Appellation Australia

A hastily arranged Friday night tasting at a friends house was taken to a higher level than expected with the opening of a newly released 1996 Krug.

2006 Bellarmine “Auslese” Riesling
Lemon, honey, spice and a whiff of kerosene on the nose. A lovely sweetness to the palate with good focussed acidity. Medium length. I would drink over the next couple of years.
88/100

1996 Krug Champagne
A multi-layered nose with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, ginger, apple, honey and fresh floral aromas - every exciting sniff of the glass revealing something new. Incredible intensity of flavour on the palate with remarkable acidity and balance. Extraordinary persistence and length, leaving its mark on both your palate and mind with each sip. Breathtaking even now at such a youthful age, I am certain it will be a legend with time.
99/100

2005 De Bortoli “Reserve” Chardonnay
Mealy with straw and some lees style aromas. Some rich flavour to the palate with good texture and nice balance between the richness of the fruit and elegant minerality.
88/100

1998 Domaine Bart Chambertin “Clos de Beze” Grand Cru:
A powerful nose of cherry, stalks, violets and earth and game character. The palate is approachable with fine tannins and chalky acidity. Medium length and reasonably interesting.
88/100

1988 Jaboulet “La Chapelle”
Corked.
NR/100

1991 Petaluma “Coonawarra” Red
Pine needles, tobacco, mint and ash form a not very appealing nose. The palate is hollow, lacking depth, body and structure. Very disappointing.
80/100

1990 Yalumba “The Reserve” Shiraz Cabernet
Blackberry, cassis, tobacco, vanilla and some leather rounding out the mostly primary aromas. Seamless medium bodied palate, no hard edges or any elements out of balance. Very fine tannin and excellent structure. A delightful wine with plenty of years left to develop.
92/100

1998 Peppertree “Reserve” Merlot
Raspberry, blueberry and plummy aromas. Palate has strong acid but other elements seem to be lacking. Didn’t really enjoy this wine based on this bottle. I’ve had the “Grand Reserve” Merlot from this producer and vintage before and thought it was great.
84/100

2005 Chateau Pato “D.J.P” Shiraz
“Fresh rubber hoses” was the quote from Danny and that summed it up pretty well. A little bit of mulberry and blackberry with time but the faulty rubber did not lift. Palate has some good spice and savoury character but there is also a kick of alcohol on the back palate. A shame as I had heard good things about this wine and producer.
78/100

2005 Meerea Park Terracotta Shiraz Viognier
Floral, briar, blackcurrant, leather and a citrus peel and apricot lift that gives away the presence of Viognier. The palate is fresh and vibrant with the bright fruit flavour a highlight. Slippery texture and with good length. A very “pretty” wine that I really enjoyed.
90/100

2001 Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese #8
Lots of aromas reminiscent of dessert on the nose with coconut, honey, oats, brown sugar and cookie dough. Intense, voluptuous sweetness that I personally found delicious but may be a bit too over the top for others. The deep sweetness did seem to be the sole focal point of the palate and I would have liked a little bit more texture and structure to be able to rate this higher.
90/100

Some notes from a tasting earlier this year hosted by Bert Salomon. Each Salomon wine has the closure type listed at the start of the note. Bert stated that he thought the glass closure and screwcap are in technical terms almost equal, but the glass stopper is emotionally better and he will be going forward with increasing amounts of glass stoppers over the coming vintages.

Salomon Austrian Whites:

2005 Salomon Undhof Hochterrassen Gruner Veltliner
Screwcap. Pale straw colour. White pepper, lilies, chalk and grapefruit on the nose. Palate is clean and crisp, a little short and simple, but it has nice balance and it was certainly very easy and enjoyable to drink.
86/100

2003 Salomon Undhof Lindberg Reserve Gruner Veltliner
Cork. A mature but enjoyable nose of pine nuts, honey and toast. Creamy palate with some spice to the finish, lacking a bit of focus though. Drink now.
83/100

2005 Salomon Undhof Kremser Kogl Riesling
Glass. Pale colour. On the nose, sourdough, florals and apple. Palate has good fruit sweetness with some crisp acid driving the line and focus into the finish. Seemed like it would be best drunk now.
86/100

2005 Salomon Undhof Kogl Kremser Reserve Riesling
Glass. Nose is wound up tightly, with some spice and lemon coming through with vigorous swirling. Palate is richer and the palate slightly longer than the standard release. Needs time, but should be very good.
88/100

1993 Salomon Undhof Kogl Library Reserve Riesling
Cork. Amazing colour, it looks the same as the ’05s next to it! Aromas of lemon, earth, roses with some kerosene and lots of toast. Lovely creamy texture on the delicate palate. Acid is well integrated but still carries through the length of the wine. Should drink very well over the next 5 years.
90/100

2003 Salomon Undhof Von Stein Reserve Gruner Veltliner
Cork. Slate, citrus peel, peaches and spice on the nose. Great richness and spice to the palate, with good acid providing some focus and stopping the richness from being overwhelming. Excellent length. Very enjoyable.
89/100

Salomon Australian Reds:

2004 Salomon Norwood Shiraz Cabernet Merlot
Cork. Blackberry, mint, spice and cherry nose. Medium bodied palate, smooth and with well integrated oak. Drink now.
86/100

2004 Salomon Finniss River Shiraz
Cork. Smoky, meaty, red berries and cherry with a splash of background oak. Savoury, medium bodied palate with decent depth of fruit and good length. Well balanced and should improve over the next 5 years and drink well for the next 10 years.
88/100

2004 Salomon Fleurieu Shiraz Viognier
Glass. Violets and other florals, pepper, meat and a touch of apricot. Palate is fresh and vibrant with good length and tannins in the background providing good structure. Good length finish and drinking well now for my taste.
87/100

2004 Salomon Finniss River Cabernet Sauvignon
Cork. Briar, tobacco, blue bubblegum/blueberry. Mouth coating flavour on the palate without being at all over the top. Nicely textured with good grip from the tannin. Should get better given 5 more years in the bottle.
88/100

Kracher Austrian Sweet Wines:

2005 Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese
Green apples, peaches and pears with a browned butter on toast character. The palate is brilliant, sweet but with cutting acidity following the sweetness and cleansing the palate. Absolutely delicious.
91/100

2004 Kracher Cuvee Eiswein
Light straw colour. A fresh nose of nectarine, honey and orange peel. Lightly sweet palate with clean sweetness and refreshing acidity. Medium length. Simple but enjoyable.
88/100

2003 Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese #1 Nouvelle Vague
The only TBA produced by Kracher in 2003 due to a very difficult vintage. Light golden coloured. Intoxicating aromas of vanilla, shortbread, butterscotch and peaches. The palate is nothing short of magnificent. Beautiful balance between intense sweetness and acidity. The finish is incredibly lengthy. I think that in 10 years time this could be even better but it is superb now as well.
94/100

N.V. Bruno Michel Champagne “Cuvée Rebelle” Extra Brut
A little bit of toast, cashew and chocolate on the nose. Refreshing mouth-feel with decent length, but not very complex or deep.
86/100

2000 Leonildo Pieropan Soave Classico Superiore La Rocca
Light golden in colour. Lemon zest, almonds, butter, a touch of cheese and sulfur. Interesting texture, with a warming, slightly spirity finish.
86/100

2003 Weingut Knoll Riesling Ried Loibenberg Smaragd
Light floral nose with mandarin and not too much else. The palate is pretty boring and flabby, seriously lacking acid.
80/100

1999 Tyrrell’s Sémillon Reserve HVD
Apples, lemon, lime and starting to develop some toast and nutty characters. Lovely balance on the palate with good acid and depth of fruit. Very good length and will probably be very enjoyable in 5+ years time.
90/100

1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet En Remilly 1er Cru
Golden coloured. Smoky oak, ketchup (?!), hay, apples and matchstick to the nose. Palate lacks interest, tasting smoky and with just enough acid to be cleansing.
84/100

Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1994 and the R. Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 1993
Both so spoiled by brett as to be undrinkable.

2003 Farr Rising Mornington Pinot Noir
Cherry, earth, blood, a little pepper and rosewood. Nice mouthfeel and length, but a little bit straightforward to be better than very good.
88/100

1999 Maurice Écard Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Pimentiers 1er Cru
Charred meat and violets at the forefront of the nose with some volatile rubbery characters as well. Palate has nice texture to it, but tannins stand out too much at the moment.
83/100

1999 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Grenache
White pepper with meat and game and a touch of florailty. Well balanced palate without a whole lot to offer depth wise. Enjoyable, but not outstanding.
87/100

2002 Craiglee Shiraz
Black pepper, mulberry, raspberry, violet and grassy/herby aromas. Tannins are prominent and the palate lacks structure and intensity of fruit.
84/100

1994 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve
A great, youthful colour. Dusty, cassis, cedar notes, with violets and crushed rocks. The palate is very youthful and primary, with the intense fruit still holding centre stage. Lovely and good bottles should be even better in 10 years time.
91/100

1997 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese
Yellow-gold coloured. Honeyed, minerals, honeydew melon, rock melon and apricot. The balance of the palate is special with honeyed sweetness and a core of acid cleaning it up. Not especially complex, but it was delicious to drink and a real pleasure.
91/100

1964 Saltram VP
An alluring nose of leather, raisin, chocolate, dense caramel and just a touch of volatility. Palate doesn’t live up to the rather nice nose with a soft mouthfeel without complexity and seeming a bit weak.
86/100

Some long-lost notes from a dinner early last year.

1979 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne
A tarnished gold colour with very fine bead evident. Initially the nose gave off some oxidative, varnishy burnt almond characters, but these came around to mostly caramel, mushroom, apricot and nuttiness. A wave of flavour envelops your mouth on the first taste. The palate is fresher than the nose would indicate, it is pure elegance, superbly balanced and had awesome texture and length. Ready to drink now.
94/100

1995 Erich Salomon Kremser Kogl Auslese Riesling (Austria)
Nose has strong floral scents as well as slate, lime and maybe a touch of botrytis. The palate has intense sweetness but also a good level of balancing acid. Lovely to drink and I think that it is right at its peak.
92/100

2002 Domaine Raveneau Premier Cru Butteaux Chablis
There was something a bit off about this bottle. A slight funky element on the nose as well as some sulfur and some grapefruit and under-ripe pineapple. The mouthfeel is creamy and shows some class but there is some unsettling bitterness on the finish. Should have been better.
85/100

2000 Bannockburn Chardonnay (Geelong)
Nose is rather shy with some mineral characters as well as some nutty, caramel hints. The palate exhibits very good structure and style with a solid, focused core of acidity. I tried the remains two nights later and I thought it was much better, the nose had taken on some appealing butterscotch and honey characters while retaining the structure and focus of the palate. The score is a balance of the two evenings (89/91).
90/100

2000 Domaine Cordier Pouilly Fuisse ‘Vers Cras’ (Maconnais)
Waxy and pink fairy floss to the nose with some slightly oxidative notes. An interesting creamy texture to the palate. Lacks intensity and depth.
86/100

2000 Domaine Servin Grand Crus Blanchot Chablis
The backup bottle to the Raveneau. An austere, ungiving nose with hints of pear and stonefruit after some time in the glass. The palate has good balance and good structural acidity but probably needs more time resting in bottle before it is enjoyable.
88/100

2004 Castagna Ingénue Viognier (Beechworth)
I think I was the one at the table who liked this the best. Light apricot overtones with pineapple, citrus and rose petals. A fresh palate with good intensity. Lovely length and the alcohol didn’t stand out to me like other straight Viognier based wines often do. A well made wine that it seems won’t appeal to everyone.
88/100

2002 Domaine Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny
Nose is light and straightforward with aromas of wet earth and cherry. Apart from a bit of acid that stands out on the palate, it is pretty drinkable but without real points of interest.
85/100

2000 Château Roc de Cambes Côtes de Bourg
A bit of varnish initially that blew off to show aromas of florals, cherry, stalks, earth and lots of black olives. A bit of a let-down with the medium bodied palate that finished short and I don’t think has the tannin structure or fruit quality to improve much with further age.
86/100

1992 Petaluma Coonawarra Red
The nose really lept out at me with strawberry, tobacco, mushroom and leather. I had high hopes for the palate but they were not met - the fruit has almost entirely dried up and all that was left was acid. A shame.
82/100

1990 Jasper Hills Georgia’s Paddock Shiraz (Heathcote)
Initially quite a nice nose with some blackberry, sweet red fruits and floral notes but these are soon swamped by bretty horse hair and mouse fur. Palate quickly declined as well.
81/100

2003 Château Montus (Madiran)
Made from the Tannat variety. Aromas of ink, herbs and tobacco are difficult to discern under over the top oak. The story is the same on the soft palate with the oak flavour showing up a serious lack of fruit.
84/100

2004 Ravensworth Shiraz (Canberra)
Pepper, spice, ripe fruit and some floral hints on the nose. Palate is simple and lacking in depth and length. Drinks alright, but not in the same class as the rather enjoyable 2005 from the same producer.
85/100

1998 Henschke Noble Rot Semillon (Eden Valley)
A nose of apricot, nuts, honey and botrytis. Palate shows a medium level of sweetness. Enjoyable, but without a great deal of complexity. The declining acid leads me to believe that it is at it’s peak now.
87/100

Dinner at Sugaroom in Sydney with 4 other wine lovers -

Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Shiraz (06 disg) :
Good mousse at first that drops away pretty quickly. Nice layered complexity to the nose - plums, cherry, earth and gamey notes. The palate has an intriguing texture and mouth-feel to it. Very good length and depth/complexity of flavour with just a lick of sweetness on the mid-palate. Shows complex character, while retaining some freshness on the palate that should allow it to improve with age.
91/100

Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Shiraz (97 disg) :
Quite obviously of the same bloodline as the 06 disgorgement, just with some added age. Leather, earth, five spice and smoke on the nose. The palate shows more savoury spice and is drier in comparison to the 06. The real standout feature of the palate is the superb depth of flavour and excellent balance leading into an excellent length finish.

Sparkling red is generally not my thing, but these two bottles certainly were.
92/100

2003 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay :
Very delicate nose of lemon, light oats and a streak of minerality. Palate is elegant with great balance and focus through a tight core of acid. Young and tightly wound at the moment, but it is obviously extremely classy and it has so much potential that I would love to see it in 5 years time when it could well be excellent.
90/100

1976 Rosemount Estate Cabernet Sauvignon :
Light aromas of smoke, dust, sweet chocolate and a hint of a floral character. Fairly lightly bodied as well with decent length and quite a smoky aftertaste. Held up well over the evening and was drinkable and better than I think may have been expected from a wine that was probably not intended to be saved for 30+ years!
85/100

1981 Leoville Las Cases :
Quite an expressive nose of tobacco, lilac, cassis, cedar and earth. The palate at first lacks intensity, although the the components are all nicely balanced and integrated. Seemed to take on some extra palate weight when given some time to breath and was better when paired with food.
88/100

1994 Ridge Monte Bello :
12.7% alcohol. Primary nose of violet, blackcurrant, cedar and chocolate oak, autumn leaves and pencil shavings. The palate is primary as well with plenty of deeply seated fruit to stand up to the oak and fine tannin structure. Really good length. I think the back label mentioned keeping it 5-15 years to improve, based on this bottle I’d be extending that an extra 8-10 years.
91/100

2003 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz :
A nose that is jam packed with sweet, ripe fruit. Blackcurrant, anise/liquorice, some background vanilla oak and blueberry muffins was an aroma descriptor that I particularly liked. More intense, sweet fruit on the palate that I think will appeal to lovers of the richly fruited Barossa style. Nice length, but just a bit too ripe for my personal liking.
88/100

1981 Chateau Coutet : (375ml)
Light botrytis, lots of apricot and some burnt sugar. The nose is better than the palate, which has an initial burst of flavour followed by watered down flavour intensity on the mid-palate and a startlingly short finish. I finished my glass quickly, but others noted that the nose fell over pretty soon after pouring.
81/100

2004 Kracher Eiswein : (375ml)
The nose is perfumed and elegant rather than dense, with some floral notes, slate and lemon and orange zest. The palate is quite pure with good balance through enough refreshing acidity as a counterweight to the medium sweetness. Fairly simple, but enjoyable to drink all the same. Probably drinking well now while it is still fresh.
88/100

Two Hands “Brilliant Disguise” 2006 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):

The nose is bursting with lime, mango, floral notes and tropical fruit. The light fizz leads the wine into a dance across the palate. A delicate sweetness with a hint at depth of flavour. Delicious drinking and I wish I had more for summer! Previously reviewed here.

90/100

Eldridge Estate Chardonnay 2004 - (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria):

A pale yellow colour. Minerally nose, with macadamia nuts, browned butter, lemon and signs of beautifully judged oak use sitting in the background. The palate has good intensity of flavour and good length, it is also balanced and focussed except for a slight citrusy tang towards the finish. Really calls out to be paired with food in order to shine.

89/100

Kracher Muskat Ottonel Auslese 2003 - (Burgenland, Austria):

Musk, violets, citrus peel, apricot and marmalade on a rather off-beat nose. The palate is also slightly out of the ordinary, with just a hint of rich sweetness, an oily viscous mouth-feel, lacking any real depth of flavour and the finish dropping away suddenly. Something a bit different, although I doubt I would purchase again.

86/100

I had this wine at a restaurant recently as part of celebrating finishing my university degree. It is closer to $30AUD at retail.

Tasting Note: Highly aromatic, intense nose of passionfruit, pineapple, guava, orange and lime. Palate is crisp with a touch of spice and shows good focus and structural acidity, lurking in the background is a soupcon of delicate sweetness. Lacks the depth and length to be outstanding, but it is very easy to like and enjoyable to drink.

When to Drink: It has the acid structure to age over the short term, but I don’t know if it has the fruit depth for long term aging. Now - 2011

Verdict: I don’t think the value for money is there, even at $30. Still, after a great ‘95 Kremer Kogl Auslese Riesling from this producer at a recent dinner and this wine, I am very keen to try more wines from this maker. 90 points.