It’s that time again. Time to fill me in on what you’re currently drinking, what you want to drink, or what you have drunk in the last four weeks.
Besides emptying too many beers (especially the delicious Deeds Any Given Brew Day NZ IPA) on Grand Final Day to drown my embarrassment at the Swans performance, the other drinking highlights this month came from a dinner at Sydney’s Pilu restaurant where a bracket of Italian oddities really shone.
This Ca’Viola Riesling was so unexpected and so interesting. Still primal, at seven years old, and more a gently textured, absurdly youthful, tangy white wine of many layers rather than just another Riesling. An options game killer blow!
Meanwhile this 2020 Giovanni Montisci Moscato was perhaps even more revelatory. From the Sardinian highlands, this barrel-fermented, dry, skin contact style has the most evocative honeysuckle floral moscato onslaught, and a perfectly pitched, multifaceted palate of acid and phenolic punch tempered with voluminous fruit. Wow.
A special mention also to this 2012 La Biancara Tocai Rosso (Grenache) which was in rude health with a lovely red earth meets red fruit complexity.
What about you? What have you been drinking?
The credit card, by comparison, hasn’t been hit with any large wine purchases, as the cellar is very full and just not emptying fast enough…
What about you? What are you buying?
16 Comments
Bought beechworth (savaterre pinot, eldorado road durif, saperavi and fiano after tasting)
Tasted tolpuddle chardonnay (good but hard to justify price vs tapanappa, savaterre and others)
Cape mentelle merlot/malbec/petit verdot, great cuddly blend going strong at 5 years.
Schmolzer & brown nebbiolo – great example and more and more coming from beechworth these days
I really need to get back to Beechworth. Has been years…
I have emptied my cellar of all the Beaujolais Cru St Armour 2019 I had when I found to my surprise how delicious these wines are especially with food and a great price.
Having difficulty keeping my hands off the Neudorf Amphora Chardonnay 2021 as it will be better in a few years but is so balanced and fresh and clean right now!
I love the Neudorf Chardonnay typically, but haven’t had the new amphora edition. Must try.
Hi Graham
Two key purchases this month; 2018 Chain of Ponds ‘The Cachet’ Cabernet Shiraz and 2022 Gaelic Cemetery ‘McAskill’ Riesling.
Drinking wise, 2014 Moppity Atticus Shiraz Cabernet (delicious, and so well balanced) and I cracked the first of my 2017 Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay (at five years it is super fresh in flavour and colour – makes me wonder how long a wine like this might last)
Cheers
Report back on the Gaelic Cemetery. Could be a great vintage for it too.
Raided the cellar for the following little numbers: 2000 Tahbilk Marsanne, 1994 Bests ‘Rhine’ Riesling and 2006 Black Jack Block 6. The younger drinks included Pooley Cooinda Vale 2020 Chardonnay, Torzi Mathews Frost Dodger Riesling 2021 and Dominique Portet YV Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 under cork – of course it was slightly corked. Bought it to try against our new 2018 Balgownie Estate Cab Sav so the Balgownie won hands down!
Typical. How was the Pooley Tony?
Torzi is such a great riesling honestly. Probably prefer the ’22 over the ’21 slightly. Had a Balgownie ’17 a few weeks ago, so red fruited and real Aussie bush vibes initially. Nice and a very different expression to what I was expecting.
Re Beechworth, Wine Culture in Roseville has been good for tastings and stocking broad range. The Eldorado Road I mentioned was partly their Nomad’s Garden series (kinda like a vineyard showcasing of King Valley, some lovely gear for the price point).
Elegant , fine and tight. Probably too young to get the best out of it. A couple have been tucked into the cellar.
Andrew – drinking lovely Val Dieu beer in several of its permutations, all of it terrific, Dom Torzi’s reisling and Moorooduc 2018 Pinot. Also got a cuboard half full of fairly old heavywieght shiraz which I’m finding harder and harder to face. Nearly forgot 2013 Redman’s Cab Sav, purchased during the Coonawarra’s July mueum promotion
After your stellar reviews of the winery, I managed to source a couple of Hickinbothams to drink on a weekend away. The 2016 Trueman Cab Sav was truly sublime. The 2019 Brooks Road shiraz, didn’t quite live up to sky high expectations: very well made but too leafy and herbal. Picked a few days early was the verdict of my more knowledgable co-drinker, a Barossa winemaker.
Hi Andrew,
Bought 2 Mystery 6 packs from Winedirect, as expected a 1/2 doz Red Deer Station 2018 Langhorne Creek Shiraz & 2019 Red Deer Station Langhorne Creek Cabernet. Noice! Specially @$13.40 or so per bottle delivered. Cheers mate, keep up your fine work. 🙂
I cracked open a 2020 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro which was sturdy, sensual dry to finish with great length.. Also tried the Weathercraft Chardonnay 2021 which was all class, Helens Hill Pinot Noir 2021 proving how good the Yarra vintage was in ’21. And Rob Hall Harriets Pinot 2020 which was seamless & a magic drink..
Oh Weathercraft. Now there is a label I haven’t got into yet (and must try)
The wines I’m most desiring these days are Beaujolais..so recent purchase was a Marcel Lapierre Morgon case of 6 x 2019