WTN: Australians (plus one NZ)

Friday was a wet and stormy night, and my local group met at Dave's house. Theme was Australia/New Zealand, and we each brought a wrapped bottle to offer at the blind tasting. There was a Jacobs Creek Shiraz/CS blend unblind as we were gathering,but it was a totally forgettable bottle, so I forgot it.

First wine up was mine, the 2000 Parker Estate "Terra Rossa First Growth" (Coonawarra). Big but balanced, plenty of black currant and plum fruit, a little coffee, some cedar. Could pass for a modern Bordeaux. This benefitted from some lamb kebabs. Good length, quickly drained. B+

Wine #2- ripe, lowacid, seems a little tired to me. Others seemed to like more. Resolved tannins, ok but just a little past it. B- It's the 1999 Normans "Chais Clarendon" Cabernet Sauvignon (MCLaren Vale)

Wine #3- holy KoolAid™! This is really sweet. I find it kind of cloying. I'm thinking overripe OTT Shiraz. Let's say a C. Wrong grape, it's the 2003 Marquis Philips Merlot

Wine #4 - clearly PN. Some earth, but cherries dominate. Lighter styled, a bit short. Big change from preceding wines, I found it nice but not stellar. B/B- 2005 Amisfield Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Wine #5 Black fruit , lots of vanilla, ripe but not flabby. Could use a little more tannic structure, but pretty tasty. B for the 2002 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra)

Wine #6 Midweight, a little sweet (though nothing like the MP), a little vanillay oak. Blackberries and cassis. Not bad, though a little more length would be welcome. B The 2004 Greg Norman Shiraz/Cabernet
I was pleasantly lubricated for a wet walk home.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
 

Dale,

I've tried Marquis wines on a few occasions and all I can say is "blech"!

The Parker was the "class act" of your tasting, and although 2000 was only a reasonable/good vintage in Coonawarra, this particular wine has received some rave reviews from two of our most revered scribes (Halliday 94, Oliver 95). Both use a scoring system that tends to overpoint, with Halliday, particularly of late, the worst offender.