Vintage Australian Tasting at Wine Watch

Friday, August 28, 2015 - 07:00 PM

This Event has been read: 1678 times.

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“The food we were given was no more than eatable, but the patron was not mean about drink; he allowed us two litres of wine a day each, knowing that if a plongeur is not given two litres he will steal three.”

- George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London

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I knew there was a reason I liked George Orwell and two liters is my kind of ration when it comes to wine- that is why I like Australia.  Australia is the only country that I have visited where they offered us beer after every wine tasting, Coopers was the brew of choice and it is so refreshing to have a beer after drinking a lot of red wine, especially Australian Shiraz.

After this first trip down under I fell in love with Australian wines and have been selling and collecting wines from Australia for over 15 years now.  With the bottom falling out of the market in 2008 we have struggled to sell some of the higher end brands that were developed in the 1990's but that is no problem because I am happy to drink these wines as they are some of the best examples of this variety on the face of the earth.

Join us as we experience ten 10+ year old Aussie wines and Wine Watch Catering’s Toni Lampasone will be providing a few treats to accompany the tasting wines. This is a sit down tasting and is limited to 15 tasters, the fee for this event is $85 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

 

Vintage Aussie Shiraz Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, August 28th
7pm

 

Tasting Line-up:

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2004 Hazyblur Shiraz Barossa
Price: $86.00      

(89 points) Cut from the same mold as the Baroota, but revealing more complexity is the 2004 Shiraz Barossa (from 28-year old vines). It boasts an inky/purple color in addition to a sweet nose of white chocolate, blackberries, pepper, and toasty oak. With superb fruit, glycerin, opulence, and a chewy, long finish, it should evolve for 10-12 years. Wine Advocate #167, Oct 2006

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2003 Burge Family Shiraz Draycott Barossa
Price: $58.75

(94+ Points)The most backward and potentially longest lived of this trio is the 2003 Shiraz Draycott, a blend of 86% Shiraz, 10% Grenache, and 4% Mourvedre. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a classic bouquet of licorice, blackberries, plums, and vanillin. Full-bodied, dense, concentrated flavors judiciously marry the finesse school of winemaking with the exuberant, powerful, Barossa style. Boasting beautiful depth, precision, and equilibrium, it will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 10-15 years.

Readers should not confuse Burge Family Winemakers (one of Australia's finest wineries) with the much larger firm of Grant Burge. Burge Family Winemakers' old vine estate-bottled offerings, made by the modest, but enormously talented Rick Burge, are classic Barossa wines with extraordinary elegance as well as complex aromatics that combine European subtlety with Australian power. Wine Advocate # 161 Oct 2005

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2003 Teusner Shiraz Albert Barossa
Price: $62.00

(93 Points) The 2003 Albert, a 100% Shiraz cuvee produced from 45- to 89-year-old vines, is brought up in 100% French barrels. A dense purple color is followed by a sumptuous perfume of blackberries, smoke, and cassis, medium to full-bodied, opulent flavors, low acidity, ripe tannin, and a long, luscious finish. It should drink well for 7-8 years.  Wine Advocate #155, Oct 2004 

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2003 Penfolds Grange South Australia
Price: $425.00

(94 Points) Supple, ripe and generous with its blueberry, plum and mocha flavors, riding easily over finely wrought tannins and extending into the long, expressive finish. Rich, complex and evocative, this has plenty of flavor packed into a beautifully balanced package. Drink now through 2020. 680 cases imported. “HS Wine Spectator Issue: Oct 15, 2008

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2002 Clarendon Hills Syrah Liandra
Price: $66.50

(93 Points)The beautiful 2002 Syrah Liandra Vineyard exhibits aromas of pepper, black fruits, acacia flowers, and subtle new oak. Full-bodied with an expansive mid-palate in addition to a gorgeously long finish, it is an elegant yet well-endowed Syrah to drink over the next 10-15 years.

Roman Bratasiuk is one of Planet Earth’s greatest winemakers, and obviously a top-notch viticulturist given his obsession with sourcing extraordinary fruit from ancient McLaren Vale vineyards.  Wine Advocate #155, Oct 2004

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2002 Amon Ra Shiraz Barossa Valley
Price: $109.00

As the King of all Gods, Amon Ra is considered the most powerful figure in Egyptian mythology. The temple of Amon Ra is recorded as the birthplace of commercial winemaking, having the first ever large scale vineyard grown specifically to make wine for the citizens of the temple.

The 2002 vintage in the Barossa was a spectacular year wines of great fruit richness and intensity.  Dense purple colour, with aromas of raspberry, plum and perfumed fruit.  A rich and powerful palate that is underpinned by fine grained tannins which will ensure great longevity if cellared well.

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1998 Kay Brothers Shiraz Block 6 McLaren Vale
Price: $95.00

(98 Points) I have to wonder if this wine would not be even more extraordinary and close to perfection if it were aged in French oak. American oak is still the big deal in Australia, despite the exceptional success the more subtle French oak has had nearby at Clarendon Hills. The 1998 shows the aggressive toasty oak in the nose, but there is no doubt that is going to be completely absorbed in another 3-5 years of cellaring, given the wine's mammoth concentration and extravagant richness. The wine has a black/purple color and an extraordinarily sweet nose of black fruits intermixed with spice box, licorice, and a touch of pepper. A monster wine on the palate, and still uncivilized and too young to actually enjoy drinking, this wine should be at its peak by 2006 and keep for up to 2020 or so. A great vintage for Block 6 Shiraz. eRobertParker.com # E2002, Feb 2002

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1996 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz McLaren Vale
Price: $105.00

(93 points) Displaying the most roasted herb, tar, meat, and concentrated blood-like essence of Syrah is the 1996 Shiraz Reserve. Notes of blackberries, creosote, earth, and pepper are found in this dense, inky/purple-hued effort along with loads of body, sweet tannin, and a massive style. It should last for another two decades.
All of these wines were made by one of the wine bloggers favorite whipping boys, Sarah and Sparky Marquis, who have since moved on to their own projects. I rated these Australian reds highly when they were first released, and lo and behold, they are still spectacular wines that are aging beautifully. They admirably demonstrate that the Marquis team knows a great deal about what they are doing.  Wine Advocate #183, Jun 2009

 

The Fee for this event is $85 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 - or just respond to this e-mail.

 

 

Menu:

Selection of cheese:  Beemster Gouda, Parmesan Reggiano

Toasted Pecan crusted Goat cheese with raspberry vinaigrette

Sliced Pork Tenderloin on Polenta Cake with Berry coulis