Penfolds St Henri 1969

When I open wines like this I start to reminisce about my life.  Now I wasn't born in 1969 so I didn't think of what I was doing back then but it did take me back to Germany when I was 18.  It was summer time and the weather was not too hot or too cold.... it was just right! The group of friends that I hung around with loved to get together and have a party.  Vera was the one that controlled the music and she was obsessed with Bryan Adams.  I think I heard ‘summer of 69’ over a hundred times in a two months period.  Even though I can no longer listen to his music, drinking this wine filled me with all the joy that I associate with the time I spent in Germany that summer.  I think that older wines can take you places and fill you with emotions far more than younger wines.  To sit with this wine and think about the vision that the winemaker had some 42 years ago is rather scary.  Wines like this need to be celebrated, collected and drunk with close friends.  

Penfolds St Henri 1969

St Henri was created in the early 1950s and was a counter point to Grange.  As a young wine St Henri is pure Shiraz, normally with a little Cab, and really needs 10 to 15 years under its belt to show its best.    Now this wine doesn’t have an alcohol content or a region on the label but I think it was most probably a blend of Auldana and Magill fruit.  The wine is very relaxed and open with a little warm clay and spice.  It doesn’t really change its flavour profile for the 15 minutes that it was alive.  Just holding together and a lovely experience to drink.  

Alcohol: ?
Price: ?
Rated: Just Enjoy
Drink: Now 

Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz 2004

Barossa had a very good 2004 growing season so it was interesting to see how the Roennfeldt Road Shiraz was traveling.  This wine didn't show any warmth from the high alcohol but it did show very ripe fruit.  This would be one of the biggest wines I have every tried. 


Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz 2004

Rock me baby one more time.  You have to watch out as the wine jumps out the bottle with flavours of blackberry jam, tar, charcoal and chocolate cake.  There is a massive amount of flavour rolling towards you but if you like them bigger than Ben Hur then you are on to a winner.  The oak has been consumed by this beast so you could open it now if you wish. You will need half a cow to chew on while you consume it. 

Alcohol: 16.5%
Price: $192
Rated: 95
Drink: Now - 2025

Weingut Moric Burgenland Blaufrankisch 2009

If you aren't familiar with the growing seasons in Austria, the 2009 vintage was similar to the 09 Burgundy conditions.  Brilliant, with a little more fruit than is normal for the region. 

Moric Burgenland Blaufrankisch 2009

The wine starts out with a little cherry and mulberries dusted with Indian spice.  These are so seductive I didn't want to take another sip just in case I was dreaming.  Luckily, this is the real deal. Everything fills out in  the mouth with a wealth of ultra fine tannins spreading joy as it travels. 

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $35
Rated: 91
Drink: Now - 2019

Importer: Decant Wines 

Rockford Alicante Bouchet 2011

The weather has definitely started to warm up so the first thing that comes to mind is Alicante Bouchet.  Easy to drink and easy to like.  Have a bottle sitting in your fridge just in case you get a few friends come around on the weekend.

Rockford Alicante Bouchet 2011

The wine is definitely in the light end of the spectrum which works perfectly as the weather warms up.  There is a nice sweetness to the wine which is balanced by flavours of cherry balm and lemon.  As the alcohol is only around the 10%, I could see my wife and I downing two bottles of this no worries.

Alcohol: 10%
Price: $20
Rated: 85
Drink: Now

Bodegas Roda Reserva 2005

The Reserva label from Bodegas Roda is a little more open and approachable than the Roda I.  I would be happy to open this now without the feeling that I wasn’t gaining something by letting it sit in the cellar.  As Bodegas Roda was founded in 1987, I feel that they still have a bit of a way to go before they reach their potential.  That said they make astonishing wine at the moment.

Bodegas Roda Reserva 2005

The opens with a little cherry cola notes while the cranberry juice and plums build as the wine sits in the glass.  While I wouldn’t say that this is fruit laden, as there are smoky nuances and bunches of wild herb popping out at me, I do get the feeling that the scales are tipped that way.  Do I care? No not at all, in fact the balance between sweet and sour fruit is sublime, while the acidity adds a little something extra to the overall feel of the wine. 

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $85
Rated: 93+
Drink: Now - 2020

Importer: The Spanish Acquisition