It’s that time again. Time to inspire me to spend more money on drinks, even though the wine fridge is full and the Amex is maxed out.
So what have you been buying and drinking this June 2023?
I have a wad of vouchers to still use (they just accumulate, how can I say no?) at various retail sites, so the temptation was very high to buy ‘all the wines’. But I didn’t, instead settling for some Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, Bibi Graetz Testamatta & Haut Bailly, largely because the price was too mad to ignore.
There has been a lot of beer emptied this month too, with this new series of single hop IPAs from Mountain Culture among the absolute highlights (Both the Centennial & the Simcoe have been great, with wonderful packaging to match). Freshness, purity, power, the whole gamut of beer flavour.
Conversely, the latest WCIPA releases from White Bay have been a big disappointment, with the White Bay What’s Your Reality WCIPA & I’m Sleeping In both curiously lager-y and flabby in a distinct style change. Please White Bay, get back to where your IPA once belonged.
Finally, I took a bottle of thie Montbourgeau Chardonnay out to dinner with a few non-wine friends and it was universally disliked, just to remind that oxidative Jura whites are an esoteric wine person drink that tastes ‘off’ to most normal human beings.
FWIW I I liked it, even if the hazelnutty flor wildness is omnipresent. Has a lovely gracefulness to the palate, though the 14.3% alcohol is noticeable with a bit of broadness to finish.
Enough me, what about you? What did you buy and drink this month?
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18 Comments
Interesting re the Montbourgeau. I tried that alongside a few flor-influenced wines. Just could not get into as it is a bit too overpowering a character for me. I have tried wines that have an element of it (like a mild seasoning) which seems to work best to my taste anyway.
Tasted – Viberti Dogliani Dolcetto ’21 was a beauty, real monster in some respects and fantastic tannin profile. Standish wines I tried at Wine Culture a couple weeks back were in good form too, toss up between Lamella and Schubert this year, probably the latter. Chatto ’21 Intrigue also a highlight, outshone a bunch of the Burgundy from the recent Prince tasting I thought with room to improve too.
Bought – pinot month, Bindi and Chatto (got some Block 5 via retail as not a fan of the mixed pack approach). Also grabbed some of the new Mount Mary’s Marli Russell, great value Rhone style for me.
Yeah I agree re the Montbourgeau. I can appreciate it for the expression, but I only had a glass and it was enough. Have you opened any of the Bindi yet? I’m keen to buy some too fwiw.
Gday Andrew
I stumbled across a little winery called Highland Heritage in Orange recently. Thought that they are doing some amazing things and there has been a real shift in quality since their 2019 Vintage. I say that because they have quite a large range of back vintage Riesling, reds and strangely fortifieds at their cellar door in Orange, and you could see a distinct change of tack. Bought up big on some Shiraz, Riesling and Pinot Noir.
Glad that Highland Heritage have turned the corner. I visited back in 2016 and the wines were all over the place. Riesling was the highlight (and sweet wines incidentally).
Not yet re the Bindi, might leave them for a little while I think. I hear you re the flor ones – something by the glass for interest (maybe) but not more than that for me. Clos Cibonne do some flor for one of their higher end rose offerings and it does add a bit in a nice complementary way tbf.
Hi Andrew
My two main purchases have been:
2019 Taltarni Reserve Moonamble Shiraz Cabernet
2021 Deep Woods Single Vineyard Chardonnay
Drinking wise:
2014 Highbank Coonawarra Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc – this was lovely and in prime condition, showing plenty of brambly fruit. Nice modest oak profile and a tweak of acidity suggesting still some cellaring life. However, the cork was extremely soft, and stuck to the outside of the bottle (if anyone has some of these, I’d suggest cracking one to see how your corks are going).
2016 Bleasdale Frank Potts Cabernet
2015 Mitolo Cantiniere Shiraz
Thinking of getting a 6 pack of
Levantine Hill Optume Chardonnay 2020 at $600 per bottle. What’s everyone’s thoughts on it?
Pass…
Always thought that Levantine Hill suffers from DPS – delusional pricing syndrome
Too cold for beer for me (in Adelaide). Meanwhile I’ve enjoyed Bondar’s 2022 Nero – not unlike Tokar’s Pinot mix even though it’s Nero DÁvola. Also Curly Flat Pinot – delicious – and Balgownie Bendigo Cab Sav and their Macedon Pinot. What a pair. Off to Beechworth on the weekend – hope to find some Domenica Neb in a shop somewhere and maybe Traviarti too. Shame you can’t visit either
I have the latest Balgownie on the bench actually. Keen. You know it’s never too cold for beer BTW.
Hi PN B, you can definitely visit traviarti just email/message ahead to ask if he’s free via website contact details. I went back in April myself. Traviarti definitely worth a visit. Domenica might be able to do the same, can’t hurt reaching out.
I like the Levantine wines. But 1 bottle of that Chardonnay or 6 bottles of Oakridge 864 is a pretty mad comparison.
Just been swinging through a few reds including 17 Kechris Xinomavro, 16 Soumah Nebbiolo, 15 Ruggeri Corsini Langhe Neb- all good and loving the tannin structure
In the whites 22 O’Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling was delightful but the standout was a 14 Domaine Louis Moreau 1er Vaillons. The sort of wine that makes you sit up at first sip, an absolute stunner, very long and complex with plenty still in the tank such was the balance.
Very much enjoyed slowly poured pints of Guinness at the Apollo Bay Hotel last week. When its bleak black is beautiful beer!
‘When it’s bleak, black is beautiful beer’. Guinness ad in motion.
Hi Andrew,
another big few weeks with the interesting wines listed below.
Ora Alba champagne Blanc de blancs
Joseph Perrier champagne Brut Nature
Rieslingfreak No. 2
Head Riesling
Robert Denongent Vire Clesse 2018
Penfolds Cellar Reserve chardonnay 2018
Voyager chardonnay 2020
Dr Edge Pinot Noir 2022
Seppelt Drumborg Pint Noir 2018
Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape 2017
Chateau Montviel Pomerol 2015
Guigal St Joseph Lieu Dit 2013
Chateau de L’Annonciation St Emilion Grand Cru 2015
Prunotto Bric Turot Barbaresco 2005
Torbreck Les Amis 2013
Cooper Burns My Bloody Valentine Reserve Shiraz 2013
Solid block of wines there. What was the Denongent like?
Drank the Denongent alongside the Penfolds reserve, and two very different wines they were. The Denongent was absolutely fascinating, the most interesting wine I’ve drank recently. It walked a tightrope: an, opulent, ripe, alcoholic chardonnay, and yet there was just enough structure, minerality and freshness to keep everything in balance. Impressive wine making, I think any oak would have killed it. It drank even better as it warmed up. I would absolutely buy again and I’d like to seek out his other Maconnais wines.