OK, so I bought a case of each. Here's the TN for the Cab (2001), which is the only one I've tried so far. Open one hour and decanted. The nose is predominantly mint on a solid background of coal and tar. The first hit on the palate is still minty, with a robust prune chewiness and a huge tannic bite. Off-bitter chocolate rises as the tannin subsides, and the finish is medium to long with more dry tannins. I shall leave the rest of this alone for at least another two years. The Chardonnay gets its turn tomorrow. Whilst buying that lot I came upon an even bigger bargain - one bottle only (shame!) of Penfolds Bin 407 Cab, 1998, on the "clearance" shelf at an incredible £7.00! My
19 year old son is honing his taste as the only fresher on the Oxford University wine society's tasting team, so I guess this is one for his 30th birthday. Regards, Ian
On 29 Mar 2004 19:24:42 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.comdamnspam (Dale Williams)
> took the time to tell us :
>
> >> >
> >>I find that Kalimna is
> >>best at about 5 to 8 years old. I am enjoying the 1997 at the moment. Sadly > >>I
> >>didn't get any of the excellent 1998 vintage, and I have yet to try the '99 > >
> >I have a bottle of the '97 Bin 28. Ready to go, huh? Thanks, will move into > >queue.
> >I find '97 Shirazes a good example of why vintage charts are good for
> >generalities, not specific wines. Although clearly a lesser year, I've had some
> >quite nice '97s (Leasingham Bin 61 is another besides the Penfolds Kalimna). > >Dale
> >
> >Dale Williams
> >Drop "damnspam" to reply
>
> Goes right across the board Dale. After the legendary 98 vintages in
> Oz, some excellent 99's appeared, but did not sell quickly, (I guess
> like me, most retailers were stocked to the max with 98's...:>)). As
> time rolls on, we are seeing how underrated some 99's were. The
> Margaret River Cabernets for example from 99 are drinking superbly
> now, and will outstrip many of the much vaunted 98's in the long haul. >
> Regards...Swooper