Quote:
Originally posted by Joe Sixpack
Have you tried many Australian wines?
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Yeah. Most recently a bottle of '96 Penfolds Bin 707 cab. It was almost black in color, very dense, very tannic, very concentrated, and had that thick rubber/eucalyptus on the nose that many Aussie shiraz have just after opening. Nice wine, lots of potential, but if I had a case I'd throw it in my wine storage locker and not even look at it again for 10-15 years. I've also had Penfolds Grange in a couple of vintages and some more moderately priced Barossa shiraz.
Ah, the '99 Greg Norman Cab/Merlot blend is without a doubt the best value in Cabernet based wine I've ever had. At $15-$19 a bottle it beats the pants off of CalCabs I've had that cost 2-4x that. Haven't had the '00 yet. His Chardonnay is nice too, not ultra-oaky like many CalChards.
Overall the heavy rubber/eucalyptus nose on many Aussie wines tends to turn me off, but thats just personal preference. If you like that style there are many great wines to be had.