Appellation Australia

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

Recent birthday celebrations with a friend saw a wide ranging selection of bottles opened -

1990 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut (Magnum - Disgorged 5th March 2002):
Pastry, apples, toast and lemony nose. Good intensity and full mouthfeel to the palate, but fades away a little bit sooner than expected. Balanced but quite simple, lacking complexity. Very, very good rather than great.
90/100

1990 Krug Champagne Brut:
Cheesy, ginger, brioche and nutty nose. Palate is very powerful, but it is classy, balanced power so that it is part of the whole structure rather than dominating. Excellent length. The funky characters on the nose were a little bit odd, but I still thought this excellent.
93/100

2005 Domaine des Souterrains Sauvignon Blanc Jacky Goumin:
Pineapple lollies, passionfruit, apricot and some floral aromas. Palate is fresh but unremarkable and uninteresting to me.
83/100

1998 Gyorgykovacs Imre Somlo Olaszrizling:
Aromas of smoke, citrus, slate, honey and petrol. There is almost a somehow floral lift to the palate. Very good length and lots of interesting things going on here. Towards its peak I though. Was great to try this and the next wine as I have read about this producer a number of times but have not been able to experience for myself.
89/100

2003 Gyorgykovacs Imre Somlo Furmint:
Honey, spice and lemon rind aromas. The palate shows off spicy characteristics as well with richness and power but also some restraint. Very good now and has the potential to get better in the next 5-7 years.
90/100

2002 Max Ferd Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese:
Slate, floral and some honey character starting to develop. Superb balance to the palate, not very complex yet but I could drink this all day, every day. So easy to like.
91/100

2001 Savaterre Chardonnay:
Butterscotch (butter menthols), nutty and honeyed. Smelling and tasting unexpectedly developed. Palate is on the edge of falling over, just holding on. I had a lovely bottle of this a year and a half prior, hopefully this was just a bad bottle and it hasn’t taken such a dramatic downward turn.
80/100

2002 Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Grande Montagne:
Banana, matchstick, lemon and some cheesy characters. Clean palate with a good core of acid. Medium body and length. Very nice.
88/100

2002 Domaine Rémi Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Le Poruzot-Dessus:
Very tight nose, slate, citrus and minerally characters. Very classy palate with a well maintained balance between richness and raciness. Good length. A good wine.
89/100

1999 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus:
Musk, raspberry, a bit of smoke and stalk. Medium bodied, youthful and tight -with the tannins standing out and lacking some texture and depth right now.
87/100

2000 Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées:
An appealing deeply seated nose on this wine of chocolate, red berries, smoked meats and some florals undertones. The palate is bold, with tannins standing out initially but they are tamed by food. Good texture and lovely depth to this wine.
90/100

1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques:
Such amazing lifted perfume on the nose along with earth, cherry and some blood. So pure, classy, balanced and long on the palate. Has taken on some palate complexity and will be closing in on its peak over the next 5 years.
94/100

1960 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet:
Leather, spice, violets and tobacco form the nose. Structurally this is sound on the palate, with components having resolved and integrated well and there still being enough fruit to hold it up. In great condition and very good to drink.
90/100

1964 Mildara Cabernet Shiraz Bin 33:
An amazing nose, with honeycomb dominating as well as violets, chocolate and some earth in the background. Sweet fruit across the good length of the palate. Deep and interesting, another delicious wine from this source.
91/100

1982 Chateau Pavie (St Emillion):
Wispy smoke, tobacco, blackcurrant, cedar and some briary characters. This bottle was right at its peak for my taste, it is balanced with soft but long intensity of flavour. This was great, although I would be drinking any remaining bottles over the next couple of years.
92/100

1988 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle:
Blackberry, cherry and earthy aromas. Acid presents itself on the palate and leaves a slightly tart sensation. Medium length. Not bad, better than our last bottle of this (which was corked!) but looking a bit tired.
86/100

1998 Prunotto Barbaresco Bric Turot:
Young but very forward nose of cedar, licorice, blackberry, black cherry and tar. Weighty palate, tannins are there but balanced by the weight of deep fruit. Long and intense, this is looking good now, but should be better in another 5 years or so.
91/100

1999 Beni di Batasiolo Barolo Vigneto Bofani:
Chocolate, tobacco, spice and cherry on the nose. Bit more approachable than the Prunotto with the intense fruit taking centre stage. Medium length and the potential to develop further in the bottle.
90/100

1997 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Eagle:
Ripe nose (especially after the Italians) of blueberry, chocolate, pepper and spice. Lots of ripe medium weighted fruit on the palate as well but it is well balanced with the good tannin structure. Needs some time to develop complexity.
89/100

1983 Chateau Palmer (Margaux):
Beautifully complex nose of tobacco, red berries, chocolate, briar, gunflint and truffles. Some at the table suspected some brett influence, but I didn’t see it. The palate is structurally excellent with long, complex and superbly balanced flavour. It lived up to both reputation and expectations for me, this was my wine of the night among some excellent company.
95/100

1996 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet Shiraz:
Lots of cedar aromas prominent, there is also blackberry and mint. Medium bodied, needs time for the oak to recede, I think it has enough fruit for this to happen in the next 5 years. Very good apart from the oak, but was always going to struggle coming after the Palmer.
87/100

1988 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey (Sauterne):
Sun gold colour. Raisins, toffee, marmalade and nuttiness. The sweetness is refined with medium acidity and medium length. Very nice and ready to drink.
91/100

1989 Hugel et Fils Riesling Vendange Tardive (Alsace):
Honey, botrytis, spice, mango and pineapple and on the nose. There is an initial rush of sweetness, but it finishes nicely crisp and dry. Not overly complex, but it was still a good way to end an excellent day.
88/100

A superb night at Tetsuya’s in Sydney for an end of year get together with friends.

I feel Tetsuya’s is on a tier of its own in Sydney, I’ve been to three times now and each time I’ve been blown away.

The Food:

Cold Corn Soup with Saffron & Vanilla Ice Cream

Smoked Ocean Trout & Avruga Caviar with Seared Scallop

Leek & Crab Custard

Sashimi of Big Eye Tuna with Wasabi and Eschallot

Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Daikon & Fennel
Seasonal Green Salad

Ravioli of Queensland Spanner Crab with Tomato & Basil Vinaigrette

Baby Abalone with Braised Ox Tail and Orange

Twice Cooked De-Boned Spatchcock with Olive & Caper Jus

Grilled Wagyu Beef with Lime & Wasabi

Comte Gruyere Cheese with Lentils

Beetroot & Blood Orange Sorbet
Summer Pudding of Blueberries and Raspberries

Blue Cheese & Vanilla Bean Bavorois with Sauterne Jelly

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with White Beans & Dates

Chocolate Terrine with Mascarpone & Cognac Anglaise

Coffee or Tea & Petit Four

The Wines:

1990 Salon “S” Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil
Straw yellow coloured. Fine bead. Initially quite shy in the glass but opened over time to reveal honey, floral notes, vanilla, apples and lemon pastry on the nose. The palate is fine, long and balanced, there isn’t a great deal of depth or complexity yet but I am confident that this had the structure to develop beautifully over the coming 10 years.
94/100

1964 Veuve Clicquot
Gold colour. Seems to have lost its fizz along the way. The nose though makes up for it in complexity with toffee, caramel and apple cider. Lots of character to the palate as well. Well balanced, and it lifted several notches with the Smoked Ocean Trout & Avruga Caviar dish. Very much a Champagne for lovers of aged character, I thought it excellent for my taste.
91/100

1989 Billecart-Salmon Elisabeth Salmon Rose
Strawberry shortcake and a bit of cherry and earth showing on the nose. Medium body and length. Very elegant on the palate, maybe a bit too much elegance and not enough depth. There is a touch of sweetness there as well. Otherwise, there is not much else to talk about, it was good but lacked character.
88/100

2000 Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Intriging nose of floral notes, apricot, pineapple, orange zest and slate. The palate is lovely, I cannot fault the balance between acidity and sweetness, the sweetness gives a generous mouthfeel but then the acid comes in and refreshes the palate. I love Riesling of this style.
93/100

1998 Domaine Rapet Pere & Fils Corton-Charlemagne
Quite tight, but some swirling revealed honey, oatmeal and hay/straw aromas. Palate has very good texture and medium length. Still quite youthful, it could perhaps use a few more years in bottle.
90/100

1993 Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron Romanée-St.-Vivant
An open, generous nose of vanilla, coconut, bright red berries and cherry. Tannins stand out a little bit, but there is enough boldness to the fruit to carry them. Very good, but hopefully it will take on more complexity with time.
91/100

2001 Domaine de la Romanée Conti Richebourg
A deep, rich, brooding nose of smoke, earth, black cherry, five spice and wafting perfume. Length and depth of flavour on the palate is superb. The excellent structure indicates that this has brilliant and obvious potential. One of the best (of the few) DRCs that I have been privileged to enjoy.
94/100

1986 Château Cos d’Estournel (St.-Estèphe)
The nose on this just bursts out of the glass with blackberry, cedar, vanilla, raspberry and gravel. The palate shows that good bottles of this have decades ahead. Brilliance on the palate, long, balanced and while the tannins are still at the fore they are very fine and classy. Without doubt, a superb wine.
95/100

1962 Penfolds Bin 60A Coonawarra Cabernet Barossa Valley Shiraz
The colour of this wine when poured was very promising - ruby red in colour on the edge, darkening toward the centre. My very first sniff caused a rush of emotions, this was obviously something special. Soft gasps and exclamations could be heard around the table as each person lifted the glass to their nose. There was stunning complexity to the nose, with raspberry, cedar, sweet vanilla, graphite, spice, molasses and cherry. Every time my nose returned to the glass I could pick up on another fleeting aroma. The palate has youthful power but also impeccable balance as well as super length, great texture and soft tannins holding the structure in place. All the elements were working together in harmony to form something truly special. On reflection over the past few days, it seems unjust to hold any points back, so I’m not going to.
100/100

1967 Penfolds Bin 7 Cabernet Shiraz Coonawarra-Kalimna
Another legend of Australian wine. Great colour to this as well, medium red with no visible browning around the edges. The nose initially showed some volatility but this cleaned up in the glass with some air to show blackberry, tobacco, cherry and violets. The palate is long, balanced and deep but as with the nose, it suffers in comparison to the complexity and emotion invoking character of the 60A. Still a world class wine that stood up admirably after an impossible act to follow.
94/100

1964 Vega Sicilia Unico (Ribero del Duero)
Tempranillo 65%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%, Merlot, Malbec, Albillo 20%. A very bold, confronting nose of charcoal, charred cedar, varnish, earth and game. The palate is rounded and mature, with lots of savoury character. Food was essential for this to show well. We gave this plenty of time in the glass and some of the less desirable aromas lifted, leaving the savoury characters and a still very interesting wine. This bottle was ready to drink.
92/100

1976 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
Very deep colour for the age. Some VA, blackcurrant, kirsch and vanilla on the nose. The palate is youthful but the components have integrated nicely. A very good wine, but seemed quite one dimensional compared to the wines that had preceded it, this is something that could come with additional time.
90/100

1949 Ferd. Pieroth Gau-Odernheimer Petersberg Muller-Thurgau Beerenauslese (Rheinhessen)
Golden brown coloured with some red tinges on the outer rim. Honey, coffee and toffee on the nose. Very softly sweet on the palate with good acid still present. This was very interesting and there was a great deal of enjoyment to be had from drinking it. A unique experience.
92/100

1989 Château d’Yquem
I had high expectations for this. The nose was reticent and it took close examination to find mandarin, brown sugar and honey. The palate was elegant and balanced but the depth and interest were not there to see. Still very good, but just seemed a little bit off-key this evening.
91/100

1906 Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Port
Deep mahogany colour, so viscous that it stains the glass with each swirl. A nose dominated by alcohol and VA, in behind there were signs of coconut, burnt toffee and raisins but they were hard to get at. The palate is dense, intense and chewy and there is a bitter dark chocolate character to it that I think subtracted from the balance. Over the next few nights the alcoholic overtones faded but it was replaced by a burnt cedar character and the VA remained, the bitter chocolate on the palate got even more prominent. Nothing like the experience I’ve had with the 1880 and 1905, either this bottle or this vintage isn’t up to scratch.

Taittinger Brut Reserve NV
Bready, citrusy aromas. Clean flavours but with little depth.
85/100

Taittinger Millesime 2000
Bread, toast and citrus fruit. Medium bodied with decent length.
86/100

Taittinger Prelude Grand Crus NV
Bready yeast, citrus, minerally with some floral notes. Good body, mouthfeel and length. Well balanced. Could improve with a couple of years in bottle.
88/100

Pol Roger Brut NV
Bursting nose of apples and citrus. Palate is vibrant and balanced.
87/100

Pol Roger Brut Vintage 1998
Citrus and some smoke. Good flavour persistence and medium depth. Open and enjoyable now.
89/100

Pol Roger Brut Blanc de Blancs Vintage 1998
Spice and bread on the nose. Palate is simple and shows some bitterness on the finish which lets it down.
85/100

Tsarine Premier Cru NV
Peach and some sweaty characters on the nose. Palate is cleaner but not much of interest.
82/100

Tsarine Vintage 1999
Grapefruit and guava aromas. Lick of sweetness to the palate. Seems a bit flat and lacking character.
84/100

Tsarine Rose 1999
Strawberry and a bit of earthy funk. Palate lacks length and depth. Nothing to interest me into trying it again.
82/100

Philipponnat Brut Royal Reserve NV
Sea spray and oyster shells. Palate is clean but a bit short and quite boring.
85/100

Philipponnat Reserve Millesime 1999
Apples and pears. Crisp palate, but again lacking length and depth.
85/100

Philipponnat Brut Reserve Rose NV
Strawberry and earth. Bit of sweetness to the palate. Disappointing intensity and depth. Didn’t really like this.
83/100

Pannier Brut NV
Apples and peaches. Clean palate, finishes crisp with good length.
86/100

Pannier Brut Vintage 2000
Bready and biscuity nose. Nicely weighted fruit on the palate, but needs more depth/dimension.
86/100

Pannier Blanc de Blancs 1998
Peaches and cream. Palate is fresh but there is a touch of acid out of place on the finish.
85/100

Nicolas Feuillatte Particuliere Brut NV
Marmalade and orange peel. Softly bodied and easy to drink, but not very exciting.
85/100

Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs 1999
Peachy nose. Palate has too much lemony acid for my liking.
83/100

Nicolas Feuillatte Cuvee Palmes D’or Vintage 1997
Appealing nose - toast, slate, orange and nutty aromas. Very good fruit intensity on the palate with a strong acid core maintaining focus. Lingering sweetness. Very good, but needs a bit more depth to be a 90+ wine.
89/100

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose NV
Musk sticks dominate the nose. There is a bit of sweetness to the palate but it does not seem to be out of place. Very simple though.
85/100