Appellation Australia

What a great night and opportunity this was to taste wines from the two leading big name Cabernet producers in Margaret River from some generally good to great vintages. These wines were all from the same cellar and only the Mount Langi ring-in was tasted blind.

Lanson Black Label NV
The nose is fresh and lively with aromas of apples and a touch of toast. The palate doesn’t have a great deal of depth, but it is very refreshing which is the whole point of this wine. Good value for money in the Champagne stakes.
87/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1999
A deep colour. Some toasty chocolate/mocha oak with dusty and briary/brambly aromas. The palate is fairly generous with good intensity and body. There is a suggestion of oak backing to the palate, but also the depth of fruit to hold it in check. Fine tannins complete the package, but you will need to have patience to let this wine really show what it can do in about 10 years time.
92/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Blood, iodine, blackcurrant and briary aromas. Slightly astringent tannins on the palate with deep, dark fruit loitering in the background. Medium length and without real texture or complexity, but you suspect that this wine will look better in 6-8 years time.
89/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1998
There is a hint of floral, violety youth to the nose that is smothered by a wave of vanilla oak. Again on the palate, oak dominating any character that the wine may have had to offer. Seems to have good length and plenty of firm tannins left. Is it just in a difficult phase of its life? Perhaps it is, I struggle to see that there will be enough fruit left to swallow the oak in the future.
85/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
A melange of un-diluted lime cordial (it had a sweet concentrated artificial lime smell), spearmint and weedy aromas. Very astringent, austere palate with no generosity of flavour or depth. The only bottle left unfinished at the end of the evening.
83/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1996
The first bottle shared some common characteristics with well worn sport shoes - somewhat smelly and lacking fruit. Not corked as far as we could tell, just bad.

The second bottle was much better, plenty of blackberry, tobacco and roast beef. Had lots of rich, deep fruit on the still youthful palate. Good balance and length, perhaps lacking in character and complexity at the moment to be considered better than very good, this may come with time.

First bottle: 82/100 - Second Bottle: 92/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1996
A floral nose with blackberry, cassis and plum. Shines on the palate, with excellent balance, super length and tannin structure. Not really showing any secondary development at all yet, but it has the structure to end up being excellent in 5-10 years time.
92/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1995
Probably the best judged use of oak on the Cullen wines on the night, well integrated and balanced cedar as well as floral scents and loads of sweet fruit - raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant. The palate shows excellent balance and great structure with fine tannins. Some very deep-seated fruit lends a restrained intensity to the palate. Will live and develop positively for a long time.
93/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1995
Was a little bit furry and mousey with some game, bramble and pencil shaving aromas coming in underneath. I thought that the palate was elegant bordering on under-fruited. Not close in quality to a bottle we opened earlier in the year from the same cellar.
88/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1994
A tight nose with some tar, blood, blackcurrant and tomato leaf. The palate is austere and the drying tannins are the prominent character that lead into a rather abrupt finish.
86/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1994
The nose was fairly restrained with some soap, herbs, briary notes and tobacco. The palate has a twinge of astringency, foiling the otherwise excellent line and length. A generous, rich berry flavour to the palate which I think should carry this wine forward for some time yet.
90/100

Cullen “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1991
Ash, tobacco and blackberry on the nose. The palate is elegant and balanced but also a touch dull, lacking any great levels of complexity, intensity or depth. A good wine, drinking well now, but unlikely to get much better with additional age.
88/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1991
I think that the first bottle was mildly corked or at the very least the fruit was stripped from the palate.

The second bottle was somewhat better with a bloody, tary and iodine nose. The shows good depth of fruit considering the age and decent balance, but not a great deal of complexity or interest really.
First Bottle: NR/100 - Second Bottle: 88/100

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1997 (magnum)
Corked! Equivalent to two bottles being undrinkable. Bloody corks.
NR/100

Chateau Cantemerle 1983
Roast vegetables, cigar box and well integrated cedary oak. The palate is balanced, savoury and all the components were well integrated. Pulled up a touch short on the finish and just started to slip out of balance after 30 minutes in the glass, but a nice mature wine while it lasted.
88/100

Mount Langi Ghiran “Langi” Shiraz 1994
Dried chilli flakes, chalk, nutmeg, blackberry and some trademark pepper that became much more obvious to me once the label was revealed The palate is spicy and has great balance and length. Shows excellent aged texture and complexity. A super wine that must be close to hitting its peak, but has the structure to live for a long time.
93/100

Some quick notes from an excellent evening hosted by David Lole in Canberra. All wines were tasted and scored blind except for the Curlewis, the St. Henri and the Petaluma Essence.

Rockford Sparkling Black (Sept. 2005 disgorgement) - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):

Bright, clean raspberry, cherry, pepper, vanilla and blackberry aromas as well as a smidge of oak. Flavours refreshingly dance across the tongue into a good length finish. Rather lovely to drink - sure it is youthful, but at least you don’t have to deal with the infamous leaking/snapping Rockford corks when you open them early.

90/100

Grosset Watervale Riesling 2002 (screwcap) - (Clare Valley, South Australia):

Lemon and lemon zest, floral aromas, gunflint (although I wasn’t as troubled by the sulphur as some others) and a touch of toast and honey. The palate is austere and shows an excellent minerally acid structure. Certainly youthful and not providing all that much pleasure to drink at the moment, but the promise lies in its future in around 5-8 years time.

91/100

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1999 - (Margaret River, Western Australia):

Toast, strong pear, peach, grapefruit and nutty, creamy oak that is well blended into the rest of the nose. A very classy palate that is just slightly let down with just a touch too much oak at this stage and just a bit of alcoholic heat on the back palate that I fear may not subside with time.

91/100

Curlewis Reserve Pinot Noir 2002 - (Geelong, Victoria):

Lots going on with the lovely nose - black cherry, earth, forest floor (I learnt a new descriptive French wine term on the night - “valley of the hare”) stalks, some beetroot, spice and honey. Superb length, great depth of fruit and fine walnut flavoured tannins. A genuine top-shelf Australian Pinot Noir that I think is drinking very well at the moment.

93/100

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1996 - (Grampians, Victoria):

Deep youthful colour, but there was some complexity on the nose suggesting that it had a bit more age to it. Earth, mushroom, violets, rosewood, a hint of black pepper and cassis. Tannin structure is present on the palate but showing good integration with the other components. An excellent wine that should be drinking at its peak in around 3-5 years and should live on for some time after that.

93/100

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1998 - (Regional Blend, South Australia):

Chocolate, blueberry, vanilla oak and lots of clean, vibrant red berry fruit. Lovely balance on the clean palate, with good length and importantly it is very enjoyable to drink! Sure, it doesn’t give you a sense of place - but that obviously isn’t what it is aiming for. Drinking really nicely now, but has the structure and balance to develop complexity should you want to give it time over the next 6-8 years.

92/100

Penfolds St Henri Claret “Special Release” 1979 - (Regional Blend, South Australia):

Great colour, no browning even around the edges. Leathery, sweet earthy fruit. Everything is fully resolved and balanced on the palate. A nice old wine that was drinking without faults, and not falling over in the glass, but almost certainly would have had a lot more to offer in the early to mid 90’s.

87/100

Best’s Bin 0 Great Western Shiraz 1998 - (Grampians, Victoria):

A nice coincidence to have this wine on the same night as the Seppelt Great Western. Raspberry, bramble, blackberry and a lovely touch of floral lift (which had some thinking Shiraz/Viognier). A palate that has great weight and depth of fruit flavour. Very youthful and primary but has the class to go the distance and I think it’ll hit its peak in 8-10 years. Should have been poured after the Giaconda, but that is one problem with tasting wines blind.

92/100

Giaconda Cabernet 1992 - (Beechworth, Victoria):

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Excellent colour with just a hint of thinning around the edges. Classic cabernet nose of graphite, capsicum, cedar and some some smoky ash. Excellently balanced palate flows through to a long finish. A much better bottle than the one I had late last year with some friends in Sydney at a dinner. Not showing any signs of tiring, but it is well and truly ready to drink.

92/100

Petaluma Botrytis Semillon “Essence” 1999 - (Coonawarra, South Australia):

Great depth of aromas to the nose with honey, botrytis, peaches and pears, crème Brule, burnt toffee and caramel. The palate is just a bit over the top, especially in comparison to the balanced 2000 vintage of this wine that I served late last year. The acid structure is there in the background, but it is just overawed by the level of sweetness. It did seem to come together slightly with some air. Very good but not great.

89/100

An excellent dinner hosted by friends Gavin and Gen. I’ve included the menu items interspersed throughout the notes. I won’t post too detailed impressions on the food, but in general they were good matches, especially the Salmon with the Champagne and the smoked Duck with the Pinot/Burgundy.

Smoked Salmon, mayonnaise and avocado

Franck Bonville Grand Cru BdB “Brut Selection” N.V - (Avize, Champagne):
Fine bead, nose of citrus, spice, chalk, sea spray, vanilla bean. Medium bodied palate shows a noticeable level of acid but it is restrained enough to refresh and provide a crisp mouth-feel rather than upset the balance. Length is good. A nice wine. 88/100

Zind-Humbrecht Riesling 2003 - (Turckheim, Alsace):
On the nose, apricot, smoke, peaches, some alcohol and phenolic characters sticking out. While the palate had an interesting texture to it, it also felt really flat and lacking in acid and the richness that I’ve heard ZH is known for. Probably a product of the vintage as well as this being one of the low level ZH Rieslings (still not cheap in Australia of course). A wine that provided a decent level of hard to pick options (with Gavin saying “Well it’s definately not Zind Humbrecht), but not a whole lot else. 81/100

Oremus Furmint 1998 - (Mandolas, Tokaji, Hungary):
Speaking of hard to pick options … a dry wine from the Tokaji region best known for their sweet wines. The nose shows aromas of funk, spice, oxidative characters and ripe bananas. The structure of the palate is sound - although it is dry and oxidative again. The length is actually quite good. An interesting experience. 87/100

Château Laffitte-Ceston “Sec” 2002 - (Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, Southwest France):
Made from Petit-Manseng grapes. Aromas of passionfruit, pineapple, kiwi and floral overtones. The palate has prominent acid and also seems a touch alcoholic or spirity. Again, interesting and something I was glad to get the chance to try. 86/100

Black Pudding in Pastry
Smoked duck and raspberry sauce

Michel Gros “Clos des Reas” 1er Cru Monopole 1998 - (Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy):
Stalks and boot polish initially which did blow off to reveal a perfumed, slightly floral nose as well as primary notes of raspberry and strawberry. Took on some truffle and undergrowth notes as it breathed in the glass. Palate is delicate and elegant and fine tannins are present and providing structure. Length is excellent with the finish persisting for quite some time. My Wine Of The Night. 92/100

Salad with vegetables and cheese
Lamb with mushroom sauce, carrot and potato

Chateau Branaire 1989 - (St. Julien, Bordeaux):
Just the slightest fading around the rim, but a deep youthful crimson core. The nose was showing cedar, cassis, pencil shavings, a touch of florality and dusty notes. Palate has good structure and balance. A fine wine. 90/100

John Duval “Plexus” 2003 Shiraz Grenache Mataro - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):
The first vintage from this new label by ex Penfolds (and Grange) winemaker John Duval. The nose stands out against the previous wines. Juicy, upfront notes of blackberry, blueberry, pepper and spices, liquorice and well integrated French oak. Palate is quite well balanced and I didn’t think it was showing its 14.5% alcohol. Soft tannins and a nice long finish. 90/100

Seppelt “Great Western” Shiraz 1997 - (Grampians, Victoria):
Nose closed up about 5 minutes after I opened it. Was given some time to breath in the bottle and a decanter. Nose remained quite closed but showed a slight floral lift along with pepper, cherry and some very restrained oak. The medium intensity palate shows sweet fruit and good length. Still very youthful and tightly coiled. Is it going anywhere good? Too hard for me to call. 87/100

Cheese Plate
Fig with prosciutto
Bread and butter pudding

Brown Brothers “Patricia” Noble Riesling 2002 - (King Valley, Victoria):
Current release of this wine. Deep amber colour belies its youth. Pears dominate the nose that also shows apricot, citrus peel, honeycomb and marmalade. The palate is very sweet and ripe, but I thought the acid flowed through the length of the palate and was enough to avoid being cloying to my tastes. It finishes crisp and long. The back label says that it can be cellared for 4-6 years and while it may be possible, I think it is drinking so well now that it would be a waste of time to wait. Great value for money at around $20AUD for a half bottle. 92/100

A really good night - good company, food and wines. There were two votes for the Burgundy as the best wine of the night and two votes for the Brown Brother Patricia. I thought they were both excellent but would (and did) go for the Burgundy.

Seppelt (Grampians) - A recent favourite of mine, which surprises me since I do like to barrack for the small boutique makers. The quality of the wine and the winemaking at Seppelt over the last year or two is undeniable though.

“St Peters” Shiraz 2004 - Violets, plums and some meatiness along with some well integrated and balanced cedary oak. The palate is lush, velvety and silky with some powerful fruit lurking, tightly coiled and ready to come to the fore. It really is all class and I can only see it getting better from here for the next 10+ years. 94/100

“Drumborg” Riesling 2005 - I’ve tasted this wine a number of times since it was released late last year and I still think it is destined for greatness. Maybe opening up a bit on the nose since I last tried it in December and showing some floral perfume, apples, spice, lime and minerality. Palate shows great focus, structure and length. Acid is still prominent but this is certain to settle down with time. Clearly, there is has been some very special fruit coming out of the Drumborg vineyard in recent years. 92/100

“Chalambar” Shiraz 2004 - Spice, peppers and a some smoked meat aromas form the nose. The palate is silky smooth and has excellent balance and length. Will cellar for 5+ years, but I doubt any bottles I buy will last that long as it is a pleasure to drink right now. 90/100

“Jaluka” Chardonnay 2005 - Spicy oak, green apples, citrus on the nose - very tight, lean and mineraly on the palate. Will benefit immensely from being given a couple of years to develop. 89/100

“Moyston” Cabernet Merlot 2004 - The nose shows earth and violets. There is some good flavour to the palate as well as good tannin structure. Will be better with a few years in bottle where it should settle and take on some additional complexity. 88/100

“Benno” Shiraz 2004 - From a barrel sample - A bit of a brute of a wine - very powerful but somewhat one dimensional. It has lots of oak, lots of tannins and it is a bit all over the place. I hope it settles down before release, but it is looking similar to the 2003, which I purchased without trying and found it not to my taste in its youth. This was a complete contrast to the elegance and refinement of the powerful, but classy St Peters. 87/100

“Coborra” Pinot Gris 2005 - Very tight nose with some limited notes of spice and florality. Good length and intensity, but is lacking flavour. 86/100

“Bellfield” Marsanne Rousanne 2005 - Floral notes to the nose and a very fresh and flavourful palate but there is a fair bit of acid sticking out at the moment. May settle with time. 86/100

Mount Langi Ghiran (Grampians) - One of my favourite Victorian wineries from one of my favourite areas in Victoria for wine. Mount Langi had a bit of a disastrous year last year with their flagship 2002 Langi Shiraz being voluntarily withdrawn from market after a number of critics noticed that it was developing a bacterial fault called Brettanomyces. Early reviews had been very positive and 2002 was an excellent vintage, so it was a great shame that this went down the drain. Still, the quality of some of these wines shows that they are going to bounce back easily.

“Langi” Shiraz 2003 - From a barrel sample. A youthful nose, yet it projects an interesting set of aromas that include spice, pepper and blueberry. Some very smart oak handling provides structure while maintaining balance. Palate is complete class and restrained power. This is one wine to make sure you watch out for when it is released later this year. 91/100

“Cliff Edge” Shiraz 2002 - Ground coffee, spice and light milk chocolate on the nose. Palate is well balanced but perhaps finishes a touch early. 89/100

Riesling 2005 - Slate, minerals, and some tooth stripping acidity. Length and structure are both very good. Give it some time. 89/100

“Langi” Cabernet Merlot 2003 - Also from a barrel sample. Some fairly fierce tannin at the moment. Oak blends into the background well. I look forward to trying this again when it is bottled. 88/100

“Billi Billi” Shiraz 2003 - Spice and liquorice on the nose. A good early drinking wine. 87/100

Pinot Gris 2005 - Not bad, lacking wow factor though. Has a slightly oily mouth-feel. Ready to drink. 87/100

Some notes taken at a dinner attended by some fellow wine lovers -

Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1990 - (Grampians, Victoria): A nice way to start the proceedings. Blackberry, cherry, spice, violets and earthy characters on the nose. Nice rich mouth-feel, with a bit of sweetness on the palate. Good, long finish. 88/100

Dry River “Lovat Vineyard” Gewürztraminer 2004 - (Martinborough, New Zealand): A style which polarised people somewhat. Lovely, varietal, intense fresh floral nose along with lychee, turkish delight, lemon, apples and a little bit of musk and spice. A concentrated, rich, sweet palate with a long finish.

There was some discussion that this was too sweet to be a table wine but not sweet enough to be a dessert wine, I’m of the opinion that in a non-offline situation you would find a food to match the wine rather than try to force this square peg of a wine into a round hole. However, I won’t argue that it isn’t worth the money. 89/100

Tahbilk Marsanne 1992 - (Nagambie, Victoria): Deep golden colour. Some honey, but mostly oxidised characters on the nose. Palate was thin and sharp. Sadly, a bottle well past its best. Not Rated

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chadonnay 1996 - (Margaret River, Western Australia): Fairly obvious nutty caramel oak on the nose as well as grapefruit and citrus fruits. Rich, broad palate - powerful creamy texture. Very long finish. From what I’ve tasted of LEAS Chardonnay this vintage seemed to be a good representation of the style with a bit of age. 91/100

Mount Mary Chardonnay 1999 - (Yarra Valley, Victoria): A contrast to the Leeuwin Chardonnay above, but not in a bad way. Steely, minerally, gunflint and struck match on the nose. Delicate, elegant palate with minerally acid providing structure. Long finish. Very good. 92/100

Main Ridge Pinot Noir 1999 - (Mornington Penninsula, Victoria): Sour cherry with strawberry, green stalky characteristics and hints of earth. I didn’t feel that it had enough complexity or interest on the palate to make up for the nose. 84/100

L’Arrosee 1982 - (Bordeaux, France): Wonderfully youthful colour. Cedar, tobacco, blackcurrant, cassis and a bit of a smoked meat on the nose. Balanced, elegant palate leading into a long finish. Drinking so well now and not likely to fall over anytime soon. 92/100

Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1988 - (Coonawarra, South Australia): Green capsicum, chocolate, mixed herbs and blackberries. Medium weighted on the smooth palate. Good but I thought it needed something more to take the step up into excellent. 88/100

Mount Mary Quintet Cabernets 1995 - (Yarra Valley, Victoria): One of the vintages of this wine that was recently said to not be worth higher than 80 points by Robert Parker Jr. Lovely violets dominate the nose, as well as blackcurrants, earth and sour stalks. Elegant palate, perhaps heading a bit too far towards the thin side of elegant though. 87/100

Masi Costasera 1997 - (Amarone, Italy): Very powerful and upfront. Plenty of oak evident as well as plum and cherry on the nose. Ripe, full bodied, concentrated and powerful - but not at all ready to drink - needs more time for the big tannins and oak to integrate. 87/100

Penfolds RWT 2001 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): On the nose; Plenty of vanilla oak, cedar, coffee, blackberry, liquorice and some interesting floral overtones. Rich, fruity, oaky palate. Unsurprisingly primary at this stage - needs time for components to integrate and develop complexity. 87/100

Charles Melton Nine Popes 2001 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): Meaty and savoury, plums, tobacco and blackberry as well as a little bit of sappiness. Smooth and well balanced on the palate - 15% alcohol but doesn’t show any sign of it. Rating is for the wine on the night, but as an afterward, the remains did show a bit better the night after. 89/100

Petaluma Botrytis Essence 2000 - (Coonawarra, South Australia): From a local store wanting to get rid of these because they couldn’t sell them. Slightly over 100 cases of half bottles made. Rich, powerful nose of honey, apricots, citrus peel and some botrytis evident. The palate is luscious, intense and sweet but held in balance by excellent acid structure. Impeccable length. Will age, but I’m not sure that it is worth waiting. Delicious stuff. 92/100

Last month Australia’s largest wine company Southcorp (now part of Fosters and even bigger) put on its annual road-show to showcase its wines across major capital cities.

In Sydney, this was held at the completely refurbished Hilton hotel that was reopened in July. As often happens at these public events it didn’t take long to descend into madness, with two full metre high spittoons being knocked over and spilt across the brand new carpet, but I managed to make a few brief notes before it became too difficult to move.

Next year hopefully Southcorp will either halve the number of tickets sold, double the size of the room hired or hold the event over two days.

Apart from these wines, I also attended a Seppelt Fortified Masterclass which I will write about in a separate post shortly.

Secret Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2005 - Grassy, herbaceous, very fresh, a pretty good attempt at a stereotypical Marlbourough Sauvignon Blanc. I’m sure it’ll sell well. 87/100

Leo Buring: Recently refocused as a Riesling only label after dabbling in a few other varieties over the years. At the base level are the Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings which retail for around $12AU, followed by the Leonay Riesling which is only made in great years and can either be from the Clare or Eden Valley depending on which produced better grapes and retails for around $28. Two new Rieslings were on show, a single vineyard Watervale Clare Valley Riesling and a Mount Barker Riesling from Western Australia which will be released at the same price point as the Leonay Riesling later this year.

Clare Valley Riesling 2005 - A touch yeasty? Needs time to settle down after bottling - nice aromatics of lemon/lime. 88/100
Eden Valley Riesling 2005 - More restrained than the Clare - showing excellent structure and should age very well. 89/100
Leonay Eden Valley Riesling 2005 - Great minerality, great acid structure. Approachable now but will blossom with time. 91/100
Single Vineyard Watervale Riesling 2005 - Planned as an aged release in 2010. Very, very good. Superb pure fruit. Looking forward to seeing it again on release. 92/100
Mount Barker Riesling 2005 - Over the top, bracing acidity that will settle down after time and should give it the structure to age. Worth putting away a couple of bottles to see what happens. 90/100

Leonay Riesling 1991 - Not showing well on this occasion. No fruit, a bit of honey and butterscotch, no kero. Short on the finish. 81/100
Leonay Riesling 1995 - A touch of coffee(?), kero and honey on the nose. Lovely mouth-feel. This bottle seemed ready to drink. 90/100
Leonay Riesling 1997 - Touch short on the finish but otherwise very nice. Still very youthful with no signs of the fruit fading, will go for quite some more time. Balanced flavour profile. 91/100

Devil’s Lair: A brand that has a good reputation from the Margaret River region in Western Australia. Aside from their flagship Chardonnay ($35) and Cabernet Blend ($45) reviewed here, they produce a second label called Fifth Leg which is aimed at a lower price point ($15) and is apparently selling very well.

Chardonnay 2001 - A Chardonnay with a bit of character and complexity but perhaps lacking balance side by side with the 2003. 89/100
Chardonnay 2003 - More power than the 2001 but the balance is held together by smart oak usage. Good structure, excellent length. 90/100
Cabernet Blend 1999 - Minty nose and a bit of sweetness on the palate. Not my thing. 87/100
Cabernet Blend 2002 - Too herbaceous and green. Disjointed palate. I’ll pass. 85/100
Cabernet Blend 2003 - To be released April ‘06. This is more like it. Rich nose of berries, cassis, tobacco. Perhaps a bit too much oak on the palate but that may sort itself out between now and release. 89/100

Seppelt: The shining example of a winery under the control of a huge corporation that is actually making very good wine across the board, from their under $10 Victorian range to their flagship St Peters Shiraz at $50. I’ve written about Seppelt and the not so complicated secret behind their success before here.

Salinger Rose NV - Strawberry nose. Quite light, worth a look at over summer. 86/100
Salinger Sparkling 2001 - Crisp, refreshing. Good value for money. 87/100
Drumborg Riesling 2005 - Lovely restrained floral nose. Great length and structure. Give it some time in the cellar and be rewarded. 92/100
Moyston Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - Earthy, grippy tannins. Give it a few years to develop and will be good. 89/100
St Peters Shiraz 2003 - Very approachable. Great balance. Not quite as intense as the 2002 St Peters, but still excellent fruit, smart use of oak and the structure to age well. Highly recommended. 95/100
Benno Shiraz 2003 - I have seen some recent comments on a disturbing amount of oakiness on the palate and this tasting didn’t give me any reason to disagree. A bit disappointing as the fruit is clearly very good. Should probably come together, but the jury is out. 90/100

Some wines brought along and tasted blind at a dinner with some fellow wine aficionados ;

Leo Buring Leonay Watervale Riesling 1992 - (Clare Valley, South Australia): Yellow gold in colour. All honey and toast with a touch of lanolin. Good length and was holding together structurally. A couple of comments around the table were that this bottle was past its best, but I thought it was still good and holding up well. 88 Points

Yarra Yering Dry White Number 1 1998 - (Yarra Valley, Victoria) I couldn’t pick it at all blind apart from thinking that I hadn’t tried anything like it before. Very muted initially but may have been served too cold. As it warmed up it showed an interesting honey dominant nose with nutty, caramel oak behind. I thought the palate was lacking in balance and length. Regardless, I found in an interesting experience to drink and think about. 86 Points

Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 1998 - (Martinborough, New Zealand): Pinot on the nose but not the palate. Undergrowth, earthy and leafy, spicy oak and a hint of sweetness on the nose. The palate was medium bodied with good length and savoury oak supporting structurally but a bit of acid poking out. 86 Points

Chateau Lagrange 1995 - (Bordeaux, France): Deep coloured, looks quite youthful. Layered nose of earth, coffee, green capsicum, pencil shavings and mixed herbs. Excellent mouth-feel with fine tannins and structure. 89 Points

Chateau l’Angelus 1988 - (Bordeaux, France): Chocolate oak and tobacco aromas are at the forefront of an intoxicating nose. Quite an intense, full bodied palate. Superbly balanced. Drinking very nicely now and I suggest will continue to do so for quite a few more years to come. Lovely, lovely wine. 92 Points

Winslow Cabernets 1998 - (Marlborough, New Zealand): Dense purple in colour. Youthful nose of berries and currants along with some spicy caramel oak. The palate felt somewhat disjointed with tannins, acid and alcohol all sticking out. May come together. 86 Points

Yalumba Octavius 1990 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): My favourite quote of the night was about this wine by someone at the table after the vintage (but before the maker) was correctly guessed - “It was as if they said - this is a great vintage, let’s quadruple oak it”. Overbearing oak dominating what might otherwise be a very, very nice wine. It has the length and it has the intensity, but it just doesn’t have the balance. It isn’t a bad wine if you take into account that it seems to be a deliberate choice of style, but it’s certainly not what I’m looking for. 85 Points

Seppelt St Peters 2002 - (Grampians, Victoria): Beautiful complex nose of dense berries, spices, liquorice and savoury meats. Dense but at the same time showing elegance and wonderful structure. Awesome, persisting length. Brings together seamlessly the best of cool-climate and warm-climate Australian Shiraz. 94 Points and my favourite wine of the evening.

McWilliams Solera Aged Rare Liqueur Verdelho NV - (Griffith, New South Wales): I don’t have too much to say about this. Lots of caramel, lots of alcoholic heat, went well enough with the cheese platter but wouldn’t want to drink on its own. 87 Points

Once again a merry band of men and women from the Winestar Forum met up in order to enjoy some food and wine.

The Restaurant: I quite liked the restaurant; my entree of Balmain Bug Raviolo was excellent and was perfect for the white wines. Wasn’t quite as impressed with the main of Char-grilled Sirloin on mushrooms, but it was still good. Service was fine and corkage very reasonable ($3pp). Came to about $70 per head including bread, a small starter, entree, main, dessert, gratuity and corkage.

The Wines: Only the Kalleske Cleanskin was served masked on this occasion.

Charles Heidsieck NV (Mis en Cave 2000) Brut Reserve - (Champagne, France): Hyper-active, fine bead. A little bit of toast initially, with a hit of unbalanced acid on the finish. Pleasant enough, but I don’t think it is going anywhere special. 86 Points

Mount Mary Triolet 2001 - (Yarra Valley, Victoria): Blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Something off-putting on the nose asides from some grassy notes, someone at the table mentioned oysters and I wouldn’t disagree. It didn’t have a great deal of complexity or interest on the palate - some tropical fruit but it was only barely there. Pulled up a bit short and watery on the finish. Didn’t live up to the reputation for me, perhaps just not my style. 84 Points

Plantagenet Riesling 1991 - (Mount Barker, Western Australia): Nose was not giving anything away. Much better on the palate, aged toasty characters with structure holding in-tact. Balanced across the palate with a good length finish. No kerosene characters. Was holding up very well for a 14 year old West Australian Riesling and I though was quite pleasant to drink but without having the intensity of a great aged Riesling. 89 Points

Savaterre Chardonnay 2001 - (Beechworth, Victoria): A wonderfully complex nose of peaches, cream and pears with well integrated oak supporting. Restrained elegant power on the palate, lovely mouth-feel, still showing some freshness. Great balance and structure. Clean, long finish. Best Australian Chardonnay I’ve had this year and I’m going to do my best to source some of this. My favourite wine this evening. 93 Points

Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 - (Beechworth, Victoria): Tobacco and smoked meat on the nose. I noted down that the tannins are still quite prominent. A modicum of class, perhaps a shadow of the past. A good enough wine and I certainly wouldn’t refuse a glass, but not mind-blowing, and certainly not living up to reputation or price. 88 Points

Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): Nice enough savoury bouquet and palate, but the fruit was missing in action, presumed dead. Finish pulled up short. Mike, who brought this bottle, had tried a much better bottle earlier this year. Ah, the “joys” of bottle variation. 86 Points

Penley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 - (Coonawarra, South Australia): Notes are a bit scarce on this one sorry. Was a bit green (on the nose) and mean (unbalanced tannins). I thought that it was lacking in length and pulled up short on the finish. 86 Points

Clos L’Eglise Pomerol 1999 - (Pomerol, France): Thought this was looking a bit tired and weary for a ‘99. The shop is closed for business, nothing there to hold any interest. Might just be going through a phase which it will come out of. 85 Points

Kalleske Shiraz Cleanskin 2002 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): A glass stainer. Massive nose - Somebody mentioned Chocolate Bullets which summed up perfectly the liquorice and chocolaty oak. Despite the full on body, there was still balance to be found. Perhaps a little bit short on the finish, but I don’t think you’ll find better value for $7.50 anywhere. 89 Points

Preveli Merlot 2002 - (Margaret River, Western Australia): Sadly, without any doubt corked. Not Rated

Clarendon Hills “Sandown” Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - (Clarendon, South Australia): Nothing happening at first. Was given a couple of hours in the decanter to open up (and I believe a number of hours beforehand) - If anything it got worse as time went on and in my opinion was offensive in the end smelling a bit like rotting cabbage. Maybe TCA affected but definitely not a good bottle either way. Not Rated

Oliver’s Taranga Shiraz 1996 - (McLaren Vale, South Australia): Deep red in colour. Quite powerful but lacking balance and I found the alcohol overbearing, leading to a hot finish. 86 Points

Henschke Keyneton Estate 1996 - (Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia): Blend of 65% shiraz, 30% cabernet and 5% merlot. Yes it was a little bit gamey (read: bretty) but I thought it was all the more interesting for it. Lovely complex nose, great balance and a good length finish. Close to hitting its peak. My favourite red wine of the night. 91 Points

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1991 - (Grampians, Victoria): Was a bit clunky and all over the place to begin with, but after half an hour seemed to pull itself back together and was quite enjoyable, if lacking in anything to make it stand out from the crowd. Likely a couple of years past its best. 88 Points

Miranda Golden Botrytis 2002 - (Riverina, New South Wales): Didn’t pick up a whole lot of botrytis in this. Not a great deal of intensity. Some overt sweetness sticking out, but not enough to ruin my enjoyment. Medium length finish and a good accompaniment for dessert. 88 Points

Malivoire “Moira Vineyard” Chardonnay 2002 - (Ontario, Canada): Disappointing. Very developed in colour for a reasonably recently bottled Chardonnay. A very oniony, sulphury nose put down to mercaptans. “Do Not Put In Mouth” stuff. Took most of the bottle home to see if they blew off but was just as bad the next evening. Can only put this down to being a bad bottle, I will write to the maker and see if they care to respond. Not Rated

Perhaps this offline should be known as the “It has shown better in the past” night with so many bottles not showing as well as they had previously! I had a good time regardless and am looking forward to the next one.

Another wine dinner with the good people from the Winestar Forum. This time we convened at the Castel Mola Italian Restaurant at Leichhardt.

The Wines:

Once again, most wines were served masked.

Egly-Ouriet Tradition NV - Disgorged Sept 2004 (Champagne, France): A fantastic way to start the evening. Fine and focused with great length. Visibly contains a high Pinot Noir component. Super value for money. 91 Points

Craggy Range ‘Les Beaux Cailloux’ 2001 (Hawkes Bay, New Zealand): Loads of overpowering sweet caramel oak dominating whatever fruit there was to be had. Very much out of balance. It might come together in 2-3 years, but I can’t really be sure. 85 Points

Curlewis Pinot Noir 2002 (Geelong, Victoria): Brown tinged around the edges. Quite savoury. Excellent length. Possibly lacking some complexity. I liked this more than others at the table. 89 Points

Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Village 1996 (Burgundy, France): Very interesting and complex nose, with plenty of gorgonzola. Great length and a soft finish. This was tasted blind alongside the below wine, and I preferred it for drinking now. 92 Points

Pousse D’Or Volnay 1ere Cru Caillerets 1996 (Burgundy, France): My notes on this wine aren’t extensive, but I do remember getting a fair hit of unbalanced acid. Quite clean for a Burgundy. I wrote down that I thought it was worth 90 Points, mostly because I thought it had quite good structure and may well be better with additional age.

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 1998 (Grampians, Victoria): As I recall, two of the more experienced tasters at the table picked this as an 2002 vintage wine. Extremely tight and youthful even after having been decanted some time prior in the afternoon. Very good length and intensity. Another 10 or 15 years and it will be brilliant. 93 Points

Chateau La Lagune Grande Cru 1988 (Bordeaux, France): Fantastic, intense nose but was a bit more subdued on the palate. Medium length finish. 90 Points

Chateau d’Angludet 1982 (Bordeaux, France): My equal Wine Of The Night with the St Peters. Deeply coloured and a superb nose. I really enjoyed this, but perhaps just starting on the downward slide after hitting its peak. 93 Points

Charles Melton ‘Sotto di Ferro’ 1999 (Barossa Valley, South Australia): Excellent concentration and complexity. Lots of nutty characters on the nose and palate. I thought it was quite well balanced, not overtly sweet. It was a great experience to get to try this, but I’d struggle to justify the price ($65AU for 375ml). 91 Points

Another excellent evening with some of the ladies and gentlemen of the forum. The food and service at the restaurant were very ordinary, but it was more than made up for by the quality of the company and their generosity with the wines shared.