This bottle is from a batch of several dozen bought 16 years ago from the winery and cellared commercially. This is 17th year of drinking this wine. There was a retreat at 5 years old scoring 86 and then it peaked with a score of 96 at 13 years old. Then, it retreated again scoring 88 when it was 16 but has gloriously re-emerged. As to what it will do from here -who knows? At this stage there are no signs of decrepitude. It's siblings 2008 and 2010 are far more boring having improved predictable with age a couple of points so far. This wine has a rare quality of sense of deep silence in the bouquet, a very abstract but real phenomena. I have noticed the same in St Julien wines such as Leoville Barton and Leoville Las Cases and in a Rugiens from Pommard I had recently. I watched a movie called Back to Burgundy (2017) where the comment was made that their Rugiens was "peaceful". Appearance: Deep garnet. Near opaque core. Red colored copious legs. Bouquet: Aged predominantly. Black cherries. Chocolate coconut (Cherry Ripe) nutmeg. Cinnamon. mint tomato vine Olives. Dirty water. Tobacco. Hessian bag. Milk Coffee. Eucalyptus. Palate Full bodied. Integrated. Soft mouth feel. Balanced. Elegant. Opulent. Mod to high tannins. Good length. Flavors reflect aroma. Personality: Feminine introverted with a sense of deep silence Technical: Slight closed at opening. Best at 45 mins. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Drinking temperature on first pour 13 to 17 deg C. No signs of over age.
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So so young for a 19 year old wine. Would recommend a min 1 hour decant. Blackberry, blackcurrant, some leafy notes, licorice, ever so small touh of cedar. Tannins still very much assertive & not fully integrated. Still not at its peak and on the accent IMO. Wonderfully long finish. I would personally wait for another 5-7 years before opening another bottle. Thanks for opening Brad. 96+
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In the decanter 2 hours prior to drinking. Initially dark ruby with a purple hue, which faded with time open. Cool refreshing menthol, but in a good way, with floral undertones of red currant, dried herbs and gravel. Palate is super powerful yet very elegant and pretty. Final glass the very fine and long tannins round out and integrate. Up there with the best cabernet I recall tasting. Holding up well.
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The road goes on forever... a little like the finish of this very pleasing Cabernet. It isn't hard to rate it as 'Outstanding'.
2004 was one of those years that went under the radar a little, after the savage bushfire year of 2003; it was warm, but not hot, dry and easy for winemaking. The wine is under screw cap, thank God.
The colour is very dark garnet with some ruby - she is in good shape after 18 years. The nose starts very Coonawarra Cabernet - ripe cassis, a touch of mulberry, some sweet vanilla oak and a little tobacco leaf. This is fine but after about 4 hours the vanilla recedes (good riddance) and we start to see more polished leather, a touch of earth, a little cedar ad cigar box. Now this is much more to my liking. The sweet, clean fruit is still there but I like the balance better and there is a lot more complexity.
The palate has great intensity and length. Tannins are firm, fine and finish dry, but they play a lovely bass line to support the sweet fruit and all those splendid savoury notes. I think good palates would have no trouble picking this as Coonawarra in a blind tasting, however, the savoury aspects and the tannin structure whisper 'Tuscany' and it is the complexity that causes me to rate this as outstanding rather than excellent.
Isn't it lovely when a wine you felt would be good but a little simple turns out to offer real pleasure and interest? I doubt tonight's rugby match between a witless Oz side and a Kiwi unit that are not at their usual stratospheric level will achieve as much, but one might hope.
In terms of music this takes me to the surprise of finding that the Faces and Humble Pie offered more than expected; don't take it too far, of course - first and foremost they are entertainers but dig a little deeper...
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Appearance: deep ruby with onion rim. Nose: medium plus intensity; aromas of dark cherry, blackcurrant, dark plum, cloves, dark chocolate, eucalyptus, black olives, sweet tobacco, perfumed, roasted almond, coffee bean, black tea, minty, dried mushroom, fennel seed, licorice. It’s developing. Palate: dry, high acidity, medium plus tannins, medium plus alcohol, medium plus body, pronounced flavour intensity, very well defined with dark chocolate lingering. The finish is long. Overall, it’s an outstanding wine. Can drink now, has potential for further ageing. Very fresh and vibrant! Really complex on the nose with great development cellared in Wine Ark. There’s evolvement in aroma with every swirl. The acidity gives a great balance with the alcohol and tannins. Super well defined flavours on the palate exactly same as nose. Impressive finish with layered flavours lingering. This is the first vintage of John Riddoch sealed under screw cap.
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Ruby/mahogany. Opens fully at one hour. Blackcurrant, blackberry, cherries, eucalyptus,cigar box, mint, dark chocolate, manure and some aged cabernet. Firm tannin, good balance good length. The wine seems to have retreated recently. Riedel Bordeaux glass. 16 deg C. NS
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Scored much lower than recent tastings of the same vintage. Closed and dumb but otherwise intact. The wine shut down for several years when 5 years old. Could this be a second retreat or a one off bad bottle? Will try another soon. NS
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Lovely quality wine still in or reaching peak - no signs of fade. Beautiful depth of colour. Balance signs of evolution but yet fresh and firm acids. Dark and generously fruited with wonderful depth and layers of complexity. Classic cedar, cigar and tar/charcoal.
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Inky black. Mature bouquet with earth,forest floor,mushrooms also tobacco, blackcurrant, blueberries,cherries,roses,mint,black olives and tomato vine. Well balanced palate integrated firm tannins good length changeable, fullbodied, elegant velvet mouth feel. At 15 years old it is going strong. Reminds me of a good St Julien like Leoville Las Cases or Ducru Beaucaillou. Drunk at 16 degrees Riedel bordeaux glasses. Good from opening till finished at 90 minutes. NS
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NobleRottersSydney - Wines under $30 (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {screwcap, 13.5%} [David] A bit developed; or at least not immediately primary in character. Malt, liquorice, currants. Some mint too. Lavish black-fruited palate, still quite oaky, and full-bodied. Medium gritty/dusty tannins; big initial impression on the tongue but tails off a bit on the palate; medium length finish at best, and with some warmth about it, despite the modest alcohol. Still from the more-is-more school of winemaking; I have the sense the style has lightened up in the second decade this century; this is more of a look-back to the 20th century style. Not entirely convincing for me (bearing in mind typical pricing), but another decade in the cellar might help.
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Very tasty sunny climate cab with some age adding extra dignity. Some complexity, cigarbox and soft tannins while dominant feature is still sweet and juicy fruit. Relatively long and I guess as good as they come as aussie cabs go. To me it does not give the same excitement as a good bordeaux does but still it was a very good and appreciated wine at new years dinner.
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Mahogany hue. Strong aged bouquet dominated by old wood and tomato vine but so much more. Mellow, integrated palate with multilayered flavours stretching from hints of youth to aged characters. Firm structure. Best bottle yet. NS
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The wine has a mahogany hue. The nose is opulent with a bouquet of old damp wood, wet earth, minerals, roses and mint. There are aromas of ripe blackcurrant, black cherries,eucalyptus, blueberries and cigar box. The wine is brooding and multilayered. It has a full body, balanced with great length. There are loads of soft tannins firming the finish. Best after 15-20 minutes in the decanter. Starts to fade after 50 minutes. Drunk at 16 degrees C. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. NS
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Ruby/garnet hue with aromas of ripe sweet blackcurrant,cherries,blueberries,smoke,vanilla,mint,earth,dark chocolate,tomato bush and cinnamon. The palate is quiet and elegant with good integration and length. NS
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Beautiful wine with still a good decade + left. Super defined blackcurrant and pencil shavings. Wonderfully silky palate with great fruit charachter and a thick juicy finish. Still strong tannins. Gorgeous
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The appearance is dark and brooding with a ruby /garnet hue on the rim. Intense and opulent bouquet of blackcurrant, ripe black cherries, black olives, tomato bush, mint, honeysuckle and cigar box. The palate is big, full bodied flexing loads of acid and tannin suggesting a long life still. Best after 60 minutes in the decanter. Drunk at 18 degrees. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Delicious. Beautiful. NS
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Ruby/garnet hue. Soup like mixture of blackcurrant cherries coffee blackberry mint. Black olives and liver pate on the finish.Full bodied and elegant. The palate is perfect. Decantered and drunk between 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Oxidised notes at 105 minutes.Wine temperature in glass 16 degrees C. This wine has improved with age especially after 9 years and has developed a Bordeaux like elegance.
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This garnet coloured wine offers up gamey blackcurrant cedar flowers cherries and manure. It is full bodied and has a liqueur ripeness. An impressive wine.
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Gaining in maturity this wine has an open bouquet and beautifully knitted palate. The key note was a gamey blackcurrant character that was also present in the Leoville Barton 2000 I sampled a couple of days earlier though the Riddoch had a riper note. There were olives and mint in the background. Drunk at a family lunch this wine deserves a solitary tasting to appreciate its subtleties.
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At 10 years old this wine is changing to maturity. During the period of tasting the wine drifted between the more youthful blackcurrant,black cherries and olives to a the more mature vegetal (lantana),mushroom and cedar characters. Full bodied,powerful and with loads of soft tannins it appears to have a long life ahead. Decanter for one hour. Drunk at 16 degrees C.
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This wine celebrates the year I first met my wife. I bought several dozen bottles from the winery in Coonawarra and they have been stored in a commercial cellar. Over the last five years I have tasted it regularly. At five years old it shut down from its youthful exuberance and then took two years to emerge again. This year, in 2014, at the age of 10 years, this wine has reached maturity. It has a garnet appearance with an opaque core. The aromas and flavours of blackcurrant liqueur, blackberry, black cherries,mint,cigar box,forest floor have now become beautifully integrated. This wine has changed its character becoming more serious and harder to fathom. It is still huge and opulent. I look forward to watching its course over the next three decades. Decantered for 1 hour. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Drunk at 16 degrees C.
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Still a hint of mauve on the meniscus. The wine is now mature. It offers up an intense bouquet after 1 hour in the decanter at 16 degrees C. This bouquet is made up of burnt cedar, cigar box,violets,blackcurrant,blackberry,blueberries,black cherries,black olives,spearmint and cafe au lait. It is a BIG wine-opulent full bodied tannic but well balanced.
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Similar to a recent tasting. This wine is becoming more integrated with age. There were some hints of mauve on the froth when poured into the glass, The core is black fruit with black olives cigar box dark chocolate and more. The palate is full bodied harmonious and with good length. Drunk at Tetsuya's in Sydney. Served a little too warm and interestingly started to fade earlier than previous cooler tastings.
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In 2009 I bought several dozen bottles of this wine directly from the winery. They were transported to a temperature controlled facility in Sydney. They survived the trip across Australia and tasted well scoring 97 in its youth. Shortly after at the age of five the wine shut down and the score fell to 90. Over a couple of years the wine gradually opened up but retained much of its youthful characters until eight years old. This bottle tasted when 10 years old revealed that there was no youthful mauve edge. Instead there was crimson with a ruby semi opaque body. The wine was closed when first poured into the decanter. It was more open at 45 minutes but peaked between 60-90 minutes then started to fade at 105 minutes. The core was blackcurrant which was sweet and jammy. Black olives were also prominent. There was even a brief period where milk chocolate dominated. However there was much more-spearmint dark chocolate, pencil shavings, cigar box, cinnamon, cafe au lait, blackberry,blueberry and plum. The wine seemed to have aged since the last tasting 2 years ago with a beautiful knitting of its elements, a pronounced bouquet and the development of stewed fruit,fragrant-floral and sweet notes. The palate was full bodied opulent and harmonious with good length. Served at 16 degrees C out of Riedel bordeaux glasses.
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Over the top oak. Oakes black spice nutmeg and dark austere fruits. Bitter coffee beans with dusty cupboard notes. Really hard to love. Don't see the John riddoch trait that I usually like.
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10th tasting over the last few years of a batch purchased from the winery and cellared in optimal conditions. 1 hour in the decanter suggested. Hint of mauve suggesting youth. Typical Coonawarra nose. Fruit characters include blackcurrant,blackberry and cherries. Mint and floral characters. Cigar box. Full bodied and opulent palate. Looking foward to monitoring its progress with remaining 60 or so bottles.
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Big opulent typical Coonawarra wine consistent with previous recent tastings. Suggest at least 1/2 hour in the decanter. This is the ninth tasting of the is vintage all sourced from the winery and cellared 12-15 degrees. At 5 years old the wine seemed closed scoring 90 but has opened since with the score settling around 95-97. It still tastes and looks young. I guess further improvement may come from a further softening of the palate addition of aged characteristics and opening up of the nose.
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Back-to-back tasting of Michael / John Riddoch. Mr. Riddoch shows no obvious signs of age, red-tinted but no bricking, a thick brew of warm climate high-extract Cab. Big, toasted nose that has seen a lot of wood, but after a swirl I'm swept away by pure Coonawarra eucalyptus and cassis. Lovely. It stays focussed on the palate, crunchy black fruits, heaps of tannins, low-ish acidity. Long, but slightly square finish that suggests this may benefit from further aging. Altogether a distinguished representative of its origins. Sadly not as affordable as it once was. Drink or hold, 90+.
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Bought from winery in 2009 This wine was shut down in 2009 scoring 90. Since then it has emerged 93 then 94 and now 95. Drunk at 17 degrees C Decanter best from start to 1.5 hours. Oxidised notes when smelt the next day in decanter. Mauve edge. Nose still reticent. Blackcurrant Cafe au lait mint blueberries cherries blackberries Pencil shavings. Polished. Palate polished. Flavours follow the nose.
Conclusions Young 7 year old Coonawarra Cabernet coming out of its shell recently.
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Decanter (best after 20 minutes) Sourced from winery in 2009 Cellared at 14 degrees C Drunk at 18 degrees C Screwtop Ripe blackcurrant mint blackberry cigarbox Some gamey/sweaty socks notes Full bodied Softer mouth feel
Impression 7 year old with classic minty aroma of the region. Palate starting to mellow but no real aged characters yet.
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The last two bottles I've had of this wine indicate that it is coming out of its shell. It was stubbornly shut down in 2009. Needs to be in the decanter for 1 hour.
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87. This bottle wasn't that good. A bit of mintiness to bring interest. Otherwise, worse than another bottle I had recently. I don't think this has a lot of potential.
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89-91. I really liked this upon open. Not overextracted and balanced with solid acidity to go with the ripe fruit. More like 2/3 elegant CA cab and 1/3 bordeaux or South African. And some underlying earthy, eucalyptus to go the the dark cherry. Unfortunately, becomes sweeter and less interesting with air. Goes from 90+ to 89+. Still one of the better Aussie's ive had lately.
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Landmark Australia: Regional Classics: Bordeaux like nose with earth, green capsicums and dried dustiness paired with classic cigar and tobacco nuances. Fruit base made up of menthol lifted juicy and round blackcurrants. Essentially aussie with discernable sunshine fruits but providing restrained silky and elegant finish.
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From winery. Good condition. Appearance Hint of mauve on red brown edge Opaque Good legs No sediment in glass (sediment in bottle)
Nose 8 Closed when first poured from 14 degree storage Opened up after 15 minutes in glass carafe and warming
Intense and opulent
i. Primary Strong earthy and mushroom notes Compost Sweet Blackcurrant (crème de casis) Vegetal Confectionary Tobacco Mint Hint of pepper Hint of violets lemongrass No capsicum. ( Prominent aromas in bold) ii. Secondary
Spice Dark chocolate Wood Dusty Cigar Pencil Slightly smokey Cinnamon Not toasty. No ginger Hint of vanilla and coconut and significant custard powder
iii. Tertiary No stewed fruits No tar
Palate 8
i. Structure
Elegant MFB Off dry High tannins slightly bitter Good acid – slightly acid Good length
ii. Flavour
Cherries Sweet blackcurrant Dark chocolate Mint Slightly salty
Oxidized notes Overly sour Dumb after 2 hours in decanter After 6 hours in decanter hypersweet simple nose ( other elements subtle). Overly sour undrinkable.
Impression: 96 - 2 (2016-2026) If decantered suggest best drunk between 15 minutes and between 1 to 2hours+ Probably best drunk above 14 degrees and under 22 degrees Seems slightly younger ( and probably better cellared then last bottle)
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Opaque Red brown ( I was expecting a purple edge) No sediment
Nose
When pouring into the decanter you could smell the abundant primary fruit aromas Intense opulent nose Sweet concentrated blackcurrant with milky overtones Black Olives Hint of mint Some spice Earth Peppery wood Chocolate Some cigar box
Palate
Medium to Full bodoed Off dry Plenty of acid Plenty of tannins- mildly bitter Concentrated black currant. Flavours reflect nose Elegant Length lasts for minutes
Score: 97 Young 2016-2026+
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To me, pretty classic Coonawarra Cabernet with aromas of cassis, tobacco leaf, ash, cedar and hints of some floral characters. Shows incredible finesse and length on the palate, much more refined than my other Coonawarra favourite from this vintage (Balnaves Tally). Very fine tannin, well structured and it continued to drink very well over the next couple of nights. At $50 I think it is easily worth the money to put a few away.
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2/10/2024 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 97 Points
This bottle is from a batch of several dozen bought 16 years ago from the winery and cellared commercially. This is 17th year of drinking this wine. There was a retreat at 5 years old scoring 86 and then it peaked with a score of 96 at 13 years old. Then, it retreated again scoring 88 when it was 16 but has gloriously re-emerged. As to what it will do from here -who knows? At this stage there are no signs of decrepitude. It's siblings 2008 and 2010 are far more boring having improved predictable with age a couple of points so far.
This wine has a rare quality of sense of deep silence in the bouquet, a very abstract but real phenomena. I have noticed the same in St Julien wines such as Leoville Barton and Leoville Las Cases and in a Rugiens from Pommard I had recently. I watched a movie called Back to Burgundy (2017) where the comment was made that their Rugiens was "peaceful".
Appearance: Deep garnet. Near opaque core. Red colored copious legs.
Bouquet: Aged predominantly. Black cherries. Chocolate coconut (Cherry Ripe) nutmeg. Cinnamon. mint tomato vine Olives. Dirty water. Tobacco. Hessian bag. Milk Coffee. Eucalyptus.
Palate
Full bodied. Integrated. Soft mouth feel. Balanced. Elegant. Opulent. Mod to high tannins. Good length. Flavors reflect aroma.
Personality: Feminine introverted with a sense of deep silence
Technical: Slight closed at opening. Best at 45 mins. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Drinking temperature on first pour 13 to 17 deg C. No signs of over age.
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7/9/2023 - Isaac D wrote:
So so young for a 19 year old wine. Would recommend a min 1 hour decant. Blackberry, blackcurrant, some leafy notes, licorice, ever so small touh of cedar. Tannins still very much assertive & not fully integrated. Still not at its peak and on the accent IMO. Wonderfully long finish. I would personally wait for another 5-7 years before opening another bottle. Thanks for opening Brad. 96+
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12/25/2022 - red.red.vino wrote: 96 Points
In the decanter 2 hours prior to drinking. Initially dark ruby with a purple hue, which faded with time open. Cool refreshing menthol, but in a good way, with floral undertones of red currant, dried herbs and gravel. Palate is super powerful yet very elegant and pretty. Final glass the very fine and long tannins round out and integrate. Up there with the best cabernet I recall tasting. Holding up well.
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9/15/2022 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 94 Points
The road goes on forever... a little like the finish of this very pleasing Cabernet. It isn't hard to rate it as 'Outstanding'.
2004 was one of those years that went under the radar a little, after the savage bushfire year of 2003; it was warm, but not hot, dry and easy for winemaking. The wine is under screw cap, thank God.
The colour is very dark garnet with some ruby - she is in good shape after 18 years. The nose starts very Coonawarra Cabernet - ripe cassis, a touch of mulberry, some sweet vanilla oak and a little tobacco leaf. This is fine but after about 4 hours the vanilla recedes (good riddance) and we start to see more polished leather, a touch of earth, a little cedar ad cigar box. Now this is much more to my liking. The sweet, clean fruit is still there but I like the balance better and there is a lot more complexity.
The palate has great intensity and length. Tannins are firm, fine and finish dry, but they play a lovely bass line to support the sweet fruit and all those splendid savoury notes. I think good palates would have no trouble picking this as Coonawarra in a blind tasting, however, the savoury aspects and the tannin structure whisper 'Tuscany' and it is the complexity that causes me to rate this as outstanding rather than excellent.
Isn't it lovely when a wine you felt would be good but a little simple turns out to offer real pleasure and interest? I doubt tonight's rugby match between a witless Oz side and a Kiwi unit that are not at their usual stratospheric level will achieve as much, but one might hope.
In terms of music this takes me to the surprise of finding that the Faces and Humble Pie offered more than expected; don't take it too far, of course - first and foremost they are entertainers but dig a little deeper...
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8/13/2021 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 96 Points
Appearance: deep ruby with onion rim.
Nose: medium plus intensity; aromas of dark cherry, blackcurrant, dark plum, cloves, dark chocolate, eucalyptus, black olives, sweet tobacco, perfumed, roasted almond, coffee bean, black tea, minty, dried mushroom, fennel seed, licorice. It’s developing.
Palate: dry, high acidity, medium plus tannins, medium plus alcohol, medium plus body, pronounced flavour intensity, very well defined with dark chocolate lingering. The finish is long.
Overall, it’s an outstanding wine. Can drink now, has potential for further ageing.
Very fresh and vibrant! Really complex on the nose with great development cellared in Wine Ark. There’s evolvement in aroma with every swirl. The acidity gives a great balance with the alcohol and tannins. Super well defined flavours on the palate exactly same as nose. Impressive finish with layered flavours lingering. This is the first vintage of John Riddoch sealed under screw cap.
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1/15/2021 - beathy Likes this wine:
Typical cab sav
Aged appropriately
Ready to drink now
Pepper, olive nose
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7/10/2020 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 90 Points
Ruby/mahogany. Opens fully at one hour. Blackcurrant, blackberry, cherries, eucalyptus,cigar box, mint, dark chocolate, manure and some aged cabernet. Firm tannin, good balance good length. The wine seems to have retreated recently. Riedel Bordeaux glass. 16 deg C. NS
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1/16/2020 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 86 Points
Scored much lower than recent tastings of the same vintage. Closed and dumb but otherwise intact. The wine shut down for several years when 5 years old. Could this be a second retreat or a one off bad bottle? Will try another soon. NS
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1/11/2020 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely quality wine still in or reaching peak - no signs of fade. Beautiful depth of colour. Balance signs of evolution but yet fresh and firm acids. Dark and generously fruited with wonderful depth and layers of complexity. Classic cedar, cigar and tar/charcoal.
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11/8/2019 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 96 Points
Inky black. Mature bouquet with earth,forest floor,mushrooms also tobacco, blackcurrant, blueberries,cherries,roses,mint,black olives and tomato vine. Well balanced palate integrated firm tannins good length changeable, fullbodied, elegant velvet mouth feel. At 15 years old it is going strong. Reminds me of a good St Julien like Leoville Las Cases or Ducru Beaucaillou. Drunk at 16 degrees Riedel bordeaux glasses. Good from opening till finished at 90 minutes. NS
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12/3/2018 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Wines under $30 (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {screwcap, 13.5%} [David] A bit developed; or at least not immediately primary in character. Malt, liquorice, currants. Some mint too. Lavish black-fruited palate, still quite oaky, and full-bodied. Medium gritty/dusty tannins; big initial impression on the tongue but tails off a bit on the palate; medium length finish at best, and with some warmth about it, despite the modest alcohol. Still from the more-is-more school of winemaking; I have the sense the style has lightened up in the second decade this century; this is more of a look-back to the 20th century style. Not entirely convincing for me (bearing in mind typical pricing), but another decade in the cellar might help.
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7/15/2018 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just so nice right now. Quite tight fruit, with great length. The tannins are still reasonably chalky. Beautiful drinking.
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2/27/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Quite nice!
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1/1/2018 - NiklasT Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very tasty sunny climate cab with some age adding extra dignity. Some complexity, cigarbox and soft tannins while dominant feature is still sweet and juicy fruit. Relatively long and I guess as good as they come as aussie cabs go. To me it does not give the same excitement as a good bordeaux does but still it was a very good and appreciated wine at new years dinner.
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12/9/2017 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mahogany hue. Strong aged bouquet dominated by old wood and tomato vine but so much more. Mellow, integrated palate with multilayered flavours stretching from hints of youth to aged characters. Firm structure. Best bottle yet. NS
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10/15/2017 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 95 Points
The wine has a mahogany hue. The nose is opulent with a bouquet of old damp wood, wet earth, minerals, roses and mint. There are aromas of ripe blackcurrant, black cherries,eucalyptus, blueberries and cigar box. The wine is brooding and multilayered. It has a full body, balanced with great length. There are loads of soft tannins firming the finish. Best after 15-20 minutes in the decanter. Starts to fade after 50 minutes. Drunk at 16 degrees C. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. NS
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8/18/2017 - vancouvermatt wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic.
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6/20/2017 - Elemento Likes this wine: 100 Points
Spectacular
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6/4/2016 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ruby/garnet hue with aromas of ripe sweet blackcurrant,cherries,blueberries,smoke,vanilla,mint,earth,dark chocolate,tomato bush and cinnamon. The palate is quiet and elegant with good integration and length.
NS
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3/24/2016 - VinoHobo wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful wine with still a good decade + left. Super defined blackcurrant and pencil shavings. Wonderfully silky palate with great fruit charachter and a thick juicy finish. Still strong tannins. Gorgeous
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1/2/2016 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 94 Points
The appearance is dark and brooding with a ruby /garnet hue on the rim. Intense and opulent bouquet of blackcurrant, ripe black cherries, black olives, tomato bush, mint, honeysuckle and cigar box. The palate is big, full bodied flexing loads of acid and tannin suggesting a long life still. Best after 60 minutes in the decanter. Drunk at 18 degrees. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Delicious. Beautiful. NS
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1/1/2016 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Starting to show some secondary notes. Great length and structure. Mint and eucalyptus to go with blackberry and plum. Tannins are silky.
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6/5/2015 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 99 Points
Ruby/garnet hue. Soup like mixture of blackcurrant cherries coffee blackberry mint. Black olives and liver pate on the finish.Full bodied and elegant. The palate is perfect. Decantered and drunk between 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Oxidised notes at 105 minutes.Wine temperature in glass 16 degrees C. This wine has improved with age especially after 9 years and has developed a Bordeaux like elegance.
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5/23/2015 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 98 Points
This garnet coloured wine offers up gamey blackcurrant cedar flowers cherries and manure. It is full bodied and has a liqueur ripeness. An impressive wine.
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3/28/2015 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 99 Points
Gaining in maturity this wine has an open bouquet and beautifully knitted palate. The key note was a gamey blackcurrant character that was also present in the Leoville Barton 2000 I sampled a couple of days earlier though the Riddoch had a riper note. There were olives and mint in the background. Drunk at a family lunch this wine deserves a solitary tasting to appreciate its subtleties.
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12/25/2014 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 98 Points
At 10 years old this wine is changing to maturity. During the period of tasting the wine drifted between the more youthful blackcurrant,black cherries and olives to a the more mature vegetal (lantana),mushroom and cedar characters. Full bodied,powerful and with loads of soft tannins it appears to have a long life ahead. Decanter for one hour. Drunk at 16 degrees C.
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12/11/2014 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine celebrates the year I first met my wife. I bought several dozen bottles from the winery in Coonawarra and they have been stored in a commercial cellar. Over the last five years I have tasted it regularly. At five years old it shut down from its youthful exuberance and then took two years to emerge again. This year, in 2014, at the age of 10 years, this wine has reached maturity. It has a garnet appearance with an opaque core. The aromas and flavours of blackcurrant liqueur, blackberry, black cherries,mint,cigar box,forest floor have now become beautifully integrated. This wine has changed its character becoming more serious and harder to fathom. It is still huge and opulent. I look forward to watching its course over the next three decades. Decantered for 1 hour. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Drunk at 16 degrees C.
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10/15/2014 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 98 Points
Still a hint of mauve on the meniscus. The wine is now mature. It offers up an intense bouquet after 1 hour in the decanter at 16 degrees C. This bouquet is made up of burnt cedar, cigar box,violets,blackcurrant,blackberry,blueberries,black cherries,black olives,spearmint and cafe au lait. It is a BIG wine-opulent full bodied tannic but well balanced.
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7/5/2014 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 98 Points
Maturing well.
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5/10/2014 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 98 Points
Similar to a recent tasting. This wine is becoming more integrated with age. There were some hints of mauve on the froth when poured into the glass, The core is black fruit with black olives cigar box dark chocolate and more. The palate is full bodied harmonious and with good length. Drunk at Tetsuya's in Sydney. Served a little too warm and interestingly started to fade earlier than previous cooler tastings.
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4/18/2014 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 98 Points
In 2009 I bought several dozen bottles of this wine directly from the winery. They were transported to a temperature controlled facility in Sydney. They survived the trip across Australia and tasted well scoring 97 in its youth. Shortly after at the age of five the wine shut down and the score fell to 90. Over a couple of years the wine gradually opened up but retained much of its youthful characters until eight years old. This bottle tasted when 10 years old revealed that there was no youthful mauve edge. Instead there was crimson with a ruby semi opaque body. The wine was closed when first poured into the decanter. It was more open at 45 minutes but peaked between 60-90 minutes then started to fade at 105 minutes. The core was blackcurrant which was sweet and jammy. Black olives were also prominent. There was even a brief period where milk chocolate dominated. However there was much more-spearmint dark chocolate, pencil shavings, cigar box, cinnamon, cafe au lait, blackberry,blueberry and plum. The wine seemed to have aged since the last tasting 2 years ago with a beautiful knitting of its elements, a pronounced bouquet and the development of stewed fruit,fragrant-floral and sweet notes. The palate was full bodied opulent and harmonious with good length. Served at 16 degrees C out of Riedel bordeaux glasses.
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5/6/2013 - ghobby wrote: 89 Points
Solid wine; very fruit forward, not hot or alcoholic.
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12/27/2012 - Alex H wrote: 83 Points
Over the top oak. Oakes black spice nutmeg and dark austere fruits. Bitter coffee beans with dusty cupboard notes. Really hard to love. Don't see the John riddoch trait that I usually like.
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7/23/2012 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 96 Points
11 th bottle tasted from same batch. Still young. Typical cabernet characteristics. Cigar box. Opulent.
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5/12/2012 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 96 Points
10th tasting over the last few years of a batch purchased from the winery and cellared in optimal conditions. 1 hour in the decanter suggested. Hint of mauve suggesting youth. Typical Coonawarra nose. Fruit characters include blackcurrant,blackberry and cherries. Mint and floral characters. Cigar box. Full bodied and opulent palate. Looking foward to monitoring its progress with remaining 60 or so bottles.
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5/5/2012 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 96 Points
Big opulent typical Coonawarra wine consistent with previous recent tastings. Suggest at least 1/2 hour in the decanter. This is the ninth tasting of the is vintage all sourced from the winery and cellared 12-15 degrees. At 5 years old the wine seemed closed scoring 90 but has opened since with the score settling around 95-97. It still tastes and looks young. I guess further improvement may come from a further softening of the palate addition of aged characteristics and opening up of the nose.
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12/25/2011 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 97 Points
Mauve edge. Blackcurrant Blackberry Jam Cigar box mint. Full bodied. still young.
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11/16/2011 - Timbalimba wrote: 90 Points
Back-to-back tasting of Michael / John Riddoch. Mr. Riddoch shows no obvious signs of age, red-tinted but no bricking, a thick brew of warm climate high-extract Cab. Big, toasted nose that has seen a lot of wood, but after a swirl I'm swept away by pure Coonawarra eucalyptus and cassis. Lovely. It stays focussed on the palate, crunchy black fruits, heaps of tannins, low-ish acidity. Long, but slightly square finish that suggests this may benefit from further aging. Altogether a distinguished representative of its origins. Sadly not as affordable as it once was. Drink or hold, 90+.
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7/13/2011 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bought from winery in 2009 This wine was shut down in 2009 scoring 90. Since then it has emerged 93 then 94 and now 95.
Drunk at 17 degrees C Decanter best from start to 1.5 hours. Oxidised notes when smelt the next day in decanter.
Mauve edge.
Nose still reticent. Blackcurrant Cafe au lait mint blueberries cherries blackberries Pencil shavings. Polished.
Palate
polished. Flavours follow the nose.
Conclusions
Young 7 year old Coonawarra Cabernet coming out of its shell recently.
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4/23/2011 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 94 Points
Decanter (best after 20 minutes)
Sourced from winery in 2009
Cellared at 14 degrees C
Drunk at 18 degrees C
Screwtop
Ripe blackcurrant mint blackberry cigarbox
Some gamey/sweaty socks notes
Full bodied
Softer mouth feel
Impression
7 year old with classic minty aroma of the region. Palate starting to mellow but no real aged characters yet.
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3/27/2011 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 94 Points
The last two bottles I've had of this wine indicate that it is coming out of its shell. It was stubbornly shut down in 2009. Needs to be in the decanter for 1 hour.
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3/11/2011 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 93 Points
Strong blackcurrant and tobacco aromas
Opened out since 2009
These wines were bought straight from the winery and seemed to go through a withdrawn phase
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10/30/2010 - winegr wrote: 87 Points
87. This bottle wasn't that good. A bit of mintiness to bring interest. Otherwise, worse than another bottle I had recently. I don't think this has a lot of potential.
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10/3/2010 - winegr wrote: 89 Points
89-91. I really liked this upon open. Not overextracted and balanced with solid acidity to go with the ripe fruit. More like 2/3 elegant CA cab and 1/3 bordeaux or South African. And some underlying earthy, eucalyptus to go the the dark cherry. Unfortunately, becomes sweeter and less interesting with air. Goes from 90+ to 89+. Still one of the better Aussie's ive had lately.
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5/4/2010 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Landmark Australia: Regional Classics: Bordeaux like nose with earth, green capsicums and dried dustiness paired with classic cigar and tobacco nuances. Fruit base made up of menthol lifted juicy and round blackcurrants. Essentially aussie with discernable sunshine fruits but providing restrained silky and elegant finish.
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9/8/2009 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 90 Points
Appearance
Mauve edge
Black (Opaque)
No sediment
Nose 5
Shut down
Blackcurrant
Dark chocolate
Mint
Spice
Tobacco
Palate 5
Medium to full bodied
Good acid
High tannin
Blackcurrant
Dark chocolate
Mint
Impression:
90 +
Stubbornly closed. Tannic . Shut down.
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9/2/2009 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 96 Points
From winery. Good condition.
Appearance
Hint of mauve on red brown edge
Opaque
Good legs
No sediment in glass (sediment in bottle)
Nose 8
Closed when first poured from 14 degree storage
Opened up after 15 minutes in glass carafe and warming
Intense and opulent
i. Primary
Strong earthy and mushroom notes
Compost
Sweet Blackcurrant (crème de casis)
Vegetal
Confectionary
Tobacco
Mint
Hint of pepper
Hint of violets
lemongrass
No capsicum.
( Prominent aromas in bold)
ii. Secondary
Spice
Dark chocolate
Wood
Dusty
Cigar
Pencil
Slightly smokey
Cinnamon
Not toasty. No ginger
Hint of vanilla and coconut and significant custard powder
iii. Tertiary
No stewed fruits
No tar
Palate 8
i. Structure
Elegant
MFB
Off dry
High tannins slightly bitter
Good acid – slightly acid
Good length
ii. Flavour
Cherries
Sweet blackcurrant
Dark chocolate
Mint
Slightly salty
Oxidized notes Overly sour Dumb after 2 hours in decanter
After 6 hours in decanter hypersweet simple nose ( other elements subtle). Overly sour undrinkable.
Impression: 96 - 2 (2016-2026)
If decantered suggest best drunk between 15 minutes and between 1 to 2hours+
Probably best drunk above 14 degrees and under 22 degrees
Seems slightly younger ( and probably better cellared then last bottle)
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8/23/2009 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 97 Points
Appearance
Opaque
Red brown ( I was expecting a purple edge)
No sediment
Nose
When pouring into the decanter you could smell the abundant primary fruit aromas
Intense opulent nose
Sweet concentrated blackcurrant with milky overtones
Black Olives
Hint of mint
Some spice
Earth
Peppery wood
Chocolate
Some cigar box
Palate
Medium to Full bodoed
Off dry
Plenty of acid
Plenty of tannins- mildly bitter
Concentrated black currant.
Flavours reflect nose
Elegant
Length lasts for minutes
Score: 97 Young 2016-2026+
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6/11/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
To me, pretty classic Coonawarra Cabernet with aromas of cassis, tobacco leaf, ash, cedar and hints of some floral characters. Shows incredible finesse and length on the palate, much more refined than my other Coonawarra favourite from this vintage (Balnaves Tally). Very fine tannin, well structured and it continued to drink very well over the next couple of nights. At $50 I think it is easily worth the money to put a few away.
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