Darling Mills, Glebe
Tasted Monday, March 6, 2000 by graemeg with 607 views
Some old notes from a Tucker-Seabrook (these days a component of Fine Wine Partners / Lion Nathan) tasting over dinner. I've resisted the temptation to make 10-year-retrospective comments (except the last wine...)
The final four reds were last minute additions, hence the odd sequence.
1998 Tamar Ridge Riesling
Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania
Lanolin and lemon nose, of low intensity. A dry palate, rather acidic tasting from an ISO, but much softer from Riedel, fruit flavours rather austere; a refreshing wine.
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1997 Joseph Drouhin / Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis
France, Burgundy, Chablis
Very pale straw colour, restrained smoky nose. Rather anonymous, nebulous fruits. Acid dominates the palate, stops short of overpowering. The wine rather sits on the front palate, and the finish is rather short. OK.
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1998 Katnook Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Sharpish gooseberry-like nose. Authentically varietal. Long dry finish with a real steeliness about it – seems better in small mouthfuls. And with food.
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1998 Petaluma Chardonnay
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Piccadilly Valley
Peaches and mangoes on the nose, but it’s the oak that makes the impact on the palate. Acid carries it along, then the cashew flavours come to the fore. Seems very young and needs a little time to knit together.
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1998 Bannockburn Chardonnay
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
Oak, nut and fig nose. Toasty, smoky aromas. The oak and acid fight it out on the palate – this is a real winemaker’s wine. Needs a little time to develop some harmony, then drink quickly before it collapses, I reckon.
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1996 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series Flawed
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Far too golden for a wine of this age. All pungent and sherry-like. Oxidised. Bugger.
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1998 Pipers Brook Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve
Australia, Tasmania
Rich ripe mainstream chardonnay. Some dusty, lightly toasted oak on the palate, with yellow chardonnay fruit to the fore. Quite full-bodied and mouth-filling, terrific with food – the pick of the chards.
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1997 Seville Estate Pinot Noir
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Exaggerated pinot aromas follow onto the palate, which has a distinctly greenish unripe tinge to it. Astringent finish – not pleasant by itself. Lacks charm.
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1998 Petaluma Cabernet Merlot Coonawarra
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Massive nose of black berry fruits. Awesome depth and concentration in the mouth. Youthful, intense, with powerful fine powdery tannins. All the componenets are here, all buttoned up tightly. Stunning wine, but forget about it for ten years.
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1998 Pikes Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
Peppery nose. Smells more like shiraz than cab. Still, the palate offers plenty of ripe black fruits, even if the grape tannins are very biting. The palate is all structure at the moment, with acid and tannin dancing about. Food helps things – bringing the pepper under control – as will time, no doubt.
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1997 Henschke Keyneton Estate
Australia, South Australia, Barossa
Plenty of soft, rich South Australian fruit aromas here. There’s nothing especially varietal, as befitting the fruit-salad nature of the grapes involved. But it’s luscious and ripe without being structureless, with fine tannins, medium-full body, and quite mouthfilling. The fly in the ointment is the short finish, which says to be this is an early drinker at its best quite young.
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1997 Evans Family Shiraz Howard
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
The elephant-pat nose welcomes you to the Hunter. This smells remarkably old; all classic leather and earth. Medium-bodied weight – all the typical Hunter characteristics are there. It’s super with food, but the sheer development already present tells me this is another drinker, not a keeper.
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1982 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon
Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina
From 750ml. Mid gold. Cumquat and marmalade, with an overlying patina of age. The wine is delicate and quite light-bodied. The botrytis-infused flavours have thinned out somewhat, but there’s still a long luscious finish. Fascinating wine, and interesting to see how far recent vintages (fat, heavy, plump) have deviated from this original, purer style.
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1996 Cranswick Wines Sémillon Autumn Gold Zirilli Vineyard
Australia, New South Wales
Mainstream Griffith sticky; quite luscious and rich apricot/botrytis aromas and flavours which thankfully don’t overwhelm the palate; reasonalbe length of finish and balance of acid keep it nicely together. Drinking well now.
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1997 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Rich, youthful chocolate and vanilla nose. Heavily tannic on the palate, with a rather bitter finish. Weaker vintage doing it tough, I think.
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1998 Brokenwood Shiraz Rayner Vineyard
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Disappointing wine: remarkably for a 98 McLaren Vale wine, it seems to lack body, has a rather thin mouthfeel and follows up with a short finish. Pass.
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1997 Haselgrove Shiraz H
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Rich, ripe chocolately shiraz, powerfully tannic and sits rather innertly on the mid-palate. Others at the table are happier; to me it lacks ultimate balance. But then, after tasting all these wines, so perhaps do I…
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1994 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Michael
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Welcome to the oakfest. Coonawarra tries bigger is better. There are blackcurranty fruits buried under the timber somewhere, but really it’s so completely over-the-top with coconut, vanilla, and most of all, swingeing tannins. Can a wine like this ever come into balance? (note added in 2010 – No…)
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