Wine thread

[Bazal]

2006 Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet

Not a classic vintage in the Margaret, quite cool and wet for most of it but they got enough warmth to ripen the fruit eventually.

Pours like red ink, maybe with a very slightly bricky edge. Still has a sense of youth about it, a bit of green ivy and bramble on the nose that blows off with some air. Once that goes, it's all dark fruit, blackberries with the leaves attached. A little bit of spice behind it all.

Really powerful wine in the mouth, but still elegant. Wickedly long and rich. Wild blackberries, a little smoke, some of that ivy character. Barely any oak or tannin, just enough to hold it all together. It's very, very soft despite the power, balanced and mellow. Any sharp edges have long gone and it's basically become liquid velvet. Very Bordeaux, but still obviously Margaret River.

Margaret River>>>>Coonawarra

 

[Bazal]

Early contender for best value wine of the year, Domaine de Blayac Minervois.

Underrated appelation already IMO, but this...this is f**king gorgeous. Darker than a black ruby, hugely full bodied but not in any way overdone. It's almost too complex to be in this price bracket. Bramble, mulberry, black olive, vanilla, gamey cured meat, cloves, flint and an almost Campari-esque herbaceousness. It still manages to stay soft and fresh. Ridiculous for $15 bucks, absolutely ridiculous.

Honestly tastes better than some $40 Rhone's I've had

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Wolf Blass Bilyara Shiraz. That subtle step up from Berri Claret that you always dreamed of...

 

[Twizzle]

Quorum 2010 Cab Shriaz, jizz worthy

 

[Bazal]

2010 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, because I had four of them and thought it was probs a 10-12 year prospect. Full disclosure, this label is my favourite wine, but...

Holy shit. I mean, holy f**king shit.

This was an ordinary vintage by local standards. And HOLY F**KING SHIT. This one is going to get the full wine wanker treatment...

Even in a relatively challenging vintage you know Tim Kirk isn't going to f**k it up. But my god has he gone above and beyond here.

It's still ethereally perfumed and almost magically pure. Pours a bright, clear purple. Violets, green peppercorn, black raspberry on the nose. It's Cote Rotie from Canberra. The palate matches the nose and adds cured game meat, anise, bay leaf and a clean mineral finish with unexpected length. The complexity of the thing is at total odds with how elegant and almost spectral it is. It's not a beverage, it's a supernatural encounter.

And this is a relatively lesser vintage! I think I might transcend this plane when I finally crack the 09s, 13s and 15s....

The best bang for buck wine in Australia. In fact IMO its the best wine in Australia, so even at about $100 its a bargain

 

[Bazal]

A tenner, from Uncle Dans

Really full bodied, loads of berries, a little jammy but not over the top. Simple, soft, approachable wine that's easy to drink and will make anyone happy. Love it, great value.

 

[Bazal]

2017 Barwang Shiraz. Hilltops NSW

Currently BOGOF at Dans, which tells you it's not the wine it used to be.

But it is still very good value. Medium bodied, soft and spicy. Actually a little leaner than I normally expect from Hilltops, but that's not a bad thing. Very minerally, think Rhone or Languedoc syrah, maybe Chile. Big on slate/graphite/flint. Chalky tannin at the end.

Grab it, good deal.

 

[Bazal]

@Scott Gourley's Lovechild @Drew-Sta have you merkins died or, worse, stopped drinking?

I'm talking to myself in here!

Any-whom

2017 SmallFry Barossa Joven. Spanish style red, biodynamic and vegan. Couldn't give a toss about the vegan bit but I do have plenty of time for biodynamic wines. I mean I think some of the qualifications are borderline mental but the more natural process is good IMO.

45% Tempranillo, 40% Garnacha, 8% Monastrell, 5% Bastardo and 2% Tinta Amerilia which even I have never heard of...

Very perfumed and aromatic, medium body, almost no tannin but nice acid makes up for it. There's plenty happening though. The Tempranillo is obvious, the Grenache soft, and the Bastardo adds a lovely sour finish. Violet and cherry, sweet and sour, lively and earthy, fruit-fresh and spicy. It's like a bunch of opposites melded to create something delicious and most importantly genuinely interesting.

Highly recommend, but maybe not for Twizz...

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Haven’t been able to afford decent wine in ages. Devastated.

 

[Drew-Sta]

@Bazal I've cut back my drinking for the time being. It got a bit out of hand for a while, so just needed to get it back into control.

I did have the Serafino Fiano v18 and Grosset Apiana v16 on Friday. The Fiano was a nice little wine; too cold for it really but in summer it would be delicious. The Apiano was divine.

I'm trying to get our winemakers to make some more blends. There's trends suggesting they're attractive to customers, and personally, I prefer the complexity. Its always fun when customer trends match your palate desires.

 

[horrie hastings]

Although I haven't tried the 2018 vintage of Lindermans Gentleman Collection shiraz, it seems a bargain at Liquorland for $11.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Cirillo “The Vincent” Barossa Grenache 2016. With a name like that it can only be good!

Boasts on the label that they are home to some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world, and tastes like it. Nothing like a lot of Grenache on the market that is young & sweet. Think more classic Rhone, dark fruit, beef stock, sage, and a very healthy hit of oak.

Delicious.

 

[Bazal]

Cirillo “The Vincent” Barossa Grenache 2016. With a name like that it can only be good!

Boasts on the label that they are home to some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world, and tastes like it. Nothing like a lot of Grenache on the market that is young & sweet. Think more classic Rhone, dark fruit, beef stock, sage, and a very healthy hit of oak.

Delicious.

Good drop that one.

2011 Clonakilla Ceoltoiri. GSM, not a common blend for Canberra and actually not a great vintage tbh. But Tim Kirk could deadset make pruno that'd be worth $40 a bottle.

On release this was all pepper, green pepper. But the fruit felt like it would show with time and it absolutely has. The French would honestly salivate at the elegance this thing has...still wound tightly around a core of white pepper and Provencal herbs, but the fruit is bright and pure, with a lovely fine mineral tannin. Imagine a Gigondas with some of the character and body of a Cote Rotie and you get the idea. Just a ridiculous wine

The good news is a got a dozen new release wines out there today and the 2018 Ceoltoiri is even better.

And his 2017 Shiraz Viognier may just be his greatest yet. Stay tuned

 

[Bazal]

2009 Te Mata Awatea. My final bottle...

This is a wine I genuinely believe most people would have an impossible time picking from a second growth Bordeaux. I rate it that highly, although I would say it doesn't have the ageing potential of many of the French wines.

Probably still a few years off its' best honestly, but when you have only got a few bottles you might as well drink them earlier rather than too late.

Still loads of tannins, but they are fine and stately. Cabernet franc is actually the dominant flavour for me despite being the least represented in the blend; loads of violet and cassis but with that grippy cab franc strength. Merlot in the middle, fleshy berry, and then the cab sav comes in on the end with tomato leaf, dry eucalyptus and tobacco. Oak is very subtle. Tannins all the way down make you want another sip straight up.

I probably got through the bottle too quickly if I'm honest...it would no doubt have shown further over the evening, but I love this shit...

Stay tuned for the second wine of the evening. It's been a tough week!

 

[Bazal]

@Bazal I've cut back my drinking for the time being. It got a bit out of hand for a while, so just needed to get it back into control.

I did have the Serafino Fiano v18 and Grosset Apiana v16 on Friday. The Fiano was a nice little wine; too cold for it really but in summer it would be delicious. The Apiano was divine.

I'm trying to get our winemakers to make some more blends. There's trends suggesting they're attractive to customers, and personally, I prefer the complexity. Its always fun when customer trends match your palate desires.

Somehow I missed the tag on this....

That Grosset is an absolutely insane wine. I wish I could find it.

My opinion is no doubt meaningless, but my favourite (not the one I consider the best professionally, but the one I love drinking) Australian white wine is a blend. S.C Pannell Aromatico, which is usually a blend of Gewurtz, Riesling, Pinot Gris and then small amounts of whatever is good. It's the perfect white for me, aromatic, explosive, lean, fragrant, full bodied. Love it.

The best red in the country IMO is also a blend, Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier.

I think blends are attractive because they're often so easy and versatile. The stuff I'd LOVE to see as a consumer is more of the funky varieties...

 

[Bazal]

Four in a row and I've gone full wine wanker!

Second bottle is a 2010 Pepper Tree The Pebbles Shiraz Viognier. Wrattonbully. Not normally one of my preferred regions, but Pepper Tree make gun wines which I assume is why I bought this.

Pro tip: Pepper Tree are guns, and thou shalt not question them.

Beautiful, complex nose of pine resin, fennel, caraway, and a surprising lack of fruit. It's not bad thing at all. There's a bit of fruit in the mouth, but far less than you might expect from a hot SA vintage. It's almost cool-climate. Fruit is black for the most part; still ripe, but far darker than the norm. If there was a wine pictionary I would put an image of this under brooding. It just never feels like it's opened up completely. Fennel and caraway and cumin and anise and sage and black fruit and pancetta and the vaguest hint of apricot. Tannin is still there, but long and elegant and pebbly (hah!).

Technically, a triumph. As a wine drinker? Gorgeous. Hook it to my veins.

 

[Bazal]

Tell you what, I'm enjoying being able to afford good wine again...

2018 Long Rail Gully FMG Gamay, Murrumbateman. Seriously underrated variety in this country tbh.

This one is very young and made like a good pinot, hand harvested whole bunches and well seasoned oak. Their first ever, although they grafted established merlot vines. It's both sharp and soft; sharply acidic but soft, clean fruit. Sour cherry, raspberry, wildflower, bramble, spices and a slightly wild funk. Light to medium, the acid is actually early in the mouth and gives way to almost sweet fruit, making it feel suave and elegant but somehow pretty and fun.

A seriously, good seriously drinkable vino that goes down more like a burgundy than a beaujolais

 

[Bazal]

One for @Scott Gourley's Lovechild and @Drew-Sta when in Canberra/if you see it around Sydney

2018 Mada Syrah Nouveau (which is actually shiraz with some mataro and grenache). Without rabbiting on, some of the syrah is made normally, some goes off for 30 days carbonic, and the rest is whole bunch pressed with the mataro and grenache. All matured in ceramic and concrete, no fining or filtration.

Think of a very long and lazy summer lunch in a village bistro in the south of France and you know pretty much what this wine tastes like. The laws of the universe don't allow you to stop at one glass. I'd be shocked if either of you tried it and didn't love it, great juice.

 

[Lambretta]

Opened a bottle of John Duval Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro from the Barossa last night

2012 vintage.

The bottle now consists of 3/4 air . I only meant to have a glass. Ooppss

Deep and dark in colour with slightly peppery tones from the Shiraz.

A beautifully balanced wine and too bleedin' drinkable by half.

f**k dry July

 

[myrrh ken]

Whats your favourite tightarse $15 to $20 quaffing red?

I love a pepperjack shiraz. I know the majors flog it a lot, but just a great richness. Seems to have been a recent price drop of late.

Dont mind the black chook. Always seems better the 2nd day though.