Recent auction case purchase for $24.50 a bottle (after fees and charges including delivery to my door)

13.5% A/V Traditional cork closure

Medium ruby core with abundant brick red and some amber in the meniscus. Reticent, youthful bouquet of cedar, road tar, old lounge leather, licorice, red cherries, an undercurrent of blackberry and a suggestion of mint. The palate displays medium body, a tight, unresolved personality but with abundant potential for long-term improvement. Harbouring deepset leathery red and black fruit, cedary oak and a wealth of unresolved acidity and firm tannin, this is a wine that needs another 5 or 6 years of quiet rest before developing into something quite special to be enjoyed for a decade or more thereafter. Only 90 points from me today but with a bullet for something higher in good time. A Hunter “Classic” in the making.

Exceptional - 95 points - if, like me, you like your Cabernets with a broad spectrum of flavour (from leafy greens to savoury to almost sweet) and with umpteen nuances (such as a very fine Bordeaux), you would have gone gangbuster over this corker of a red. Served double-blind, I thought it possibly as old as mid-nineties but more like 2000-2002 and definitely a Cabernet, but a 1980!?!? You’ve got to be kidding me! Deep ruby and totally opaque, virtually no lightening at the edges, this wine had it all - otherworldly aromatics, lovely flavour profile and near-perfect structure. The magnificent supple tannin structure (but still holding up) being the only vaguest hint this wine had more age on it. Otherwise I suspect well-cellared bottles of this will last for another 20 years. An Australian classic! I was (and still am) absolutely stunned at the freshness and incredibly high standard of preservation of this wine. Keith Mugford (or whoever was responsible for making this at the time) should be held in awe for making something as good as this. Bravo!

Mature brick hue. Drunk over many hours tonight this wine offers a melange of deep-set, savoury, aged Cabernet aromas including sandalwood, weedy blackcurrants, aged tobacco leaf, old leather, leafy greens, damp earth, minerals (iron) with just a hint of miso and blood as a top note. As the wine passes through the mouth an initial burst of sweet curranty fruit is besieged by more of these complex savoury characters found in the bouquet. There’s extract a’plenty here on a medium frame with lashings of malty oak, very sedate fine-grained tannins, low acidity and an elegant, seductive finish of some considerable duration. Now fully mature, there is no reason to hold this terrific wine any longer. I’ve drunk more than a dozen and a half of these over many years and this particular bottle looks as good as anything I’ve tried previously. Drink now or over the next year or two. 92 points  13% A/V

Superb bright pale green gold colour with the only evidence of the 14.5 % alcohol shown in the thick weeping tears that form on the inside of the glass. Heavenly fruit-driven nose of ripe green pear, green melon, pink graprefruit, white peach, yellow nectarine with only minimal input from some exquisite mealy/spicy/charry French oak. The palate punches out an instant replay of what just transpired, with the pristine, glossy fruit doing most of the talking. Magnificently honed, this great Chardonnay displays a luscious, multilayered, mouthfilling, yet almost impossibly refined, texture, great line, terrific length and abundant reserves of weighty fruit that, at this stage, literally swamps the Rolls Royce oak and profoundly good juicy acidity sitting underneath. As much as I loved this, I’m prepared to go out on somewhat of a spindly limb and suggest this wine may not make particularly old bones. So if you’ve bought a quantity of this and because of its hefty price, it’s mighty difficult to suggest to “monitor closely and regularly”, so I’d recommend drinking what you’ve got over the next several years and avoid the bitter disappointments I’ve had in recent times with my last 1999’s (overtly oaky, disjointed, hot finish, dreadful) and one 2002 (premoxed and totally buggered - believe Gary Walsh at Winorama has had similar problems with more than one of this vintage). So no problems giving this beauty 95 points today but with a big question mark on where this might be in the mid- to long-term. Somehow I think the steeliness of structure in the 2001 LEAS (last tasted 04/07) still represents the best “keeper” vintage of what I’ve tried of this label over the last many years.

Displaying an elegant light ruby with only a modicum of maturity in the edges this classy Pinot reveals amazingly fresh and attractive aromatics of sappy red cherries, minerals, game and integrated new spicy French oak. The medium-bodied palate delivers an instant replay of the descriptors found in the bouquet along with a crunchy succulence, melting fine-grained tannins, excellent length but retains vitality and freshness from some lively acidity. I’ve been impressed with the rare elegance of this particular wine since release and believe it will last for up to a decade if stored in pristine cellaring conditions (although ready to go now). 92 points. A great effort from a difficult vintage!

Mount Barker, Western Australia 12.5% A/V Secured with a screwcap.

This beautifully poised example of Australian dry Riesling retains youthful straw/green tinges to its bright pale gold colour, an exemplary, lively nose of musky limes, green apples, freshly toasted bread, a beguiling minerality, quite unusual suggestions of herbaceousness and a latent whiff of petrol fumes as a top note. The palate carries this wine’s years with astonishing aplomb. Crisp and quite flinty with an abundance of freshly-squeezed lime juice and “Granny Smith” apple counterbalanced with bucketloads of yet-to-fully-integrate mouthpuckering minerally acidity. The finish is taught, dry as a bone and seemingly needs several more years to soften and allow the wonderful fruit to come to the fore and build more towards the back end. 90 points today with better things in store over the next 3-5 years. I estimate this excellent juice has between five and ten years good drinking ahead of it.    

Postscript - after two days open (cap on, in fridge) this wine has improved! More lemon pith and grapefruit to be found on nose and palate (the herbaceous and apply characters have all but disappeared) with the overt acid levels subsiding, allowing more palate length and better overall structure. 92 point rating on tonight’s performance. I’m very pleased I’ve sat on my stash of this for several years!

H. M. Martin, grower, 100% Shiraz grapes from Langhorne Creek, South Australia.

Quite an unusual hazy muted ruby/brownish colour with incredible viscous tears hanging to the side of the glass. Intoxicating, brandied-chocolate nose of aged licorice, spicy, earthy blackberries, dusty old leather, a twist of caramel and a whiff of amaretto - almost a hybrid of styles here - distinctly Australian but with plausible links to a Portuguese thoroughbred. The palate offers up a similar array of complex flavours, possesses a gorgeous silky texture, abundant viscosity, lovely weight and a resolved finish with a modicum of spirit adding a deft touch of astringency. Just the shortest glimpse of the chocolate/licorice/blackberry fruit giving up the ghost at the death, but not enough for me to give this Outstanding wine a rating of 93 points. Drink now or in the next year or three.

St Huberts winery was established in Victoria’s Yarra Valley in 1862 by Swiss settler, Hubert De Castella and within two decades, St. Huberts was regarded as one of the finest wineries in Australia, winning many international wine show awards along the way. Lack of demand for fine table wine through the early part of new century and, eventually, downward economic pressures saw this once great wine region mostly revert back to dairy farming and by 1912 the property had ceased all wine production. In 1966, a resurgence in demand for white and red table wine saw the Cester family re-establish a vineyard and winery of the same name in a similar location to the original site. Subsequently, several changes of ownership have occured, with the giant Foster’s group acquiring possession of this brand after a successful takeover bid for another leading corporate raider of the time, Mildara Blass. Since its reincarnation, some great Cabernet, Chardonnay and the occasional excellent Pinot Noir have been made here. I have extremely fond memories of St Huberts Cabernet’s including an exceptional 1977 and very good to outstanding examples from 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991 and now I’m just onto the remainder of my 1992’s! All the current release St Hubert wines are competitively priced but, alas, I have no recent tasting experience. One of Australia’s foremost wine critics, Jeremy Oliver certainly rates all recent vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon very well indeed. The track record of this historic winery is certainly good enough to suggest that great things can be done here. The 1992 reviewed below is a remarkably good Yarra Valley Cabernet, worthy of its outstanding rating and will last for another decade if well stored.

Still a saturated ruby red with little bricking in the edge. Initial burst of leafy greens, weeds, briar, cedar, herbs and red capsicum gradually replaced and enhanced with beautiful ripe blackcurrants. What a transition! Eerily reminiscent of a top class Bordeaux for a while, although this penetrating fruit sweetness eventually appears “new worldish”. Palate is wonderfully fresh, of medium body displaying exemplary fruit and oak integration, surprisingly lively acidity, fine lacy tannins and an excellent finish. 92 points 13.3% A/V and sealed with a good quality cork.

Being in the midst of trying to contain a bout of high blood sugars, alcohol consumption is not a good idea and should be frowned upon by all and sundry (including moi), but in this case I had my parents over for fish and salad earlier in the week, opening this bottle for them and I have been drinking about 50-60ml/per day over the last three days. The most surprising aspect of this outstanding wine’s evolution is there’s no downside! In fact, I thought it better tonight than when first opened and without the faintest hint of oxidation - quite remarkable for a wine that’s already been worked aplenty at the winery.

Boasting an attractive, glowing youthful straw colour, lifted aromatics of spicy new oak, bacon fat, meal, some leesy barrel reduction over subdued grapefruit, nectarine and guava fruit and a superbly delineated, tight and focussed palate offering up a terrific array of citrus, stonefruits and complex nutty, leesy characters with the barest suggestion of butter and butterscotch. And to round things out, there’s plenty of bright integrated acidity to maintain freshness as well as an invigorating lengthy departure. My only criticism was an intitial burst of astringency in the finish on day one, that dissipated over the first hour and has not been seen since. One could be tempted to think this of Burgundian ancestry if unaware of its identity - it could pass as a superior Puligny 1er Cru, 6-8 years of age. An extremely impressive effort with some time up its sleeve for further improvement. Drink now-2012+. Screwcap 13.5% A/V. All Adelaide Hills (South Australia) fruit. 92 points

The remnants of my original tasting group assembled recently and sampled the following wines over lunch. The Champagne, in particular, and all the reds looked very good indeed, the two whites a bit ho hum. Everything served double blind.

Louis Roederer Vintage Brut 1996 - glorious wine - incredibly fine streams of slow rising, smallest of beading glisten in a sea of light burnished gold. An extraordinary bouquet and palate displaying such a complexity of nuance, depth of flavour, unforgettable structure and awesome length. Traces of honeyed citrus and glazed white peaches support the most congruous assembly of yeast autolysis characters one seeks in a top Champagne - brioche, fresh crusty bread and nutty digestive biscuits. Magnificently rounded and polished in the mouth with a wealth of swirling mousse, creamy texture although still lively enough with perfectly meshed, but softening, acidty supporting the rich and poised yeasty flavours. Slips down the throat with consummate ease. My gut tells me this wine is close to as great as it will get. Drink now - 2011. 95 points.

Tyrrell’s Stevens Semillon 2003 - tight but a little dilute and somewhat non-descript - no obvious faults except for being a little bland - 84 points - good

O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2006 - some reduction on the nose, that gradually dissipated, quite a powerful wine with plenty of acid although a little phenolic and some bitterness in the finish - didn’t improve with air - 85(-) points - good/very good.

Ch. L’Arrossee 1982 - This St. Emillon really kicked some butt on the day - fully mature with a lovely cedary/sweet earthy bouquet with supporting leather/dried herbs and blackcurrant fruit. Palate equally engaging with a near perfect equilibrium and decent length. Top class right-banker. Drink now - 2012+ 92 points

Yarra Yering Pinot Noir 1995 - a bit exciting for me to see an Australian Pinot hold on for so long with no sign of senility. Bucket loads of sweet plum and cherry fruit with some sappy/gamey notes in the nose, just lacks a touch of complexity on the palate. Otherwise, excellent! 90 points Drink now - 2010

Peter Lehmann The Mentor 1992 - an unusual blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz and Malbec. This wine had me stumped for vintage and maker. Very youthful for age. A powerfully built, classy number with an incredibly good bouquet (cedary, herbs and bucketloads of briary sweet blackcurrant fruit) followed by an equally impressive tight but fleshy palate with surprisingly good structure, plenty of petrol in the tank and a whopping but controlled and well-balanced finish. Top marks from me for what it is! 93 points Drink now - 2017+

Cambrai Vintage Port 1985 - This small idiosyncratic McLaren Vale winery pulled off a great result with this vintage of 100% fortified Shiraz. At least one Championship, several trophies and gold medals on the Australian Wineshow circuit right through to the early 1990’s. Outstanding effort with one of my experienced wine buddies firmly convinced this was Portuguese. Still holds very good depth of colur for its age, an impressively ripe but not overly sweet and spiritous nose. Unlike so many other Aussie vintage ports, the Cambrai displays none of the overextracted, sweet pruny characters. This wine’s fruit’s firmly in the cherry/blackberry spectrum with a nice touch of couterbalancing spirit. Still carries some firmish astringency through the long finish and will go another 10-15 years if well kept. 92 points