| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Ducru Beacaillou Grand Vin 1982 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I bought this wine at auction. It had a good fill level. This fortunately also coincided with the wine smelling and tasting like a well kept classic Bordeaux. It had some nice cigar box complexity and was definitely still relatively sweet. It was not a HUGE wine but was all too easy to drink. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Ducru Beacaillou Grand Vin 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I was not that impressed by this wine. If this wine does develop then I will have experienced how Bordeaux starts of being not too drinkable but ends up being delicious. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Gruaud Larose Grand Vin 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I got a lot of barnyard out of this - maybe I have miss judged it. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Gruaud Larose Grand Vin 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Gosh this was super. I left it in the glass for half a day. By the evening I was getting roses olives and cigars out of this wine. I really loved it and hope that it will develop well. | ||
| Anonymous | France Bordeaux St Julien Gruaud Larose Grand Vin 1996 | Wed Sep 15 21:01:55 EST 2004 |
| Pas mal du tout, fieu !!! | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Gruaud Larose Grand Vin 1996 | Wed Apr 27 11:20:39 EST 2005 |
| Thought it was worth pulling another bottle just to see how it was travelling. Wow !!! This wine really does embody the word charm. Classic cabernet nose - roses, cigar box, black currents. Even got some sweet smelling leather out of it. On the pallet the wine seems to be quite mature - surprisingly integrated and smooth. Whilst the tannins are present the wine definitely seems well aged - seems like an older wine ... one person at the table thought it was an 82. Well, not quite but surprisingly enjoyable. Will open another one in a year from now. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Gruaud Larose Grand Vin 1996 | Sat Apr 28 20:02:45 EST 2007 |
| Just starting to loose that purple freshness. Initially, I got a lot of bret but after two hours in the glass it seems to be less prominent and the perfume is starting to come through. The tannins are melting and this is becoming a very drinkable wine. It has a lovely inky palette - not too sharp or fruity - but just mellow and intense at the same time. Not overly long. Will easily keep ... will try another one in a year - I do not think that this is a drink up soon situation. Last night I had a 96 Wynns Black Label and it is very easy to see that this is a much lusher, smoother, deeper, wine which has plenty more to reveal - what I like most about this wine is the perfume that is trying to break through what I can only imagine is bret. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Lagrange Grand Vin 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| This wine had a lot of tannin. I think there was enough sweet fruit to match. I will try it again in 2004. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Barton Grand Vin 1995 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Well I don't know what all the fuss is about. I found it to be a pleasant drink but not all that great. It was not offensive - but it was not that inspiring either. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Las Cases Clos du Marquis 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| For a second wine I was very impressed. It had guts. Lots of flavour some complexity which should develop further with age. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Poyferre Grand Vin 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I think I drank this when it had shut down (2000). Maybe it will open up to be a stunner in another 5 years? | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Talbot Grand Vin 1989 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Superb. I enjoyed the ease with which this wine drank. It was great with beef. I left some in the bottle and on the next day it was so complex and savory - delicious. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux Pauillac Haut Bages Liberal Grand Vin 1985 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I was given this as a present. I drank it in 1999. It was nicely mature and showed some pleasing complexity and perfume. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Emilion Lucie Grand Vin 1995 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I have been drinking this a lot lately and think that it is just starting to improve. In the glass if left for a few hours it grows in complexity. I think it needs another year or two in the cellar but is certainly very enjoyable with food. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1976 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Well I am used to drinking Noble One (an Australian wine). This wine showed the Noble to be very straight forward. I really enjoyed the complexity and length of this wine. It was not too sweet. | ||
| Susan Elizabeth | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1976 | Mon Oct 14 08:42:51 EST 2002 |
| Well all the fuss about this dessert wine is certainly warranted - it is smooth and yet richly complex without the shrill sweetness that we sometimes taste on the edge of a less elegant dessert wine. It was simply sublime served with Maggie Beer's Pheasant Farm pate on petite square toast. A celestial experience. | ||
| Sharad | France Champagne Epernay Pol Roger Pinot Noir Chardonay 1990 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I love popping the cork on these. What great value and what a crowd pleaser. I open one of these on each of my Birthdays. | ||
| Sharad | France Rhone - Southern Chateauneuf-du-Pape Beaucastel red 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Had a half bottle in 2000. Really quite rich and syrupy. Definitely needs the prescribed 10 years in the cellar. Maybe I should try one in 2004 as I have only half bottles. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Reserve 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| So this is what Pinot is all about. I had this wine in a restaurant with good friends. I don't know if it was the company or the wine but I really enjoyed the perfume and complexity of what was in the glass. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Reserve 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| This wine had a certain polish about it that I liked on release. Will try again in 2003. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Reserve 1998 | Wed Apr 27 11:15:08 EST 2005 |
| I have to admit, I was quite disappointed by this wine. The nose was more interesting than enjoyable. ... smelt like a lot of spirits ... not much fruit ... I let is sit in the glass for a couple of hours ... it did not really improve - by the end of the night it was almost undrinkable - maybe a bad bottle, maybe past it's prime, maybe it was me ... will try another bottle soon ... | ||
| Sharad | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I know that this is supposed to be the bees knees in Cab-Sav-Merlot for Australia. I don't know. I guess I like Coonawarra. | ||
| Eric Khong | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1998 | Tue May 30 00:49:20 EST 2006 |
| A horrid wine. Too much of the tea leaf taste for my liking. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1992 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Well I had this in 2001. It was still improving. Classic Cab-Sav characteristics. This bodes well for the 1994. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I was given this as a gift. I really enjoyed it recently even though it is so young. I like it more than the 1998 which was supposed to be a great vintage. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I know this was supposed to be a great vintage but it tastes a bit too alcoholic for me. I actually prefer the 1997 and the 1999. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 | 10-Sep-02 |
| For what was a sandwich year for Coonarwarra I am surprised at how much I like this wine. Real cigar box olives and floral overtones. | ||
| Next to lake | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 | Mon Sep 01 21:19:04 EST 2003 |
| I have a bottle in me hand. I'll drink it and find out. Unrated tis. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 | Sun May 01 19:23:04 EST 2005 |
| On pouring, presented immediately as an aged bottle. No hint of purple - just a lovely red with just a hint of brown - not really ruby at all. On the nose, lots of sharpened pencils, leaf compost and sweet berries. The pallet reflects the nose. Not very long but definitely some roses on the finish. The tannins have definitely mellowed and the wine is drinking well now. Further cellaring wont hurt and the wine will just become smoother. Presently the wine still has some youth which is not such a bad thing. If you have some, now would be a good time to have a bottle. It smells and tastes of autumn. Another confirmation that 1997, for Coonawarra, was perhaps a good all be it an earlier drinking vintage. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Delicious even when young - what else can I say. | ||
| Anonymous | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Fri May 02 10:30:04 EST 2003 |
| Well you could try and add some descriptors or something. Not much point in saying "delicious". What does it smell like? What does it taste like? How does it feel in the mouth? What do you like about it? | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Fri May 02 22:35:21 EST 2003 |
| Thanks for the ribbing Anonymous.
This was a typical Coonawarra cab sav. I felt that the 1996 (from a "great" vintage) was not all that different to the 1997 (an ok vintage). Both the nose and palate had a backbone of black fruit. There was a subtle amount cigar box. The tannins were not harsh. The length was short to medium. A good wine to cellar. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1982 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I had this at a restaurant in 2000. I was so surprised and impressed. Why by Bordeaux? | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Mount Mary Cabernet Quintet 1997 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Had this twice in two different restaurants. Each time I was impressed by the balance and finesse despite its young age. I wonder how it will taste in years to come. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia South Australia Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| More than a good BBQ wine. Last tasted in 2002 this wine has the guts to last another 4+ years and to gain more complexity. Great for an easy Sunday afternoon with friends. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia South Australia Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1996 | Thu Dec 19 09:53:55 EST 2002 |
| Tasted December 2002. This wine is starting to get some depth and slight complexity. The colour is still dark and the fruit still intact. The wine is starting mellow a bit and it looks like it has quite a few years ahead of it still. The finish is a bit short. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia N/A Penfolds Bin707 Cabernet Sav 1986 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Had this twice on different occasions. Both times I thought it was a nice old wine however I was disappointed by the lack of complexity. Maybe it is still developing. Or maybe it is a typical Penfolds wine - it develops into an old red wine which is pleasant but not huge on character and complexity. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia N/A Penfolds Bin 389 1990 | 10-Sep-02 |
| A lovely wine to enjoy with friends. Some complexity but generally a very whole and enjoyable wine that drinks well with food. | ||
| Cynthia Springvloed | Australia South Australia N/A Penfolds Bin 389 1990 | Tue Dec 17 21:39:02 EST 2002 |
| Very enjoyable and worth the wait. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 389 1990 | Tue Jan 13 18:24:54 EST 2004 |
| Drunk at a lunch at Cellargeek's (11/1/04, last tasted 31/7/2000) - Dark plum-red, tight rim. Nose: blackcurrant and dark berries. On the palate, sweet fruit core reminiscent of Barossa shiraz, along with the dark berry fruits revealed by the nose. The tannins have softened considerably and compliment the fruit well, compared to the closed and tannic monster that it was when I tasted it back in 2000. Have opened up and is a delicious drink now, with a decently long finish that ends very slightly grippy. Fruit dominates, thought there are very subtle hints of dark chocolate and aniseed. A great match with medium-rare barbequed scotch fillets. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia N/A Penfolds Bin 389 1994 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I once had this straight after a glass of Moet. The 389 was really very earthy and mouth filling. I found it absolutely delicious. I hope that it develops well. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia N/A Penfolds Bin 389 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Well I tried this without any expectations. Boy was I blown away by its balance character and pure drinkabilty. So I bought more than my usual quota - a very enjoyable drink. I hope it develops complexity with time. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Petaluma Coonawara 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I loved this wine. I hope it develops complexity. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Pyrenees Redbank Sally's Padock 1995 | 10-Sep-02 |
| On release I loved this wine - really round rich and interesting. Recently (2002) I opened a bottle and it was corked :( | ||
| Sharad | Australia Tasmania Coal River Valley Stoney Vineyard Domaine A Cabernet Sav 1997 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I bought this on what I had read on the internet. After being initially disappointed by how it tasted I tried it again after some bottle age. Gosh - the wine has really developed into a more harmonious and cool climate Cab Sav. I love it. When served to friends blind they love it too. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I like this JR more than the 94. Time will tell. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I like this JR a lot. I hope that it settles down nicely in time. If not it is still a very enjoyable drink. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1994 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I had one recently (2002). Too much varnish oak and even fruit. I don't know. Maybe it needs a LOT LONGER? | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| I bought some on spec. On drinking was not that impressed. Maybe bottle shock? Anyway after some sampling this wine does seem to have a bit bottle variation. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 | Sat Feb 22 18:04:48 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - opaque purple-red. Nose - pretty much closed, whiffs of currants, berry fruit aromas with an interesting and pleasing hint of flowers. Palate - intense and concentrated fruit, with subtle floral (violets) notes and hints of dark chocolate. Long length, fine powdery tannins. Vaguely/subtly felt , but unseen layers of flavour just waiting for the time to reveal them. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Brilliant. I really enjoyed this on release. I have not tried it since. Will try again in 2004. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Mon Nov 18 13:35:22 EST 2002 |
| Tasted 11/11/02. The Wynns black label cab sav is a favourite wine of mine. I first tasted the 1996 vintage in 2000 - it packed a lot of fruit and slightly bitter/green tannins back then. Two years on, the tannins have softened a bit in relation to the fruit, though there is still a slight greeness/bitterness in the finish. Colour is dark ruby red, with a cassis, blackcurrant nose. On the palate, delicious fruit but no hint of secondary characteristics yet, with the aforementioned green/bitter notes. A nice length, finishes dry. I think this wine can still improve - give it another couple of years in the cellar and see what happens! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Sat Feb 22 17:51:43 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour is dark ruby red, with a tight purplish rim. Nose - fleshy, plummy, cassis, dark berries. On the palate, inky, concentrated fruit core but with a tiny hint of white pepper. Decent length, firm tannins. Definitely needs more time to improve and open up! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Fri Jun 04 14:37:02 EST 2004 |
| Bacchus Food & Wine Club Tasting (3/6/04) dark ruby red, hints of purple still on a tight rim, opaque body. Nose: cassis, plummy, dark berries. On the palate: concentrated, structured but a tad lean, a little green still, with a tiny hints of flesh and white pepper; consequences of a cool vintage? Decent length, still firm tannins and finishes slightly bitter. Like my previous notes for this wine, definitely needs more time to improve and open up. | ||
| Anonymous | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Thu Feb 23 20:37:48 EST 2006 |
| Had with a beef pie. Went really well with the pie - could easily be confused for a Bordeaux ... but when sipped on its own, the wine was much 2 dimensional - oak and fruit ... it seems to be still integrating - it seems it is easily going to be worth trying again at 5yrs from now. It is lost its purple edge, the nose displays great tobacco but with quite a bit of VA, and on tasting it is clear that the wine had a good slab of oak. The aftertaste is what i like most .... roses. :) | ||
| Sot | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Thu May 10 20:28:13 EST 2007 |
| Unripe fruit. Green. Astringent. Probably a victim of the conditions. It's never going to get better, and its not very good. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Had some recently (2002). Thought that it lacked some of sweetness that it might have retained. Anyway showing some pleasing cigar box and olive overtones. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 | Sat Feb 22 17:45:52 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - deep dark red, with a tight purple-red edge. Nose - closed, vigourous swirling teased out typical cabernet flavours of cassis and black berries. Palate - concentrated fruit with slightly herbaceous notes of capsicum, asparagus, spices and briar. Grippy tannins, decent length, not fully opened up yet despite nearly 9 years of age. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Mornington Penninsula Paringa Estate Shiraz 2000 | 10-Sep-02 |
| For a person who is not keen on Shiraz I really enjoyed this. Lots of white peper. | ||
| Susan E. G. Thacore | Australia Victoria Mornington Penninsula Paringa Estate Shiraz 2000 | Fri Jan 17 21:58:05 EST 2003 |
| I think this is an infinitely elegant wine. The pidgeon blood colour appeals to me greatly. It seems quite complex, although some scents and flavours I cannot quite grasp; which will be very exciting as they reveal themselves with further cellaring. I do sense a raspberry nose and a wonderful peppery taste. The finish is delightfully long and really smooth. | ||
| Adam Jay | Australia Victoria Mornington Penninsula Paringa Estate Shiraz 2000 | Thu Aug 07 05:06:40 EST 2003 |
| This particular Shiraz surprised me at the end of a day-long tasting venture on the Red Hill. Extremely spicey and bitefull with the subtlest fruity tone. A great combination i think. It was the only wine i felt the urge to purchase from the hill, and can contend easily with the Southern Australian reds. | ||
| Sharad | Australia New South Wales Riverina De Bertoli Noble One 1998 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Ubiquitous and delicious. Quite sweet but not sickeningly so. Some apricot overtones. | ||
| Sharad | Australia New South Wales Riverina De Bertoli Noble One 1994 | 10-Sep-02 |
| Developed rapidly into an orange brown color - quite a pleasing colour to me. Anyway some of the sweetness is fading and more apricot is appearing. I hope that this wine continues to develop as I am interested to see how it ends up. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Krug Krug Collection Vintage 1979 | Sun Oct 27 01:47:46 EST 2002 |
| Okay Sharad, you asked for it, inviting me in here! ;-) Colour was a golden straw, positively glowing. Big bubbles when first poured, then settling down to a fine mousse. For a 23 year old white wine, let alone a champange, that's really impressive (admittedly Krug "Collection" Champagnes are stored in optimal conditions in Krug's own cellars until release. The one tasted was bottle no.2041). On the nose, whiffs of toast and dry biscuits, nothing out of the ordinary. On the palate! WOW! A powerful explosion of fruit! Layers and layers of flavour, honeyed, buttered toast, creamy with hints of roasted cashews and citrus notes. Amazing length. Amazingly balanced, all components harmonious. This is the best champagne that I have tasted so far... I'd happily drink it till I drop, if only it weren't so dear... | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Krug Krug Collection Vintage 1979 | Sun Oct 03 05:24:23 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: Golden straw. Fine stream of bubbles, with moderate vigour. Nose: like the previous bottle that I tasted, it was restrained, hinting of biscuits, lightly toasted bread and honey, with a delicate floral highlight. Palate: Refreshingly and amazingly youthful - and this is a 25th year old bottle! Extremely fine and creamy mousse, multi-layered flavour profile, of buttery biscuits, honeyed toast, well-integrated yeast/lees and vanillin oak, with hints of lightly roasted cashews. Well matched by crisp citrus and stone-fruit acidity. Two years after release, still an amazing wine, finely balanced with all components harmonious. Still the best champagne that I have tasted so far. A great example of how a well cellared bottle of champagne can become if allowed the time to develop and mature. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1988 | Sun Oct 27 03:12:18 EST 2002 |
| Dom Perignon bearing the "Oenotheque" label are vintages that are conserved in an area of the M&C cellars known as the Oenotheque. They are released only when the "chef de cave" deems them to have reach an appropriate stage for release... The 1988 is pale straw coloured, with a hint of green. When poured, it exhibits a fine mousse. On the nose - a very unusual hint of smoked trout, otherwise, closed during the tasting. On the palate - Very fine mouthfeel, crisp acidity finely balanced by fresh fruit. Despite the 14 years of age, it tasted young - there were no hint yet of the lovely complex secondary flavours that I like (of toast/honey). Drying finish, nice length, a very elegant champagne. If I had a bottle, I'd store it for a 4-5 more years and hope that it'll open up! | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Rose 1988 | Sun Oct 27 03:26:43 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at N's birthday dinner at Matteo's - thanks N, for generously sharing it with us after keeping under your bed for 3 years! The colour of this lovely Rose champagne from M&C is that of a delightful deep pink, like the lovely blush of a fair maiden's cheeks. When poured, it developed a very fine mousse, with a gentle but persistent stream of fine bubbles throughout the 2-3 hours that the it was enjoyed. On the palate - very smooth, refreshing cherry and framboise notes of the pinot noir coming to fore, integrated with buttered toast from the chardonnay and dried biscuits from the lees. Below that, hints of game and meatiness, secondary characteristics of matured pinot noir. Extremely enjoyable, much more body, structure and complexity than the straight Dom Perignon. Alas, it wasn't a magnum that was opened that night... | ||
| pedro seafood experience | France Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Rose 1988 | Wed May 17 08:08:35 EST 2006 |
| best fizzie ive tasted hats off dp 88 rose outstanding | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Rose 1992 | Sun Oct 27 03:37:01 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at Parkhill Cellar's Champagne tasting 19/10/02. The colour of the 1992 is that of a pale salmon pink, much lighter than the 1988. Gentle persistent bubbles leading to fine mousse. The nose is closed. On the palate, light cherry fruit and a touch gamey, with a hint of yeasty biscuits on the sides of the tongue. Nicely integrated flavours and long length. Perhaps if it was kept for another 2-3 years, it might approach the 1988 (which I favour over this 1992 vintage). | ||
| Richard Fanelli -The Grape and The Barrel. Milford Connecticut. | France Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Rose 1992 | Thu Jun 19 12:30:23 EST 2003 |
| I tasted the 1992 in Cape Cod Mass, October 2001. It was purchased at a local wine shop in Wellfleet, Mass. Light salmon color with tiny streamers. Looked like a tropical storm in a glass. The nose had a light dried herb and red fruit aroma, a touch of underbrush. On the palate was light wild cherry, a faint hint of cotton candy almost a carnival like aroma 20 minutes later. A hint of nut skin, a hint of candied orange peel, and a short to medium length finish of very light red fruits. I personally enjoy a more rich full bodied dom such as the 1988 or 1990-which still should be givin a couple of years to sleep, however, what a lovely passionate drink this was. Still worth the 150 + dollars. 90+ | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Ay Gosset Celebris Vintage Cuvee 1995 | Sun Oct 27 03:53:24 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at the Parkhill Cellars Champagne Tasting 19/10/02. This is my first taste of a Gosset Champagne; I've only ever read about them in wine books but apparently it's the oldest "maison de vin" of the region, established in 1584. Anyway, it's pale straw in colour, medium to fine bubbles. On the palate, it was fruity, with a streak of yeastiness in the middle and a limey acid finish. Very refreshing, very youthful. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires 1990 | Sun Oct 27 04:05:02 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at the Parkhill Cellars Champagne Tasting 19/10/02. The colour the 1990 was a pale golden straw, with a touch of green. When poured, a vigourous stream of medium sized bubbles was produced, giving a lively mousse. That didn't detract one bit from the powerful fruit, crisp on the palate. Very well knit with toasted bread notes characteristic of aged chardonnays. However, I find the acidity a touch forward at the time of tasting despite the fruit. For my taste, I'd cellar this properly and hope it turns to liquid gold in 10 years' time... | ||
| Anonymous | France Champagne Reims Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires 1990 | Thu Jun 03 08:59:47 EST 2004 |
| YAH MON...... | ||
| Anonymous | France Champagne Reims Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires 1990 | Sat Oct 01 20:52:19 EST 2005 |
| recently drank with family and closest friends at my wedding.All six bottles were drank with rave reviews from all concerned. wine showed honey,toast with great fruit intergration...absolutely superb....highly recommended if you can find some.. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Louis Roederer Cristal 1994 | Sun Nov 03 00:09:20 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at FH's farewell dinner at Matteo's, 2/11/2002. Pale golden straw colour. When poured, vigourous medium bubbles, settling down to a steady fizzle. The nose exhibits a body of yeasty freshly kneaded (but unbaked) breaddough aroma, quite forward. On the palate, a fruity sweetness that quicky gets dominated by lemony, citrusy note that is apparent in the middle and back of the tongue, with a hint of grapefruit-like bitterness. It finishes dry and tart, with decent length. Could be slightly better balanced with the tart finish, perhaps a bit more bottle age will help it along. | ||
| Frank Hayward | France Champagne Reims Louis Roederer Cristal 1994 | Mon Dec 02 15:29:51 EST 2002 |
| (Had with with a duck & rhubarb terrine). Not a champagne to have on its own. It was much better matched by the tartness of the rhubarb in the terrine. Overall a little disappointing, but 94 is probably not a great champagne year. The wine was not quite balanced, having more acid than fruit. It is a fruit & acid driven champagne style, there was no bread or yeasty nose or palate. | ||
| CabFan | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Volnay - Les Mitans Hubert de Montille 1990 | Wed Nov 27 15:26:05 EST 2002 |
| The colour was a lovely dark deep red that had mellowed with aging but still had a glow about it. The nose did not offer much to begin with. The palate, however, showed some complexity with some earthy flavours and strong tannins. The wine had good length and the tannins were strongly present during the tail end of the palate. What about the fruit? Well, the fruit seemed to be hidden. I think the wine may still be shut down and needs 5 to 10 more years to really blossom. The wine certainly came up a bit in the glass over the hour but overall seemed fairly tight. Despite the lack of apparent fruit I was impressed by the wine's balance, integration, length, and complexity. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia N/A Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 1994 | Tue Nov 19 00:43:21 EST 2002 |
| Tasted 14/10/02. Another reliable wine, made from shiraz grapes sourced from multiple districts (and not, as the name suggests, solely from Penfold's Kalimna vineyard). Colour: blood red. Nose: plummy, red berries with the slightest hint of roasted meat. Palate: Lovely mouthfeel, it's a bit like biting into a juicy plum, but with the tannins of the plum skin smoothly balanced with by the sweet fruit/berry flavours, laced with a little spice (cloves). Long length, all together a delicious drop to have with a rack of lamb or a medium-rare porterhouse steak. For me, this is the perfect time to drink this wine - don't leave it in the cellar for too much longer... | ||
| David Chan | France Rhone - Northern Hermitage J. L. Chave Hermitage 1989 | Wed Nov 06 04:05:51 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at FH's farewell dinner at Matteo's, 2/11/2002. The colour is deep garnet, and despite being 13 years old, still a tight dark red rim. The nose is magnificent, a melange of fruit and spice - black cherries, bramble, white pepper with a hint of dried cloves. On the palate, the powerful core of sweet fruit is evident without being cloying or overpowering. More black cherries and currants with hints of plum, laced with pepper/spice and layered with fine silky tannins giving a velvety mouth feel. It evolved in the glass over the course of dinner, with secondary characteristics of smoky tar and dried tobacco leaves coming through, then toning down to dried fruits blended with old leather. The sweet fruit remains throughout, lingering in a very long finish. This is a supremely exciting and classy wine, and I now understand why so much fuss is made about top Hermitage reds from the top producers! Thanks, FH, for sharing this gem with us! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Grange 1995 | Sun Nov 03 01:23:25 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at FH's farewell dinner, 2/11/2002. The wine is an opaque purplish red, so dense that it appears black. On the nose, a concentrated blackcurrant, cherries and black berries, with whiffs of vanillin oak. The wine was decanted at 6.30pm. When we first tasted it a couple of hours later, it was like a monolithic block of flavour, american oak and tannins. With much swirling of the glass over the next two hours, the wine opened up a bit more. On the palate, the structure of the wine is massive, a profusion of super concentrated black berries and cherries, laced with dark chocolate and shot through with warm coconut + vanilla tones. The tannins are fine but grippy, though not too mouth puckering. As it evolved, the wine became more rounded and the tannins smoother but still stood out a little. FH reckons the tannins will outlive the fruit - I don't know enough about wine evolution/aging to predict what will happen, except that at present, it's still too young for my taste - in 5-10 years time, this wine could surprise us all... | ||
| Frank Hayward | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Grange 1995 | Mon Dec 02 15:25:51 EST 2002 |
| Intense, but simple, with the American oak overpowering the fruit. The Grange also had harsher tannins, which may soften with time, but probably outlive the fruit. My first taste of Grange and not one to get excited about. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1989 | Wed Nov 06 03:54:45 EST 2002 |
| 1/2 bottle, recently tasted at FH's farewell dinner, 2/11/2002. Well, this is definitely the highlight of the night. I simply cannot find words to describe the incredible sensation going on in my mouth when tasting what is arguably the greatest wine in the world! Here goes my humble/feeble effort... Colour: Liquid gold, a seductive glowing golden yellow. On the nose, an exquisite and delicate bouquet of peaches, apricot, quince, orange peel and pineapple - one can spend all night just breathing this in! On the palate, an explosion of flavours, multilayered, multidimensional... A rich creamy caramel fudge, suffused with all the fruit flavours detected in the bouquet but in a more concentrated form, plus coconut, vanilla beans and a thin veil of roasted rice! This sounds like the wine is cloying and syrupy with all the multitude of flavours clashing, but it isn't! Everything appears to be superbly balanced. The length was phenomenal and extraordinarily long. What a wine! What pleasure out of a small 1/2 bottle of liquid gold... Thanks again, FH! | ||
| Frank Hayward | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1989 | Mon Dec 02 15:27:17 EST 2002 |
| My first taste of d'Yquem, and a rather impressive one. Navid & DC commented that it had developed since they had it at Navid's 30th 3yrs ago. I still found it quite young, and it should have an impressive future. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1986 | Mon Nov 25 18:09:25 EST 2002 |
| Tasted 23/11/2002. A lovely, mature John Riddoch from a great vintage, the 86. This is the third bottle that I have tasted, and it certainly was not a disappointment! Colour: Deep red, still with a reasonably tight rim, no signs of brown despite the 16 years of age. On the nose, lovely smell of ripe black currants, black berries, and a hint of capsicum (which faded away later). Palate: Very smooth, cassis, black berries interlaced with cedary notes, a touch of cigar, tobacco leaf and a tiny hint of black coffee. Very well balanced, rounded, still lots of fruit, tannis so fine as to be velvety and marvellous length. and the wine went really well with roasted rosemary coated veal shanks. | ||
| Frank Hayward | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1989 | Wed Nov 27 14:36:04 EST 2002 |
| The Lafon has developed further since my birthday party, and is now more complex, although less fruit-driven. It is a wine which develops in the glass and one succombs to its many facets. I think we had it with the tuna shashimi last time and the match is superb. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1989 | Wed Nov 27 14:40:14 EST 2002 |
| Recently tasted at FH's farewell dinner, 2/11/2002, (note - last tasted 30/12/2000 at FH's birthday dinner, both at Matteo's). A lovely dark golden colour, the nose is a little closed at the start, but opened up later, exhibiting an aroma akin to very lightly roasted coffee beans crossed with toasted bread. On the palate, this wine tasted more like a viognier - in terms of viscosity and mouthfeel. The fruit has shifted towards the tangerine/mandarin orange end of the citrus spectrum, and has faded into the background, replaced by complex secondary characteristics, of which honey with a touch of malt is apparent. Very rounded and smooth, it finishes a touch hot. Quite evolved in the 3 year gap between tasting! | ||
| CabFan | France Burgundy Cote de Nuit Leroy Gevrey Chambertin 1999 | Thu Dec 05 11:03:39 EST 2002 |
| A lovely clean deep red color. The nose and palate were gentle and in balance. Both indicating gentle fruit and a profound perfume. The tannins were very fine. I found that the wine contained a very slight alcoholic burn but on the whole was well balanced. The most interesting thing about this wine was that it had an extremely long and profound aftertaste of perfume. In fact the length of this wine was easily its best feature. Even though I found the wine to be silky, well balanced and more than pleasantly perfumed on the whole it was not overly interesting. Not a wine that I could really fault but also not a wine that I would really relish drinking (given the price). Mind you, after spending 10 years in the cellar a very complex, profound and amazingly perfumed wine is likely to emerge. | ||
| JimHow | France Bordeaux St Julien Ducru Beacaillou Grand Vin 1999 | Mon Dec 09 10:33:35 EST 2002 |
| Young, fresh raspberries on the nose. A deep raspberry-like color. Now, see, this is one 1999 that has a sembleance of a tannic structure behind it. But more appropriately the wine is defined by a balance and elegance. A quite nice bouquet for this young wine. Medium bodied. This tends to contradict the general notion that the quality of the wines in the Medoc declines in 1999 the further north one ventures. This wine is superior to the Margaux-appellation examples I've tasted so far-- or, some Pauillac favorites as well, for that matter. My enthusiasm is tempered because this is hardly what I would characterize as an "outstanding" wine. However, I find it quite easy to drink down the hatch. In one sense, it is a nice dalliance from the typically heavier and full-bodied Medocs that I usually drink. This is one of the first 1999s that I'd be interested in buying more of. You know, this would be a good wine of which to have a case or so in half-bottle format to drink over the next 15 years. It has some nice sweet fruit on the palate, and I continue to be impressed by the sweet raspberry nose. The wine really displays some fine wine-making. The finish does come up a bit short. It is a ninety-pointer, but, perhaps, only because they really focused on the selection and wine-making. The 1999 Ducru was poised to garner a higher score if it had made a bigger impression at the end. It did not. (Well, I'll qualify that: It did show admirably with the whoopie pie.) But, in the end, it is a 90-point wine-- something I've had trouble saying about most other Bordeaux wines from the vintage of 1999. A quite nice wine. Rating: 90 points. | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Nuit Michel Gros Vosne Romanee - Clos des Reas 1998 | Mon Dec 09 10:51:43 EST 2002 |
| This color was a deep Burgundy red and the nose initially displayed a strong horse manure odor that also showed on the palate and the aftertaste. I also noticed some leather and perfume lingering on the nose, palate and aftertaste. Overall this wine seemed very complex. The tannins seemed relatively fine and the alchahol was not noticeable, as is the case with some New World wines. The length was not short and certainly very interested and pleasing. This wine should cellar well for 10 years and then provide a really interested drinking experience marked mostly by its complexity. This wine was profoundly more interesting and complex than the NZ pinots (Felton Rd '00, Ata Rangi '01) tasted just prior to it. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Cote de Nuit Michel Gros Vosne Romanee - Clos des Reas 1998 | Sun Oct 03 05:12:49 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: clear red-crimson with a pale crimson rim. Nose: cherries, gamey, with hints of what I can only describe as the waxy smell of lipstick. Palate: fair concentrated sweet fruit, of cherries and strawberries, with emerging aged characteristics of game and earthiness. Perfumed, smooth, silky fine tannins that finishes slightly grippy (though with food, this was not apparent at all) and that very interesting lipsticky hint. Long finish. Very easy to drink, and went very well with Matteo's grilled fillet of Barramundi. Still very much a fruit driven wine at this stage, though the game and lipstick hint at what is to come. Will be an interesting exercise to retaste this wine in a few years. | ||
| Hank Gillespie | France Burgundy Cote de Nuit Jean Gros Vosne Romanee - Clos des Reas 1990 | Thu Dec 12 09:55:02 EST 2002 |
| Medium full - ruby with tinges of garnet on the edge ; aromas of spicy cherry fruit - some oak ; on the palate this wine is quite rich - sweet cherry fruit dominates - some underlying tannins still present ; elegant and rich lasting finish - extremely long. | ||
| Frank Hayward | France Rhone - Northern Cornas A. Clape Cornas 1988 | Sat Dec 14 01:14:34 EST 2002 |
| Quite closed on the nose & palate when opened, although there was good richness on the finish. After about 2 hours, it opened to reveal a bouquet of game & dried fruits (raisins, apricots, etc.), really very interesting. Palate seemed rather tannic (as this appellation is famous for), but also opened up with game & peppery shiraz characteristics, and the tannins, although big, were smooth & integrated. The finish was always rich & long. Overall, the wine showed its character as a true shiraz, but Cornas is never going to reach the heights of a Chave Hermitage, for example. Since it took 2 hours to open up, it should still have a long cellar life. | ||
| Frank Hayward | France Bordeaux Pauillac Mouton - Rothschild Grand Vin 1992 | Sat Dec 14 01:26:28 EST 2002 |
| The nose has hints of spices & pepper. The palate was initially very rich, but with quite harsh tannins. With time, the tannins integrated more fully, while the initial richness subsided, and some green capsicum notes emerged. This enhanced the complexity of the wine and it was very enjoyable, but not a great wine. Both the tannins and the fruit carried through to the finish, and except for intensity, the wine could not be faulted. My first Premier Cru Bordeaux, shows that an off year is not a complete write-off, but I'd like to taste a great year to see the full potential of these wines. | ||
| Mark Christenson | Unites States Napa Valley Oakville Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 | Wed Dec 18 05:00:18 EST 2002 |
| Opened a bit thin on both the nose and the palate. Classic Cabernet currant and blackberry notes. Put on weight in the glass over the course of four hours. Picked up leather, roasted meat, and some pencil lead flavors. Fruit got more dense and chewy. "Bright" fruit flavors dissipated and were replaced by heavier, deeper fruits. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut 1995 | Fri Jan 31 14:41:48 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/1/2003 (first tasted September 1999). Golden Straw colour. When poured, vigourous fine bubbles, settling down to a persistent stream throughout the afternoon. After 4 years, it is developing nice toasty notes with a hint of honey, but this Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut 1995 is still a mainly fruit driven style of sparkling wine. The yeastiness, which was apparent in its youth, has integrated into its fruit core. Nice smooth mouthfell, and decent length. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut 1998 | Fri Jan 31 16:02:55 EST 2003 |
| (Tasted 11th Jan 2003) Tasted with some fresh crayfish. I was very surprised by how complex and French this wine was. It had a typical champagne nose with yeast, fruit and a small amount of formaldehyde. The finish was also quite impressive displaying a mild level of complexity. On the whole I was very impressed with this wine, given its price tag. Actually, I was also impressed by how French it seemed. | ||
| Anonymous | Australia Victoria Bendigo Blackjack Shiraz 1998 | Mon Feb 10 15:23:03 EST 2003 |
| Exception wine typical of the Bendigo Region. The colour matches its name and is very dark. Beautiful aroma and flavour to match. Up there with the best | ||
| Anonymous | Australia Victoria Bendigo Blackjack Shiraz 1998 | Wed May 09 14:22:59 EST 2007 |
| are you sure. I didnt find that at all, infact light and with fruity notes | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1976 | Sun Feb 16 02:02:51 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 14/2/03 at SH's dinner party. Colour - garnet, still reasonably deep, with a brick red edge. Nose - cassis, fleshy with a gamey hint of roasted meat. The palate reveals a still reasonably powerful core of black berry fruit, slightly porty, with complex secondary characteristics of tar, cigar box, briar, earthy. Surprisingly, the wine has not thrown sediment anywhere in the bottle. Yet, the tannins can be felt, but is so fine and well meshed with the wine that it never seems to coat the mouth! It's amazing that such old wines can still be so interesting and lively. (Note - this Wynns Cab Sauv won the 1977 Jimmy Watson Trophy. As far as I'm concerned, it lived up to the potential that it promised as a 1 year old wine). | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Yeringberg Cabernet Blend 1992 | Mon Feb 17 13:50:31 EST 2003 |
| Tasted at SH's dinner party, 14/2/03. Colour - bright blood plum red, tight rim. Nose - a wonderfully strong bouquet of cassis, dark berry fruits, old leather and another hint of what I can only describe as the smell of a hairbrush (like the pleasant smell of my girlfriend's hair sans perfume). The palette is gorgeous! Concentrated sweet berry fruits, with a hint of herbs, cassis, shot through with tobacco leaf and a pleasing touch of capsicum. Fantastic balance - what struck me about this wine was how harmonious all the various flavours are, and how smooth it is. Gets better with every sip, and sure to improve over several more years! What a revelation, definitely the wine of the night. Thanks to JH for sharing one of his precious two bottles. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1984 | Fri Feb 21 17:25:36 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - russet red, slightly watery rim but no signs of brown. Nose - open, displaying aromas of stewed currants and berries. Palate - cooked asparagus, leafy, briary revolving around a sweet ripe fruit core. Very smooth (plenty of sediments in the bottle), length a bit short. Drink up! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 | Fri Feb 21 17:31:48 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - deep red, reasonably tight rim. Nose - quite powerful cassis/berries with capsisum and asparagus highlights. Palate - fairly intense core of cassis, sweet dark berries, chocoloate overlaid with asparagus, capsicum, notes. Super smooth (again, lots of sediments), long finish, mature. Certainly a worthy little brother of the John Riddoch from the same year! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1988 | Fri Feb 21 17:38:42 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - medium red. Nose - black berries with a faint tinge of stewed asparagus. Palate - definitely spicy (cloves). The usual cabernet cassis/sweet berry fruit core studded with spicy, briary, white pepper notes. Fairly smooth with fine but grippy tannins. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 | Fri Feb 21 17:49:37 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - dark red, almost opaque with tight purplish-red rim. Nose - closed on opening, and this bottle remained fairly closed even after a couple of hours of decanting. Much swirling of the tasting glasses brought up teasing hints of cassis, berries with a tinge of capsicum. Palate - massive, powerful and concentrated! Taste buds assaulted by concentrated cassis, berries and black cherries, capsicum. Loads of fine tannins but does not feel that way in the mouth. This is a monster of a wine that has years and years in it - definitely in its dormant phase at this tasting, but when it opens up (who knows when??)... Watch Out! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 | Sat Feb 22 17:39:59 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - deep red, with a watery red rim. Nose - open, issuing forth fruity aromas overlaid with cooked asparagus. Palate - the most complex and developed of the wines tasted from the nineties. Secondary characteristics of cigar box, cold black coffee, slightly peppery mingled with stalky, berry fruit core but definitely tending towards the herbaceous/green end of the scale. Grippy tannins, shortish finish and slightly bitter. Interesting overall ,but drink up! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 | Sat Feb 22 18:09:39 EST 2003 |
| DC's Wynns Black Label "Even Years" Vertical Tasting 7/12/02: Colour - opaque, dark red. Nose - curiously bubble gummy with floral notes (like the 98) floating atop the usual cassis/fruit base. Palate concentrated, or is it youthful? Sweet, moderately intense fruit core. Loads of mouth coating tannins a bit coarse. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1982 | Tue Feb 25 14:01:12 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 3/7/2002, DC's Birthday Dinner #1. Ruby Red, no signs of brown on the rim, youthful colour for a 20 year old Cab Sauv. Nose: Powerful bouquet of cassis, black berries, cedar with a hint dried tobacco leaves. Palate: Sweet fruit core of cassis, black berries well integrated with dark chocolate, vanillin oak and highlighted by a melange of developed secondary flavours that peels off in layers to reveal more underneath! First, capcisum, fading to tobacco leaves, cigar smoke, then old leather mixed with dried prunes. Ultra smooth, very fine tannins that does not intrude, superbly balanced - no sharp edges anywhere. A very fine drop that can be enjoyed and appreciated by itself, but more than capable of holding its own in the company of a rare eye-fillet or a rich beef bourgogne. (Note: this is the first vintage of the John Riddoch, and IMHO, the best of all the JRs that I have tasted so far. I think time has aged this bottle wonderfully. Hopefully, JRs of other vintages will reach this level of development when given time and caught at their optimum.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1982 | Thu Oct 07 00:25:59 EST 2004 |
| Tasted 26/9/2004, Friend's Birthday Dinner at France Soir. Colour: dark ruby red, medium red rim. Nose: Intense cassis, blackcurrants, cedar, leafy, minty, hints of capsicum and tobacco leaves. Palate: Smooth, sweet fruit core of cassis, dark berries, fully integrated vanillin oak and dark chocolate, with layers of complex aged secondary flavours - capcisum, tobacco leaves, cigar, leather and prunes. Like the first bottle, but a shade more intense and powerful, the happy coincidence of bottle variation. Fully developed and holding, a sheer pleasure to drink over the great food (went well with France Soir's delicious rare fillet de boeuf topped with bearnaise sauce). | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Hunter Valley McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 1984 | Wed May 07 16:16:30 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 20/4/03: Colour - Golden glowing yellow. Nose - initially of nail varnish, which dissipated in the glass after a little while to reveal honey with hints of toasted bread. On the palate - crisp citrusy acidity complements the honeyed toasty bread aroma, joined by whiffs of straw pulled from haybales. A long finish. This is a wine showing some bottle variation (this note is for the third bottle that I've tasted). But it's a marvellous Lovedale from a celebrated Hunter Valley vintage for semillon, so the risk of bottle variation was well worth the chance of getting a great bottle. | ||
| Dave Scott | Australia New South Wales Hunter Valley McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 1984 | Fri Oct 12 16:36:13 EST 2007 |
| I am a lover of wines, but not so much the terminology. I have managed to empty a few of these bottles over recent times, and on my scale of wine description ('garbage', through to 'near religious experience'), this rates in the range of wonderful/awsome!! An excellent solid feel to the mouth, wonderfull aroma - or what ever you wish to call it - and what i think of as a nice full bodied start with exsqusite sharp edges, that rolls into a well rounded warm honeyed finish. what ever words you use, it is awsome!!!!! | ||
| Cab Fan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Brands Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 | Wed Apr 23 13:04:45 EST 2003 |
| Deep dark purple in colour. Typical Cab Sav nose - pure blackcurrant fruit with a hint of cigar box. Not disappointing on the palate - sweet fruit, tobacco, black olives. Not short. Best value Coonawarra Cab Sav I have ever had - yes, better than Zema and Wynns BL. The wine presently sells for $20AUD. The back of the label suggests that the wine ought to cellar well for 6 years. I suspect this is perhaps a 10 year wine. | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Hunter Valley Rothbury Estate Semillon 1979 | Wed May 07 16:34:57 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 27/6/02: Colour - golden yellow. Nose - lovely honeyed aroma. Palate - refreshing lemon acidity served as a perfect foil for the honeyed complexity that came with ageing. The finish was not exceptionally long, but who cares, as one simply took another sip to keep the flavour going. The wine tasted surprisingly young, with no burnt bread or acetone aromas that is typical of many old (15+ years) semillons. Despite the 23 years of age, this bottle was not ullaged! It was most probably a well cellared bottle that had a good cork, which kept the wine youthful. Should be delightful with pan-seared scallops. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 | Wed May 07 16:56:30 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 20/4/03: Colour - dark red with purplish tinge and a tight rim. Nose - open, displaying a strong whiffs of cassis and dark berries. Palate - intense and concentrated sweet berry fruit core, exuding blackcurrants, spice and pine needles with minty/leafy notes throughout. Deliciously long and lingering finish! A powerfully fruit driven wine that has yet to show (or develop) pronounced complex secondary flavours. However the 9 years of bottle age has certainly resulted in smooth, balanced drop with fine tannins that is great to drink now, but has the structure to age a few more years. Went well with the green olive lamb stew, and definitely cost less than the more illustrious Bin 707. | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Hunter Valley Rothbury Estate Semillon 1974 | Thu May 08 12:29:29 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 25/4/03 at YL's 29th Birthday Dinner: Colour - dark/deep yellow, with a brassy sheen. Nose - after the initial acetone/nail varnish smell dissipated, a honeyed, toasted, almost smoky aroma was revealed. Palate - honeyed, citrus peel/marmalade, a bit on the sweet side. Touches of caramel and madeira were also apparent, which is not surprising given the age of the bottle (the ullage was ~ 2cm down from the cork). An even more ullaged bottle (-3cm) was tasted earlier (20/4/03) that displayed similar characteristics. The finish was reasonably long. This bottle stood up well to spicy Chinese food, and to prosciutto wrapped veal fillets stewed in white wine. An interesting experience, one that is a bargain, given that they only cost $5 a bottle (bought at an auction). | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Moss Wood Semillon 1990 | Thu May 22 16:45:40 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 10/5/03 at Parkhill Cellars' WA wine tasting: Colour - still a pale-ish straw/yellow. Nose - intense, open aroma of buttery toasted crumpets dripping with honey. I was immediately blown away - this, a semillon not from the Hunter Valley, but Margaret River! (my first taste of this varietal from that region). What is even more incredible is the palate. Bursting with lemony citrus fruit and well balanced against the complex secondary flavours of honey, buttered toast and a touch of malt. Nice mouth feel, crisp acidity and a long finish. An amazing semillon from a producer famous for their stunningly elegant yet intense red. This wine has the structure and fruit to last a long time. (the 12 bottles on offer was snapped up in no time at all...) | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Moss Wood Semillon 1987 | Thu May 22 16:52:09 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 20/5/03: Colour - straw/yellow. Nose - lovely and open immediately, presenting bouquet of buttered, honeyed toast, albeit not as intense as the 1990 (tasted 10 days earlier). On the palate, an abundance of lemons, layered throughout by honey and buttered toast. Smooth long finish and drinking beautifully now, but has plenty of acid to give it a long life. Great with fish and chips (and would be perfect with grilled fillet of Blue Grenadier). | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Moss Wood Semillon 1987 | Wed Aug 11 15:27:08 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - deep yellow. Nose: delightfully intense and open and toasty, with hints of citrus and caramel, like the 1990 vintage that bowled me over at an earlier tasting. On the palate: honeyed toasted crumpets, caramel and butter, but still well matched by lemony, citrusy acid. Reasonably long length. Definitely a better bottle than the one previously tasted a good win on the bottle-variation roulette wheel! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Clare Valley Penfolds Bottle Aged Riesling 1998 | Sat Jun 21 01:06:06 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's. Colour - very pale golden yellow. Nose - a nose tickling spicy scent, with hints of stone fruits and lightly toasted bread. Palate - minerally, with limes mingled with freshly cut watermelons and peaches. A generous dash of acidity to complement subtle fruit sweetness, and a lingering, drying finish. A marvellous riesling from an area famous for it. | ||
| Richard Fanelli -The Grape and The Barrel. Milford Connecticut | France Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon 1975 | Fri Jun 20 22:15:37 EST 2003 |
| This champagne was purchased as part of a 3 bottle vintage wooden library case, consisting of vintage 1964-1975-1978. Disgorged in 1999. Tasted in 2001. The color in the flute was of shiny gold with a silvery hue around the rim. Almost as a liquid gold. Tiny pin- point streamers; very lively. Thick and frothy mousse. On the nose was a musky autumn underbrush aroma, intermingled with an almond note. A touch of bread dough and nut skin. About 20 minutes into the bottle, an aroma of exotic spices, hints of myrr, powdered angel wing pastry, and yes- fruit striped gum began sputtering out from the glass. On the palate at first was a flavor of mixed light citris fruit, especially starfruit; which later turned into that of glazed pastry a fleeting tease of bananna, and believe it or not, a hint of clam juice, which was actually delicious in this environment. Very full bodied, very very frothy, with a hypmotizing-spine tingling montroux finish. To me -The Perfect Champagne. 100. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia multiple region Penfolds Bin 98A Chardonnay 1998 | Sat Jun 21 01:26:40 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 2nd wine served. Colour - Pale straw. Nose - stone fruits with whiffa of toast. Palate - creamy mouthfeel, peach and citrus fruits, with subtle apparent sweetness. Just starting to display some aged characteristics of lightly honeyed toasted bread. Long finish, though it felt ever so slightly hot. (Note: this chardonnay descended from a series of experimental wines, starting with the Bin 94A in 1994, that Penfolds made in the search for a top notch white wine to match their flagship "Grange".) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 98A Chardonnay 1998 | Wed Aug 11 18:04:58 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - straw. Nose: clean, stone fruits with the nose tickling carbon dioxide sensation. On the palate: stone fruits, still with hints of fresh cut watermelons and a very light nutty/toasty and honeyed note. Well balanced acidity and oak integration. Overall, a simple, single dimensional, fruit driven wine with a few interesting highlights. (Wine #4, white wine bracket with entree.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna 1998 | Sat Jun 21 01:40:52 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 3rd wine served. Colour - pale straw. Nose - again, a nose tickling spicy scent, alongside quite intense stone fruit aromas. Palate - a tightly structured, focused wine, displaying peachy and melony flavours, hints of cashews and toast and a smooth buttery mouthfeel. Lovely concentration, balance and a lingering finish. A great foil for smoked salmon/trout or seafood entree dishes. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna 1998 | Thu Jul 28 16:24:06 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: gold/straw. Nose: toasty, whiffs of grilled cashews, peaches, tropical fruits. Palate: white peaches, stonefruits, melons, lime/grapefruit acidity, integrated oak, fairly tight and does not go overboard with the creamy/buttery malolactic characteristics. Long length, but finishes a touch hot. Considered by many to be the first truly successful Yattarna vintage. Drinking beautifully now and should do so for another couple of years, but why wait? This Master Class is organized by Joseph Micelli and Robert Worthington of MW Wines and held at their superb tasting room at the auction center in Abbotsford. Peter is a wonderful speaker and give us all plenty of his knowledge and insights into wine making, especially of the Yattarna and RWT Shiraz. It was truly a fantastic, educational and hedonistic experience. Thanks again to MW Wines for putting on another great event! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna 1997 | Sat Jun 21 01:50:00 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 4th wine served. Colour - yellow/straw. Nose - citrus and toast. Palate - again, quite tightly structured though not as much as the 1998. A mix of lemony, nutty and melony flavours, with subtle hints of butterscotch, caramel and toasted bread aromas. Nice concentration and length. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna 2000 | Sat Jun 21 02:02:27 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 5th wine served. Colour - very light straw, almost colourless. Nose - distinctly floral, but otherwise closed. Palate - very tight and focused, floral, with concentrate flavours of peaches, nectarines, bolstered by lemony acidity but balanced by creamy malo characteristics. Long finish. Markedly different from the 98 and 97 tasted earlier, but I like it best amongst the three Yattarna's tasted that night. (Note - the Yattarna is Penfold's flagship white white, the so called "White Grange". It is a chardonnay blended from multiple districts with a significant portion from the Adelaide Hills) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Penfolds Special Bin 820 1982 | Sat Jun 21 02:21:38 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 6th wine served. Colour - medium to deep brick red. Nose - open and fairly intense ripe blackcurrants with hints of capsicum. Palate - ultra smooth but still reasonably concentrated, with cassis, blackberries, integrated with subtle notes of capsicum and cooked asparagus and hints of spices, licorice and black coffee. The tannins are soft and fine and the finish long and lingering. (Note - this is my first ever taste of a Penfolds Special Bin red. This one is a blend of Coonawarra Cab Sauv and Shiraz. Though not as powerful as the Granges, but IMHO, it is my pick of the night, as it was at its peak/optimum point of development) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Penfolds Special Bin 820 1982 | Wed Aug 11 17:27:32 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04) - dark red-maroon, still fairly opaque with a medium red rim. Nose: clean, ripe blackcurrants with leafy tones. On the palate: ultra-smooth, silky, concentrated and jammy cassis, spicy plums, well integrated with secondary characteristics of mocha, stewed asparagus and dried tobacco leaves. Like the previous bottle tasted 14 months ago at another Parkhill Penfold dinner, this wine is fully mature and at its peak. The question is how long with it hold? I don't think it will last as long as the Bin 61, or preserve as well. Will blow away most other wines when drunk on any occasion, but not in company of the wines at tonight's dinner. Fantastic drop nonetheless! (Wine #11, the 2nd Red Wine Bracket with main course/cheese. This special bin wine is blend of Coonawarra Cab Sauv and Shiraz) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds RWT Shiraz 1997 | Sat Jun 21 02:44:38 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 7th wine served. Colour - dark purplish red, almost opaque. Nose - waxy, closed. Much swirling of the wine brought up some subtle inky blackberry, chocolate aromas. Palate - concentrated, fleshy, sweet fruit core of blackberries, with dark chocolate, licorice, dried fruits and well integrated oak. Firm, mouthcoating tannins, balanced and a long finish. Too young for my tastebuds, I think I will keep my bottle for at least 10 more years! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2000 | Sat Jun 21 02:56:27 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 8th wine served. Colour - purplish, black, red, opaque. Nose - closed, hints of blackberries. Palate - monolithic and elemental, it is much too young for me and it was hard to tease apart the solid mass of flavours. I left to it air for a fair while. Intense and concentrated, with the signature Barossa sweet fruit core, blackberries, rich dark chocolate, subtle savoury spices faintly aniseed, cinnamon and cloves with integrated oak. Well balanced and long length, it will need many years to open up. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1988 | Sun Jun 22 23:49:35 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 9th wine served. Colour - Deep purplish red. Nose - cassis, berries, slightly capsicumy. Palate - Blackcurrants, plums, with capsium, stewed asparagus and even tiny hints of frambois and coconuts. Fairly smooth, integrated oak and powdery tannins surrounding a characteristic sweet fruit core (perhaps a hint that it has a significant Barossa component?). Good structure and long length as expected from a Grange of a fairly good vintage, finishes pruny, savoury and ever so slightly bitter. Stills feel like a youthful wine, delicious to drink now, but I think it will develop and improve for more years to come (5-10?). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1994 | Mon Jun 23 00:07:39 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 10th wine served. Colour - Dark, almost opaque red-maroon. Nose - dark berries/currants, plums. Palate - lovely mouthfeel, so smooth and velvety yet powerful and concentrate flavours. A big sweet fruit core integrated with cedary oak balanced with loads of fine tannins, plums, blackberries, dark chocolate, hints of roasted coconuts. Much better structure (than the '88) and very long length. Way too young for me - this is "vinfanticide", to borrow from a fellow vinophile, RJM, an oft-quoted term of his! If I had any bottles, they will be locked up and forgotten in my cellar for another 20 years. (Note - my sense of taste and smell are by now well and truly overloaded by now, had to have lots of water and bread. My last bits of the rare Angus eye fillet is cold, but I had to try all the reds with some steak - the match is delicious!) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1998 | Mon Jun 23 00:19:35 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's - 10th wine served. This is it - the wine we've waited most of then night for! Colour - Opaque, with a very tight purple red rim. Nose - closed, vigourous swirling (almost sloshing the wine out of the glass) brought up nothing but us blackberries/currants to my tired nose. Palate - Kapow! Massive explosion of sweet fruit, coating my mouth with the finest shrapnel of velvety tannins! Before sensory overload, all I could detect were the flavours foreshadowed by the nose, with the mouthfeel of the finest quality, high percentage cocoa, dark chocolate but minus the bitterness. What can one say about the length and structure that hasn't been said already of Granges in great vintages? Well, if the 94 was "vinfanticide", then what's this?? I hope I live long enough to drink this wine at its absolute peak - will it be as good as the 1971 (or better)? | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Grandfather Port NV | Mon Jun 23 00:44:53 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 26/5/03 at the end of the Parkhill Cellars Penfolds Dinner at Matteo's. Apart from a mystery wine in a game of wine options, we finished off the night with an old favourite. This is a tawny port, blended with a component from an oak cask set aside in 1915. Colour - deep reddish orange, with a vaguely greenish-hazel rim. Nose - lifted raisins, dried druits, madeirised (rancio?) notes. Palate - raisins, dried figs, caramelised fruits/peels, rancio, madeira, crushed nuts, alcohol a touch forward. Very long length, finishes a bit dry. Just the thing to cut through my numbed (granged) palate. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Grandfather Port NV | Wed Aug 11 16:13:40 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04): Colour - a vibrant deep reddish hazelnut colour. Nose - lifted raisins, nutty, rancio/maderia, dried fruit peels, slightly alcoholic. Palate - rancio, hazelnuts, raisins, dried figs, caramelised citrus peels, madeira. Long length, but finishing hot (alcoholic). Like the previous tasting note, I find newly opened bottles distinctly alcoholic. My preference is to open this wine and let the brandy spirits/alcoholic vapours leak out of a loosely re-corked bottle. I find that the air usually takes the alcoholic edge off after the bottle has been opened a couple of weeks. Monitoring the condition of the wine by savouring small amounts every day is particularly enjoyable! :-) (Wine #16) | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pauillac Lynch-Bages 5me Cru Classe 1996 | Mon Jun 23 23:33:00 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 22/4/2002 at La Madrague. Colour - deep crimson. Nose - powerful bouquet of cassis, currants with a hint of capsicum, evolving to smoky, cigar box and dried tobacco leaves. Palate - smooth, structured and focused. Cassis, currants, dark chocolate, evolving towards cigar and tar. Persistant length, very elegant, surprisingly very drinkable and pleasant at such a young age. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chassagne-Montrachet Olivier Leflaive Morgeot 1997 | Mon Jun 23 23:41:53 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 22/4/2002 at La Madrague. Colour - pale golden yellow. Nose - stone fruit overlaid with toast and a smidgeon of bananas. Palate - nice buttery/creamy mouthfeel balanced by the crisp acidity of stone fruits that is just short of ripeness, with emerging but yet diminutive nutty, honeyed toasty complexity and that interesting hint of bananas. Good length. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1968 | Sun Jul 06 01:43:07 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 5/7/03 at DC's birthday dinner. Colour - brick red, with a watery red-brown edge. Nose - open, and distinctly of blackcurrant pastilles overlaid with some earthy, smokey slightly gamey notes. Palate - cassis fruit still there initially but soon overtaken by developed secondary characteristics of peppery and clovey spice, bark, dried medicinal herbs and tobacco leaves with hints of cold roasted meat. Very smooth, but the wine's drying out. A nice old wine but firmly on the downhill path. Drink up! (Note - this wine was tasted out of a magnum, and thus, might have tasted "younger" than the same wine out of a standard 750 ml bottle). | ||
| sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1968 | Thu Jul 31 02:56:01 EST 2003 |
| Tasted at DC's 21st dinner. I tasted this wine blind. I could have sworn it was a shiraz. I did guess that the wine was 15+ years old, but had no idea it was a 1968. I also thought that this wine tasted more like a Shiraz than a Cab Sav. So, it is true that as wines get older they all taste the same!!!! Alternatively, maybe this wine did indeed have some Shiraz in it, even thought it was labeled as a Cab Sav. I'd like to get any opinions on this. Overall, the wine was not tired. Some thought that it was past its peek, but I thought it was drinking beautifully. It had a classic fruity but mellow palate profile, I thought the nose had wood (oak) and dark deep red fruit (plumbs). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Elderton Command Shiraz 1996 | Sun Jul 06 02:02:16 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 5/7/03 at DC's birthday dinner at St. Ann's on Rathdowne. Colour - dark opaque red, tight rim. Nose - powerful blackberries/red currants with tiny hints of vanilla. Palate: Intense sweet berry fruit core, vanillin oak with subtle hint of coconuts, silky tannins and smooth mouthfeel. Emerging secondary characteristics of dark chocolate with hints of roasted coffee and spicy highlights. Long length, well structured and balanced, this wine has a long life ahead of it. Fantastic with Ann's medium-rare eye-fillet steak. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Pyrenees Blue Pyrenees Estate Reserve Red 1996 | Sun Jul 06 02:23:12 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 5/7/03 at DC's birthday dinner at St. Ann's on Rathdowne. Colour - dark opaque red, tight rim. Nose - cassis, blackberries with herbaceous notes. Palate: a reflection of the nose, with spicy, herbaceous notes with a faint hint of capsicum, and subtle cedary oak. Still youthful with medium-fine tannins, good length and structured and finishes dry. Still developing, but a lovely drop right now, especially for those who prefer their reds on the young side. (Note - the BPE reserve red is a Bordeaux Blend) | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Rutherglen Campbell's Empire Port 1968 | Sun Jul 06 02:42:07 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 5/7/03 at DC's birthday dinner at St. Ann's on Rathdowne. Colour - deep red-brown. Nose - prunes, lifted ripe plums and berries, cocoa. Palate: full bodied, smooth, viscous, sweet fruit of ripe berries, prunes, cocoa with noticeable but non-intruding oak. Lovely balance of fruit and oak, still youthful, focused, and well structured. Tending towards a tawny Port style but fuller bodied, and not nearly as spirity/hot. One feels that this will hold on and on and... (Note: According to the label, this port is made from dry grown Shiraz grapes and aged in small oak [casks].) | ||
| Anonymous | Australia Victoria Rutherglen Campbell's Empire Port 1968 | Wed Nov 03 12:17:49 EST 2004 |
| Outstanding Port. We visited Campbell's in Rutherglen in October of 2002. Where can I purchase their Port in the United States? Ken & Judy Martin Aero Vin - Wine Brokers, Santa Maria, CA 93455 USA, aerovin@yahoo.com | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Diamond Valley Vlue Label 2001 | Thu Jul 31 02:36:41 EST 2003 |
| Colour: clear, ruby, almost sparkling Nose: funky strawberry, tiny amount of cherry, some complexity Palette: some substance. not too fruity - some depth I am certain that this wine will improve with cellaring. For the price, $20AUD, this would have to be one of my all time favourite Australian Pinots. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Domaine Chandon Rose 1992 | Thu Jul 31 02:46:39 EST 2003 |
| Tasted at DC's 21st Birthday dinner. Colour : deep yellow orange, pink. Nose: Fruity, ready, hint of formaldehyde Palate: fruity | ||
| Sharad | Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1982 Pichon Longueville Comtess De Lalande 1982 | Thu Aug 07 23:04:33 EST 2003 |
| | Had the 82 on the weekend. Colour was impenetrable. Surprisingly dark for a wine of its age. The fill level was very good but the cork crumbled on trying to liberate it form the bottle. The first thing that struck me about this wine was the BLACKCURRENTS. Gosh, no other cab sav I have ever had has been so clearly and purely reflected blackcurrants like this wine. The tannins were now softened and the fruit had mellowed into .... well blackcurrants. Now I realise what is so special about Pauillac it really is very intense. Apart from the blackcurrants I did not get a lot of extra dimensionality. Yes, there was some cedar but not a lot. I also did not really notice much in the way of violets and roses. Mostly just bla ckcurrants. Another special aspect of this wine was its length. Whilst I did not mesure it, this was did seem VERY l....o....n....g. This was a really special wine that showed me what archetypal Cab Sav can achieve. | | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Hunter Valley McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 1990 | Mon Aug 11 00:06:51 EST 2003 |
| Tasted 8/8/03: Colour - Golden straw. Nose - citrusy, with subtle honey and hints of lightly burnt toast. On the palate - light lemony acidity, honey, slighty toasty. Refreshing, but finished a tad short. Still, it was pleasant to drink, and goes very well with sushi and other subtly flavoured Japanese dishes. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Orlando Jacaranda Ridge 1997 | Mon Nov 10 00:01:48 EST 2003 |
| Had this today with lunch (beef steak). Despite it not being from 1996 or 1998 the wine showed very well. The colour was deep dark red/black - not much purple. The nose was of intense blackberries and some cigar box. At this stage the wine could easily have been confused for a Bordeaux. On the palate the wine confirmed the fruit and was very well balanced with the tannins starting to integrate quite well. I haven't seen much written about this wine but I think it is one of my new favorites. I can't wait to try the 1998. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet-Hermitage 1986 | Sat Dec 06 16:48:59 EST 2003 |
| tasted at St. Ann's 4/12/04: (Note: It's an old name for Wynn's CSM blend, the one with a red diagonal stripe across a black label). Colour - dark, almost opaque red, tight ruby rim. Nose - cassis and woody, earthy forest undergrowth, with leafy, minty overtones. Palate - still youthful with fairly strong but fine-grained tannins. Loads of primary cabernet-cassis fruit left, plus developed earthy notes, cigary, tobacco leaf and minty highlights with the finish slightly grippy, but of a decent length. The structure are definitely still intact - will hold on probably longer than expected for its age and price bracket. (Note: this bottle was bought at an auction in impeccable condition - no ullage at all). Another fantastic bargain wine from a what is undoubtedly a great vintage for Wynns. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes Suduiraut Premier Grand Cru Classe 1996 | Fri Dec 19 17:25:23 EST 2003 |
| Recently tasted at a pre-christmas dinner at Matteo's (18/12/03) - pale straw. A restrained gentle nose of citrus & stone fruits. On the palate, focused, structured citrus fruits tending towards tangerine, honey glazed citrus peel, a hint of wet rice grains and rice pudding. Lovely with the rich pannacotta dessert, but also matches the raspberry sorbet. Will also go well with fruits, honeydew and rock melons. Still young and backward, not at all complex and not too sweet or syrupy, I hope some years in the cellar will help it develop complexity and depth. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pessac Leognan Domaine de Chavelier Graves Classifed Red 1995 | Fri Dec 19 17:30:42 EST 2003 |
| Recently tasted at a pre-christmas dinner at Matteo's (18/12/03) - Deep dark red-maroon, tight edge. A prominently open nose of capsicum and earthy forest floor, with whiffs of tobacco and damp autumn leaves poking through. On the palate, smooth, medium bodied with the fruit giving way to herbaceousness at the smoky end of the spectrum. Has developed secondary characteristics, including interesting hints of leather in amongst the usual tobacco leaves/cigar box. Interesting, complex rather than fruity, and much better (at this stage, in my humble opinion) than the 1996 vintage (tasted 22/11/03). Certainly well matched to the lamb fillets - I'd drink it in the next couple of years before the fruit loses further ground to the developing complexity. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Leroy Fonteny 1er Cru Classe 1999 | Fri Dec 19 17:35:15 EST 2003 |
| Recently tasted at a pre-christmas dinner at Matteo's (18/12/03) - Glowing deep but clear ruby red. An open and fantastic nose of concentrated raspberry, cherry, strawberry fruit with a spicy/clovey nose-tickling oaky filip. Smooth, silky mouth feel of intense, yet restrained and elegant, red berry pinot fruit that was foreshadowed by the nose. Literally sings in the mouth, along with the subtle but interesting notes of cloves and spices that tunes in and out teasingly. A long, lingering finish. On the youthful side, yet to develop any complexity (it has a long way to go in that sense). But why wait, particularly for those who love their fruit served in elegant crystalware? That's the image this wine conjured up for me... | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chassagne-Montrachet Blain-Gagnard 'Caillerets' Premier Cru 1997 | Fri Dec 19 17:42:02 EST 2003 |
| Recently tasted at a pre-christmas dinner at Matteo's (18/12/03) - Medium to deepish yellow with the most forward but interesting nose, distinctly aromatic and strongly reminiscent of aged goats cheese, intermingled with just a tiny touch of stewed bananas. On the palate, contradictory but interesting mix of kum-quat/stone-fruit acidity, mingled with the cheesy aromatics overlaid atop a strudy structure. Hints of wet rice grains in a drying finish. Definitely a food wine, not one to drink on its own. Nevertheless, went very well with the excellent 'Trio of Raw Fish' entree at Matteo's. However, don't keep for much longer, as the acidity gets more forward and prominent as the wine warmed up and breathed a bit more. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Epernay Pol Roger Brut Rose 1990 | Fri Dec 19 17:46:57 EST 2003 |
| Recently tasted at a pre-christmas dinner at Matteo's (18/12/03) - Medium salmon pink with fine persistent bubble streams rising lazily from the bottom of the flute. On the nose, apparent dry yeasty notes. On the palate, a delightful fine mousse with an abundance of stone-fruit acidty with hints of framboise and strawberry of the pinot noir atop the developing honeyed complexity of chardonnay and the prominent yeasty bread crusts from the lees. Medium length, finishing a bit tart from the first pouring, but later pourings indicated a harmonising of the wine, with the honey ameliorating the initial forward acidity. A nice drop to start off a christmas dinner. With the strength of fruit in the structure, I might hold on to my other bottle for a couple more years. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Ovens Valley Wynns Burgundy 1982 | Tue Jan 13 18:09:44 EST 2004 |
| Drunk at one of DC's dinner party (10/1/04) Red/garnet with a watery brick rim. On the nose, open bouquet of ripe plums and red berries. On the palate, slightly porty, with a surprisingly amount of ripe plum and red currant fruits left amongst the melange of aged flavours. The finish feels a bit short, so it's time to drink up before more of the fruit drops out. I feel sad that this wine is no longer made since the 1992 vintage, as any bottles I can find in auctions have never ceased to surprise with their quality and age-worthiness. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Elderton Command Shiraz 1992 | Tue Jan 13 18:19:38 EST 2004 |
| Drunk at one of DC's dinner party (10/1/04) - Dark, almost opaque crimson-garnet. On the blackcurrant, blood plums and dark berry fruit. On the palate, intense concentrated fruit with the signature Barossa sweet shiraz core, complimented with well integrated vanillin oak, hints of coconuts and developing secondary characteristic of mocha with subtle hints of cloves. Perfect balance with a gloriously long finish, it's a fantastic wine from an indifferent Barossa vintage, certainly Elderton's best, surpassing the 1996 vintage that won the best red wine category at the London International Wine challenge. This is the 3rd bottle that I've drunk in the last 3 years, and none have let me down. Certainly deserves the "21 out of 20" rating awarded to it by Nick from Nick's Wine Merchants. | ||
| Anonymous | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Elderton Command Shiraz 1992 | Sun Feb 25 08:52:21 EST 2007 |
| I have a single bottle of the 1992 comands Shiraz , If any one would like to purcase it please contact email at kereruviews@slingshot.co.nz | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Clare Valley Grosset Watervale Riesling 2003 | Tue Jan 13 18:22:42 EST 2004 |
| Drunk at one of DC's dinner party (10/1/04) - very pale green. A delightfully light floral nose with hints of lime. On the palate, full of refreshing limes, whiffs of violets and minerals. It tastes so fresh that it is like splashing mountain spring water on one's face early in the morning. Crisp acidity moderated by a rounded finish that does not pucker the mouth. Delicious with delicately flavoured dishes, it was a good foil for the sesame oil salmon steamed eggs. This wine drinks so well right now that it is hard to see why one should cellar bottles of it for years... | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Julien Lagrange 3me Cru Classe 1996 | Tue Jan 13 18:28:08 EST 2004 |
| Drunk at a lunch at Cellargeek's (11/1/04) - Dark, deep crimson-maroon, tight rim. On the nose, complex mix of cassis, tobacco, blood plums. On the palate, elegantly structure and focused with toasty oak finely integrated with the cassis, plums, highlighted by developing secondary characteristics of tobacco leaves with hints of cigar smoke and capsicum. Well balanced with smooth fine tannins that were only a touch noticeable at the start. The wine continued to evolve, soften and open up in the glass, with a deliciously lingering, long finish. Can't wait to see how this wine will evolve over the next decade or two. Elegant and interesting to drink by itself, but will certainly be more than a match for many dishes that is traditionally paired with fine Red Bordeaux. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Riesling 1999 | Mon Jan 19 16:39:06 EST 2004 |
| Tasted at the SIC03 wine dinner at Mt. Buller (25/7/03 and again 22/11/03) - deep straw yellow. Nose: toast and something akin to the "smell" of carbon dioxide from fizzy soda water (though the wine is absolutely still). On the palate, aged flavours especially toast and honey, but still a decent amount of stone fruits and melons, with a limey, lingering finish. Definitely drink now, before it starts on its downhill slide. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Central Victorian High Country Delatite Merlot 1999 | Mon Jan 19 16:45:21 EST 2004 |
| Tasted at the SIC03 wine dinner at Mt. Buller (25/7/03) - dark purplish red. Restrained nose, but on the palate, opens up with blackcurrant pastilles, subtly herbal and spicy, with slight medicinal and licorice notes. Smooth and mouthfilling, a satisfying wine that should please most people. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Graves Les Clarizot Graves Red 1999 | Mon Jan 19 16:47:30 EST 2004 |
| Tasted at the SIC03 wine dinner at Mt. Buller (25/7/03) - clear red-maroon. Nose: hints of dark berries. On the palate, cherries, prunes and hints of smoky, dried tobacco leaves. Restrained, with fine grained tannins, but finishes short and hot. Good to drink now, and not for keeping | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1985 | Mon Jan 19 16:56:41 EST 2004 |
| Tasted at the SIC03 wine dinner at Mt. Buller (25/7/03) - deep ruby red, reasonably tight rim. An open nose of blackcurrants with hints of cedar and cigars. On the palate - cassis, black berries surrounding a mint, briary, sweet fruit core, with an aged, complex aroma of dried tobacco leaves, coffee beans and a touch of capsicum. A smooth drop with fine silky tannins and a decently long finish. A fine, mature John Riddoch that is drinking beautifully now. | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Hunter Valley Tyrrell Vat 1 Semillon 1992 | Thu Feb 19 22:55:48 EST 2004 |
| Tasted 19/2/04 at Akita in North Melbourne: Colour - yellow/straw. Nose - an open bouquet of toast, honey, a tiny hint of sugar cane and caramel. On the palate - lovely, all the hallmarks of a wonderfully matured Hunter semillon. A hint of camembert and caramel could be found amongst the honey, lanolin and toast, but still with refreshing crisp acidity to keep it going. Great balance, nice length and finish. In a good cellar, this wine has the structure and fruit to keep going. Perfect in the company of dear friends and with the small seafood dishes off Akita's 'special' menu. My last bottle :(... wish I had more... | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 1998 | Fri Jun 04 14:30:00 EST 2004 |
| Bacchus Food & Wine Club Tasting (4/6/04) deep, dark purplish red. Nose: intense but focused ripe plum, cherry, spice and pepper. Palate: powerful, concentrated and well balanced fruit, tannins and vanillin oak. Loads of ripe plums, red berries, dark chocolate, spice and hints of pepper. Rich, savoury and well structured, okay to drink now, but this wine has many, many years to go before it will yield all its layers of flavour! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 1991 | Fri Jun 04 14:31:45 EST 2004 |
| Bacchus Food & Wine Club Tasting (4/6/04) - medium to dark plum-red. Nose: generously open bouquet of ripe plums, red berries and spices. Palate: wonderfully smooth and balanced, lovely mouth feel, with plenty of sweet plum, red berry fruits matched by fine smooth tannins and secondary flavours of chocolate, spice, hints of caramel, pepper, leather and prunes. Long length. This bottle is at its peak but should hold for a few more years. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 1986 | Fri Jun 04 14:34:01 EST 2004 |
| Bacchus Food & Wine Club Tasting (3/6/04) - medium red-maroon. Nose: intense, briary, spicy, plums and bits of cherry and chocolate. Palate: intense fruit core with surprisingly firm but fine tannins to match, plums, cherry, dark chocolate, peppery and clovey spices, old leather, long finish but finishes slightly bitter. Definitely has the structure, fruit and tannins to keep going, probably have to be decanted an hour or two before serving to open it up a bit more. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 | Fri Jun 04 14:39:38 EST 2004 |
| Bacchus Food & Wine Club Tasting (3/6/04) - dark plum-red, tight rim, still fairly opaque body. Nose: intense whiffs of cassis, dark berries with leafy capsicum highlights. Plate: sweet cassis, black berry and plummy fruit core, subtle hints of coffee, mouth-filling with smooth, fine tannins. Concentrated flavours, youthful and balanced, with plenty of fruit and structure to improve over the next few years and to hold on for a decade after that. An under-rated vintage, over-shadowed by the 1990. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon 1982 | Fri Jun 04 14:41:16 EST 2004 |
| Bacchus Food & Wine Club Tasting (3/6/04) - Medium crimson, with slight hints of brown around the edges. Nose: Open bouquet of cassis, blackberries, cedar with leafy and smoky hints. Palate: As foreshadowed by the nose, smooth, sweet fruit core of cassis, blackberries, cedar, mocha, shot through with developed secondary flavours. Like the John Riddoch of the same vintage, this wine evolved in the glass over the course of the two hour tasting session to reveal layers of interesting aged characteristics: leafy capsicum, dried tobacco, cigar box, then old leather mixed with dried prunes. Long length - a fantastic 22 year old bottle of wine! | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Riverina De Bertoli Noble One 1991 | Wed Aug 11 13:49:18 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - deep yellow-orange. Nose: marmalade, apricot and hints of tea leaves. On the palate: apricot, orange peel, marmalade, caramel, tea leaves. The sweetness is well balanced by acidity. A nice way to end a great dinner at St. Ann's, with Ann's lovely flourless citrus cake. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1990 | Wed Aug 11 13:51:23 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - dark ruby red, still dense and opaque. Nose: waves and waves of cassis, leafy, minty notes. On the palate: intense, powerful, concentrated blackcurrant, with an undercurrent of dark chocolate with the fresh-cut capsicum/asparagus streak and the minty, leafy notes characteristic of classic Coonawarra cab sauv. Superbly well balanced, with silky fine but dense tannins, and rich savoury oak. Drinking beautifully but still seems to be developing, with only hints of emerging secondary flavours like coffee and smoked tobacco leaf. Will definitely improve, and certainly a wine for long term cellaring. (Double decanted 3+ hours prior to serving!) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1968 | Wed Aug 11 13:53:34 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - brick red, with brownish rim. Nose: open, earthy, red berries and leather. On the palate: soft, ultra-smooth, silky, stewed plums, chocolate, earth, leather with hints of roasted meat. A bottle in good condition (ullaged level low in the bottle-neck, very good for its age), but seem to have lost the usual power and concentration normally associated with a Grange. Though past its prime, it was nonetheless still a nice drop. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Emilion Pavie St Emillion Grand Cru 1986 | Wed Aug 11 14:02:50 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - dark red, still fairly opaque. Nose: dusty, dark cherries, plum. On the palate: Not the fruit bombs that Australian wine drinkers are used to, but the cherries, plum and slightly herbal characteristics of the merlot is there. A smooth but focused and densely structured wine, distinctly concentrated but silky tannins. Compared to Australian wines of a similar age, this wine seems barely developed at all, with only subtle hints of emerging secondary flavours of game and dried tobacco leaves. Very long length, the flavours lingers on and on, and by the end of the night, this wine is still opening up. Luckily, I was advised to double decant it well before serving (3+ hours) it was initially closed and unyielding. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Gevrey-Chambertin Faiveley La Combe Aux Moines Premier Cru 1986 | Wed Aug 11 14:05:16 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - medium red-maroon. Nose: smoke, game. On the palate: fully developed pinot noir characteristics - gamey, earthy, briary, smoky. Drying out, the raspberry/cherry fruit is mostly gone, along with any perfume and subtleties that it might once have had. Acidity is also starting to dominate. An interesting but old bottle of red burgundy, and is quite past it -I'd would have preferred to drink it much younger than at 18 years of age. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1989 | Wed Aug 11 15:30:44 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - deep yellow. Nose: toasty, nutty, honey. Palate: A bit disappointing, did not quite live to the nose. Lightly honeyed, toasty, cashews and caramel dominating over the fading fruit. Have gone a bit flabby and trails off uncertainly. Compared to a previous tasting in 2002, the wine in this bottle has passed its peak. It's getting a bit long in the tooth, so drink up if you have any left! | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Pyrenees Blue Pyrenees Estate Midnight Cuvee NV | Wed Aug 11 15:38:39 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - Yellow/Straw. Nose: Nutty and toasty. On the Palate: Mature chardonnay characteristics of toast, honey, biscuits and a very strong nutty cashew/roasted peanut flavour that bordered on overpowering! Fine mousse, still with good acidity and long lenth. The last of the original batch of this excellent 'methode traditionelle' sparkling white that I bought in 1998 direct from the cellar door. Wish I had more! (Note: Current releases of this wine is vintaged, but back in 1998, the then silver-labelled bottles did not display a vintage year, hence the NV classification.) | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Marne H. Blin & Co. Grand Cru 1996 | Wed Aug 11 15:48:33 EST 2004 |
| DC (3/7/04) - Pale straw. Nose: Refreshing fruity nose. Palate: medium-fine mousse, crisp appley acidity, a light touch of apparent sweetness. A very easy to drink, fruit driven champagne with a good intensity of flavours and mouth feel. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Grandfather Port 1945 | Wed Aug 11 16:03:16 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04) - brown/deep mahogany. Nose: pronounced rancio, nutty with whiffs of almonds and flor sherry. On the palate: Less sweet but a touch more viscous than the current release NV version (Wine #16 above), with rounded but still focused concentration of rancio, madeira, almonds, warmed hazelnuts, raisings and dried figs, shot through with flor sherry highlights. Phenomenal length, a great way to finish off a truly taste-bud awakening tasting of session. (Wine #17). | ||
| David Chan | Canada Niagara Peninsula - Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine 2001 | Wed Aug 11 17:13:16 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04) - Colour: Pale gold, Nose: Fresh white peaches, orange, citrus. Palate: Amazingly intense and concentrated peach, nectarine, mandarin, citrus flavours with tropical highlights of soursop, star fruit and mangoes. Perfectly balanced sweetness and acidity. Spotlessly clean, viscous and silky smooth, truly the Nectar of the Gods, as claimed by the makers. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia McLaren Vale Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 2002 | Wed Aug 11 17:17:10 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04) - purplish red, black and opaque in the middle, and tight with almost no rim. Nose: floral, violets, plummy shiraz fruit, relatively closed (compared to the others). On the palate, intense, concentrated and well balanced fruit, tannins and vanillin oak. Loads of ripe plums, red berries, chocolate, and savoury, spicy oak. Chunky, well structured, okay to drink now, but this wine has quite a fair way to go in terms of development. (Wine #14, mystery wine: Guessed everything but the region. It is a McLaren Vale shiraz instead of a Heathcote shiraz). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1984 | Wed Aug 11 17:20:06 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04) - still dense and opaque, dark red, with a deep red rim. Nose: open, plums, berries, cherry, prunes. On the palate: rich, concentrated sweet fruit core, of red berries, plums, cherries and prunes. This is well complimented by spice, chocolate, mocha, hints of leather and seamless oak integration. Again, not a big, in-your-face Grange, but one that is drinking beautifully well. More complex (and enjoyable) than the 1992 Grange, with a great fruit concentration and developed secondary flavours. Drinking beautifully and will hold, but would it develop further? (Wine #13, the 2nd Red Wine Bracket with main course/cheese.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Special Bin 80A 1980 | Wed Aug 11 17:24:05 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner (10/8/04) - deep red-maroon, and fairly opaque with a medium red rim. Nose: cassis, dark berries, perfumed. On the palate: Soft, smooth but still reasonably concentrated sweet fruit of cassis, plums, prunes, with developed secondary characteristics of mocha, cigar smoke and licorice. Like the other special bins tasted so far, very well balanced, with smooth fine tannins, and seamlessly integrated savoury oak and a lengthy but drying finish. A bit more advanced along the route leading to the over-the-hill downward slide, compared to the Bin 820. (Wine #12, the 2nd Red Wine Bracket with main course/cheese. This special bin wine is a blend of Coonawarra Cab Sauv and Kalimna Shiraz. ) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Special Bin 80A 1980 | Thu Jul 28 15:25:10 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - deep red still fairly dense, with a medium red rim. Nose: cassis, berries, hints of capsicum. On the palate: Soft, rounded, concentrated sweet fruit of cassis, plums, prunes, with only hints of mocha, licorice, dried tobacco leaves. Smooth fine tannins with well integrated savoury vanillin oak and a long fruity finish. More youthful (and fruitful) and in much better condition compared to the previous tasting. This is surprising, as the bottle looked like it has been through a lot (the label was stained and scuffed, wine level was at the low base of neck/very top of shoulder). A steal, considering it was picked up at an auction for around $A80. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Special Bin 61 1963 | Wed Aug 11 17:33:52 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - remarkably deep/dense red-maroon, with a brick red rim. Nose: Restrained but distinctly of blackcurrants, hints of licorice and mushroom. On the palate: Amazingly, still plenty of primary fruit; that of blackcurrants, plums, red berries, with an intensity of flavour that one is not accustomed to tasting in Australian reds that are 40+ years old! The fruit was well balanced by the fully developed complex secondary characteristics of tobacco, earth, licorice, cold roasted meat and sauteed mushrooms. The wine has thrown a lot of sediment in the bottle and had to be double decanted, but that extra airing did not seem to have bothered it much at all. Ultra smooth, but still with significant amounts of ultra fine silky tannins and a long, long finish. Not an 'in-your-face' type of wine like some of the great Granges or the Block 42. Nevertheless, it is a magnificent, ,superbly balanced, fine old drop of wine that seems to have plateau-ed at a high level and holding. What a wine! It tasted at least 20+ years younger than it ought to. Past editions of the Rewards of Patience hinted that this wine may be past its prime. If so, I wonder what this wine tasted like at its prime. It is definitely not past it, in my book. Perhaps Parkhill Cellars had the great fortune to acquire a bottle in immaculate condition. The wine of the night (and the year so far) for me! (Wine #10, the 2nd Red Wine Bracket with main course/cheese. This special bin wine is a blend of Coonawarra Cab Sauv and Eden Valley Shiraz.) | ||
| dklatsky@mwe.com | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Special Bin 61 1963 | Sat Dec 10 11:05:00 EST 2005 |
| I'm so pleased to find someone else who has tasted this terrific wine! I drank my one bottle about five years ago. I couldn't agree more with these notes. I did not allow the wine to air prior to consumption on the theory that the nose would be delicate and would blow off quickly at 40 years. To my surprise, it only really opened up after an hour. As the previous writer stated, anyone would peg the age of this wine at around 20 years. I found it stashed in an odds-and-ends bin in a Melbourne wine shop for A$40 and practically sprinted to pay, get out of the shop and back to Los Angeles before anyone realized what was going on. I had a similar happy story with 1966 Kalimna Bin 28. I'm afraid that Melbourne wine retailers do not have much faith in the ageability of Aussie reds other than Grange and Hill of Grace. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1992 | Wed Aug 11 17:37:56 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner Matteo's (10/8/04) - dark crimson red, still fairly opaque. Nose: blackberries and plums. On the palate: sweet, juicy plums, black berries, prunes with a very smooth chocolaty feel and a subtle peppery undertone. For a Grange, a fairly simple, fruit driven wine. Fine but firm tannins, well integrated oak, but not as intense, powerful, or concentrated as Granges from great vintages. Nevertheless, a very nice drop that would please anyone if drunk on its own. Certainly one of the most accessible and more 'ready-to-drink' Granges from the 1990s, and provides an interesting comparison in this bracket of top Penfold wines from the same decade. (Wine #9, the 1st Red Wine Bracket with main course.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Special Bin 90A 1990 | Wed Aug 11 17:43:21 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - dark ruby red, dense and opaque, tight rim. Nose: cassis, dark berries with hints of cedar and spice. On the palate: intense, concentrated blackcurrants, dark chocolate and a spicy sweet fruit core of dark berries and plums that is characteristic of Barossa shiraz, with hints of black coffee, cedar, and dried tobacco leaves coming from the Coonawarra cabernet. Superbly well balanced, with fine but dense tannins, well integrated savoury oak and stronger backbone of acid (compared to the Bin 920). Drinking beautifully with a long lingering finish, it feels more youthful than the 14 year old wine it is. Given the acidity and abundance of fruit, one feels that this wine has the structure to last longer than the Bin 920. Certainly a wine for long term cellaring. Again, a classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, but this time, with the Cabernet sourced from Coonawarra and the Shiraz from Barossa. The result is another unique gem from Penfolds, combining the structural strength of the Cab Sauv with the sweet, savoury body of Shiraz. (Wine #8, the 1st Red Wine Bracket with main course.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Special Bin 90A 1990 | Sat Nov 06 12:59:50 EST 2004 |
| Q's Birthday Dinner at Chez Bob (5/11/04) - deep, dark crimson, dense and opaque, tight rim. Nose: dusty, cassis, dark berries, plums, with hints of leaf. On the palate: concentrated blackcurrants, dark chocolate, sweet black berries, plums, with a spicy undertone and hints of earth/briar and coffee beans. Tightly focused and structured with very fine, dense but smooth tannins, very well balanced, integrated savoury oak and a very long finish. This wine will have more development and a long life ahead of it. Like the previous bottle recently tasted, it is drinking well now, but would reward more patient cellaring. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Penfolds Special Bin 920 1990 | Wed Aug 11 17:47:10 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) dark, fairly dense and opaque red-maroon. Nose: intense and concentrate cassis with the distinctive Coonawarra signature of capsicum and tobacco leaves. On the palate: Another powerful and concentrate wine of blackcurrants, dark berries, mocha, replete with spicy, tobacco leaf, cigar smoke and capsicum/chilli highlights. Rich, mouth filling, fine tannins and a ong finish, very accessible and enjoyable. It does not taste or feel like a typical 14 year old Australian claret, as it has the abundance fruit, balancing acidity and structure that will keep it evolving and improving for many, many years to come. Would knock the socks off anyone when tasted in isolation, and held its own in this bracket of stunning/unique red wines. The Bin 920 has been inspired by two illustrious predecessors (the Bin 820, also tasted tonight, and Bin 620). To me, this wine represents the pinnacle of the classic Australian blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, from a classic red wine region of Coonawarra. Simply superb! (Wine #7, the 1st Red Wine Bracket with main course.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Kalimna Penfolds Block 42 1996 | Wed Aug 11 17:57:47 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - dense, opaque, dark ruby red. Nose: intense but focused cassis and plums. On the palate: Massive, focused, powerful, with layers and layers of concentrated cassis, blackberries, blood plums, rich dark chocolate, monolithically and seamlessly integrated with savoury, coconut/vanillin oak, with just a touch of cigar box. Despite the power, intensity and incredible structure, the wine is silky smooth and well rounded. Drinking beautifully with a very long finish - so good now it is hard to imagine that it can and will improve over the next decade or two! Undoubtedly the best Australian Cab Sauv that I ever had the privilege to taste. According to a very knowledgeable guest at tonight's dinner, the Block 42 cabernet bush vines are the oldest in Australia, if not amongst the oldest in the world and very low yielding. Cabernet from this block has been used in all except 3 vintages of Grange. So special were the grapes in 1953 that the unique 'Grange Cabernet' was made that year, an equal to the famous shiraz-based Grange. The Block 42 Kalimna Cab Sauv has not been released as a single block wine for 33 years (the last time as Bin 64 in 1963), although the 1964 Bin 707 was (according to the Rewards of Patience 5th Ed.) entirely sourced from this amazing block. (Wine #6, the 1st Red Wine Bracket with main course.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Kalimna Penfolds Block 42 1996 | Thu Jul 28 16:12:34 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: dense, opaque, dark cherry red. Nose: concentrated cassis with a bit of coffee and licorice. On the palate: Massive, focused, powerful, with layers and layers of concentrated cassis, dark berries, plums, rich dark mocha coffee, licorice, hints of cold roasted meat and well integrated with savoury, oak. Like my previous note on this wine, it is silky smooth, well rounded and drinking beautifully with a long and lingering finish, and reinforced my view that it is undoubtedly the best Australian Cab Sauv that I have tasted. To add to the info in the previous note, Peter also mentioned the existence of a (very rare) 1948 vintage made purely from the Block 42 grapes (which he had not tasted). He added that the 1953 Grange Cabernet (also purely from Block 42), one of which he tasted recently, is still fantastic and drinking well (with the usual proviso of good cellaring and cork integrity). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 00A Chardonnay 2000 | Wed Aug 11 18:01:02 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - pale straw. Nose: interesting, with the cheesy highlight reminiscent of invidualistic premier cru white burgundies! On the palate: stone fruits, citrus and melons in abundance, with creamy /buttery malo characteristics, seamless oak integration bolstered by minerality reminiscent of wet pebbles. Concentration and intensity of primary fruit flavours with interesting highlights and a long finish. The wine of the bracket for me. (Wine #5, white wine bracket with entree.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 94A Chardonnay 1994 | Wed Aug 11 18:06:00 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - yellow, old gold. Nose: complex and mature, hints of nuts, toast and smoked cheese. Palate: Developed secondary characteristics of grilled nuts, toasty and honey dominating over the fading fruit. Still a fairly strong backbone of acid, more towards the tangerine/orange end of the citrus spectrum. Hints of smoke/burnt toast and the old white burgundy cheesy note. A bit past its prime, though the acid will keep it hanging on for a while yet. (Wine #3, white wine bracket to go with entree.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Clare Valley Penfolds Reserve Bin Aged Release Riesling 1998 | Wed Aug 11 18:08:49 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - Straw. Nose: nose tickling, dusty, citrus with whiffs of petrol/kero and toast. On the Palate: Classic Clare Valley characteristics - a fruity core of white peaches, lemon, citrus, bare hints of fresh cut melons surrounding a focused mineral structure and rounded, balanced acidity. Starting to develop the contradictory mix of mature yet youthful characteristics, with the distinctive kerosene signature and honeyed toast of maturity competing with the primary fruit. (Wine #2, Pre-dinner drinks. A nice contrast to previous wine.) | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Eden Valley Penfolds Reserve Bin Riesling 2003 | Wed Aug 11 18:12:08 EST 2004 |
| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - Pale straw with hints of a pale green, almost colourless. Nose: lime/citrus with a slight floral lift. Palate: limes with a light floral highlight, reminiscent of chamomile, and a just a hint of toasty oak in the finish. Viscous/juicy mouthfeel, intense flavour offset by a steely minerality and refreshing acidity. (Wine #1, Pre-dinner drinks. A good start to an evening of extraordinary wines!) | ||
| David Chan | Canada Niagara Peninsula - Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice Wine 1998 | Sun Oct 03 04:52:01 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: crystal clear medium crimson. Nose: honey, cane sugar, intense red currants, strawberries and cherries. Palate: sweet red currants and red berry fruits, counterbalanced by crisp acidity. Rich, mouthfilling, refreshingly sweet (without being cloying), and spotlessly clean fruit flavours, one can almost picture the nectar-like juice being squeezed out of the frozen grapes. A fantastic wine to finish the night one, and a great match for Matteo's rich creamy panna cotta. | ||
| David Chan | Unites States Napa Valley - Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 | Sun Oct 03 04:55:19 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: deep, dark red/purplish-crimson, with a tight crimson rim. Nose: open, intense blackcurrants and creme de cassis that leaps out of the glass at you. Palate: Rich, intense, powerful but smooth and concentrated sweet blackcurrant and cassis that all but overshadow the subtle, well-integrated savoury oak. Superb tannic structure to go with the dense fruit core and very much under developed, pretty much expected for a great Napa Valley vintage. Very pleasant to drink now, but again, far too young for my taste buds. I won't be opening any of my bottles for at least another 8 or more years. | ||
| David Chan | Unites States California Alexander Valley Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 | Sun Oct 03 04:59:06 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: deep, dark red-crimson, with a medium crimson rim. Nose: restrained cassis with hints of toasted coconut. Palate: sweet concentrated cassis fruit, leafy with well integrated coconuts characteristic of American oak. Emerging secondary characteristics - capsicum, chilli and other herbaceous notes, dark chocolate. Smooth and very fine tannins, but restrained, very much unlike the fruit bombs of Coonawarra cabernet. Still has room for further development, and another great match for the eye-fillet. A delicious and approachable Californian cab sauv. | ||
| David Chan | France Rhone - Northern St. Joseph Yves Cuilleron Les Serines 1999 | Sun Oct 03 05:08:18 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: dark, almost opaque purplish crimson with a very tight purple rim. Nose: clean, plums, blackberries with floral/violet notes. Palate: powerful, intense plum, blackberry shiraz fruit, with floral and black pepper highlights, backed by a massive spine of fine tannins. Quite well balanced at this youthful stage of development and certain pleasant to drink. 1999 being an exceptional Northern Rhone red vintage, this wine definitely has the structure to go long distance, chronologically. Too young for my taste at the moment, I'd certainly keep them in the cellar till they're 10+ years old. A great match for Matteo's rare eye-fillet of Angus beef. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1969 | Sun Oct 03 05:15:47 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: still fairly dark red, with a brick red rim. Nose: initially leathery, briary with hints of mushroom and game, it opened up later with lashings of dried berries. Palate: Smooth, rounded, concentrated sweet fruit of plums, prunes and dark berries. The abundance of fruit, which is a little unexpected for a 35 year old shiraz, is superbly complimented with fully developed aged secondary flavours of licorice, chocolate, Chesterfield leather lounge suite and earthy, spicy undertones of dried herbs, cloves and aniseed. Silky fine but still firm tannins nicely balances the fruit. This is a fantastic bottle of a Grange from a lesser vintage, and in my humble opinion, puts some other more fancied vintages to shame. Certainly, the bottle was in superb condition, with the ullage level still in the bottle neck. The provenance was such that there was a robust bidding war to acquire this very well cellared bottle. It was well worth every dollar that my friend paid for this very fine wine from his year of birth. Thanks heaps for sharing it with us! | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Beechworth Giaconda Chardonnay 1997 | Sun Oct 03 05:19:13 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: dark straw. Nose: honey, vanilla with hints of toast. Palate: honeyed, toasty, fruity, vanillin oak, with hints of caramel, malt and nuts. Long finish, finally revealing the burgundian mineral characteristics of wet stones and rice grains. Compared to several other vintages of Giaconda chardonnays tasted in the past (at the MW Giaconda tasting with the winemaker), this particular vintage (perhaps it's this particular bottle) is quite advanced in development. I would prefer not to keep any of this longer than necessary - find a great excuse to celebrate and drink up. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chassagne-Montrachet Blain-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 1997 | Sun Oct 03 05:21:32 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: straw. Nose: restrained, with the characteristic goats cheese signature and tropical fruits. Palate: bone dry, smooth, focused, structured, stone-fruit/white peach flavours with tropical fruit highlights mixed with the goats cheese aromatics, almost imperceptible toast and well matched with refreshing lemon citrus acidity. Hints of wet rice grains and pebbles in a long, racy finish. Classy, elegant, as expected for a Grand Cru white burgundy. Still a fair way to go in development, but what a fantastic drink right now. A nice match for Matteo's prawn raviolo entree. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Krug Vintage 1982 | Sun Oct 03 05:26:57 EST 2004 |
| Friend's Birthday at Matteo's (2/10/04) - Colour: Deep straw/old gold. Very fine stream of bubbles, but not vigorous. Nose: honey, caramel and madeira, aged white wine characteristics quite apparent. Palate: very fine mousse, aged and complex, but oxidized/madeirised notes are intruding. Kept alive by a backbone of citrus acidity that has evolved towards the tangerine/apricot end of the spectrum. Still rich, honeyed, subtle hints of sandalwood, perhaps a touch spicy. The finish is a little short for a Krug, and drying out. Based on appearance, the bottle is in good condition and the ullage level is high for a 22 year old bottle of champagne. However, the taste test indicate that this bottle has seen better days and may not have been cellared in the best of conditions. Given that the 1982 was regarded by experts as a legendary Champagne vintage, this bottle did not live up to expectations. | ||
| pedro seafood experience | France Champagne Reims Krug Vintage 1982 | Wed May 17 01:54:35 EST 2006 |
| total heavenly biscuity tight sequenced tiny bubbles with a hint of vanilla | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Pierro Chardonnay 1997 | Sat Nov 06 12:49:17 EST 2004 |
| Q's Birthday Dinner at Chez Bob (5/11/04) - deepish yellow/gold. Nose: honey, citrus zest, light toast. Palate: Crisp kumquat and lemon acidity, aromatic, honey, lightly roasted nuts. Lovely mouthfeel and viscousity, high alcohol content (14.5 percent), but so well balanced that you wouldn't notice it. Long length and finishes dry. A big, intense Margaret River chardonnay that's right up there with the best! Nice match for seared tuna, yum! | ||
| David Chan | Germany Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Winningen Heymann-Lowenstein Rottgen Auslese Riesling 2000 | Sat Nov 06 13:30:43 EST 2004 |
| Q's Birthday Dinner at Chez Bob (5/11/04) - pale gold/straw. Nose: delicate, quince, hints of orange blossons, wet rice grains and wet slate. On the palate: tangerine, pomegranite, crisp, clean, lightly refreshing acidity, not too sweet, just nicely balancing the acid, with an interesting undertone of minerality throughout. | ||
| Rich- The Grape and the Barrel | France Champagne Ay Roger Pouillon NV | Fri Nov 12 10:25:08 EST 2004 |
| Only place to get this is Hi Times Wine Cellars-online- Roger Pouillon is a very small house that producers the best Rose Champagne at the lowest price @ 30.00 a bottle. If you have not tried this, and you probably have'nt, you are truely missing out. Very pretty pinkish orange colour, with very lively bubbles. On the nose is a distinct strawberries and creame, with hints of forest underbrush and light dried provencal herbs. The finish was a medium light red berry laquer finish. Do yourself a favor and order just 1 bottle. Trust me. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 2004 | Wed Nov 17 00:10:48 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liquer Port(17/11/04) - vibrant purple/deep crimson. Nose: plummy shiraz fruit, grape spirits with floral highlights. On the palate: sweet, fresh, concentrated dark berries, plums and shiraz fruit. Apart from the sweetness (without being overly so), what is really apparent is its fine balance, as fine as any top quality table wine. But as the winemaker reminded us, the wine has to balanced right from the start, or it will never achieve it as it ages. I doubt I will live long enought to revisit this wine when it is 100 years old, but it sure drinks beautifully now (even though it is less than 1 year old). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1984 | Wed Nov 17 00:30:41 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port(17/11/04) - medium tawny/mahogany, dramatic colour shift from the vibrant deep purplish hue of the previous young (less than a year old) wine. Nose: woody, with the rancio characteristics of a tawny port now apparent. Fresh fruit and grapey aromas have disappeared into the background. On the palate: Hard to imagine this wine still has 80 years of ageing in an oak barrel to go through! Never mind that it is still a child amongst its brethren, it is a very fine tawny port, well balanced, with the oak now firmly in and secondary flavours coming to the fore. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Tasmania Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1964 | Wed Nov 17 00:47:44 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - deep brown, with a olive rim. Nose: stronger rancio characteristics, lifted dried fruits and a touch of briar/leather. On the palate: Complex, with matured rancio, raisins, dried preserved citrus peels, dark chocolate, briar and leather. Also apparent is a bitter note, akin to that from high cocoa content dark chocolates. A big wine, intense flavours and with higher apparent acidity than the previous two wines. A delicious drop and yet, this wine is still to approach middle-age in the scheme of things! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1964 | Wed Nov 17 00:54:23 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - deep brown, with a olive rim. Nose: stronger rancio characteristics, lifted dried fruits and a touch of briar/leather. On the palate: Complex, with matured rancio, raisins, dried preserved citrus peels, dark chocolate, briar and leather. Also apparent is a bitter note, akin to that from high cocoa content dark chocolates. A big wine, intense flavours and with higher apparent acidity than the previous two wines. A delicious drop and yet, this wine is still to approach middle-age in the scheme of things! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1944 | Wed Nov 17 01:04:48 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - dark deep brown, like a black coffee except more viscous. Nose: lighter rancio, slightly ketonal (like a flor sherry). On the palate: complex, rancio, pruny, dried fruits, dark chocolate and toffee, with whiffs of almonds/flor sherry. Smooth. The rancio is lighter than its 20 year younger brother, the chocolatey bitterness is also a bit more subdued, but it is also smoother and rounder. This apparent lightness (compared to the 1964) has been attributed by James Godfrey to vintage variations. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1924 | Wed Nov 17 01:23:03 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - dark deep brown, black coffee-like with a looser rim, and quite viscous, coating the inside of the class with a olive brown film. Nose: rancio, raisins, plenty of lifted prunes and dried fruits, volatility quite apparent. On the palate: All the flavours nosed were reproduced with added extras (dark chocolate, toffee, caramel) and amplified. Seriously concentrated, powerful, complex and very smooth, the wine coats the mouth and throat with a rich, silky smoothness. Great length, lingering finish. Higher acidity noted, but this is not a problem as it is finely balanced by the other components of the wine. Gloriously mature and better than any old tawny port that I've ever tasted, and this is a single vintage tawny! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1904 | Wed Nov 17 01:39:52 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - dark brown, black coffee-like with a tight rim, and thivk and viscous, coating the inside of the class with a thickish coffee-brown film. Nose: complex - plum pudding, dried fruits, chocolate and so much more. On the palate: Just when you thought things couldn't get more powerful, intense, complex and smooth (after tasting the superb 1924), along comes this huge block buster of wine that fills up your mouth, coats everything with la uscious, juicy, silky smooth layer that leaves a trail of destruction as it slides down your throat effortlessly. All I can say is WOW! Even now, as I sit down to type these notes in, my mouth waters at the recalled experience of the super-concentrated flavours, the long, lingering, acidy finish and the lovely texture of the wine. Oh, not to mention that the 1904 vintage is the current release - yup, it has graduated as a 100 year old tawny port (unlike its other younger brethren, who are all still developing under the tutelage of Father Time). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1899 | Wed Nov 17 01:57:14 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - black coffee, but a looser olive brown rim, viscous, coating the inside of the glass with a brown film. Nose: complex - plum pudding, raisins, hints of roasted coffee beans. On the palate: Intense, complex and smooth, but lighter in comparison with the 1904. According to winemaker James Godfrey, this again is due to vintage variations, which induces subtle differences in texture, flavour profile, acid vs sweetness level to all the venerable 100+ year old tawny ports. I do not have the vocabulary to describe the complex mix of flavours. All the usual components (rancio, plum pudding, dried fruits, toffee, caramel, chocolate, oak, etc. ) are there but in different combination of strengths from the other vintages. Oh, a hint of dried straw drew my attention, plus that it's a noticeably lighter, more elegant style. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1894 | Wed Nov 17 02:09:32 EST 2004 |
| W Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - black coffee, and a noticeably tighter rim with brownish-green edge, viscous, coating the inside of the class with a olive brown film. Nose: complex, a melange of plum pudding, chocolate, nuts and oldleather. On the palate: Intense, complex and smooth, and noticeably weightier than the 1899, though not as big as the 1904. Concentrated dried fruits, prunes, raisins, plum pudding with a high alcohol lift complimented with high acidity and equally well balanced by the sweetness. Smooth, luscious texture, long, long finish. It is amazing to me that this is a wine that was laid down to age a year before my great-grandmother was born! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1889 | Wed Nov 17 02:23:18 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - black coffee, and a noticeably looser rim with greenish-tinge, viscous, coating the inside of the glass with a brownish film. Nose: complex, more oaky/woody and with a hint of oxidation (ala madeira). On the palate: noticeably lighter than the 1894, 1899 and 1904. Concentrated prunes, raisins and dark chocolates, finishing woody and cedary. Again, it is hard to describe the sensations, there are no "good" or "less good" wine. Each vintage is a unique sculpture of the flavour profile, texture, acid-sweetness balance and other indicators that I am ill-equipped to fully discern. Even when I write that it is a lighter style (compared to the others), it is still a massively concentrated, intensely flavour, and hugely textured wine on its own. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1884 | Wed Nov 17 02:39:48 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - colour like thick black soy sauce, a very tight rim with thick and viscous, coating the inside of the glass with a yellowish-brownish film. Nose: complex, smoky, lifted caramellised dried fruits and plum pudding. On the palate: To me, this wine was so concentrated, syrup-like and powerful that when it touches your tongue, the flavours literally explode from the wine, no doubt aided by the noticeably higher alcohol level. Like the thick dark soy that it looked like, this big, powerful, complex, blockbuster of a wine has a similar piquancy and smokiness, along with a whole lot of other flavours (that one could spend the whole night thinking up). Nearly, but not quite as brawny as the 1904, but with a higher degree of elan and complexity, especially in the texture. This is undoubtedly my pick for the wine of the night (a sentiment shared by the majority of the attendees of this superb wine tasting session. Thanks to Joe and Robert of MW wines for organising such a great event!). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1884 | Thu Jul 28 15:20:16 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Finally, a very special 100 Year Old Australian treasure to finish off a memorable dinner! Colour: black, viscous, treacle-/thick soy sauce-like, coating the inside of the glass with hazel-brown film. Nose: complex, smoky, alcoholic lift of dried fruits, plum pudding and caramel. On the palate: massively concentrated, intense and powerful, complex, piquant smoky, christmas pudding, liquefied prunes, nutty plus a whole lot of other flavours that's hard to write down. A uniquely Australian icon that's guaranteed to re-enervate the senses of taste and smell that have been tired out by a night of excesses! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1879 | Wed Nov 17 03:05:49 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - deep, dark brown, like black coffee, a slightly less tight rim (compared to the 1884), viscous, and coats the inside of the glass with a olive brown film. Nose: complex, smoky, caramel, toffee, rich nutty fruit cake with a hint of dried medicinal herbs. On the palate: sweet, rich, chocolatey, caramel, with the chinese medicinal herb like finish. Like all the other 100+ year olds tasted tonight, it is complex, powerful, concentrated, intensely flavoursome and superbly well balanced. Not as thick or viscous as the 1884, but no less textured. A more elegantly styled wine, the 1879 is built like a gymnast compared to the body-builder of 1884. Both are superb, but displaying a different facet of perfection. This is one of two of the winemaker's pick of the night (can't remember the other one), though he nominated the 1900 (not tasted tonight) as the best of the lot. This is the oldest wine that I've ever tasted to date, a wine that was made before any of my great grandparents were born. It is a humbling experience, and I will never drink another port without comparing it to these fantastic, uniques wines that are rightfully one of Australia's national treasures. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Seppelt Para Liquer Port 1905 | Wed Nov 17 03:47:07 EST 2004 |
| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port, guided by winemaker James Godfrey (17/11/04). Colour - like black coffee, with a tight olive green tinged rim. It is viscous, coating the inside of the glass with a olive brown film. Nose: complex, sweet, toffee, chrismas pudding, vanillin oak with a high degree of alcoholic lift. On the palate: sweeter than the others, rich dark chocolate, lifted dried fruits, prunes, vanilla, and cedary oak. Noticeably high level of alcohol, which intensifies and lifts the wine flavours. Superbly smooth and textured, it literally purrs down one's throat. Can't wait to purchase a bottle of this when it is released next year (2005). Note: Unlike most tawny ports which consists of many components from different vintages, the 100 Y.O. Para Liqueur Port is a single vintage tawny port. This is actually the last wine tasted at that session. The 1905 has not been commercially released yet, as it has to be 100 years old before it can be released under the "100 Year Old" label. We were privileged to taste it, and the winemaker even invited us to give him some feedback and our impressions of the wine! Note also that there have been previous releases of Seppelt Para Liqueur Port of vintages less old than 100 years. James Godfrey mentioned that some 2000 litres of wine each vintage is set aside to make the 100 Year Old Para Liqueur port. Of these, only about 500 litres will finally make it to the 100 years. This is equivalent to about 400 standard (750 ml) bottles per vintage. Most of the 2000 litres are lost through evaporation (some are released early, I think, as their normal vintaged para liqueur port), and about 30 litres are left behind in the barrel as lees (sediment). So, once stocks of a given vintage are gone, they're gone for good (the 1878 and 1900 have sold out). Interestingly, the wines are stored in oak right up until the moment they are bought! Then, and only then, is the wine bottled and sent to the buyer. So an 1879 bought on release would have 25 years less oak ageing than an 1879 bought today, and they would, according to the winemaker, taste quite different! | ||
| Matey | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Bin 389 1996 | Wed Dec 22 21:49:21 EST 2004 |
| Not a bad drop indeed! | ||
| Anonymous | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds Bin 389 1996 | Thu Dec 29 20:43:27 EST 2005 |
| Not decanted. Some sediment. Dark garnet color with no browning. Big, dark nose. Good flavor with some dry tannins but a lot of fruit. Fairly short finish. This is good now but there is still time for improvement. It went beautifully with a simple lamb stew | ||
| The Grape and The Barrel-Milford, Ct. | France Champagne Reims Krug 1985 | Tue Jan 18 10:01:51 EST 2005 |
| Krug 1985-Opened this little gem on New Years Eve 2004, after many years in a temperature controlled cellar. * Colour - was of an Antique Gold with a greenish/silver tinged rim. Soft, elegant, tiny-yet persistant streamers. * On the Nose - distinct pineapple creame with distant aromas of baked peach cobbler, which became more intense with time. Also, a fleeting hint of green banana and coconut. After a while this champagne opened right up and showed all the above with white fruit, white flower blossoms, and wet stones. * On the Palate - pineapple juice with elusive hints of coconut, white ripe summer fruits with a light mineral weave. * The Finish - long, soft, elegant , with a pineapple coda. Totally Addicting! Totally Amazing! A True Masterpiece! | ||
| Anonymous | South Africa South Africa Swartland Allesverloren Cabernet Sauvignon 1879 | Sun Mar 13 07:46:39 EST 2005 |
| A robust, deeply flavoured dry red of remarkable dark ruby colour and brimming with Cabernet character. Allesverloren Cabernet Sauvignon is an intense and opulent wine. www.african-tradition.com | ||
| Nick | South Africa Ashton Western Cape Prospect 1870 3me Cru Classe 1998 | Sun Mar 13 07:52:38 EST 2005 |
| Delicious ripe mulberry & cigar box aromas introduce a lively palate that offers enticing sweet chocolate with a hint of liquorice. Prospect 1870 Cabernet Sauvignon has excellent structure and firm ripe tannins. You can find this great wine at www.african-tradition.com | ||
| Anonymous | Australia New South Wales Riverina De Bertoli Noble One 1982 | Tue Apr 19 23:26:37 EST 2005 |
| Awesome. Beautifully deep orange colour, typical apricot flavours with the complexity that age brings in these wines. And the length. Seek out and consume! | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Cadillac Chateau Fayau Cadillac 2001 | Sat Apr 23 02:10:00 EST 2005 |
| Dinner Party at John & Chris Hanly's (22/4/05) - colour: glowing golden straw. Nose: peaches, marzipan and hints of wet rice grains, and kumquats. Palate: honeyed, delicate marmalade mixed in with classic peaches, apricot, marzipan with a refreshing but subtle kumquat/tangering/mandarin acidity, balanced by just the right level of sweetness, never cloying. Well matched by Christine's delicious strawberry crepes. Finishes quite dry with a long, lingering length. Can so easily be mistaken for a top class Sauternes, yet costs only a fraction! Must get my hands on more of this! Thanks for sharing this fantastic gem with us, John! | ||
| Anonymous | France Bordeaux Cadillac Chateau Fayau Cadillac 2001 | Fri Dec 22 17:26:39 EST 2006 |
| A recently found a 1996 vintage of this wine. Would this be any good still? Cheers. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Wolf Blass Grey Label 1990 | Sat Apr 23 02:29:07 EST 2005 |
| Dinner Party at John & Chris Hanly's (22/4/05) - Colour: deep, dark red with a medium rim with hints of purple still. Nose: all fruit, featuring juicy ripe plums, blackcurrants and an interesting, nose tickling dusty streak. Palate: reflects the nose with massive fruit concentration. The warm climate sweet fruit core of Barossa shiraz shines through, ably bolstered by a sturdy cabernet structure and medium fine ripe tannins. Still a youthful, fairly powerful and fruit driven wine, but isn't the Black Label! It just goes to show what a fine winemaker can do for their second and lower tier of wines in a superb vintage (1990). Finishes dry with long length (and a long life ahead of it still). The BIG friendly Aussie wine that contrasted well with the other individualistic, French-influenced red tasted at this dinnner. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Yarra Valley Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1 1978 | Sat Apr 23 03:01:02 EST 2005 |
| Dinner Party at John & Chris Hanly's (22/4/05) - Colour: deep red/maroon with a tight rim and nearly opaque body. Surprisingly youthful looking for a 27 year old wine, with faint tinges of purple in the rim! Nose: initially restrained, opening after decanting with an elegant bouquet cassis, tobacco leaves and a touch of briar/leather/earthiness. Palate: Complex, great structure and mouthfeel, silky fine tannins, completely well integrated oak with a strong (perhaps a touch too much) backbone of acid. Plenty of delicious primary fruit left and well augmented by developing secondary characteristics of dried tobacco leaves, a touch of cigar smoke, dark chocolate, hints of licorice/aniseed/black coffee. A very individualistic, structure driven wine backed up by matching fruit. Quite like a top class Bordeaux red; complex, reserved, sometimes enigmatic and always with more to reveal, just when you thought you had it pegged. An amazing wine that appears still to still cling on to youthfulness, much like a fine Bordeaux. Superbly long length and a pleasure to drink. We were very fortunate to find a bottle of this highly sought after wine in nearly immaculate condition. Though the cork was slightly soft and delicate, there was no leakage and the ullage level excellent (a little above the base of the neck). Note: toward the end of the evening, the acidity of the wine left in a glass had started to come to the fore and was hence a little distracting. But I have no doubt that with careful cellaring, this wine will continue to evolve and improve. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia/Victoria Padthaway/Yarra Valley blen Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 1996 | Sat Apr 23 03:25:13 EST 2005 |
| Dinner Party at John & Chris Hanly's (22/4/05) - Colour: glowing, golden straw. Nose: magnificent! peaches, buttered toast, tropical fruits. Palate: wow! creamy, buttery, toasty, shot through with classic peaches and cream with a touch of caramel, lovely malolactic characteristics, sunny tropical fruits peeking through here and there, with a zesty grapefruit acidity. All nicely framed by well integrated vanillin oak, long length, lingering finish. Still maturing, again, surprisingly youthful (thanks to the acidity) for a chardonnay, with great mouthfeel and texture. A superb but strangely much underrated chardonnay, really up there with the best Australian examples. At around half the price, it's double the value and pleasure! Begs the question why people (including me) still splash out hard earned dollars for this wine's pricier competition... Thanks SH, for sharing it with us! | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Rutherglen Cofield Wines Sparkling Shiraz 2000 | Sat Apr 23 11:46:54 EST 2005 |
| Dinner Party at John & Chris Hanly's (22/4/05) - Colour: deep purplish red. Nose: plums and cherries, with hints of briar and leather. Palate: a creamy fine mousse, delicate and not overly fizzy, bringing out delicious plum, red berry and cherry fruit flavours with a touch of pepper, along with developing secondary flavours of briar, leather and chocolate. Fine tannins with a slightly astringent finish in the back palate. A pleasant drink, a fine example of an Aussie sparkling shiraz that has further potential to age. A greater starter to a fantastic dinner! | ||
| Geoff Wong | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Schubert Estate Shiraz 2002 | Wed Apr 27 10:50:06 EST 2005 |
| Very dark rich shiraz with chocolate and pepper overtones. Smooth fine drinking wine. Will cellar well. Limited run of 200 cases. Can only purchase 6 per person. | ||
| RGW | Australia Victoria Great Western Seppelt Victoria Shiraz | Thu May 05 17:22:18 EST 2005 |
| A medium red colour with just a tint of purple around the edge of the glass. A soft rich bouquet of blackberry and plum with an indication of mushrooms behind that. The palate has soft flavours of fruit perfectly balanced with oak and fine tannins. Length of flavour is extraordinary. Makes "hot" climate wines in this price bracket seem clumsy $11.90 per bottle discounted. | ||
| Anonymous | France Bordeaux St Julien Ducru Beacaillou Grand Vin 1995 | Fri Jul 22 00:32:13 EST 2005 |
| First bottle opened .... pinkish colour - not too dark, nice nose of typical cabernet and nice tobacco .... seemed quite light on the fruit and had a really tight grip with the finish.... the fruit is hopefully just subdued temporarily. Overall a very pleasant wine but lacking serious punch - maybe i was expecting too much or maybe it is steel sleeping. | ||
| sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Ducru Beacaillou Grand Vin 1995 | Mon Jul 12 22:22:54 EST 2010 |
| WOW !!!! Very subtle - complex floral and tobacco nose. Then, on the palette, just much more complexity, violets, roses, sweet tobacco, old tobacco. Incredible richness - but also super elegant at the same time. Almost an oxymoron. Very balanced. Not only super long but just grows in its floral nature in the mouth and lingers for ages without being dense and syrupy but etherial. This is a SUPER SUPER wine. Would not, however, want to put it up against other big wines as it might get lost due to its super elegance. | ||
| Australia Hunter Valley Petersons Glenesk Shiraz 2001 | Sat Jul 23 15:23:21 EST 2005 | |
| Good structure, complext herb, licorice/spice. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1986 | Thu Aug 11 19:12:23 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - A much anticipated 1/2 bottle, my third taste of the legendary wine, and a different vintage at that (previous two tastings were of the exceptional 1989 vintage). Colour: Glowing deep gold. Nose: an extraordinary bouquet of ripe pineapples, apricots, kumquats, vanilla beans and a whole lot more that's hard to put into words. On the palate: exceptionally rich and concentrated exotic tropical fruits/citrus; of custard apple, tangerine and kumquats, melded with mouth-filling creme caramel, custard, peaches and cream plus roasted nuts, vanilla beans and a hint of roasted rice. Superbly balanced, smooth, seductive and sexy liquid gold with a phenomenally long finish. A vintage to match that of the 1989, a drop of Heaven! | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1986 | Tue Sep 13 16:12:45 EST 2005 |
| MW French Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #11 - Colour: Old gold. Nose: an fantastic bouquet of pineapples, apricots, vanilla plus more. Palate: exceptionally rich and concentrated tropical fruits, custard apple, citrus zest, caramel, custard, peaches, vanilla, cream, grilled nuts, and a touch of roasted rice. As stated in my previous note on this wine, a drop of Heaven! Superbly balanced, viscous yet smooth, seductive, ultra-delicious with a phenomenally long finish. This and the previous wine were matched to creme brulee with candied cumquats, nougatine, and chocolate & chilli ice cream. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1971 | Thu Jul 28 15:27:21 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Colour: deep brick red, with a medium rim. Nose: open and quite fruity, of dark berries, plums, mushrooms, leather and earth. On the palate: still tight and structure and plenty of plummy, pruny sweet fruit, along with well developed secondary characteristics of leather, mushrooms, dark chocolate, cold roasted meats sweet and a hint of coffee. Ultra smooth and silky with a lengthy finish. Over the course of dinner it continued to open up, improve and seem to get younger, with more fruit coming through! Out of all the vintages that I've tasted so far, this vintage is simply the best and lived up to its reputation as one of the top Granges. We probably were fortunate enough to have had a bottle that was good enough to showcase the wine | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Leongatha/Gippsland Bass-Phillip 3me Cru Classe 1997 | Thu Jul 28 15:31:29 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Colour: dense, deep scarlet. Nose: raspberries and cherries, hint of earthiness/smokiness. Palate: raspberry/cherry/red-berry fruits with some earthy, damp forest undergrowth/dried moss, wet granite notes, and just a tiny touch of medicinal/herbal/tarry nuance. Silky smooth tannins, fairly concentrated flavours and a long lingering finish. Initially, there were some worries about the bottle due to appearance of some bubbles, but turned out okay in the end. Possibly a bottle that is not in the best of conditions. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Leongatha/Gippsland Bass-Phillip Premium Pinot Noir 1997 | Thu Jul 28 15:32:09 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Colour: dense, deep scarlet. Nose: raspberries and cherries, hint of earthiness/smokiness. Palate: raspberry/cherry/red-berry fruits with some earthy, damp forest undergrowth/dried moss, wet granite notes, and just a tiny touch of medicinal/herbal/tarry nuance. Silky smooth tannins, fairly concentrated flavours and a long lingering finish. Initially, there were some worries about the bottle due to appearance of some bubbles, but turned out okay in the end. Possibly a bottle that is not in the best of conditions. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chassagne-Montrachet Blain-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 1998 | Thu Jul 28 15:34:19 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Colour: straw/gold. Nose: delicate stonefruit, grapefruit and touches of butterscotch. Palate: aromatic, lifted stone fruits, hints of jasmine, lemongrass, wet rice grains/pebbles, amazingly long length and finishing bone dry. Classy and elegant, even more so than the 1997. Complex, delicate, interesting, structured and still developing, but what a magnificent drink right now. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1995 | Thu Jul 28 15:36:14 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Colour: deep gold. Nose: Toast, honey, butterscotch, nuts On the palate: Bang! A big hunk of a wine, exploding with honeyed fruit, balanced by zingy acidity. Lemon, tangerine, grapefruit with tropical highlights, then creamy, displaying roasted macadamias and cashews. What a wine, BIG, superbly balanced, amazing length - a pure pleasure to drink. Certainly living up to its vintage reputation and like previous bottles, has never disappointed so far. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1995 | Sat Jun 17 02:29:21 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #6 - Colour: clear deep yellow/gold. Nose: complex, toast, honey, butterscotch, roasted cashews. Palate: pronounced honeyed citrus fruit with tropical notes, lively, high acidity, full body, smooth, creamy/buttery mouthfeel and concentrated flavours. Like previous tastings of this wine, this is a massive Australian chardonnay, exploding with honey, roasted cashews, and rich creamy butterscotch. Well balanced by zingy citrus fruit acidity and complex tropical top notes. Amazing length on the finish, yet another outstanding bottle of liquid pleasure. No wonder it is widely considered the pinnacle of Australian chardonnay. So far, every bottle that I've ever had the fortune to taste has never disappointed. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Eden Valley Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon 1990 | Thu Jul 28 15:39:17 EST 2005 |
| PR Dinner (29/4/05) - Colour: light gold/straw, abundance of fine bubbles rising lazily from the bottom of the flute. Nose: dry biscuits, delicate fruit and hints of toast and yeast. On the palate - a fine creamy mousse, with a impressive concentration of citrus/lemon/white peach fruit and finely balanced by zingy, zesty refreshing acidity. Now 15 years old, it still feels youthful, with the slightest hint of toast and honey. Super smooth and creamy, with amazing length. Fantastic champagne, still evolving and improving! I wish I had bought more!! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 2000 | Thu Jul 28 15:46:38 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: deep red-plum-purple. Nose: open, plums, dark berries, black pepper and whiffs of licorice. On the palate: Despite its youth in the Grange scale of things, an immediately accessible and enjoyable drink (unlike those from the top classic vintages). Sweet dark berry and plummy fruit, medium concentration with spicy, black peppery characteristics reminiscent of the cooler Northern Rhone reds, and well complimented by toasty oak. Very smooth on the palate due to barrel fermentation. A lighter style of Grange from a difficult year that gave only a quarter of the average Grange yield (hence the price tag despite the lesser vintage reputation). Interestingly, Peter reckons this vintage may sit alongside the other lesser (C-team) vintages of 92, 84 and 74 (to pick the worst of each decade). However, I've tasted all those three vintages, and I reckon they are fantastic to drink (especially the 84), being more approachable at a younger age. "A solid C-team performer", said Peter of the 2000. Nonetheless, it is a red that you would be more than happy to drink on any/every day (if you don't think of the cost)! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1991 | Thu Jul 28 15:55:56 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: dense, almost opaque, dark plum-crimson. Nose: open, plums, dark berries, whiffs of coconuts/licorice. On the palate: powerful and concentrated sweet fruit core, rich dark chocolate and a bit of black coffee. Not yet showing much secondary aged characteristics, though perhaps a tiny hint of game/roasted meat. Another powerful Grange from a top vintage, one said to rival or even surpass the legendary 1990. As usual with such a wine from such a vintage, it is yet to open up in full glory, and it will have a long life ahead of it. A bargain compared to the 1990, and a solid A-team Grange. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1986 | Thu Jul 28 16:00:06 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: dark plum/maroon. Nose: restrained, slightly floral, plums and blackberries. On the palate: rich, concentrated and complex, a hint of leather/briar, chocolate, tons of fruit with hints of prunes and licorice. A powerful Grange that is just starting to reveal interesting complex aged characteristics, ultra-smooth and completely absorbed toasty coconut oak. Very pleasurable to drink now with a long, lingering finish, but you just know that it will go on improving for a while more. Definite one of the "A-team" of Granges, to use a phrase of Peter's (he sorts the Grange into three levels, the A, B and C team). I am definitely thrilled to taste this vintage of Grange finally, having read so much about it, and my expectations have been fulfilled. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2002 | Thu Jul 28 16:03:30 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: dark opaque purplish-crimson. Nose - floral, plum, dark berries and hint s of licorice. Palate - concentrated, again with the sweet Barossa fruit characteristic, with the savoury, spicy French oak quite evident, smooth ripe tannins. A more massive structure but well balanced against all other aspects of the wine. Again, much too young for my taste, I'd leave it in the cellar for another 4 to 5 more years. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Penfolds RWT Shiraz 1998 | Thu Jul 28 16:05:48 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: dark crimson. Nose - plums, dark berries. Palate - concentrated, with the signature Barossa sweet fruit core, black and blue berries, dark chocolate, savoury spices reminiscent of cloves and aniseed, well integrated subtle oak. Good structure and balance, with a lengthy finish. Should still improve for some years. According to Peter, the Penfolds RWT Shiraz is designed to sit alongside the Grange, the main difference being the use of French Oak instead of American Oak. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Kalimna Penfolds Block 42 2004 | Thu Jul 28 16:07:58 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - The second Mystery Wine of the night (not yet released). Colour: opaque, purple-black, virtually no rim! Nose: cassis with a floral lift. On the palate: Wow! Fantastic!!! Immensely concentrated and powerful with massive yet superfine, ultra-smooth tannins, and completely integrated vanillin/coconut oak with a rich finish that just goes on and on. The colour gave away its age, but the exceptional balance and quality of the wine (despite its extreme youth) made it an immense pleasure to drink. Except for some wine writers and journalists at a recent Penfolds launch, we were amongst the very first people outside of Penfolds to sample this incredible wine, one that will only be released in 2007. This is finest Australian Cabernet Sauvignon that I've ever tasted and it will surpass the 1996 in years to come. It is further worth noting that the Block 42 is a "single block" wine, and is only released as such in exceptional vintages of which there have only been five (48, 53, 64, 96 and now the 2004). Being from an individual block within a single vineyard, this perhaps exceeds the French "terroir" philosophy of producing its best and most unique wines from single vineyards! A wine to watch out for and not to be missed! | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin707 Cabernet Sav 2002 | Thu Jul 28 16:15:23 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: opaque with a tight purplish-crimson rim. Nose: blackcurrants, a very slight hint of mint and flowers. Palate: concentrated blackcurrant/cassis, intense yet silky fine tannins, a massive sweet fruit core supporting a powerful structure that swallowed all that new American oak thrown at it. Balanced and very long length. Too young to drink now, but with age, should reveal layers and layers of complexity. Note that this wine has no Coonawarra component in it. Should make an interesting comparison with the 1990 when it reaches an equivalent age. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin707 Cabernet Sav 1990 | Thu Jul 28 16:17:16 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: opaque with a deep red-maroon rim. Nose: blackcurrants, cedary cigar box, dried tobacco leaves. Palate: mirrors the nose with additional flavour of mulberries, dark chocolate and a touch of leafiness/capsicum that shows the Coonawarra characteristics of its dominant component (83%, according to Peter). Concentrated, powerful yet balanced, smooth with ultrafine tannins wrapped around a solid sweet fruit core and a very long finish. A remarkable wine from an outstanding vintage that tasted youthful yet complex, with still years of life ahead of it. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Cellar Reserve Sangiovese 2003 | Thu Jul 28 16:20:09 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - The first Mystery Wine of the night. Colour: deep maroon-red. Nose: prunes, cherries, dark berries. Palate: plummy, sour cherries, prunes, savoury, fine and ripe tannins with a slightly sweet fruit core and a just a tiny hint of vanilla. Nice to drink now and will develop with cellaring. A tricky wine for an amateur like me to guess, as it smelt and tasted like a red with 4 to 5 years of ageing (based on the colour and smooth mouthfeel), despite helpful hints from Peter. A great alternative to the standard reds and should go beautifully with classic Italian dishes (like osso bucco, yum!). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna 2002 | Thu Jul 28 16:22:23 EST 2005 |
| MW-Wines Penfolds Master Class with Peter Gago (5/7/05) - Colour: pale straw. Nose: stone fruits, a bit closed compared to the 1998. Palate: stone fruits, grapefruit, a tiny but refreshing hint of grassiness/straw, reflecting a cooler vintage. A much tighter style with a touch of minerality not unlike a Chablis. As explained by Peter, the Yattarna is still pretty much a work-in-progress, but this and later vintages are heading towards the classic white burgundy style. Although pleasant to drink now, this wine has the structure and fruit to develop for quite a few more years. Will live longer than the 1998, so I'd wait a while before popping the cork on another one. | ||
| Sharad | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1994 | Sat Aug 13 20:51:31 EST 2005 |
| Deep dark colour - only just slightly browning - but more a deep garnet red - dark ruby in colour. Nose was obviously cabernet - perfumed like sweet leather and only hints of cigar box (wood). - not too woody but more rsally complex. On the palette quite concentrated and long - roses and perfume on the finish. Overall this is a cabernet that I would not describe as blackcurrant fruit with cigar box - instead it is much more complex - and ctually, I am having difficulty describing it. Overall, probably the best Ausie cab I have ever had - I would not have immediately picked it as Bordeaux but definitely not Australian too. Whilst this wine has much more life n it I enjoyed it as it is now - intense, complex and with plenty of life. | ||
| DanAgain | Germany Rheingau - Robert Weil Kabinett Halbtrocken 2003 | Thu Sep 01 21:56:59 EST 2005 |
| Brilliant, but almost clear, golden/straw color. Nose was relatively closed offering faint aromas of white flavors. Attack and mid-palate seemed hollow, and although the wine picked up on the finish, I found it disinteresting. The wine was relatively well balanced in terms of acidity, but I think there was a touch too much alcohol. It improved in the glass. | ||
| steven byrne | Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Las Cases 2me cru classe 1988 | Wed Sep 07 06:59:27 EST 2005 |
| Total balance and stucture. Never wanted it to end. | ||
| steven byrne | France - carmes haut brion red 1998 | Wed Sep 07 07:03:52 EST 2005 |
| Bought whole case of this. Had three bottles over the last two years and really enjoyed it . Still quite tannic. Will last for 15 or more years. | ||
| steven byrne | France Bordeaux laffite 1me cruclasse 1997 | Wed Sep 07 07:09:17 EST 2005 |
| Really great and ready to drink now, but will last 10 or more years. | ||
| David Chan | Portugal Upper Douro - Graham's Vintage Port 1966 | Tue Sep 13 16:08:28 EST 2005 |
| MW French Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #12 - Colour: reddish/hazel/deep mahogany. Nose: restrained, spirity. Palate: sherry-like, woody, soft, spirity/hot, rich but not too sweet. I haven't tasted many authentic vintage ports (i.e. those from Portugal, not the Australian version). Consequently, I do not know what to make of this wine. It is the one I liked least amongst the twelve wines tasted at this dinner, even though it went well enough with coffee and petites fours. Although described as a 5-star vintage and 5-star wine by Michael Broadbent in his Vintage Wine book, people around the table did not seem to think too highly of this wine. I'll reserve judgement until I gain more experience with such wines. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 1971 | Tue Sep 13 16:15:47 EST 2005 |
| MW French Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #10 - Colour: coppery gold/orange. Nose: a complex bouquet of caramel, toffee, tropical fruits and other aromas that are hard to put into words. On the palate: a rich, concentrated and complex array of flavours, with citrus, orange peel, burnt toffee, caramel, tropical fruits (jack fruit, cempedak), sherry, coffee/mocha, cold tea. Delicious, smooth, with a long lengthy finish. The oldest Yquem that I've tasted to date, and I am certainly impressed with range of flavours that it develops with decades of ageing. | ||
| David Chan | France Rhone - Northern Hermitage P. Jaboulet-Aine Hermitage La Chappelle 1978 | Tue Sep 13 16:19:47 EST 2005 |
| MW French Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #9 - Colour: dark red/garnet. Nose - beautiful! Floral notes amongst plum, dark berries and perfume. Palate - Fantastic! Complex, concentrated black and red berries, plums, dark chocolate, spices, tar and roses, licorice, violets with hints of cold roast, white pepper, wrapped around a sweet core of fruit. Superbly balanced with still plenty of fruit, draped with soft silky fine tannins. Phenomenally lengthy finish. Reminded me of another great Hermitage that I tasted 3 years ago (the Chave 1989), but with over a decade of extra ageing that adds another level of complexity (and enjoyment). Outstanding! I am compelled to collect this wine, especially in great vintages! This and the previous wine were served with seared Highland venison and fresh borlotti beans, galette of potato and corn, and a sauce poivrade. | ||
| David Chan | France Rhone - Northern Hermitage J. L. Chave Hermitage 1990 | Tue Sep 13 16:22:45 EST 2005 |
| MW French Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #8 - Colour: deep crimson/maroon. Nose restrained, black cherries, plums, dark berries. Palate - faulty, with a faint wet cardboard taste that detracted from the tarry, spicy, cherry, plum flavours with hints of pepper, also with a curious medicinal/licorice note. Massive concentration and structure are evident, along with smooth, ultrafine tannins and a very long finish. Youthful, and would have been a classy drink, but unfortunately marred by a low level of cork taint. | ||
| ERIC JAGODA | France Rhone - Northern Hermitage J. L. Chave Hermitage 1990 | Sun May 14 02:47:16 EST 2006 |
| I TASTED THIS RICH CLASSIC AT TABLE D'ANVERS RESTAURANT IN PARIS LAST FALL. THOUGHT IT FULLY MATURE AND NICE COMPLIMENT TO SWEETBREADS IN A RED WINE SAUCE. AT 250 EUROS, I GUESS A PRETTY GOOD VALUE?! BUT SHOCKED THAT THE WAITER CITED ROBERT PARKER'S RATING WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE WINE. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Charmes-Chambertin Henri de Villamont Succession du Dr. Barolet Charmes-Chambertin | Tue Sep 13 16:26:31 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #7 - Colour: orange-red/mahogany. Nose: complex - initially, old sweaty singlets, quite off-putting and I was not at all impressed. But later, the nose opened up with dried apricots, citrus peel, raisins, and smoky dried fruits! The nose kept evolving over the course of the hour that I sipped this wine. Amazing! Palate: Wow! A melange of flavours, ethereal, sweet and rounded, concentrated even. The wine kept changing and revealing layers and layers of flavours. From old sweaty garments (interesting but ugh!) to sweet cherries, plums, chocolate, creamy tropical fruits, dried berries and citrus fruits, the experience was unique (to me) and an awesome one. The experts, with past experience of tasting similar wines, likened it to a favourite old granny whose company is immensely enjoyable. The experience cannot be adequately described. I would never have imagined that a 68 year old bottle of pinot noir can be so amazing, and we are indeed lucky to chance upon a bottle in good nick. This is my first choice for the wine of the night. (Note: this wine was opened just prior to serving). This and the previous wine were served with a crispy suckling pig on pan roasted parmesan gnocchi with fresh grapes in cooking juices and a light mustard sauce. What a match! | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Richebourg Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg 1990 | Tue Sep 13 16:29:45 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #6 - Colour: ruby red with dark brickish red rim. Nose: cherries, red berry fruits, earthy. Palate: focused and powerful, concentrated cherry, raspberry/strawberry, earthy, sweet fruit, with a touch of dustiness, dried herbs, cold roast meat. Massive structure, supremely well balanced fruit and acidity, silky smooth tannins with a drying finish of extraordinary length. Still youthful, yet with a complexity that is beginning to unfold. What a wine - pinot noir perfection! It is an absolute privilege to taste it. God only knows how long this wine will live, particularly in light of the next wine. (Note: this wine was double-decanted 4.5 hours prior to serving). | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Vosne-Romanee Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg 1990 | Tue Sep 13 16:31:04 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #6 - Colour: ruby red with dark brickish red rim. Nose: cherries, red berry fruits, earthy. Palate: focused and powerful, concentrated cherry, raspberry/strawberry, earthy, sweet fruit, with a touch of dustiness, dried herbs, cold roast meat. Massive structure, supremely well balanced fruit and acidity, silky smooth tannins with a drying finish of extraordinary length. Still youthful, yet with a complexity that is beginning to unfold. What a wine - pinot noir perfection! It is an absolute privilege to taste it. God only knows how long this wine will live, particularly in light of the next wine. (Note: this wine was double-decanted 4.5 hours prior to serving). | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pauillac Latour 1962 | Tue Sep 13 16:35:19 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #5 - Colour: deep garnet, with a plum, slightly brown rim. Nose: wonderful! Complex, cassis, perfumed, hints of leather. Palate: mirrors the nose but in greater concentration, complex, but still with loads of fruit to go with the brawny tannic structure. Rather than exploding all over ones palate, the wine is focused, with a smoothness, texture, balance and power that can only come about in a great wine that had decades of ageing. Despite the 42+ years of age, this wine tastes as though it will hold for many more years. This and the previous wine were served with honey & szechuan pepper glazed duck with savoy cabbage and sauce salmis, duck neck & foie gras salad with apple, quince and ginger. (Note: decanted 4.5 hours prior to serving) | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Puligny-Montrachet Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Le Montrachet 2000 | Tue Sep 13 16:43:56 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #3 - Colour: pale gold/straw, with legs. Nose: light citrus fragrance. Palate: Wow! Steely and mineral, but at the same time, complex, textured, concentrated, toasty with citrus, and vanilla highlights. Superbly balanced, with a finish that just keeps going. Served with a tourte of pheasant and mushrooms with bacon, truffles and truffle sauce. According to the experts at the table, this wine, when it reaches the peak of its maturity (perhaps in 10 years) will surpass the previous wine (#2). My first taste of a Le Montrachet, and a Romanee-Conti at that! I sincerely hope that I can afford to taste it again when it is at optimum maturity. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pessac Leognan Haut-Brion Grand Vin 1989 | Tue Sep 13 16:47:39 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #4 - Colour: deep plum/maroon. Nose: open and fragrant, of ripe blackcurrants, tobacco, smoke. Palate: concentrated flavours; cedary, spicy, cigar box, dried tobacco leaves, blackcurrant jam, roasted coffee! The wine is so massively rich, textured and structured that you can imagine eating it with a spoon. Yet, it is balanced and smooth, with satiny tannins that slides down ones throat with apparent ease. A very, very long finish. No wonder experts rave about it, an exceptional wine from an outstanding vintage that tasted youthful yet complex, with decades of development to go. (Note: this wine was decanted approximately 7 hours prior to serving.) | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Puligny-Montrachet Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet 1985 | Tue Sep 13 16:51:12 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #2 - Colour: golden yellow. Nose: toast, honey, a hint of floral tones. Palate: full bodied, balanced, structured and with power. Creamy, with buttered toast, vanilla, malt, honey. Simply takes over the palate and coats it with indescribable loveliness! It continued to evolve in the glass, getting toastier and nuttier. A fine example of aged grand cru white burgundy holding at its peak. Served with abalone cooked in a salt crust atop pesto risotto with basil & tomato vinaigrette. Mmmm! My second choice for the wine of the night, it was collectively designated the overall wine of the night. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Krug Vintage 1990 | Tue Sep 13 16:53:20 EST 2005 |
| MW Museum Wine Dinner at Jacques Reymond (9/8/05) - Wine #1 - Colour: glowing straw. Nose: slighty toasty, yeasty and hints of nuts and biscuits. Palate: creamy, silky mousse, rich, concentrated flavours of white peaches, lime/citrus with yeast/biscuit/walnut highlights and just a hint of honey toast. The balance and length of this wine is extraordinary, and underpinning all this is a refreshing ripe citrusy acid structure that should give this wine a long life (with ideal cellaring, of course). Served with gougeres, it is a fantastic wine to mark the start of a truly memorable dinner. This dinner was organized by Joseph Micelli and Robert Worthington of MW Wines and held at Jacques Reymond. Guests of honour includes James Halliday and Randall Pollard, both regaling us with wine tales and anecdotes, along with their insightful comments on the wines served. Thanks again to MW Wines for putting on yet another great event! | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Krug Vintage 1990 | Sat Jun 17 02:43:58 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #2 - Colour: clear, pale-to-medium gold. Nose: clean, medium toasted oak, yeast, hints of nuts and biscuits. Palate: full bodied; creamy, silky mousse; rich, concentrated flavours of citrus, lemon with yeast/biscuit/walnut highlights and honeyed toast. High acidity but extraordinarily well balanced by the intense flavour structure, with a length of finish to match. If anything, more evolved and complex compared to my previous tasting note (not surprising, given this was tasted out of a standard bottle, vs a magnum). | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Barossa Valley Wolf Blass Grey Label 1992 | Mon Sep 19 13:16:41 EST 2005 |
| Tasted at Uncle Andy's (28/9/05) - Colour:medium red with a watery brick red rim. Nose: earthy, dusty, with hints of plum and blackcurrants. Palate: smooth, mature but a bit thin, with a little fruit left mingled with earth, leather and briar. Drying out, tannins a touch dominant - a bit past it, so drink up! | ||
| Ferruzzi | Unites States California Carneros Rohmbauer Chardonnay 2003 | Sat Sep 24 07:19:07 EST 2005 |
| Look - Clarity: Clear - Brightness: Bright - Color: Straw - Concentration: Low - Rim Variation: 1-3 years - Gas: None - Viscosity: Low Smell - Power: Strong - Fruit: Pineapple - Earth: Clean - Acidity: Medium - Complexity: Medium Taste - Sweetness: Dry - Body: Medium [[2% milk]] - Acidity: Medium-High - Fruit: Pineapple, Light Butter, Ripe Pear - Wood: Light Vanilla and hints of Cinnamin [[Aged in both American and French Oaks?]] - Complexity: medium-Hight - Finish: Medium-Long Pairing: Would go great with Mahi or a tropical salsa | ||
| RW | Australia Victoria Heathcote Jasper Hill Georgia's Paddock 1998 | Wed Sep 28 18:08:25 EST 2005 |
| Colour was a deep red with aromas from cherry, herbal, earthy and spicy and slight hotness due to high level of alcohol. White pepper, dryness and slighty unbalanced but was generally very good, with good gripping tannins and a lovely lengthy finish | ||
| Ralph Sutcliffe | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Poyferre 2me cru classe 1979 | Sat Oct 01 18:27:22 EST 2005 |
| Considerable power and finesse for a 26 year old wine. A classic Bordeaux wine. | ||
| Anonymous | California Alexander Valley leyth leyth 1987 | Tue Dec 27 14:57:52 EST 2005 |
| 1987 Meritage; A great bottle. Bright color. Great fruit. Mellow tanins. Has been well stored and would be good for at least another 5+years. Unfortunately was my last bottle. | ||
| Anonymous | Unites States Napa Valley napa A. Clape opus 1987 | Tue Dec 27 15:07:14 EST 2005 |
| Opus 1987: A great bottle - all there! This wine has been well stored since recieved in '90. As note its great now but probably need s to be drunk in the next couple of years. | ||
| Anonymous | France Bordeaux Pauillac Mouton - Rothschild 1990 | Thu Jan 05 23:01:24 EST 2006 |
| Wonderful wine, smooth and flavourful. However even after decanting the wine remained cloudy and hazy. Any thoughts on this? | ||
| Anonymous | France Bordeaux Pauillac Mouton - Rothschild 1990 | Thu Feb 23 08:24:31 EST 2006 |
| Really odd that it should be cloudy. As far as i know it is filtered. Maybe just a single odd botlle - have you got another one to try? | ||
| Anonymous | United States Yadkin Valley Yadkin Valley A. Clape Shelton Vineyard NV | Wed Feb 01 03:21:52 EST 2006 |
| I have had quite a few from Shelton Vineyards. The last one was their 2005 Riesling. It was crisp and refreshing, not too sweet with a green apple/pear flavors. I had heard their 2003 was top 50 in the Wine Report so I had to give it a try. It was great. I have had thier 2004 Syrah as well and it was also crisp and dry but it didn't leave that heavy after taste. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 | Fri Mar 03 20:43:27 EST 2006 |
| ok, so 2003 is supposed to be better than 2002 for Coonawarra ... well it is probably just me, but i really am having difficulty in finishing my glass. ... i LOVE cab sav ... but this wine seems more like Shiraz to me. I don't get that much cegar box or roses ... but more simply a combo of wood and intense fruit (prunes) .. and not much of complex aftertaste. Technically, it is a good wine, but i just do not like it :( ... it just reminds me of Shiraz. | ||
| Anonymous | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 | Sat Jun 17 16:49:20 EST 2006 |
| And what is wrong with Shiraz? That's like saying I didn't like it because it tasted like red wine. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 | Sat Jun 17 21:11:10 EST 2006 |
| Nothing wrong with Shiraz - it is just that I like Cab Sav because I feel it ultimately can give a more complex wine .... | ||
| Anonymous | United States Russian River Valley Russian River Valley Harvest Moon Zinfandel 2002 | Wed May 24 14:44:43 EST 2006 |
| Representing the "Elegant" side of Zinfandel, this 100% Estate Zin has ueber amounts of fresh, juicy raspberry with out the confrontational alcohol or aggressive American oak. One of the absolute beautiful renditions of Zin- balance between supurbly tart acidity and lushous moutfeel. The complexity lies witin the neverending layers of famous red fruit hailing from the Russian River Valley. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Barsac Coutet Cuvee Madame 1986 | Sat Jun 17 02:05:39 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #12 - Colour: clear, deep old gold. Nose: clean, pronounced apricot, marmalade, honey. Palate: sweet, exceptionally rich and concentrated, bursting at the seams with layers and layers of flavours that one could spend a whole night unraveling: liquefied apricots, ripe peaches, nougat, vanilla custard, cream, jackfruit, pineapple, custard apple, orange zest, toasted nuts, lightly roasted rice. Despite the multitude of flavours, this Barsac has a focused structure and superb acid-sweetness balance, culminating in a finish that lasted for over a minute! According to Robert Parker, only 4 barrels of this wine is made, and only in exceptional vintages. It is considered to be equivalent in quality to a d'Yquem, but scarcer. If I hadn't seen the label on the bottle, I would have assumed that it was a Yquem. I've only ever seen one, maybe two, bottles of this wine on sale in the last 7 years, and I seriously doubt I'll find another bottle in the next 7 years, so a tremendous thanks to our host for sharing it! | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pessac Leognan Haut-Brion Grand Vin 1986 | Sat Jun 17 02:10:58 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #11 - Colour: opaque, deep crimson/maroon. Nose: clean, pronounced ripe blackcurrants, tobacco leaves. Palate: clean, intense, concentrated sweet fruit core of blackcurrants with savoury oak and complex secondary characteristics of tobacco, smoke and black coffee. All this was well integrated with an elegant yet powerful and concentrated tannic structure, silkily textured yet well balanced by unobtrusive acidity followed by a long, long finish. An iron fist in a satin glove is quite an apt description. Almost 20 years old, yet so youthful and a real pleasure to drink. My second Haut Brion, and I sincerely hope that this is not my last. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Las Cases 2me cru classe 1982 | Sat Jun 17 02:15:19 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #10 - Colour: opaque, deep dark crimson. Nose: clean, powerful, pronounced ripe blackcurrants, dark berries with some cedary highlights. Palate: Another amazingly youthful tasting wine, quite backward in development. Power, concentration, structure, texture and finesse, this wine has it all. Intense concentration of fruit flavours, bursting at the seams with cassis and ripe dark berries, which in turn are superbly well balanced by massive but super fine and smooth tannin structure that also sports a flinty, mineral streak throughout. Well rounded, with emerging aromas of dark chocolate, coffee beans, pencil shavings and cedary oak. Tremendously long length, the flavours keep lingering and lingering. So young does this wine taste that one is led to believe that it can easily be cellared for another 20 to 30 year, all the while gaining in complexity. A Robert Parker 100 pointer… it is obvious why! | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Las Cases 2me cru classe 1982 | Sat Jun 17 21:22:24 EST 2006 |
| Had this on the night of the last Australian Federal election - opened before I knew the result. The fruit was so sweet and fresh - as if it was bottled just yesterday. This is a really intense fresh wine - I can't get over how old it is. ... it definitly has a good 20+ years to go .... I can't imagine what it will be like then - I can't imagine the comlex flavours that it will gain - presently it is intense, fresh but everything is their in an obvious way. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1976 | Sat Jun 17 02:19:13 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #9 - Colour: deep darkish crimson-maroon. Nose: classic shiraz fruit, plums, black berries, hint of leather. Palate: dry but the powerful, concentrated blackberry, mulberry and plum flavours impart an apparent fruity sweetness to counterbalance the highish acidity structure. Supported by smooth, fine tannins and well integrated vanilla oak. Supplemented by developing secondary aromas of dark chocolate, spicy/savoury licorice, hints of old leather. A superb Grange, a worthy successor to the previous great Grange 1971 vintage. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Julien Talbot 4me cru classe 1953 | Sat Jun 17 02:24:29 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #8 - Colour: still almost opaque, deep garnet and a deep plum rim with orange/brown edges. Nose: clean, displaying pronounced cassis, hints of leather and licorice. Palate: amazingly youthful, still full of fruit, focused, concentrated cassis, plums and dark berries, along with complex secondary aromas of licorice, leather, cold roasts and a hint of egg white (perhaps a remnant of the fining process). Ultra smooth tannic structure and a full body, this wine is still holding at its peak. We were extremely lucky to chance upon a bottle that seems to have been perfectly cellared. Despite the 52 years of age, the level of the wine is still well into the neck. The sommelier at Matteo's thought that this was the best 50+ year old bottle that he could ever recall seeing. Certainly no signs of tiredness or ageing in the wine. This is the oldest red Bordeaux that I've ever tasted to date, and if this is what red Bordeaux transforms into after half a century, it is well worth the wait! | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Vosne-Romanee Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg 1986 | Sat Jun 17 02:27:02 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #7 - Colour: clear, crimson-maroon with a deep brickish red rim. Nose: frambois, strawberry, earth, smoky bacon fat, a touch of volatile acidity. Palate: pronounced, concentrated raspberry/strawberry, cherry, classic pinot fruit flavours, along with complex secondary aroma comprising damp earth, roast meat and bacon fat. Integrated with this is a silky fine but strong tannic structure with a finish of great length. A maturing, rich and complex red burgundy from a famous grand cru vineyard from the world's most highly sought after Domaine. For me, this is pretty much pinot noir perfection. Thank you for your great generosity in sharing this precious wine with us on your birthday! | ||
| David Chan | France Rhone - Northern Hermitage P. Jaboulet-Aine Hermitage Chevalier de Sterimberg 1999 | Sat Jun 17 02:33:01 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #5 - Colour: clear medium-deep gold/old gold. Nose: clean, honeysuckle, vanilla. Palate: medium acidity, full bodied, broad flavour strokes of honeysuckle, glycerine, with pomegranate and vanilla tones. Big, structured, well integrated, full flavoured wine, apparent alcohol and a big long finish. My first white Hermitage, a blend of marsanne and roussanne that is quite unlike any Australian version of the classic Rhone white blend that I've tasted. Bursting with fruit and flavour, and rather big for a French white wine, but with the structure to age. Certainly a wine that can stand up to stronger flavoured food. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Puligny-Montrachet Drouhin - Marquis Laguiche Le Montrachet 1996 | Sat Jun 17 02:36:52 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #4 - Colour: clear pale gold/straw, with legs. Nose: clean, medium fruit of white peach, citrus and hints of toast. Palate: Wow! Perfect chardonnay fruit, pronounced white peaches, stone fruit but bone dry, mineral and a zingy lemon/citrus acidity. Concentrated, structured and very elegant. Crowned with rich aged honey, subtle toast/toffee and vanilla highlights. Superbly balanced, with a great long finish that seems to keep going. My second taste of a Le Montrachet, from a different producer, but there is no mistaking the outstanding richness, depth of flavour and elegance that sets it apart from other grand cru white burgundies. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Ay Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francais (VVF) 1989 | Sat Jun 17 02:41:23 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #3 - Colour: clear, straw with a tinge of salmon. Nose: clean, pronounced honeyed, fruit, a hint of frambois. Palate: incredible - concentrated honey, citrus juice, with an intense heavy pinot fruit that imparts an apparent sweetness. Definitely frambois notes with a huge streak of yeastiness that is well complimented by vanillin oak. Full bodied, balanced and structured, this is more like a powerful, intensely flavoured white wine (almost dessert-wine-like in structure) with bubbles, as opposed to a more traditional champagne. I'm not sure what to make of it. It tasted like no other blanc de noir champagne that I've had, so this is a unique 1st experience of the famous VVF for me. Hope it won't be the last either. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Ay Bollinger Grande Annee 1996 | Sat Jun 17 02:47:00 EST 2006 |
| Friend's Birthday Dinner at Matteo's (Oct 05) - Wine #1 - Colour: clear, pale yellow/straw/gold. Nose: clean, light-to-medium fruit, slight hints of toast, yeast/biscuits. Palate: delicate creamy mousse; zingy (high) citrus/lemon acidity, bursting with concentrated pinot fruit flavours that gave an otherwise dry wine a rich apparent fruit sweetness. Subtle toasty, yeasty highlights with a long, smooth finish. Totally delicious way to start a meal and get the gastric juices flowing. | ||
| David Chan | Australia New South Wales Riverina De Bertoli Noble One 1983 | Sun Jul 09 16:22:13 EST 2006 |
| DC's birthday dinner at Matteo's (8/7/06) - Wine #6 - Colour: clear, deep orange/hazel/strong tea. Nose: clean, pronounced apricot, orange peel and wet tea leaves. Palate: medium sweetness and acidity, medium bodied with apricot, marmalade, caramel and cold strong tea flavours, and a reasonably lengthy finish. Comments: I found this wine not too sweet and rich compared to some of the later vintages. It seems to lack the usual full-bodied mouth feel that one has come to expect from a Noble One, but it is probably a slightly below-par bottle. | ||
| David Chan | Italy Piedmonte Barolo Macarini La Serra 1998 | Sun Jul 09 16:33:05 EST 2006 |
| DC's birthday dinner at Matteo's (8/7/06) - Wine #5 - Colour: deep darkish crimson-maroon. Nose: clean, open, of black cherries, tar and tiny hint of violets . Palate: dry, high acidity and high tannins, with medium black cherries and dark berries, spicy oak, chewy/tarry tannins, subtle floral notes of violets and roses. Astringent/slightly bitter/dark chocolate back palate and a longish finish. Comments: a forward and flavoursome wine, but a tad tannic for a drink-only wine. As per most Italian wines, designed to go with food, and paired beautifully with the eye fillet drizzled with red wine sauce. | ||
| David Chan | Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1975 Pichon Longueville Comtess De Lalande 1975 | Sun Jul 09 16:37:19 EST 2006 |
| DC's birthday dinner at Matteo's (8/7/06) - Wine #4 - Colour: amazingly, a deep plum/garnet, still fairly opaque. Clear-ish (due to some sediment from the pouring). Nose: blackcurrants with smoky/dusty, fairly pronounced dried herb/tobacco aromas. Palate: dry, high acidity and tannins but still substantial fruit - cassis, dark currants and secondary aromas of smoky tobacco, dried spices (cloves and aniseed). Long length and a lingering finish. Comments: Slightly on the lean side, still quite tannic despite shedding an appreciable amount of sediment in the bottle, but decent fruit concentration. Possibly more time would soften the tannic structure more, but will the fruit last long enough? Anyway, delicious with a rare eye fillet of Angus beef. | ||
| David Chan | France Rhone - Northern Hermitage E. Guigal Hermitage 1983 | Sun Jul 09 16:43:27 EST 2006 |
| DC's birthday dinner at Matteo's (8/7/06) - Wine #3 - Colour: clear, garnet-maroon with a brick red rim. Nose: pronounced wood, dried herbs, blackcurrants, dark berries. Palate: dry, high acid and high velvety tannins. Medium blackcurrant and black berries flavours, with complex and pronounced secondary woody, medicinal dried herbs and dried spice characteristics. Smooth, velvety fine tannins with a longish finish. Comments: Frank Hayward brought this half-bottle along as a birthday present (and a mystery wine for a wine options game). It totally confused me, as the blackcurrant aroma and the oaky, almost cedary nature of the pronounced wood on the nose made me think it was a semi-mature Bordeaux! Perhaps I just haven't drunk enough Hermitage to be able to distinguish a fully aged version of it. A lovely drop, complex, smooth - thanks, Frank for this lovely birthday present. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Ay Bollinger RD 1995 | Sun Jul 09 16:50:44 EST 2006 |
| DC's birthday dinner at Matteo's (8/7/06) - Wine #1 - Colour: clear, medium golden straw, lazy stream of bubbles. Nose: clean, light honey, slight hints of flowers and bread. Palate: full bodied, with high acidity of juicy citrus-fruits/tangerines well complimented by rich honeyed bread, chestnuts and subtle floral notes. Generous flavours, silky mousse and a long, lingering finish. Comments: My second taste of a Bollinger RD (the last being a 1982 that was not well cellared). It was certainly a delicious, elegant wine, but different from the Grande Annee which possess fresher fruit and zing-ier acidity IMHO. The only difference between the RD and Grande Annee is the additional years of ageing on yeast lees that the RD receives. It will be an interesting exercise to compare them side-by-side from the same vintage. A fine match to the Garfish-nori rolls that I had for starters. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Wynns John Riddoch 1993 | Fri Jul 21 17:57:35 EST 2006 |
| I thought I'd try this on the strength of the 93 Black Label - which I have allways enjoyed. Well, it is true - this wine is indeed just wood and fruit - and they have not at all integrated yet - and i don't know if they every will. I don't get a lot of cabernet complexity - just wood that is starting to soften. It still has lots of tannins - maybe this wine just needs a LOT longer. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Barton 2me cru classe 1962 | Sun Sep 03 22:42:11 EST 2006 |
| DC's belated birthday dinner at Vue de Monde (29/8/06) - Colour: almost opaque garnet/maroon/plum, with a clear but still deep brick red rim. Nose: a touch of volatile acidity but otherwise clean, complex bouquet of cassis, dried tobacco leaves and herbs. Palate: dry, high acidity, smooth fine tannins. Despite the 44 years of age, still a substantial amount of fruit - cassis, dark berries, savoury oak and secondary aromas of tobacco, herbs, cloves, licorice and dark chocolate. Long length and finish. Comments: Rich and generous with plenty of fruit left, but the acid is bit too high for my comfort. On the downhill slide or my turn to have a below average bottle on the bottle variation roulette wheel. Well, Shannon and his staff whipped up some really delicious dishes to go with this nice old St. Julien. Very many thanks to my best friend who shouted me this dinnner as a birthday present. | ||
| David Chan | Portugal Madeira - Barbeito Malvazia 1875 | Thu Sep 07 01:41:00 EST 2006 |
| After dinner drinks at the Melbourne Supper Club (6/9/06) colour - deep russet/plum (hard to tell in the dim light). Nose: Wow! A pronounced amalgam of rancio, nuts, semi-sundried fruits, prunes, spice, dried herbs and savoury wood. The nose is so strong that you can smell it from a few feet away! One could simply spend the whole night just 'drinking' in the rich bouquet. On the palate: Rich, ultrasmooth; an wonderful amplified reprise of the nose. Complex, layered and textured, with a strong acid backbone. Not overly sweet and not overly viscous either. The melange of dried fruit, nut puree, spice, herb and wood flavours are intoxicating. Insanely long finish, lasting minutes. Comments: My first 100+ year old Madeira - what an introduction! My friend was astounded by the intensity of the bouquet, the richness and complexity of the wine. It is not often you get to try a 131 year old wine, I suggest you go to the Melbourne Supper Club and try a glass of this before it runs out! | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pauillac Mouton - Rothschild Grand Vin 1982 | Thu Nov 30 03:18:00 EST 2006 |
| Friend's birthday dinner at the Chef's Table, VdM (30/9/06) – Colour: deep, dark, opaque garnet. Nose: powerful, intense and complex – cassis, tobacco leaves, earth, Palate: Sweet fruit core, exploding with flavour that lasts and lasts and lasts! Powerful, extremely concentrated cassis, black fruits and mulberries, making it taste quite youthful! But there is also the complex aged flavours that included rich black chocolate, freshly broken cigars and earthy notes. The tannic structure is immense, yet super-smooth and supple, well balanced the acid-fruit sweetness. And I can't taste the oak, which has been completely usurped by the fruit and complex flavours. Comments: Well, I can see why this wine and the 1982 Bordeaux vintage are so talked about in the wine circles. This wine, my first 82 first growth, is already 24 years old but yet tastes at least a decade and half younger than it is, but with a complexity and smoothness that can only be gained with over two decades of ageing. Many, many thanks to my incredibly generous friend for sharing this precious bottle. | ||
| Anonymous | Ashton Riverina A. Clape Friday Monkey Shiraz 2005 | Sun Oct 01 15:28:43 EST 2006 |
| All our grapes are grown in riverina region where rich soils and dry summer climate ensure the growth of premium wine grapes. This is a well balanced dry red shiraz with berry fruit and pepper spice aromas. A full fruit driven palate with American oak flavours on the finish. Cellaring Potential An easy drinking wine designed for immediate enjoyment and will also age for several years. Suggested Food Would complement most red meat dishes. Try with roast beef, barbecue meats, continental sausages or just plain cheese. | ||
| Tigga | Australia New South Wales Riverina A. Clape Friday Monkey Shiraz 2005 | Tue Mar 27 08:50:12 EST 2007 |
| This wine is high in residual sugar therefor extremelly sweet with no length or body, extremelly thin with an truckload of fruit, if you like ribena you will love this. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Vosne-Romanee Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache 1990 | Thu Nov 30 03:22:13 EST 2006 |
| Friend's birthday dinner at the Chef's Table, VdM (30/9/06) - Colour: crystal clear crimson. Nose: Fantastic!! Intense raspberry/strawberry/cherries, with complex aged/secondary characteristics - roast meat, hints of prune, earth. Palate: intense, concentrated but very silky and smooth. Sweet red berry fruit and even some black fruit flavours, with delicate hints of fresh herbs, some evolved dried red fruit/cranberry notes. Massive, powerful but balanced, harmonious and still quite youthful, this wine will keep powering on. Comments: We got to taste this wine by sheer chance! The owner of this very fine bottle was a guest at another table, and he saw our bottle of wine (see the next tasting note) and asked for half a glass of ours in exchange for half a glass of his. Needless to say, we jumped at the offer, with great thanks. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chambolle-Musigny A.F. Gros AOC Village 2003 | Thu Nov 30 03:27:28 EST 2006 |
| Friend's birthday dinner at the Chef's Table, VdM (30/9/06) - Colour: deep but clear crimson. Nose: clean, delicately perfumed, hints of maraschino cherries, and subtle spices. Palate: clean, medium-low silky tannins, high acidity, finely structured. Reflects the flavours detected on the nose, also hints of damp moss (sous bois?). Alas, it finishes a bit short. Comments: Wish I've noted what dish was served with this wine, but I was too busy scribbling my tasting notes. I must ask VdM to send me a list of what dishes were served that night. I have also neglected to publish some other wines, mainly because I don't have complete information about the maker etc. Again, I'm told VdM keeps a list of wines that have been served to us that night, so I'll include them when I have the info. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Geelong By Farr Viognier 2004 | Thu Nov 30 03:29:42 EST 2006 |
| Friend's birthday dinner at the Chef's Table, VdM (30/9/06) - Colour: pale straw. Nose: Amazing! Pronounced longans and lychees, peach, nashii pears. Palate: another almost dry (very subtle hint of sweetness) wine, quite alcoholic and hot, astringent, with a minerality reminiscent of wet quartz. Comments: A most unusual flavour profile for a Viognier but I liked it. Certainly a wine that I would happily match to Asian food – after all, longans, lychees and nashii pears are flavours experienced in my childhood growing up in an Asian country. | ||
| David Chan | France Alsace - Josmeyer Pinot Gris 2005 | Thu Nov 30 03:32:53 EST 2006 |
| Friend's birthday dinner at the Chef's Table, VdM (30/9/06) - Colour: very pale straw. Nose: clean, pears. Palate: almost dry, floral notes, along with pears and melon. Medium acidity, quite soft/gentle, full bodied, slightly viscous, rounded mouth feel and reasonable length/finish. Comments: Refreshingly different from your standard table whites. Went very well with my favourite dish at VdM, which is the wild mushroom risotto with heaps of black truffles on top. The texture and flavour of the wine, to me, went well with the texture and flavour of the risotto and truffles. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Cote des Blancs Salon S (Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger) 1990 | Thu Nov 30 03:39:34 EST 2006 |
| Friend's birthday dinner at the Chef's Table, Vue de Monde (VdM, 30/9/06) - Colour: straw, fine stream of bubbles, persistent and vigorous. Nose: honey, spice/perfume and yeast. Palate: clean, high acidity and full bodied, with a bouquet of white peaches, grapefruit, an obdurate streak of yeastiness, almost soy-sauce-like, subtle spice and honey. This is braced by a strong backbone of rounded acidity, reminiscent of kumquats. Phenomenal length and lingering finish, it lasts and lasts and lasts! Comments: My first taste of a Salon, from the phenomenal 1990 vintage. It tasted positively youthful, and alongside other 1990 champagnes, seem destined for a long life. I have since tasted older Salons dating back to early 80's (notes to be published later) which reaffirm my belief that they are built for endurance races as opposed to sprints. I'm not going to open my last bottle until I hit the half century mark! Well matched to a dish of asparagus and scallops submerged in a deep green split-pea soup. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Eden Valley Henschke Hill of Grace 1990 | Thu Nov 30 03:44:45 EST 2006 |
| Vaughan Hanly's 90th Birthday dinner at the Paris-Brest, Perth Hills (17/11/06) - Colour: maroon-garnet. Nose: Wonderfully open, lifted blackberries and ripe plums. Palate: Ultra-smooth, elegant and rich, sweet plum fruit core, subtle savoury oak with blackberries and complex aged flavours of chocolate, leather, hints of spice and mushrooms. Silky smooth tannins add to the elegance of the wine, which keeps going long after you've swallowed the wine. Comments: A fantastically pleasurable drink, truly an iconic Australian Shiraz. This wine was double decanted about 4 hours before we drank it with our dinner at this lovely restaurant in Kalamunda, nestled in the Perth Hills. A truly wonderful drink from a wonderful vintage to celebrate the 90th birthday of a wonderful person, who is, in my humble opinion, as iconic in Australian classical music, violin performance and pedagogy as this (and the next) wine in the Australian wine circle. | ||
| David Chan | Australia South Australia Multi-district blend Penfolds Grange 1990 | Thu Nov 30 03:47:21 EST 2006 |
| Vaughan Hanly's 90th Birthday dinner at the Paris-Brest, Perth Hills (17/11/06) - Colour: dark plum/maroon. Nose: pronounced plums, cherries and blackberries. On the palate: ultra-smooth, rich and concentrated with a ton of fruit - plums, cherries, chocolate, red currants leather/briar, chocolate, prunes, hints of licorice, completed by toasty coconut oak. A powerful Grange that is starting to develop interesting complex aged characteristics but is still quite youthful. A very pleasurable drink, with a very long, lingering finish. Comments: It was double decanted some 4 hours before serving, but even so, it still refused to reveal all of its closed-off potential. You can't help but feel that it will keep improving for two to three decades more, if past great vintages of Grange are the benchmarks. This is my second taste of this great vintage of Grange, and in the intervening 7 years between tastes, the wine has hardly evolved (except to gain complexity and smoothness). I am extremely grateful to Vaughan and his family - Ros, Margie, Stephen, Guido, Yulan, Jackie (and the kids) for accepting me as part of the family and allowing me to share in the fantastic event that is Vaughan's 90th birthday celebrations. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes d'Yquem Grand Vin 2001 | Thu Nov 30 03:51:13 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #13 - Colour: Light straw. Gold. Nose: Wow! Glorious, pure botrytis smell, along with apricot, pineapples, mangos and a whole range of other exotic tropical fruits. Palate: Great texture and mouthfeel, like glycerine yet creamy and almost veloute-like. Exceptionally rich, at a perfect level of sweetness. Concentrated exotic tropical fruits - custard apple, jackfruit, cempedak, peaches and cream, caramel, vanilla, citrus zest… one can spend the whole night conjuring up flavour descriptors. Comments: This d'Yquem has developed/revealed such a complexity that it is hard to accept that it is only 5 years old. It was easy to pick in a blind tasting - for me, the textural qualities, along with the complexity, dimensions and depth of flavours totally gave it away. My 2nd top wine of the night, but easily the best sweet wine I've ever had tasted. I consider myself very fortunate to have tasted this wine twice. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Sauternes Rieussec Grand Vin 2001 | Thu Nov 30 03:55:54 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #12 - Colour: medium deep straw gold, a couple of shades darker than the next wine. Nose: a gorgeous botrytis-infused bouquet of tropical fruits (mangos, pineapples) and apricot. Palate: deliciously rich, creamy apricot, tropical fruit salad, a touch of honey, toffee and toasty oak. Comments: On its own, a superb Sauternes, almost d'Yquem-like except the texture/mouth-feel. 2001 Sauternes - get it anyway you can (and it doesn't have to be d'Yquem to give you great pleasure). | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pessac Leognan Haut-Brion Grand Vin 1982 | Thu Nov 30 03:59:19 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #11 - Colour: a noticeably lighter shade of deep maroon than the previous wine. Nose: all the hallmarks of a top matured Bordeaux - ripe blackcurrants, dried tobacco leaves, cigar smoke. Palate: Like the previous wine, exploding with rich ripe fruit, it has a noticeable apparent fruit sweetness - black cherries, black berries, cassis, black coffee, vanillin oak, dark chocolate. Super smooth but still has a focused, sleek and tight silky-fine tannic structure - so powerful yet so refined with, of course, an extremely long finish. Comments: It is really hard to choose to between the two first growths in this magnificent third bracket of red Bordeaux. There is no logical way of doing it, so I went with my emotions and picked this as my top wine for the night. As great as the Lafite is (a majority of the others' top pick), personally, I favour the Haut Brion every so slightly more. Both wines were enjoyed immensely with a Basque cheese, the Ossau Iraty. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pauillac Lafite - Rothschild Grand Vin 1982 | Thu Nov 30 04:02:35 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #10 - Colour: deep maroon, still a tight-ish rim. Nose: lovely, matured Bordeaux - pronounced ripe fruit, dripping with cassis dark berries, cherries, with leafy undertones. Palate: super smooth, balanced, intense flavour and concentration - blackcurrant and black cherry conserve, spices, subtle toasty, smoky cigar/tobacco notes and an apparent minerality that I now associate with very fine Bordeaux reds. Very complex - layers and layers of it, fantastic texture, mouth-feel and phenomenal length. Comments: Having tasted the Mouton 82 barely two months ago helped me appreciate this great Bordeaux vintage. This Lafite is a different wine of course, but the intensity and concentration of fruit, the texture and balance are all similar. Almost a quarter century old, but with still so much fruit that the wine felt youthful. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pauillac Lafite - Rothschild Grand Vin 1995 | Thu Nov 30 04:04:14 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #9 - Colour: dark opaque crimson, tight rim. Nose: cassis, blackberries, wood smoke. Palate: concentrated sweet fruit core, cassis, blackberries, minerals, smoky/toasty/spicy oak. Very focused, tightly coiled tannic structure, very fine ultra smooth tannins. Complex and textured/layer, but hard to discern the flavours as the wine is not very open or forward. As with the other wines, a very long finish. Comments: I misread the reticence of this wine and didn't pick it for what it was, showing I still have a lot to learn and experience at the level of first growth Bordeaux. Pleasant to drink now, but I would prefer much more ageing and maturity. It will be great and hopefully I'll be around to taste that in about 20 years' time. This 2nd bracket of reds was matched to a serve of roasted suckling lamb and confit leg with braised white beans and tomato. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Barton 2me cru classe 1995 | Thu Nov 30 04:07:52 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #8 - Colour: dark crimson, not as deep as the previous wine. Nose: fantastic, pronounced blackcurrants, hints of cigar/tobacco leaves. Palate: Mouthfilling and concentrated blackcurrants, dark berries, lovely full bodied texture, smooth, soft and supple ripe tannins. Emerging complex aged characteristics of tobacco leaves, coffee beans, a touch of herbaceousness, earth and cedar. Focused and structured, with a long lingering finish. Comments: My pick in this bracket of wines, great to drink now but with potential for many more years of ageing. I thought it was a first growth, but then, perhaps that's why this and a few other wines are called "super seconds". Many other people were also surprised by the performance of this wine. A bargain compared to the other two. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pessac Leognan Haut-Brion Grand Vin 1995 | Thu Nov 30 04:18:52 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #7 - Colour: deep ruby, almost opaque. Nose: pronounced blackcurrants. Palate: ripe concentrated sweet fruit of cassis, cherries, vanilla, savoury oak. Very smooth, rich texture, full bodied and hints of smoke/toasted oak. Still tightly structured, sleek, refined yet powerful, with very fine silky tannins and a very long finish. Comments: The refined, sleek, elegant impressions that I got from tasting this wine confused me and I certainly didn't think it was the Haut Brion (which I expected to be bigger and more extroverted). Delicious! The first wine of the 2nd Bracket of 1995 Red Bordeaux. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pauillac Lafite - Rothschild Grand Vin 1998 | Thu Nov 30 04:21:29 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #6 - Colour: dark opaque crimson, tight rim. Nose #1: blackberries, cassis, a hint of wet paper. Palate #1: dullish, subdued fruit, dusty. It was later decided that this bottle had a low level of cork taint and a second bottle was opened. What a difference! Nose #2: open and pronounced fruit, of ripe cassis and dark berries. Palate: intense and concentrated blackcurrant, black berries, fleshy texture but with a streak of minerality and fine smooth ripe tannins. Complex aged characteristics beginning to emerge - hints of roasted coffee/mocha. A super long lingering finish. Comments: this wine is so unlike previous Lafites that I've tasted - it is unusually extroverted, open and very accessible, so much so that I mistook it for something else. This and the previous two wines were tasted alongside a yummy dish of warm pressed quail with quatre epices, prune puree and brik pastry. This is my favourite wine in this flight of wines. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux Pessac Leognan Haut-Brion Grand Vin 1998 | Thu Nov 30 04:23:19 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #5 - Colour: opaque, deep purplish crimson, slight less tight rim. Nose: clean, pronounced blackcurrants, dark berries, clay/earthy notes. Palate: clean, inky, concentrated sweet fruit core of blackcurrants, rich dark chocolate and hints of pencil shavings. Tightly structured, elegant yet powerful silky, fine, ripe tannins, well balanced and unobtrusive acidity followed by a very long finish. Comments: Compared to the other two wines in this bracket, especially the next, I thought this wine was a little reserved/restrained. I certainly did not pick it as the Haut Brion. | ||
| David Chan | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Barton 2me cru classe 1998 | Thu Nov 30 04:26:23 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #4 - Colour: deep purplish-crimson, tight rim. Nose: clean, cassis with a hint of herbs and spices. Palate: dry, smooth soft fine tannins, high acidity counterbalanced well by concentrated blackcurrants, dark berry fruits with a hint of tobacco leaves and earth. Focused and structured, with long length and finish. Comments: Against the other two wines (#5 and #6) in this first bracket of reds, this wine tasted, comparatively, rustic and simplistic. Nonetheless, one would happily drink this wine anytime. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chassagne-Montrachet Blain-Gagnard Criots-Batard-Montrachet 2000 | Thu Nov 30 04:29:32 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #3 - Colour: yellow. Nose: delicate white flowers, noticeable dairy/cheese highlights, stonefruits. Palate: open, fairly powerful, high acid but quite well balanced by abundant and classic chardonnay characteristics of stone fruits. A bit of toast from the oak but less noticeable minerality rounds off the wine. Comments: More approachable than the Batard, slightly looser-knit structure, it is more immediately enjoyable. Capable of ageing (my first Criot was a 1990, drunk in 1999 and it was amazing). This was better matched to the dish of roasted marron, veal sweetbreads with a carrot and jamon salad, than the previous wine. | ||
| David Chan | France Burgundy Chassagne-Montrachet Blain-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2000 | Thu Nov 30 04:32:02 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #2 - Colour: yellow. Nose: restrained, delicate stonefruit, grapefruit. Palate: elegant, rounded acid profile, stone fruits, a touch of butterscotch, wet rice grains/pebbles minerality, well integrated oak, long length and finishing bone dry. Comments: Classy and elegant, still quite tight and restrained and not showing its full potential. Although great to drink now, will need a few more years to reach the maturity and potential of the 1998 that I had last year. This and all subsequent wines were tasted blind in brackets. Although we knew the names of the wines in each bracket, we did not know the order they were served in. This is a common exercise in PWS wine dinners, and forced us to concentrate on the taste with little or no preconception. | ||
| David Chan | France Champagne Reims Louis Roederer Cristal 1990 | Thu Nov 30 04:34:43 EST 2006 |
| Prince Wine Store Bordeaux Dinner at Circa (28/11/06) - Wine #1 - Colour: pale yellow gold, very fine bubbles, persistent stream. Nose: baked bread, yeast, a touch of honey. Palate: Fantastic, crisp lemon acidity, intense citrus fruit, mellowed by developing honeyed characteristics, a touch of toffee. High acidity but equally well balanced by the fruit-sweetness, there are layers and layers of flavours waiting for time to peel them back. Very long finish. Comments: I attended this fantastic dinner with fellow wine enthusiasts/fanatics Sharad and his father-in-law, AG. Dinner started with a fantastic Champagne - I must confess my previous (and only) experience with the Cristal was the disappointing '94 vintage. This '90 vintage is a totally different creature and a vastly more delightful one at that. It has changed my opinion about Cristal (from good vintages). Well complimented by a starter of snapper remoulade. | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Ovens Valley Wynns Shiraz 1991 | Thu Feb 01 23:59:00 EST 2007 |
| Dinner at the Hanlys (1/2/07) - Colour: crimson-maroon. Nose: plums, dark berry fruits, hint of smoke. Palate: dry, silky soft tannins, high acidity well balanced by loads of black & red berry fruits, plums, and a very slight spicy/pepper note and a distinctive smoky caramelised mushrooms and a dark chocolaty finish. Good length. Comments: A superb, fully mature old shiraz from the lovely region adjacent to the Victorian Alps. This is a seriously underrated wine that has not, sadly, been made by since 1992. This is my first taste of the 1991 vintage, and it is every bit as good as the brilliant 1990 vintage. Originally made for Wynns by Cliff Booth of Taminick (near the Ovens Valley). Very hard to get these days, and I'm not telling you where I get them from - they are as good as any $50+ dollar wine, and needless to say, that's not what I'm paying for them ;-). | ||
| David Chan | Australia Victoria Ovens Valley Wynns Ovens Valley Shiraz 1991 | Fri Feb 02 00:00:54 EST 2007 |
| Dinner at the Hanlys (1/2/07) - Colour: crimson-maroon. Nose: plums, dark berry fruits, hint of smoke. Palate: dry, silky soft tannins, high acidity well balanced by loads of black & red berry fruits, plums, and a very slight spicy/pepper note and a distinctive smoky caramelised mushrooms and a dark chocolaty finish. Good length. Comments: A superb, fully mature old shiraz from the lovely region adjacent to the Victorian Alps. This is a seriously underrated wine that has not, sadly, been made by since 1992. This is my first taste of the 1991 vintage, and it is every bit as good as the brilliant 1990 vintage. Originally made for Wynns by Cliff Booth of Taminick (near the Ovens Valley). Very hard to get these days, and I'm not telling you where I get them from - they are as good as any $50+ dollar wine, and needless to say, that's not what I'm paying for them ;-). | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet 1995 | Fri Feb 02 00:12:58 EST 2007 |
| Dinner at the Hanlys (1/2/07) - Colour: deep, almost opaque crimson, no visible signs of ageing (brownish rim). Nose: cassis with a leafy/cedary herbaceous note. Palate: dry, concentrated but elegant velverty tannins, well balanced high acidity and blackcurrant, plums, that leafy/cedary herbaceous note and subtle hints of something that reminds me of my mother's hairbrush. Great length, very smooth with a slightly bitter dark chocolate finishing note. Comments: One of my favourite Margaret River cabernets, one that is quite underrated compared to its famous chardonnay companion and to other famous cabernets of the region. But hey, I'm happy for it to be underrated as I can enjoy it at a considerable bargain as a result. The 1995 vintage is drinking beautifully right now (and has been for the last 5 years and will continue to give pleasure for another 5-10 years). | ||
| David Chan | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Howard Park Riesling 1998 | Fri Feb 02 00:30:44 EST 2007 |
| Dinner at the Hanlys (1/2/07) - Colour: gold. Nose: honeyed, citrus, cane sugar. Palate: dry, honeyed, citrus, very slightly tropical fruit, hints of toast, dried cane sugar. Still with a noticeable minerality despite the 9 years of age. Nice lengthy finish. Comments - what was a citrus/limey zingy young thing 7 years ago have matured and mellowed into a delicious aged riesling with all the honey and citrus fruit but none of the sometimes in-your-face kerosene smack of a neighbouring state's rieslings. A nice pre-dinner drop. | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Australia Coonawarra Zeema Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 | Thu Mar 01 22:57:28 EST 2007 |
| I have had this on about 5 different occasions and each time I have really enjoyed it - today I tasted it lined up against 5 other oz cab savs (including BL) ... and it stood head an shoulders above the rest -- the other wines (all in the same price bracket) seem very prickly and certainly very fruity- but in a too sweet kind of way ----- this wine was much more mellow - almost savoury - I love it and am going to stock up big time .. 1996 was the list time I did that with aus cab sav ... I am very dissapointed by the 04 BL. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Cabernet Merlot 2003 | Tue Mar 06 15:59:05 EST 2007 |
| Medium bodied, showing berry aromas with mint and vanilla. The palate has spicy fruit and toasty oak flavours with a fine tannin finish. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 | Tue Mar 06 16:01:06 EST 2007 |
| This medium bodied red has lantana and cassis aromas with blackcurrant and vanilla oak characters abounding on the palate. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 | Tue Mar 06 16:02:48 EST 2007 |
| Displays lifted sweet berry fruit with hints of cedar and eucalyptus. The palate is medium bodied with blackberry and strawberry flavours and silky tannins. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 | Tue Mar 06 16:03:42 EST 2007 |
| An elegant cabernet displaying attractive red berry fruit aromas, dressed with subtle vanillan oak and a fine tannin finish. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2002 | Tue Mar 06 16:04:53 EST 2007 |
| Crispy passionfruit and lingering tropical fruit flavours, with a hint of citrus tang on the finish. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2003 | Tue Mar 06 16:05:33 EST 2007 |
| A distinctly fresh varietal bouquet lifted by contrasting tropical fruit notes. This wine has a mid-green golden straw appearance and a palate beginning with herbaceous flavours, carried by a fresh lively acid, followed by tropical fruit flavours. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Semillion Sauvignon Blanc 2003 | Tue Mar 06 16:06:50 EST 2007 |
| A full, richly textured wine, a deep golden straw appearance with hints of green. Tropical fruit on the nose and palate. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Semillion Sauvignon Blanc 2004 | Tue Mar 06 16:07:26 EST 2007 |
| Aromas of tropical fruit abound, with a full palate of mango, peach and pineapple. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Semillion Sauvignon Blanc 2005 | Tue Mar 06 16:07:58 EST 2007 |
| Tropical fruits on the nose, with delicate herbaceous notes. These flavours persist on the palate, with mouthfilling fruit sweetness, blanced by refreshing acidity and a dry finish. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Shiraz 2002 | Tue Mar 06 16:08:30 EST 2007 |
| Displays characters of ripe plum, cherry and vanilla. A rich and fruity palate with soft tannins and persistent flavours. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Shiraz 2001 | Tue Mar 06 16:09:18 EST 2007 |
| This medium bodied red shows ripe mulberry and cinnamon aromas with pepper and cherry on the palate. | ||
| Dave Porter | Australia Western Australia Margaret River Allison Valley Shiraz 2003 | Tue Mar 06 16:10:05 EST 2007 |
| Our Shiraz shows red berry and stone fruit aromas with a textured mouth feel. The palate has liquorice and black pepper flavours carried by well integrated oak. | ||
| Anonymous | United States new york new york village pourhouse event 2007 | Fri Jul 13 01:36:50 EST 2007 |
| There is a really cool wine tasting event I came across at the village pourhouse. It is going on on Thursday, July 19, at 7pm. It will be led by John Martini, owner of the award winning Anthony Road Wine Company. The tasting will feature Anthony Road's Cabernet Franc/Lemberger, Pinto Gris, Semi Dry Riesling and Tony's Red. There will also be cheese samplings provided my Heluva Good Cheese and live music provided by Akiva. Tickets cost $25. I called 212-228-4200 x8003 for more info. It seems like a great event. | ||
| Anonymous | United States Alsace new york A. Clape 1875 | Tue Jul 24 03:33:45 EST 2007 |
| Summer Wine & Cheese Tasting Wednesday, August 8th 7:00pm $25.00 Celebrate the summer at The Village Pourhouse’s Summer Wine & Cheese Tasting Event! Led by Southern Wine and Spirits, you will taste a selection of Red and White Wine followed by a Cheese Tasting by Cabot Cheese. 212.979.2337x 8003 Cari@yourpartyplanning.com address: 64 third ave and 11th street, new york, ny 10003 | ||
| Tony Debono | Italy Veneto Soave Pieropan 1875 | Sat Sep 22 20:43:31 EST 2007 |
| As expected this wine didn't dissapoint. Perfect match for a light and refreshing dinner at the end of summer in the Mediterranean. The wine is full of minerality and stone fruits with a long almondy finish. | ||
| Samu | Hungary Lake Balaton - South Balatonboglár Légli Ottó Chardonnay 2006 | Tue Oct 23 22:38:21 EST 2007 |
| I guess someone has to start - how about a bottle from Hungary? This is a selection Chardonnay from a small estate in a style that would not be unfamiliar to Californians: creamy, full bodied, lots of pears, honey, long taste. Great with freshwater fish like pike or trout. Very reasonable deal at 15 bucks | ||
| Anonymous | Australia South Australia Eden Valley Karra Yerta Wines Riesling 2007 | Wed Nov 21 23:01:10 EST 2007 |
| An excellent wine! The Eden Valley region is known for its fabulous riesling and this one is a classic example. Refreshing, lemon, limes, minerals, a great wine at a very reasonable price considering there are only 100+ cases made. | ||
| Richard Fanelli -The Grape and The Barrel. Milford Connecticut. | Champagne Epernay Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon 1975 | Fri Jun 20 12:31:34 EST 2003 |
| This champagne was purchased as part of a 3 bottle vintage wooden library case, consisting of vintage 1964-1975-1978. Disgorged in 1999. Tasted in 2001. The color in the flute was of shiny gold with a silvery hue around the rim. Almost as a liquid gold. Tiny pin- point streamers; very lively. Thick and frothy mousse. On the nose was a musky autumn underbrush aroma, intermingled with an almond note. A touch of bread dough and nut skin. About 20 minutes into the bottle, an aroma of exotic spices, hints of myrr, powdered angel wing pastry, and yes- fruit striped gum began sputtering out from the glass. On the palate at first was a flavor of mixed light citris fruit, especially starfruit; which later turned into that of glazed pastry a fleeting tease of bananna, and believe it or not, a hint of clam juice, which was actually delicious in this environment. Very full bodied, very very frothy, with a hypmotizing-spine tingling montroux finish. To me -The Perfect Champagne. 100. | ||
| sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Branaire-Ducru Grand Vin 2002 | Fri Jun 18 18:08:05 EST 2010 |
| At eight years this wine is drinking very well - it has become soft and is now showing many tertiary characteristics. On the nose and in the mouth this wine is has lots of autumn leaves - even slightly mouldy autumnal characteristics. The fruit is fairly subdued and perhaps more integrated than hidden. The alcohol seems to poke out a bit especially given that it is only actually 13%. Overall, a very enjoyable wine from St Julien showing more as a soft Bordeaux rather than specially a St Julien. | ||
| sharad | New Zealand Martinborough - Craggy Range Te Muna Rd 2008 | Sat Jul 10 19:28:27 EST 2010 |
| Tasted in Noosa at Sails Restaurant over lunch with Swimmer Crab Lasagne and Morton Bay Bugs. Deep pigeon blood colour. Liquorice on the nose and palate. French oak. Bubble gym. Forest floor. Very intense and balanced. Medium long. Drinking well now but will easily keep for 5+ years. Reminiscent of a top Mornington Peninsula Pinot and could easily be confused for a Burgundy if tasted blind. | ||
| sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Las Cases 2me cru classe 2000 | Sat Jul 10 23:50:29 EST 2010 |
| I found this wine quite difficult to assess. Well, it is certainly beautifully balanced and refined. It does not seem to have the ultra sweetness that I was imagining that it might. It seems to have evolved to a point where it is drinking well now but will clearly hold for 10+ more years. ..... Deep garnet colour (tiny bit of of a youthful red - not purple - still evident). Not getting a huge amount from the nose and I do not think this wine is corked. Light perfume - less floral and more like actual perfume. On the palette it is ultra silky expands slowly and steadily into a full blown bunch of roses - very sneaky in the way that it grows. Super Super long..... Will have to revisit in another couple years. | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Corton-Charlemagne Bonneau du Martray 2007 | Wed Oct 20 16:11:50 EST 2010 |
| Super clear and transparent to look at. Soft savoury nose.... confirmed on the palate which was also a bit salty. Very enjoyable and would be great with food. Medium long and importantly seemed very well balanced - ready to age. | ||
| Sharad | United States California Napa Valley Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 | Wed Oct 20 16:11:52 EST 2010 |
| Deep dark purple - very dense. Huge nose. Lots of wood (36 months of 100% new French Oak) BUT surprisingly there is clearly enough fruit to provide balance. Very intense deep dark berry like fruit. Will be very interesting to revisit in 10, 15 and 20 years time. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux Pauillac Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2005 | Wed Oct 20 16:11:53 EST 2010 |
| Lovely wine but was missing the piercing sweet pure fruit that is so evident in the 1982 Cmtesse de Lalande - perhaps this was a corked bottle. | ||
| sharad | France Burgundy Chambolle-Musigny Jacques-Frederic Mugnier LesFuees 2002 | Wed May 16 19:22:21 EST 2012 |
| Light brown-red. Not garnet or deep - semi translucent. Funky nose with sweetness (some bubble gum) - overall inviting and interesting. Explosive on the palette with some vegemite and soy (savoury) elements. Elegant but lasting and building - hence the sense of an "explosion". Simple on the finish with faint hints of sandalwood and leather. | ||
| sharad | France Bordeaux Pauillac Haut Bages Liberal Grand Vin 2000 | Fri May 18 09:21:46 EST 2012 |
| Dark Red - not really browning much at all but has definitely lost any purple. Simple nose. Simple pallet. Seems quite woody with lots of varnish. Lacking sweetness (in a bad way). Seems more about the wood than the fruit. Pretty sure this bottle was in good condition and not corked. Non remarkable length. Maybe this wine is still shut down? ... will revisit in a year or two. | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Volnay - Les Fremiets 2004 | Wed Jul 18 16:11:18 EST 2012 |
| Very dark and slightly browning. Autumn leaves on the nose. Soya sauce on the palate with light cherries. Slight bubble gum nose. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Volnay - Les Fremiets 2006 | Wed Jul 18 16:11:27 EST 2012 |
| Quite dark. Lovely nose with light spice, sweetness and an earthiness. Nose confirmed in the mouth. Lovely coating in the mouth - longish. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Volnay - Les Fremiets 2008 | Wed Jul 18 16:11:35 EST 2012 |
| Quite light on. Alcohol poking out and thus a bit out of balance. Quite weak, short - almost watery. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Volnay - Les Fremiets 2009 | Wed Jul 18 16:11:41 EST 2012 |
| Light in colour. Very subtle, compact on both the nose and palate. Very balanced. Vastly improved in the glass over an hour. Not "sweet" but savoury. Provided a lingering velvet mouth coating - medium length. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Pommard - Clos des Epeneaux 2004 | Wed Jul 18 16:12:01 EST 2012 |
| Dark brown in colour. Barnyard on the nose that remained over the hour and did not really blow off. Inky on the palate - deep but still overtones of barnyard. Medium length. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Pommard - Clos des Epeneaux 2005 | Wed Jul 18 16:12:13 EST 2012 |
| Very dark colour. Super nose - leather infused with french perfume. Super balance - very fine tannins. Nickname at the estate is "Lovely Monster" - and this is a very suitable tag. Great balance! Pommard always has tannin but Benjamin Leroux has tamed them to the point where they are very fine and overall the wine presents as very integrated. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Pommard - Clos des Epeneaux 2006 | Wed Jul 18 16:12:23 EST 2012 |
| Browning. Dull nose. Tannic. Not much complexity. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Pommard - Clos des Epeneaux 2008 | Wed Jul 18 16:12:31 EST 2012 |
| Browning. Interesting nose - somewhat savoury and with no sweetness on the palate - very savoury and almost sour. Very short. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | France Burgundy Cote de Beaune Comte Armand Pommard - Clos des Epeneaux 2009 | Wed Jul 18 16:12:44 EST 2012 |
| Cigarette butt / ashtray on the nose - could possibly have been the glass and not the wine. Dark red colour. Fantastic balance. Light but heavy at the same time. Medium to almost longish length. Alcohol poking out a bit. Winemaker: Benjamin Leroux | ||
| Sharad | Australia South Africa Barossa Valley Penfolds Bin 389 2010 | Thu May 09 20:20:19 EST 2013 |
| Inky black/purple colour. Dark fruit on the nose. Very soft in the mouth. Dark plumb/prune fruit and very soft tannins - all in balance. drinking well even now with good intensity. Not overly long. Will age for decades but the length seems a bit short. | ||
| Sharad | France Bordeaux St Julien Leoville Barton Grand Vin 2009 | Thu May 09 20:31:06 EST 2013 |
| Deep purple, gorgeous black fruit nose with cedar and perfume. On the palate just incredible. Very soft given how big and fresh it is. Super deep in flavour. And noticeably long - in fact it is so long that I get a whole secondary wave of flavour after 15 seconds - just blooms - lasts for a very long time. Really quite incredible. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that whilst this wine is going to reveal its best (complexity) in decades from now it is so soft, sweet, tannic and balanced right now. I have enjoyed actually drinking this wine now without feeling it is a waist despite the fact it will be so much better in decades. | ||
| Anonymous | France Rhone - Northern Cote Rotie Chapoutier La Mordoree 1994 | Sun Mar 22 19:08:06 EST 2015 |
| Such a gorgeous soft leathery wine - classic roses in the background - just so enjoyable - it's disappearing from the glass as if by rapid evaporation. Drinking superbly now. | ||
