5/15/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14%} A little development here. First time I've really noticed a minty character to one of Bakkheia's reds. Spice too, rich black fruit, plum. Palate has soft, seemingly oakless tannins, moderate acid. Medium weight, but does become a little more astringent on the medium-length finish. Does rather hollow out a bit though, I must say. Ready to drink.

5/14/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14%} Hint of rust in the pale garnet hue. Softly developing nose. Spicy nose, fermenting not-too-ripe strawberries. Palate is diffuse, also spicy, with a strong meaty character, and soft-grained oak. No more than light/medium-bodied though. Prickly, low-key finish, dry, patchy on the palate. Decent if not really memorable. Ready to drink

5/11/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.5%} Deep colour, but with a bricking edge in line with a decade. Rich nose of blackberry, soy, cola, liquorice. Palate is a bit light for structure, despite the overall medium full weight, with low dusty tannins and low/medium acidity. Also sits toward the front of the tongue, and with a barely medium-length finish. Not overly alcoholic but lacks finesse and true development. Nowhere to go in my view, although it’s going to be ‘drinkable’ for years.

5/10/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 13%} Deep yellow. Rich but muted semi-tropical fruit with even a whiff of banana. Palate is thick with oak texture, malo characters, rockmelon and faint mango flavours. The acid does its best, but the full-bodied weight seems to overwhelm it. I thought it might be alcohol at first, but there's no heat on the finish. It seems to collapse a bit on the palate, with a lump of ripe fruit on the mid-palate but nowhere else, and the length is short/medium at best. It's OK, but not that exciting, and clearly ready-to-drink.

5/9/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 11.9%} Solid dark yellow, verging on gold. Honeyed nose, hint of lime, apple crumble. Palate is less sweet than you expect, barely off-dry. Brown apple quality, with medium acid lacing through the light/medium body. It’s quite enticing, but it’s more plain old aged as opposed to having evolved into something magical. The finish is a bit short and simple, with some drying lemon at the death. Drink up I reckon.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {375ml, cork, 13.5%} [Geoffrey] Plenty of vanilla, marzipan, nougat. Some development going on here. Has richness rather than overt sweetness on the palate. It’s beyond ‘off-dry’ but not much. Quite full weight, or at least with denseness of texture, and an even, medium length finish. Suspect this will peak earlier rather than later too.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {375ml, screwcap, 11.2%} [Geoffrey] Pointed lime fruit nose, with only a smattering of botrytis. Light/medium weight, medium dry for sugar, with some mandarin sweetness adding to the lime on the short/medium length palate. A gently beguiling sort of wine better in the short term I think.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 14%} [Stephen] Liquid cherry nose, fumey/smoky quality, but not obviously oaky. Big ripe flavours on the palate; black & purple fruits pumped up; could pass for 15% alcohol, not 14%. Also very new world in style. Medium weight in the end though, with lowish chalky tannins and low/medium acidity. Finishes a fraction short of medium length. Not needing further aging.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} [Graeme] A mix of floral, perfumed notes with dark cherry and plum jam characters underneath. Palate isn’t quite as fresh as the nose; despite medium acid and medium chalky tannins it finishes just a little short with a hint of astringency. Still OK, but time to drink up I’d say.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} [guest - Adam] Nearly a quarter-century on, and phenomenally young still. Choco-liquorice nose; rich, iodine-like. Medium/full in weight, but now with maturing low/medium powdery tannins. Very ripe palate, almost a new-world style, with confectionary-like, stewed fruit, but not over-ripe, and still with enough acidity to hold it together. Quite a mouthful. Medium/long, balanced finish. Has come together very nicely, unless you are unreconstructed traditionalist, and shows no sign of falling over.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} [DavidM] In the tradition of the late Bruce, a wine not on theme but somewhere in between. But really good nonetheless. Violets and roses with a vanilla sheen. Some development apparent. Pungent, pumped up palate. Medium weight and acidity – ticks all the medium boxes really. Way better with food, but I think this is still on the upslope of development.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} [guest - David] Sweet oak and red aromas, in the nearest we came to classic old school Rioja tonight. Lots of flamboyant blackberry flavours, fine medium chalky tannins, medium/full weight. Not obviously oaky though. Sweet-tinged medium-length finish. Tidy stuff probably at peak, or at least, unlikely to improve much.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 13%} [DavidH] Slightly muted, dusty sort of wine, with a faintly oxidative quality, although nothing extreme. This seems very old school CC, with plenty of astringent grape-skin tannin, medium/full weight, but a narrow presence down the palate, tending toward the front of the tongue. Standard flavours; red, dusty, although does embody what I think of as the ‘narrowness’ of this grape in its normal Chianti guise. Needs food to shine properly I think; no rush to drink otherwise.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {screwcap, 13.5%} [Glenn] Bit of a fish out of water, this local offering tonight. Darkly sweet nose, blackberry compote, minimal oak. Vivid fruit on the palate. Soft blackberries, black cherries, quite drying and almost astringent despite the lack of oak. Dusty grape skin tannin give a frame, medium acidity contributes. Dry and fairly short, but nicely even palate. Ready to drink.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 13.5%} [Andrew] Big, stewy, lifted red fruit nose, edging almost toward volatile. Palate has lots of ripe, even rotting fruit flavours. Very lavish, tending to new world in style. Full-bodied, with medium-high chalky tannins and medium acidity. Not especially oaky. Odd thing is, after all this impressive presence, the finish is barely medium length, with little taste beyond the mid-palate. Nice enough, but not profound.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} [Greg] Initially mild nose, with faint red berry overlaid by tobacco aromas. Palate is similar; tobacco and earth, with a savoury but generic red fruit quality that I invariably associate with the CC appellation. Medium weight, not too oaky, low/medium tannins, short/medium finish. Hock into it with your pasta!

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork, 13.5%} [guest - Matti] Vivid purple fruit initially, turns more red with air. Medium weight palate, dry, medium acid, lots of powdery tannin although not oaky. Light cherry fruit flavours. Bit workaday, needs food. Short/medium finish. Hardly compelling though.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork} [Geoffrey] Back-up fizz. Aromas of stonefruit and a little yeast, with just a hint of maturity. The palate offers ripe fruit, getting almost tropical in flavour and richness, to the point where it seems to be at the upper edge of ‘brut’. Medium/full in weight, with medium/large creamily aggressive bubbles. Medium length finish that sits a bit on the front palate.

5/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

NobleRottersSydney - Sangiovese & Tempranillo (Glass Brasserie, Sydney): {cork} [Geoffrey] Quite a dark colour, with an aged and cheesy nose. Distinct oxidative characters on the palate; it’s flat and short, yet the medium-sized creamy bubbles are in fine form. A fairly recent buy apparently, but clearly sub-par for packaging or some other random reason. I’m always a bit leery of VC for exactly this reason – it happens way too often.

5/5/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14%} Maturing, malty kind of aromas. Black fruit, touch of vanilla (oak?) too. Quite intense and enticing. The palate disappoints, relatively; it's ripe enough, but diffuse, and the initial richness of fruit seems to dissipate rather quickly. It's only just medium-bodied, with crisp acid, and low, finely grainy tannins, with little sense of oak. Fruit seems rather black cherry, subtle enough. Knowing it's Hunter, there's an implied feel of sandy loam to the palate; it's probably a decent nod to the styles of yore. For that reason, there's no reason to say it won't be still perfectly drinkable in 20 years, but will it really develop complexity, or just age in a fading way? The finish doesn't seem all that long, nor extend past the mid-point of the tongue - that's the real concern in the long term.

5/5/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.2%} Bright & youthful. Raspberry, hint of cola. Minimal oak. Medium acid, soft tannins. Medium weight. Juicy texture, dry, short/medium length finish. Tidy wine; aging for a decade or so will be fine.

5/2/2024 - graemeg wrote:

My Jan-23 note still stands. Molten sultanas, figs. Maximum sweetness, some acidity. Sits on the front of the tongue a bit, and finishes just a bit on the short and simple side. Still, it's a lot of wine for the $45-ish you pay here, so unhesitatingly recommended. But, as I noted before, best served cool.

5/2/2024 - graemeg wrote:

See October's note. Rides on subtle oak. Could almost pass for chardonnay, although has very faint herbal quality. Nothing wrong with it if you like the style.

5/3/2024 - graemeg wrote:

I'll go with my December note; I see other here are making similar comments. Crowd-pleaser, serviceable, authentic pinot, at peak, drink up.

4/30/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{cork} Decanted just prior to service. A bit old-school, in that it's mostly vanilla oak and that often-anonymous blend of black fruits that this classic Oz blend can be in its youth. The palate is medium/full in weight, against a bit anonymous for black flavours, plenty of oak, only medium length finish at best. A quarter-century ago this was close to Yalumba's top red; the label's maintained but so many new cuvees get the better fruit these days. Ain't what it used to be, in other words. Acceptable but not otherwise exciting. At an astounding $172 from the list at Rockford Bar & Grill as well - well three times retail.

5/4/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 13%} Plenty of deep garnet still. Black cherry and cola nose - bit like a decent new-world pinot. Some voluptuous cherry fruit initially, with medium/high acid, little oak; the palate weight starts out hefty but fades quickly; the finish seems very short and sharp. A kind of firecracker wine. Hardly going to improve.

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{cork, 14%} Tannins have settled down after some years; a solid, medium-weight dry red, with black berry sort of fruit, low/medium powdery tannins and medium acidity. Decently ripe fruit without being too sweet or fake-tasting. Short-medium finish, but generally an OK wine which could hold another half-dozen years easily enough.

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 9.5%} Full-sized bottle, which has staved off the premature aging that this wine tends to show in this century's vintages. This example is straight from central casting, with a darkening coppery colour. Copper flavours too, apricot, lots of botrytis, medium-sweet, fullish bodied flavour. Still enough acidity to keep it fresh. Medium length finish. Right at peak - drink now.

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14%} Partly aged, spectacular nose of pastrami and other deli meat. An undercurrent of composting red fruit. Really great stuff. Palate is very fine too, medium/full in weight, still with medium powdery tannin, medium acid, medium/long finish. Just a great pinot by any standard. No rush to drink either, it seems. (From Bron & Andrew)

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{cork, 13.6%} Level right at the base of the neck. Cork about a third soaked. Decanted off plenty of sediment and then served. Classic old Coonawarra, with a lash of mint, but also leathery currants and vanilla oak, nicely judged (last JR made by John Wade I think?). Medium/full weight, softly resolved dusty tannins, medium acidity. Medium/long finish, very good indeed. Really impressive.

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{cork, 13.5%} Perfect level, no leakage, crumbly cork, decanted off medium sediment just before serving. Classic aged Penfolds nose, not too oaky though. Lots of leather, gentle tar and roses. Medium weight. Little tannin left now. Beautifully balanced and tasty but let down by an oddly short and dull finish. Passed peak in my view, but still quite drinkable for a while.

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{cork} Not much to say - I thought this a bit bland and short-finishing after even a nv Joseph Perrier. A bir earthier in flavour, with fine bubbles and medium acid, but a light-medium weight only. Not great value at A$55 either.

4/28/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{diam} Clean and polished medium weight fizz, modest autolysis, white-fruit flavour, medium acid, fine bubbles. Medium length finish. Decent, but not especially distinguished or outstanding.

4/24/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 13.9%} Young still, a mix of black fruit and cola. Soft tannins, moderate acidity. Seems a but confused about its identity; you don’t often see these two grapes blended. Juicy and ripe but a bit nondescript. Medium weight, medium length finish. Fair.

4/23/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14%} Mid straw yellow. Rockmelon, pineapple, squash. Thick sort of texture, even a bit greasy. Full-bodied, with maybe a tiny bit of oak adding more texture than flavour. Medium acidity, ripe fruit with a tropical twist but still dry. Slightly buttery/malo character too. A bit front palate on the medium length finish. About ready to drink I reckon.

4/21/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 12.5%} Tidy sort of wine. Still more green than straw, but plenty of colour; it's not pale at all. Grapefruit kind of nose, developing, but loose and open, with some sweet chippy oak and a pronounced malo character. The palate is fresh enough as long as the wine is served decently cool; it's medium weight, with vanilla oak, rockmelon/mango flavours without being overtly sweet, with low/medium acidity. Tangy tropical finish. Decent stuff that has probably picked up some nuance over five years, but it's not a long-term candidate by any means; this is at peak now I reckon.

4/20/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 13.4%} Plenty of garnet colour. Some development, strawberries, vanilla, blueberry. Soft dusty tannins, medium but gentle acidity. Medium weight wine with plenty of sweet but not too sweet on the palate. Tobacco, earthy hint too. Likely to evolve over plenty more years, changing in character. So pick your preference point. Medium length finish. Tidy stuff.

4/15/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 11.5%} A surprise bottle since March, but on re-reading that note I wouldn't change a word, such is the consistency of screwcap. Very musk, very new world, dry, crisp, drinkable.,

4/14/2024 - graemeg wrote:

Pretty much as for Jan-23. Lacks the true complexity that extended lees aging would bring, but otherwise a soundly decent fizz, even if the bubbles are a bit violent. Can keep a while.

4/14/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{375ml, screwcap} Developing lime. Fresh acid, subtle botrytis. Very riesling, but very Tasmanian too. Medium weight, medium-dry, medium length finish. Glows on the palate. Good for five more years

4/13/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{cork} Quite vibrant fruit, youthful. Medium sized fine bubbles. Crisp dry palate, faint fruit, medium weight at most, medium length finish. Some autolysis character, just enough to make satisfying. Good. At ~A$60-ish only fair value.

4/19/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.5%} Still dark garnet with ruby red. Mildly developing nose, mostly of liquorice, black fruit and vanilla. Palate is the same. It's not oak, though, and the tannins are very soft and powdery. Gentle, low acidity too, so although the wine not's especially sweet, nor obviously alcoholic, despite being medium/full in initial weight, it's just compromised for structural interest overall. Therefore, medium-length finish at best, with a sense that this is best drunk sooner than later.

4/12/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.5%} A little fading at the deep garnet rim. Partly developing big, clean, blueberry fruit. Big and jammy, new world, but not too sweet. Almost even grenache/shiraz, with Mouvedre stealing 3% out of the shiraz. Yet it's the big blue/black shiraz that dominates - although with air and time there's a tobacco character to the aromas and flavours too. Medium/full weight, low/medium acid, soft, furry tannins, less of oak than skin. Slightly patchy and hollow finish, not quite matching the nose. Very decent wine, but best before a decade I think.

4/11/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 12.8%} Pale straw. Youthful nose of vanilla slice, custard and a pervading malo sort of character. Soft oak. Slippery sort of palate, quite buttery, but with medium acidity; more than I'd expect from the nose. Medium weight, with flavours becoming more grapefruit-like. Little oak evident on palate. Medium length, puckering sort of finish, always dry. Tidy, good in the shorter term I reckon.

4/1/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 13.5%} Mid yellow. Some development here; it's quite lightly oaked in flavour, with some mango, nuts, hint of grapefruit. Dry, but also with a strong malo character; slippery and vanilla-ish. Medium weight, medium-long finish. Gives it a sweetish aspect on the finish though, which just cloys a little. No point in keeping I reckon. Haven't read the essay on the label yet; perhaps enlightenment lies there.

3/31/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.5%} Malt, liquorice, black pepper. Medium acid, fairly soft/low powdery tannins. Blackberry-tinged fruit, still quite youthful, but also very ripe. A bit of a fruit-bomb, but in a classy sort of style. Medium-full weight, still dry in the patchy, slightly warm, medium length finish. Decent enough. Hardly worth cellaring, but will half half-a-decade OK.

3/30/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 12.4%} Absurdly young, even at five years. Spice and white pepper. Not obviously unripe, despite the very old fashioned alcohol level. Cherry flavours, spice, medium acid. Also minimal oak, with low/medium gritty tannin. There’s almost an Italian feel to this, with its lean, savoury mien. Medium weight, no more, and with a barely-medium, dry, almost astringent finish. Not a wine of charm; this could take another decade of cellaring and possibly it will bloom then?

3/29/2024 - graemeg wrote:

As for last June. Dark and a bit malty. Not hugely developed but clearly not young either. Lots of sediment - decanting would help. Keep plenty longer still.

3/29/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 13%} No ullage, no decant. Yet, an alarming murky brick/brown colour. Leathery, old nose and palate, with some trembling volatility on the way. Acid otherwise moderate, tannins have faded away, ancient ripe grapes of no particular varietal character; plausible considering this is a blend of CS,shiraz, CF, merlot. Rotting leaves, generic red fruits on the way out. Medium weight, shortish drying finish. Cork looked fine; likely either poor storage or simply too old.

3/27/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.2%} Blackberry fruit with a vanilla tinge. Youthful, dark-hued. Palate is vibrant with a mix of liquorice, tart but ripe red berries, minimal oak influence. Low/medium dusty tannins, medium acidity. A piquant, spicy character. Exuberant in its impression, but not at all sweet. Medium length finish. Mostly too young, even at three years. Keep half a decade without concern.