Old Aussies

  • 2006 Tyrrell’s Chardonnay Vat 47 - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (7/19/2017)
    Clear bright medium yellow. Intense nose, smoky oak, lemon, lemon cream pie, apple and vanilla. Rich lemon curd flavours with a bit of smoke on the finish. Rich but dry finish.

Still developing. (91 pts.)

  • 2001 Chateau Reynella Chardonnay - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (7/19/2017)
    Medium yellow/gold. Creamy apricot and dried lemon nose. Very light intensity. Butterscotch takes over. The flavours were a little more interesting, caramel, apricot and a hint of lemon. Dry finish.

Others liked this one more then me. (86 pts.)


  • 1988 Taltarni Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees (7/20/2017)
    Light red. The nose is fairly intense and driven by green notes, bell pepper, olives and dark fruit. Even a bit of coffee bean. I loved the nose. The flavours were very nice as well, dark fruit nd coffee bean. A nice tannic finish.

It could make you the Couley Duthiel. (92 pts.)

  • 1978 Taltarni Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees (7/19/2017)
    Light medium red. a bit musty/funky. Medium intense earthy red fruit notes. Dark cherry and mushroom flavours and a medium finish that is riding off in to the sunset on the acid.

A very nice old wine. (90 pts.)


  • 1990 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 - Australia, South Australia (7/20/2017)
    Dark red with lighter purple edges. Medium intense nose with intense concentration. Eucalyptus and rich berry fruit, hints of cassis, scorched earth and thyme. Long concentrated dark berry flavours finishing with a bit of menthol. Long tannic finish.

Just beginning to enter it’s drinking window. (95 pts.)

Great wine. Only out done by the 707. (93 pts.)


  • 1990 Penfolds Bin 389 - Australia, South Australia (7/21/2017)
    Medium light red. Very lively nose, eucalyptus, black cherry, wet earth and black currant. Delicious earthy dark fruit flavours, very balanced with out any ripeness or heat. A long dry tannic finish.

This bottle has shown a fair bit of development compared to a bottle a few years ago. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker
[*]1992 Wolf Blass Black Label - Australia, South Australia (7/20/2017)
Medium red. Medium nose , cassis, eucalyptus and scorched earth. Decent fruit flavours with a bit of menthol. Dry finish. Tons of acid. (88 pts.)[/list]


  • 1993 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (7/20/2017)
    Light medium red, clear edges. Black pepper, cooked meat, blood, cherry and a hint of anise. Delicious meaty cherry flavours with a pepper note on the finish. A long dry tannic finish. Not a hint of over acidification.

I loved this one. (93 pts.)

  • 1996 E&E Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa (7/20/2017)
    Light red. Roasted fruit, plums, earth and everything but black pepper. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Bill Spohn organized a tasting of some middle aged Australian greats in his backyard one afternoon this week. I was lucky enough to attend. It was held in his backyard a stone’s throw from the rushing Seymour River. A truly great location.

I have never really put away any Aussie wines but have tried many at different ages from friend’s cellars. I always thought that they would more or less stay the same in the bottle until they collapsed. This tasting proved me wrong.

We also had a half bottle of Orlando Gramp 1957 Barossa Cabernet. It was pretty much dead I’m afraid.

The bottles were served in pairs, that is how I have grouped the notes. The wine of the day for most was the 707. When the we voted I picked the 707 as number one and the Balmoral as number two. Both the Riddoch and the 389 could have been second but I just loved the Syrah.

Nice notes, I was a big Bin 707 fan, as well as the Rosemount Balmoral. Haven’t seen the Balmoral in years, and can’t afford the 707 any more.

Thanks Scott. I have added a few more notes and a bit of commentary. I agree the 707 has become shockingly pricey.

Yeh, I’ve never been a big Cabernet drinker, but I’ve always loved that wine. Good to see it has stood the test of time.

I never buy Cabernet, it’s just not my thing generally, especially Bordeaux and Napa. It is the Beatles of grapes. It’s probably great but I like to limit my exposure.

A good mix - much more representative than the Aussie wines that were popularised by Parker/Grateful Palate et al.

I really like the old Taltarni reds, and the Cabernet Sauvignon reserve wines especially so. Many find the tannins too strong, but with time they do drop away enough to reveal a complex and often pleasingly lean wine. A long way away from the cliched / caricatured Aussie reds.

I never took to the Bin707, though I didn’t ever taste one with good age on it, but the John Riddoch (and perhaps more so their cheaper Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon) have given good experiences and there is more to come from the cellar.

Remarkable that the Reynella Chardonnay was still alive and well. A brave move to cellar it for 16 years, but then there are many wines that do surprise.

Nice notes David. Would have loved to try these pre-parkerized wines. You guys in BC sure drink some nice wines.

Victorian rather than South Australian so that makes it quite different to start with, but these wines were also made by a Frenchman who was definitely aiming for a Bordeaux style.

I had the '88 Taltarni at release and few afterwards. It was made in the style of the old Faiveley.

Ian. Yes these wines were a lot different then the Aussie stereotype would lead you to believe. The Reynella was buried in Bill’s old cellar. He found it when he moved.

Good notes, David.

Too bad I didn’t bring my 1995 Punters Corner Coonawarra Reisling–we’re trying to be very circumspect at the border so limited our wine luggage, and it was a good thing as we were questioned closely this time–would have given Bill’s chardonnay a run for it’s money, I think. At the very least you could all have admired the $3 price tag still on the bottle. :slight_smile:

Don’t have much else to add to your fine notes but to mention that I took a cursory vote from those assembled, and the top WOTN votes indicated a tie between the 389 (in my notes, I noted that someone described it as “sex in a f—ing glass” and the 707. The Wolf Blass was soundly in last place, as it should have been.

Hi Jenise. Glad you chimed in. I love Aussie Reisling so I would have liked to have seen that one.

I do agree on the Wolf Blass. I have also never had a WB wine that I thought was very good.