Happy Australia Day!

To celebrate the day, we’re going to take a look at a recently acquired bottle.  A few weekends ago, AWG acquired four aged bottles of wine at an auction.  This article covers the uncorking of a 1970 Hardy’s “Nottage Hill” Claret.

P1087191  P1087195

The bottle has obviously seen better days; the cork was in very poor condition, labels marred and torn.  The ullage was the lowest of the four bottles, which is never a good sign.  Given the condition, we used this bottle as experience in handling an old bottle.

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The uncorking was problematic, the cork had actually shrunk and hardened and therefore couldn’t be extracted via corkscrew.  In the end we just had to push it into the bottle and pour the wine out into the decanter.

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Using a strainer, most of the built up sediment was separated from the wine.  However, there was far more to be done.  Employing the use of an  aeration device (pictured) the wine was poured back into the bottle (once it had been washed/cleaned).

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Here, you can see the amount (and fineness) of sediment which made it through the strainer. 

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Now, once the wine was safely back in the bottle (a process known as “double decanting”), we can use the aeration device to continue to filter the wine as we  the wine back into the original decanter.

Finally, we arrive at the final glass – the tasting notes are as follows:

This wine clearly had been exposed to air and the result was not great.  A heavy lean towards vinegar, unfortunately ruined what would have been an outstanding wine.  Although the acidity was way off the charts, there were hints of the foundation of the wine still in evidence.

There was a real theme of oak, blackcurrant and sultanas but, of course, this has been overpowered by the exposure to air.  Shame.

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We also opened the 1966 bottle from McLaren Vale. 

This bottle, older than the Hardy’s, still had the cork more or less intact – to a degree.  It was very close, but somehow(!) the cork managed to keep a seal intact, despite massive degradation to the cork itself.

The extraction was very difficult.  It separated into three separate sections during the extraction, but in the end was extracted without allowing the cork into the bottle.

Following the same process described above, the wine was successfully decanted.  We left the decanter to air overnight, and began tasting the following day.  The wine was far from bad; perhaps a few years beyond its prime, but still exceptionally drinkable.

P1087189-crop

The bouquet was sticky, pungent and aromatic, the colour was a deep red, and the body quite viscous.  Only one word could really capture the flavour of the wine: plums.  The wine simply tasted like an amazing and complex array of flavours, but was dominated by the taste of plums and figs.

It took a few days to finish off the entire bottle, and was worth every penny spent.

 

Vintage

Recently, at auction, Aussie Wine Guy won four bottles of vintage Australian wine.  The four bottles proved to be a mixed bag in terms of condition, only time will tell if (at $20.50 per bottle) it was a sound purchase or not.

The four bottles were as follows:

1966 E.S Dennis, Bin 60, McLaren Vale, Dry Red (Hermitage)

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Bottle Condition

Label is in brilliant condition, no tearing, stains or discolouration.  Hard to observe the cork due to the capsule (foil at top of bottle), will remove it and take additional pictures to determine if there has been any seepage.

Turning the bottle onto the side, there is no increase in bubbles, and no liquid escapes.  The bottle is in excellent condition – even amazing – for a bottle from 1966.  Chances are high that the bottle is good.  Liquid level is a tad lower than we’d like, but seems within normal parameters.

Cork

Stripping back the foil (capsule) from the top of the bottle revealed a fairly bleak outcome for the cork.  There was a slight build up of crust, but no complete indication of seepage.  Given the situation, I managed to remove the cork without corking the bottle (a very difficult task) as the cork was only offering slight resistance to the corkscrew.

We managed to remove the cork in three parts, and found that the cork had managed to maintain a seal!  We double decanted the wine into a Riedel decanter, stripping out the sediment (which was numerous and very fine.

Outcome

The decanter has been left to breath, but an initial tasting reveal the wine has not gone off, in fact there was only the slightest traces of vinegar/high acidity.  It’ll need a lot longer to breathe before a realistic tasting can take place – the wine is well over forty years old.  It’s, frankly, a miracle that it still lives!

1970 Hardy’s, Nottage Hill, Claret

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Bottle Condition

This bottle, by far, is in the worst condition.  Label is fairly mangled (as can be seen), the cork is partially exposed and crusty.  When the bottle was placed sideways into a wine rack, there was minor seepage (meaning the seal has been breached).

This bottle also had the worst ullage (distance between cork and level of the wine) of the four bottles, indicating that there is a very high likelihood that the cork has been compromised.  Capsule was partially torn, cork exposed.

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Cork

Shot.  The cork was unable to retain a seal and, as a result, seepage and air contaminated the bottle.  We were unable to cleanly remove the cork, so we corked it and double decanted the wine.  Unfortunately, the effects of the loss of seal from the cork had caused the wine t turn to vinegar.

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Outcome

Down the sink.  Which is a shame because the wine had all the hallmarks of a superb red, there were still heavy and lasting traces of tannins, oak and red currants.  The bouquet was quite pungent (even considering the seepage) and heavy, much like the 1976 Grange we opened several years ago.

Note: Another bottle of this is selling here in much better condition for $74.95!

1970, Southern Vale Wines, Private Bin 34, Cabernet-Shiraz

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Bottle Condition

A second bottle from 1970, second best of the four wines.  Bottle appears to be in decent condition, label is a bit scuffed but more or less intact.  Hard to determine if there are any problems with the cork – will need to remove packaging and observe the cork condition.

Liquid level (ullage) looks good (coming in just under the neck of the bottle, above the shoulder).  Depending on the state of the cork, this could be a salvageable wine, even though it is over 40 years old… who knows for sure?

Cork

Stripping back the foil revealed that the cork is intact!  The foil (capsule) was in much better condition than the previous two bottles, and has remained in decent condition.  What luck!!

Outcome

Shelved to be reviewed later.

1979 Chateau Tahbilk, Cabernet Sauvignon

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Bottle Condition

Bottle is in excellent condition – best of the four, label is slightly marked, but whole.  The ullage is right where it should be, and the mouth of the bottle looks brand new.  Definitely no signs of wear and tear, or seepage, this bottle could be the best of the bunch.

Cork

Revealing the cork by stripping back the foil revealed a fully intact cork.  No signs of seepage and plenty of resistance when tested.

Outcome

Shelved to be reviewed later.

Wine Tasting Notes

Check back for updated notes as we uncork these four bottles, in the hopes that they have survived intact!  This will be must-read stuff!

 

From everyone who contributes to the Aussie Wine Guy site, we wish you all the very best for this holiday season, and hope you have many happy returns in 2012.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

AWG

 

imageConsumed at an early Christmas dinner, this wine was a great success with both males and females and nicely accompanied the usual Christmas fare on the table.

An intense dark plum colour with a strong aromas of berry fruits and a little pepper spice, provided a smooth finish with a touch of tannins to enliven the taste buds.

It has aged well and will probably go a few more years with further cellaring but is certainly drinking well right now as well. I will be looking for more of this wine.

[ Orlando Wines Group ]

AWG Notes: AWG was present for the opening of this bottle.  It was a pleasant drop, good plum in colour with a mildly spiced body with a hint of currants.  Went down very nicely, thank you!

 

imageI am not sure what went wrong when we had this wine with a BBQ lunch but it did not sit well with some of our dinners.

While in appearance and nose it seemed quite fine, the impact in the mouth was disappointing, particularly for the ladies. It seemed as if it was too young and was a little sharpish for some palates. I would give it another year or two in the bottle and try it again.

AWG Notes: There’s a chance that perhaps there was some issue with the cellaring of the bottle. We’d expect some degree of development from a South Australian Shiraz over the course of three or more years, which should offset some of that sharpness which we tend to find in young Shiraz.

[ Jacob’s Creek Website ]

 

imageIf I can find more of this wine I will buy it today. At a very reasonable price, this was a very well received wine at a dinner party of six people with varying tastes in wine.

All found it very easy to drink and came back for another glass. Rich dark colour, a strong but not over powering nose, with plum, berry and spice flavours make this a typically good shiraz. Some oak taste and tannins added to the body of this wine.

A very happy choice for our steak dinner.

AWG Notes: Langhorne Creek is one of South Australia’s better kept secrets.  Much like Marlborough was to New Zealand, ten years ago. 

For those still trying out Australian Shiraz (especially reasonably priced Shiraz), you might do well to sample from this underrated region.

 

imageNo pun intended, but this wine was a pleasant surprise which was enjoyed by both our female and male dinners. It had a good dark purple colour promising some body and depth to the wine, which it delivered on the palate and nose.

However, it was not an over powering red, and the ladies liked the medium body and softer taste with berries and spices and just a touch on tannins. Given this is only a few years old, it could well develop further in the bottle but it certainly is very drinkable right now. I would buy more of this one. Reasonably priced.

[ McWilliams Hunter Valley Shiraz ]

AWG Notes: This is a splendid example of the Shiraz produced in the Hunter Valley.  As Australian wine reviewers are oft to remark; Hunter Valley Shiraz is quite different from its South Australian, Victorian and Western Australia peers.

For my mind, Hunter Shiraz – whilst an acquired taste – is far more malleable and subtle drop than other Australian Shiraz, and (as such) is likely to be more easily appreciated by those new to the variety.

 

This is a multi-varietal wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvginon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

imageIf you consider gold medals in choosing your wines, then you would probably look closely at this one as it has 4 gold medals from both here and overseas.

Consequently, we were a little disappointed that it did not have a greater impact on us than it did. It did have a good dark plum colour with an interesting nose, strong berry flavours and an earthy finish.

The use of oak in the wine process was evident and this could have added to the tannins which the ladies at our small dinner were not very keen on.

However, the males were quite happy with it but did feel that the combination of so many wine varieties may have caused some loss of definition in the overall product. For a slightly higher priced wine I expected a little more than we received.

[ D’Arenberg Website | 2006 Tasting Notes ]

AWG Notes:  I have to concur with Terry’s comments, considering it had time to mature in the bottle for (conservatively) around four to five years, you’d rightly or wrongly probably expect a bit more complexity in the finished product.  Still, considering the range of varieties here, I think there’s a little something for everyone.

 

BordeauxCity

An Aussie Wine Guy® Flashback

In August, 2009, Aussie Wine Guy visited the beautiful and charming city of Bordeaux in the south west of France.  Bordeaux, as many know, is the heartland of much of France’s most well known Cabernet and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, and the wine is sold around the world.

It also should be considered a “must visit” location for any wine enthusiast.  Therefore, it should come as little surprise that AWG made the journey.  Most of the trip is chronicled in previous posts [ Part 1 | Part 2 | Purchases ] however, when doing some spring cleaning, I came across the lunch menu from when we dined at Château Lagrange.

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Château Lagrange

About Château LaGrange

The Chateau is located within the Saint-Julien appellation, north of Bordeaux city in heart of the Médoc.  Classified as a third growth as part of the classic 1855 classification of the region, the Château has had a somewhat turbulent past until recent history; especially before the Château’s purchase in 1983 by Japanese company Suntory.

Since then, the wine produced at Château Lagrange has come of age, and the quality has been certainly restored to a former glory.  The resurrection did not stop with the quality, or production, of the wine – the very Château itself underwent major restoration and rebuilding, and is now one of the premier locations in the region.

Lunch

P8266656We were at the half way point of a 1855 classification tour out of Bordeaux when we stopped at the Château.  Our previous location, Château Pontet-Canet, had provided us with an excellent start to the day. 

Just when we felt things couldn’t get any better – well, weren’t we wrong? – the lunch provided could have been one of the best on tour.

The vats at the Château

The Menu: “Circuit Médoc 1855”

  • Salmon confit aux agrumes (Salmon confit with citrus),
  • Toast de foie gras (Toast of foie gras – excellent!),
  • Piece de boeuf rôti (Piece of roast beef),
  • Légumes de saison (Seasonal vegetables),
  • Plateau de fromages (Assorted cheese platter),
  • Poire au chocolat noir fondant (Melted chocolate and pear)

To accompany this fine (and, I hope you’ll agree – mouth watering) meal, we were presented with a selection of wine from the vineyard’s cellars:

  • Les Arums de Lagrange, 2002
  • Les Fiefs de Lagrange, 2003
  • Château Lagrange, 1998

P8266638It was honestly a brilliant way to tackle both wine tasting whilst balancing the experience with a really complimentary selection of fine foods.  The beef, in particular, played well with the 1998 Château Lagrange, still drinking perfectly in 2009.

If you do find yourself in Bordeaux (and, honestly – you must!), we highly recommend the tours run from the office of tourism, just book tours straight from the tour office right in the heart of the city!

We can highly recommend the 1855 classification tour, as well as tours into the Entre-Deux-Mers region.  The tour guides were not just informative, but also delightfully fun and funny!

Some of the hundreds of barrels at Château Lagrange

 

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Not long after we’d been visiting the Hunter Valley in early 2011, we picked up a half case of long-time Hunter Valley producer Tulloch’s occasional limited release ‘Hector of Glen Elgin’ Shiraz.  This particular wine is sometimes hard to obtain – it is often snapped up by vineyard members early after release.

According to the label, this is the 14th release of “The Hector”, produced to commemorate the life of Hector Tulloch, who established a golden era for Tulloch wine in the 1950s. 

This wine is not produced annually, only in selected years when the right quality of grapes are available.  Previous releases have been in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

This bottle – opened recently – is still incredibly young.  Based on earlier tastings, and comparing this particular bottle, we’d say that there are many, many more years left for cellaring and maturing, though it is drinking particularly nicely at the moment.

The wine consists of a dark plum colour, and the bouquet is especially vibrant, right out of the bottle.  There’s a slight sweetness coupled with liquorish and cloves, quite aromatic.  The initial taste is medium bodied, you can really taste the oak infused with berries and the usual Hunter style tannins.

Although you could easily open and enjoy a bottle of Tulloch’s “The Hector” today, we’d recommend you lay a few bottles down – they’re likely to be drinking well into 2020 and onwards, thanks to the screw cap (and with careful cellaring of course!).

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