Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[beefarmer]

The soda water looks a little out of place

The beauty of it though is that it's always consistent and you will never have a fave year after year. It won't win any comps though.
.

 

[Steady]

I jumped onto the Vanguard Grenache- very happy I did


the cork was hardly stained

A lovely wine and a bit different to other Grenache I’ve had

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Contracting for first shipment from a new Chinese supplier always calls for a celebration!



Tsingtao beer and Krug - what more could you ask for?

 

[TheRealTMA]

Contracting for first shipment from a new Chinese supplier always calls for a celebration!

View attachment 225599

Tsingtao beer and Krug - what more could you ask for?

KRUG is misspelled if it’s made in China!

 

[beefarmer]

I hope there is a bit of cross contamination here as this write up is not a straight 'what wine is that' affair. Most remember Wozzas write up of the Dappled yarra Valley 2019 pinot and after trying it myself, I have to agree with his comments. It is one hell of supposedly the most difficult wine to make pinot noir. Stunning is apt. So at thirty bucks, it would certainly put a few more expensive ones to shame but the noir space is one that i seldom go to. I like it when i am there mostly but i tend to go for the other more rugged, fuller stuff. I inquired recently about what folk thought was their best under thirty bucker. I really wanted to compare a good PN that was fresh in my taste buds (Dappled) with another of similar quality. And price. But i will get to that later. Thanks so much for the recommendations but i went with one that no one mentioned in the Bellvale Gippsland 2019 PN. Twenty two bucks at Dannys.

The Bellvale is certainly good with a warm enticing nose of cherry mostly for me. I gave a glass to my daughter who immersed her probiscus into the Plumm and she detected raspberries. Can i read you a wine critics' review -

Perfumed scents of violets are intermixed with dark cherry and strawberry fruits followed by hints of anise, fragrant herbs and spice. Lighter and more vibrant than recent vintages yet still possessing fantastic drive, the succulent dark cherry and winter strawberry fruits infused with dried herbs show terrific freshness. Forest floor, subtle dried meat and spicy cedar elements sit underneath. Bright acidity and polished tannins carry the fruit onto a long powerful finish.

A lot of reviews just repeat themselves as you know. some just re=iterate the winemakers notes as such. The description above shows that the writer has had a few bellvales over the years but it also shows that the writers nose must be like wozzas. Pretty damn good. They could be related?

Now not to scare you but i must have covid because i couldnt smell anything except the bleeding cherries. Were they dark though? Is the pope a south american? I thought all cherries were dark ! Has anyone seen a light cherry? That's a white grape. Some of these critics must be on the sauce when they write this stuff. Back on track now. winter strawberry fruits i kind of dig and the freshness. Heck its one year old. Of course its going to be fresh. Now i did say that I am not the best PN taster out there but forest floor to me tastes a bit like a Bowen Cabernet of which i am not a fan. The last one of those I had smelt like horse stabbles and I kid you not. Almost as amazing as the shiraz called Adam ( my brothers name for the story) from langhorne creek that in one year tasted so salty it was ridiculous. ridicuolusly bad. Never had another. The critic mentions subtle dried meat. What is subtle abouta dead dingo? Or a dead emu? pretty gamey. Luckily i got no wiff of dried meat. Spicy cedar i can handle but the oak in this wine is not very obvious at all, in fact i reckon there is bugger all 'francais' here. i must look into that. If there is, it's done extremely well. polished tannis for sure. Great tannins really. now this is adding some comments to a critic. i will now give you what i wrote down as i went as this PN was both an experiment and an accoutrement to chicken parmajana ala Nadia. And it goes to show the difference food actually makes in a wine.

An enticing warm nose of cherry with a lovely mouth feel and a slight dry finish. This was after the second glass. Cross contamination from the Vinimofo wine deals suggest to the person over there who bought a fifteen bucker PN that food may help the experience imensely. Very pleasing mid palate, fruity and finessy and holds on till the end. i feel it misses a bit of a finish, a'kick', a lingering to say 'wow'.

But after a few mouth fulls of chicken parma, what a difference to the experience. An additive experience as i had started on an empty gut and a dry mouth. But with the parma, the wine became something else. Much fuller and much more luscious. Much more enjoyable? A little because its a good one anyway but the food enhanced most of its character. It actually finished better and fuller and the 'polished tannis' as the critic mentioned got a bit fuller and fattened the pinot a bit more.

Now i mentioned price before. We all know how difficult it is to get a good pinot under twenty five. this is one of them for sure. I must mention the tomich i777 which a few years ago was ethereal. No comparison here but when you compare pricing and quality in PN's, i suspect the more you pay the better it gets more so that a shiraz or cabernet.

At the end of the day, good is good. the bellvale pinot noir at $22 is better than good.

Thanks Wozza for putting the mystique back into pinot for me allowing a bit of discovery and awareness.

 

[Duffa]

Thursday night quaffer

 

[Duffa]

Mrs D is in BWS getting herself some $10 Sav Blanc and spotted these "bin ends".
I'm looking at the prices quite favourably..
Any advice ?

 

[Bill Bosworth]

Hard choice. I'm told the Meshach is often discounted under wraps at DM to less than that. But the 2012 is one of the best recent years. Good price on the shadrach and a good wine. I'd be looking at either of those, but it's still a fair bit to pay for a bottle of wine. The rest are too young and not a great price. The Vicar also doesn't rate super well...

 

[HokitikaGold]

Hi all, love this site.

Am still struggling to work out how to upload photos. But...

Yesterday I browsed my local First Choice liquor barn and found a bottle of Tatachilla "The Darkening Sky" sangiovese 2015 for a bargain $10 - usually in the mid twenties - in their discount bin. As a recent admirer of wine I thought I would give it a go - and it was, IMHO, a very nice drop indeed. Balanced, interesting, smooth, but complex. A steal at that lower price. I went back today and bought a case which they still had on the shelf - the attendant explained to me that they were revamping the lines hence the discount?

Anyway, if you enjoy sub-$50 reds, and like something new, please try this. I would buy it at the usual price. Forget sangiovese as just the main component of Chianti - this aussie varietal product holds its own.

 

[Duffa]

Hard choice. I'm told the Meshach is often discounted under wraps at DM to less than that. But the 2012 is one of the best recent years. Good price on the shadrach and a good wine. I'd be looking at either of those, but it's still a fair bit to pay for a bottle of wine. The rest are too young and not a great price. The Vicar also doesn't rate super well...

Thank you BB

 

[Daver6]

A few from dinner last night at Marumo. France meets Japan. Rather annoyingly the LGD suffered from slight TCA.

 

[Jczer000]

Big, generous, approachable Cab.

 

[HokitikaGold]

Contracting for first shipment from a new Chinese supplier always calls for a celebration!

View attachment 225599

Tsingtao beer and Krug - what more could you ask for?

Recently at a bottleshop another customer befriended me (!!) and decided to explain to me where the name "Tsingtao" came from - he said he worked in China and that this name was a made up for fun: "This cough Is No Good, Try Another One". I am not a beer drinker, so I do not care, but is this correct?

 

[Jczer000]

Recently at a bottleshop another customer befriended me (!!) and decided to explain to me where the name "Tsingtao" came from - he said he worked in China and that this name was a made up for fun: "This **** Is No Good, Try Another One". I am not a beer drinker, so I do not care, but is this correct?

I think is an alternative spelling for Qingdao. The (ex) German colony in China where the beer originates. You should Google the architecture. it looks very European.

But I am not one to let the truth get in the way of a good story...

 

[HokitikaGold]

Tonight's tipple, which as usual involved two, as I merrily explore wine at a budget, included a pair of discount wines. The first was Lost Lane cabernet franc, 2017 vintage. Not a bad wine, well worth the price I paid for it. It's small age muddying the brightness of a cabernet franc, but still visually ok. Quite savory, which I enjoy. Perfectly quaffable. But at the end of the day, I feel like that experiment robbed me of an evening of my life - no real complaints, but no real joy.

The second quaffer was Brookland Valley "verse 1' 2019 Cabernet Merlot. I did not expect much, and received accordingly. Yes, it has the overall characteristics of a Bordeaux blend, but this is strictly base level stuff. If I was taking this around a raucous BBQ with snags and steaks sizzling on the barbeque it would be ok. But in the confines of my study, as I did tonight, it is again just lost time.

Sorry if this review is not the usual

 

[qaz]

close calls, but...

• pinot noir: Bay of Fires > Bream Creek
• shiraz: Gemtree > Mike Press
• nebbiolo: Sensi Barolo > Benevelli Langhe

• chardonnay: Magical Animal (Erin Larkin review) > Murdoch Hill > In Dreams
• riesling: barrel-fermented Alter Weg not quite as good as superb current favourite unwooded Le Stagiaire, but maybe the 2019 will be

I jumped onto the Vanguard Grenache- very happy I did
View attachment 225497

the cork was hardly stained
View attachment 225498
A lovely wine and a bit different to other Grenache I’ve had

glad to hear - with the 2017 being a favourite and one of the first wines I've bought as a winery direct 6pk, I'm looking forward to it myself

i've always wondered what the fascination with corks is?

how was it different to other grenaches?

Last time I had Merlot on it’s own was years ago when QF F lounge decanter special used to be Irvine Grand Merlot.
Never been a fan of this grape but the palate changes over time so when I read that Highbank got high score plus it was offered at half price I decided to give it a go.
I’m trying to be positive and really want to like it but all I can say is that I’m still not a fan of Merlot

View attachment 225379

At least the bottle is pretty, will make a nice gift.

yes, i preferred the Merite, though if my memory serves me well, was probably more fond of 1990s Petaluma Merlots back then - however as you say, perhaps my palate has changed...

Blue Poles “changeover“ Reserve Allouran cleanskin last night - no idea if it was a bottle with no Reserve Merlot or a small %, but doesn’t matter because it was beautiful
Concentrated flavours of black currant and red fruits, silky tannins and velvety in the mouth, long finish
View attachment 224605
(A lovely day here)

my first cleanskins ever - did yours come in an Allouran box with Reserve handwritten on it, with new unused Allouran labels included inside (only 3, all without any handwriting)?

Opened this John Riddoch1998 last night - took 3-4 hours in decanter before that "over-ripe damson" bouquet had cleared. I wasn't blown away. I'd certainly be disappointed if I'd given Dan $179 for it.
Overall a good Cabernet but I've been just as pleased with $50-60 bottles.
Last time I drank one of these 98's was about 5 years ago and my recollection is a much happier one.
None left now. :<(

View attachment 224652

they were possibly $50-$60 when released - still haven't had mine yet

Hi all, love this site.

Am still struggling to work out how to upload photos. But...

Yesterday I browsed my local First Choice liquor barn and found a bottle of Tatachilla "The Darkening Sky" sangiovese 2015 for a bargain $10 - usually in the mid twenties - in their discount bin. As a recent admirer of wine I thought I would give it a go - and it was, IMHO, a very nice drop indeed. Balanced, interesting, smooth, but complex. A steal at that lower price. I went back today and bought a case which they still had on the shelf - the attendant explained to me that they were revamping the lines hence the discount?

Anyway, if you enjoy sub-$50 reds, and like something new, please try this. I would buy it at the usual price. Forget sangiovese as just the main component of Chianti - this aussie varietal product holds its own.

welcome to AFF - yes, First Choice had a clearance a few months ago, where some of us found Coriole Sangiovese 2018, already one of the best Aussie examples, even better at $10, which I have preferred over Parri Chianti

I hope there is a bit of cross contamination here as this write up is not a straight 'what wine is that' affair. Most remember Wozzas write up of the Dappled yarra Valley 2019 pinot and after trying it myself, I have to agree with his comments. It is one hell of supposedly the most difficult wine to make pinot noir. Stunning is apt. So at thirty bucks, it would certainly put a few more expensive ones to shame but the noir space is one that i seldom go to. I like it when i am there mostly but i tend to go for the other more rugged, fuller stuff. I inquired recently about what folk thought was their best under thirty bucker. I really wanted to compare a good PN that was fresh in my taste buds (Dappled) with another of similar quality. And price. But i will get to that later. Thanks so much for the recommendations but i went with one that no one mentioned in the Bellvale Gippsland 2019 PN. Twenty two bucks at Dannys.

...

At the end of the day, good is good. the bellvale pinot noir at $22 is better than good.

Thanks Wozza for putting the mystique back into pinot for me allowing a bit of discovery and awareness.

thanks for confirming the good things I've read about Bellvale elsewhere - i'll have to keep in mind for future reference

Thanks beefarmer, I just dug up and reread the two threads. Ah, memories of nice wines I’ve drunk

AFF Wine Lovers Meet Up - 13th May 2016 in Sydney

Inspired by the excellent pictures posted by DrSammyLee for the January event, it's time to organise another AFF Wine Lovers Meet Up in Sydney. Details below: Date - Friday, 13 May (Friday the 13th!) Time - 6pm onwards Venue - [Bar Reggio - the rustic Italian we wanted in Jan that was shut]...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

AFF Wine Lovers Meet-Up 6 Jan 2016 in Sydney

Dear Blog Friends and Wine Lovers This would be a good spot to arrange the odd catch up where we can meet in person, share a bottle or two from our trophy cabinets, and strengthen those blog ties. Please feel free to post away for your city or region. Looking forward to meeting some of you in...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

and to think only four years ago - wish i'd been there

 

[Steady]

how was it different to other grenaches?

I haven’t had that much straight Grenache to know - the other 2 I like are from Eperosa and Rockford, all 3 are Completely different

my first cleanskins ever - did yours come in an Allouran box with Reserve handwritten on it, with new unused Allouran labels included inside (only 3, all without any handwriting)?

Yes, Same same

and to think only four years ago - wish i'd been there

a memory I cherish, hopefully something that can be done again some time.
The wine tours large and small are also great, Rockford, Hunter Valley, Tassie, MR

 

[Doctore1003]

My first post in this thread!

We celebrated the end of my partner’s six week alcohol detox last night (thank god that’s over).

The 2009 Cape Mentelle SBS was forgotten about in storage but the age did it no harm. Beautiful floral, citrus, melon, apricot and oak notes. Medium bodied, dry, lower acidity maybe because of the age. Enjoyed it very much.

The 2016 Curtis Family Grenache was delicious. Lots of berries, as well as oak, vanilla, spice. Smooth and full of flavour. Could age a few more years. Will buy more when a bargain comes around. I think I panic spent some Velocity Points on it recently!

The 2016 Old Faithful Shiraz needs more time to develop. Was expecting a lot more flavour. It was only $30 pb from VinoMofo so can’t complain. Will stick the remaining bottles in the cellar and revisit every few years!

 

[henleybeach]

Long lunch at botanic restaurant

 

[afro]

nebbiolo: Sensi Barolo > Benevelli Langhe

To be fair , the benevelli is not a barolo.