I went to the website to try and find out a little more about the 1999 Lindemans Hunter Valley Steven Vineyard Shiraz Bin 9825 which I happened to drink a few nights back. Unfortunately once I got passed the homepage, there’s absolutely no information of interest to me regarding this wine. But Google is my friend…

1999 Lindemans Hunter Valley Steven Vineyard Shiraz Bin 9825

I love it when a wine reminds you of where it came from. This Hunter Shiraz first tastes of old leather, dirt stable floor and soft ripe plums. There’s some very soft oak and pepper as it develops and opens up given some time in the glass. I only had the one bottle of this which is probably just as well because I’m not sure it’s goot too many more years in it left. Certainly the best years are behind it.

With a simple BBQ the wine did well, but anything more robust would have easily overpowered it. It would work well with some mild cheese and biscuits before dinner. But for close to $30 (from what Google tells me) I believe there are much better buys out there now.

Here’s what others have to say:

An aroma of leather, menthol, blackberry fruit and anise.  A palate of plums and soft lingering length.  In its prime.  86 points.

Coming in at a moderate 13%, the nose is clean with plums and vanilla initially. A touch of air and the shiraz fruit comes to the fore- spicey, licorice and violet notes, tight on the palate with nice oak in the background. The final glass has the wine opening up more in the mouth with hints of leather, earth and blackberry. Medium bodied, lingering ripe tannins, the oak and fruit flavours persist in a long finish.

It’s a famous vineyard from a great producer and is classic proof of the Hunter’s ability to produce certain wines that age with incredible style. Just enjoy.

Of Hunter Valley Shiraz and Lindemans, Langtons says:

Once seen as the classic red wine of Australia, Hunter Shiraz may well bounce back as buyers seek a variety of Shiraz experiences. Its reputation has been somewhat tarnished over the years as the region has become more commercialised. Tyrrell’s, Brokenwood, Tamburlaine, Rothbury Estate and others are doing much to win back the confidence of fine wine buyers. The early leaders, Lindemans and McWilliams, after rather dull performances in the 1980s, are on the comeback trail, too. Classic Hunter Valley Shiraz shows an opulent, complex, plummy/earthy/leathery bouquet with concentrated, earthy flavours, plenty of fruit sweetness, ripe tannins and length. The term ‘sweaty saddle’ has often been used to describe old Hunters. The smell of an old Chesterfield sofa is another description. Too much of these characteristics, I think, destroy the wine. The best Hunters can age for decades. Witness the dense and brooding 1965 Lindemans Bin 3100 Hunter River Burgundy. Some of the old Maurice O’Shea wines from the late 1940s and early 1950s have also stood the test of time. More recent classics are the 1986 and 1991 Tyrrell’s Vat 9. The 1998 Brokenwood Graveyard is a very great wine.

Lindemans was established by Royal Navy surgeon Dr. Henry John Lindeman who planted vines in 1843 at Cawarra in the Hunter Valley. The business thrived and in 1870 Lindeman purchased land at Ben Ean in the lower Hunter Valley. Ben Ean continues to be Lindemans ‘brand home’. Although Lindemans experienced several difficulties, take-overs and restructures throughout the 20th century, its reputation for table wine remained unsullied.
Today Fosters Wine Group owns the Lindemans brand. During the late 1950s and 1960s, it became extremely famous for its Shirazes. Witness the catalogue of brilliant wines, particularly the 1959 Bin 1590, 1965 Bin 3100 and Bin 3110 Hunter River Burgundy, arguably the greatest wines ever produced in the Hunter. Its image faded during the 1970s despite the growing reputation of its benchmark Semillons. Fashion and poor brand marketing largely caused this hiatus. Its show success attests to this.
Notwithstanding the vicissitudes of the last few decades, the Hunter Valley can produce some of the most beautifully complex wines. Lindemans Hunter River Shiraz wines, particularly Steven Vineyard, can be excellent but are probably not investment wines. They simply don’t have a track record on the secondary market. Similarly, the Semillons (once called White Burgundy, Hunter River Riesling and Chablis!) suffer the same problem. The wines are nonetheless reliable, although the reds can lack the energy and concentration so often associated with the best Hunter reds.
Most of Lindemans Hunter Valley vineyards lie on classic red clay soils around the foothills of the Brokenback ranges or on the sandy alluvial soils of the creek flat below. The Lindemans wine brand is fast becoming disconnected from its origins. Of course business comes before sentiment, but it’s a pity seeing the slow purposeful death of a once very great Hunter wine label as marketers favour global sourcing and branding.

I was quite taken by the BBC series (shown here in Australia on SBS) Two Greedy Italians. Chefs Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo aren’t really Italian, but they are Australians who were born in Italy. In this series they return home to cook local meals and meals from their childhood. So for dinner last night I prepared polenta with slow cooked family stew. While probably not the most inspiring name, the food was great. You can download the recipe here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow-cooked_family_stew_33263). While at the BBC site, I downloaded this recipe and also made the Lemon and Ricotta Tart (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemon_and_ricotta_tart_44080). I didn’t have any Juniper berries, so I just added a little extra Rosemary (fresh from the garden) and I cooked the stewfor close to 5 hours until the meat was absolutely tender.

Slow Cooked Stew and Polenta

But back to the wine. The 2002 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Reserva is a blend of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha Tinta and Graciano. They seem to sell their stock only after 5 or 6 years bottle age (which accounts for how I bought this 2002 vintage in 2009). The cork was almost brand new and the wine pour bright red despite its age. It started tight (served at 15 degrees) and tasted of dried fruits, tobacco and vanilla oak. It was soft and smooth with tannins that may have been improved by better quality oak. At $35 I didn’t find great value, but on some international wine sites I’ve seen this for close to the $20 mark and at this price it holds more appeal.

I have one bottle left in the cellar. I’ll probably try it with a simpler dish and with plenty of time to breath.

2002 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Reserva

Here’s some other notes I’ve found:

winemaker’s notes:

Dark, ruby red color. Dense bouquet combining toasted notes, tobacco and a hint of spice. Good structure with nice complexity in the mouth where mature fruit flavors give way to a touch of roasted coffee, chocolate and sweet spice. A wine full of character that reflects its noble origin.

A splendid bottle to marry with savoury fish dishes such as fresh tuna in spicy tomato sauce, refined delicatessen products (chorizo, salami), all kinds of beef (roasted, stewed or grilled), foie gras, duck, partridge, game and mature cheese.   alcohol by volume: 13.0%

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar write :

Bright red. Complex bouquet of dried strawberry, cherry, rose and cured tobacco. Spicy cherry and red berry flavors are sweetened by a faint vanilla quality and show no rough edges or tannins. Attractively sweet and silky Rioja with good finishing breadth and clinging notes of strawberry and dried flowers. This is ready to drink and will be ideal with spicy lamb dishes.

Some other brief notes :

Air, air, air! – A pour through the Vinturi + 20 minutes in the decanter was not enough. Give it an hour or so and it will really open up, very much enjoyed this (especially for the price), although I also still prefer the 2001.

While non-offensive, we found to be a bit boring. Probably would be a great sub $20 for a dinner party involving rich beef dishes, but for a more intimate setting where wine is the focus would not suggest.

Great balance which stayed all the way through to the aftertaste. currants and subtle cherry, medium body with ruby red colour.

A little French Patisserie just around the corner from us (http://www.epicurefrancaise.com.au/) has just started serving dinner on the weekends. Although there is only a short menu, I noticed Boeuf Bourguignon and thought what better night to try the first of the 2003 Bordeaux wines I bought in indent. I remember at the time not being satisfied with the buying from indent experience. I ordered them probably 18 months before I received them, of course there is no opportunity to try them, and you then have to put them down for years before you can appreciate the value of the risks you’ve taken. I only did it the once, so my cellar has this little cluster of 2003 Bordeaux wines.

I only bought half a dozen wines from different places and about 10 years after first chosing the wine, it was time to sample the first bottle.

And what a magnificent drop it was! The cork was excellent quality, the wine poured merlot purple in colour, the first hint at the actual grape variety used in making the wine. I assumed it was largely Merlot with some Malbec with maybe some Cabernet Franc. Later research found this note about the Chateau, so I assume I wasn’t too far out with my assumption of the grape varieties and quantities used:

Appellation: Fronsac

Hectares: 20

Encépagement: 65% merlot, 30% cabernet franc, 5% malbec

The château, situated in the commune of Saillans, is medieval in origin with round towers at either end. The wine is plump and attractive. The Chastenet de Castaing and Droulers families also produce an oaky tête de cuvée, Château Haut de Carles.

This is a surprisingly full bodied wine, superbly well balanced between oak, cassis and vanilla flavours with sweet licorice, dark fruit character.

This has plenty of years left in it yet, probably another 5 years without risk. But I’ll be drinking my only other bottle of this wine with a leg of lamb and good French friends next weekend.

My notes say I only paid $19 a bottle (10 years ago) and at that price it represents stunning value. And there’s another problem with the buying from indent experience – you can’t just nick down the local bottle shop and buy some more! Pity.

2003 Chateau de Carles Fronsac (Bordeaux)

Where’s what some other reviewers had to say:

Last bottle of a case, most of which have been enjoyable if not especially profound. This was full of sweet, ripe fruit, with a raisiny element. The palate was straightforward and a little short of depth and complexity, but enjoyable (and it wasn’t expensive). (506 views)

This bottle was rather disappointing, the wine being somewhat rough and the fruit slightly bitter, although there was quite a lot of depth to the wine. It seems old before its time. (524 views)

Full flavoured, with ripe plums and spice/cinnamon; good weight and length, with some richness. (534 views)

Sweet, ripe, dense fruit, but without great structure or complexity; a well made and very drinkable wine, and very good value at about £8.50 (fully paid en primeur price). This bottle was somewhat rounder and more enjoyable than the last. (550 views)

Rather hot, burnt raisiny fruit; a slight pepperiness from the high alcohol (14%); full flavoured, with plums and spicy notes; very enjoyable and drinking well now, but probably not for long keeping as it doesn’t really have the backbone for long life. (561 views)

Deeply coloured, with ripe and rather hot, even burnt fruit: raisins and plums enhanced by a slight pepperiness from the alcohol (14%). Full flavoured and drinking well now but it lacks the balance for a long life (558 views)

Opened 3 bottles of this after a Bordeaux wine tasting at my house that included Gruaud Larose, Pontet Cantet and Langoa Barton. This did a decent job of holding up to the rest and showed very good. Excellent QPR here…drink short term. (761 views)

For a cheap Bordeaux this is a good find, strong berry flavours, yes a bit alcoholic, but a pleasant after-taste. Quite enjoyably Rhone-like in my book. (702 views)

Decanted for 3 hrs. Good dark ruby color, nice nose of blackberry, mineral and “terroir” coming through. Medium body with explosive….I MEAN EXPLOSIVE… mid-palate of black cherry and currant. Nicely balanced but I am getting the slightest bit of alcohol coming through (14%) on the medium/long finish. Not a real complex wine but a good Bordeaux QPR at $18. Drinking well now but wonder if that tiniest bit of alcohol will settle down with some time? 89 (942 views)

The beautiful, medium to full-bodied 2003 exhibits a saturated dense ruby/purple color as well as aromas of melted licorice, crushed rocks, flowers, and creme de cassis. Its sweet fruit, low acidity, and beautiful concentration, purity, and persistence suggest it should be consumed over the next 10-12+ years.  Score: 89. —Robert Parker, April 2006.

The cork was clean and the wine poured clear in to the glass. This could still go a few more years if you wanted it to. The wine itself was sweet and once would have been very forward with its fruit. But the years have softened the fruit driven style to produce a more mellow, approachable drink whene surprising the tannins are still obvious. I likened it, rather harshly, to a Lambrusco without the bubbles. That’s a major exaggeration I know.

Lamb probably isn’t the right dish for this, maybe now it might be better appreciated with pasta and a tomato base ragu.

1998 Barossa Valley Estate Moculta Shiraz

Here’s what others had to say (quite some years ago now!).

Max Allen & Peter Forrestal says:

Winemaker Natasha Mooney has fashioned a glorious, rich Barossa shiraz from the outstanding 1998 vintage. Barossa Valley Estate, a large co-operative of growers in which BRL Hardy have taken a 50 per cent stake, has developed an enviable reputation for the quality of their reds over the past decade. While their E & E ‘Black Pepper’ Shiraz has attracted far too much attention from the overseas wine media (so reducing its availability in Australia), it has been their value-for-money labels such as Moculta that give us the greatest delight. This is a ripe, full-bodied, fleshy traditional Barossa shiraz, that has power, weight and generosity. Lashings of sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit and vanillin oak flavours, silky smooth texture and fine ripe tannins. Stunning value, Quaff 2001

Huon Hooke & Ralph Kyte-Powell says:

No surprises here. This is a big softie with blackberry, earth, spice and a touch of sweet oak on the nose. There’s reasonable intensity of (f) blackberry flavour in a smooth, likeable package. It has 14.5 per cent alcohol, yet it doesn’t have the forceful personality you might expect as a result. Tannins are very soft and it slips down readily. Good with steak and kidney pudding.

Nick’s Wines says:

This wine represents excellent medium term drinking. Near opaque crimson colour with mauve edges. Excellent nose with aroma of vanilla, coconut, blackberry and spice. The palate is full flavoured and appealing but takes a very unusual twist that we have not experienced previously with Shiraz. The flavour profile is that of very ripe peaches and raspberry – a delightful combination which takes a few sips to get used to. Fine grained tannins, excellent balance followed by an aftertaste of raspberry, plum, spice and liquorice. Cellar 2-3 years.

Retasted 23/05/00: Deep crimson mauve colour. The nose is impressive with aromas of ripe blood plums, spice and vanilla, followed by end notes of liquorice allsorts and raspberry. On the palate flavours of raspberry, cherry and blackberry abound, followed by a spice and liquorice back palate flavours. Fine grained firmish tannins, but well balanced, followed by end flavours of cherry, blackberry and blackpepper. Cellar 4-5 years.

(I’ve certainly stretched the envelop a bit when it comes to cellaring recommendatons!)

Ho-hum. Don’t bother. This wine lacks both the flinty minerality of old world and the lifted floral or fruit driven style of the new. For $28 from the bottle shop I feel ripped off.

2010 Tscharke Barossa Valley Savagnin

2008 Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Viognier

The wine is still fresh (thanks to the screw cap seal), full of stone fruits, spices and well balanced acidity. My recommendation is to grab a couple of bottles of this and enjoy with a French meal, good company and preferably a bit of sunshine.

Here’s what others have to say:

Nick Stock says:

A decent serve of ripe stone fruits, some melon here too, and orange blossom florals. Terrific texture and a hint of nutty complexity adds in nicely to the stone fruits and melons on the palate. Slides through smooth and composed. Great with scallops.

Jeremy Oliver says:

By a mile the best viognier yet under this label, it’s meaty, wild and pungent, with a complex bouquet of orange blossom, cloves, ginger and nutmeg backed by mineral notes. Long and restrained, it’s mouthfilling but elegant, with an even, presence of stonefruit and pear flavour that entirely avoids fatness and heaviness. Underpinned by a fine chalkiness, it finishes long, spicy and vibrant, with a fresh mineral acidity.

Rating: 93

Tyson Stelzer says:

There is great approachability here, in a soft and silky style with just the right amount of structure from tight acidity and fine minerality. Flavours of apricots, peach kernels and vanilla beans will be best enjoyed in their youth.

Rating: 93

I paired the wine with a new recipe for Beef Stroganoff. (I cheated and used a Maggi sachet – http://www.maggi.com.au/products/recipe-bases/favourites/beef-stroganoff). I added a little extra sour cream, ok, a lot extra sour cream for richness and a chilli from our garden for a little autumn warmth.

The 1996 GVVC Alister Purbrick Signature Reserve Shiraz wasn’t quite up to the task. This senior citizen wine may have been rich enough in it’s youth, but now its days of heavy lifting are over. The wine is well balanced but now mellow to the extreme. It would be pleasant to drink by itself or with a less rich dish, but I’ll be drinking the other 5 bottles pretty soon.

Shiraz certainly isn’t Margaret River’s forte and this wine, while competent and inoffensive, proves the rule.

2005 Split River Estate Shiraz

It has strong dark fruit flavours you’d expect from the Margaret River and whilst under its screw cap top has softened somewhat to present a pleasant if not a memorable drink. It certainly drank well with the left over lamb kebabs and followed up well the next evening with some pre-dinner cheese and biscuits. You could keep this for a few more years, but I don’t think there’s too much point. Just pick the right leftovers and drink them soon.

With the sauce I was trying to recreate the black buttery sauce I remember on toast as a kid, but this recipe didn’t do it for me. (By the way, I made the recipe without the soy sauce.) But regardless it did top off the meal nicely, as did the bottle of 2001 Andrew Harris Mudgee Shiraz.

This is typical Mudgee stuff, big in the mouth without being over the top. The 11 years of age have served the wine well softening some of the fruit driven results of the sunnier Mudgee climate. This is a richer wine than a Hunter equivalent and this Andrew Harris wine is certainly well made balancing oak with pepper and spice to create a winter warmer of some varietal character.

Andrew Harris as a winery has now closed (mid 2011) but bottles are still popping up as a result of the clearance selling undertaken at the time (http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/04/19/3195846.htm).

I’ve just noticed a bottle of this recently sold on Grays Online for $19. At this price it’s a damn good buyl and I’ll keep my eyes open to see if I can find some more about this price. The wine is drinking very well right now, the cork is good quality and was in good condition with my bottle, so I reckon it’s a pretty safe bet if you want to experiment with Mudgee wines, or simply add a few more to your collection.

The Mudgee region is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, with the longest, unbroken history of viticulture in NSW. First planted in 1858, it avoided the widespread phylloxera epidemic that hit Australia in the late 19th century. Although its climate is very different to the Hunter Valley, heat still dominates. Here, in the warm conditions, red varieties thrive. Shiraz is typically richer, riper and fuller with an abundance of blackberry and plum fruit. The wines tend to have generous flavours with a melange of tastes of red berry and dark chocolate.

I’ve seen the following comments made:

Back in 2004 : Rich, almost inky, crimson with rose rims. Ungenerous nose of cedar framed red fruit (currants, ripe raspberry). Practically mute upfront – just a trace of fruit. Bursts to life upon swallowing… plump dark cherry and plum sit on the back of the tongue… two+ waves of fruit repeating, marked by black pepper… steered by a pleasant attack of acidity, and very dry tannins. After 2-3 hours, the nose has opened a little, and its less mute upfront, but the interesting waves of finish aren’t what they were.

“The second tier of the Andrew Harris range, but 100 per cent estate-grown and given good oak.
Medium to full red; spicy dark plum, with hints of spice, earth and prune on both bouquet and palate are the strength of the wine, although the texture of the palate doesn’t quite live up to the flavour.”

Another website provided the following:

Plum flavors; well textured tanninsl richly coloured soft juicy number has voluptuous aromas of caramel and chocolate, lovely ripe cherry and plum fruit, white pepper, mint, lots of creamy oak and a chocolate raisin finish. It’s soft and easy drinking and at the price, great value. $15.95 special.

 

But I was worrying needlessly. Still eating the pork and vegies (fennel, onion and apple) the spice and richness of the Bannockburn was both an excellent progression from the restrained riesling and a demonstration of excellent Pinot fruit and winmaking in its own right.

Every sniff and every mouthfull rewarded with balanced acidity, exotic spices, tannin (softened by the passing of time) and oak. I must say this was an impressive wine and one I will seek out to add to the cellar at the next chance. If you want to demonstrate the “power of Pinot” – this is the wine for you.

Campbell Mattinson says:

Bannockburn has had the odd hiccup over the past few years but new-ish winemaker Michael Glover has things back on track. The wines from the 2006 vintage onwards will mark a new era for this famous Australian wine name. 2005 RELEASE This is the Bannockburn we know and love. Composed, juicy, structured and steady through the mouth, the full, sour-cherried fruit flavour laced with grapey tannin. Gorgeously varietal. Bannockburn has always carried sappy, stalky, dried herb edges – it’s a trademark of its pinot – but those flavours are not as obvious here as they have been in the past – a good thing, DRINK 2010-2014.

Jeremy Oliver says:

Simple, meaty, vegetal and browning. Its rather cooked, raisined and currant-like fruit lacks much in the way of perfume, becoming meaty and syrupy on the palate. It’s initially smooth and luscious, but loses brightness and freshness before finishing with drying, metallic tannins and raw acids. Very rustic and farmyard-like.

Best drinking : 2007 – 2010

Nick Stock says:

The light cherry-red colour gives little clue about the concentration and complexity at work here. Plenty of fragrant spice, sweetened with swish French oak across cherry fruits. The palate is supple and toned, tannins add definition to ripe fruit flavours, heading into some savoury territory through the finish.

James Halliday says:

A fragrant, highly spiced bouquet; has intense flavours, again quite spicy on the very long palate; 25% whole bunch component works very well. A selection of half of the best barrels; from the 30-year-old Olive Hill Vineyard.

Best drinking : to 2015