Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[esseeeayeenn]

I suppose some of you have to drink merlot or there wouldn't be any grenache left.

 

[penegal]

Does anyone have an opinion on the Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2014.

100 pts Bob Campbell - Available at Boccaccio for $70. "Won't last".

 

[JohnM]

Best wine I've ever had was a straight Merlot...

Please elaborate...

 

[Daver6]

Please elaborate...

It was really really really good. I assume that's what you were asking?

1950 Petrus at a Rare Wine Dinner I attended in Sydney a few years ago.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Reading this... My brain hurts... I do like merlot.. my dad doesn't.. I don't like sav blanc... he does... anyway.... back to the point..
Yay to me!.. Had the pleasure of a Mount Mary 2003 Pinot today... Beautiful wine.. It was a delicate but well structured Pinot.. very impressed.. And let's not forget the age... Very Very good..

 

[JohnM]

Merlot is actually the most widely-planted variety in France. Popular in that dodgy climate because it ripens earlier than Cab Sav and Cab Franc.

The problem I find with Merlot is that an "average Merlot" can be very average. They same can probably be said for Petit Verdot in the Australian market. That said, there are some truly great [un-blended] Merlots out there.


For something affordable and close to home, I recently (last year) tried the Cullen Preservative Free Merlot and was quite impressed. I have been buying a lot of the Mangan vineyard and their (her?) Merlot, Malbec & Petit Verdot blend is excellent. I cheated and checked the website. The current vintage (2014) is a 38/35/27 blend.

FWIW, the quality of Merlot in Margaret River is generally quite high, although much of what is grown is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to create those traditional [Bordeaux] blends which Margaret River is famous for.

In SA, numerous producers seem to be growing a little Merlot now. I would like to try the Mike Press one soon (on an AFF member's recommendation).

 

[Wozza]

Just back online after a busy day travelling between SYD and MEL. Funny you should be on the Merlot topic. I was travelling back on the Qantas 4:45 pm yesterday, and was given this:



It was truly bad by my tastes. No nose (maybe that's because of the plastic cup ). [Yes, I was travelling at the back. I am expensive enough, and my clients won't be too pleased to be fitting the bill for the front!!]. I could taste the constitute Merlot and Cab Sauv components, and the blend just didn't work for me. It got 2 stars on Vivino as a result!: http://www.vivino.com/wines/8601249

I make this mistake every time. I can never be too offended by a cheap White. But it's so much harder to be pleased by a cheap Red.

Order the G&T next time, Wozza. Order the G&T ...!

 

[blackcat20]

A selection of wines drunk at last nights MEL think tank. There were also a few bottles of Balnaves Cab Sav drunk towards the latter part of the evening.

 

[beefarmer]

Does anyone have an opinion on the Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2014.

100 pts Bob Campbell - Available at Boccaccio for $70. "Won't last".

No, but I did buy their 2015 Yarra Valley Pinot Top Paddock at ten dollars and it was lovely. Actually drank it last Saturday night with two others and we were all suitably impressed. Very elegant, lovely cherry flavours. The last one of these I tried probably was a 2013 ( so long ago I am guessing a bit ) and that was poor, lightweight and too thin. The year before was stunning but I could only manage to buy two as they had sold out. 2015's - drop in and give me a report. As you know, its a Hoddles Creek wine, but which one is the challenge. Does it matter - not really - it's very drinkable.

 

[Steady]

My first impression was not very good but this has opened up and is very drinkable - I think I will keep drinking the rest rather than putting them away for later

 

[Cruiser Elite]

My first impression was not very good but this has opened up and is very drinkable - I think I will keep drinking the rest rather than putting them away for later

I bought a doz of this too mate - my advice invite some friends of the missus around and offer open pour - get rid of it as quick as you can - we all make mistakes!

 

[Kohen]

Immensely enjoyable during warmer weather - 39 in Adelaide tomorrow - great buy when you get it in the teens

 

[AnonymousCoward]

But will it be any good...will find out soon enough I guess



Decided to kick off the weekend with this:

 

[Steady]

A 98 Shiraz Cab blend tonight - it's divine

 

[TheRealTMA]

Little roast lamb and this beauty tonight. Great drinking.

 

[Daver6]

With roast lamb tonight...

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

And I had chicken... :-|

 

[Sedimental]

View attachment 66466
A 98 Shiraz Cab blend tonight - it's divine

Great drop, great vintage. Unfortunately my restraint didn't match yours and they are but a distant memory!

 

[TheRealTMA]

And I had chicken... :-|

On a Saturday night? But more importantly what was the wine?

 

[Steady]

Great drop, great vintage. Unfortunately my restraint didn't match yours and they are but a distant memory!

I've only recently started collecting wine for the future- I can't take any credit for this one.

I picked this up along with a number of other aged labels from Langton's for very little on one of the $5- reserve auctions simply bidding on wines that no one else were. My aim was to find out if I like aged wines and I was expecting I would need to throw a few of them out but I have been lucky so far. I paid about $20- inc commission for this one but many were about $8. The Chapel Hill was a steal.