August 21, 2023 - Loads of stuffing. Tannins, body, blue/black fruit. Terrific presence. Rich and textured. Fantastic considering its age.
May 23, 2023 - Deep garnet with no overt sign of aging
Opened one hour, decanted 20 minutes. Served low 60’s F
Distinctive MLV shiraz on nose and palate, less blackberry than a pure shiraz/cab s, delicious pepper spice on finish. Would be hard put to distinguish cab f as second component
Probably good for another 10 years, does not feel anything approaching 25
November 6, 2022 - Much more balanced than the 4/23/22 bottle. Sad that this was the last.
Dense dark purple color with no signs of bricking. Huge barnyard and dark fruits up front. Tannins and acids are fully resolved with a sift mouthfeel. Very balanced. Some m0cha and peppers emerge on palate. Sweet foolish finish.
April 23, 2022 - Starting downhill. Big fruity nose---dark cherry and black berries with cocoa notes. Palate shows too much alcohol. Some wood and greenery.
June 16, 2020 - Outstanding wine at it's apogee. Enticing floral, sweet smells erupt from the bottle on opening. Decanted and consumed. Impenatrable dark color with no browning. Looked like a sturdy mid-life wine. Dark and some red fruit, floral notes, Waves of secondary and tertiary notes. Mid to full bodied, tannins resolved, smooth mouthfeel. Just a joy to drink. Has not lost a step.
February 20, 2020 - FULL BODY, 果味, POWER,
黑果味, 煙早味
分3日飲,
能保持
December 31, 2019 - Dense, black color, sweet on the palate, delightful. NYE!
August 11, 2019 - Cork busted but wine kept very well. Great wine.
February 19, 2019 - Named after army captain James Stanley Malpas. A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. 14,5% alcohol.
Deep and somewhat translucent dark cherry red color with a hint of developed maroon hue. Confusingly green-toned and sappy nose with aromas of fresh blackcurrants, some chokeberries, a little bit of leafy herbaceous character and a hint of pickle - perhaps a bit of reduction going on here? The wine is full-bodied, silky smooth and slightly warm on the palate with flavors of blueberries, toasty oak spice, some sweet plummy fruit, a little bit of licorice, light chocolatey oak tones, a hint of mocha and a leafy touch of herbaceous character. The wine moderately high in acidity with firm and somewhat grippy medium-plus tannins. The high alcohol lends some warmth to the palate. The finish is somewhat warm, slightly woody and quite spicy with very long flavors of bittersweet dark chocolate, some sappy green tones, a little bit of blackberry, light peppery tones, a hint of extracted woody bitterness and a touch of mocha oak.
A relatively youthful and somewhat oddly green-toned Cab-Shiraz blend where the herbaceous tones are somewhat at odds with the ripe fruit, high alcohol and somewhat sweet-toned overall character. The wine feels slightly more tightly-knit and robust than the vintage 1999, the green tones here really don't add much to the complexity. I normally love herbaceous, leafy wines like Chinon or old-school Bordeaux, but this felt more disjointed - like the green tones really weren't supposed to be there. Overall the style is a bit too ripe, oak-driven and heavily alcoholic for my taste. The wine is drinking quite well for an Aussie at 21 years of age, and most likely will continue to do so, but I doubt this will ever be anything particularly thrilling, no matter how old it'll get. Perhaps a bit pricey at 38€.
February 19, 2019 - Obvious from the get go that this is a very strong vintage, still closed and tight, wood tones, leather, apple core, promising, I would wait 5 years to open the next bottle.