The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

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

2004 Domaine Tempier Bandol Provence ( $50 ) : This is supposedly the archetypal dry savoury rose ....and it was. Lovely rusty water colour. Would I buy again though ? Well not at $50 but very nice wine if you disregard the price ! A necessary wine experience for me. Predominately Mourvedre I believe. Interestingly I realise now that Bandol appellation also makes full bodied dry reds and not just rose'.

also 2 Loire whites that only cost $20 but were excellent dignified expressions of Sauvignon Blanc - viz. 2004 Pierre Brevin Sancerre " La Goudonneray " and 2004 Pierre Brevin Pouilly-Fume " Le Marquisay ". Nice subtle white wines that are made for seafood.

2000 Kellybrook Yarra Valley Pinot Noir ( $24 ) : found this on special in a bargain bin in a store. I've got a bit jaded over all those fresh young Pinot's in stelvin ( I know it sounds silly ) so this seemed attractive as it is 6 years old and cork sealed. Thankfully not corked. Never heard of this winery but took a chance and was rewarded with a nice Australian Pinot - the oak had integrated fully and even had a kind of attractive chocolatey aspect. Held its own in the big Riedel Burgundy glasses.

Hi all,

Houghton's 2001 Margaret River Cabernet. Shows why MR is perfectly suited to this variety. Very nice and will improve with time.

Otherwise various good quality cleanskins.

Chuck

Brief impressions of these during the week:

2006 Paracombe Sauvignon Blanc: Slightly greener than the last couple of years, a bit grassy with some pear and asparagus along with sweet banana. Great effort.

2003 Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz: Still on the oaky side but seems to be settling down a little.

2005 Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling: Surprisingly restrained, lightweight and boring.

2005 Leo Buring DW117 Leonay Riesling: Closed tight but the structure speaks volumes.

2004 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz: Big fruit up front, but the palate seemed to tail off in comparison.

1999 E&C Section 353 Shiraz: Classic, velvety, leathery Vales Shiraz - great drinking now.

2002 Saltram No 1 Shiraz: The oak seems to be settling down a bit now - damn good structure.

Cheers,
Ian

Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz 1999
Deep red with red edge, opened with a lot of coffee oak on the nose, palate was similar dominated by coffee oak not a real good look. After a couple of hours the fruit started to lift and balance the wine better. Quite a nice drink in the end with good complexity of coffee, spices, choc and some dark fruits poking through. May imprve with a couple more years but I am not sure if the fruit will win the battle in the end. Single bottle I picked up cheap and I won't bother chasing down any more. Was quite lovely with the rump steak but at $50+ rrp there are better things around. If you have some I would suggest a fairly long decant at this point in time.

Wynns Cab Sav 2001
First of a six pack purchased around 12 months ago. Deep red with red edge, lovely nose of cassis, cherry, earth and just a hint of vanilla oak. Follows through on the palate with lovely balance, still quite chalky tanins that will soften with a few more years. Bright fruit and earthiness on the palate with medium body and length. The rest will be put away for a couple more years and I am glad to have this in the cellar.

A couple of quick tastes at an instore.

Clonakilla Hilltops 2005
Lovely fruit at work here on both the nose at the palate, no signs of brett that I could tell. Pretty good buying at around the $20 mark.

Henschke Cyril 2002
This is seriously good gear, huge amounts going on for both the nose and the palate, long and luxurious with a grand future ahead of it. Is it worth $100 who knows but it is a damn fine drink.

Glen

1988 Dom Perignon- The second glass started to blossom- but alas, it was then all gone. Quite defined citrus-lemon fruit, nutty base fell into the background, good length, lingering oaky notes.

1997 Chapoutier Le Pavillon Hermitage- I have a soft spot for Chapouiter's single vineyard wines. This one is on Hermitage Hill; a little way down from it's famous sibling's site at the little church of St Christopher. The general impression of this wine was very good. It seemed medium bodied, with good, supple intentsity and complexity, a very polished texture with a noticably long finish with fine tannins and lingering faint, wet tobacco & blackfruit persistance. No hurry to drink this up.

2003 Torbreck Run Rig - Tough going at first. Overdone florals muted the fruit, somewhat volatile with butter menthol like notes building it's way through nose, palate and finish. It transformed and impressed quickly in the glass, all seemed to come into balance and here was an approachably big wine, with meshed, youthful complexity of fruit and oak ( florals subsided ) and the final impression was the wine was complete and a mid termer for the cellar.

Esmonin Chambertin 1998 Red Burgundy- The nose was of a forest floor- perhaps a pine forest with a trace of mint. There is a core of red currant like fruit, a smooth mouthfeel with a commanding strucuture of planky tannins and fine fruit astringency.

Chateau Suiduiraut 2001 Sauternes x 2 bottles- What a delightful sauternes. A little powerhouse, without pretentious new world sweetness. Glorious, golden fruits on a balancing, straw mattress. Drinking well but can't help think it will be somewhere special down the drinking range!

I went to an Estate auction in Hobart yesterday and bought a few curios from the 60's and 70's. I would have bought more except one bloke seemed intent on buying virtually everything.

He said he ran a Wine Museum in Mildura but I can't find it anywhere on the Net.

Anywho, last night I opened a bottle that I bought in a box of 6 mixed whites for $25. It was one of the bottles that I didn't really want but I had to have it if I wanted the 3-4 I did want and I was expecting it to be vinegar.

Basedows Reserve Vintage White Frontignac 1988.

Not a variety I expected to cellar well. The cork came out beautifully ( I wish my 8 year old Penfolds corks were as good as this ).

A quick sniff of the bottle demonstrated that there was life in the old girl yet. A lovely bright golden colour in the glass. I could smell toasted or burnt honeycomb or toffee or something like that on the nose.

It was beautifully rich and sweet yet crisp in the mouth. I drank 3/5 of the bottle before my wife asked for a 2nd glass.

I loved it. I thought opening it was a bit of a joke but I got a real surprise.

I'm definitely looking forward to the rest now.

My father in law brought a bottle of Anne Riesling to a dinner about 10-12 years ago and again, I drank 80% of that bottle and loved it. I decided then to try and drink some aged whites and have bought a few Rieslings and Semillons in that time. Most are still in the cellar but the few Elizabeths and mixed Rieslings I have had have been nice without living up to the excitement of that Anne Riesling. This bottle has encouraged me to keep pursuing them.

I understand that Anne Riesling is the old name for Lovedale?

By Farr Sangreal 2003
Stinky pooey nose at first but settled off after an hour. Seemed a bit bitter on the end palate but again seemed to relax into a more rounded drink.
Very forward wine with pleasant finish, quite distinctive. Reminds me a little of the Escarpment Pinot 04... Will be worth trying in a year or so.

Penfolds St Henri 1995
Lacking a little character but obviously competent and with some years still ahead of it in my view (but probably drinking as well as it will or close enough to. Quite balanced and soft, with hints of leather and licorice.

Scorpo Pinot Gris 05
Still not terribly taken with this, glycerolly and heavy and a bit too sweet.

Henschke Pinot Gris 2005
Better than the Scorpo, not as sweet but quite full in style and for me, not as good as the 04.

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[quote="Wayno
Penfolds St Henri 1995
][/quote]

One of the lots at my auction was 2 cases of 1971 St Henri.

the bloke who bought everything got them both for $70 a bottle.

I would have liked a couple of bottles but they were sold in cases and I couldn't afford 12 x $75. I reckon he was willing to go much higher if people had kept bidding.

JO says they are still drinking well.

I found it odd that they had been stored upside down. All the sediment was sitting on the cork. I suppose it doesn't matter if you decant carefully. None of the corks were leaking. Is this a recommended way of storing?

I have seen this method recommended occasionally - seems strange to me. Don't know if it has any proven merit.

On the St Henri note, I had a 96 recently that was just sensational and have one precious bottle of it left. The 95 was really pretty good and clearly showed its pedigree but not like the 96.

A quiet week - at least, I didn't bother thinking about a lot of the stuff I drank. The stand out, though, was the 2004 Marius Symphony Shiraz:

Pours almost black purple, with very little pink and no floaties.

Nose: Plums, spices, tar, prunes, stalks (in a good way), cherries, blackberries, cassis. Slightly purfumed but it’s not offensively so.

Once I extracted my nose from the glass and managed to slurp some: It feels thick and slightly syrupy - the alcohol and oak and tannins are excellently managed. The taste is very similar to the nose in terms of what’s picked up, but combined with the mouthfeel… it’s like a slightly acidic, slightly alcoholic, fruity, thick, tasty burst of flavour in the mouth. There’s some liquorice and tobacco and a slight hint of oak and chocolate hiding in there, too. Intense, long lasting and very well balanced.

1998 Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz - still seemed in good shape and would still be OK for another year or two. Nice red/brown tinge coming through (not sure how else to describe the aged wine's colour). had half a bottle on Friday night and was better on Saturday night. Picked this wine up in a pack of six and two of them had corks that either leaked or crumbled. Decantered.

2002 Kilikanoon Killerman's Run Caberet - suspect this wine will go on to better things and has a couple of years left to really be at its peak. Probably one of the better $20 value wines I've tried recently. Will be getting a few more for the years to come. Decantered.

2002 Brands Laira Shiraz - good but not great. I usually find this to be a solid wine though and had no complaints about it (was consumed after the Kilikanoon). Nice Coonawarra bouquet which is what i normally find in this wine. Decantered

2000 Jamiesons run O'Dea's block Cabernet - I tried this wine last year and it was fantastic. Was still very impressive this time round. Think I may not have cellared this correctly because it showed signs of not lasting too much longer (may be my fault and not the wine). Decantered.

Pick of them was O'Dea's Block or Kilikanoon

Ratcatcher wrote:I understand that Anne Riesling is the old name for Lovedale?

And that despite the name, they're actually semillon.

scuzzii wrote:1998 Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz - still seemed in good shape and would still be OK for another year or two.

2000 Jamiesons run O'Dea's block Cabernet - Think I may not have cellared this correctly because it showed signs of not lasting too much longer (may be my fault and not the wine)

Scuzzii, what gave you these impressions? Though I don't own either, I would have thought that both of these wines would hold, if not improve, for a fair bit longer.

St Hallett 1978 Vintage Port (Four Crowns 1981 Brisbane Cup)
Picked four of these up for $17 each. One had a little ullage so cracked it tonight. Little sediment for the age. Colour was dark red-brown. On the nose a strong smell of prunes soaked in brandy with a whiff of chocolate. Powerful palate of sweet prunes, mixed spice and chocolate. Fairly one-dimensional as far as port goes but a reasonable expression of aged fortified barossa shiraz. Slightly oxidised but maybe the other three will be better. Can't complain at the price though

griff wrote:St Hallett 1978 Vintage Port (Four Crowns 1981 Brisbane Cup)
Picked four of these up for $17 each. One had a little ullage so cracked it tonight. Little sediment for the age. Colour was dark red-brown. On the nose a strong smell of prunes soaked in brandy with a whiff of chocolate. Powerful palate of sweet prunes, mixed spice and chocolate. Fairly one-dimensional as far as port goes but a reasonable expression of aged fortified barossa shiraz. Slightly oxidised but maybe the other three will be better. Can't complain at the price though

Hmm, these have gone up in price a little. I was buying these by the truckfull for about $8 a few years ago. Good wines for very little money, if you'll take the chance on a few of them being stuffed,

AB

1999 Eileen hardy Shiraz well integrated wine, not over oaked as some can be from this stable. not much on the nose to start , lovely rich plum palate. good drinking.
1992 Darenberg D'arrysMaturation release, floral nose, cherry wood. Light palate almost pinot like, intriguiong flavour profiles, a little acidic and fell apart after a couple of hours.
1997 Darenberg Dead Arm very good wine drink well now. deep coffee chocolate aromas. Thick chewy plumb fruit, very concetrated but all in harmony.
2005 Freycinet Rieskingshould be a cracker in years to come, floral aromas on the riper end of spectrum. Crisp apple on palate with a slight spritz like mouth feel (I don't think it actually was Spritz). good drinking now acid in balance.
1995 Wynns Ovens Valley Shiraz lovely cherry aromas, pale rose colouring. a little varnish on the palate but overall still has good fruit to carry the package.

Ratcatcher I also was at the auction but had to leave early looked like some very good buys but you had to collect after the auction which was progressing at a slow rate. Ullage levels looked to be excellent, worth some experimenting. i reckon the big pocket buyer was an ebayer, explains how he off looads the crud. the 65 moyston looked interestin I think they went for $30 pb.

Clonakilla Hiltops Shiraz 2005: the wine began with disconcerting sour, astringent taste. After 2 hours in glass this faded to reveal soft, lush ripe red berry and dark fruit flavours which made for a very enjoyable wine

Knappstein Enterprise Shiraz 2000: decent wine with a core of dark plummy fruit, minty/menthol character with a splash of mocha and toasty oak and intergrated tannins. Generous wine. Drinking very well now.

Glaetzer 'Wallace' Grenache Shiraz 2004: very silky palate with upfront dark ripe berry, plum and vanilla and coconut oak flavours. Quite well balanced and good quaffing material.

Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2004: Brick red with a purple tinge with the nose revealing cherry and spice. the palate had a fair whack of oak but was balanced with dark cheery and sweet raspberry flavours. A little warm on the finish. Good pinot for $20.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cab Shiraz 1998: This was an excellent wine and was highlight of the weeks drinking. The nose shows a hint of coconut vanilla oak with underlying aromas of sweet ripe berries. The palate does not dissapoint. Full of sweet dark plum, cassis and ripe berry flavours with balanced oak showing the slightest touch of coconut. The tannins are beggining to soften but the wine has years ahead to develop secondary flavours and complexity. finishes long and savoury. A touch behinf the great 1996 Bin 389, but still has the potential to be as good.

2000 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Conca Tre Pile - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (5/28/2006)
The colour is a rich claret, tending to maroon, with a hint of browning at the edge.
The nose is initially very disconcerting with a clear hit of balsamic vinegar. Note this isn't the typical "balsamic" nose often found in Italian wines, this was as close to Balsamic Vinegar as to struggle to tell the difference.
Tasted with some trepidation - but thankfully it's ok. There's a certain smoothness of texture, almost creamy. The acid is significant on initial taste, but melds into the background of a long and complex finish including coffee (more cappuccino than espresso!) and blackberry.
...and the balsamic vinegar nose? It's blown off within 10 mins and is now little more than a subtle background note to the nose, which now shows a little more oak on it, with pleasant earthiness and the coffee notes as well.

All in all, a very interesting wine of no little quality. The strength of the acidity suggests this may be better with food than not, but I'd not turn it down on it's own. I suspect it will keep for a few years more, but with significant complexity already there and a seemingly good balance between primary and secondary flavours, it seems a good time to open a bottle if you have one.

oh and a 1998 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (Black Label). 4th bottle of 6 and the best to date. A very good wine showing very good depth of flavour. After tasting the Aldo Conterno though there's a a risk that it comes across as "safe" in comparison.

regards

Ian

On the Penfolds Bin 128 1998 reference above, I am keen to hear more also as I have some bottles that I haven't looked at for a while. All reports are that it's sensational and has a decent drinking horizon ahead. Hope this is the case otherwise I might have to start putting these into action! Someone... anyone...?
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Dad still visiting and helping out with some home reno's so a few more bottles consumed than usual. No "official" tasting notes, just a few impressions.

2005 Kalleske Clarry's Barossa Red - a couple of more of these consumed during the week. Lovely fruit and too easy to drink. I think Dad has ordered a case of this.

1998 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Black Queen - Household favourite sparkling shiraz and this vintage and bottle was no let down. Not as sweet as some of the prior vintages, but the fruit is definitely there. Probably needs a bit of time in the cellar to show it's best. Won the Intercontact Perpetual Trophy for Best Sparkling Red Wine of Show at the 2006 Sydney Wine Show if this means anything to you.

2004 Saltram Cabernet Sauvignon Mamre Brook - Much already written about this wine. My favourite "quaffing" cabernet at the moment. Very good Barossa cabernet and will only get better with some time in the cellar.

2002 Jacob's Creek Shiraz Reserve - Had a bitter streak about it which I haven't seen before.

1998 Peter Lehmann Cabernet Sauvignon The Barossa - This has just about peaked. Another good example of Barossa cabernet but a different style than the Mamre Brook. More upfront ripe, jammy fruit present in this wine.

1999 Voyager Estate Cabernet-Merlot - After having a glass of this at a instore Voyager tasting last week, was so impressed that I though I had better crack a bottle with Dad and see how mine were travelling. This is still a baby and needs a lot more time in the cellar. Very enjoyable and one can only wonder what the 2001 release will be like in 10 years? Will be available in stelvin come 2004.

1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is travelling along quiet nicely. Took it's time to open up and plenty of sediment caked on the shoulder of the bottle. Has definitely soften since the last time I had it. Still has plenty of room to improve though. So keep them tucked away of you have any.

2005 Torbreck Shiraz Woodcutter's - decent "quaffer" from the Torbreck stable.

2004 Schubert Shiraz M.R.S. - similiar in style to the Woodcutter. Great BBQ wine and nothing too serious here, but good none the less.

mphatic wrote:

Ratcatcher wrote:I understand that Anne Riesling is the old name for Lovedale?

And that despite the name, they're actually semillon.

scuzzii wrote:1998 Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz - still seemed in good shape and would still be OK for another year or two.

2000 Jamiesons run O'Dea's block Cabernet - Think I may not have cellared this correctly because it showed signs of not lasting too much longer (may be my fault and not the wine)

Scuzzii, what gave you these impressions? Though I don't own either, I would have thought that both of these wines would hold, if not improve, for a fair bit longer.

The O'Dea's Block seemed flat compared to when i had it last year. Not sure if it was the wine starting to go sour (like I said, I didn't cellar it the way i should have - it was in my study with the quaffers rather than stored away for a year).

Bin 128 I said had another 1-2 years left. Maybe my amatuer tasting of this wine, I've not had any earlier releases to see how it ends up.

Jordan wrote:Penfolds Bin 389 Cab Shiraz 1998: This was an excellent wine and was highlight of the weeks drinking. The nose shows a hint of coconut vanilla oak with underlying aromas of sweet ripe berries. The palate does not dissapoint. Full of sweet dark plum, cassis and ripe berry flavours with balanced oak showing the slightest touch of coconut. The tannins are beggining to soften but the wine has years ahead to develop secondary flavours and complexity. Finishes long and savoury. A touch behind the great 1996 Bin 389, but still has the potential to be as good.

Tried this Saturday night, also, with almost identical impressions.

2005 Wither Hills Sauv Blanc Nice Marlborough Sauv Blanc, good trop fruit - 91 pts

2004 Moss Wood Amy's Vineyard Cab Sauv Rasberry fruit bomb, could have handled more Oak, but a good drink 89 pts

1997 Orlando St Hugo Cab Sauv Heavy Oak, fruit still just handling it. Drink Now 89pts

2004 Andrew Peace Reserve Shiraz Plum fruit bomb. 86pts

2002 De Bortoli Noble One Good complexity and balance, should last a long time

Shaw & Smith 2004 Shiraz. Not a huge heavy weight but fantastic fruit balance and incredible cedar like long finish that left a perfect mouth feel. Very impressive, exceeded my expectations.

2002 St Hugo. Yep, everybody was right in saying a big disapointment. Potential flavors that came off the nose were mashed by unbalance of acid and structure. Only merrit was leaving the rest in the decanter for a very long time opened it up a little to reveal a little of Coonawrra's flavors. Hope it gets better but as they say, bad now, bad always.

Spent a weekend in the Hunter with wife's work group- not really into wine but like to drink it.
Did not take any notes. Only bought two reds:
De Bortoli Hunter Valley Shiraz 2003
This was developing quite a bit of complexity and had good palate weight. I thought it was quite regional and could develop into a very interesting wine in the short-medium term.
David Hook Pothana Shiraz 2003
Good structure, depth and purity of earthy Hunter shiraz. Could have a long cellar life but not hard to drink now.
Drank a few bottles of Roche Tallawanta Shiraz 2000 at dinner. A very nice easy drinking savoury shiraz.
There were some other very good shiraz, but I felt they were overpriced e.g.Keith Tulloch, Glenguin, Meerea Park, McGuigan Pers Reserve.
Tried a few Chardonnays, but overall not very impressed. I was quite disappointed in the wines at Scarborough, although the hospitality was superb. Scarborough used to be a favourite. They've wound back the oak and I can't find the fruit.
Didn't delve into the Semillons, as I don't like them young, and am content to buy a few bottles of Elizabeth every now and then.
Tried even fewer cabs. Hunter cab is not for me, although I accept that Lakes Folly does break this rule occasionally.

dlo wrote:

Jordan wrote:Penfolds Bin 389 Cab Shiraz 1998: This was an excellent wine and was highlight of the weeks drinking. The nose shows a hint of coconut vanilla oak with underlying aromas of sweet ripe berries. The palate does not dissapoint. Full of sweet dark plum, cassis and ripe berry flavours with balanced oak showing the slightest touch of coconut. The tannins are beggining to soften but the wine has years ahead to develop secondary flavours and complexity. Finishes long and savoury. A touch behind the great 1996 Bin 389, but still has the potential to be as good.

Tried this Saturday night, also, with almost identical impressions.

Had this on Friday night, thought it was excellent also, I would also say it has years to go, fortunately still have a few bottles left.

Re the 1998 Bin 128 question from a previous post, have a few of these as well and had one a few weeks ago, my impression is that it may have a few years left but was probably past it's best, seemed a bit lifeless, will probably try another soon to confirm.

1977 Warre's Vintage Port

Second bottle of this I have had recently, and pretty consistent notes. Has not developed as well as others from the vintage. Light dried fig nose, with hints of damsons and canned black cherries. Smells a lot like Vimto (for those other Poms amongst us). Palate is elegant, but lacks the stuffing of other '77s. Finish is quite hot and tannins still quite noticeable. For the £20 I paid for it a few years back, this is a good wine. Now goes for about £60 and there are honestly better around for that price.

2004 Small Fry Barossa Cabernet Blend. Screwcap. 13.0%. Free.
The nose is dark with pruney plums and a hint of musk. Prunes and plums in a sweet/savoury combination across the palate (would have guessed some Grenache in the mix – wrong may be the Cab Franc). Lovely mouthfeel with sweetness, tannins and acids all playing minor supporting roles. Finish is savoury and medium/long. Very good.

2004 Seppelts Victorian Shiraz. Screwcap. 13.5%. $15.
Blackberry and a hint of tar on the nose. Sweet upfront dark fruit with some all spice. Nicely balanced acidity, so perhaps the slightly hot finish is the alcohol. Medium length. Very good.

Broughy wrote:
Ratcatcher I also was at the auction but had to leave early looked like some very good buys but you had to collect after the auction which was progressing at a slow rate. Ullage levels looked to be excellent, worth some experimenting. i reckon the big pocket buyer was an ebayer, explains how he off looads the crud. the 65 moyston looked interestin I think they went for $30 pb.

I was quite keen on the Moyston too. There were some 1971's as well. I was hoping people wouldn't realise it used to be an up market label.

I found the auction quite frustrating. People paid $9 for a bottle of Matthew Lang shiraz Cab and $11 for a BWS cleanskin red that sells for $9.99.

I think there were a few people who just go to any auction and bid on anything that is under $10.