Wine thread

[Bazal]

It's a very European style, which I love. Not for everyone though.

It's Bastille Day, so the big bottle tonight is a 2010 Chateau La Prade Cotes de Bordeaux. Another former First Choice/VC exclusive.

Merlot dominant, bit of cab sauv and cab franc as is tradition. Still very closed, gonna give it some time to breathe, but the nose is already a delicious mass of cherries. Just not reflected on the palate yet

Classic Bordeaux in almost every way. Nose has developed a big cedar cigar box whiff along with the cherry

Structure is almost the entire purpose of the wine and it is obvious. Starts off with surprisingly bold fruit, into a mid-palate that shows the very delicate oak and the tertiary characters starting to develop, then big, long, dry tannins that sit on the tongue well after the wine is gone. There's flavours of cherry and graphite and tobacco and bramble and all that stuff but the structure is the driving force.

An excellently crafted wine, will probably hold for some years yet. well worth the $40-odd they were asking when I bought it.

 

[horrie hastings]

It's a very European style, which I love. Not for everyone though.

I did quite like it but there is no way I would pay full price for it at $20.

 

[Bazal]

I did quite like it but there is no way I would pay full price for it at $20.

Fair enough. I probably agree. It's one of those wines they buy to sell at half price so they jump up the shelf price...

Anyway, speaking of forgotten Coles exclusives that no longer exist...

2013 Clonakilla Jack Reidy Canberra Shiraz. Yes, once upon a time, someone in the business was intelligent enough that they actually managed to get an exclusive wine made by Tim Kirk...!

Absolutely awesome. Just classic Tim Kirk, all about elegance, purity and power. He has an ethereal touch when comes to wine; at the right age, all of his reds feel like drinking smoke.

Nose is classic Canberra shiraz, green peppercorn, vine leaf, just the hint of red fruits, game meat, lavender. Tastes like good cherries, musk, vine leaves, with a big cured meat savoury hit. It's got a ringing pure feel to it. The tannins barely exist until you think about them. On release I didn't notice the grenache they've added, but after five years I get it on the back palate as an extension of the fruit. It's twiggy and interesting, almost like a good, whole bunch pinot, but shiraz.

The best Canberra shiraz is distinctly Northern Rhone and this could genuinely be a good quality Hermitage or St Joseph.

 

[_Johnsy]

Long time no chat, hope you’re all well.

Just got back from NZ, few things to report.

Finally had some Grange (2013). To be honest, I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong certainly a great drop, but I’d be pissed if I had bought a bottle. Maybe my expectations were a tad high.

Had a bottle of Muddy Water Pinot Noir. $80 with dinner but obviously it retailsf for less, about $45 from memory. Absolutely gorgeous, the best wine we had while we were doing Queenstown/Christchurch/Dunedin. Other notables Amisfield, Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir.

 

[Drew-Sta]

Long time no chat, hope you’re all well.

Just got back from NZ, few things to report.

Finally had some Grange (2013). To be honest, I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong certainly a great drop, but I’d be pissed if I had bought a bottle. Maybe my expectations were a tad high.

Had a bottle of Muddy Water Pinot Noir. $80 with dinner but obviously it retailsf for less, about $45 from memory. Absolutely gorgeous, the best wine we had while we were doing Queenstown/Christchurch/Dunedin. Other notables Amisfield, Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir.

Given they produce it for $19 a bottle, anything north of $75 is too much for that bottle.

--

Have a case of this coming. Easy drinking for a Wednesday night when I want to open a bottle.

https://www.cellarmasters.com.au/re...-de-pieri-merbein-vineyard-nero-davola-rx2247

 

[_Johnsy]

Given they produce it for $19 a bottle, anything north of $75 is too much for that bottle.

--

Have a case of this coming. Easy drinking for a Wednesday night when I want to open a bottle.

https://www.cellarmasters.com.au/re...-de-pieri-merbein-vineyard-nero-davola-rx2247

Looks like an interesting drop.

@$19 a bottle, The Muddy water? That was restaurant prices (Probs a 4/5 star restaurant). Great food. if you're ever in Christchurch pop in to OGB. Gorgeous building, great bar & restaurant. To be honest it's the only time I've been there & i'll always stay here, loved it.

 

[Bazal]

The Coincidence Cab/Shiraz 2013. Half price right now at $12

A new (well, to me now) Coles exclusive...given the age I'd guess maybe batch buy? Anyway I was googling it and found that Huon Hooke had it at 19 in some list of top 20 cabernet blends so I figured it was worth a crack.

Definitely needs time to unwind, it starts off tight and timid. Gave it two hours and honestly shook my head. In a good way.

How is it that these muppets can pull put something like this and sell it for $12 but can't manage a wine range? I just don't get the company and its' existence...At that price it's gorgeous; nose of ripe, black berries, menthol/eucalypt/maybe slightly tea tree, pepper, a little marzipan, cured meat. It's a little lighter on the palate than the nose promises but at $12 I'm not complaining even a little bit. Cabernet very much the hero in the mouth, classic and well made. And for a $12, 5 year old wine, it's still quite bright and I think it will improve for another year or two.

TLDR: Bargain, buy some.

 

[Bazal]

Buller Fine Old Tokay (My bottle is old enough that it's still labelled Tokay)

Always one of my favourites, so I was pretty glad to find a bottle stashed away. I think it's still like $20 odd at Dans. Just great value.

Kind of a sugar cane and raisin thing on the nose, surprisingly light for an Aussie tokay, sweet golden syrup, and toffee, and gold raisins, a little coffee.

Will replace once it's gone

 

[horrie hastings]

The Coincidence Cab/Shiraz 2013. Half price right now at $12

A new (well, to me now) Coles exclusive...given the age I'd guess maybe batch buy? Anyway I was googling it and found that Huon Hooke had it at 19 in some list of top 20 cabernet blends so I figured it was worth a crack.

Definitely needs time to unwind, it starts off tight and timid. Gave it two hours and honestly shook my head. In a good way.

How is it that these muppets can pull put something like this and sell it for $12 but can't manage a wine range? I just don't get the company and its' existence...At that price it's gorgeous; nose of ripe, black berries, menthol/eucalypt/maybe slightly tea tree, pepper, a little marzipan, cured meat. It's a little lighter on the palate than the nose promises but at $12 I'm not complaining even a little bit. Cabernet very much the hero in the mouth, classic and well made. And for a $12, 5 year old wine, it's still quite bright and I think it will improve for another year or two.

TLDR: Bargain, buy some.

Ordered a sh*t load of it today, selling very well atm.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

De Bortoli Show Liqueur Muscat. Super tasty, sweet without being sugary. Sultana, date, fig, with a candied ginger & white pepper finish. Thank you BWS for the 2 for deal.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Tikves Special Selection Vranec 2015.

New grape variety to me, but I do a couple of cash in hand shifts at a bottle shop owned by a Macedonian bloke so thought I would give this a crack and try to learn about this varietal. Reminds me a lot of Sangiovese, plenty of sour cherry but a touch lighter than that varietal. A lick of smoke & oak, quaffable drink that will be quite food friendly. And at $11 ($16 for anyone else), it represents good value for the punter.

 

[Bazal]

2016 Squealing Pig Hawkes Bay Syrah.

New to work. I tried to get this ranged years ago, but whatever. Now it's exclusive!

Beautiful colour, really deep and bright. Proper Hawkes Bay perfume, violets and white pepper, blueberry, touch of chocolate, a little stalky. Tastes good too, plenty of pepper as you'd expect and the violet and blueberry come through, a bit of leather and earth and just the hint of smoke from the oak.

It relies more on acid than tannin and with air it becomes quite soft, with a slightly tart finish that is not going to appeal to fans of overcooked SA shiraz but I find pleasant. It's a little light, but very perfumed and pure and definitely worth drinking.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Seppelt Hundredweight Hill Shiraz. Very easy drinking, light bodied Shiraz sold by Aldi. Good amount of red fruit, but none of the classic white pepper or dark fruit, and nearly no tannin. Solid quaffer.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Never had a riesling-SB-marsanne-rousanne mix before.

I’m intrigued.

I am keen to drink more blends and alternates. I’m launching a new brand soon that is four red varietals; Nero, Monte, Sangio and Temp. The labels look shit hot, can’t wait to taste the samples.

Nero has become my fav grape of late. Monterra’s and Hither&Yong both do very good, yet stylistically very different, expressions of it.

Fiano is also one I’ve begun to enjoy.

You launched those alternates yet?

 

[Bazal]

See, what happened there was, @Drew-Sta drank them all.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

You raise a good point.

 

[Bazal]

Hard to blame him really.

 

[Drew-Sta]

Comng soon. Nero bottled on the 17th, Sangio bottles in Oct. Monte and Temp bottle in January.

Temp is a stonker. Can’t wait for it.

 

[Bazal]

Will be landing in Rome on Friday. Already got a boutique Super-Tuscan tour lined up for Florence in a fortnight. Looking forward to just drinking bulk Italian wine, especially in Sicily which is really underrated wine-wise IMO

 

[Drew-Sta]

Heading to Puglia at all?