Australia Day Lunch 2025: celebrating Australian wine with some fine older bottles
As is the tradition (well, for the last four years) a group of jolly wine folk gathered to celebrate Australia day with a good lunch to which we all brought Australian wines from the last century (older than 2000) although exceptions were made for whites. The venue this year was the excellent Lorne, and here are some (I think all, but I may have missed one) of the wines we tasted plus some pictures of the gathering.





Arras Ed Carr Late Disgorged 2008 Tasmania, Australia
This was disgorged in 2022 and it’s fabulous. Bright, linear and fresh, with purity and focus. This has a great citrus drive and it’s lemony and bright with a good acid line. So pure. 94/100

Rockford Riesling 2002 Barossa, Australia
Pure, fresh and crystalline and ageing beautifully, even though this was cork sealed! Nice citrus fruit with a mineral twist, and just a hint of toast showing its age. Lovely pure fruit. 94/100

Pewsey Countours Riesling 2005 Eden Valley, Australia
Lively, bright, linear and still youthful at age almost 20. There’s a pithy edge to the citrus fruit with some saltiness in the mix. Hint of resin/tar in the background stops this from getting a higher score. 93/100

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2011 Australia
Nice tension with just a hint of classic Semillon toastiness. Bright and very fine. Quite mineral with good acidity, and just beginning to develop. This is really good. 94/100

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2008 Australia
There’s a slight creaminess, some toastiness, and beautifully fresh, crystalline citrus fruit. Great precision here. Lemon and lime fruit with a mineral dimension. Compressed and maybe just a touch more incisive than the 2011. 95/100

Pipers Brook Pinot Noir 2002 Tasmania, Australia
This is quite malty with tomato and Bovril notes. Nearly dead. This hasn’t aged well. The 2004 served alongside it had fared worse. 80/100

Chateau Tahbilk 1860 Plantings Shiraz 1990 Victoria, Australia
From pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1860 this is still in marvellous shape. Slightly peppery with iron, blood and nice acidity. 11.5% alcohol! Fresh and pure with a bright peppery quality as well as fresh red fruits. May be nearing the end of its life but it’s really lovely. 95/100

Chateau Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Victoria, Australia
Textural and rich with smooth blackcurrant fruit, and some spicy depth. I think this may have been stored upside down, from the sediment. Still very much alive. Slightly cloudy. There’s a nice sweet quality to the fruit. 94/100









Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1989 South Australia
As you might expect, this is ageing well. Ripe, sleek, rich and still very fruity. Nice black cherry and blackberry fruit with a sense of deliciousness. 94/100

Penfolds Grange 1982 South Australia
Powerful, bold and a bit minty. Still alive, as you’d suspect, but a bit clunky and ungainly. Dense and burly. Black cherry and blackcurrant fruit with some grippy tannins, and a touch of bitterness on the finish. Really wanted to like this more. 92/100

Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache 1998 Barossa, Australia
Sweet, ripe and sleek with bold berry fruits and nice tart acidity. Ageing well. Bright, showing nice focus. 91/100

Rosemount Show Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 Coonawarra, Australia
Tar, spice and blackcurrant fruit. Minty and chalky with lots of fruit still. Minty, rich and dense with lots of fruit still. Shows how good Coonawarra can be. 94/100
Yalumba The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 Coonawarra, Australia
Slightly faded and developed but still a lovely drink, with a savoury edge to the blackcurrant fruit. Chalky notes, too. 93/100

Peter Lehmann Eight Songs Shiraz 1997 Barossa, Australia
Taut and spicy with some rubbery notes as well as medicinal berry fruits. Bold, ripe and vivid with lots of depth, albeit not much refinement. 87/100

Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa 2002 Australia
In magnum, this is singing. Expressive and bright with some chalky notes and sweet blackcurrant fruit. There’s a hint of nice green, too. Cedar spice and real elegance. 95/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 Margaret River, Australia
Mature with blackcurrant and spice as well as nice detail. Drink now, and it will give you pleasure. Expressive and fine in its old age. 94/100
Wendouree Cabernet Malbec 1999 Clare Valley, Australia
Minty and vivid with some tarry hints. Expressive with lots of blackcurrant fruit. Fresh, supple and fine, but pretty minty right now. 94/100

Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 2000 Clare Valley, Australia
Supple and expressive with juicy black cherries and some fine spicy notes. Fine and linear. Lovely sweet core of pure fruit, evolving nice and slowly. Wine of the lunch for me. 96/100

De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 1996 Australia
This makes another appearance! Deep brown in colour, but still fresh and quite thrilling with apricot and lime notes. Viscous with good intensity and fine spices. Quite beautiful. 95/100