Wine thread

[Bazal]

Oh jeez...lol.

Grant Burge Cameron Vale is a fave of mine...2009 especially. They didn't make the $70 Shadrach in 2009, all the fruit was declassified and went into this. It's a belter

Nugan Estate. Not sure exact price off the top of my head. Coonawarra, very nice

Penley Estate Phoenix. Another Coonawarra, 17-21 depending

Turners Crossing. Bendigo fruit, about $17, awesome wine.

Ringbolt Cabernet. Margaret River, about 19 off the top of my head. 2008 was average, but if they have 09 or 10 on the shelf they'll be very good.

Brands Blockers. One of the best under 25 IMO, Coonwarra

Barwang Cab Save. Grown just up the road from me around Yass, one of my absolute favourites.

Blue Pyrenees. About 17 bucks, just awesome value and keeps very well too. Pyrenees, Victoria.

I'm sure there are loads more I've forgotten too

 

[Twizzle]

had the Grant Burge on the weekend and its a keeper, it was a 2010 I think and about $20

the Penley Estate Phoenix is my fav atm but I want to try some others

cheers Baz

 

[JessEel]

Margaret River Cab Savs > all

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

LIES!!!

Coonawarra > Margaret River for Cabernet Sauvignon

 

[Twizzle]

Margaret River Cab Savs > all

C'mon Jess

Coonawarra Cab Sav best in the world, you should try a few

Margaret River is more a Shiraz area but Baz maybe able to elaborate more

I like the limestone coast Cab Savs, they are from the eastern part of the Barossa valley (Coonawarra)

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Margaret River is good at Bordeaux-style reds (Cabernet + Merlot blends), but my preference from there is their SSB whites.

 

[JessEel]

lol, there's no right or wrong! its about taste!

 

[Twizzle]

except when you have bad taste, then its just wrong

 

[Red Bear]

Blue Pyrenees. About 17 bucks, just awesome value and keeps very well too. Pyrenees, Victoria.

I'm sure there are loads more I've forgotten too

Yeah im far from a wine guy but found this very good, the cab sav anyway.

Dad's mate has a really good ability to find a cracking $15 bottle of red, basically every bottle he recomends is quality.

 

[Bazal]

Jess is correct tbh. Margaret>>>Victoria>>>Coonawarra

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

You're dead to me Baz...

 

[Bazal]

Lol. This might help. A little birdy shaped like a Torbreck rep told me something interesting today. All of their premium shiraz from 2011 has apparently been declassified. There will be no RunRig. No Factor. No Descendant. Maybe even no Gask. Not such great news for Dave Powell, but brilliant for us because every single berry that would usually go into those great wines has apparently gone into the 2011 Struie.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Wait, so you're telling me that the $45 Struie is going to have juice normally applied to bottles $60+ ?

I'M COMIN' TO CANBERRA BAZ, STOCK UP CHAMP!!!

 

[Bazal]

Well, Struie is 45ish....but yes. 300 dollar RunRig fruit, and 100+ dollar Factor and Descendant fruit, declassified or not, is certainly a few steps above that price point Actually the even better part is Dave said he totally could have made a very good Factor...but with the bad press about the vintage and the declassification of the other fruit he felt it might be a pointless exercise...

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

It's under $45 if you're not part of the evil empire ;-)

But thanks for the news, I'll be keeping an eye out for the '11 vintage.

 

[Bazal]

C'mon Jess

Coonawarra Cab Sav best in the world, you should try a few

Margaret River is more a Shiraz area but Baz maybe able to elaborate more

I like the limestone coast Cab Savs, they are from the eastern part of the Barossa valley (Coonawarra)

TBH Cabernet is king in the Margaret River. Perfect maritime climate, long ripening periods and something about those westerlies just produce cracking Cabernets. Shiraz takes a back seat in general, although they do some excellent ones as well. Coonawarra is about the soil character and ripeness, giving you big bold minerally cabernet. Margaret, to my palate anyway, gives a lot more of what cabernet is about. There's more elegance, length and defined structure to a Margaret cabernet IMO. Plus, in all honesty I think most wine folks would agree that the majority of the top Aussie cab savs are Margaret wines. Cullen Diana Madeline, Moss Wood, Leeuwin Art Series, Cape Mentelle, Cherubino, Voyager Estate, Devils Lair Margaret, Howard Park Abercrombie and a heap of others. There are great wines from other regions too, but for me the number of great Margaret cabernets is higher. Bit it's a personal thing, Coonawarra is a unique expression of the grape and there are plenty of times I want that big bold style. But usually I like the Margaret and Victorian cabernets better.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Personally, I think Margaret River has been helped by truely fantastic marketing. I personally highly rate a number of those brands / makers you listed, however for example for me a Wynns John Riddoch beats the Cullen Diana Madeline. The Riddoch is a complete Cabernet to me, whereas the Madeline lacks middle palate structure and can come across as "green" quite frequently (which I understand is something a number of people enjoy).

And whatever James Halliday says must be true (Coonawarra is Australia's globally premier terrior)...

 

[Bazal]

The Riddoch is an undeniable classic, as is the Reschke Empyrean. If I was to pick my five ultimate cab savs they would be there. But for me they'll be behind the Moss Wood, the Cape Mentelle and the Abercrombie. IMO they are super cabernets, huge but elegant, awesome structure and a length that the Coonawarra style lacks IMO. In mang ways they're more old world, and I think that's why cabernet is so polarising at times. Unlike shiraz, there's not really a quintessentially Australian style and you seem to get greater discourse over smaller variations. Shiraz of course has probably more variation in style but people are so entrenched in some of the SA styles that they can happily never see a cool climate shiraz. Which is rather sad, but a different topic

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Some of the best "Shiraz" I've had in the last 18 months have been NZ Syrah. They are bloody hard to beat!

Still cannot convince me about WA Cabernet though Baz.

 

[Bazal]

Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Syrah is one of my all time favourites....if only I could afford to regularly drink their Le Sol Syrah...sigh