1/1/2024 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Drinking damn fine at this age. Would never guess the age, seems much younger.

12/17/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Drinking super well at this age. A great match to petit fours dessert.

9/17/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Thought I’d crack the first of my bottles to see how this is traveling. Still quite tight in my opinion but the potential is clearly showing. Will wait to 2025 before I try the next one.

8/18/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Lovely ruby red, translucent color.
A hint of dark fruit and some spice on the nose.
Palate follows on from nose seamlessly as expected, medium bodied. Still some grippy tannins there but they work perfectly with a beef filet from the BBQ. Was definitely worth cellaring for all these years.

8/14/2023 - Ozsnapper wrote:

Not what I’d hoped for. Yes it’s rounded out a bit but also a bit dull now. In hindsight best consumed young in my opinion.

7/3/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

No formal tasting notes, but very enjoyable. Gorgeous Zinfandel fruit without any of the cooked fruit aspects.

6/10/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

We were fortunate, the cork had held and the wine was exactly what we’d been hoping for. Not even a hint of being near the end of its life, but drinking so well surely it’s at its peak now.
This was the last Elizabeth under cork in my cellar, looking forward to discovering how the screw cap bottles develop.

6/5/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Oh my God. When the cork holds, these old vintages are just pure magic. I never cease to be amazed at how these wines go from an almost undrinkable, battery acid style wine when released to this. Wow. Honey coloured, luscious and fat, it’s just remarkable that this has seen no oak at all. You wonder how long they could go, this has not a hint of oxidation or tiredness, it’s a big, bold wine full of life.

5/5/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Cracked the first bottle of my case. Damn fine stuff for the price wow. Lovely cassis on the nose with a smooth well rounded palate. Looking forward to enjoying these over the next few years.

4/25/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

From half bottle. Gorgeous ruby red colour. Dark cherries, cloves and some other spices I can’t put my finger on right now. Palate is well rounded with a smooth finish, nothing grating at all here. Very enjoyable indeed.

2/26/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable, nothing out of place here. Gorgeous nose followed by a well rounded, medium weight body. Finish is long and silky smooth. Im admittedly not a huge drinker of straight Merlots but I really enjoyed this.

2/10/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Shared with a group of friends. No formal notes but was drinking so well at this age.
The group agreed we must visit the cellar door and stock up for the future.

1/20/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Amazing. No detailed notes

1/7/2023 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Drinking well right now. Big but complex.

12/27/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Was drinking quite nicely at this age. No formal tasting notes. Not amazing but quite enjoyable. Was worth cellaring for a few years I reckon.

12/27/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

A nice style. Sweet but not sticky, alc around 9%. Very enjoyable.

12/26/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

This continues to improve with age. Drinking really well at the moment. Both the nose and the palate are fully rounded out now, like they’ve been sanded with 240 grit sandpaper, super smooth.

12/25/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Excellent choice for Christmas dinner with local red snapper plus mango salsa. No formal tasting notes.

10/29/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely at the moment. A lovely cool climate Shiraz with nice dark fruit and some spice aromas on the nose. Palate is well rounded and surprisingly full bodied.

10/8/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Last bottle from the cellar. What an amazing run, will never forget this freak wine wow. Still has years left in it. Well done Mike.
Moving on to the 16 now.

9/3/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

A nice medium bodied wine that went well with a Provençal braise. Still some tannins evident on the finish but my impression is this will not improve as the fruit fades. Drinking well at this age

8/28/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Wnjoyqble as always

8/26/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Cracked the first one of this case, assuming that just shy of 10 years of age should be OK. Really enjoyable already with the developed characters just starting to show.
Nose has some zesty citrus that we shall call lime in this instance. A little honeysuckle as well.
Palate is well rounded and balanced with a smooth, long finish.

8/20/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable at the moment, still some great fruit there and well rounded and smooth.

8/14/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Decided it was time to crack one of these to see how it’s drinking. Quite nicely is the answer. Nothing out of place here, very enjoyable medium bodied wine.

6/24/2022 - Ozsnapper Does not like this wine:

Last one of six that I purchased with the hope of enjoying over a decade as they aged. Well, they did age but unfortunately the enjoyment part of the equation never eventuated. My summary note for this last bottle: meh.
Color is great and the nose shows some developed leathery aromas. But there’s areas you that hint of acidity that then hits you hard in the palate. When you have acidity without fruit, it’s just not enjoyable. A good example of why balance is so important. Sad given the pedigree.

6/19/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

It was nice but not what I had been anticipating for an Yquem. Great balance but not as complex as expected. Definitely not wowed by this wine which in my opinion you should be given the pedigree.

6/17/2022 - Ozsnapper wrote:

Quite enjoyable. Big. Still quite young for my taste.

5/28/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

First bottle I’ve cracked from the cellar, was thinking the drinking window is probably just opening up now for my taste.
Gorgeous ruby red color, not entirely impenetrable.
Nose has classic Margaret River cassis lollies, just the tiniest hint of eucalyptus and some plum (I’m guessing that’s the Malbec?). Fully ripe, no hint of green at all.
Mouthfeel is plush, that Malbec filling out the mid palate perfectly and adding quite a bit of oomph.
The cassias lollies make a return in the finish. Good tannins there as well. Not harsh, but clearly will carry this for another decade. Will be interesting to see how this develops. Enjoyable now but I reckon even more so in about five years.

5/22/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable

4/23/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Still drinking really well at 9 years of age. Amazing stuff at this price point.

3/10/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Continues to age gracefully and punch way above its weight. Nice black currant aromas on the nose and smooth palate. Finish was quite short.

1/8/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Five years after vintage I’m excited to crack the first bottle of this. Past experience has taught me that opening this any earlier leads to disappointment on my part: “too young”, “needs more time” , “what a shame to have opened this too early”.
Looking just gorgeous, still vibrant, ruby red. The nose confirms yes we’re now in the drinking window, I’m smelling lovely cherry and other red fruit aromas tonight. Also some exotic spices, exactly what I recall from previous vintages, just exquisite. Amazing how a single variety can have such massively different expressions depending on climate.
Palate follows on from the nose as expected, well rounded and smooth, not a pebble out of place in this raked little garden. If anyone asks “What, Canberra wine, really?” then this - at least five years after vintage - is the answer. Great stuff.

1/2/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Muscat from Margaret River? Yeah, I was sceptical as well but it's actually very well made (no surprise, Kegs is a great winemaker). I'd be happy to buy this as an alternative to a Swan Valley or Rutherglen Muscat.

1/2/2022 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Drinking really well right now, always a great wine to cellar for a few years before enjoying.

12/25/2021 - Ozsnapper wrote:

Sadly there was no CO2 left in this bottle.
Leasingham was one of our favorites but unfortunately the multinational owners decided to carve up the business. Sad but such is life. So many great small independent producers out there.

12/11/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Thought I’d crack one of these, probably getting a bit old I thought. Wow, actually drinking really well. Still a lot of primary fruit on the nose, lovely black currant and some mint. Also some faint developed aromas beginning to show. Palate is beautifully in balance with fruit, tannin and acid all equally contributing. Definitely has many years of enjoyment left in it. Let’s see how it ages I’ve the coming decade.

12/4/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

OK, I have to say I was *very* sceptical about Austrian red wines before I tried this. Sure, the dry whites and the dessert wines from Neusiedlersee are lovely, but the reds? In the past I’ve found them very unenjoyable.
This wine, however, whoa! What a gorgeous red, I am very impressed. At 9 years of age it’s drinking just beautifully. Well balanced, medium bodied. Some well integrated tannins there so could surely be enjoyable for quite a few years but damn enjoyable right now in my opinion. I am happy to have experienced an excellent Austrian red!

11/19/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

After 20 years in the cellar it was time to see how well this has held up. Superbly well is the answer, wow. The nose showed typical botrytis aromas and apricot, really still quite fresh, no obvious secondary notes at all. Palate is surprisingly light, no sticky elements at all here. Wonderfully balanced, just gorgeous. Never doubt these can be put down for a long time. I recall Ernie Loosen telling us at the tasting that the family was currently drinking dessert wines from the 1930s.

10/26/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Gorgeous as always. Excellent value for money. This is exactly how I like a young Pinot.

10/10/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Still a bit closed, needs time.

10/4/2021 - Ozsnapper Does not like this wine:

I really wanted to like this wine given the provenance. Sadly I did not enjoy any of the bottles. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad wine but it did not bring me any joy.

9/18/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable, still a lot of fruit, primarily cherry and raspberry tonight. Gorgeous colour, vibrant red.

9/12/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

It was not bad, not sure I’d buy again.

9/5/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Popped, decanted and poured this yesterday and it clearly needed more time. 24 hours later it’s opened up and showing lovely dark fruit aromas, a hint of olives and some subtle oak (seems French but quite toasty). Well rounded and medium to full bodied in the mouth. Very enjoyable indeed.

8/28/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Utterly amazing as always. You could sit for hours just enjoying the nose on this wine. Surprisingly fresh, both colour and aroma. This appears to still have a long life ahead.

7/24/2021 - Ozsnapper wrote:

Sadly never evolved into what I hoped it would. It’s OK but faded and a bit disjointed. Oh well, sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you expected.

7/19/2021 - Ozsnapper wrote:

It was OK but nothing to write home about. Would I buy and cellar it for a decade? No.

7/5/2021 - Ozsnapper Likes this wine:

Absolutely stunning, exactly what I was hoping for. Amazing how well this ages.

6/19/2021 - Ozsnapper Does not like this wine:

Sadly not one of these bottles has excited me. I had high expectations. Maybe this just needs more time? Not sure. It’s just very edgy on the nose and palate and the finish is not enjoyable.