10 year Tasting of 2005 Vintage

The usual annual tasting of the 10 year old Australian wines. John, Steve, Chris & Steve with guest appearances by Hugh, Mark and Ezzy.
Crowd favourites:
bracket 2: 4way tie, only Petersons got no votes
bracket 3: clonakilla
bracket 4: giaconda
bracket 5: mt mary then wantirna
bracket 6: mt langhi then moss wood/yeringberg

• 2005 Yeringberg Marsanne Roussanne 92 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  some gold in colour.
  light honeysuckle nose.
  lovely ripe melon and stonefruit flavours, with a blend of honeysuckle and spice, great structure, built to age.

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• 1995 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale 91 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  strong gold.
  lightly fragrant, predominantly fruit but with a light toasty edge.
  sweeter fruits, melons and honey. delicious, well balanced and refined. very youthful for its age, good acidity. drinking very well.

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• 2005 Mount Mary Triolet 92 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  very pale straw.
  soft tropical fruits, with pineapple most clearly albeit still soft.
  tropical fruits cut with lemon citrus, very clean and clear, some light herbal spice. lovely hints of lemon curd on the long finish. pure and delicious, drinking very well. very young for its age.

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• 1995 Petersons Sémillon Hunter Valley 85 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  light gold colour.
  rich, slightly tropical fruits, with a lightly toasty edge.
  sweet fruits dominate, a little toast. very soft but not totally without acidity. past its best but still interesting.

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• 1995 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1 89 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  lightly gold.
  lovely gently aged fruit, some honey and white bread toast, a hint of reduction.
  soft but with reasonable length. straw, honey, and a gently toasty flavour. good acidity. well aged but possibly past its best.

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• 1995 Mount Mary Triolet 95 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  very pale, amazingly so for its age, barely darker than the 2005.
  very pure and refined fruit aromas, lightly honeyed, lemon/lime zest.
  elegantly structured, delicate and long. lemon curd, gentle herbal spice, but mainly fruit-driven. seems ageless, the fruit has blossomed a little but the refinement remains. this has held together better than nearly any white Bordeaux of the same age. no idea how long it could go at this rate.

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• 2005 Chapoutier and Laughton Shiraz La Pleïade 87 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

  deep red, dark core.
  ripe red/blue berry fruits dominate, highly fragrant, some violet and ink.
  medium weight. rich red and blue berry fruits, nice dark spicy edge of tar, licorice and ink. tannins are a little coarse and acidity too obvious, all in all a little unbalanced, the finish is too sharp. a shame as the flavours are very attractive.

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• 2005 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 93 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  medium-pale colour.
  pure clean nose, red berries and lightly spiced.
  an elegant wine, beautiful structure, Burgundian. plums, raspberries, with violet and ink undertones. well integrated, no noticeable oak, finishes with soft refined tannins and well matched acidity. drinking really well. not a blockbuster but in a very good way. more hermitage than cote rotie, but very un-Australian!

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• 2005 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  med weight colour.
  red berry, earthy and with well integrated mint. a unique but attractive fragrance.
  fruit-sweet, red and blueberries, raspberry, almost black cherry. distinctly earthy edge adds nice complexity. trademark Clare inkiness gives it that monolithic quality. medium weight only, has a silkiness to it with very soft tannins and mild acidity.

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• 2005 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Moonambel Pyrenees 91 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  deep ruby red.
  rich ripe fragrance of red and black berries, hint of oak spice.
  medium weight, silky, delicious plum and raspberry with a light blueberry edge. flavours are predominantly fruit-driven, not much from oak. a little secondary development in the fruit and a hint of earthiness. still quite youthful, nicely structured, a long finish with fine tannins.

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• 2005 Noon Shiraz Reserve 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek

  deep rich colour.
  full rich fruit-cake nose with smooth creamy oak edge. nice.
  velvety, thick palate, long and richly flavoured. red and black berries, plums and licorice. clearly well oaked but has the richness to handle it. a little heavy on the palate but nicely flavoured.

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• 2005 Giaconda Shiraz Warner Vineyard 92 Points

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth

  deep dark red.
  ripe red berries, bacon fat oak influence with ink and licorice. quite a fragrant intense nose.
  medium-light weight, silky, red and blue berries, refined oak influence is reasonably well integrated. delicious ripe fruit with interesting developed nuances. there is a slight tartness on the finish, perhaps less than perfectly ripe tannins. otherwise excellent.

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• 2005 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia's Paddock 92 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

  medium weight red.
  bright red fruits with a touch of blue. some violets and ink, very fragrant and fruit-driven.
  silky texture, rich red berry fruits, long finish and very fine ripe tannins. has softened, not especially huge, no obvious alcohol, ripe flavours and almost delicate. drinking beautifully.

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• 2005 Elderton Shiraz Single Vineyard Command 88 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  deep dark red.
  rich dark fruits, plums, a little prune, violets and strong but fairly well integrated oak.
  raspberry, plum and prune with quite noticeable vanilla and caramel. richly flavoured, mainly fruits but with a dark tar and licorice egde. a slightly tart finish with strong but fine tannins. powerful, but a little too much for me. not loving the oak influence.

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• 2005 Rockford Shiraz Basket Press 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  medium weight.
  bright fruits, rich, with a fragrant violet edge.
  fruitcake, blueberries, tar and licorice, good acidity and relatively soft tannins. a lighter vintage. drinking nicely now.

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• 2005 Tyrrell's Shiraz 4 Acres 94 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  quite pale red, pinot-like.
  raspberry, wood smoke, hay and licorice. very fragrant.
  silky, refined, delicious red berries with licorice, graphite and tar. poised, delicate and intensely flavoured. has a hint of the hunter leather. gentle acidity and soft tannins. a really lovely wine.

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• 2005 Mount Mary Quintet 94 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  pale red, pinot-like.
  red berry fruit, sherbet zest, fragrant tobacco leaf edge.
  light weight, red berries dominate, bright sherbet zest, very delicate and refined structure, but acidity is enough to give it a nice clean finish, tannins are very soft. delicious flavours.

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• 2005 Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon Colin 93 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  deep rich red colour.
  rich red berries and tobacco leaf complexity.
  very youthful profile although has softened. gorgeous red berries, classic margaret river, with some violets, cedar and tobacco leaf. a Bordeaux comparison is quite fair. finish is smooth and long, with soft very fine tannins. delicious.

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• 2005 Lake's Folly Cabernets 91 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  medium weight ruby red.
  red berry, earthy and a little spicy pepper.
  sherbety fruit, bright red berries, some marachino cherry and a hint of tobacco leaf. softly structured, very fine tannins and reasonable acidity. certainly on the softer side but drinking extremely well.

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• 2005 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  very dark rich colour.
  dark fruit profile with some oak evident.
  big boned, strong tannins still, fruit is rich with raspberry and blueberry. not a lot of secondary development yet, a little cedary character and darker spice. a little tart to close but otherwise drinking nicely.

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• 2005 Wantirna Estate Cabernet Merlot Amelia 94 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  dark red no brick.
  lovely fragrance of rich red berries, some dark spice and a hint of sherbet.
  very smooth, red and blue berry, tar and earthy cedary spice, excellent structure, finishes with fine furry tannins. a delicious blend, drinking well but has some time ahead of it.

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• 1995 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  rich red, broad rim.
  light red berry frgarance, very pure.
  medium soft palate, ripe red berries, some raspberry, a little spice but mainly red fruits. still has a coiled power, superb acidity and very fine tannins. structure is excellent. flavours are hardly developed. delicious.

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• 1995 Yeringberg 89 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  light-medium red.
  rich, red berry jam and hint of caramel.
  soft, quite developed, reasonable intensity, rich red berry fruits with a gentle vein of caramel. possibly not the best preserved bottle but still drinks nicely.

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• 1995 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Moonambel Pyrenees 89 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  blood red with a hint of brick.
  rich fruits with pepper, spice and earth.
  light bodied, raspberry and plum fruits, some pepper, ink and earth. soft acid and very fine tannins. gracefully aged but past its peak now.

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• 1995 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 93 Points

  Australia, Victoria

  deep red, softening rim with a hint of brick.
  rich earthy fruit, black pepper, game, leather, licorice. an alluringly complex fragrance.
  soft creamy texture, richly fruited with lovely complex characters from leather, earth and ink. hints of blueberry and black pepper add complexity. tannins are good but soft and furry. a delicious old shiraz

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• 1995 Petersons Shiraz Back Block 90 Points

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  leathery red, distinct brick.
  leather, earth, raspberry, licorice and tar. lovely fragrance.
  rich red berries with sweet gamey leathery characters. has aged nicely, good acidity and tannins provide a resonant finish. tasty.

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• 2005 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Fortified 94 Points

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

  heavy weight ruby red.
  strongly fragrant blueberry and inky violets.
  lush, velvety palate. acid and tannin in balance. fruits are rich, raspberry, blueberry and plum. very fruit-sweet, but the balance is there. not much in the way of secondary development. years ahead. delicious now though in a primary sort of way.

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