3/2/2024 - mychurch wrote:

Just an amazing wine. Lots of depth to the fruit that gives a creamy, chocolate mid palate. Touch of Aussie bush and bacon fat on the finish. May have been a big wine in its youth, but it’s great now. Such a surprise.

1/22/2023 - mychurch wrote:

In this size this has entered its drinking window. Its the colour of motor oil, its silky and viscous, with lots of dried fruit and an endless finish. Very similar to old Auz fortified, except of course for the fact that the alcohol of 4.5%. Stunning

12/28/2022 - mychurch wrote:

Forget the name, this is a cracking little Shiraz. Fully mature, with a lovely mouth coating texture, this is full of red berry fruit, eucalyptus and boot polish. Lovely balance. Yum.

12/25/2022 - mychurch wrote:

Low shoulder fill and a very saturated cork. Lots of brown on the colour, so I let it Audouze for a while. It’s great now. This has 60% Shiraz, which changed very quickly to a Cab dominated blend, so this is very different to later version. Aged really well though and full of red fruit and some Rhone style leather. Great to drink.

8/28/2022 - mychurch wrote:

Really drinking well now and will only improve.

The power and the quality of the fruit give the impression of a big wine, but it’s only 13%. Raspberry liquor, blueberry, chocolate, ripe tannin. Superb. Shows what the art of blending can achieve.

8/15/2022 - mychurch wrote:

Mini Vertical 01 to 05

Wine of the flight. Like the 01, the cork closure seems to have aided the development and there was none of the primary citrus and acidity that the stelvin wines showed.

This was great from the off, but improved over 2 nights in the fridge. Peachy fruit, a lovely creamy texture and a warm round finish. Very persistent and I deserve a medal for holding onto this so long. There seems to be a lot of this still around and there is no hurry, cork gods willing, to drink up.

8/15/2022 - mychurch wrote:

Mini- Vertical of 01 to 05

This and the 02 were under cork and there was a noticeable difference between the 2 styles, with the younger wines still quite primary and dominated by lemon and lime.

This looked to be a bit past it on opening, with a pongy nose. It opened up though with air and turned into a lovely ally wine, with creamy stone fruit and rounded acidity. Nothing like I was expecting. Good, but the 01 was similar and better. 3.5*

6/21/2022 - mychurch wrote:

By far the best Auz Riesling I have had. The key is the acidity, which is razor sharp and gives life to the creamy, exotic lemon curd tinged fruit. Some kerosene on the nose, but the fruit here is still kicking and it tastes like it is probably in its prime drinking window, but has time on its side. Tremendous.

5/8/2021 - mychurch wrote:

Wine of the night at a Penfolds Dinner. This is in a great place. It’s fruit driven with an intoxicating palate and layers of berry fruit. It’s still young but enjoy it now rather than taking the chance with longer aging.

5/8/2021 - mychurch wrote:

Showing its age, with forest floor on the nose. It’s very complex in the mouth, aided by what seems like a touch of Bret. Crunchy fruiti, some cinnamon, pebbles. Starting to oxidize, but in a tasting of 24 Pennies mature reds, this was the one that held people attention the longest. Outclassed by the 90 though.

3/9/2021 - mychurch wrote:

Takes 3 days to really come together, but from the offset this is a powerful, contemplative wine. Needs a decant as there is a lot of sediment. Ends up with the delicate texture of an aged Guiberteau Breze, but with more power and depth. I have drunk a few Gravner wines over the years, and they have not had the complexity and completeness of this wine.

3/9/2021 - mychurch wrote:

Online tasting with Jelle in Amsterdam

I've sent a few of the AuzOx wines to Jelle these last 18 months and they really are interesting. This is possibly the pick of the bunch. Unlike the Crittendon or the Dappled versions, this really has sat in the barrel for 6 and a half years. The chardonnay seems to shine through a bit more than the Savignin versions, and while there are definite flor and oxidative notes, they are more integrated into the wine than i would expect. It takes a day to really open, but even on night 1 this was brilliant. There are lots of old champange notes, a bit of salinity and lots of grilled cashew. The finish is long and concentrated. Great stuff. No, its not vin Jaune, but thats a plus.

2/22/2021 - mychurch wrote:

A challenging wine. It has put on a lot of weight in the last year and its now a Sauternes colour and texture. Lots of tangerine flavour and plenty of yeatsy tones in the nose. Decant now as it changed over a weekend and after 4 days - it turned into a refined white wine and lost its Orange tones. Great stuff, but not for everyone.

12/27/2020 - mychurch wrote:

Base of neck fill. Lid if stopper broke off, but the cork came out fine. Great from the start. It’s light in colour and transparent. Silky texture which is full of glycerin. Coffee, molasses, crushed walnuts, ranchio. Carreses the younger and leave a warm and very long finish. No idea how much this wine has changed in the last 30 years, but it’s a lovely drink and even if aging has not done a lot. I’m glad I had the chance to drink a bottle. Yum.

6/12/2020 - mychurch wrote:

Top quality Auz Chardonnay. Its not got the funk of a real Jura wine, but its not meant to be the same. Unbelievably easy to drink. Yum.

5/6/2020 - mychurch wrote:

The WineFront Review had it correct. This is very pure, with a delicate feel in the mouth and a long, intense finish. Tropical fruit, stone fruit and maybe just a hint of smoke. Should age well.

8/23/2019 - mychurch wrote:

Lovely wine. In the Yarra Chardonnay style , so it’s quite lean, with plenty of citrus. It’s got something else though and it opens up well over 24 hours. High drinkability factor.

6/25/2019 - mychurch wrote:

Similar to the '15, with a taste profile unlike any other Auz Chardonnay I have tried. Reminds me more of a top South African Semillon, which its creamy jasmin notes. Still young, this has the depth and balance and should be better in 3 years time,

12/16/2018 - mychurch wrote:

A great discovery and the best Auz Chardonnay I have had in a while. Its got some funk on the nose, with some saline notes, smoke and jasmine. Rich and creamy, with layers of fruit, it actually has the body and texture of a top New world Semillon - 2003 Vergelegen White was my first port of call. Drunk over 4 nights, the wine hardly budged and was just as good at the finish. Stone fruit gives way to just a hint of pineapple. Fantastic, although maybe just a bit too exotic for everyone.

11/26/2018 - mychurch wrote:

From magnum, this is still powerful and full of life. While the 09 is mature and three 11 is a notch down, this is great, with smokey pineapple, a silky texture and some spice on the nose. It’s not as good as the Block 6 from a year ago, but you can see the resemblance. Yum.

1/10/2018 - mychurch wrote:

Silky orange. Long.

1/10/2018 - mychurch wrote:

From the last half bottle. Needs half an hour to open up after which it soars from the glass. Silky, hint of oxidation, stone fruit, Jasmin. Dry White Bdx seems to age very well and this is no exception.

1/3/2018 - mychurch wrote:

I don't get old Cotat and this is similar. Lots of green veggies. Fat. More fun a few years ago

1/3/2018 - mychurch wrote:

Very smokey nose. Lovely fruit. At its peak.

10/1/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Needed a decant in the Swann, but after 7 hours this was lovely. Initially it was full of Italian cherries, almond and liquorice. Now it's silky and full of red fruit. No problem at all with the Reidel Sommelier Burg glass and now it flirts between a burg, a Pomerol and a top Chateauneuf. No way I'd call Auz if this was blind. Great.

9/25/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Good purity and balance.

9/25/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Interesting wine, with a lovely colour and a nice drink-ability factor. Chenin is more noticable on the nose and the silky fruit as rounded and pure. Nice, but not sure its a 25 euro wine,

9/25/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Nose was wrong - touch of acetone and ripe blackberries. that might have been because I had just driven it 250km down the motorway to Germany - possible travel shock. No effect on the palate though as its silky and very accessible. The noticeably oak from a few years ago has been incorporated and its open for business and drinking well.

9/10/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Starting to show some age, with some browning on the edge. Dried herbs, cherry, red fruit. Good intensity.

8/28/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Not at the same level as the Shloss Leiser, but its a very pleasant wine, drinking at its peak now. Good weight of fruit, but misses a bit of acidity to keep it super fresh. Went well with a Prawn Cocktail at the start of the wedding

8/24/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Main wedding red. Slight bottle variation, Touch of almonds on my bottle and it tasted a bit old. Tried some others though and they were yummy. Voluptuous Bdx, with ripe fruit, good body and an easy drinking factor, Perfect for the BBQ.

8/24/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Never been a champers drinker and so this was the sparkler for the wedding. Good colour, nice chennin fruit, this has weight and a touch of complexity and a slight funk factor. 3 survived the party and I´m looking forward to seeing how this develops

8/24/2017 - mychurch wrote:

Hard to say which is my favourite style , kabinett or spatlese. Certainly when young, its the Kabinett, with its gentle alochol and off dry nature. Some can be too sweet, but here its perfect. 9% alcohol, bags of fruit, refreshing acidity, touch of CO2, screw cap. Served with a prawn cocktail at the start of the wedding dinner, its a wine that could be drunk all night and all thru the next day as well. Should have bought more.

1/23/2017 - mychurch wrote:

In its drinking window now, but still better on day 2 than on day 1. Very intense wine that needs to be sipped.

12/27/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Hard to resist. Very drinkable and lovely purity. Still needs a year to fully integrate.

12/27/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Faulty ? Who knows. Either way its not a lot of fun and even after a 24 hour decant its not really drinkable.

12/22/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Just entering its drinking window. Red berry fruit and very refined.

11/14/2016 - mychurch wrote:

This wine has a fault, which I have tasted in a few Natural style wines. In the nose its got lovely red fruit and the attack is interesting. On the finish though there is an unpleasant element that gets more noticeable as the wine breathes. According to the experts its Mouse taint - no, nothing to to do with actual mice, but a fault that occurs when low sulphar is used and which gives a nasty metalic taste to the finish (and cant be detected by the nose). As with TCA. sensitivity to mouse taint varies and I seem to be quite susceptible - wierd given that I can skull a corked bottle without noticing it.

11/14/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Good dinner party wines. The Ripasso element adds a bit of sweetness to the creamy oak. Could do with a year or 2 in the cellar, but it will impress friends who like something accessible

11/14/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Not as much fun as the previous bottle. Its not drying out, but it never quite came to life.

10/20/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Nice wine, thats aged well. Touch of liquorice in amongst the dark fruit. I get some alcohol on the nose, but its not off putting. Initially it was a bit subdued against the La Soarga, but this opened up nicely, while the other fell apart.

10/20/2016 - mychurch wrote:

There is a slight fizz to this and it must have been undergoing a secondary fermentation - one of the dangers of natural wines. Lovely ripe fruit and animal tones and very drinkable. In the glass though it really starts to fall apart after an hour. Bread, paper - old sherry. Not nice.

10/6/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Up there with the very best Auz Chardonnays I have tried. Its cool and controled, with great persistence, well judged oak and good fruit depth. Shame its so expensive, but I doubt you could find many white burgs of this quality for the same price.

9/22/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Takes me back to the early 90´s when it was possible to drink the very best Auz wines in the UK for very little money. Alive, packed with cassis, chocolate and eucalyptus. Must be at its peak. Every sip makes you want another....

9/22/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Bought at the same time as the 95pt 05 Reserva, this is not nearly as fun to drink. It starts simple, with muted fruit and milky oak. Drink a glass and then leave the rest in the bottle overnight and it improves a lot - not as good as the 05, but near the same quality. Give it time or a long decant.

9/22/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Only bottle and drunk at a 50th birthday dinner. Great Grenache, that is alive and vibrant, with the most incredible mid palate I can remember drinking - it explodes with fruit. If you love fruit, then drink now, but it would be interesting to see how this develops further.

9/12/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Still with plenty of life and vigour. Some complexity as well. Very yummy.

9/12/2016 - mychurch wrote:

No sign of aging here as its still pale and while its round, there is enough acidity to keep it fresh. Plenty of life and another 10 years might be possible. Just needs to pick up some complexity in order to take it to the next level - not sure that its actually gained from the 10 years in the cellar.

9/12/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Mid palate has filled out nicely and its quite fat. Very complex as well, but there was a touch of sherry on the nose. Better on day 2 though, so will keep a bit longer. Needs a decant

9/12/2016 - mychurch wrote:

Kept too long. Oxidised