Terrific afternoon/evening with a few friends and our Queensland visitors in fine form at my place yesterday - late morning to mid-evening - everything taken at a very sedate pace (especially with this bloomin’ “never-ending” heat wave we’re suffering here at the moment).

Pol Roger 1995 Vintage - spectacularly good - still fresh and invigorating but with incredible depth and complexity - 93 - served with softened Jindi brie and juicy strawberries on wafer biscuits.

Donnhoff 1998 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese - a bowl of summer fruits in a glass - gorgeous aromatics, plenty of fruit weight mimicking the nose on the palate with terrific acid cut, excellent length, just starting to attain a little of the secondary petro-character - still just a pup - 92 - served with fresh smoked Tasmanian, baby Asian greens, avacado, capers, red onions, sour cream and chives - the food/wine match worked very well.

Tyrrell’s Vat 47 2002 Chardonnay - pristine Oz Chardonnay (and will last for several years, too!) - nicely worked mealy barrel characters, melon/fig fruit, great line, wonderful balance and mouthfeel, just about spot on to my liking - 93 - served with extra large king prawns bbq’d whole after marinating in garlic, lemongrass, ginger, chillie and sesame oil - yummo!

McWilliams Mount Pleasant O.H. Hermitage (Shiraz) 1965 - level just below the neck - still a solid mature hue - apart from slightest hint of oxidation/v.a. on the nose and palate, this incredibly good wine (for it’s age, that is) displayed the typical Hunter thumbprint of old leather, earth, soft sweet fruit and cigar box. Probably a year or three too late to catch its drinking window but a wonderful experience all the same - 89 (at a push) - served with chargrilled capsicum and eggplant wrapped in Parma prosciutto.

Ch. Palmer (Margaux) 1979 - level just into neck - opened with a fair amount of barnyard in the bouquet but with a good decant and plenty of time in the glass, this wine just got better and better, revealing more purity and “sweetness” as it opened out. Balanced, mature, complex and long - another 93 pointer! - served with marinated (Moroccan spices, garlic, pepper and oil) beef eye fillet shaslicks alternatively skewered with onion, bacon, zucchini and button mushrooms and served with Turkish-styled bean dish (cooked for hours with tomatoes, garlic, onion and spices).

Taylor’s Vintage Port 1983 - opened early in the afternoon to see how this was travelling - way too volatile from the spirit/high alcohol - and with Roy Hersch’s reco’s still echoing in my head - decanted this about 3 p.m. and drank it five hours later - much better for it - superb cherry/almond fruit, elegant but still with underlying controlled power and authority - couldn’t get over the brilliant balance and smoothness but with just the right amount of astringency on an incredibly long palate - 94. My WOTD/N just pipping several other similarlarly-pointed very high quality wines. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon (thankfully in air conditioned comfort)!