Happy birthday to me

If you hadn't guessed by the title...my birthday has come and gone with only marginal fanfare. Although my birthday was on Monday, I broke the rules and brought out a 'Sunday' wine that I had recieved from Wine Selectors a few months ago - a 2005 Petersons 'Back Block' Hunter Valley Shiraz. Hey...it was my birthday after all. We enjoyed this wine alongside a hearty italian dinner at Amici in Camberwell, which is always a treat (although we have recently had some mixed experiences there...).

This was typical Hunter Valley, very earthy, but with a nice bit of pepper/spice to it that reminded me a bit more of a Heathcote Shiraz. It is still a little young with the Hunter earthiness overpowering the fruit flavours, but as our cellar is in Sydney and we're in Melbourne, we have no choice but to follow the youth movement until we build up the collection again.

The best thing about it was that it was better the next day. A recommendation I took away from the guys at Winorama. If you ever have a wine that is anti-social and refuses to open up...put the cork back in, put it in the fridge overnight, and decant it the next day. Naturally this won't work if the wine is actually off or is just bad wine, but don't give up immediately. I've found this with a few of the big reds we've opened in the past.

Heavy price tag at $50, but not a disappointment. All up, a solid wine.

Poor Man's Grange

After the bad experience with my first Grange, I decided to give 'Baby Grange' or 'Poor Man's Grange' a go. I picked up a case of aged '02 cellar release Bin 389 from Dan Murphy's for $40/bottle while restocking the whites (apparently this was marked down as Dan Murphy's are rotating their cellar release wines). The price of this wine has crept up over the last few years, hovering around $50/bottle for the current release. I've got the '03, '04, and '05 in the cellar, but didn't have any of the '02, so I couldn't resist the urge...

I decanted it for a few hours before my first glass but it was still pretty closed. I think this will need a few more years before it really hits its straps, but it is still drinking well now. I don't know the final blend, but the cabernet is obvious and gives it a minty flavour right from the start. It is big and long (yes, I'm talking about a wine...), and went brilliantly with a block of Lindt Mint Intense (and a slow roasted leg of lamb). Definitely worth the $40/bottle, or even the $50/bottle for the current release.

I did feel a bit guilty buying this, but I'm sure I'll get over it. I read an interesting article about Len Evans this weekend; his wife recalling how, when they were trying to make ends meet, he would still come home with an expensive bottle of wine...proud as punch. Not that I'm in his league, as one of Australia's finest oenophiles, but one can aspire... There were, however, some similarities, as my accountant wasn't overly impressed when I emerged with my purchase.

After almost a full week of AFD's (alcohol free days), this was a great start to the week. Am definitely looking forward to the next bottle in six months time...

My First Grange

I finally had a chance to drink a bottle of Grange, collecting the spoils of a little wager with my old boss.

After the first taste, I knew something wasn't quite right, but it wasn't off. I couldn't put my finger on it, perhaps it just needed time to open up, as it did seem to get better with some more time in the glass/decanter. To be fair, we only gave it about 30 minutes intially.

Not much else to say...unfortunately an underwhelming experience for my first tasting of a $500+ bottle of wine. I will need to ensure I collect on my other wager with another colleague to improve the experience.

Incidentally, it was a '92 Grange, which should in theory, just be starting to drink well now...