TNs: Aussie Rieslings, Pinot, Shiraz, Cab Sauvs

Leasingham Est. Riesling Bin 7 2005
Paraffin and sour lemon rind, plus a touch of fresh squeezed lime with air. A smoothish yet focused palate with some pristine river pebble minerality and a refreshing finish. Worth chilling. More Germanic than many Aussie Rieslings but still definitively Aussie.

mesh Riesling 2007 A$25 (~US$26 / ~ €14)
A delicate nose of apple, pear and floral aspects. It’s light and no quite confected. The palate is a bit empty, has more round than expected from nose, though it does have a nice structure and some nice phenolic austerity. This is disappointingly lacking for what it is. Perhaps it’s the vintage or perhaps it’s just that this wine needs ten years to show well.

Knappstein Handpicked Riesling 2002 A$30 (~US$25 / ~ €17)
Some petrol/kerosene and citrus on the nose. The palate has a touch of r.s., has a round and syrupy-smooth mouthfeel, with a lifted and pleasantly austere finish that provides interest and keeps it fresh and interesting. Nice Aussie Riesling.

Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2007
Blueberry, stemmy, confected overripe strawberry and synthetic cherry. This reminds me a bit of confected Beaujolais with too much stem character. But the real problem is on the palate - bitter and awkwardly astringent, plus a surprise acidity kicks you in the finish. Nasty.

John Duval Entity (Shiraz) 2006
A muted reductive nose showing white pepper and perhaps some sweat but this blew off later. The palate’s smooth, with a touch of ripe-“sweetness” but not too much, and fair quantity of very fine-silty tannins. This was seriously muted and didn’t open up too much even by the next day. I’ve enjoyed the Plexus before, but at A$40 (~US$33 / ~ €23) this is really not worth it.

Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Quite a heady nose of ripe yet fresh smelling blackcurrant and a touch of spice (like a cinnamon-based mix) that shows more dusty cedar shavings/dry earth with air. There’s well balanced acidity on a medium bodied palate that’s all structurally underpinned by quite solid chalk-textured tannins. The structure is really built on the tannins rather than the acidity/fruit/alcohol here and I think this could age well for quite some years to come. Just a solidly enjoyable wine.

Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rosa Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 A$33 (~US$27 / ~ €19)
Tar, a pleasant herbaceousness, some dark blackcurrant fruit aswell as dust and some smoke on the nose. The nose is interesting and complex. The palate has no rough edges, supportive kind of tannins, an unusual soft and smooth yet chalky textured tannic feel, initially a pepper salami/cured meat finish, some dry leaf (tobacco) mid-palate. This is delicious complex Coonawarra CS that's true to type.

That Coldstream sounds nasty. I visited the cellar door in Yarra a couple of years ago and wasn't too impressed - the Shiraz and Cabernets at the cellar door were quite nice, but the Pinot felt candied and unpleasant, and the prices were ridiculous for what the wines were.

I like Majella's Cabs, particularly in warmer years. I had one of their 98 Cabs not too long ago and it was outstanding - really bright blackcurrant fruit, cedar and some nice herbaceous notes that added some freshness. From the limited wines I've had from them, they seem to be making some really balanced, elegant Cabs that are capable of really developing with age.

Thanks for the note on the Parker First Growth. I've seen some 01 FG at quite good prices recently - any experience with that?

Salil,

The Coldstream Hills Reserve Pinot has a good rep, though I've never tried it.
I also tend to find Majella's Cabs well balanced and more elegant than other Aussie Cabs, though it does seem to depend a bit on the vintage.
I've tried the Parker First Growth and would certainly recommend it.

The Coldstream Hills Reserve Pinot has a good rep, though I've never tried it.

Noted - I didn't try any of the Reserve selection of wines when at the Coldstream cellar door. Only went through the basic selection, wasn't that impressed overall and with the fairly standoff-ish attitude from the tasting room staff we decided to skip the higher end stuff and spend more time at De Bortoli (which was definitely worth it).

Thanks for the rec on the Parker. I'll be sure to give it a try - I've been getting more and more into Aussie Cabs in the last year or so (and focusing mostly down under for my Cab related purchases these days, ever since a knockout experience with an aged Penfolds Bin 707 that made me wonder why I even need to bother with the nosebleed prices in Bordeaux or Napa).