WTN: St. Inno Bin 389 Rustenberg, Kenwood, Kay Bros

[Jenise]

2000 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Brickhouse Vineyard Willamette Valley
Our last bottle from a case purchased in 2003, and from which we have not had a single good bottle. Wine has been an angry spinster from day one, tight, grouchy, unyielding, more vegetal than fruit, power tannins. Aromatics are better now, but after a decade that's all I get for my trouble. Buh-bye!

2001 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon Jack London Vineyard Sonoma
Hmmm. See the drinking window on this is supposedly 2006-2012. Don't agree: it's in a good place now for current drinking but there is still some bold primary blue and black fruit, and it has the acidity and tannins to take the fruit to an even better place. Would not hesitate to cellar through 2018.

2002 Rustenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Peter Barlow Stellenbosch
Opened to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela. Less evolved than that bottle we opened three months ago; where that one was obviously at peak, and gloriously so, on first pour, this one would have benefited from a two hour decant. Old school, masculine style with big black cherry fruit that's more savory than sweet, pencil shavings, blood, chocolate and, toward the very last, mint. Ample tannins, will hold or continue to improve for years.

1996 Penfolds Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet-Shiraz Blend
Darker and denser than the 98 Kay Brothers Shz that preceded it. The cabernet makes a good difference with sweet blackberry fruit and tobacco. Needs a good hour of decantation to open the flavors and acidity, but it shows well and is impressively youthful. Much better than our last bottle about six months ago.

1998 Kay Brothers Shiraz Block 6 Amery Vineyards McLaren Vale
This was MUCH better than the bottle I panned a few months back. Mature plummy fruit with fennel and smoke on the nose. On the palate it's very ripe with lots of bacon and buttermilk, and with time in the glass it picked up salted caramel, cocoa dust, dried black cherries and notes of milk chocolate and mint. At peak, but should hold here for some time.

[David M. Bueker]

I think 1998 was the apex of the big Aussie Shiraz. After that they went into the "too much is never enough" range.

We really enjoyed the 1995 Bin 389 from my cellar just a few weeks ago at a tailgate party. I'll try to get my notes up soon, but it definitely was nowhere near the style many of us have come to expect from those later-vintage Aussies. It was resolved and drinking quite nicely, with a gentle sun-baked quality to it that was easy to like. Thanks for the note on the 1996, Jenise, which sounds more youthful but perhaps equally rewarding.

Michael

[Jenise]

Michael, yes, this one was surprisingly youthful. Surprising because the last bottle was the reverse; lighter colored and tired, tasting of strawberry jam and yams. I'm relieved to have not missed the boat after all.

Chuckled at your "angry spinster" description of the St. Innocent. I have had some enjoyable Kay Brothers wines in the past but have not had any wines from that winery in recent years.

I think 1998 was the apex of the big Aussie Shiraz. After that they went into the "too much is never enough" range.

Agree in principal but I'd put the change point a little later. I have found around 2002 to be the point hwere I see as many of the 'bad' new style as the good, and after that it went swiftly downhill.

1998 was such a killer big ripe year in Oz that some of the wines seem over the top but they have better balance than the later vintages, for the most part. I still cellar Aussie wines from every single vintage in the 1990s (and a smattering in the 80s) and up to 2002, after which I think I have at most a case or two in total, most of which continue to disappoint my obviously too generous hopes for them. I'll have to start bringing my older bottles out for lunches and such - I get out of the habit of doing that as many of my friends seem to have fallen out of love with Aussie wines in the modern vintages and we tend to forget the older ones that we will still enjoy.


..............this is 20 minutes later after going to the cellar and getting waylaid. Brought up a bottle of the 2003 Gibson Shiraz to drink with lamb shanks for dinner, and in the process discovered a half case that was labelled Coldstream Hills which tunred out to be a half case of 1994 Clerico Barolos (Pajana and Ciabot Mentin Ginestra) that I should have drunk up a few years ago...... They will be featuring in the week I intend to take off over Christmas!


............30 minutes later. Said screw it, better have one of those Clericos for dinner and stash the Aussie juice for later. 94 Ciabot Mentin Ginestra sits warming on the sideboard. Notes to follow.

When in the cellar digging it out, found another Aussie I'd forgotten I had - 4 bottles of 1995 Eileen Hardy Shiraz., some 93 Thomas Hardy Cab.

............30 minutes later. Said screw it, better have one of those Clericos for dinner and stash the Aussie juice for later. 94 Ciabot Mentin Ginestra sits warming on the sideboard. Notes to follow.

You are so weak.

I like that in a wine geek.

Naw, if I were really weak I'd have the Barolo with the lamb and the Gibson with cheese afterward!!

I went through several bottles of the 96 389, and enjoyed them, one of my favorite vintages of that wine which used to be an annual buy till prices climbed (I think '98 was last I bought)

You bought a case of wine you didn't like I don't recall that wine but other SI 2000s have shown really well lately. The 7 Springs is wonderful. I would have expected more of the same from Brickhouse.

The 389 used to be a regular purchase in the 90s. I wish I still had some of the '96.

Jason

[Jenise]

You bought a case of wine you didn't like I don't recall that wine but other SI 2000s have shown really well lately. The 7 Springs is wonderful. I would have expected more of the same from Brickhouse.

The 389 used to be a regular purchase in the 90s. I wish I still had some of the '96.

Jason

You wouldn't have liked it either. There was no "there" there, ever--we opened about one bottle per year and it never seemed to change. Not a single good bottle in that case. But I agree about the Seven Springs! I had some, but they were so lovely they're gone now--I think. And I still have some 01 and 02 SS's. Hadn't really bought any new stuff for a few years for reasons you're aware of, but I did break down just recently and bought a mixed case of 2011's.