the petaluma oozes class with a brilliant glowing infantile white straw colour, continually unfolding and building, still relatively primary, aromatics of orange blossom, grapefruit, musk, pear drop, minerals, lime and a just a hint of secondary toasty development. the palate harbours a solid and multidimensional core of musk, lime, oranges, pears and chalk, all underpinned by an incredible dose of mouth-puckering mineral-laced acidity and a prolonged finish of great authority. this tremendous oz riesling deserves the self-praise heaped upon this wine on the back label. this vintage rivals, and, in my most humble opinion, surpasses, the fabled 1980 vintage, winemaker brian croser compares it to. it displays all the hallmarks of a classic ageworthy clare valley riesling and should live for another decade and a half given proper cellaring conditions. 12.8% a/v, sealed with a cork closure. 94 points

the mcwilliams “old hill” is a recent auction purchase I now have no regrets paying a little over top for securing the right to tonight’s tasting. displaying a transluscent but very healthy brick red colour with abundant rust and brown in the meniscus, the haunting nose offers up a wealth of old leather, plenty of sweet earth, some dusty oak and a strong undercurrent of red cherry liquer over a backdrop of a ‘drying smidge’ of v.a (schlack), a hint of cigar box, nutmeg and an ultimate, alluring top note of licorice. so intoxicating is the bouquet, one can only go back to it, time and time again and wonder on how this wine looked to all the lucky punters who got to try it at various times in the past. the palate opened somewhat disappointingly empty and a little short, but as I sit here sipping on it for the third hour, I am absolutely dazzled by the improved performance. silky in texture as a rare red burg, this corker abounds with red fruits of cherry and currant displaying similarly perplexing virtues I found in the bouquet. exquisitely profound with such a diversity of nuance it’s difficult to know where it starts and finishes. at forty-two years of age, this shiraz is still alive and kicking with enough acidity and some lacy tannins providing backbone to the glossy fruit. surely one of the most wonderful balanced and compelling bottles of aged oz red I’ve had the pleasure of assessing, this wine fully deserves a score of 95 points. on the indication of how this particular bottle opened, I can vouch for the 1965 hunter red vintage of being up there with the best of the twentieth century. unfortunately, due to my parents procreation schedule, I doubt I’ll have little chance to enjoy the great wines of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that the genius winemaker, maurice o’shea, made under the mcwilliams label.

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Turning fifty is enough of an excuse to open a few wines -

Day 1

Jacquesson Signature 1995 - This Champagne displayed an attractive polished light brass colour, miniscule beading, a lovely yeasty nose of toasted wheatmeal, brioche and sesame seeds but just didn’t quite deliver the goods on the palate with a slight hollowness through the mid-palate. Otherwise, a very good wine but not in the class of the 1996 Avize from the same producer I tried some months ago. 88

Ravaneau Valmur 2001 - Perhaps 2001 wasn’t the best vintage for Chablis and/or Raveneau and we probably opened a little too soon for its’ own good. Pale straw/green colour. Quite bright. Typically, all seashell, iodine and flinty with more than a hint of gunflint in the bouquet, this wine gradually unravelled with considerable air to reveal more than a semblance of its’ “grand cru” status. There’s no chance of this falling over for many years. With a tight acid core, a top class mouthfeel, an abundance of minerality and very good length, I’d leave this for a minmum of 3-4 years and, hopefully, something better should be in store. 89

Freycinet Chardonnay 2005 - I’m having trouble with bottle variation with this wine. My initial tasting bottle in January (93 points) was an absolute cracker but every bottle since has been different and not in the same league - and this from a wine “naturally” sealed with a screwcap! This bottle displayed an unusual floral/bath powder perfume intermingling with worked barrel characters over fig/melon fruit. After the Raveneau, it seemed all too flowery and a little simple to me. By this stage of the evening, I’m almost looking for excuses for my less than stellar response thus far. Perhaps it’s the wretched virus/cold I’ve been trying to shake for the last two weeks? Anyway, I’m still having trouble giving this more than 85.

Houghton’s Jack Mann 1995 - A blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Malbec. During a Jack Mann vertical I did a few years back, the 1995 came up trumps and is the only remaining vintage of this label I’ve kept. The initial promise of the inaugural 1994 vintage did not materialise with time in the cellar and I’ve now ditched it along with the 1996 and the 1998, although I’ve heard some encouraging reports recently from a mate on the 1999. Put quite simply, I reckon Houghton’s just overdid the oak back in those days and this trait showed just a tad too much on the big, ballsy, slightly tarry bouquet of the ‘95 last night. The palate seemed very ripe, quite smooth with a creamy mouthfeel, low acidity, fully resolved, fluffy tannins and nicely integrated oak and ready to go in my book. Overall, I thought the wine very enjoyable and verging on excellent. 89

Day 2

Fritz Haag Brauneberger-Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 1997 - almost impossibly good youthful bright pale green colour; fantastic haunting aromatics of white citrus flowers, slate, lemon merangue, a lttle redcurrant, a whiff of light toast, perhaps the merest hint of emerging petrol then kicks back with probing hints of white nectarine and lime. Wow, what a great journey and still so impressively fresh and vibrant for a 10 year old! In the mouth, this wine jumps to an even higher plane - as we sit in the temperate stillness of a sunny Canberra afternoon, this just glides through the mouth with such purity, perfect symmetry and mind-boggling delineation. The M-S-R thumbprint of counterbalancing sweetness and acid cut could not be better exemplified here. There’s plenty of punch but beautifully bridled by an awesome line - add the sleekness of pristine ripe fruit, the raciness, the minerality, the balance and you have a very special wine indeed. Perhaps the ambience just made this better than it really is, but I’m not worried about giving it 94 points and WOTD. And it will last for donkey’s! 7.5% A/V

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1995 - terrible cork, disintegrated on removal. Slightly burnished lemon gold. Initial strange aromatics and flavours of mixed herbs and green pineapple gave way to something more varietally acceptable - lanolin, soap and cut grass but not a sign of honey or toast. Opened up better and better with more air but something just wasn’t right, never reaching any great height. Seems to be in a state of suspended animation (there’s enough acid there to suggest this will go somewhere) and not a patch on the last bottle I opened. 88 points 11.3% A/V

Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1987 - this DMS-affected wine performed very well for over half an hour, but began to fade with the DMS starting to reveal its’ uglier side - asparagus and boiled cabbage just starting to creep into the equation. Otherwise this remarkably good wine displayed a solid brick red with strong brown edges, loads of old dark chocolate, slightly jammy blackcurrants, old leather and hints of dusty earth. Although definitely on its last legs, this wine’s still got plenty of fizz, a nice creamy moutfeel and admirable length. Before it started to falter I was happy with a rating of 90 points. Was better a few years back when TORB opened a much fresher example.

Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-St-Jacques 1999 - bought a few of these a while back and decided it was time to look at one to see how it was travelling. Quite a transluscent bright cherry colour (fairly typical for Jadot I’ve found over the years). Still very primary on the nose with aromas of bing cherry, sous bois, a little sap and some iodine/beetroot/salty game characters. Just the smallest hint of reduction that dissipated quickly. In the mouth this wine just won’t play ball. Tight as a fish’s with plenty of robust acidity and quite grippy tannins dominate the bright, glossy cherry and green plum fruit. Somewhat simple and one dimensional at this point but somehow there’s an eerieness that suggest this Pinot is a keeper. I’d leave this for at least 5-8 years before opening another. Only 86 points today, but I’m thinking a higher score will eventuate if patience is your virtue.

St Hubert’s Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - this was the real surprise packet for me today. As a precursor to this note, I’ve read a whole lot about this particular wine being ruined by the yeast spoilage we call brett (short for brettanomyces). Now this bottle was purchased by one of my wine mates at release and perfectly stored underground under his house. This bottle has not a trace of brett. Harbouring a solid deep plummy red colour, this wine’s aromatics were excellent. A nicely integrated and very harmonious bouquet filled with blackcurrants, fresh herbs, bitter chocolate, savoury oak and a trace of autumn leaves. The palate deceived me at first - redolent of a ripeness more suggestive of a warmer South Australian clime but none-the-less very appealing in its generosity of black fruit, excellent oak input, resolving acidity, a mouth-puckering fine tannin regime and very good persistence. This is a damn fine red entering its peak drinking window and should hold for another 5 years or so. We all enjoyed it immensely. 91 points

Day 3

Maximin Grunhauser Abstberg Riesling Spatlese 1998 - 92

For a 1998 this excrutiatingly tight wine displayed very little colour development, a little sulphur on the nose at first, followed closely by lovely red currants, traces of minerals and lemon merangue. The palate is drop-dead gorgeous, albeit very steely and tightly bound by mouth-watering acidity. Quite a gorgeous wine that must gain a higher rating as it evolves over the next twenty years. Bravo!

Fritz Haag Sonnenuhr-Juffer Auslese 1998 - 90

A more open wine than the spatlese, revealing decidedly more colour and fruit more in the peach/nectarine spectrum with a vein of oiliness on both nose and palate. The palate is far more expressive, sweeter and softer than the Grunhauser, with significantly more weight, lower acidity and additional suggestions of honey and cream to the ripe stone fruits mentioned above. I consider this wine almost ready and although the lower score may put some readers “off”, I thought very highly of it indeed. Remember, 90 points is on the cusp of a verbal rating of Outstanding! Monitor this beauty over the next five years as it seems to be nearing its apoge.

Raveneau Butteaux 1995 - 89

Wow! What a roller coaster ride we had with this one. Opened almost as if we had missed the boat. Danny thought the palate oxidised, I didn’t like the hints of sherry on the nose. With considerable time, this remarkably good wine threw off its tired old clothes and displayed a much fresher wardrobe. Typical Chablis notes of chalk, rocks, seaspray and oyster shell intermingled with nice crunchy green fruit with just enough acidity to keep everything in check. Decent length, perhaps a tad broad. A drink now proposition, but with a caveat of giving it a decent breath (say 30 minutes) before tipping it down the sink! My initial score on this wine would have been far lower. I’m glad we gave it a chance!

Blain-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet 1997 - 93

How could a wine be so intact after some 15 hours sitting in a glass? Another wine that started off a little shaky but just blossomed, and then held the bar high, in the glass. This wine screamed brilliant new French oak treatment to me - meal, butterscotch, smoke and a haunting minerality over tight white peach and green fig fruit. Hardly surprising after the almost “oak-less” Raveneau, but I continued to find more and more in this wine as the night progressed, keeping about half an inch in the Riedel and going back to it time and time again, including during our fantastic foray with the ancient Chambers Tokay, and being more impressed with this wine’s aromatics as the evening wore on. The palate showed plenty of weight without being heavy, read “ditto” of nuance to that of the bouquet and driven by bright, powerful acidity and assertive, but controlled input from the spicy oak. Long as the night, this wine pushed all the right buttons, particularly considering the “so so” 1997 vintage. Given the next morning when Cam and Danny arrived for breakfast, the wine was still “all there”, it might just go another ten years, possibly more!

Vachet-Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin 1993 - 90

This Pinot Noir revealed a healthy deep colour, spot-on aromatics but left me a trifle flat on the palate. There’s a suggestion of “four-square” here, and with some relatively firm unresolved tannins and grating acidity, either this wine needs more time or will never reach the heights the bouquet delivers. This might sound too negative for a 90 pointer - there is plenty to like about this full throttle masculine Burg.

Ch. Leoville-Barton 1986 - 91+

How can a 21 year old red look so young? The colour, the brooding bouquet full of cedar and graphite, the palate with robust puckering tannin, tarry black fruit, heaps of acid and a whopping long firm finish? This wine needs years of rest to enter its drinking window and will last for several decades thereafter on this showing. A great effort from Leoville-Barton and I’m confident this will get a whole lot better. Thanks be to the infant legume for letting us share it together.

Guigal La Mouline 1995 - 92+

I was positive this was another Bordeaux of a similar ilk. Top flight maker, plenty of time on its side, although a little less savage in its still youthful tannin structure. Lots of new oak, cedar, tar, herbs and brooding black fruit. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! Goodonya Cam! See ….. you can cut the mustard with the big guys! I thought this Outstanding example will improve over the medium term and drink well for another 15 years. Thanks for a most generous contribution to my birthday bash.

Ch. Rieussec 1988 - 82 (Errant bottle)

Very worrying dark orange/burnished gold colour - I thought Rieussec from the early 70’s and passed it. Danny and Cam were more impressed. Fat, clumsy, cloying and difficult to drink and nothing like the bottle Danny opened a while back. No more to say. Just bad luck with this one, methinks.

Chambers Rare Tokay - 97

A ripsnorter of a wine! Opened with that old stale hint of boot polish and molasses that generally points to needing refreshing. Don’t know how long this has been sitting in the bottle, but with a little air time this incredible Tokay dropped most of the little nasties I detected and just soared out of the glass and reverberated around the mouth with such incredible aplomb you really have difficulty in putting the all components into words. The price of 270 bucks was mentioned as a price for this half bottle! After trying the otherwordly Seppelt the following night, I’m happy for anyone to open a bottle of this (or Chambers rare muscat) for me; but as good as it is, I won’t follow Cam’s lead unless it was something I’d know he’d treausure (as I did Saturday night), I’d be buying the Seppelt (if i was assured all their bottles were of uniform blend and quality). Thanks be to Cam once again - very generous of you, old mate.

Day 4

Hugel Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles 1988 - in incredible shape - luscious and exotic but holding wonderful poise and still remarkably fresh, finishing dry. Didn’t notice the 15% A/V. 93

Laurent-Perrier Vintage Brut 1996 - most excellent displaying a very tight personality. To me this wine has a long way to go - approachable yes, but will be better over the next several years 91

Lindemans Reserve Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier 1999 - Not Tasted - opened for mouth rinsing purposes only - truth be known previous bottles opened were pretty darn good FWII - paid a whole 8 bucks a bottle for this retail!

Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 1999 - only tried a splash of this - looked remarkably fresh with a wealth of fruit and the first vestige of bottle development - plenty of juice still in the tank NR

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2002 - disappeared before I got to try any - the few comments rendered were highly positive

Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 1998 - again only a passing glimpse from me with this one - displayed a deep yellow/gold colour, plenty of development on both nose and palate - sound but not particularly exciting NR

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1995 - right back to form after the slightly dissappointing errant bottle on Friday - top flight Hunter Sem with enormous reserves - looked young and pristine to me 92

Freycinet Chardonnay 2005 - looked solid enough without creating much excitement with the small amount I tried NR

Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay 2002 - NT - GazzaB commented this looked very young - “still a pup” were his exact words I think

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2001 - thanks be to GazzaB for this one - looked awfully classy to me, tightly coiled but with a wealth of nuance on both nose and palate - lovely wine with plenty of time to go. NFR but somewhere in the 92-93 range at a guess

Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 1996 en magnum - finally got to open one! Pristine bright straw green, haunting minerally Alsace bouquet with bucket loads of fruit in support. Served way too cold at first (I forgot I had it in the freezer) particularly hindering the palate (a bit short and bitter). Improved dramatically in the glass as it warmed. 92

Meo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes 1996 - Charming, svelte, sexy Pinot probably nearing its peak drinking window. NR but low nineties wine as a guide

Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chenes 1993 - another gorgeous example very much in the style of the Meo-Camuzet, but if anything, a little better. Probably worth 94 points if you want a numerical value. A Burgundy that sang from start to finish. IMHO, the best Burgundy of the day - beating the other premier and grand crus!

Vachet-Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 1993 - repeat performance from the night before -masculine, beefy palate, perhaps a little unready behind a quite lovely bouquet. 90

Frederic Esmonin Chambertin-Clos-des-Beze Grand Cru 1996 - another Outstanding Burg - having trouble with descriptors here and thus won’t point it but in the scheme of things I’d rate it between the Chaumes and the Lafarge, somewhere around the 91-92 points mark

Marc Pavelot Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Dominode 1999 en magnum - almost fotgot about this one! Truly Outstanding for its (lesser) station in life compared to some of the supposed big “guns”above. If anything, surpassed them! Very youthful, beautifully balanced, silky, great line - absolutely loved this, particularly the class of the fruit - and its got time on its side! 92

Rockford Black Shiraz 2005 Disgorg. - thanks be to JLo for this scintillating number - amazingly pure with bucketloads of creamy blackberry fruit - will last for yonks, methinks NR

Wynns Black label Cabernet 1998 - this was opened when I was cooking the shaslicks and didn’t get a looksee

Howard Park Cabernet Merlot 1995 - I know this has received some bad press over the years for a volatile acidity problem, but this bottle looked excellent to me, extremely varietal with some similarities to a modern ripe Bordeaux with a distinctive “gravelly” character. 90 points on its ear. Thanks to IanB for this one.

Penfolds Bin 80A Cabernet Shiraz 1980 - cork disintegrated on opening - a bad start - but what I strained into the decanter was absolutely stunning and way over my jittery expectations. Still with plenty of life in front of it, this red showed a deep vigorous colour, superb aromatics and smooth but concentrated palate of great length with heaps of fruit to burn. Every component meshed to perfection, IMHO. One of my top wine’s of the day. 94

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 - very sound if a little unexciting and did attract some strong comments from the table when revealed. I thought the oak treatment spoilt the fruit a bit. Very good verging on excellent. High 80’s from me.

Lindemans Sesquicentenary Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 en magnum - does contain just a litlle less than 10% Shiraz - this looked Outstanding to me, but at this stage of the evening the sheer quantity of reds was making judgement difficult. NR

Stonyridge Waiheke Island Cabernets 1994 - an eye opener for me - right in the slot. Nothing underripe here - a gloriously rich and well-honed red with everything in place. Up there with the best of them on the day. 92 Thanks again to GazzaB for this one!

Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou (St. Julien) 1978 - probably a few too many years past its best drinking window, but still very good although drying out a tad on the palate. 86

Ch. Leoville-las-Cases (St. Julien) 1978 - just fantastic aged Bordeaux - layered, aristocratic, lots of extremely good things going on here - if anything better than the last bottle I opened. 93

Domaine de Chevalier 1978 - this was my pick of the 1978 Bordeaux flight. Just a superb wine drinking at its apoge. 94

Zentralkellerei Ezeuger-Abfullung Ediger-Osterlammchen Beerenauslese Riesling 1976 375 ml - probably got things a bit wrong with the label - a curio GazzaB picked up for a song somewhere - very deep burnished colour, nice aromatics and an incredibly lush, unctious palate - drying out a tad but I still thought it very good - about 85 points

Ch. Suduiraut (Sauternes) 1983 - quite simply, absolutely brilliant - incredibly youthful, elegant but seriously complex in nuance of bouquet and palate, about as good as it gets for an aged Sauternes without the sheer power of D’Yquem. Bordering on exceptional - 94 points

Seppelt Rutherglen Vintage Port 1972 - made from Touriga, Bastardo and Alvarelhao - in great shape - 92 points

Seppelt Rare Rutherglen Tokay DP 59 - this really rocked my boat. Having tried this on many occasions, this bottle surpassed anything I’ve had previously. Cam’s incredibly generous contribution the night before of a half bottle of Chambers Rare Tokay blew me away - I gave it 97 points! This was as good, if not better - words cannot do either wine justice! 98 points

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Revealing an incredibly deep, opaque, black ruby colour, this youthful Pauillac throws up a huge, profound, brooding nose of cedar, creosote, briar, French herbs, damp earth with evolving, enticing hints of licorice and currants but still needs many years, possibly even a decade or more to reach its’ aromatic zenith. The palate follows a similar path - power-packed with masses of tarry extract, bucketloads of firm, mouth-puckering tannins and an abundance of acidity, especially for the vintage. Even at almost eighteen years of age, this wine still looks horribly backward and unresolved on the palate. Suggest anyone with a cool, dark cellar to leave it be for at least five years and then hopefully enjoy the rewards of their patience for at least another twenty years thereafter. To my way of thinking, superb aromatics alone are insufficient for a wine to merit an Outstanding rating. On tonight’s performance, I’m having trouble giving this, regularly over-achieving fifth-growth, 90 points, but with a caveat for much better things once the palate sheds its harshness and, hopefully, reveals the class of the bouquet. If you’re intent on opening one soon, make sure you serve this with a hearty red meat dish to counter the firmness of the palate.

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