An Aussie Wine and NOT a Shiraz!

[DocRKS]

You mean there are some outstanding Australian produced wines that are NOT the mega-Alcohol laden Shiraz... Who knew????

We had a chance last night to sample the Petaluma Riesling 2006 Vintage at a great Seafood restaurant in NY... What a beautiful drinking wine. Flashes of Pear, peaches, green tea greet you on the first sniff!!! and the wine just delivers big time - a delicious drinking wine, crisp but smooth at the same time (not that overly sweetened Reisling coming recemtly out of Germany and Austria) that leaves with a slightly lingering finish. The restaurant charged $37 and I found it at our local for $16...worth every penny. Good to drink now - but because of the complexity and lingering finish - I think this will hold up to a little storage time.

[Ken Gargett]

You mean there are some outstanding Australian produced wines that are NOT the mega-Alcohol laden Shiraz... Who knew????

We had a chance last night to sample the Petaluma Riesling 2006 Vintage at a great Seafood restaurant in NY... What a beautiful drinking wine. Flashes of Pear, peaches, green tea greet you on the first sniff!!! and the wine just delivers big time - a delicious drinking wine, crisp but smooth at the same time (not that overly sweetened Reisling coming recemtly out of Germany and Austria) that leaves with a slightly lingering finish. The restaurant charged $37 and I found it at our local for $16...worth every penny. Good to drink now - but because of the complexity and lingering finish - I think this will hold up to a little storage time.

it is exACTLY THE PROBLEM THAT DRIVES AUSSIE MAKERS INSANE. EVERYONE thinks that is all they make. i can tell you that the price is very good but also that, and i am assuming it was under screw cap unless they do cork for offshore, it will do better than a liitle time. properly stored, it will sail through a decade or two and then be a glorious toasty, lemony amazing wine. the 08 is even better.

petaluma was founded by brian croser and named after the town near davis uni in california (i have a feeling croser may even have been dux). he also founded the argyle winery in oregon and now does tappanapa here (his partners are the owners of bollinger are the former owners of leoville las cases, i think).

[Ken Gargett]

it is exACTLY THE PROBLEM THAT DRIVES AUSSIE MAKERS INSANE. EVERYONE thinks that is all they make. i can tell you that the price is very good but also that, and i am assuming it was under screw cap unless they do cork for offshore, it will do better than a liitle time. properly stored, it will sail through a decade or two and then be a glorious toasty, lemony amazing wine. the 08 is even better.

petaluma was founded by brian croser and named after the town near davis uni in california (i have a feeling croser may even have been dux). he also founded the argyle winery in oregon and now does tappanapa here (his partners are the owners of bollinger are the former owners of leoville las cases, i think).

apols, it was lynch bages, not leoville.

[DocRKS]

Ken -

The wine was indeed under a screw cap - but NO problems with that for me or my bunch - I don't miss the ugly mold on cork at all..... LOL!!!

My local said that there were only 500 cases of this wine/vintage brought into the States...sounds like it should cost more!!!!

[Ken Gargett]

Ken -

The wine was indeed under a screw cap - but NO problems with that for me or my bunch - I don't miss the ugly mold on cork at all..... LOL!!!

My local said that there were only 500 cases of this wine/vintage brought into the States...sounds like it should cost more!!!!

i would guess around $25 plus here.

by coincidence, i well remember when i left the states in 89 or 90, found a terrific wine store in LA, i think. they were selling the petaluma coonawarra at $10 a bottle. fraction of what it cost at home so instead of arriving back with lots of american wine, i came home with aussie bottles. i was sending 3 cases back from DC earlier - two went missing including the ones with all the 77 VP's and the 83 margaux. not a happy chappy.

[DocRKS]

........including the ones with all the 77 VP's and the 83 margaux. not a happy chappy.

We recently had an 83 Ch Margaux to celebrate our eldest daughter's B-Day (she was born in '83).

This dark and brooding ink coloured wine is still not 'ready' - definitely has not opened all up yet.

... but am I glad I bought it as a futures purchase - just saw the price listed for this and the '83 Mouton at a NY Steakhouse - OMG!!!!!!!!

[Ken Gargett]

We recently had an 83 Ch Margaux to celebrate our eldest daughter's B-Day (she was born in '83).

This dark and brooding ink coloured wine is still not 'ready' - definitely has not opened all up yet.

... but am I glad I bought it as a futures purchase - just saw the price listed for this and the '83 Mouton at a NY Steakhouse - OMG!!!!!!!!

that does not make me feel better!!

[Guest rob]

I've had some great Aussie cool climate Pinot this week. So flavourful... and yet so delicate.

Ken, any Aussie Pinot that you particularly like?

[Ken Gargett]

I've had some great Aussie cool climate Pinot this week. So flavourful... and yet so delicate.

Ken, any Aussie Pinot that you particularly like?

hi rob

just heading off to the dinner at the mornington peninula pinot celebration so drinking nothing but pinot from around the world for three days (the burgs of freddie mugnier were spectacular).

lot of great stuff here.

when bass philip is good, it is world class.

freycinet and a bucketful from tassie.

croser's tapanappa foggy hill from south australia.

giaconda's is very good.

yering station reserve.coldstream hills reserve can be excellent - see 06.

here, a heap. yabby lake, ten minutes by tractor, paringa, stoniers reserve, kooyong, and on and on. love main ridge but very small production.

that is a start as have to bolt.

[Ken Gargett]

I've had some great Aussie cool climate Pinot this week. So flavourful... and yet so delicate.

Ken, any Aussie Pinot that you particularly like?

ps - what have you been drinking?

[anacostiakat]

ps - what have you been drinking?

I have been looking for Aussie Cabs lately 'cause, well, gosh darn I like them. I am still finding good value in Aussie wines. I hope this continues.

[Ken Gargett]

20 years ago, cab was king here. no longer but many winemakers still love them and lots of good ones. margaret river in the west is one of the best two or thre regions on the planet. have a look for them - cullens, moss wood, cape mentelle, howard park, flametree, many more. some can be a bit exy but you will love them. coonawarra the other great area but most regions, except the really cool stuff, do good examples. some surprisingly good ones from the barossa and mclaren vale in the slightly cooler years (NOT 08 or 09).

[DocRKS]

20 years ago, cab was king here. no longer ......

This discussion came up last evening at a little dinner some fellow wine and cigar and Bourbon and Scotch buddies. Many there fondly remembered being very impressed and happy with the Australian Cabs of a few decades ago...... why did the change so dramatically shift away from what was acknowledged to be a world class wine?

[Ken Gargett]

This discussion came up last evening at a little dinner some fellow wine and cigar and Bourbon and Scotch buddies. Many there fondly remembered being very impressed and happy with the Australian Cabs of a few decades ago...... why did the change so dramatically shift away from what was acknowledged to be a world class wine?

america! you guys were instrumental in discovering big bold barossa and mclaren vale shiraz, especially the wine spec and parker, allowing tiny production massive wines to go for huge prices. that and a feeling that while we can do cab well, so do many others. but no one does shiraz in quite the same way.

i think you would find that many aussie cabs are as good, if not better than ever but a far lower profile.

[DocRKS]

america! you guys were instrumental in discovering big bold barossa and mclaren vale shiraz, especially the wine spec and parker, allowing tiny production massive wines to go for huge prices. that and a feeling that while we can do cab well, so do many others. but no one does shiraz in quite the same way.

i think you would find that many aussie cabs are as good, if not better than ever but a far lower profile.

Thanks for the reply...... I'll add the Aussie Cabs to the 'Look Up' list next time I visit the local wine shoppe later in the week...

[anacostiakat]

20 years ago, cab was king here. no longer but many winemakers still love them and lots of good ones. margaret river in the west is one of the best two or thre regions on the planet. have a look for them - cullens, moss wood, cape mentelle, howard park, flametree, many more. some can be a bit exy but you will love them. coonawarra the other great area but most regions, except the really cool stuff, do good examples. some surprisingly good ones from the barossa and mclaren vale in the slightly cooler years (NOT 08 or 09).

Thanks Ken. I will see what they have this week. My guess is not much. But I have to run with it now. I really like Craneford so far.