Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[Daver6]

A PERfect warm evening last night, dining al fresco at Lady of Ro in Subiaco.

 

[billbro]

A PERfect warm evening last night, dining al fresco at Lady of Ro in Subiaco.

What year was the Morgon? I thought the 2017 was too young.

 

[Doctore1003]

Well it *is* grand final weekend after all!

️ 4.25 / 5 for the Windows Estate SSB: a great example of the classic Margaret River blend, and good value too at $26 pb. The wine has complex aromas of citrus, herbs, grass, vegetable notes like capsicum, minerals and oak. Worth keeping an eye on this winery, run by a lovely and welcoming young family.

️ 4.25 / 5 for the Stonier Windmill Vineyard Pinot Noir. If you love a fragrant wine, this one packs a punch: raspberry, cherry, sweet spice, smoke, and some herbal and floral notes to boot. Delicious. Normally $65 but I managed to score it for $45 and am very happy I got a case.

️ 4 / 5 for the Sicilian Nero d’Avola. This came in a cheap-ish mix pack of Italian wines and is good value, very easy to drink and typical of the style. Endorse.

️ 3.75 / 5 for the Nocturne Cab Merlot. It’s a decent drop at $35, but I admit I was expecting more from this winemaker of Deep Woods Estate fame (this is their “side project”). Aromas of black fruit, eucalyptus and earthy elements, along with juicy red fruit on the palate, but not overly complex or ultimately satisfying. Shame.

️ 4 / 5 for the Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I love a good GSM blend and this was quite enjoyable, but as is typical of so much French wine, the value for money isn’t really there (I paid $60 but Vivino reports an average price of $90). Still, it was nice to drink a GSM from where the blend originates!

All up, a pretty good weekend!

 

[Daver6]

What year was the Morgon? I thought the 2017 was too young.

It was 2018 and is pretty young. It was a bigger wine than the Picardy.

 

[billbro]

4.25 / 5 for the Stonier Windmill Vineyard Pinot Noir. If you love a fragrant wine, this one packs a punch: raspberry, cherry, sweet spice, smoke, and some herbal and floral notes to boot. Delicious. Normally $65 but I managed to score it for $45 and am very happy I got a case.

Interesting! Any idea how it compares with the Merron? We've always been fans of the Jimjoca, but haven't tried anything else more premium in the SV range.

 

[Doctore1003]

Interesting! Any idea how it compares with the Merron? We've always been fans of the Jimjoca, but haven't tried anything else more premium in the SV range.

This is my first dip into the Stonier range. When I was choosing, the reviews of this wine drew me the most!

 

[henleybeach]

While the roast pork is in the Weber. Might as well crack a sparkling

 

[boomy]

Had to match something with tuna steak for dinner.



That will do

 

[billbro]

Had to match something with tuna steak for dinner.

Gees simply because you had to match something... can I come for a dinner party? Thanks

 

[boomy]

Gees simply because you had to match something... can I come for a dinner party? Thanks

I was looking forward to open one of the AS purchased during FC sale earlier this year but +1 is more into red wine these days and usually manages to find a suitable red match to food. Thankfully tuna doesn’t go with well with red wine so it had to be a white night and mind as well seize the opportunity and go for the best

 

[Daver6]

Still going well. Not bad for a $17 cellar door wine. Happy with this for a Tuesday quaffer. A certain somebody in the background seems interested in it too, or perhaps the beef mignons in the oven.

 

[beefarmer]

This is my first dip into the Stonier range. When I was choosing, the reviews of this wine drew me the most!

I was recommended the Stonier Pinot in a bottle shop as the best Pinot in vic under $30.

The Stonier was mediocre at about $26.

Bellvale 2019 sublime.

Lighfoot and Sons pinot 2017, geez this is a beautiful wine.

Both gippsland, both tell you something. You dont have to spend sixty bucks to get the best pinot in australia for under thirty.
We are so lucky that there are wine critics out there that point us in the right direction.

Bellvale 2019..buy some.

 

[JohnM]

Scraps time in Margs again...

Complimentary local sparkling house wine. Very good - like an excellent Prosecco.

 

[billbro]

I was recommended the Stonier Pinot in a bottle shop as the best Pinot in vic under $30.

I find the base Stonier pretty bleh, not my style - DCB, Hoddles, etc are better. The Jimjoca is completely different though.

 

[jrod]

I was recommended the Stonier Pinot in a bottle shop as the best Pinot in vic under $30.

The Stonier was mediocre at about $26.

Bellvale 2019 sublime.

Lighfoot and Sons pinot 2017, geez this is a beautiful wine.

Both gippsland, both tell you something. You dont have to spend sixty bucks to get the best pinot in australia for under thirty.
We are so lucky that there are wine critics out there that point us in the right direction.

Bellvale 2019..buy some.

Second the Bellvale. I have found some slight variance between bottles, maybe separate bottlings. But all very good. I’m keen to try their more premium pinot offering. Ex New Yorker I think, seem like genuine and very wonderful wine makers.

Ben Haines is another good cheaper pinot.

Stonier... meh, Last one I had was unremarkable

 

[Buzzard]

First time trying a Rockford Wines bottle, not sure if I quite appreciate the cult icon status.

Drinkability is definitely there and it might simply be young, but it seems fairly muted. Over time the finish seemed to lengthen, but not sure if it strikes me as a wine with a lot of complexity or big levers to hang off to age over time (i.e. not like it has huge tannins or density of fruits, etc).

View attachment 231295

As a cult member I might be biased but I think you opened the bottle at least 4 to 6 years too early.
I do appreciate however that we all have different tastes and experiences.

 

[billbro]

As a cult member I might be biased but I think you opened the bottle at least 4 to 6 years too early.
I do appreciate however that we all have different tastes and experiences.

Wasn't my bottle, was just lucky enough to get to try it.

Agree that we all have different tastes, but in my mind, a nice wine should already show it's character when young - it's probably simply a bit wasteful drinking early as the complexity might not have unfurled itself or the flavours might not be integrated.

With the Rockford, I didn't really see anything particularly amazing that I thought I would be missing years from now. So the question to me would be, if it has to take 4 to 6 years before the finer nuances resolve themselves, how does it compare to other similarly priced bottles that are also 4 to 6 years old?

 

[Buzzard]

I'm really enjoying this young Pinot from Rochford. It has what I would call the typical Pinot nose. Smooth as a baby's bottom it's easy to drink, exhibiting what I would say is just a hint of spice.
FYI if you buy any 12 direct from Rochford you get a good discount making this Pinot very good buying IMHO.

 

[boomy]

With the Rockford, I didn't really see anything particularly amazing that I thought I would be missing years from now. So the question to me would be, if it has to take 4 to 6 years before the finer nuances resolve themselves, how does it compare to other similarly priced bottles that are also 4 to 6 years old?

I believe Rockford earned its cult status from wines like Basket Press and Sparkling Black Shiraz. I also rate their Rifle Range Cab Sav highly as well as some special release wines. If my introduction to Rockford would be just Rod & Spur I would probably think the same as you. It’s a nice wine but nothing impressive there. Do yourself a favour and try more of their wines, I’m sure you’ll be impressed by some.

 

[billbro]

I believe Rockford earned its cult status from wines like Basket Press

Definitely, if I can get my hand on some Basket Press - not sure if I'll ever get onto the allocation though