DocRKS Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 A new shipment of Bruno Tait's best named (after his wife) - and previously highly rated wine, Tait's BALL BUSTER 2006 Vintage has just started to hit the locals here. The Best I've seen this Shiraz/Cab/Merlot blend offered for here is $15 single bottle - another 15% off with the case discount. Any of our Friends from OZ heard about how this 2006 wine stacks up? - if this promises to be comparable to the previous Barossa Valley releases of this wine - I'd like to get a few cases before Parker's Wine Advocate does its review and the price skyrockets like it did last year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 A new shipment of Bruno Tait's best named (after his wife) - and previously highly rated wine, Tait's BALL BUSTER 2006 Vintage has just started to hit the locals here. The Best I've seen this Shiraz/Cab/Merlot blend offered for here is $15 single bottle - another 15% off with the case discount.Any of our Friends from OZ heard about how this 2006 wine stacks up? - if this promises to be comparable to the previous Barossa Valley releases of this wine - I'd like to get a few cases before Parker's Wine Advocate does its review and the price skyrockets like it did last year... interesting. i've not heard of him before. that could simply mean a very small producer not coming to qld, though if his wines had made an impact here, they would have popped up somewhere. more likely, it is one of these small producers - sometimes family from the region, often a family that has been growing grapes for decades and now making tiny amounts, sometimes interlopers hoping to make a quick buck - who make small quantities of high alcohol, turbo-charged, often oak-embalmed wine (designed to garner high points from parker but which is actually falling from favour here as there is a move to more elegant, balanced wines) that they ship to the states and sell at high prices. tho the price here seems to be very reasonable. i'm sure it is the latter, bar the price. they do seem to place much importance on parker. there is no mention of them in halliday's annual guide, our most comprehensive. their website has no local review and one tiny mention of australian distributors without naming them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 but which is actually falling from favour here as there is a move to more elegant, balanced wines That's something I for one am happy to hear. I really curtailed my consumption of Aussie wines because of what I consider over extraction, high alcohol, and over use of oak - I've had reds so oaky they've given me a stomach ache. I don't buy much California red for much the same reason. I do realize that this is a generalization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 That's something I for one am happy to hear. I really curtailed my consumption of Aussie wines because of what I consider over extraction,high alcohol, and over use of oak - I've had reds so oaky they've given me a stomach ache. I don't buy much California red for much the same reason. I do realize that this is a generalization. colt, very much a generalisation and plenty of people still love the bruiser style. one thing you might not like is that many aussies in the wine industry see the states as the place to send that style. i think that will change but it is a slow process. plenty of good, elegant styles around though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 colt, very much a generalisation and plenty of people still love the bruiser style. one thing you might not like is that many aussies in the wine industry see the states as the place to send that style. i think that will change but it is a slow process.plenty of good, elegant styles around though. Absolutely KG, and I understand the export mentality. As a full discussion of the topic could take "pages", I'll just say that I feel the general public is often sold short in these type of matters (and not just with wine). Produce the best possible wine you can, and let people decide for themselves. Let them discover and enjoy the differences instead of making everything taste the same. Stop force feeding mediocrity - STOP THE MADNESS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Absolutely KG, and I understand the export mentality. As a full discussion of the topic could take "pages", I'll just say that I feel the generalpublic is often sold short in these type of matters (and not just with wine). Produce the best possible wine you can, and let people decide for themselves. Let them discover and enjoy the differences instead of making everything taste the same. Stop force feeding mediocrity - STOP THE MADNESS! 100% agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anacostiakat Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 A new shipment of Bruno Tait's best named (after his wife) - and previously highly rated wine, Tait's BALL BUSTER 2006 Vintage has just started to hit the locals here. The Best I've seen this Shiraz/Cab/Merlot blend offered for here is $15 single bottle - another 15% off with the case discount.Any of our Friends from OZ heard about how this 2006 wine stacks up? - if this promises to be comparable to the previous Barossa Valley releases of this wine - I'd like to get a few cases before Parker's Wine Advocate does its review and the price skyrockets like it did last year... Better than the previous year! Smoother I think. I have been buying it regularly lately!! Actually I think I'll crack open one this evening! It is a few dollars more here so your price is a decent one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiley Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 That's something I for one am happy to hear. I really curtailed my consumption of Aussie wines because of what I consider over extraction,high alcohol, and over use of oak - I've had reds so oaky they've given me a stomach ache. I don't buy much California red for much the same reason. I do realize that this is a generalization. I'm pretty sure this is the first I've heard of "over use of oak". So you generally prefer wine (port and alcohol as well?) that spend more time in the bottle than the barrel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I'm pretty sure this is the first I've heard of "over use of oak". So you generally prefer wine (port and alcohol as well?) that spend more time in the bottle than the barrel? what i was getting at was there has been a tendency to overoak some of our wines. very prevalent in our chardonnays a few years back but fortunately much less so now. the big shiraz from the barossa and mclaren vale and their ilk often have 100% new american oak. suits some, others much less so. for me, it is not preferring more time in oak or more time in bottle but rather getting the balance right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I'm pretty sure this is the first I've heard of "over use of oak". So you generally prefer wine (port and alcohol as well?) that spend more time in the bottle than the barrel? Not necessarily, Wiley - I'm all for the judicious use of oak. Keep in mind that along with time spent in barrel, the barrel's size, type of oak it is made from, and whether it is new oak or has been used previously, all play a part in the final product. For my personal taste, oak should impart tannin and vanilla in an integrated fashion which is not overpowering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRKS Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 The "OAK MONSTER" is one of the reasons I started staying away from some Californian Chardonay's over the last few years ---- I look forward taste of the grape or pear or apricot or citrus or even a hint of slate, etc.....but some of these wines made you think you just gnawed through a plank of wood by the time you poured your 1st ounce (the nose was that bad) and by the time you finished the 1st glass, you felt like scanning for the presence of termites!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anacostiakat Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 The "OAK MONSTER" is one of the reasons I started staying away from some Californian Chardonay's over the last few years ---- I look forward taste of the grape or pear or apricot or citrus or even a hint of slate, etc.....but some of these wines made you think you just gnawed through a plank of wood by the time you poured your 1st ounce (the nose was that bad) and by the time you finished the 1st glass, you felt like scanning for the presence of termites!! Exactly my experience as well and one reason I like the Tohu Unoaked Chardonay. I am not a big white wine drinker anyway but I absolutely hate an oaky wine. I have the same problem with spice/peppery wines. Just not for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiley Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 To be honest, it's seldom happened that I thought the oak-flavors were too strong. I didn't know that much thought could go into the whole barrel process. Thanks for sharing your knowledge guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 To be honest, it's seldom happened that I thought the oak-flavors were too strong. I didn't know that much thought could go into the whole barrel process. Thanks for sharing your knowledge guys! a small, new, high toast american barrel will impart considerable oak character quite quickly. will be very obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Exactly my experience as well and one reason I like the Tohu Unoaked Chardonay. I am not a big white wine drinker anyway but I absolutely hate an oaky wine. I'm mainly a red drinker as well. When I do go for a chardonnay, my usual is produced by Bogle. Structure from acid, but not acetic, with clean fruit. Well worth it at U.S. $10. This is also one of the few wines I will pair with a cigar. I've found this one relatively uninfluenced by cigar smoke, but complimentary just the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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