Australian Wines of Repute

Sydney, Australia
Tasted Wednesday, June 26, 2013 by CamWheeler with 796 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • 2005 Kreglinger Brut 88 Points

    Australia, Tasmania, Pipers River

    Fine bead. Grapefruit and a light touch of creamy butter on the nose. There is plenty of fresh lemon and saline style acidity on the palate and it has good length but I wish the fruit had a bit more depth to it. I liked it, but a bit more age may assist to round it out.

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Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 1999 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1 91 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Some funk initially that blew off with time to show lanolin, pear and light toast. Surging acidity on the palate, this is evidently still very youthful but there is a richness to the fruit that indicates this should live long enough to see the acid start to soften and feel more harmonious. Patience required.

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  • 1986 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale 92 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    I've had a number of bottles of this now, and while this one probably didn't quite have the brightness of others, it was still excellent. A mint overlay with lemon and honeysuckle, toast and touches of nutty/earthy notes. Really well balanced on the palate - there is still good acidity present and the fruit built weight across the length of the wine as it warmed up and had some time to breath. Drink now based on this bottle.

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 2003 Mount Mary Chardonnay 91 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    Lemon curd, melon and straw aromas. The palate is tense, with nervy acidity the primary character right now. It is fresh and long but needs time to develop some complexity in order to impress.

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  • 1999 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 89 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Still plenty of oak evident here along with ginger and honey with a smoky note that I found appealing. Bold and round palate that perhaps just had a tinge of oxidisation to it. The wine perked up with some food and this really assisted with the balance. Very good, but drink now if this is representative.

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 1971 Jacob Hamm Winkeler Jesuitengarten Riesling Auslese 93 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    Intoxicating and complex nose - mango, honeycomb, ginger, graphite and orange peel. Wonderfully balanced in the way that great bottles of aged Auslese always is - powerful and deep, with a core of acid that permeates across the entire length of the wine. Superb.

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • NV Rockford Black Shiraz 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    2012 disgorgement. Clean and youthful aromas - plum, cherry, roses and raspberry. The youthful fruit sweetness shows on the palate too, it's bright and tasty with good length. These are usually best when they've had time, but I'm happy to drink them young too!

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Flight 6 (1 Note)

  • 2004 Bindi Pinot Noir Block 5 91 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges

    Very pretty and appealing nose - lifted light floral notes, red cherry and strawberry followed by undertones of earth and spice. The palate is much more tight and restrained, though there is some spice to it as well. A little bit more length on the palate would make this feel complete. Should continue to develop nicely over the medium term.

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Flight 7 (3 Notes)

  • 1983 Lindeman's Hunter River Burgundy Bin 6600 94 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    I've been hoping to try a great bottle of this wine as it is notoriously variable and my previous experience was disappointing, and this bottle delivered! Classic aged Hunter Shiraz aromas - leather, earth/clay as well as dark spices. The palate is surprisingly youthful with dark fruit overlaid on savoury earthy notes. Long and wonderfully textured, I think this was my equal favourite wine on the night.

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  • 2004 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard 92 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Licorice and pepper with floral and light herbal notes as well as a touch of tar. The palate shows more of these powerful flavours but even so, it is spot on in terms of balance. Structured and detailed, this is compelling even in its youth.

    I said much the same things about it when I tried it on release 7 years ago, this is going to need some time!

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  • 1968 McWilliam's Cabernet Sauvignon Private Bin Flawed

    Australia

    Tired and faded. There was a bit of interest there, but it was fleeting for me.

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Flight 8 (3 Notes)

  • 1991 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Centenary 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Tobacco leaf, cherry, ash and earthy aromas. The palate is both impressively structured through ample tannin, as well as having generous plush fruit to offset the more serious side. Still very much showing its youth, this should keep developing for another 10 years. Outstanding example of the Shiraz/Cabernet style.

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  • 1991 Cullen Wines Cabernet Merlot Reserve 90 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Cedar, tobacco, blackberry and mint/eucalypt. There is an elegance to the palate that is appealing, alongside fine structural elements, though it still hasn't taken on a great deal of complexity and I'm not certain that it will. Would like to check back in a few years to see if there is some progression.

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  • 1992 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch 91 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Aromas of menthol, cherry, graphite and cedar. On the palate there are quite a few elements that are all individually intense - sweet black fruit, tannin and fresh acidity - but they somehow work together and find balance. Another wine tonight that is amazingly fresh at 20+ years of age and would easily benefit from some additional aging.

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Flight 9 (1 Note)

  • 2009 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 93 Points

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

    Lifted but dense nose of dark chocolate, blueberry, violets and spice. Exudes class (though the style it isn't for everyone) - this is long and the structure that holds it together is excellent. The exuberance of its youth is now starting to tone down a bit and I think it is going to need a lot of time and patience to see it at its very best.

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Flight 10 (2 Notes)

  • 2010 Jasper Hill Grenache Cornella Vineyard 87 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

    Meat/game, menthol and funky bretty characters. The palate has more of that brett influence and I think it finishes a bit shorter than I'd like. Other bottles may be better (or worse!), but this was trounced by its US competitor for me tonight.

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  • 2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c 94 Points

    USA, California

    From memory this was the 2c label. Incredibly lifted aromas that draw you into the wine, with floral notes, white pepper, pine needle and liquorice. The flavours on the palate are expansive and powerful, but with much more style than outright brute force. This was my first chance to have a SQN with more than a couple of years age on it and I thought it was brilliant.

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Flight 11 (2 Notes)

  • 1991 Grant Burge Shiraz Meshach 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Smoke, blackcurrant, spice and mocha notes. Full flavoured, this is eminently classy with a velvet texture and showing a balance that can be so hard to obtain with this riper fruit style. Drink now and over the next 10 years.

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  • 2009 Wendouree Shiraz 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    Under screwcap. Fragrant nose of spices, red currant, black cherry and liquorice. The palate is much more reserved and maybe even a little bit surly - there is clearly superb fruit depth and structure, and while it is drinkable now the best is yet to come.

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Flight 12 (2 Notes)

  • 1939 Seppeltsfield Para Liqueur 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Toffee and raisins, with some boot polish and rancio. Long and rich, it has the necessary acidity still present to give it drive and carry. This was in cracking form and was a special way (to almost) end the evening.

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  • NV Morris Tokay Old Premium Rare Liqueur 93 Points

    Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

    Caramel, ginger, cedar and olives. The richness here is on a level of its own, it is mouth-coating and dense but while it could easily feel one-dimensional, it has depth and layers to it. The best bottle I've had of this out of quite a few that I've been lucky to try.

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