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Walter James
Winegrowers
Diary 1968

There may be little doubt that those people who have no knowledge of calendars and diaries and in consequence never so much as know their own age are sav ed many worries, for calendars are indeed ambivalent possessions. They keep prodding us about the passing of the days into weeks and the weeks into months though we would gladly forget this horrid progression; but in compensation when we glance through them at the year's end they do have the virtue of rescuing from forgetfulness so many of those pleasant little things that have illuminated our year with a brief gleam of happiness. For of course happiness is not a condition of life: it is never more than an incident, shy and ephemeral, and so quickly subject to oblivion. All of us pursue it, our youngsters in the shapes of love, a good income, and (naturally enough among people living on the world's edge) overseas travel. Only after they have won their love, have spent a spring or two in Paris, have survived the traffic in Rome, squandered good money on Capri and are making a decent income do they first glimpse the wisdom of the advice which the painter Renoir once gave to his son. 'Whatever you do,' he said, 'don't set out to make a fortune, because as soon as you have made it you will have nothing left to do.' it is about the time they reach this stage of percipience that wise men turn from the fretful pursuit of happiness and a fortune to the fruitful pursuit of contentment, and men who seek contentment seek wine.

Not that wine is to be regarded for one moment as an old man's pleasure. It is every man's pleasure, but it is one that ripens with our years and abides until they end. When you have read three or four thousand books, when you have heard to familiarity the worthwhile music of the world (there's not so very much of it), when you have seen ten thousand nubile girls kicking their legs in the Swan Lake and Giselle, when you have learnt by contact that famous people are three parts fraud, when you have become easy in the art galleries of Europe and grown a little weary enduring the rude tourists who pose themselves between you and Michaelangelo, when you have been freud-aroused to the infantile folly of grasping steel-shod staffs to provoke little white balls along a green lawn, there remains one unwearied pleasure. Who since the first baked tablet of recorded history has ever complained of having grown tired of wine? Nor will men ever grow tired of wine: such a deviation from the course of nature is quite unthinkable.

This diary, like the one that went before it, is intended to be used as a brief record of the wines you have bought and the wines you have enjoyed during the year, and bring back to memory the times and the places where their corks have been drawn and the friends with whom you have shared them. For of course no man drinks his good wine alone: that too is unthinkable.

Cabernet Sauvignon
It is hard to say whether men are being wise or foolish when they cultivate the love of claret. It is one of those attachments which passes from a lighthearted preference to an active fondness, from fondness to obsession, from obsession to a settled addiction that threatens to exclude all others. Wellmade claret dry red wine is so good, so harmonious in all its parts, of such perfect integrity and so completely satisfying that it makes other wines seem obtrusive, like untimely guests, and the claret lover comes to wonder what it is that induces vignerons ever to dissipate their talents in making wines which can hope at best to take their place only in the suburbs of our pleasure.

Claret is for all that the least complicated of wines to make, though not the simplest to mature and bring to perfection, and in Australia we have learnt to make it supremely well; so well indeed that our happier vintages, adequately matured, can stand with no deprecatory blush among the fine growths of Bordeaux where it has been made every year by succeeding generations of dedicated men for century upon century. The chief reason for our success is that both the Bordelais and we must have claret in our veins; a lesser is that we have learnt in our moments of truth to use the same shybearing but most rewarding type of grape, the greatest of all red grapes, the cabernetsauvignon. Nobody knows when or from where the cabernet sauvignon was introduced to Bordeaux, but it has long taken its place there as the leading claret grape and is grown almost by itself in such vineyards as Chateaux Margaux and Mouton Rothschild; Latour and Lafite allow other varieties but only in a minor quantity. The vine came early to Australia; it formed part of the collection james Busby of Kirkton on the Hunter made in 1831 and canes were imported from Chateau Lafite itself by Paul de Castella for his Lilydale vineyard in the forties. In more recent years the vine has been grown in South Australia both in the Adelaide region and down in our southernmost vineyard area, Coonawarra. It is a rather light bearer and has never in consequence been so popular with growers as the notsogood but more prolific shiraz. The wine it yields is a slow developer; rich in tannin it needs all of two years in cask before bottling and, to reach its best, another long spell in bottle. But when fully mature it is incomparable. Fragrant nose. full body, cedarlike finish, combining a manly size with a virgin's delicacyno, there is nothing else quite like it.

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Top Wines Still Available...

2006 Tyrrell's Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz
Region:Heathcote, Victoria
Rating: 96  Value:

The 2006 Tyrrell's Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz is a mighty return to form. In an attempt to regain its market position, the price has remained extremely modest - in fact it's a vinous giveaway!

An auspicious comeback that delivers classic Heathcote nose and palate structure. Very deep black crimson purple colour with purple mauve hue. Lifted nose of blackberry, liquorice, black pepper, plum and vanilla - showing strong varietal character. Full bodied palate with strong black pepper back palate, which explodes on the palate. Flavours of spice, black pepper, plum, vanilla and liquorice allsorts. Fine grained tannins. Very long aftertaste of blackberry and black pepper which are very persistent.
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 15.5%

2006 Warrabilla Limited Release Parola's Durif
Region:Rutherglen, Victoria
Rating: 99  Value:

A Hippo In A Tutu Launches Vinous Atomic Bombs,In Spite Of Their 'Obesity', These Wines Dance On The Palate Like An Agile Prima Ballerina

If one is seeking the biggest possible bang for one's buck, then this wine is it - and more. All previous big fruit bomb wines that have been tasted fade into insignificance as they are confronted with this vinous red 'atomic bomb'. What a concentrate! Matured for 10 months in French Oak, this wine is totally saturated black colour with a black purple hue. Aroma of dark chocolate, mocha, black cherry, vanilla and black pepper. On the palate is an atomic explosion that defies anything else you've experienced in a big red. Super ripe, but not porty, with flavours of black cherry, dark chocolate and liquorice concentrate. Very spicy, black pepper palate. Fine grained, perfectly balanced tannins. Super ripe aftertaste of black cherry and black pepper which lasts for minutes on the aftertaste.
Cellar 4-5 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 18%

RATING:  98   VALUE: 
REGION: Barossa Valley, South Australia

The Filsell vineyard was planted in the 1920's and is considered to be one of the best vineyards in the Barossa Valley. The 2005/6 growing season experienced good winter rains which produced excellent subsoil moisture conditions in the vineyard. A warm, dry spring and summer allowed the fruit to ripen to its full capacity. The winemaking involved crushing different batches of fruit separately which were subsequently fermented at 28°C at the start and later cooled to 22°C, thereby extending the ferment time. Maturation took place in new and two year old American and French hogsheads.

A Superb Old Vines Barossa Shiraz
Outstanding Value!

Totally opaque black purple colour with, showing excellent cling to the glass. Perfumed nose of liquorice, spice and vanilla with confectionary end note. The palate has impressive weight and mouthfeel with flavours of vanilla and black pepper being quite pronounced. Fine grained tannins. Perfect balance. Aftertaste of black pepper and vanilla. Outstanding Value!
Cellar 5-8 years (2013-2016)
Alc/Vol: 15%

Rec. Retail

$39.02

Bottle Price

$29.99

Dozen  Price

$354.00

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Wine Spider Analysis:

2006 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz

Clarendon Hills Wine Dinner
at Jacques Reymond

The wines of Clarendon Hills are regarded as amongst the worlds best. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate writes "Roman Bratasiuk's Clarendon Hills is one of the worlds benchmark wineries. I can think of only two other cellars, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace and Domaine Leroy in Burgundy, where the entry level wines begin at such a superb level of quality, and the portfolio ascends from there to other worldly at the top of the hierarchy."

Jacques Reymond is arguably Australia's finest 3 star restaurant. Jacques has created a menu that promises to achieve a new culinary high, matching the wines of Clarendon Hills.

The Menu

Gougères
&
N/V Billecart Salmon Champagne

Salade Gourmande of duck and tuna sashimi, foie gras and parmesan;
a pâté chaud of duck and black prunes
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Blewitt Springs Grenache
2006 Clarendon Hills Onkaparinga Grenache
2006 Clarendon Hills Romas Grenache

Masterstock spatchcock, pork belly farce with mild Asian flavours,
curried organic lentils, pickled cucurbitaceans
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Liandra Syrah
2006 Clarendon Hills Moritz Syrah

Double lamb cutlet cooked on rock salt, fresh borlotti bean and truffle juice mash, our mint oil
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Brookman Syrah
2006 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Syrah

Sancho coated highland venison, cauliflower with horseradish dressing, beetroot glaze
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Astralis Syrah

Dry apricot millefeuilles and Woodside light goat cheese in vine leaves
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Sandown Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Clarendon Hills Brookman Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Cabernet Sauvignon

Gratin of new season berries, caramelised mango, lemon myrtle and
mountain pepper ice cream, coconut tuile
&
2005 Chateau Guiraud 1st Grand Cru Sauternes

Coffee and petits fours

Wednesday November 12^th
78 Williams Road
Prahran
7.00pm for 7.30pm Start
$199 per person all inclusive
Very Limited Numbers
Payment in full is required with reservations
RSVP by 29th October

To book call Hadyn on 03 9822 9100