When should I drink it? (Too Late / Now / Soon / Later / Never)

[RooFlyer]

Time for you and Buzz to come for a visit to Chateau penegal.

Excellent. I've only seen it from the air.

 

[penegal]

Where's my invite?

You're always welcome, plenty of wine, and perhaps even some wine glasses.

 

[Wozza]

Follow wine lovers. I was excited to snag one of the 40 Langtons Cases they called - A 10 Year Reflection - Best of 2005 Classified Mix Mixed Varieties. The 6 pack of 2005 wines contains one each of the following wines:


Torbreck RunRig Shiraz 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Exceptional’.
The wine that redefined hedonism and luxury in a bottle.
98 points, Jay Miller (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.) ‘…a candidate for perfection’.
Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front): ‘Stunning… incredible’.
Jeremy Oliver: ‘profoundly concentrated… unctuous… sumptuous…’.

Cullen Diana Madeline 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Exceptional’.
Margaret River’s leading Cabernet blend.
97 points, Jeremy Oliver: ‘…a great wine and one of the very finest Bordeaux blends ever produced at Cullen’.
96 points, James Halliday: ‘…the balance provided by the deep black fruits guarantees its future’.

Mount Mary Quintet 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Exceptional’.
Victoria’s leading Bordeaux blend, from a pioneering small winery.
96 points, Huon Hooke: ‘Intense and beautifully balanced, a wine of poise and style’.
95 points, James Halliday: ‘Supremely graceful and fine…’

Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Outstanding’.
Benchmark Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon by the great Pete Bissell.
96 points, James Halliday: ‘luscious but tightly framed blackcurrant, cassis and French oak…’

D'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Outstanding’.
Traditional McLaren Vale – dark colour, deep flavours, gravelly tannin… wine with attitude.
98 points, Weekly Wine Journal: ‘The palate is explosive’.
95 points, Jay Miller (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate): ‘Full-bodied, opulent and super-concentrated…’

Elderton Command Shiraz 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Excellent’.
Traditional, classic Barossa Shiraz – commanding your attention
97 points, Jay Miller (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) ‘Voluptuous… complex, and dense…’.
95 points, Gary Walsh (WineFront): ‘…smooth and silky… fresh and dynamic… world-class… No doubt’.

Source: https://www.langtons.com.au/product...=LT_151202_SingaporeanParcel_10YearReflection

I acquired these 6 wines for drinking next year (for special occasions or to have with cheese on toast when the wife is out!), but I am wondering if any of you would hold off and cellar any of these wines for longer. Any thoughts gratefully received ....?

 

[penegal]

10 years since vintage is a safe time to drink any Australian wine (if not before). Yes - one or two notable exceptions, but generally I stick to the 8-10 year rule for Aussies.

My cellar facilities around 2009-2010 were not as good as they are now, so I am trying to accelerate the clearance of all 2000-2008 Australian wines which remain, and then start to focus on the 2009/2010 as they reach that 7-8 year mark.


I had a 2002 McLaren Vale Shiraz turn in the glass the other day. We handled it well and decanted it half a bottle at a time, and it was liquid gold. But definitely should have been drunk 1-2 years earlier.

 

[penegal]

Wozza - Halliday's suggestions (circa 2007-2008) are as follows:

Drink Year - Wine
2018 - Torbreck RunRig Shiraz 2005
2018 - Cullen Diana Madeline 2005
2020 - Mount Mary Quintet 2005
2025 - Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
2012 - D'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2005
2020 - Elderton Command Shiraz 2005

That mostly fits with my suggestion given Halliday is usually super generous with aging.

Also, unless you know they have been well stored, I feel that it is better to allow an extra few mins in the decanter or glass, rather than get stuck with expensive vinegar.

 

[burmans]

That mostly fits with my suggestion given Halliday is usually super generous with aging.

While clearly some wine is over the hill I do wonder if people evaluation of aging does vary by the simple factor of whether you actually like aged wine characteristics or not. I've had plenty of examples where in drinking an aged wine it just hasn't done it for me that much but others have raved about it.

I'm not talking past it, vinegary or any of those things here, I'm talking about wines that have been well matured and should have been "special" (and for some they were) whereas for me they were good but not great. So I'd tend to agree that about the 10 year benchmark is right for me, I do have older wines (1997/1998) and for me they are in general no better and sometimes worse that those with 2004-2006 on the label.

But is that just because that's what I'm used to?

 

[blackcat20]

I find any well aged wine to taste like old barrel... Wines with 6-8 years usually taste best to me. Though of course I don't mind a younger wine.

 

[Wozza]

I find any well aged wine to taste like old barrel... Wines with 6-8 years usually taste best to me. Though of course I don't mind a younger wine.

What excellent feedback and advice, Penegal, Burmans and BlackCat. Really appreciate it. Thank you.

I tend to have the same reaction, BlackCat - I don't tend to get as excited by the really aged stuff. I experienced that first hand at the back vintage tasting I went to last week. Some people were going mad for the leather arm chair stuff, and I was thinking it was, well - just nice. Then out came the youngest wine we had - an 09 - and I was completely smitten for it. So much so, I ended up paying the most I have for a 750ml bottle x3!

I am trying to broaden by drinking horizons with the purchase of this 10 year pack, and am taking a punt they will be right in their drinking sweet spot due to their great reputations for ageing well in the bottle, and their excellent providence which the broker was extolling.

On your collective advice and my instincts, and my preference for middle age maturity!, I will be drinking these in the next 6 months.

I will report back in due course over the coming months ...

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I find I need to age a Cab Sauv for years more than a Shiraz to get it to the point where I enjoy drinking it as much. A quality 2010 shiraz might be drinking nicely now, but a 2010 Cab Sauv will probably need another 3-5+ years to reach the same sweet spot.

Edit: congrats on getting the pack - they were already sold out before I could get around to putting an order in.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I tend to agree with BC20, 6-8 years is enough. For the ones above, I would be drinking them quite soon. No point in keeping them longer, IMHO.

 

[Wozza]

I find I need to age a Cab Sauv for years more than a Shiraz to get it to the point where I enjoy drinking it as much. A quality 2010 shiraz might be drinking nicely now, but a 2010 Cab Sauv will probably need another 3-5+ years to reach the same sweet spot.

Edit: congrats on getting the pack - they were already sold out before I could get around to putting an order in.

I completely agree, AC, generally speaking.

I only picked up the 10 year pack because I had struck a WineMarket share-a-case deal with Katy last week,met her yesterday for the swap and catch up (where she starts bragging about the amazing wines she (shouldn't!) have purchased from Langtons!!), and feeling left out I send a - what about me - email to my Langtons broker, who duly phones me as the deal has just gone live. We talk about all the amazing wines I might be interested in, and during that 10 / 15 minute call the 40 cases pretty much sell out, with me taking the 3rd last case. I just got lucky.

They have loads of the Diana (offline) - especially 09 - and lots of other goodies too, like the Runrigs. I suspect you know (and have already acquired some) of the amazing wines on offer.

 

[burmans]

Of course an unmentioned factor here is the closure. Pre 2005 the chances its cork is high, 2005 and on screw caps took off! Certainly makes a difference IMO, having had two failed corks this week. I've only once had a bad screw cap!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Follow wine lovers. I was excited to snag one of the 40 Langtons Cases they called - A 10 Year Reflection - Best of 2005 Classified Mix Mixed Varieties. The 6 pack of 2005 wines contains one each of the following wines:

View attachment 59782
Torbreck RunRig Shiraz 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Exceptional’.
The wine that redefined hedonism and luxury in a bottle.
98 points, Jay Miller (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.) ‘…a candidate for perfection’.
Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front): ‘Stunning… incredible’.
Jeremy Oliver: ‘profoundly concentrated… unctuous… sumptuous…’.

Cullen Diana Madeline 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Exceptional’.
Margaret River’s leading Cabernet blend.
97 points, Jeremy Oliver: ‘…a great wine and one of the very finest Bordeaux blends ever produced at Cullen’.
96 points, James Halliday: ‘…the balance provided by the deep black fruits guarantees its future’.

Mount Mary Quintet 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Exceptional’.
Victoria’s leading Bordeaux blend, from a pioneering small winery.
96 points, Huon Hooke: ‘Intense and beautifully balanced, a wine of poise and style’.
95 points, James Halliday: ‘Supremely graceful and fine…’

Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Outstanding’.
Benchmark Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon by the great Pete Bissell.
96 points, James Halliday: ‘luscious but tightly framed blackcurrant, cassis and French oak…’

D'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Outstanding’.
Traditional McLaren Vale – dark colour, deep flavours, gravelly tannin… wine with attitude.
98 points, Weekly Wine Journal: ‘The palate is explosive’.
95 points, Jay Miller (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate): ‘Full-bodied, opulent and super-concentrated…’

Elderton Command Shiraz 2005 – Langton’s Classified: ‘Excellent’.
Traditional, classic Barossa Shiraz – commanding your attention
97 points, Jay Miller (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) ‘Voluptuous… complex, and dense…’.
95 points, Gary Walsh (WineFront): ‘…smooth and silky… fresh and dynamic… world-class… No doubt’.

Source: https://www.langtons.com.au/product...=LT_151202_SingaporeanParcel_10YearReflection

I acquired these 6 wines for drinking next year (for special occasions or to have with cheese on toast when the wife is out!), but I am wondering if any of you would hold off and cellar any of these wines for longer. Any thoughts gratefully received ....?

No. If you haven't cellared them yourself, drink them in the near future. Even if you have, drink them soon.

 

[Wozza]

No. If you haven't cellared them yourself, drink them in the bear future. Even if you have, drink them soon.

Thanks TheRealTMA. Based on your and the collective wisdom of others above, I am drinking them over the next 6 weeks - an end of your treat for a busy year. I am very lucky indeed, if the 05 Dead Arm I have tried tonight is anything to go by.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Whilst I can't speak for your specific Balnaves bottle, the one I had from the same sale definitely doesn't need to be drunk right away. I suspect it'll be fine for another 5 years or so.

 

[Deleted member]

I have some (6) 2005 Eileen Hardy Shiraz. The wine maker reckons 15 - 20 years. I'm tempted to give one a go over the break. But is it worth going 5 years early?

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I have some 2004 Eileen Hardy that I acquired in 2013. Planning to drink one bottle a year, starting from last year. They are excellent now and I guess will still be good over my planned drinking window. I can't speak for the 2005 vintage but I suspect you won't be disappointed.

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

Well we opened a couple more of the oldies on Saturday night: The Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste, Bordeaux Blend, 1982 and the Chateau Leoville Grand vin de Leoville, Saint Julien, 1983. So as promised, here is the report:

Sad to say, but we were all completely underwhelmed. While there was no indication that the wine had deteriorated, they both just tasted like any regular bottle of $20 BBQ/Pizza wine.
I know that the wines were bought for about $300 each about 8 years ago (well out of my normal purchasing boundaries...), so at least I didn't have to wallow in the buyers remorse as well (which would have been quite intense in this instance...).
Although the storage conditions, and the potential over-ageing *may* have contributed to the outcome, the colour was still good, the nose was good, the corks were in good condition - everything was pointing to a positive outcome. But, as I said, the drinking was only ordinary (not ordinary as in bad, just ordinary as in common). Had they been $15-$20 bottles I would have been happy; but they were not.....

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

So last night we opened the 1989 Rockford BP Shiraz.
As you can see from the photo, most of the cork crumbled into dust. But fortunately the last 1.5cm was intact and moist, and appeared as if it had done its intended job. Thankfully, despite the cork carnage, none ended up in the bottle (more the result of good luck than skill...).
And the wine itself: you could easily argue that it had been in the bottle too long, but it was silky smooth and a joy to drink, and a pleasure to share with good friends.
Good health & good wine to all.
J