Victoria, Australia
Henschke
Hill of Grace Vineyard Shiraz 1996
Grange tasting flight 4
The 96 Hill of Grace was the better wine & group liked it where the 14 was mostly primary & would need more time — 18 hours ago
Penfolds
St. Henri Shiraz 2018
Deep ruby centre , slightly wider ruby rim . Bit more herbaceous and medicinal nose , spicier dark fruits , touch tobacco , dried spice , smoky touch. Slight lighter focused fruit , spiced red plum , dark cherry. On the palate quite round and juicy , sweeter palate , smoky red plum , blueberry , dark cherry jam. Balanced acidity and slightly gritty but ripe , sweet tannins . Medium length . This is quite a contrast to the first two , the style of fruit is sweeter and lighter, and with time in the glass , more red cherry , strawberry notes appear. The finish is slightly sweeter and less harmonious than the first two , it is also very young so this might come with more time. Better in 5-10 years and will last well a further 5-10. — a month ago
Penfolds
Grange South Australia Shiraz 2001
About as big of a personality as one could imagine and yet, Grange remains true to itself. The 2001 is still quite youthful; imbued with enormous power. Concentrated, ripe blue and black fruits with some mushrooms, earth, purple flowers, black pepper and delicious baked goods. It’s great now but could use another decade+ to fully mature and from there, who knows? 2051 seems easily attainable. — 15 days ago
Grosset
Polish Hill Clare Valley Riesling 2012
Light yellow in colour. Paraffin notes with Toast and Honey on the nose. Good refreshing citric acid (lime and lemon) - still very youthful at 12 years of age. On the palate, purity and power with amazing flavour persistence. Regarded as one of Australia’s Premium Rieslings with good reason. — 17 days ago
Elderton
Command Single Vineyard Shiraz 1998
Popped and poured, enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 1998 “Command” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. Definitely some fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and mostly dried black and red fruits: brambles, blueberries, blackberries, dates, grilled meat, leather, purple flowers, marjoram, earth and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin (mostly integrated) and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose with the addition of an umami/Maillard reaction sort of thing giving a rich, savory finish. Drink now as it’s in slow decline. — a month ago
Leeuwin Estate
Art Series Margaret River Chardonnay 2011
Typical nose of an Art Series Chardonnay with that dried pear character. On the medium weight palate a nice combination of ripe grapefruit and under ripe yellow peach. Medium minus acid. One can’t help but love this Chardonnay. A wonderful terroir, the Gin Gin clone, great winemaking, and an excellent vintage - ticks all the boxes. At its peak but enough acid for a few more years if you wish. That was my last bottle of the 2011. — 10 days ago
Glaetzer
Amon-Ra Barossa Valley Unfiltered Shiraz 2010
Rich, supple and delicious. A prime example of what the Barossa does so well, particularly in a good vintage. Blackberry, blackcurrant, dark chocolate and coffee grounds. Barb thought too much coconut oak but I didn’t think it was excessive. The next night ripe plum and oak- rich and mouth filling - through to the mid 2030’s. Your choice - rich and fruit driven or developed savoury notes or somewhere in between. — a month ago
Ron Siegel
Grange tasting flight 3
99 & 01 Here the 99 was clearly the favorite of the group youthful showing dark fruits, spice , menthol with perfect balance that should age gracefully for many years — 18 hours ago