Appellation Australia

A wonderful surprise. Light golden colour. Lovely nose of honey, toast and citrus. Silky palate with depth and richness. Long, every element in balance. At its peak now, this is a world-class wine.
Cork. 11.5% - 92/100

2002 Grosset Watervale Riesling –
A little bit shy on the nose, but some citrus and floral characters can be noted. Palate has racy acid but is beautifully balanced. Full and long. Lovely wine, drinking well now.
91/100

1989 Jeffrey Grosset Polish Hill Riesling –
Honey, toast and ginger on the nose. Palate is tired, with some prickly acid and rapidly fading intensity.
81/100

1995 Penfolds Yattarna Chradonnay –
Honey, butter, some caramel and pine aromas. Nice richness to the palate with good carry across the palate.
88/100

2003 Te Kairanga Reserve Pinot Noir –
Stalk, liquorice, raspberry and sour cherry. Interesting texture, with lots of rich fruit leading into a dry finish. Not really my preferred style.
86/100

1968 Lindemans Reserve Bin 3820 Auburn Burgundy Hunter Coonawarra Clare –
Sweet perfume, leather, earth and raspberry. Soft, delicate palate. A lovely, fully mature wine.
89/100

1996 Henschke Lenswood Abbotts Prayer Merlot –
Briary, ash, graphite and chocolate. Medium bodied, with medium length but some alcohol sticks out and disrupts the line of the wine.
85/100

2001 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d’Orveaux Vieilles Vignes –
Lovely perfumed nose, black fruits, some earth, cherry and floral notes. The acid on the palate stands out a bit, although the structure seems good otherwise. Short to medium length, probably just struggled among the bigger wines surrounding it tonight.
87/100

2001 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz –
Sultana, smoke and earth. Palate is dry and spicy, with the acid sticking out over the fruit somewhat. Disappointing.
85/100

1996 Leasingham Cabernet Sauvignon Classic Clare -
Mint, blackberry, vanilla and blackcurrant. Rich fruit to the palate, long and bright. Very young still.
88/100

2004 Henry of Pelham Riesling Icewine –
Nice nose of peach, apricot, citrus peel and mandarin. Palate is rich and very sweet. Quite simple, but enjoyable as long as the massive sweetness isn’t an issue for you.
89/100

NV Buller’s Rare Muscat –
Raisin, spice, tea leaves and some alcohol showing. Softly sweet on the palate, not as complex as previous bottles but still very nice.
90/100

A hastily organised farewell dinner at Milsons in Sydney for a friend. My first time at this restaurant and both the service and food was excellent. I had the following;

Scallop and prawn filled zucchini flowers in prawn bisque with green asparagus, grape tomatoes and seeded mustard crustacean oil

Cherry wood smoked, 200 day grain fed beef tenderloin with fondant potato, baby green beans, aioli and red wine sauce with truffle oil

MV Krug (August 1989 Disgorgement):
Light gold colour with very fine bead. Citrus, ginger and cocoa on the nose. Rich flavour to the palate, but also some very youthful, fresh characters. Not as advanced or complex as a couple of the other late 80s MVs I’ve recently had, but lovely all the same.
94/100

1995 Jacquesson Signature Brut (May 2003 Disgorgement):
Very active bead. Lemon, toast, floral and some cookie dough aromas. Fluffy, creamy palate.Quite approachable, good length and very nice drinking but lacking in depth.
91/100

1981 Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling:
Smoke, rose petals and peaches on the nose. Medium sweetness present on the palate, slightly rounded mouthfeel and the acid isn’t quite there to lift it up entirely. Still, fairly nice to drink but not very complex.
87/100

1998 William Fevre Le Clos Chablis:
Straw coloured. Sesame seed oil, lemon, toast and grapefruit. The palate has some piercing acidity but also shows some malty oak influence and heat. Very good, but I don’t know what is going to happen with further aging.
89/100

1998 Olivier Leflaive Montrachet:
Muesli, vanilla, minerals and chalk to the nose. The palate doesn’t show the same restraint as the nose, it is intensely rich with a creamy mouthfeel. Great length of flavour. My first taste of the famed Montrachet vineyard, thank you Alex.
90/100

1999 Robert Chevillon Nuits St Georges Les Vaucrains:
Smoked meat, oak and charcoal aromas. Linear, dry and alarmingly short on the palate. I thought something was wrong here but I don’t know what - no sign of TCA, someone thought it may be brett, but half the table quite liked it!
81/100

1981 Chateau Trotanoy Pomerol:
Briar/bramble, blackberry and cherry aromas to the nose. Nicely weighted, medium bodied palate with tannins pretty much resolved and drinking close to its peak. Very nice, it needs to be consumed in the near future.
88/100

1982 Chateau Beychevelle St Julien:
Cassis, blackberries, cedar and spice form the nose. The palate is rich and expressive, though it retains good balance across the length. Still very youthful, it is a lovely wine now with the potential to be even better.
93/100

1995 Ornellaia:
On the nose there are aromas of raspberry, earth, tobacco and dark chocolate. Shows a very classy palate, it is long and has detailed texture. Still feels as though some promise is being held back, I think the next 10 years will prove very interesting for this wine.
92/100

1995 Chateau Pichon Lalande Pauillac:
Chlorine on the nose. Metallic palate. Undrinkable. A shame.
NR/100

1981 Ernst Bretz Bechtolsheimer Klosterberg Scheurebe Eiswein Auslese:
Toffee, honey and brown sugar nose. Hasn’t got the acid structure needed. Finishes short and simple. May have seen better days.
84/100

1980 J. Baumer Hochheimer Rotenpfel Silvaner Eiswein Auslese:
Toffee, spice, honey and peaches. Spicy on the palate, quite dense flavours but some acid remaining to lift the palate slightly. Decent length.
87/100

Olssens

2004 Riesling
Little bit of briar, mango and some florals. Good punch to the palate and good length with just a bit of sweetness.
89/100

2004 Charcoal Joe Chardonnay
Soft nose, some butter and spice. Very creamy mouthfeel with good flavour persistence and good structure.
89/100

2003 Jackson Barry Pinot Noir
Powerful nose of spice, cherry and pepper. Bit soft and lacking character on the palate though. Lingers slightly but only lightly.
85/100

2004 Jackson Barry Pinot Noir
Cherry and violet nose with a bit of earth. Palate shows better depth and intensity than the 2003 version. Very good.
88/100

Carrick

2006 Sauvignon Blanc
Crisp nose with some mango and herbs. Palate has some texture to it and there is length and persistence.
88/100

2006 Riesling
Musky, floral and perfume to the nice nose. Palate bursts with flavour. Nice length and structure.
90/100

2004 Chardonnay
Big nose, meal, butter and some funky characters. Palate shows lots of intensity but not a lot of complexity.
87/100

2006 Pinot Gris
Lychee, apple, limes on the nose. Crisp palate with a hint of fruit sweetness. Enjoyable.
89/100

2005 Unravelled Pinot Noir
Red berries, rhubarb and spice. Light fruit driven palate.
86/100

2004 Pinot Noir
Funky, spice and earthy nose. Palate suffers a bit from what seems like too much oak and also tastes a bit confected.
84/100

Wooing Tree

2006 Rose
Pale pink. Some cherry to the nose. Palate is really lacking in any flavour except for some sweetness.
82/100

2005 Pinot Noir
Full on nose, a bold style with blackberry and spice. Very intense fruit on the palate as well. Starts to look a bit like cool climate Shiraz rather than Pinot Noir. Good if that is the style you are looking for.
87/100

Desert Heart

2005 Pinot Noir
Strawberry nose. Palate is soft and there isn’t much of interest.
86/100

2005 Spencer Block Pinot Noir
Intense Cherry Ripe nose. Boisterous palate, too overblown for my taste with the oak and massive fruit concentration.
86/100

Nevis Bluff

2005 Pinot Gris
Minerally nose. Palate lacks length and depth.
85/100

2002 Pinot Noir
Tight nose, some sulphur characters and maybe some earth. Fine tannins on the palate. Too closed in to find much to enjoy right now.
86/100

Lamont

2005 Dry Riesling
Minerals and gunflint. Palate is dry as promised, but boring.
85/100

2006 Classic Off-Dry Riesling
Lychee and tropical fruit on the nose. Acid doesn’t carry the sweetness on the palate well enough and it finishes short.
83/100

2006 Pinot Gris
The ultimate in bland. No carry to the palate.
81/100

2005 Pinot Gris
Steely nose, some green characters. Palate is viscous, there is a bit of alcohol on the finish.
85/100

2005 Pinot Noir
Elegant and restrained style but it doesn’t have the depth or interest on the palate for me.
86/100

Peregrine

2005 Riesling
Steely/minerally nose. Rounded palate, lacks drive.
85/100

2006 Pinot Gris
Apples and kiwi fruit on the nose. Palate drops away quickly. Not really impressed.
84/100

2006 Sauvignon Blanc
Herby nose. Palate lacks focus.
83/100

2005 Pinot Noir
Violets, spice and cherry to the nose. Palate is decent, clean and bright with some structure for aging over the next 5 years.
87/100

Kawarau

2006 Sauvignon Blanc
Passionfruit and tropical fruit nose. The palate shines with intensity of flavour. Pretty good.
88/100

2006 Pinot Gris
Lightly scented nose. Palate is soft and lacks anything to get excited over.
85/100

2004 Reserve Chardonnay
Butter and spicy, nutty oak with some wild character. Good mouthfeel, round without being broad. Good for the style.
88/100

2004 Reserve Pinot Noir
Earth and lots of dark cherry character. Savoury palate, with good tannins and structure. Needs some time to shine.
88/100

Quartz Reef

NV Chauvet Sparkling
Oyster shells, apples and grape aromas. Palate is fresh but with 0 depth, really driven by acid alone. This doesn’t speak to me at all.
83/100

2002 Chauvet Sparkling
Apple pie aromas on the nose. Palate is like apple juice. Length is disappointing.
83/100

2006 Pinot Gris
Melon and musk. The palate is quite good, bright fruit but with some depth to it.
88/100

2005 Pinot Noir
Perfumed violet nose with some bright fruit supporting. Palate is good as well, with some structure and interesting texture.
88/100

Chard Farm

2006 Rabbit Range Pinot Gris
Bit of alcohol showing on the nose. Palate has fruit sweetness but isn’t very interesting.
86/100

2004 Closeburn Chardonnay
Elegant nose with some straw and citrus. The palate is taut and very well structured. Balanced and clearly very good.
90/100

2005 Pinot Noir
Pepper and spices with some black cherry character. Good balance on the palate. Quite nice.
88/100

2005 The Viper Pinot Noir
Elegant, perfumed nose with rose petals, cherry, smoke and well integrated oak. Palate is delicious, savoury fruit with great length. A real stand out of the day.
92/100

Torr Estate

2006 Riesling
Floral and kiwi fruited nose. Nice restraint to the palate, some residual sugar that is balanced nicely by the acid. Good length and intensity of flavour.
89/100

2005 Pinot Noir
Dominated by stewy and medicinal aromas. A shame as the palate is quite nicely balanced.
85/100

Mount Edward

2006 Riesling
Floral nose. Touch of sweetness to the palate. Not a lot of character.
86/100

2006 Drumlin Riesling
Delicate nose, with minerals and steel, could be mistaken for German Riesling on the nose. Good flavour to the palate, the balance is spot on. The only downside is a slightly spritzy character, without that the rating would have been higher.
88/100

2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Herbs and asparagus. Palate seems a bit flabby.
83/100

2004 Earths End Pinot Noir
Sweet cherry nose. Confected character comes through on the palate. Lacks structure.
84/100

2004 Pinot Noir
Tightly wound nose, seems ready but waiting to explode. Palate is nice, but a bit too linear.
87/100

Wild Earth

2006 Pinot Gris
Good floral lift to the nose. Palate is too sweet with not enough acid.
84/100

2005 Riesling
Nose doesn’t offer up much character. Palate has some residual sugar but it is well handled by the acid. A bit too simple to be better than nice.
86/100

2003 Blind Trail Pinot Noir
Cherry and kirsch on the nose. Palate suffers from a serious lack of depth, though it is balanced otherwise.
86/100

2004 Pinot Noir
Earth and funky, gamey characters on the nose. Good amount of fruit on the palate, but it feels linear and one dimensional.
86/100

Rockburn

2005 Sauvignon Blanc
Herbal on the nose and palate. Good length, but the herbs dominate too much for my taste.
86/100

2005 Riesling
Honeysuckle and other floral characters. Balanced palate with good length. Falls into the off-dry category I think.
88/100

2003 Chardonnay
Honey and some noticeable but not over the top oak on the nose. Good length to the palate. A delicate style.
88/100

2003 Pinot Noir
Floral, musk and spice aromas. Fruit drives the palate with a bit of oak providing support. Nice early drinking Pinot.
87/100

This was the third masterclass I attended at this event.

The five wines were served blind, with the only information provided that they were Shiraz and each was from a different region. Wines were revealed at the end of the tasting.

Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2004
Crimson colour. Perfumed with violets, and rich chocolate and vanilla oak. The palate is bold as well, lots of big, ripe fruit depth. Thought that this may be Barossa but it turned out to be McLaren Vale.
88/100

Tin Shed Shiraz Melting Pot 2004
Inky black colour. Chocolate, cassis, raspberry jam and some prunes. Palate is jammy and very ripe with some spice in the background. Guessed at Heathcote but was way off as it is from the Eden Valley.
85/100

Rymill Shiraz 2002
Deep colour. Nose is dreadful, barnyard, medicinal and raw meats. Palate is a bit better but not by much. Guessed Coonawarra correctly.
78/100

Cheviot Bridge Pyrenees Shiraz 2003
Crimson coloured. Spice, violets, red berries and a hint of oak on the nose. Smooth, well balanced palate. A pleasant, drinkable wine. Figured on cool climate so I thought it may be Yarra Valley, but I was wrong.
87/100

Bimbadgen Shiraz 2005
Burgundy coloured. Nose is fairly subdued, some spice and earth. Palate carries across the spice and earth characters. Medium bodied, decent length, just not very exciting. Correctly picked it as Hunter Valley.
86/100