not yet ...

best's great western shiraz bin 0 2001

later

all together

rosemount balmoral shiraz 1997

later

realife

yarra yering dry red no.2 1998

mischief & mayhem chablis premier cru 2006

good weekend this

2 nice

chateau des tours vacqueyras 2003

rosemount mountain blue shiraz/cab sav 1997

82 not out

a drink with a friend celebrating her 82nd birthday.

grant burge shadrach 1993 (cab sav) [barossa]

disintegrating cork ... crusty ... still alive ... nice enough but that polished teak on the nose really bugs me ... never really goes away ...

the last sample of this was about 3-4 years back ... memory sez it was mocha mocha mocha ...!? absolutely nothing like that here.

with food

heartland dolcetto lagrein 2007 [langhorn creek]

had a glass only with dinner ... definately a great food wine ... great value. earlier

same fruit

1)stonier reserve chardonnay 2005 [mornington peninsula]
straw; peach, wood ... vanilla, citrus; rich entry, barely enough acid, cashew?; surprisingly short with slightly woody finish...; alcoholic; POP!

2)mischief & mayhem chablis 1er cru 2006
straw; lemon/lime, mineral, pear?; similar on the palate, somehow confectionary ... lolly; some nice juicy acid ... would have like more; not very long; quite refreshing; BANG!(-) nonetheless

smooth operator

wirra wirra shiraz RSW 1998 [mclaren vale]

ruby ... still dark; spicy, floral, blackcurrant, plum, cedar, but mostly intergrated/ secondary, very nice; ripe plum, pepper?, again well intergrated; slightly rich mouthfeel; very fine tannins and enough acid to balance things out; long; medium bodied; BANG!

cat dragged in

1)pascal jolivet sancerre 2008

2)wynn's coonawarra micheal shiraz 1994 [er ... coonawarra]

bit worried considering the age and that label ... pulled, sniffed ... everything's in order.

ruby wth a rusty rim, thrown a crust, decanted ... 30 minutes and we're off; some plummy ripe fruit, some white pepper, spice, hint of vanilla, bit of smoke, secondary; fruit, wood melded; complex; lush without being bloated or jammy; balanced and loong; BANG! good'un

italian down under

heartland dolcetto lagrein 2007 [langhorn creek]

ruby ... purple tinge; floral, chalky, blackcurrant, sour cherry, plum; cherry, mineral, sarspirilla, some green stalky flavours; very fine tannins and some nice tart acidity ... brings on the appetite; medium length ... savoury finish; medium bodied; great with food ... chianti alternative; BANG!

south south

bouchard finlayson galpin peak pinot noir 2008

ruby; floral (violets?),



fox creek reserve shiraz 2002 [mclaren vale]

happy returns?

devil's lair 1998 (cab sav) [margaret river]

ruby; blackcurrant, cedar, licorice?, suprisingly youthful nose;

later

14 have passed

had some with a buddy of mine on his birthday

annie's lane coppertrail shiraz 1996 [clare]

garnet with a rusty rim; rich, warm, mellow and intergrated nose; fully intergrated on the palate; wine not fruit juice; medium bodied; long; BANG!

infanticide 1

at the hole, met 3 friends with whom i have never partaken ... a decantered red at their table ... pulled a glass ... poured one ... great nose ... fella said, grange 2004 ... hmmm, doin babies now, are we? ...last time i saw one (albeit a teener) was when kylie's " i should be so lucky" was a hit...

penfolds grange 2004 [barossa]

dark almost purple; big hit of (perfectly) ripe plum, cherry, hint of vanilla, very primary as to be expected, rocky road?; off dry entry, plum ... again beautifully ripened, bit nutty?/wood/cocoa?, structured and plush all at once ; firm but fine ripe tannins ... the silky rich fruit just shades this aspect at the moment; big bodied; luxurious but not in the overblown sense... everything's so well balanced; very drinkable now but can almost imagine what it'd be like given some age when it picks up more complexity......

bang for the buck? are you joking? have you seen the entry price lately?!!! ZILTCH!
lovely stuff to be sure but more a statement than a wine nowadays, jeeez.

see another one anytime soon? ... i should be so lucky ... lucky, lucky, lucky ...

it's a nice new world

1)hardy's thomas hardy coonawarra cab sav 1994

2)vergelegen chardonnay reserve 2007
prefer the fresher tasting basic bottle ...

with some regular stuff in support

3)brunely vacqueyras 2003

earlier

4)lucien barrot CDP 2005

later

decent 10 days work

1)spring vale pinot noir 20052) chateau malescot st-exupéry 1998

3)domaine santa duc gigondas des hautes garrigues 2003

4)brunely vacqueyras 2003

earlier

5)leasingham clare classic shiraz 1996

6)puygeraude 2000

7)mischief and mayhem chablis 2005

8)mischief and mayhem pugliny montrachet 2005

later

oldie but a goodie

yalumba the menzies coonawarra cab sauv 1997

sample still very drinkable BANG!

later

gratis

yarra yering dry red no. 2 2002 [yarra valley]

very nice smooth drop BANG!

later

fish & chips

shaw & smith m3 chardonnay 2007 [adelaide hills]

richer mouthfeel, way less mineral, more oak (smoky, buttery), and a slightly woody finish ... compared to the 05. ordinary ... a little disappointing this time. POP!

slim pickins

1)clos mogador 2003 priorat [garnacha based]

dark purplish red; ripe cherry, alcohol (kirsch), prune, fruitcake?,spice/cedar, vanilla; almost sweet on entry, ripe cherry and plum, cedar, licorice?; big, rich, plush; heaps of tannin (to be expected given it's age) and acid which attempt to counterbalance the fruit; 14.5%; long ...hint of raisins at the very end; a struggle to drink now or when you're tired as i was ... half bottle still in the fridge. maybe in five or ten or then again, maybe never. POP!(-) big bob fave?

2)drouhin chablis vaudesir g cru 1999

sample was way over the hill ... sigh

3)fairbank shiraz 2004 (99%shiraz 1%voignier) [mount alexander]

garnet, dark; spicy, cherry, berries, floral?; ripe cherry, bit o cinnamon, clean, mineral, a little fruity, quite lush and soft mouthfeel; very nice furry tannins and juicy acid; medium/big bodied; longish; BANG!(-) that mineral bit was nice for an oz drop but it's a little pricey

4)vergelegen stellenbosch chardonnay 2008

straw; cream/vanilla?, apple, oak hint, yeast/toast hint, someone said citrus ... didn't get none; red delicious, dried pear?, mineral ... yay, a little oak ... yay; juicy acid .. yay; light/medium bodied; longish appley and slightly savoury finish. BANG! good one, especially well priced. not yo typical overblown new world supermarket special.
5)michel colin-deleger chassagne montrachet les vergers 1er cru 2000

light gold; citrus, stone fruit, buttery/vanilla hint, subdued nose ... never really opened up; lime/lemon?, peach, butterscotsh hint, red delicious, mineral; just enough acid left to keep things a little lively; light medium bodied; longish with a slighty woody and appley finish; 13.5%; subtle wine ... this pleb thought it would be a little richer; POP!(+) too pricey.6)furano ... non vintage red, hokkaido

friend brought some back. gave it a go ... overripe/oxidised fruit, could not tell what it was ... errr ... subarus are nice cars. notice the word "experiment" on the label. next!

7)st cosme cdr les deux albion 2006

much much nicer than the last sample ... similar notes to an earlier drop

8)cloudy bay sauvignon blanc 2008

did they dumb down the "in yer face" fruit? ... hmmm ... nice