'ullo, it Sunday again.... what have you been drinking?

[TORB]

Hi Good Peoples,

Time flies when you are having fun which may explain why the last week took so long. I hate working but hopefully this week I can spend more time on wine and wine related interests.

My mate Tom replaced a corked Yalumba 98 Black D with a 96 vintage of the wine. Not often you get an older one as a replacement. Unfortunately the 96 did not have the complexity of the 98, although it is drinking well now. IMO, the more I drink Yalumba, the more I am convinced they are quietly making better wine year on year.

The highlight of the week as a Rosemount 1996 Balmoral. The wine has lost it's puppy fat and is just starting to grow up and mature. Drink well now, it is going to still get better so if you have any, there is no hurry to consume them. This could possibly be the best Rosemount wine ever. Glad a bought too many of them.

Now what have you been drinking?

[David Lole]

7 days AF

7 days unbelievably crook with the 'flu - get your 'flu shots NOW!

And I can't smell or taste anything.

Apart from the above life is wonderful!

[Chuck]

Mildara 1998 Coonawarra Cabernet.

Last of a dozen and after 2 hours breathing was showing more a fuller body style than previously. Everything well in balance including subtle oak. Great tannins and wish I had another dozen as it will get better over the next 5 years. Coonawarra at its best. 13.0% alcohol

Seppelts 2002 Victorian Shiraz

Despite being from VIC my first bottle of this well reviewed wine showed a great value wine that carries its 14.5% alcohol very well. Superb fruit and well balanced acid and fine tannins should see it get better over the next few years. Another case being considered if I can get it into the cellar without Anne knowing.

Thorn-Carke 2002 Sandpipers Shiraz

Made I believe by Jim Irvine of Grand Merlot fame this wine has superb fruit and everything is in balance. We tried the 2002 Chardonay in the Barossa recently and it was a great example of cool climate Chards and again great value like the Shiraz ($13). 13.5% alcohol.

Rockbare 2002 Shiraz.

Yum

[Pelican]

2003 d'Arenberg Olive Grove Chardonnay : being served at correct temperature for a fine white wine showed this up for what it is - competent but ripe , peachy and rather dull.

2002 Domaine de la Morderee Cotes du Rhone : a gentle wine - "underdelivered" in a nice way !

1997 Nepenthe The Fugue Cabernet Sauvignon : I have found recent vintages of The Fugue rather raw but this was quite lush and has kept well. Not bad.

2001 Penfold's Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir Adel Hills Eden Valley ($40) : I wonder sometimes about the local wine scribes really - I recently read reviews of this to which high points were given - having shared a bottle of this last night all I can say that it is a good effort but lacked any real excitement for me - even found it a bit tiring on the last glass - perhaps it is the 2001 vintage ? A bit stalky too.

Green Chartreuse : Good Lord !!! Served in brandy balloon with crushed ice - interesting 55% alcohol stuff indeed.

[Muscat Mike]

91 Wynns Centenary - I can say no more than others have already. It is an absolutely superb wine, one of the best, if not the very best, red wines I have ever enjoyed.

98 Tyrrells Vat 8- This wine seems to get better every time I open one. Don't know if it can improve, but don't care. It is good enough now.
MM.

[Gavin Trott]

Mildara 1998 Coonawarra Cabernet.

Last of a dozen and after 2 hours breathing was showing more a fuller body style than previously. Everything well in balance including subtle oak. Great tannins and wish I had another dozen as it will get better over the next 5 years. Coonawarra at its best. 13.0% alcohol

Co incidentally I enjoyed the 1996 Mildara last night with some friends. As per the 1998, very balanced, aging beautifully, an often neglected, but personal favourite, Coonawarra Cabernet.

[Chuck]

Gavin,

Its has also been a favourite of mine for decades. I don't believe its quality has waned; its just that the rest of the industry has caught up so there is plenty of worthy competitors. A bit like Wynns black label c/s.

Chuck

[Gavin Trott]

Sorry

Notes will appear later, enjoyed a barbeque Friday with Mark G and Gary D and wives. I took along lots of interesting wines which someone will post about later I think.

However, in a fantastic group of wines, one stood out!

2002 Kilikanoon The Oracle Shiraz ... mmmmmm

Classy fruit oak balance, huge but well balanced palate, layers of flavours and just opened up and opened up. Absolutely top class stuff from Kilikanoon.

Tonight I'm opening, and looking forward to, the Covenant Shiraz also 2002 Kilikanoon. Should be a good comparison.

Its a hard job but someone etc etc etc

[Anthony]

Some good wine tried this week,

96 Wynns John Riddoch 96: drunk beside a 6 Michael, and beleive it or not, the Michael was more approachable (must have been all that vanillan oak). Don't think this was a great bottle of the 96, but still think it will be one of the great Riddoch's.

96 Wynns Michael Shiraz: amazingly it was approachab;e and probably preferred this to the 96 John Riddoch, It was rell rounded with good fruit and plenty of oak!!

01 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico: gee I like this one. This was a half bottle had a Il Bacaro last night. the reason why I love Italian wine: more middle palate strength than up-front fruit and a nice savory finish.

cheers
anthony

[JamieBahrain]

96 Rosemount Balmoral Syrah - Agree with Torb on this wine. Very classy. Oak and fruit has melded, seamless with great fruit depth and rich texture. Good length.

96 Eileen Hardy Shiraz - Up against the Balmoral this wine was initially an awkward giant. With plenty of air time the wine settled and was as equally impressive. Notwithstanding the different styles. Typical blockbuster shiraz aromas of ripe dark fruits and underlying oak. Full bodied with a more decadant palate than the Balmoral. Blackpepper backpalate adds complexity to a long finish.

94 Henschke Abbott's Prayer - Not as good as a recent showing. Some travel sickness. Have a few more and will let them settle here after a long road and plane trip!

Blue Pyrennees Reserve Red 99 - Rich choc-berry aromas and fruit flavours, pleasant French Oak influence. Sweet berries and euculypt finish the palate, some grip and warmth complete. Good value here as about the same price as Australia.

2000 Katnook Estate Chardonnay - All the hallmarks of Aussie barrell fermented chardonnay. The nose is lanolin and vanillan like, medium bodied with a rich butterscotch and almond flavoured palate. Clean finish of medium length. Good chardonnay with food.

[JamieBahrain]

And get well soon David!

Sometimes AFD's can bring on a cold.

[Kieran]

A slow week.

Seaview Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 - The third of three bottles bought at auction. A bit tired, although the bottle was finished. Better than the first bottle, which was too tired to drink, but not as good as the second bottle, which was excellent.

Peacetree Sauvignon Blanc 2002 - From an obscure Margaret River producer; I just had a taste because the variety isn't my thing. Pleasant and passionfruity.

Kieran

[Adair]

1991 Seppelt Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz - Seppelt should recall all these wines. They are an affliction on Seppelt's great name. Full of brett. Slightly metallic. Lucky I like traditional Hunter Shiraz however as I still found enjoyment in the wine's strangled yet great fruit underneath the mess... but I suspect most would not have been so forgiving.

1998 Hamilton "Burton Vineyard" Grenache/Shiraz - 15.5% with the fruit size to match. It's structure needs more time but still enjoyable now with food. I think I will enjoy it more tonight after 24 hours breathing time. Highly Recommended.

2001 Wendouree Muscat of Alexandria - 3rd and best bottle so far. First bottle opened 8 months ago was too spirity, 2nd opened last week was much better but I drank it warm. This bottle last night served slightly chilled was quite gorgeous. Deep honey, aprocot and pineapple flavours were impeccably balanced with fine, fine acid and a hint of spirit giving freshness and interest. Rich but not flabby. Reminded me of the Torbreck offering. Excellent.

Adair

[Cellar Rat]

Bannockburn chard 2001: Coming into balance, subtle and pleasant drinking with food. Good structure - needs another year or 2. Very good (should be excellent down the track).

Stoney Vineyard Tas Cab 1998: Nice integrated fruit ruined by overt brett - a shocker.

Chateau Faizeau 1995 (Montagne St-Emilion): Merlot dominant. Just entering its drinking window (probably 5 years to peak). Lovely soft but drying tannins. Good fruit and overall structure. A bargain at around $25 when purchased from FWOE in 1997 but needs patience. Very good.

[simm]

Sorry this is a bit on the week old side:

Te Awanga “Kim Crawford” Hawkes Bay Merlot 2002 (decanted as usual, no need).

Pristine crimson clarity (on the thin side for me). Ripe blackcurrant and dark cherry introduce a slight mustiness, with a quite pleasant earthy hay bouquet underneath. The palate has big raspberries and redcurrant flavours in a light-end medium weight wine with spicy white pepper and beetroot nuance, and some leaf. The tannins are on the green side and it leaves a crisp but slightly bitter end of medium length.

Holds the 14% alc and is ok value at $21 and 87/100


Wolf Blass Brown Label Classic Shiraz 2001 (not decanted)

Quite a surprise for this one. Rich, dense garnet and a touch dusty in the glass with pink hues on the rim. On the nose there is ripe red plum with sweet coconut and plush vanilla and a surprising sensuality from such oak heavy wine (not nearly as bad as previous vintages). Big chocolate and black plums on the palate lead to mocha, with liquorice coming through after a couple of glasses. Ripe yet astringent tannins cover the entire tongue and extend the length beautifully.

Great value at $19/btl (which is the only reason I was tempted to buy it in the first place) and 91/100.

My wife tried out her new Esse glasses with a couple of bottles of Chatsfield Riesling 2003 which I stuck my nose into and found delicious slate and mineral levels that we never noticed in standard wine glasses. There could well be something in it. I noticed they are a slimmer elongated shape. Anyway she loved the wine so much she drank all we had.

plus had a bottle of the Seppelts Victorian Shiraz 2001 over the weekend and found it had a raw meaty side to it that none of the other bottles had had previously. (?)

[PaulV]

1999 Bernard Amiot Chambolle Musigny "aux Eschezeaux" Lovely lifted and intense strawberry/ rasberry nose with spicy oak notes. Palate shows slight red fruits with lots of minerals and some finesse. Mid weight maybe a bit dilute. ok length. Not a bad village wine. Very good and available at Dan Murphy if you're intersted in seeing the typical structure and fruit of a village level burgundy. By the way Bernard Amiot retired in 2000 and sold the vines to Doamine robert Arnoux. Same wine now costs nearly double the cost

2002 St Hallets Blackwell Shiraz. Heeps of coconut oil american oak on the nose overriding most of the fruit at this stage. Lovely long and rich palate rich black berries and kirsch. Long palate will be excellent - reminiscent of the '86 Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 on release.

Cheers

Paul

[Colin]

[b]Stoniers 2003 Pinot Noir.[/b]
Pinot Noir for me has been a mystery variety but of recent times I have tried a few and if it is matched to the right food it can be quiet seductive. I have never tried Stoniers before but on recommendation that 2003 was a stellar year I gave it a go to have with Pappardelle con pinoli arrosto Saturday night. Compared to the Coldstream Hills which I have had a bit of this was a much fuller wine, darker coloured, with less of the forest floor smells and flavours but more spice and structure though. I find with Pinots you cannot save some overnight and expect to see any improvement, in fact it deteriorates quite measurably. A classy wine but personally I like the forest floor, feral flavours and cherry sweetness in a Pinot and this one wasn't that kind.

[DJ]

Been away for part of the last two weeks so tried a few only impressions from my poor memory

1996 Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz - very enjoyable probably at its peak

Pol Roger N/V - always happy to drink this

1998 Grosset Watervale - showing some development and dulling of fruit, don't know how much longer it will go

1986 Wynns C/S - capsicum mint on nose dominant - I wondered if slightly corked but the corked detecting expert (my wife) didn't think so - perhaps poor bottle or coming to the end of its life.

1990 Wynns C/S - drinking nicely - would have liked a bit more wow factor

Morris Cellar Selection Tokay - as always very good - I bought some more last month - didn't seem seem quite as fresh as previous batch but may have been the food match

1996 Chain of Ponds Riesling - on release I thought would live on and on and seems to be meeting prediction - only one bottle left

1990 Seppelt Dorien - pleasant but not very exciting

1986 Brands Cab Merlot - great floral spicy nose but bit tired on the palate

2001 Evans and Tate MR Cab Merlot 375ml - Recommended + don't imagine will develop very much

1997 Henschke Eden Valley Chardonnay - good example of aged Aussie Chardonnay - drink now but decant because it needs heaps of air to open up

1991 Kalimna - oxidised

1993 Eileen Hardy Shiraz - Highly recommended

1987 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port - note decant at least an hour before drinking - initially closed and one dimensional - openned up into classic Reynella style - Outstanding

1993 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz - Highly recommended - only qustion is what the tanins are doing not quite in balance

David

[KMP]

Just returned from a trip where we sampled some East Coast shiraz/syrah. That's the East Coast of the USA, Virginia to be exact. We tasted this shiraz and this syrah, among some interesting if not exactly classic wines. I have limited TN's but some interesting history about wine in Virginia that I'll post later. Hell if Michael Broadbent calls Virginia wines a revelation, ya gotta try 'em. Right?

Mike