Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[HokitikaGold]

Impulse buy at a local Asian Fusion restaurant, courtesy of a friend. Didn't match the food at all; no one complained.

Tielec, as per Boomy, am jealous

Having said that, my current level of wine skill would probably not do Grange justice. My goal is to one day try a Hill of Grace - Grange second choice after that. But I am hesitant. In my travels I have enjoyed $200+ argentine malbecs and spanish tempranillos - which still hurt as they were just so delicious. But for now am starting again by getting back to the basics, as you will see in my next post. It can only be "up" from here

 

[HokitikaGold]

Evening all, and "aloha"

Tonight I continue to chew through the mixed dozen I purchased recently. Clearance reds and "bargain" prices. The last few have clearly been wines designed/packaged/labeled for an intended export to places like the UK and Belgium. But the following two are more aussie oriented.

The first is a Karatta Wines "Brush Heath" cabernet sauvignon, 2018. From SA's Limestone Coast region, specifically from Robe.

A medium weight bottle with shallow punt, and a fairly bland, but ok, label. Includes a small map to show origin which I really like on any wine. Generic Bordeaux style bottle.
Nothing "leapt out" at me from this packaging, but did not lead to great expectations. Getting cheap mixed dozens is a minefield, where some inclusions are pathetic. "But".......

This wine is deep ruby, and slightly cloudy but not due to aging. It appears alive and well

On the nose it was reasonably strong, but not overwhelmingly so, of dark berries and red fruits.

It is smooth but with moderately high tannin, starts sweet, blackcurrant, cooked strawberries, long berry finish.

Overall a perfectly acceptable young cabernet sauvignon - basic and straitforward, but fundamentally sound.

 

[HokitikaGold]

The second bottle is Barwang "The Wall" cabernet sauvignon, 2019.

Although I had never heard of it (as am a newbie to aussie wines) I get the feeling this has been around for some time?

The label emphasizes the brand and product name - no crass meanderings or waffle. Where it lets down is the lack of specific provenance. But I get that it is a NSW thing, with the name being explained as the slang for the Great Dividing Range.

A screwcap, Bordeaux style, medium punt and weight bottle. Felt solid enough.

I loved the colour - a soft yet bright, medium-dark ruby, with hints of blue.

Quiet restrained aromas of dark berries and plum.

Moderate tannins, medium length finish, a tad acidic, a distinctly medium body, dominated by blackberry.

As a "cheapie" (due to what I paid for it), I would gladly put aside a case to see how it goes in a few years.

Overall, both this one and the Brush Heath fall into my area of "nice enough that it wasn't a day lost in my life"

 

[teammongo]

boomy, beautiful decanter. Who makes it?

 

[TheRealTMA]

Looking forward to my case of these we recently received from Italy.

https://www.poderiboscarelli.com/boscarelli-il-nocio-vino-nobile-2016-recensito-su-wine-review-online/

 

[Daver6]

View attachment 226151
Impulse buy at a local Asian Fusion restaurant, courtesy of a friend. Didn't match the food at all; no one complained.

Drinking young. Strong American oak influence, cola, coconut and meatiness. Tannins were very soft, I would have liked a tiny bit more structure. One of the more approachable Granges I have had. Ages left, but I wonder if the low acidity and lack of structure will impact down the track?

Soft tannins and low acid does not bode well at all. Certainly not what I would be expecting from Grange either.

 

[boomy]

boomy, beautiful decanter. Who makes it?

Krosno (town in Poland)

Krosno Connoisseur Duck Decanter 1.4 litre

-

www.kitchenstyle.com.au

 

[afro]

took a bottle out for a spin last night,pretty much the same as the cleanskin, so whoever bought it would be very please with it at 1/3 of the price.

strong aroma of Dark fruits, little spices, good mix of dark chocolate and berries in the mix, deep deep depth, didn’t notice the mint until the end , long finish.

 

[blackcat20]

Distant reminder of the days when VM used to be all about quality without the annoying hyperbole.
Can’t remember how much I paid but definitely far less than it’s $140 RRP which btw is not inflated. This is a true quality Shiraz that developed beautifully over the years and I believe reached peak drinking time.

View attachment 226150

We drank our last one of these a few months ago, I have it in Cellar Tracker as $35 from VM.

 

[boomy]

We drank our last one of these a few months ago, I have it in Cellar Tracker as $35 from VM.

What a bargain it was! Should get two doz at that price.

 

[HokitikaGold]

A different wine for me - a white.

Today I received a "mystery case" that I bought direct from Umamu as they are selling these as a fundraiser for the bushfire appeal. A dozen for $100, delivered, all proceeds minus the transport cost being donated to said appeal. Am not a white fan, but enjoy a change from time to time, and cooking, so I thought "what the hell".

The product that arrived is a 2009 Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. Yes, a 2009! I was a bit unsettled by that, but when I looked up about Umamu (a brand I was unaware of) I see that they usually hold most of their wines for 5 or so years before sale - so they are probably quite adept at making even whites that age well.

The photo above does not capture the true colour that well, but it is a nice deep yellow, verging on gold.

I will not attempt any tasting description as I know even less about whites than reds, but it is quite pleasant.

 

[SleepyPolarBear]

Casual Tuesday quaffers. A few pet Nats though, that I avoid like covid.

Only thing to note, Domaine A 2009 cab has very little fruit left, mostly vegetal and savoury notes so for those who have, drink very soon.

 

[HokitikaGold]

Aloha all

After a night on the "white", I very happily return to tackle some reds from my bargain Just Wines mixed dozen.

BTW, I am not spruiking Just Wines - have zero loyalty to them and just took advantage of some coupons. They are just one of the many online discount places. All up I did 4 orders from them, the first three each arrived well, within about 7 to 10 days (to SE Qld) The last should get here in a day or two. This is my first foray into mixed "unknown" products from online sellers - I usually shop at Dan Murphy's, sheerly due to their range - I much prefer to touch a bottle before I buy it.... But have been pleasantly surprised by the decent quality (at the price) of what I have got so far. Anyway, I digress....

McWilliam's Hazy Days shiraz, 2019.

I am not yet well versed in australian wine marketing, but this appears to be something actually made to be sold in Australia, as opposed to exports. So I assume that major wine makers do this from time to time - do a batch of something they have an excess of and sell it through these online businesses? The labelling seems targeted at an aussie audience. There is no reference to origin of the wine, but I believe that McWilliams does wine from four NSW regions - the Riverina, Hilltops, Tumbarumba, and Canberra. I am not skilled enough to guess which of these was the source.

The bottle was surprisingly solid, and decent punt. The label I really liked - artistic but in a pleasant fashion, and matched truly the product - fun/economic but not cheap/and colourful - as is the wine.

This wine has very nice colour - a deep ruby/purple. Bright and clear. I am always seeking the colour purple due to my memories of some great Argentine malbecs, but that is silly me. Anyway, I like the colour of this wine - very much unblemished and "alive".

Unfortunately due to a bit of a cold, my usually poor sense of smell has deteriorated to almost zilch.

On the palate, I found this wine to be of medium body, sweetness coming thru a delicious fruity black cherry-focus, medium finish. Moderate tannins.

All in all an enjoyable drop.

P.S. You may notice that I have changed my wine glasses - my real glasses are at a former home which is COVID-away for me. I was not enjoying the coughpy ones I had, so in my COVID-pauper times I went out today in search, and found these two beauties in a Vinnie's. Have no idea what brand they are, but would not be surprised if they are Riedel. In pristine condition at $8 for the pair. Makes you wonder why people would have got rid of them? Maybe they needed 4 or more matching glasses....

Vinnie's raised some money, I got a bargain, and two perfectly good glasses got recycled into a further life of usage - everyone's a winner

 

[tgh]

Umamu originally offered a box of white for a one box order and a box of red and a box of white for a two box order.
I have "enough" white but could use a red quaffer, so returned for a second round..
My two box order arrived yesterday… donnerblitzen !!!!!!! … two MORE boxes of sem/sb .. one 06 and one 09.
It's perfectly fine wine.. but I cannot see me quaffing endless ssb… even at -$9/bottle…
Lots of gifting about to happen…can't complain.. it's a good cause… but ….tblpom&mdofa….

 

[HokitikaGold]

Umamu originally offered a box of white for a one box order and a box of red and a box of white for a two box order.
I have "enough" white but could use a red quaffer, so returned for a second round..
My two box order arrived yesterday… donnerblitzen !!!!!!! … two MORE boxes of sem/sb .. one 06 and one 09.
It's perfectly fine wine.. but I cannot see me quaffing endless ssb… even at -$9/bottle…
Lots of gifting about to happen…can't complain.. it's a good cause… but ….tblpom&mdofa….

When I read their site it said that if you order more than a dozen, they would "try" to mix it up. But I still only ordered a dozen - hence not being surprised at the SSB. I completely understand you and your predicament - have explained to my wife that I now have some excellent white for her next risotto - I just cannot face drinking the 11 bottles of white now remaining - even though it is rather nice

 

[boomy]

When Jeremy Oliver scores 99 points I pay attention. Initially I was going to cellar all my bottles but a good friend who recently had it said I should open one to taste the magic, so I did (doesn’t take much to convince me to open a bottle of windWhat can I say, this is possibly the best cool climate Shiraz I’ve ever had. To drink so well so young is incredible. I’m not good in describing flavours but the red fruit and smoky aromas reminded me of an aged Pinot.

I was so impressed that I’ve decided to stop drinking half way and keep the rest for next day (and opened another of something else, can’t really stop at half bottle ). Had a feeling it will be even better the next day. Well, it was just as good so I still see it as win win

I should mention the story behind Paradise IV wines. The owner decided to retire and 2018 vintage is sadly the very last one before pulling out the vines. I guess there’s no better way to retire than after presenting the best vintage ever.

 

[Daver6]

Last night a friend put on a vertical of the Ashbrook (Margaret River) Cabernet from 2018 (not yet released) through to 2004. This was a wine that I wasn't familiar with. Current release is $35 and I think represents stunning value for money. They also make a reserve wine at about $65 I believe. Based on last night, these wines are very approachable young and improve over about 10 years.

 

[HokitikaGold]

Aloha all!

Tonight something not from that eternal Just Wines bargain box. This mid-range Coonawarra red retails in Dan Murphy's for about $38.

It is the Reschke Bos cabernet sauvignon, 2009.

Very nice bottle - a minimalist main label that just mentions the maker, the wine, the varietal, and the "bull" Reschke logo. S smaller label beneath describes the conditions in which this vintage was produced. I like that detail. Rear label explains that "Bos" means "bull" and was chosen as this is "not a wine for the feint hearted". Hmmm... we shall see.

Very nice solid bordeaux bottle with deep punt. Cork closure. On opening the cork was in great condition - more about that later.

The colour has aged to a very nice deep garnet, still very clear and un-dead. (Sorry, I have an aspie thing about colours in wine that I see as "dead" - so "un-dead" means it is still alive. In my experience my visual decision on this is followed up by a corroborating tasting experience)

On the nose, complex with savoury notes overriding the blackberry.

Palate, quite full-bodied with long finish. Pleasantly smooth with great complexity, depth. Blackcurrant rules the fruits, but now as a background. Tannins fine, well tamed.

A quality product. I suspect this could have been a hard one to enjoy in youth, but it appears to have aged very well. The cork quality was impeccable, and would hold for many years to come, but I expect this wine has reached about its zenith. The colour tells me that.

 

[teammongo]

A little birthday bash..

Good Friends + Good Food + Good Wine = Good Times!!

TM

 

[HokitikaGold]

A little birthday bash..

Good Friends + Good Food + Good Wine = Good Times!!

TM
View attachment 226323

That is a very nice swag of drinks!! But I cannot help but fear for the morning after....