Nose was fantastic. Taste clearly on the gentle downward slope, suggesting peak was 5-10 years ago. This is still very drinkable and enjoyable, but further delay won't offer reward. Taste of eucalyptus, cherry, brush, as others have noted. Nice showing for a 24 year old wine.
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This wine is in a great place now! Attractive nose with dark fruits, wood, leather and bell-pepper, some eucalyptus. Silk and smooth on the palate, rich in dark fruits. Good acidity, well-balanced. Long-lingering, well integrated smooth tannin. Very well crafted wine. Should hold well for (at least) another 5+ years.
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Wednesday night at Chateau Davyd. Tasted blind. Slow-oxed in bottle for 1 hour before drinking. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of cracked black pepper, underbrush, earth, ripe dark red cherries, black cherries, eucalyptus with more air and on hindsight. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), grippy high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet dark red cherries, black cherries, blackberries, black pepper, underbrush earth, minty eucalyptus. Long finish. Very good quality. I was guessing a good quality Languedoc Syrah at first as I wasn't getting the eucalyptus. Still going strong for the next 5 years. Fruit and tannins very alive. 1999 was a cooler year in Australia than 1999, hence this has fruit in the red spectrum as compared to the 1998 that was completely black with classic blackcurrant. Interestingly no bell pepper here despite being a cooler vintage.
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Slowly getting there. I'm leaving my other three alone for a few years yet. Perfect cork. Bright deep red with just the first signs of age creeping in to the wine. The nose is still quite primary but the palate is softening. The acid is more subtle, the tannins more silky but the tertiary flavours are yet to come through. Decanted for two hours. Hold for another 4-6 years at least.
Glass from bottle at Joni's. So big and so much going on it's somewhat hard to make sense of it all. Pours deep garnet with decent legs. So many flavors happening- fruit on the front (berries and cassis). Moves into tar, leather, earth, cedar, oak, iron, eucalyptus and #2 pencil. Really. Nice structure and great finish. Acidity makes me wish I were having it with dinner. Tannins are there but aged enough to be helpful rather than intrusive. Warmth and pepper at the end. Really, really nice.
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Attractive ripe nose with thick ripe dark cherries, iodine and pencil plus autumn notes. On the palate full and concentrated, ripe dark fruits, iron and a long finish with jammy fruit notes. Good acidity, perfectly ripe but no hurry to finish these bottles (lucky to have another 7 bottles).
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Drank this with wagyu beef for my birthday. Upon popping the cork beautiful, oaky aromas were immediate. A small sample revealed a richly flavoured, med plus bodied wine with ample dark fruits and oak. I only decanted for 1 hr and this proved correct as it was drinking beautifully upon opening. Rich cassis, plums, cedar, vanilla and graphite pencil shavings abundant. Hints of mint, well rounded with still ample concentration, acidity and tannin to ensure another decade up it's sleeve, whilst still retaining a velvet-like texture. The wine ticks all the boxes with intensity, concentration and length. A fantastic wine for now or in the future.
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Better than the previous bottle had six months ago. The acid has softened out and the palate is ticking along nicely. Excellent with pizza! Got the structure to got another 5 years easily.
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Deep dark crimson to black. Vital and dense. Aromas of Ripe Dark Berries, mostly Cassis and Cedar, aromas come with Toasty Notes, Leather and Tar. Licorice and Earth. Some Fruit in Rum. Sweet Floral Traces with subliminal Minty Coolness. Beautiful play of freshness, ripe fruit and secondary characters! Flavors of Ripe, Dark Berries and Plum. Fruit in Rum. Pleasant Exotic Spices (Cloves), Mocha and Floral characteristics. Soft, but vivid tannins and healthy acidity provide a perfect structure. Finishes long with Warm, Ripe Fruit, Peppery Spiciness and Harmony. Medium to full-bodied. Well-balanced and integrated.
A powerful, juicy and elegant wine that drinks perfectly now. Dense on the palate, nice, multi-layered aromas and amazing complexity of fruit and secondary characters. Lovely texture and a lot of potential left. More details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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Decanted for 1-2 hours and then drunk over two days. Better on the second day but with the acid still just sticking out from the palate. Lovely bordeaux-blend tertiary elements coming through but my guess is that there is no rush with this wine. I just hope that the tannin drops into the background.
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Wow, this is pretty good. Deep ruby. Expressive and quite detailed nose, reminiscent of good Bordeaux (St Estephe). Cassis, pencil shavings, bacon fat. Fresh and quite intense cabernet led palate. Acid dominating the tannin, which is reasonably subdued and starting to mellow. Drinking very well now, but would expect some further improvement/development.
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A much better bottle than the last one of these I had. Surprised to see so much bottle variation across this case, all stored consistently. This is big, dark loaded with black fruit and eucalyptus. Rescued me from a bottle of 1986 pichon comtesse that had been planned for the night that was a big let down.
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Tried this alongside the 2001. It seems to be fading fast. I have fond memories only a year ago of this being better. Today it was more farm than fruit and the usual strong eucalyptus taste had dulled significantly. Perhaps it was unfair as the 2001 is still going strong and so eclipsed this wine. I don't think the last couple of bottles I have will be held on to for long though
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Dinner with R&Y, H&S, G&L (Home): Slightly minty nose, some eucalyptus, obviously cab-sauv on the nose. Tighter and more focussed than my previous bottle of this that seemed a little stewed / evolved by comparisson. Lovely Coonawarra fruit balanced by fresh acidity ***(*)
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Aromas of cherries, berries, and oak. Medium body. Soft tannins all the way through from start to finish. I think it was a little too acidic for my taste.
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Dark colour, elegant nose with dark fruit and a kind of undergrowth/vegetal edge to it. Med weight palate, smooth, well balanced with longish finish, probably not for long cellaring now.
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Deep, dense dark red, still some purple at the rim. Very focused nose of damson with hints of tar, blackberry and smoke. Good fruit on the attack, integrated and smooth tannin with decent length and nice acidity. Classy. Lovely balance.
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Tokyo Offline for Dale and Betsy and Joe (Shunju): My friends Bryan and Amy brought this and opened it at the table, i.e., no decanting or air time. Bryan is a Bordeaux nut, with Australia being his other main focus. This wine is predominantly CS, with a little merlot and CF blended in as well. Think left bank claret. It was still dark and nearly solid purple to the rim, like a young Bordeaux. On the nose, it showed evident sweet oak, probably the most oak of the night, but it was not at all out of control. The nose also showed a nice streak of iron dust that made me think of Graves. Fruit on the nose was where the Aussie attitude came out, with a rich mix of cassis, blueberry, and blackberry, though it took a while for this to show. On the palate, the tannins were a little rough, but receded enough over time to show a huge core of cherry fruit. Eventually, the iron element was even stronger on the palate than the nose. This was a winning match with slow braised beef cheeks. How best to describe the overall impression? Imagine blending a Graves that drinks well young (say…Pape Clement) with a new world Cab that flirts with but stays just on the right side of the extraction line (say…an older Shafer or Caymus offering). This drinks well now, but will definitely benefit from time for the tannins to resolve. I don’t necessarily see a lot of secondary character developing, but time will round out the package very nicely. I’ve liked Coonawarra wines when I’ve tried them before and this is an incentive to try more…especially since Bryan has introduced me to a great Aussie merchant here in Japan that focuses on lots of things other than Barossa shiraz.
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10/8/2023 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose was fantastic. Taste clearly on the gentle downward slope, suggesting peak was 5-10 years ago. This is still very drinkable and enjoyable, but further delay won't offer reward. Taste of eucalyptus, cherry, brush, as others have noted. Nice showing for a 24 year old wine.
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7/11/2020 - Dilliness wrote:
10 years too young.
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6/16/2018 - peterk wrote:
Over the hill
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1/7/2018 - starwalk wrote:
Still drinking well after double decanter and return to bottle after a wash out of bottle. It gives back so much life to the wine.
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8/17/2017 - Ary Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is in a great place now! Attractive nose with dark fruits, wood, leather and bell-pepper, some eucalyptus. Silk and smooth on the palate, rich in dark fruits. Good acidity, well-balanced. Long-lingering, well integrated smooth tannin. Very well crafted wine. Should hold well for (at least) another 5+ years.
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1/11/2017 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 92 Points
Wednesday night at Chateau Davyd.
Tasted blind. Slow-oxed in bottle for 1 hour before drinking.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of cracked black pepper, underbrush, earth, ripe dark red cherries, black cherries, eucalyptus with more air and on hindsight. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), grippy high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet dark red cherries, black cherries, blackberries, black pepper, underbrush earth, minty eucalyptus. Long finish.
Very good quality. I was guessing a good quality Languedoc Syrah at first as I wasn't getting the eucalyptus. Still going strong for the next 5 years. Fruit and tannins very alive.
1999 was a cooler year in Australia than 1999, hence this has fruit in the red spectrum as compared to the 1998 that was completely black with classic blackcurrant. Interestingly no bell pepper here despite being a cooler vintage.
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11/24/2015 - TravisW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slowly getting there. I'm leaving my other three alone for a few years yet. Perfect cork. Bright deep red with just the first signs of age creeping in to the wine. The nose is still quite primary but the palate is softening. The acid is more subtle, the tannins more silky but the tertiary flavours are yet to come through. Decanted for two hours. Hold for another 4-6 years at least.
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12/7/2014 - catmccon Likes this wine: 89 Points
Glass from bottle at Joni's. So big and so much going on it's somewhat hard to make sense of it all. Pours deep garnet with decent legs. So many flavors happening- fruit on the front (berries and cassis). Moves into tar, leather, earth, cedar, oak, iron, eucalyptus and #2 pencil. Really. Nice structure and great finish. Acidity makes me wish I were having it with dinner. Tannins are there but aged enough to be helpful rather than intrusive. Warmth and pepper at the end. Really, really nice.
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11/28/2014 - Ary wrote: 93 Points
Attractive ripe nose with thick ripe dark cherries, iodine and pencil plus autumn notes. On the palate full and concentrated, ripe dark fruits, iron and a long finish with jammy fruit notes. Good acidity, perfectly ripe but no hurry to finish these bottles (lucky to have another 7 bottles).
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3/24/2014 - Pinot luva Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank this with wagyu beef for my birthday. Upon popping the cork beautiful, oaky aromas were immediate. A small sample revealed a richly flavoured, med plus bodied wine with ample dark fruits and oak.
I only decanted for 1 hr and this proved correct as it was drinking beautifully upon opening. Rich cassis, plums, cedar, vanilla and graphite pencil shavings abundant. Hints of mint, well rounded with still ample concentration, acidity and tannin to ensure another decade up it's sleeve, whilst still retaining a velvet-like texture. The wine ticks all the boxes with intensity, concentration and length. A fantastic wine for now or in the future.
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3/23/2014 - TravisW Likes this wine: 93 Points
Better than the previous bottle had six months ago. The acid has softened out and the palate is ticking along nicely. Excellent with pizza! Got the structure to got another 5 years easily.
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9/19/2013 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark crimson to black. Vital and dense.
Aromas of Ripe Dark Berries, mostly Cassis and Cedar, aromas come with
Toasty Notes, Leather and Tar. Licorice and Earth. Some Fruit in Rum.
Sweet Floral Traces with subliminal Minty Coolness.
Beautiful play of freshness, ripe fruit and secondary characters!
Flavors of Ripe, Dark Berries and Plum. Fruit in Rum.
Pleasant Exotic Spices (Cloves), Mocha and Floral characteristics.
Soft, but vivid tannins and healthy acidity provide a perfect structure.
Finishes long with Warm, Ripe Fruit, Peppery Spiciness and Harmony.
Medium to full-bodied. Well-balanced and integrated.
A powerful, juicy and elegant wine that drinks perfectly now.
Dense on the palate, nice, multi-layered aromas and amazing complexity of fruit and secondary characters. Lovely texture and a lot of potential left.
More details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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9/6/2013 - TravisW wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1-2 hours and then drunk over two days. Better on the second day but with the acid still just sticking out from the palate. Lovely bordeaux-blend tertiary elements coming through but my guess is that there is no rush with this wine. I just hope that the tannin drops into the background.
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5/11/2013 - Gamma wrote:
Swabs birthday dinner
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5/5/2013 - G.M. wrote: 93 Points
Wow, this is pretty good. Deep ruby. Expressive and quite detailed nose, reminiscent of good Bordeaux (St Estephe). Cassis, pencil shavings, bacon fat. Fresh and quite intense cabernet led palate. Acid dominating the tannin, which is reasonably subdued and starting to mellow. Drinking very well now, but would expect some further improvement/development.
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2/4/2012 - AlanM68 wrote: 90 Points
A much better bottle than the last one of these I had. Surprised to see so much bottle variation across this case, all stored consistently. This is big, dark loaded with black fruit and eucalyptus. Rescued me from a bottle of 1986 pichon comtesse that had been planned for the night that was a big let down.
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1/17/2012 - markjanes wrote:
Drinkable, but past its prime with muddling of the fruit, acid falling out...
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3/14/2011 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tried this alongside the 2001. It seems to be fading fast. I have fond memories only a year ago of this being better. Today it was more farm than fruit and the usual strong eucalyptus taste had dulled significantly. Perhaps it was unfair as the 2001 is still going strong and so eclipsed this wine. I don't think the last couple of bottles I have will be held on to for long though
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1/4/2011 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 92 Points
lovely sweet fruit and great balance.
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6/13/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Dinner with R&Y, H&S, G&L (Home): Slightly minty nose, some eucalyptus, obviously cab-sauv on the nose. Tighter and more focussed than my previous bottle of this that seemed a little stewed / evolved by comparisson. Lovely Coonawarra fruit balanced by fresh acidity ***(*)
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4/10/2008 - J Dogg wrote:
Aromas of cherries, berries, and oak. Medium body. Soft tannins all the way through from start to finish. I think it was a little too acidic for my taste.
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8/26/2007 - antiface wrote: 87 Points
Dark colour, elegant nose with dark fruit and a kind of undergrowth/vegetal edge to it. Med weight palate, smooth, well balanced with longish finish, probably not for long cellaring now.
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7/17/2007 - SimonG wrote:
Deep, dense dark red, still some purple at the rim. Very focused nose of damson with hints of tar, blackberry and smoke. Good fruit on the attack, integrated and smooth tannin with decent length and nice acidity. Classy. Lovely balance.
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7/29/2005 - burningstarIV wrote: 88 Points
This one started out tight and tannic, but opened up to reveal some pleasant and subtle fruit notes and ended with an ample finish.
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5/21/2005 - jrufusj wrote:
Tokyo Offline for Dale and Betsy and Joe (Shunju): My friends Bryan and Amy brought this and opened it at the table, i.e., no decanting or air time. Bryan is a Bordeaux nut, with Australia being his other main focus. This wine is predominantly CS, with a little merlot and CF blended in as well. Think left bank claret. It was still dark and nearly solid purple to the rim, like a young Bordeaux. On the nose, it showed evident sweet oak, probably the most oak of the night, but it was not at all out of control. The nose also showed a nice streak of iron dust that made me think of Graves. Fruit on the nose was where the Aussie attitude came out, with a rich mix of cassis, blueberry, and blackberry, though it took a while for this to show. On the palate, the tannins were a little rough, but receded enough over time to show a huge core of cherry fruit. Eventually, the iron element was even stronger on the palate than the nose. This was a winning match with slow braised beef cheeks. How best to describe the overall impression? Imagine blending a Graves that drinks well young (say…Pape Clement) with a new world Cab that flirts with but stays just on the right side of the extraction line (say…an older Shafer or Caymus offering). This drinks well now, but will definitely benefit from time for the tannins to resolve. I don’t necessarily see a lot of secondary character developing, but time will round out the package very nicely. I’ve liked Coonawarra wines when I’ve tried them before and this is an incentive to try more…especially since Bryan has introduced me to a great Aussie merchant here in Japan that focuses on lots of things other than Barossa shiraz.
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