The Mixing Pot, an Italian restaurant in Glebe was the scene for an interesting evening tasting wines from small grower-producers in Champagne along with three still wines kindly provided to us by Ross Duke. There were no Australian wines this evening, but the notes may be of interest to some of my readers regardless.
The service at The Mixing Pot was excellent as always and the food was of high quality and value. Corkage was $3AU per bottle, which is entirely reasonable.
The Wines:
Launois Pere & Files Grand Cru BdB 1999 - 100% Chardonnay - Golden-yellow in colour. Intense, rich, yeasty nose. Rich melon influences on the palate with a touch of tartness. An oxidative style. Medium length finish. 87 Points
Cuvee Laherte Frires Brut Prestige 1999 - 85% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier - A pale yellow colour. Not much on the nose, very closed. Citrus dominated palate with some sweetness which, to me matched up closely to the taste of lime cordial. 86 Points
J.B. Michel a Pierry Brut Le Chardon 1999 - 85% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier - Light yellow-gold. A lean mineral nose, also quite closed at this stage. A tight palate with the briefest flicker of apples. Short on the finish and lacking in overall complexity. 86 Points
Tarlant La Vigne d’Antan Non Greffée Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut - A blend of grapes from the ‘98 and ‘99 vintages. 100% Chardonnay - Yellow with a touch of straw. There was something out of place and slightly off-putting on the nose that I couldn’t quite pickup alongside a hint of lime. A tart palate that lacked interest and complexity. 83 Points
Marc Hebrart Premier Cru Prestige Brut 1998 - 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay - A slightly pink hue to the otherwise yellow-gold colour. Before the composition was revealed, it was obvious on the nose that there was a sizeable Pinot Noir component. Quite a bit of richness on the palate but missing elements of interest. Medium-length finish. 85 Points
Bret Brothers Vire-Clesse Climat “La Verchere” 2003 - 100% Chardonnay with 14% alcohol - Like running face-first into a bucket of mashed up pears. Straw-yellow colour. Extremely intense pears with some buttery aromas. Tropical fruits on the palate. Soft and lacking in mid-palate complexity. Some unbalanced high alcohol on the finish. Not enough structure. 82 Points
Jacques Cacheux Echezeaux Grand Cru 1998 - Ruby-red in colour with some brown tinged edges. Unobtrusive smoky oak with some barnyard and mushroom aromas and a medicinal note. Some sharp acid on the palate which was attributed to the wines youth. Medium-length finish. 83 Points
Dominique Laurent Nuits-Saint-Georges 2000 - Crimson coloured with the slightest of brown tinges to the edge. An earthy, floral, interesting nose with a touch of strawberry layered in. A silky palate with a smooth medium length finish. Very approachable now and a good wine. 87 Points
It was an interesting evening and while there were no standout exceptional wines, the majority of the wines were good without being great. I’m looking forward to trying some more wines from the small producers in Champagne.
