Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[Steady]

Steady, a lot of us are quite gun shy about the 2011 vintage. Was the Blackwell green and stalky and closed initially or was there upfront fruit Or fruit that needed a bit of conjuring? I've often been pleasantly surprized by 'lesser" vintages in the long run. Maybe the winemaker is more focussed, maybe the fruit selection process has been done without human intervention! Love to hear your thoughts.

IMO* it was green and stalky - no fruit - upfront or conjured, acidic and course tannins - much like a $5- bargain basement wine.

(24 hours later and it was a velvet nectar, smooth tannins, developing fruit hinting ever so slightly towards a port flavour.)

*I'm not very good at putting names to flavours in wine

 

[TheRealTMA]

IMO* it was green and stalky - no fruit - upfront or conjured, acidic and course tannins - much like a $5- bargain basement wine. (24 hours later and it was a velvet nectar, smooth tannins, developing fruit hinting ever so slightly towards a port flavour.)*I'm not very good at putting names to flavours in wine

How interesting. Like politics, IMHO these days we often get too carried away with short term sensations and not what the product will be when it's out of short pants. Should I see if I can get my hands on some tomorrow? Or skip it for the 2012?

 

[JohnM]

Half of this tonight as I do my loyal West Aussie never-ending bit to prop up Tassie :

Now, where do I start .

Let's see, what about some wine w@nk:

Miles:

"Let me show you how this is done. First thing, hold the glass up and examine the wine against the light. You're looking for color and clarity. Just, get a sense of it. OK? Uhh, thick? Thin? Watery? Syrupy? OK? Alright. Now, tip it. What you're doing here is checking for color density as it thins out towards the rim. Uhh, that's gonna tell you how old it is, among other things. It's usually more important with reds. OK? Now, stick your nose in it. Don't be shy, really get your nose in there. Mmm . . . a little citrus . . . maybe some strawberry . . . passion fruit . . . and, oh, there's just like the faintest soupçon of like asparagus and just a flutter of a, like a, nutty Edam cheese . . .”​

Jack: "Wow. Strawberries, yeah! Strawberries. Not the cheese . . ."

(Unashamedly stolen from the 'Sideways' script).

Hmmmnnn, somehow I don't think that worked.

Let's try the Benchmark Approach.

Searching, searching - um, no real luck there.

Let's try the Metaphor Approach:

A BMW X5 (diesel ) with Princess Fiona smokin' those tyres in a bottle?... Nah, that's not...quite it.

An HSV Supercharged V8 with Uppy behind the wheel on the massive 9 km rat-run to work?... Nah, that's definitely not it!

I KNOW!

A Toyota Camry in a bottle. That's IT!

Seriously, not a bad wine but in any way memorable? Nah, 'fraid not. It is actually my general recollection of Stefano Lubiana (just N of HBA) Pinots.

Damn it - whatever I do, I can't get rid of that duplicate 'attached image' (tried 'basic uploader' this time). These insane BB languages :evil:.

 

[boomy]

What an unusual review JohnM
I was quite impressed by SL pinots when visited their refurbished cellar door last year (both the cheaper 'Primavera' and the more premium label) but then again, I also drive a Camry for couple of days every week when I'm in MEL so that might explain everything

 

[Steady]

Half of this tonight as I do my loyal West Aussie never-ending bit to prop up Tassie :

Seriously, not a bad wine but in any way memorable? Nah, 'fraid not. It is actually my general recollection of Stefano Lubiana (just N of HBA) Pinots.

I generally like Tassie Pinot Noirs but I haven't tried any of the Stefano Lubiana range (yet) - don't let this little speed hump stop you from propping up the Tassie economy :shock:

 

[Steady]

How interesting. Like politics, IMHO these days we often get too carried away with short term sensations and not what the product will be when it's out of short pants. Should I see if I can get my hands on some tomorrow? Or skip it for the 2012?

I purchased half a dozen from a tip on the DM and other wines thread (thanks N860CR #1007 onwards). I had a referral credit, and it was a mystery wine that ended up costing $18.32 / bottle, with the individual timber presentation case's I was expecting to use it to give away for presents. I think the boxes will still be useful as gifts but filled with a different StHallett - I will keep the Blackwell.

I like Bin 389 and use it as my $50- a bottle benchmark (obviously its not a Shiraz) I personally rated the Blackwell as good or a little better - logic would suggest the better 2012 vintage should be better again?

 

[AnonymousCoward]

IIRC St Hallett didn't make Old Block in 2011 - so the best grapes went into Blackwell. The 2012 might not be better. In my phone so too lazy to verify

 

[JohnM]

I generally like Tassie Pinot Noirs but I haven't tried any of the Stefano Lubiana range (yet) - don't let this little speed hump stop you from propping up the Tassie economy :shock:

Oh, I won't Steady! Don't get me wrong - it was not bad. It was just so much plainer than I expected/hoped for. No excitement or wow factor.

I just happened to be reading an article on the new Camry in the latest Wheels magazine while slurping it with dinner. Their verdict, of course, was along the lines of 'nice but plain'. That, and a bit of time on my hands, is really what triggered my metaphor-babble .

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

While chilling out in Gippsland Mr Up devoured a Chardonnay which he enjoyed...

I stuck to the Bollinger

 

[Steady]

I stuck to the Bollinger

I'm with you on those 2 options

 

[JohnM]

I'm with you on those 2 options

ABC, eh Steady​?

 

[TheRealTMA]

Great Tuscan Vino Nobile to go with tonight's lamb shanks. Decanting for 2 hrs.



So in the meantime we are finishing off the wine used for the shanks recipe. Most surprising since I don't drink PVs, this is bloody good. Loverly fruit, nice light spice finish. Impressed. (Hunter Valley WS dozen)

 

[JohnM]

One for QF WP:

https://www.facebook.com/hotfmmackay/videos/1045786238772280/?fref=nf

 

[TheRealTMA]

One for QF WP:

https://www.facebook.com/hotfmmackay/videos/1045786238772280/?fref=nf

Huh? The label's come off!

 

[blackcat20]

A red wine flight at a new wine bar in SFO...

(All about that bass is the one I did)

 

[JohnM]

We had a tasting tonight - whoops, now last night .

Theme was 'worked and wild whites'.

Only a fairly small lineup as some folks forgot about coming. They missed a cracker night.



L-R: 2013 Marq Wild and worked SBS (Margaret River), 2013 Gaia wild ferment Assyrtiko (Santorini, Greece - taken by yours truly ), 2013 Moana Gimblett Chardonnay (Napier, NZ), 2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay (Marg R), 2004 Cullen Chardonnay (Marg R).

All superb wines. Wine of the night went to the Moana chardy, closely followed by the Gaia Assyrtiko. The two classic MR chardys were great but just didn't hit the wow factor/value hurdle.

We invited Antonio, sommelier at the Terrace Hotel venue to taste the wines, which he greatly appreciated. In return, he opened a bottle of something quite unusual: a WA GSM (well, a GMS: Grenache, Mataro (Mouvedre), Syrah).



A yummy wine!

 

[QF WP]

I came here to post this (having just read it), so it follows on from JohnM's GSM quote:

https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/a/28330885/how-to-order-wine-like-a-pro/?cmp=ydn

So you enjoy an odd drop of good Aussie wine, and you know your Chardonnays from your Cab Sauvs. But what about lesser-known varietals from around the world? Our crash course in wine styles from around the world will have you ordering like an expert.

 

[QF WP]

Joined UpInTheAir for a drink in the Brisbane Sofitel Club Lounge. A decent selection of red.



I chose the Pinot and was pleasantly surprised - very smooth and medium tannins

 

[Steady]

Trying a VM 2012 Iconic Secret Cab Shiraz tonight - low tannins and very easy drinking. It is a little cold so I will leave it to breath and come up to room temp for a bit before having another glass

 

[TheRealTMA]

Trying a VM 2012 Iconic Secret Cab Shiraz tonight - low tannins and very easy drinking. It is a little cold so I will leave it to breath and come up to room temp for a bit before having another glass

Got a couple of these in a TWE Wynns prestige pack a few weeks ago. Quite nice wine. Maybe needs a year or two.

What was the VM price?