dill, cedar, vanilla, tarry blackberry fruit, creosote with strong top notes of menthol, peppermint and a little eucalyptus. Boldly fruited on the palate with plenty more of the same tarry new US oak and resolute matching acid and tannin holding the wine together. Not a style I'm not particularly endowed to but, technically, a very good example of Aussie shiraz from a very good year, although other bottles from my stash have been somewhat better. 89 points. Drink now - 2016+.

Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - brimming with gorgeous sweet chocolatey black fruit, savoury French oak and riddled with exemplary fine-grained tannins. Seemingly, has not budged for years, sitting on an extended drinking plateau. Complete, beautifully wrought and testimony to the old vines from whence it came. 91 points. Drink now - 2012.

Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2004 - of very good/excellent quality (as generally is the case) but the really big news here is I bought this for 8 bucks a bottle and it's now in screwcap!

Vincent Girardin Mersault 1er Cru "Perrieres" 2004 - a seriously good example laden with nutty oak, butter, slightly reticent green stone fruits but possesses a very classy palate; wonderful creamy mouthfeel, excellent structure and terrific length. Enjoyed it greatly but I don't think this is for the long haul. 92 points. Drink now - 2012.

Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1996 - mature hue, nicely structured wine, probably nearing its peak drinking window. I was slightly taken back by an offputting tarry/creosote oak character that marginally spoiled what was otherwise an excellent example. 90 points.

dlo

Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2004 - of very good/excellent quality (as generally is the case) but the really big news here is I bought this for 8 bucks a bottle and it's now in screwcap!

Did you find this to be slightly atypical for an Elizabeth dlo? Either way, a bargain and it is good (and under screwcap!).

Not posting my drinking list today. All these bloody Mount Marys, Lloyd Reserves and Rockford Basket Presses! I did drink some awful vodka.

cheers

jeremy

jeremy wrote:dlo

Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2004 - of very good/excellent quality (as generally is the case) but the really big news here is I bought this for 8 bucks a bottle and it's now in screwcap!

Did you find this to be slightly atypical for an Elizabeth dlo? Either way, a bargain and it is good (and under screwcap!).

Not posting my drinking list today. All these bloody Mount Marys, Lloyd Reserves and Rockford Basket Presses! I did drink some awful vodka.

cheers

jeremy

Not particularly, Jeremy. One bottle was tight with lime and lemon to the fore, perhaps a little bland and uninteresting day 1 but put on heaps of weight/development with quite complex grassy/toasty notes, day 2. The second bottle showed appreciably more development from the outset with honey/toast to the fore, but was of a similar standard - I'd rate both bottles 88 points. As I've bought several dozen, here's hoping the bottle variation isn't manifest.

Cheers David. I've had a little bottle variation from the 04, but nothing too upsetting.

We celebrated our anniversary last night at Auge in Adelaide. Very impressive food and service was second to none. A tad expensive but well worth it. A well spent 4 hours of leisurely pleasure.

With entrée we had their own brand Pino Grigio made at The Lane winery in Adelaide Hill. A good well made wine that went well with the seafood.

There was an extensive Italian wine list but knowing nothing of them went for a 2007 Balnaves Cabernet. Expecting it to be too young we were impressed with its approachability and quality. Having never had any Balnaves it's now on my shopping list.

Finished with a healthy dash of Hennessey VSOP - a weakness of mine. I want a bottle of the XO in my coffin for the afterlife.

Chuck

Hillcrest Estate Pinot Noir 2003 - Murky (presumably because unfiltered) - smell a bit yeasty or malty. Definitely improved as it opened up (maybe would be good to give a decant). Quite powerful from start to finish (very good length) with some blackcurrant and dark cherry flavours with some interesting spicy flavours. Think this would have quite a few more years to go.

Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir 2004 - Much clearer colour than the Hillcrest. Not as powerful upfront as the Hillcrest but had really good length and developed nicely as it moved to the back palate. Mostly noticed some ripe cherry flavours with maybe some slight spice and smokiness. I have had a bottle of this about every nine months since 2005 and have liked it better each time. I would assume it would still be good for another few years (although maybe not as long as the Hillcrest).

Lenton Brae Chardonnay 2005 - Very good length. Definitely has the normal Margaret River characterisitics but seems to be low level of oak as it is quite elegant with nectarine flavours. Still seems very fresh and young. I prefer some other Margaret River chardonnays (a bit more powerful) but this still seems to be a very good wine.

Morris Durif 2002
Big-up wine, plenty of structure, crammed with furry tannins and length of some note, tell tale Victorian mintiness, some tar and a gop of licorice. It's framed with a hunkering structure but interestingly it's not a full frontal assault and is rather more in the medium bodied spectrum. Quite fresh and awake for one that's been asleep quite awhile. Good.

Bannockburn shiraz 2001.

Opaque (almost black) red in colour, extending almost to the rim, slight hint of mercaptin on the nose which is also present on the finish, but the wine underneath was excellent.

Mid-palate of stewed plum, hint of savoury prune, silty mouth-feel, finish of licquorice and spice.

This note was made for Jeremy (refer to the posts above).

Opened another bottle (my third in a week) this afternoon and again, marginally different to the previous two.

FYI, here is my tasting note ....

Boasting a bright lemon straw colour, this excellent Hunter semillon displays assertive soapy, waxy and lanolin scents atop long field grass and hay with some citrussy fruit sitting underneath. With extended air time, there's suggestions of grilled nuts, lemon butter and toast. In the mouth this wine delivers a spritzy tang redolent with palate-drenching lemon, lime and honeysuckle fruit. There's bucketloads of G&T-like acidity that provides fresheness and lift on the back-palate with a long zesty finish that requires further downtime to fully resolve. A very good to excellent Elizabeth requiring five years more cellaring to be at its best and then drunk at least another five. 88 points. 10.5%A/V. Sealed with a stelvin screwcap.

Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 1998 Dark gold & (obviously) somewhat oxidised, but still enough there to make for pleasant enough drinking.

Gravsitas Pinot Noir 2006 & 2007 From the same discounted stock as everyone else in NZ will have been buying over the past couple of weeks ... preferred the '07, which seemed to me to have a little more structure, but both pretty good. No obvious reason for cellaring these.

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2006 Another bargain -- $18 -- & probably would've been fairly priced at twice this -- very classy, & drinking well now.

Cheers
Peter

Over thge last week or so:

Charbonniere Chateauneuf du Pape cuvee Vieilles Vignes 05 - lovely, earthy, expansive, extremely drinkable.

Pirathon Shiraz 05 - good, quintessential Barossa shiraz. I'd say "slurpable" but that got a mention in the hated cliches thread, so I wont.

Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris 08 - ok. I give this a try each year as it can be had very cheap on special and can be the best wine in their basic range I think. Not bad, but not as good as the last couple years imho, lacking some concentration.

Wirra Wirra 'The Catapult' Shiraz Viognier 06 - gave this a go following quite a positive write up on one of TORBs tour diaries. Very fruity (but not jammy), with viognier not overt. Well structured and concentrated.

MARCUS SCHULZ BENJAMIN SHIRAZ 2005

An overiding sensantion of pure fruit and chocolate - Christmas cake for sure! Rich and pure Barossa flavours dominate. Long and pleasant after taste - it stays on forever. Improved on Day 2, so make sure you breathe it well.

Nomis wrote:MARCUS SCHULZ BENJAMIN SHIRAZ 2005

An overiding sensantion of pure fruit and chocolate - Christmas cake for sure! Rich and pure Barossa flavours dominate. Long and pleasant after taste - it stays on forever. Improved on Day 2, so make sure you breathe it well.

Welcome and thanks for the tasting note!

cheers

Carl

Friday night I started to go through a box of oddities that I found in the cellar...

Rosemount Semillon 2003

Yellow, oxidised, down the drain.

Angoves Nine Vines Shiraz Grenache Rose 2007.

Very light and simple. High acidity masked the fruit. Put back in the fridge to maybe try with food.

Basedow Eden Valley Riesling 2000

This was better. Holding up well. Showing some age in the colour and had definite aged toasty characteristics. Very pleasant drinking.


Saturday night I was designated driver but had a glass of...

Braided River Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Overriding aroma of passionfruit. Highly acidic with a slight metallic after-taste. Not really my thing.


And on Sunday...

Gabbiano Chianti DOCG 2007

A glass of this went in the sauce for the meatballs and the rest was drunk with dinner. Rustic and good. A perfect combination with the food.

Longtime lurker here, and I had some pretty special wines yesterday to bring me out of the cave to write up and share my thoughts. I don't drink this well all the time!

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Vineyard Riesling 2007: Excellent Riesling. I liked the structure here. Lemony sweet-ish fruit flavours (not sour like some austere rieslings), some florals, framed with a cage of acid, finishing nice and dry. Great value at $19 from my local.

Hillcrest Premium Pinot Noir 2006: Excellent Pinot. Restrained, elegant, but powerful and persistent savoury cherry, some strawberry and plum. Great length and structure, finishing nice and dry.

Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1991: 3rd bottle in the last 6 months, picked up at auction. Quintessential Coonawarra (cliche?). This still seems like a baby. Lovely savoury blackcurrant, capsicum and cedary oak. Excellent line and length. Everything is in the right place. May have to pick up some more of this!

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1996: After the Wynns, and can it get better? Well, I think it did! This wine was all about structure for me, lovely silky tannins. I felt the Cabernet was starting to show through more than the shiraz component. I was expecting a much bigger, sweeter wine. This was restrained, but powerful! Loved it.

Veuve Clicquot 2002 - Really enjoyed this, crisp green apple and citrus hints along with standard issue biscuit / shortbread flavour.

Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz 2001 - Getting good at this cork roulette business, another pristine bottle with fully integrated tannins, bottle aged complexity and fruit alive and well. Only a little hunter leather

Tasting last week
MossWood Sav Blanc ?– not bad fruit and structure, maybe a little too much acid at this stage but ok.
MossWood Semillon ? – nice subtle grassy lemon fruit. Nothing over the top and again ok
MossWood Chardonnay 2007 ? – WOTN by far. I have recently tasted LEAS, Pierro, Vasse Felix Heyetsbury and this competes easily in this prestigious group. Not good for remembering detailed profiles that well, but this had all the hallmarks of a classic Margaret River Chardonnay. It was mouth coating, delicious and length lasted 30 sec+. Outstanding wine.
MossWood Pinot Noir ?– not a very experienced Pinot drinker but this was very good for my palette. Still not my cup of tea (variety wise) but a good classy example.
MossWood Amy’s cab ?- ok
MossWood Ribbonvale cab/merl 2007 – this was the best red of the night. Again nothing to make me go out and grab 12 but it did have good fruit, approachability, and short aging potential.
MossWood cab sav 2006 – This was a difficult year and it definitely shows. I can only compare it to my last MossWood cab which was the classic 05 and this is hard to compare I’m afraid.

So all and all, nothing they pull out wasn’t good, but the only real stand out was the 07 Chardonnay. The Ribbonvale was still a buyer though, but need’s to compete in a very competitive group at its price bracket.

Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2006 – not that nice. Had some balance and smooth tannin but the fruit was a bit confused and underwhelming.
Bramley Wood Bobs Vineyard cab 2000 – wow, an outstanding example of truly the finest cabernet form this vintage. A small almost unknown winery producing something of this standard is incredible. It reminded me of great Voyager, Woodlands style (maybe it was cab/merl?)but it was only a 2000 vintage. Can’t wait to seek out some good vintages if I can.
Petaluma Summertown Chardonnay 2001 – blahhh. This baby has left the building. Downward faze by a couple of years.

[quote="winetastic"]Veuve Clicquot 2002 - Really enjoyed this, crisp green apple and citrus hints along with standard issue biscuit / shortbread flavour.

Yes, this is a very well-balanced champagne. Excellent acidity, the "citrus hints" are of the marmalade/orange peel kind. It is also a great illustration of the benefits of a carefully judged dosage.

deleted

98 Penley Cabernet.
I found this to be a bit too oaky.

04 Hentley The Beast Shiraz
Yup, big and brutal, but I loved it.

00 Cullen Cabernet Merlot
Fantastic.

04 Bullers Valerie Shiraz V
All yummy fruit. Really drinkable.

04 Gemtree Obsidian Shiraz
Oak has started to integrate. Bit savoury, but a very good wine.

01 Jasper Hills Georges Paddock shiraz
This was really good. What aged wine is all about.

01 Rockford Basket Press
Some would love this, but not me.

06 Charles Cimicky Trumps.
Good the second day!

05 Torbreck Gask
I really liked this. Rich fruit.

Brucer wrote:01 Rockford Basket Press
Some would love this, but not me.

More detail.?

[quote="Brucer
00 Cullen Cabernet Merlot
Fantastic.
[/quote]

Had my one and only bottle three New Years ago - loved the depth of the fruit and the very long finish. Not sure about fantastic but I thought it excellent, makes me wonder why 2000 is considered a "lesser" vintage in MR. What's your estimate of it's current cellaring capability? From what I recall of the bottle I tried, 2012 should be a doddle.

Cheers

daz

Only the one - a Hugh Hamilton 2004 Cab Sauv. was very tasty after nearly 3 days open. First glass on night 1: (only glass) not too bad, a tad smelling o' alcohol, second glass 60+ hours later fruit is still here, the tannins had softened dramatically, the stink of alcohol did not over power it and it had not oxidised very much at all (600mL left in bottle under vacuvin)

orpheus wrote:Bannockburn shiraz 2001.

Opaque (almost black) red in colour, extending almost to the rim, slight hint of mercaptin on the nose which is also present on the finish, but the wine underneath was excellent.

Mid-palate of stewed plum, hint of savoury prune, silty mouth-feel, finish of licquorice and spice.

I agree, this vintage is a fantastic wine. Wish I had held onto a couple. Consumed my last one last year.

Brucer wrote:01 Jasper Hills Georges Paddock shiraz
This was really good. What aged wine is all about.

05 Torbreck Gask
I really liked this. Rich fruit.

Sounds like I should give my 01 Jasper Hills GP a go.

Agree with the Gask, but the only detraction is the price... In fact, this goes for pretty much all the Torbreck range...

Monghead.