It’s that time again. Time to inspire me to spend more money on drinks, even though the WineArk cabinet can’t be closed properly and the Amex is maxed out.
So, what wine, beer, etc, have you been buying and drinking this month?
More Te Mata Awatea came home this month because it’s a delicious wine, as is the Domenica Chardonnay 2023. There was also a dip into Jean-Baptiste St Joseph, Eva Fricke Riesling + Thomas Braemore 2019, and all this wine buying means that I will need to sell wines or move my child out of her bedroom to make space.
What about you? What cases of wine are clogging up your loungeroom this month?
As for drinking, this month’s diet was largely beer but interspersed with some delicious tastes worth mentioning, like this superb Bekkers Syrah Grenache 2022 below. A richly textured red, it carefully treads the weight/savouriness path. Actually, all the recent Bekkers wines are enthralling.
Also in the Shiraz world, I really enjoyed the perfect 13.5% purpleness of this Pyren Vineyard Shiraz 2022. Glossy, plush, yet so even and composed, with that choc mint twist of the Pyrenees’ best. I still don’t know how much it is, but I love this style so much.
Finally, I stumbled on a very unexpected food/drinks mega match on the weekend that really deserves mentioning. A freshly shucked Sydney Rock oyster with a particularly grassy, super fresh Range Brewing DDH IPA. I know this is a very particular beer and a very particular pair, but hot damn, the herbaceous/snappy punch of the IPA just rocked the saline tang of the oyster like some myth.
By itself, the Range looked a bit too piney, and if I pressed, I would much rather drink a few of these wonderfully complex Kaiju Mutation Series beers instead. Again, this is a dank, slightly esoteric style of hop-forward IPA, but the flavour mountain climbed here is very high.
What about you? What have you been drinking this September?
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11 Comments
Found myself some of Dom Torzi’s 2021 Frost Dodger – forgotten how good it is. Also some of his 2021 Reisling – ditto.
Oakridge Funder and Diamond Chardy – not imbibed yet, and some Yabby Lake 2020 Pinot. Great.
Dom’s wines are so good so for so few dollars
Tasting highlights – Clonakilla Syrah 2018, Quintet 2017 and Gaffy & Neal Merricks North ’23. All beautiful in their own ways, Doug Neal so choice with his oak selection.
Bought – whites mostly like Mt Horrocks Sem, some old vine aligote and Mt Mary (quintet abd triolet only this time round, no pinot sadly)
Haven’t had the Clonakilla Syrah in a while, but that was a great wine some years ago.
Agree with your Bekkers comments. I was lucky enough to spend 2 hours with Emmanuelle last month tasting their range and bought most, even the 3 pack of 21 Clarendon Syrah which is one of the most beautifully integrated wines I have ever had considering its age.
Other highlights are Rob Mack’s Aphelion single vineyard Grenache (4 of), a 2018 Greystone Chardonnay (absolutely divine) and ’99 O’Shea which was still in tremendous condition.
Also 2018 Greenock Estate premium selection Shiraz Grenache, another beautifully crafted wine.
Lucky to get a decent 99 O’Shea cork. I really enjoyed the Bekkers range – weight, but delivered with a rare consideration.
Going to try an ’04 OS this weekend and drink my last Torbreck Neck Oil.
Loving the reviews Andrew.
I have bought a few things, most notably
2020 Thistledown The Quickening Shiraz
2020 Apogee Deluxe Sparkling Brut & 2023 Pinot Noir
2017 Cape Mentelle Explorers Blend
2021 Oakridge Willowlake Chardonnay
Drinking
2017 Juniper Aquitane Rouge
2015 Balgownie Estate Cab Sav
2015 Kilikanoon Testament Shiraz
St Hallett Black NW Sparkling Shiraz
I loved the last Apogee vintages. Have a bottle of the sparkling rose in the fridge.
I too had the Domenica Chardonnary 2023 recently. Couldn’t help thinking it needs a year or two. Do you think its good to go now Andrew?
The best years are definitely ahead but I loved the Domenica – the lines are superb for a very fair price.