It's Sunday.....

[TORB]

Hi Good People,

Sorry I am late getting this up. I was in Sydney. Went to Boun Recordo for dinner last; stunning.

Time to tell us what you have been drinking. Lists, vibes, or TN welcome.

[tpang]

Was wondering where you gone.. almost tempted to steal your thunder and start up the sunday thread!

Domaine L'Oratoire St Martin Carianne Rouge Haut Coustias 2005, Cairanne
$47-55. A blend of Mourvedre 60%, Grenache 20% and Syrah 20% from 65 year-old vines croped at 30hL/ha. Hand-picked, destemmed and fermented with pigeage for 18 days before a further 24 months maturation in Burgundy barrels. Dark red with crushed blackberry and Provencal herbs on the nose. This full-bodied wine is rice in flavour, spicey, peppery and packs some punch. The tannins are still front and present but should clear in 5 years.

Domaine L'Oratoire St Martin Carianne Rouge Reserve des Seiguers 2006, Cairanne
$36-43. A blend of Grenache 60%, Mourvedre 30% and Syrah 10% from 50 year-old vines cropped at 38hL/ha. Hand-harvested, destemmed and 12 days fermentation with pigeage followed by 9months in vats. Dark red/purple colour. Subdued nose of red berries and currants, leather and a hint of tobacco. Full-bodied and good tasting, rich pure red fruits, spicey, ripe tannins. The finish is satisfying.

Domaine L'Oratoire St Martin Carianne Rouge Cuvee Prestige 2006, Cairanne
$45-53. The oldest vines are used for the Cuvee Prestige, 100 year-old vines cropped at only 18hL/ha are used for this Grenache 60% Mourvedre 40% blend. Hand harvested, destemmed and fermented with pigeage for 15 days before 12 months maturation in vats. Dark red/purple, very aromatic, black currants, truffle and musk before the flavours of spice, white pepper and liquorice fill your mouth in a very satisfying way. Fine, fine finish. Still young and fresh, needs to sit for another 3-4 years to balance out.


I'll be fair and declare that the By Farr style isn't my kinda thing.. with that, these were my scribbles..

By Farr Chardonnay 2006, Geelong, VIC
$55-65. Lightish yellow, soft mineral nose, damp stone and slight primary fruit in the nose. Taste is simple, not creamy. Good acidity and overall a weak drink for me.

By Farr Pinot Noir 2006, Geelong, VIC
$57-68. Rich full nose but lacks the honest earthiness that I'd expect from pinots, especially given that this is coming from a 'cooler climate'. Simple fruit flavours with light fine tannins with a decent finish that leaves one expecting more for this price. Not my style of pinot.

By Farr Sangreal 2006, Geelong, VIC
$59-70. Subdued nose of red berry bouquet. Rich dark red colour, very fruity, but again, this isn't what pinot should be about. Too primary and simple for my liking. Better off buying a couple of entry level burgs.

By Farr Shiraz 2006, Geelong, VIC
$55-65. This has got 3% of viognier in it. Certainly a cool climate shiraz. Bland flavours mingled with savoury and earthy oakiness and tannins which when settled, probably still won't reveal too much else about this wine.

[ChrisV]

Krug 1996 - The big man himself. Popped this at a friend's wedding over the weekend. Aromas of stone and tropical fruits. Palate has a ton of acid - it's very fine acid, not harsh at all, but there's a lot of it - and has flavours of pineapple, citrus and honey. Great length. A bit lacking in complexity for me at the moment, but it's staggeringly youthful and has oodles of structure and acid which will allow it to develop over God only knows how many years. At the moment though I prefer Krug MV. 95 points or so.

[Gustav]

A couple of weeks ago I visited Bremerton, Cleggett Wines and Lake Breeze in Langhorn Creek. My intention was to post tasting notes of the wines I tasted, but I was pretty stuffed by a cold so I felt that my palate wasn't 100% trustworthy. However, I was quite impressed with what I tasted, especially Lake Breeze, where I found the wines to be of consistent high quality (my favourite being the '05 Bernoota Cab Sav Shiraz blend). At Cleggett we tasted the interesting Cab Sav mutants ("Malian" which ha a bronze colour lacking all red pigments but in the epiderims, and Shalistin which lacks all red pigments). My favourite at Cleggett was the Shalistin white Cabernet, which had an overwhelming display of aromas and very different from other white wine varieties I've tasted. The Legend Series Cabernet was also delicious wine. As I mentioned we also visited Bremerton (mostly because of all the hype). Annoyingly, but as expected, the Old Adam was sold out and not for tasting (new release in April I think), but the Selkirk Shiraz '06 was just released (the day we were there actually) and on for tasting. I wasn't impressed with the stuff I tasted, but the Selkirk was decent. As a matter of fact, I'm drinking it right now.

2006 Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz
Quite intense dark arterial blood red colour. Clear. Concentrated dark cherry aromas. Hints of liquorice and oak. Hot alcohol when stuffing the nose into glass. A bit of spice. The palate is big, but soft and slightly sweet. Lacking a bit of structure (I would have like some more tannins and acid). When bubbling air into the wine dark liquorice is revealed. A decent "drink-now" wine, but lacking a bit of focus. The sweet heavy fruit should have had some more acid and tannins to lean on.

Gustav

[John #11]

Spent the day at Crush 08.

Went to Jimmie's Wood Oven Pizza in Crafers, had a delightful Moroccan Chicken Pizza, with Mike Press 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and Mike Press 2005 Pinot Noir, and Mike Press 2007 Chardonnay (unwooded).

As always, Mike Press's wines are understated value, with big taste!

Listened to some charming French music, and singer Annie Santre, singing some Edith Piaf, and Jacques Brel songs.

It was indeed "Press, Pizza and Piaf"!

Now enjoying the perfect ending to a long and hot, but enjoyable day, with 2006 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir, just beautiful.

[Bick]

A few nice wines over the last few days:

Penfolds Bin 407 05 - I agree with all the positive comments; very enjoyable, I may have to get some of this. Super nose, particularly.

Te Mata Cape Crest 06 - yes I know, lasts years vintage now and I must try the 07, but we enjoyed this. Rich and long. Went very well with sashimi.

I went to the Dry River tasting at the Old Government House in Auckland yesterday:

Dry River Chardonnay 07 - Nice fruit and long finish but not much aroma yet. Probably needs time. Hardly any made, so will not be easy to get.

Dry River Pinot Noir 06 - Quite restrained and elegant; bit closed. Nice red fruit, balance and mouthfeel, but I can't bring myself to spend $82 on it!

Dry River Pinot Gris 07 - This was very good. Seemed sweeter than the 15g residual sugar would suggest, due to lovely ripe fruit. The last vintage I had of this (05?) was more flinty and neutral - this was more to my taste. Unfortunately, they made less than 1000 bottles, and its all sold out. (So not much point in posting impressions perhaps, but you never know, it might be possible to source it).

By the way tpang - are those Carianne's you describe Cairanne's? I had a Domaine Alary Cairanne recently, and enjoyed it very much. I think there's probably good value to be had from this bit of the S. Rhone.

[Ian S]

1990 Francesco Rinaldi Barolo Brunata (sic.?)
Very classical and tannins certainly very much in evidence (it was a mere youngster after all ). No shortage of acidity either. In all likelihood the tannins in this will probably win the battle, so maybe not a bad time to drink it whilst the support cast were at least still on stage. Perhaps the complete antithesis of the 'fruit bomb' style. Having said that, the wine had typicity and showed the sort of tertiary aroma's / tastes I look for in aged Barolo. I just suspect the balance will always be out (as I fear for the potentially great 96's).

This wine also christened the glasses I had engraved for 'the brains of the operation' to celebrate the vineyards we've walked through in Piemonte. She got the Brunate glass.

[Grant]

Sandalford Prendiville Cab 05- excellent
Thomas Kiss Shiraz 06- young, good potential
Howard Park Chardonnay 2006- excellent
Delamotte NV- fresh, citrus, nice
Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 06- big, sexy flavours, young.
Picardy Chard 05- cork OK but showing a lot of oxidation, very forward.

Cheers

[Wayno]

Knappstein Ackland Vineyard Riesling 2006
Too phreaking hot for anything but crisp aromatic/steely whites for me at the moment. This ridiculously sustained hot spell avails ample opportunities to plunge through the larder of whites. My eyes cast over this gemlet, picked up at auction for a humble price.
At first overwhelmingly fruit sweet with a sustained zing but after a few sips, revealed itself as very full flavoured, with squeezes of lime cordial and lemon juice, a good acid spine and a rich, textural mouthfeel. Long, impressive finish. It drank just as well the next night. Definitely in the sweeter style but well presented to battle spicy foods or just to enjoy on it's own, provided one can appreciate the style for what it is.

[tpang]

Well spotted Bick! my bad.. I believe both Alary's are second cousins.

[Adair]

Mike Press 2006 Pinot Noir

FWIW, I am certain it was the 2005 Mike Press Pinot Noir, which I too like a lot.

Adair

[John #11]

Mike Press 2006 Pinot Noir

FWIW, I am certain it was the 2005 Mike Press Pinot Noir, which I too like a lot.

Adair

Yes it was the 2005. Corrected.

[Attila]

[quote="tpang"]
By Farr Sangreal 2006, Geelong, VIC
$59-70. Subdued nose of red berry bouquet. Rich dark red colour, very fruity, but again, this isn't what pinot should be about. Too primary and simple for my liking. Better off buying a couple of entry level burgs.

quote]

I actually bought the 2005 on Huon's recommendation...have you tried that by chance?
Cheers,
Attila

[Tim Smith]

The last 3 weeks: Magners Irish Cider. Pour over crushed ice For me, better than beer, and it's been too hot in the Barossa for fine wine, except the odd cold bottle of PL EV Riesling....

[Daryl Douglas]

Jeanneret Denis Reserve Shiraz 2002 I really liked this one, especially at $25 (paid $35/btl a month or 2 ago for 2). Nice concentrated dark, slightly savoury, plum and blackberry fruits supported by well-integrated cedary oak in the background. Excellent line and length on the palate, finishes with just a flick of eucalyptus/menthol that adds to the length and character of the wine. Grabbed the last $25 btl of the 02 for Easter on the way home today.

Leasingham Magnus Shiraz 2005 Not in the same class as the Denis but a very acceptable wine nonethless, it's understandable that it won a trophy/gold medal in Brisbane and a gold in Adelaide. A melange of red and black fruits, minimal oak, soft acid and tannins it's a good quaffer for $14. Has a medium finish with some licorice and a bit of stalky greeness.

Skillogalee Hand Picked Riesling 2006 This was a bit different from other rieslings I've had from Clare/Eden/Watervale/Polish Hill, a bit sweeter on the front-to-mid palate, soft acid/citrus on the medium finish. Cheap enough though at $11.

Yalumba (wild ferment) Eden Valley Chardonnay 2005 Another bottle.....but after the riesling the fruit was overt and I didn't enjoy it as much as I have other bottles. Still, a very agreeable full-bodied chardy.

daz

EDIT: It was a Clare region weekend, unplanned though.

[Ian S]

The last 3 weeks: Magners Irish Cider. Pour over crushed ice

Magners
Poor cider, stupid idea (the ice), effective marketing.

Next time you're over this way, we'll have to find you some better ciders than that!

regards

Ian

[Wayno]

Monday night specials...

Cape Mentelle SSB 2007
Crisp, long, fresh, delicious. A lovely wine with faint herbal elements and tonnes of balanced, juicy fruit. A pre-dinner benchmark.

Tyrells Vat 1 Semillon 1999
A touch light-on, with some honey character but an overall 'Fruit Box' quality- thus a bit thin on the palate. Pleasant enough but outshone by the Cape Mentelle.

Orlando Steingarten Riesling 2002
A statuesque champion, rigid with sturdy lemon and lime, chunky acid and an overall bilgey, petrolly aroma with chunky honey notes and lemon pip. A terrific wine, in full bodied form. A wine for sailors.

[Peter NZ]

Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2006 Classic Clare riesling; drinking very nicely now, but plenty of structure to age.

Ata Rangi Syrah 2002 Full bodied -- might've picked it as South Australian blind -- very good fruit & depth but not sure it's got the acid backbone to age.

Tirohana Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2006 Fine tannins, good aging potential, good wine.

Margrain Proprietor's Selection Riesling 2002 Bottled under a rubbish plastic cork, & interestingly it's by far the best of 3 drunk over the past couple of months. Very good off dry riesling that'd improve for some years yet under a decent closure. Interesting though to note that it's only 6 years ago that plastic seemed like a good idea ...

Cheers
Peter

[SueNZ]

I went to the Dry River tasting at the Old Government House in Auckland yesterday:

Dry River Chardonnay 07 - Nice fruit and long finish but not much aroma yet. Probably needs time. Hardly any made, so will not be easy to get.

Dry River Pinot Noir 06 - Quite restrained and elegant; bit closed. Nice red fruit, balance and mouthfeel, but I can't bring myself to spend $82 on it!

Dry River Pinot Gris 07 - This was very good. Seemed sweeter than the 15g residual sugar would suggest, due to lovely ripe fruit. The last vintage I had of this (05?) was more flinty and neutral - this was more to my taste. Unfortunately, they made less than 1000 bottles, and its all sold out. (So not much point in posting impressions perhaps, but you never know, it might be possible to source it).

I couldn't make OGH for the tasting but I tasted the Pinot Gris earlier last week and the Pinot Noir was opened on Saturday and I squeezed the last few drops out last night (Tues). The Dry River Pinot Gris 2007 is absolutely sublime. I can't believe how good it is. Really verging on the Alsace style. Pity you missed out on the 2006 as that was like this too.

The Dry River Pinot Noir 2006 became more and more magnificent over the course of the tasting. When first opened and tasted with three other wines, it was neck and neck, like Waddell and Drysdale on the first 500 metres of the Lake Karapiro course. Then the Dry River Pinot Noir put its head in front, and like Drysdale in the 3rd deciding race, it looked back to see the others trailing well behind in the wake. So much power and finesse.

Haven't opened the Chardonnay yet. Maybe I will wait.

[Bick]

The Dry River Pinot Noir 2006 became more and more magnificent over the course of the tasting.

Yes, I'm not sure I got the best from it with just a half glass soon after opening. Very good, but I imagine it would open up. Agree about the Pinot Gris - superb from the first sip. Shame its more or less impossible to get now!

[Deejay]

Few over the weekend:
Woodlands Cab Merlot 2006 - Great drinking at less than 20$ from the winery - god balance and just the right fruit ripeness for my tastes - mostly berries with a touch of tomato leaf. 91

John Riddoch 1992 - dusty and cedary - not much fruit left here - but still a smooth drink - had a great bottle of this at Xmas - hope the other few I have are more like that one -87

Mike Press Cab Sauv 2006 - good drinking at the price -88

Spinifex Indegene 2005 Great Balance good fruit and mouth filling flavours - tannins well balanced - Mataro, shiraz blend - really like Spinifex wines at the moment. 92