Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[amaroo]

Australia Day storm forced us indoors long enough to ferret out some excellent old wines which included
2005 Leo Buring Leonay (Clare) reisling
2003 Lakes Folly Cab blend
1996 Henschke Mt Edelstone Shiraz
1995 Henschke Cyril Cabernet
1988 Wynns Black Label CabView attachment 63812View attachment 63813

Without doubt - the best bunch of 5 I've seen on this board!

 

[penegal]

Bocconcino in Parkdale - 200mtrs from our front door - shhhhhh - pls don't tell Tommy and penegal.

haha, too late

Looks nice, and obviously gets your tick of approval?

 

[penegal]

Can't remember if I posted these already or not.



Took this one to a friends BBQ.



Plantagenet Shiraz 2007 - This wine was quite balanced upon release, with bright juicy fruit and soft tannins. With age the tannins have softened further giving a generous mouth-feel for a medium bodied Shiraz. Delicious. Drink now if you have any. Wait no longer.



RooFlyer was generous enough to bring this one to a dinner on Monday.



Henschke Mount Edelstone 2004 - Yum! Boomyrator could probably do a better tasting note than me. Upon tasting the structure and complexity of this wine is immediately apparent. I got hints of many flavours, which I would be under-qualified to describe, but I can say that this is a very well made wine, and drinking excellently now.

We didn't decant it, but it was open for approx ~30-45 mins before serving I think.

 

[Chardonnay]

Sorry for the late post Wozza, I had an issue with my account.
On Saturday I attended a blind tasting of 16 wines, 4 each of Pinot, Zin and Shiraz. We were not even told which was which so had to work it out.
To me the standout wine was the Mosquito Hill Pinot (2013, $38). At first I thought it was a Pinot but then changed my mind to Zin. The finish was extremely long which confused me (maybe I need to do a Pinot master class with penegal) the nose was heavenly, a beautiful floral, the mouth feel was superb. I enjoyed this so much more than the St Hugo that was also one of the blinds. Be interested if anybody else has had the Mosquito.

I spot a Curly Flat Pinot there. That Mosquito must have some serious length on it, I had that Curly at a restaurant and even the food couldn't smother the length. Fabulous

 

[drross]

Recently went and enjoyed a pizza with all my mates:

pizza and wines look great.. empty chairs don't look so great happy to be invited around

 

[Wozza]

If I had to choose between a Russian Ballerina (avoiding the anti-dopers) and Arsne Wenger - I would choose Wenger! For one, Arsne Wenger is against doping cheats. But most importantly, he's complex, intelligent, aged, and comes with a phenomenal reputation based on his results over time. Much like the wine I am drinking tonight:

the Hewitson Mad Hatter Single Vineyard McClaren Vale Shiraz 2006

On Vivino, I gave the following tasting note:

http://www.vivino.com/wines/14278

"A rugged but elegant 4.3 from me. Oh this goes down so well! This single vineyard Shiraz hails from Blewitt Springs, Mc Vale and is one of Hewitson's premium drops at $70, cellar door. The nose is brooding with cured meats, sweet black fruits and hints of that quality new French Oak it spent 20 months in. The real pleasure is the smooth, smooth palate of black currants, blueberries, scorched earth, cured meats and a touch of spice. At $35 from Langtons this is an absolute steal - it's right in its prime."​

I am hoping to get more of this from Langtons. But I won't be surprised if it's sold out. Definitely a great buy at $35 a bottle.

On the other hand, I couldnt quite work out if I liked:

the Pirramimma A.C.J. 2010

On Vivino, I concluded:

http://www.vivino.com/wines/26529312

"An unsure but silky smooth 3.8 from me. I opened this Mc Vale blend early I know. Halliday, rating it 95, said 'approach with caution in 2025'! It's a blend of Pet Verdot (42), Shiraz (31), Cab Sauv (20) and Merlot (7). And is only produced by one of Australia's oldest wineries when exceptional varietal traits are shown. There's sweet briery blackberries, cherries and cedar on the nose. On the medium bodied palate, dark fruits work with blueberries, liquorice, spice and oak for a silky smooth wine. Nice now."​

It was elegant and very powerful, and probably just good enough for the $40 price tag (after buyer's premium). But it was also a bit different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was the unusual red blend that us Aussies aren't used to. Maybe the liquorice was a bit too sweet for my tastes. Or maybe it was my low expectations, as I secured this from Grays Online in the auctions. I wasn't quite sure. But, I was impressed with how powerful and well made it was in a feminine kind of way.

It was interesting trying these side by side over the course of this week. Both great wines. But one McClaren Vale red stood out - the Mad Hatter. If you are in the hunt for a red wine in its pristine, prime, then you would be a Mad Hatter to pass this up ...!

 

[blackcat20]

Lovely evening with Buzzard and his other half this evening.

 

[Buzzard]

...and the Black Shiraz arrived in style
P

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Whites and Champagnes in the Star Alliance first lounge at Tom Bradley Terminal LAX
Hadn't tried the Perrier Jouet Nuit Blanche before... not offensive

 

[kpc]

Nice red I picked up from a winery I visited in Stellenbosch in 2012...unfortunately, it's the last bottle

 

[Duffa]

2003 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz
Brick red colour but certainly not past it, in nose or palate!
Last one.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Stormy weather in Sydney tonight, so opened a Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2002 - seemed fitting. Whole bottle gone in 60 minutes, so I guess it's still good. That's 2 out of 6 - luckily 4 still to go. And listening to Beethoven (maybe it should be Bruckner), but it seems to suit

 

[Daver6]

Nice red I picked up from a winery I visited in Stellenbosch in 2012...unfortunately, it's the last bottle

A cracking wine. I had the 2005 a few years ago. Picked up from the cellar door for all of AUD $20! What amazing value.

 

[Delectable Blue]

Lindemans 1996 Bin 8850 Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley)

View attachment 63222

I love Hunter Valley semillon, and I really love aged Hunter Valley semillon, especially after they reach that magical 20 year mark. I was lucky enough to pick up a handful of these babies at a Grays auction. Unfortunately they delivered them in 40 degree heat yesterday and by the time I got into air-conditioned comfort, three of the bottles had started leaking wine due to heat expansion. Thankfully after removing the capsules, all the corks appear to be in excellent condition. So it was just the transient delivery heat that caused the leaks. Oh well, I’ll just have to drink them before they spoil.

So to the spoils. Bottle 1 - All the elements are there, they are just taking some time to coax out of the wine - aged wine can be so contrary. I don’t like decanting aged wines as they can turn so quickly. After 15-20 minutes in the glass the wine really opened up beautifully. The nose is a delight, the lemon and herb aromas of youth are giving over to those aged toasty honeyed flavours so typical of the region. The palate follows suit, there are still mouthfuls of zesty lemon along with a vein of minerality, and a hint of beeswax. Those complex aged flavours keep pushing on long after the finish. Exquisite!

The good news is the wine still has great structure and acid balance and would probably last another decade if that last cork holds out.

So to Bottle #2 - I was worried that this one may have spoiled, as it suffered some serious cork leakage. It seems my fears were unfounded. If anything, Bottle 2 was even better than bottle 1. The colour was darker, showing an intense honeyed colour. The honey and toast flavours were also more intense. The beeswax and minerality of bottle 1 making way for ripe fig flavours, and some exquisitely complex (positive) oxidative ageing characteristics and the most insane length of finish - the complex flavours lingering for many minutes after finishing the wine. A stonkingly good wine. Superlatives fail me… Certainly the best $20 I've ever spent on a bottle of wine.

 

[Wozza]

I am also riding out the Sydney storm. And I thought it apt to pick the Riesling I have just had delivered from My Wine Guy in their recent January sale:

the Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2015

Image source: MyWineGuy

It's apt because on this stormy night Halliday concluded:

"Captures you by stealth; the bouquet is reticent, the fore-palate following suit for a split second before expanding dramatically on the way through to the back-palate, where a whirlpool of flavours explodes, the intensity of the lime juice and acidity almost shocking - 98 points"

Not for the first time, I couldn't quite see such a massive score with this fresh from the vineyard wine. But I did give it a very good leg up on Vivino, saying:

http://www.vivino.com/wines/14491205

"A pristine and very young but very encouraging 4.0 from me. Halliday gave this young cool climate SW Victorian single vineyard Riesling a massive 98. It's so well made and seamless on the palate, I can see why it stood out for such acclaim. The nose is light and fresh in comparison to the powerful citrus flavoured palate. There's limes, lemons, a touch of nuttiness and a fresh mineral acidity, that delivers a long and mouth filling finish. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next 10 yrs."​

At $31 a bottle in the sale, it was well priced. And hopefully in the years to come will prove to be a bargain. We'll see ...

 

[beefarmer]

I am also riding out the Sydney storm. And I thought it apt to pick the Riesling I have just had delivered from My Wine Guy in their recent January sale:

the Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2015

Image source: MyWineGuy

It's apt because on this stormy night Halliday concluded:

"Captures you by stealth; the bouquet is reticent, the fore-palate following suit for a split second before expanding dramatically on the way through to the back-palate, where a whirlpool of flavours explodes, the intensity of the lime juice and acidity almost shocking - 98 points"

Not for the first time, I couldn't quite see such a massive score with this fresh from the vineyard wine. But I did give it a very good leg up on Vivino, saying:

http://www.vivino.com/wines/14491205

"A pristine and very young but very encouraging 4.0 from me. Halliday gave this young cool climate SW Victorian single vineyard Riesling a massive 98. It's so well made and seamless on the palate, I can see why it stood out for such acclaim. The nose is light and fresh in comparison to the powerful citrus flavoured palate. There's limes, lemons, a touch of nuttiness and a fresh mineral acidity, that delivers a long and mouth filling finish. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next 10 yrs."​

At $31 a bottle in the sale, it was well priced. And hopefully in the years to come will prove to be a bargain. We'll see ...

I think it's time for iggy pop wozza....

 

[beefarmer]

the uniqueness of the occasion...

 

[beefarmer]

what can I say but.....Williams was a flog, she played like an absolute dog. Her serves were letting her down, she left court with a frown. Kerber the server played her on a fiddle, and that's the ozzie open done and dusted in de middle.

 

[QF WP]

After a 7 hour sojourn at work today and a shoulder whose pain won't be dulled by pain relief, I got into my reds and unearthed this little beauty.



It has taken the edge off my bursitis so did the job. Sat watching the Summer of Surf I taped today, loved the big surf and the stacks particularly the skis - although not as many as Redhead a couple of weeks ago (I am a former lifesaver and loved competing in craft - board being my favourite).

Surprisingly, the bottle seemed to have a hole in it as O finished it by myself.

Now off to bed and hoping the pain relief gets me past my usual 3 or 4am wake ups (from the pain).

 

[TheRealTMA]

Tonight's wines. St Henris just as as boring as ever, both somewhat musty ( screw capped). 2010 first of a dozen box. 2005 opened up nicely after 20 mins. Greywacke wild Sauvignon was just extraordinary. Brilliant for a 2010 white. Watermelon, peaches and more, underpinned with some soft grippy oak tannins on back palate. Fabulous.