WTNs: Grosset, Faiveley, Rousseau, Dominus, Lascombes, 2 CnDPs, Muller +

Some quick notes from a recent offline, just brief as I wasn't really in a detailed note writing mood.

2006 Jasper Hill Riesling:
Smells great right after pouring with lifted florals, and lemon. Heavy in the mouth, touch bitter/phenolic on the back palate.
85/100

2007 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling:
Very smoky nose with some passionfruit. Medium body, lacking depth, acid and interest. Okay, but hard to get excited about.
86/100

2005 Faiveley Georges bourgogne blanc:
Peaches, smoke, lime and a little bit of caramel oak. Delicious palate - round with no hard edges, finishes clean and dry. Great value for money.
89/100

2005 Desaunay Bissey bourgogne rouge:
Cherry and some reductive sweaty aromas. Palate is also very cherry focused. Medium depth and length, some strong tannin to the finish. Good, not great.
86/100

2002 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin village:
Sappy, savoury meats, raspberry and perfumed nose. Delightful texture and excellent length. Really delicious and drinking very well now.
90/100

1987 Dominus (Napa):
Earth, tobacco, eucalypt, gravel and cassis on the nose. Very elegant palate, medium length with very good balance and resolved tannin. Fully mature for my taste, with lots of complexity and interest.
92/100

2004 Chateau Lascombes:
A ripe nose, with blackcurrant, red berries, chocolate and plenty of cedar. The palate doesn't carry the same ripeness, it is medium bodied and nicely restrained. Approachable at the moment, but will develop nicely over the medium term.
90/100

1998 Clos des Papes:
Spice, cherry, briary, some meat and blueberry. Savoury on the palate. Good length and carry. Could get better over the short to medium term.
90/100

1998 Janasse Cuvee Chaupin:
Musk lollies, liquorice, pepper and brown sugar. Good texture to the palate, some funky complexity maybe from some brett influence. Doesn't hold back much, a dense flavour profile. Not really my thing but at least it had some interest to it.
88/100

2000 Yalumba FDR1A cabernet shiraz:
I was looking forward to this, based on some very positive reviews. Nose is swamped by vanilla oak - there are some blueberries and formic acid as well. Found very little character or depth to the palate, Mark described it well as "clumsy". An immense let down.
83/100

1998 Muller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese:
Lovely nose - mango, guava, pineapple and a touch of kerosene. Superbly balanced palate, with excellent sweetness and just as good acid structure. Long and delicious. Will be drinking my remaining bottle sometime in the next 4-5 years.
95/100

2007 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling:
Very smoky nose with some passionfruit. Medium body, lacking depth, acid and interest. Okay, but hard to get excited about.
86/100

Thanks for the note on the 2007 wine! Something still a ways off for those of us focused on the Northern hemisphere.

I'm sure you have more experience than I do, but I'm wondering how well these Grosset wines ever show when young? I seem to remember some bottles taking days to show their class.

I'm sure you have more experience than I do, but I'm wondering how well these Grosset wines ever show when young? I seem to remember some bottles taking days to show their class.

I think the Grosset Watervale tends to be a bit more open when young than the Polish Hill. Will have to give the '07 another go in a few years, but I am increasingly thinking that I'm not really a fan of Grosset in general.

I am increasingly thinking that I'm not really a fan of Grosset in general.

Why not? What about their style? How unique are they for the region/how are they situated with other local trends? (We don't get exposed to that much high quality riesling from Australia)

Why not? What about their style? How unique are they for the region/how are they situated with other local trends? (We don't get exposed to that much high quality riesling from Australia)

Just don't think they age as well as might be expected from such a highly regarded wine (and I much prefer my Riesling with age). Have had an great '96 Watervale, but other older ones have been a let down. I have some hope for the excellent 2002s, but very few people made a poor Riesling in the area that year. I also think other producers are just as good in quality terms, but not as expensive. I'll keep trying, but I'm going to sell most of the bottles that I have.

Just don't think they age as well as might be expected from such a highly regarded wine.

Aha. I see. Makes sense.

Are there other Australian rieslings you feel are better suited to long-term aging? Or are you just focusing on Europe..

Are there other Australian rieslings you feel are better suited to long-term aging? Or are you just focusing on Europe..

The last few vintages of Seppelt Drumborg I feel will go the distance. Leo Buring Leonay has a very good track record and I've had some very good experiences with older ones. Petaluma is another big name that I'm growing disillusioned with over recent vintages. Orlando/Jacob's Creek Steingarten has been very good some years but some vintages are prone to falling over. There are others that I think might make a name for themselves, but I either haven't tried enough old ones or they are new and don't have the track record to be sure.

German Riesling is definitely a growing % of my cellar though.

The last few vintages of Seppelt Drumborg I feel will go the distance. Leo Buring Leonay has a very good track record and I've had some very good experiences with older ones. Petaluma is another big name that I'm growing disillusioned with over recent vintages. Orlando/Jacob's Creek Steingarten has been very good some years but some vintages are prone to falling over..

Thanks. Will try to keep those in mind. Although I'm already deep into German riesling and am trying to increase my consumption of Austrian riesling, so not sure how much time I have for Australia. But, one never knows..

[Jenise]

Are there other Australian rieslings you feel are better suited to long-term aging? Or are you just focusing on Europe..

The last few vintages of Seppelt Drumborg I feel will go the distance. Leo Buring Leonay has a very good track record and I've had some very good experiences with older ones. Petaluma is another big name that I'm growing disillusioned with over recent vintages. Orlando/Jacob's Creek Steingarten has been very good some years but some vintages are prone to falling over. There are others that I think might make a name for themselves, but I either haven't tried enough old ones or they are new and don't have the track record to be sure.

German Riesling is definitely a growing % of my cellar though.

Cam, what about Glen Eldon? I have a few bottles in my cellar, and can't remember why I bought them but someone, somewhere, must have made a compelling argument for them.

Cam, what about Glen Eldon?

Jenise,

Sorry, I hadn't heard of them until your post! What vintages do you have?

[Jenise]

You haven't heard of them? I could've gotten snookered (am not surprised, considering what I just determined to be the source of these--as Florida Jim put it, these guys can sell sand to Arabs). Vintage is 2004.

You haven't heard of them? I could've gotten snookered (am not surprised, considering what I just determined to be the source of these--as Florida Jim put it, these guys can sell sand to Arabs). Vintage is 2004.

Jenise, I checked the Halliday review for the wine, he gave it 88, drink to 2009. Said that it was true to its variety, but seemed dilute due to vintage conditions.

Thanks for the notes, Cam.

I've had some Polish Hills that I've liked a good deal, but certainly none so young. If the harvest in Australia is, what?, six months ahead of ours in the Northern Hemisphere, how long could the 2007 Riesling have been in bottle when you opened it?

For Riesling, how is the 2007 vintage, in general, regarded.