Appellation Australia

A fun night recently with some of my wine drinking associates where we celebrated the birthyear (and in one case the conception year) of the people attending with wines from that vintage. The years we were celebrating were 1963, 1968, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984. None of the years are especially legendary or classic, but we still managed to put on a very good selection.

Krug 1979 - (Champagne, France):

There is a very fine bead on this but not much mousse. Orange peel, honey, almond, some oxidative characters and some toast. Compared to the bottle I had at Marque earlier in the year I thought it was lacking the flavour concentration on the palate that endeared me to the previous bottle. For me, the palate had a slightly odd sweet and sour element battle being waged.

90/100

Seppelt “Maturation Release” Riesling 1984 - (Eden Valley, South Australia):

Opens with passion fruit, lime, floral touches and some toast on the nose. Palate is simple and lacks definition. A nice enough wine, but certainly not living up to reputation as being one of the classic Australian aged Rieslings. Consistent with the last bottle I tried which was disappointing.

86/100

Trimbach Clos-Ste.-Hune Riesling 1981 - (Alsace, France):

A shimmering light gold colour. My first sniff straight out of the bottle was not promising - very sulphurous, but given some air time, I felt that it really started to open up with wax, straw, petrol and citrus emerging. The palate was where the class and finesse of this wine really shone through though - super balance, style, structure and length! Might be one of the few ’81s that will stick around for my 30th birthday!

92/100

Mildara “Peppermint Patty” Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1963 - (Coonawarra, South Australia):

The was low to mid shoulder in level. There were a series of approving noises being made about the medium garnet colour of this while it was being poured into the decanter. There was just a slight tinge of brick-red around the edges in the glass. What an amazing set of aromas it produced - smoke, leather, blackcurrant, dried flowers, a slight mulchy element, caramel, vanilla and even a touch of peppermint leading into eucalyptus. A superbly balanced, multi-layered palate with breathtaking length.

This was a very special experience. A legendary wine that is apparantly showing lots of variation between bottles, I think we were lucky to get one that was in the best condition that could have been hoped for.

98/100

Chateau Latour 1970 - (Bordeaux, France):

The nose is deep and rich with graphite, menthol, roasted meats, blackcurrant and some mulchy and cheesy characters. The palate is youthful and shows aggressive tannins along with reasonably good length. Didn’t live up to reputation and probably suffered from coming after the Peppermint Patty.

92/100

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1979 - (Bordeaux, France):

This wine was poured along with the story of one of the attendees proclaiming to her boyfriend earlier in the day that she was unready to die as she had not yet tasted Cheval Blanc! Initially the nose is pretty decent, some violets, cherry, spice and florals but these seemed to disappear quickly to be dominated by band-aid aromas. Palate wasn’t great from the start with a lack of fruit resulting in a thin, sharp and short palate. She might have to continue living for just a bit longer yet to try a good Cheval Blanc!

80/100

Chateau Margaux 1979 - (Bordeaux, France):

This was the best of the three 79s that we tried. Nose shows great character with liquorice, cassis, cedar, pencil shavings, raspberry and violets. A good length palate that has aggressive tannins coming in over the top and disrupting the flow somewhat.

90/100

Chateau Trotanoy 1979- (Bordeaux, France):

My first Trotanoy. Aromas of sea salt and brine, iodine and briary characters. The palate showed little to generate any excitement and started heading out of balance and downhill shortly after being poured.

86/100

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 1981- (Bordeaux, France):

A nose of cedar, graphite, pencil shavings, violets, earth and some meats. The palate is a disappointment that lets the wine down – entirely austere and overly tannic.

85/100

Chateau Haut-Brion 1981- (Bordeaux, France):

Cooked, spoiled, yeasty, oxidised … totally stuffed basically.

NR

Tyrrell’s Vat 5 Shiraz 1981 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales)

A lifted floral nose with cinnamon, raspberry, chocolate, plums and tobacco. The palate shows good balance and plenty of sweet fruit but perhaps pulls up a little bit short and lacks complexity. Regardless, it is a good wine from a less than stellar vintage in many areas of the red wine world and was the best of the flight of 81s.

90/100

Penfolds Grange 1977- (South Australia):

Aromas of rhubarb, violets, some smoked meats and a touch of VA. Lovely aged complexity as well as rich fruits on the palate along with great length and good balance. Pretty close to its peak I would think.

92/100

Penfolds Grange 1979 - (South Australia):
A fairly imposing nose with vanilla oak, caramel, chocolate, liquorice, raspberry, VA and tar. Palate showed very good length but was lacking in anything much else to get excited about.

90/100

Penfolds Grange 1980 - (South Australia):
Lots of dried herbs and tea leaves on the nose as well as raspberry and redcurrant. The palate was simple, short, one dimensional and lacked structure.

85/100

Penfolds Grange 1981 - (South Australia):
Oak, ground coffee beans, some nuttiness, sweet fruits and a smidge of VA. Palate is youthful, with reasonably good length but again some clumsy tannins on the finish throw off the balance of the wine.

89/100

Penfolds Grange 1984 - (South Australia):

Nose is fairly simple at this stage with a fair bit of vanilla oak, blueberry and blackberry. Palate shows some youthful richness but it is ultimately too oaky and there is some bitterness on the finish. Based on this bottle I would be giving it more time, but I’m not entirely convinced that it will come into balance.

87/100

Chateau Musar 1979 - (Bekaa Valley, Lebanon):

A cloudy ruby colour. Earth, ash, VA, spice and smoked delicatessen meats on the nose. The palate has abundant style! Medium bodied, good balance, great length. This was my first Musar, and hopefully not the last.

91/100

Moulin Touchais 1977 - (Loire Valley, France):

Slightly oxidative nose with sour apples, ripe pear, lemon and butterscotch. Too much acid causing the palate to look disjointed and a bit short.

86/100

Hardy’s Vintage Port 1968 - (South Australia):

Has a caramel, toffee and nutty nose. Palate is fine - pretty good balance and seems reasonably fresh but there isn’t any real depth or complexity.

87/100

I went to a hastily arranged dinner at Sakana-Ya in Crows Nest following the Torbreck tasting at North Sydney Cellars that I wrote about here. The quality of the dishes was good and there was some interesting food that I haven’t tried previously (Fried Eel being an example). The service was attentive and polite. Take your own glassware if you are serious about wine as the provided stemware is sub-par. It was slightly on the expensive side, but I guess when you are paying for high quality, fresh sushi-grade seafood it is to be expected.

All wines were tasted blind except for the Plantagenet and the Leo Buring.

Clos Cazals Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 1997 (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne):
Slightly toasty, apples, pears, lots of flint and minerals on the nose. Very elegant and what I would call a “pure” tasting palate with good length and balance. It started to take on a bit of extra palate weight with air time but still had fine and focused flavour.
90/100

Gaston Chiquet Tradition Brut Premier Cru NV - Disgorged November 2004 (Dizy, Champagne):
80% 2000 and 20% 1999 fruit. 45% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Nose is fairly intense with slightly funky/sulphurous notes and earth, with yeast and brioche. I found the palate a little bit broad and just a bit short.

An interesting contrast in style to the Clos Cazals.
87/100

Plantagenet Riesling 1992 (Mount Barker, Western Australia):
The nose is obviously quite developed - honeyed with some marmalade and orange and just a small whiff of petrol. Palate has some decent intensity to it, but is lacking the acid structure to retain balance.

It was doing alright for a 14 year old Western Australian Riesling, but the Plantagenet 1991 we tried 6 months ago faired a considerable amount better.
84/100

Leo Buring Leonay DW16 Watervale 1994 (Clare Valley, South Australia):
1994 was one of the few vintages when a Leonay was produced from both Eden Valley and Clare Valley fruit.

There was some gasoline and citrus (lemon and lime) on the nose. The palate is loaded with acid and a slight spritz as well as a bitter character on the finish. Not really falling over, but I doubt that this bottle would have come into any kind of balance in its remaining life.

I had enjoyed a stunning bottle of the Eden Valley Leonay last year, but this was just not as good.
86/100

Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 1999 (McLaren Vale, South Australia):
This is clearly a serious wine. I found it to be brambly, a bit leafy and spicy which led me on the wrong path with options, as well as some bitter chocolate. Good tannins and what I thought was well integrated oak provided good structure. Clearly needs some time to develop fully, but I didn’t mind drinking it as is.
89/100

Wild Duck Creek “Yellow Hammer Hill” Shiraz Malbec 2000 (Heathcote, Victoria):
65% Shiraz, 35% Malbec. This is apparently inspired and moulded on the Wendouree Shiraz Malbec blend and only available through some restaurants and to some customers at cellar door.

A nose comprised of earthy, gamey, weedy and a hint of cheesy characters. It is certainly a wine with a point of difference. Nicely integrated palate components - everything working together well. I enjoyed it for being out of the ordinary.
88/100

A recent dinner with some friends in Canberra, including the very best red wine I have been lucky enough to taste.

I know I have been talking about a fair few international wines recently which is a deviation from the theme of the site, but I hope to get back to more Australian content shortly with some international wines just every now and again.

All wines were tasted blind by me as I was the recipient of kindness from some of the most generous people you could hope to meet, and was asked not to bring a bottle.

Seppelt Keppoch “Rhine” Riesling 1977
Light golden in colour. The nose is nice, still exhibits vibrancy but also the secondary aged characters - very waxy as well as butter, toast, lemon rind and some nuttiness. Acid is still there, propping up the palate, exhibits good length but perhaps lacks a bit of depth to take this to brilliance.
91/100

Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldcapsule 1988
Orange marmalade coloured. Nose shows peaches, apricot, honey, marmalade and some slate. The palate has plenty of sweetness and while it is not over the top, it feels like the acid isn’t quite there to balance things out. Good, but looked a bit tired based on this bottle.
87/100

Domaine William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2000
A little bit of sulphur initially that mostly blew off quickly in the glass. Has a tight nose - some pear, lime, minerals and a dab of aged cheese. The palate is super lovely, with precision and focus driving towards the finish that is of exceptional length. Superb structure and greater rewards will come with patience.
93/100

Egly-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru Millésime Champagne 1996
This wine was showing a fine bead with good mousse. Has a rich and powerful nose of brioche, toast, yeast and some oxidative characters. To me, the palate is almost the opposite, exhibiting great freshness and zing, with awesome length and depth of flavour. I suspect it is drinking close to its peak already, no need to hold onto this before enjoying it.
93/100

Domaine François Raveneau Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre Chablis 1997
A tight, somewhat mute nose which started to open up a bit to show quite a bit of sulphur as well as soap, lemons and bananas. Palate is rather restrained as well. This bottle probably didn’t have the structure to come out of the other side of whatever rut it was in.
87/100

Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 1995
There was just a hint of browning around the edges of this wine. The nose seems quite nice, stalks, pepper, blood and cherry. The palate is rather a let down though after the complex nose, out of balance acid and tannins smothering other elements. Shows some flavour intensity on the mid-palate but then finishes short.
86/100

Château Le Gay 1982
A great vibrant youthful red hue. Nose shows aromas of tobacco, cedar, well integrated oak, plums, chocolate and blackcurrant. A very elegant palate with lovely balance and length. Drinking superbly now, but in no danger of falling over soon.
92/100

Château Cheval Blanc 1985
The first thing I wrote was “A complete step up in class from the previous wine”. The Le Gay was lovely, but this was totally magnificent!

A superbly layered, lifted, complex nose of tobacco, coffee, earth, liquorice, cherry, raspberry and fresh thyme and rosemary. Has an entrancing, completely seductive palate with flawless structure and balance. Brilliant, endless length. Somebody help me, I’m running out of superlatives. Well stored bottles that survive the cork lottery will surely live for decades.

I’m glad I tasted this blind, because I wonder if I would have let myself love it so much if I had known in advance what it was.
98/100

Château Rayas Reserve Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1988
A nose of olives, leather, nail polish, roast vegetables, sizzling bacon fat and burnt toast. To be honest, my description of the nose doesn’t accurately describe just how terrible it was. The palate was drinkable but stripped of any likeable characters - thin and acidic. I left a half glass for a number of hours, trying to coax something to like out of this, but in the end had to give up the cause as hopeless.
75/100

Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 1982
Very youthful colour with no signs of browning. Nose has aromas of smoke, raw meat and some bretty notes. Lots of sweet red fruit on the well balanced palate.
89/100

Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon 1982
Deep youthful violet colour. Nose that conveys essence of capsicum as well as some roast vegetables, cedar, stalky green notes and tobacco. Palate seems harsh and a bit short. Not at all like the superb bottle that we had at the Australian wine night that showed brilliantly, another victim of random variation.
87/100

Château d’Yquem 1981
Mid-golden colour. A fairly typical (in my experience) medium intensity Sauternes nose of botrytis, apricot, honey and marmalade. A rich palate, with good acid structure but bitterness on the back-palate ruins the finish. Very nice, but I probably didn’t like it quite enough to buy for my (poor vintage) birth-year drinking.
91/100

Dr. H. Thanisch (Erben Müller-Burggraef) Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling-Trockenbeerenauslese 1994
I thought it was German TBA straight away, but imagine my surprise when options veered to 1980s Australia. Wild stabbing in the dark identity guessing ensued until the deceit was unveiled

A deep golden-orange colour. Has an intense nose of honey, spice, slate and caramel. Very intense sweetness on the palate which dominates the acid just slightly. For me, more interest and complexity than the D’Yquem. This was ready, willing and able to be consumed now and in the near future.
95/100

Penfolds Great Grandfather Grand Old Liqueur Limited Release 2 “Tawny Port” NV
A generous gesture by our host at the end of the evening to open this rare fortified wine for us. A complex, intense nose of roasted walnuts, oak, caramel, toffee, rancio and raisins as well as some initial alcoholic heat. The front of the palate lacks balance with alcohol and oak dominating - still has a very nice rich texture to it as well as shrugging off the imbalance at the mid-palate stage and showing a 30+ second finish.
92/100

To balance the night of French legends that I spoke of in the last post - it was decided that we should come together again in early April to have a dinner that would be a tribute to some great Australian wines.

We gathered at Restaurant Atelier at Glebe - another restaurant with an excellent reputation.

We again selected the degustation menu as we find that it is best to space out the amount of time that you spend with each wine, and this is easier to do with multiple small courses of food.

The degustation menu is decided two days prior to the booking, to take into account what fresh produce can be obtained and it consisted of the following courses;

Sourdough Bread, EVOO, Balsamic & Tapenade, Échiré Butter
Chilled Spiced Lentil Soup & Roquette Oil
Duck Egg ‘ATELIER’ w Goat Curd Soubise, Unpasteurised Ocean Trout Roe
House-Made Black Pudding with Foie Gras, Seared Scallops and Parsnip Puree
Zucchini Flower filled with Prawn, Crab and Bill, Fillet of King George Whiting, Sauce Vierge
Rare-Roasted Gauler River Pigeon, Confit Cabbage, King Mushrooms
Seasonal Selection of Cheeses, House-Made Lavosh, Sourdough.
Sauterne Custard with Lychee Gastrique
Caramelised Almond & Praline Soufflé

It was interesting to note the similarity in some dishes to the menu at Marque (the Egg, Black Pudding, Rare Pigeon and Sauterne Custard) - but while they sound similar, the difference in flavour profile was quite pronounced for some of them.

I would say that if I were to cast a critical eye on the food (and I guess I am), it was of excellent quality and taste - but it probably didn’t quite have the depth of flavour or excitement that the food at Marque did. Some members of the party were not impressed with the Pigeon dish saying it was too rare. It is very rare and that gives a certain texture to it that you may or may not like, but for my tastes it was fine.

The service was smooth and well executed and Julian the sommelier was right on top of things when handling our wines. The glasses were alright but not great (bring your own if you are bringing special wines) and the number of decanters provided was good. The chef (Darren Templeman) was also able to produce some good looking (and apparently tasting) dishes for a member of our party who has a very long list of foods that he is unable to eat.

And the bill? $110 total per person including the 7 courses ($75), bread, cheese ($8), corkage ($8 per bottle), coffee ($5) and gratuity. I think for a degustation of this quality, you would have a hard time doing much better than that.

I think that Atelier is among the top level of restaurants in Sydney and if I were to rate it, I would give it 94 points including a couple of extra points for the value.

So, with that out of the way - let’s talk about the wines. 19 bottles opened and each one a classic wine from mostly classic vintages. Our 19 bottles were from 11 different wine regions in Australia, showing that regions outside those two or three that are currently in fashion can still make great wines. They performed as follows -

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 1996 - (Clare Valley, South Australia):
A mid-gold colour. Nose is comprised of butterscotch and lemon meringue, as well as some honey characters after some time in the glass. Length was good, but some overt acid on the palate disrupts the balance. Seemed a bit over developed, holding up alright but was apparently not nearly as good as another bottle consumed by two others at the table late last year and not a patch on the ‘96 Grosset Watervale I had recently. 87/100

Tyrrell’s “Vat 1″ Semillon 1994 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales):
Rich nose of lanolin, honey and a small amount of toast. Palate is of medium intensity and has excellent mouth-feel, balance and length. A very good wine and it was consistent with a bottle that I had last year at a Tyrrell’s tasting. Drinking well now for my tastes, but should hold for some time. 92/100

Giaconda Chardonnay 2002 - (Beechworth, Victoria):
Nose has good intensity - toasty, spicy and caramel oak, citrus, nutty and minerally/flinty characters. What I really enjoyed about this wine was its texture and mouth-feel. It has very good length with excellent structure. It should develop very well over the next 5-7 years. 93/100

Leeuwin Estate “Art Series” Chardonnay 1987 - (Margaret River, Western Australia):
Good complexity on the nose - toasty oak, marmalade, oranges, honey and grapefruit. Palate has good depth, but there is a note of tartness on the finish just disrupting the line slightly. Sits in between the two bottles I have had previously, one better (see here) and one worse. It was still an excellent wine and did deserve to sit in on a dinner of Australian legends. 93/100

Bass Philip “Reserve” Pinot Noir 1997 (375ml) - (Gippsland, Victoria):
I was truly in the minority at my end of the table, but I really liked the complex nose on this - stems, sappy, earthy, mushrooms and a bit bloody and gamey. I did not like the palate so much, there was some tartness and some aggressive stalk characters disrupting the finish. 88/100

Bannockburn “Serre” Pinot Noir 1998 - (Geelong, Victoria):
Nose shows stalks, cherry and earth as well as being a bit alcoholic. Palate was simple and somewhat one-dimensional, but I thought it was smooth and had good balance and carry. It wouldn’t surprise me if this took on some complexity with additional age. I preferred the aromas of the Bass Phillip, but would take the palate of the Bannockburn. 89/100

Mount Mary “Quintet” Cabernets 1986 - (Yarra Valley, Victoria):
Corked - musty and totally stripped of fruit on the palate. How can people say that they would miss the “romance” of cork? NR

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 - (Margaret River, Western Australia):
Youthful in colour. Nose has elements of violets, cedar, cassis and iodine. The palate is brooding and powerful yet beautifully balanced with all the elements present and working together. Excellent tannin structure and bound to be even better over the next 10 years. 93/100

Wynns “John Riddoch” Cabernet Sauvignon 1982 - (Coonawarra, South Australia):
This was the backup bottle for the corked Mount Mary. Mocha/chocolate, plum, earth and some capsicum (but in the background rather than the foreground “essence of capsicum” of the previous bottle I had generously been given the chance to try). The palate shows superb focus, depth and length. A remarkable wine that will live for years to come (bottle/cork variation pending). This was my Wine of the Night for drinking tonight. 95/100

Cullen “Diana Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001 - (Margaret River, Western Australia):
A last minute ring-in for the 1996 Cullen DM. Alcoholic heat on the tight nose as well as some violet and cherry aromas. A tannic palate that culminates in a harsh acidic finish. Just a development phase or falling to pieces, I suspect probably the former. 87/100 on this showing.

Penfolds “Grange” Shiraz 1972 - (South Australia):
Corked - One of the worst cases of TCA that I have ever experienced initally - and almost unbelievably it got worse with more air - I was unable to reuse the glass that this was poured into. NR

Penfolds “Grange” Shiraz 1978 - (South Australia):
Furniture polish as well as the furniture itself on the nose. Palate is acidic, tannic, lacks fruit and has a bitter finish. This bottle was way past its best. 78/100

Henschke “Hill of Grace” Shiraz 1986 - (Eden Valley, South Australia):
The brett police were out early on this one but I wasn’t getting any. Dark chocolate, sour cherry, leather and sweet fruit on the nose. A still youthful palate showing some tannins sticking out a little bit. The palate was getting better and taking on weight with additional airtime. A lengthy finish. Just needs to come together a bit on the palate. 93/100

Henschke “Hill of Grace” Shiraz 1990 - (Eden Valley, South Australia):
Nice complexity on the nose. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry and very well integrated oak. Palate has good structure but is powerful and intense as well. Perhaps maybe just a touch of acid sticking out on the palate to disrupt what is otherwise a wine with a very long life ahead of it. 90/100

Penfolds “Grange” Shiraz 1990 - (South Australia):
Primary, rich nose of sweet caramel, chocolate, plum, spices and American oak. Good intensity on the palate, tannins are prominent but are of high quality. Excellent length. Very young and needs a significant amount more time to really strut its stuff. 93/100

Penfolds “Kalimna Block 42″ Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):
A vibrant nose of spice, raspberry, earth, tobacco, cedar, dustiness, cassis and restrained oak. The palate is very classy, elegant yet it has superb depth and intensity of fruit, wonderful balance and a long, unbroken line and length. It may not be a pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, but it is a pure expression of Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon. Needs 10, maybe 15 years to be at its peak and could be one of the all time classics at its peak. My Wine of the Night for potential and just all around class. 96/100

Brokenwood “Graveyard” Shiraz 2000 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales):
Very closed, very hard to judge. Some liquorice, violets, blackberry on the nose. The alcohol was showing through on the palate. I was excited to taste this, but it really felt a bit lacklustre. I would not touch another one for 5 years. 88/100

Jim Barry “The Armagh” Shiraz 1991 - (Clare Valley, South Australia):
The backup bottle to replace the ‘72 Grange. From a single vineyard in the Clare Valley. A nose comprising pepper and spice, hazelnut, mulberry and chocolate. The palate has a certain vibrancy to it. Very good, long finish. Really enjoyable. 91/100

De Bortoli “Noble One” 1984 - (Riverina, New South Wales):
Nose shows a bit of promise with apricot, botrytis characteristics and sultana. The palate is disjointed, alcoholic, spiky and finishing short. Disappointing for one of the legends of Australian dessert wine.80/100

The Nepalese Kitchen is a busy restaurant in Surry Hills. The food and spicing wasn’t ideal for wine matching, but I thought it had good flavour and there were lots of vegetarian options. Plus, at $121AUD for 6 people, the value was excellent. The downsides were that we were shifted from place to place, initially upstairs and then into a private room and then back downstairs and then at the end of the meal they tried to charge us $240 (perhaps a mixup due to the tables being changed).

We tried the following seven wines;

Lakes Folly Chardonnay 1994 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales):
Light golden colour with some hints of green at the core. Nose is alright at first, some butterscotch and grapefruit, but quickly starts to show wood and varnish. Fruit is gone from the palate. Short and some harshness on the finish. Drinkable if you were really desperate! 83/100

Seppelt Maturation Release Riesling 1984 - (Eden Valley, South Australia):
The first thing I mentioned was how youthful this looks, not knowing the identity of it. The nose was not showing much intensity, some kerosene and toast. The palate was watery and short.

I left some in the glass to warm up, and it didn’t fall apart any more over the course of an hour but it remained mediocre. This wine is an Australian legend in Riesling circles, it’s something I have wanted to try for a long time, unfortunately it didn’t live up to it on the night, but that is one of the “joys” of cork. 85/100

Sorrenberg Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2004 - (Beechworth, Victoria):
Interesting nose, grapefruit, lime, wet slate, some spice and florality, candy (which ended up reminding me of those faux banana shaped lollies) and just a hint of toffee oak. Palate was good as well, creamy and with some balanced acidity flowing across the palate and into the finish. I really liked it for its difference. (I also love a tough to guess options wine as long as I’m not the one trying to guess it!) 90/100

Charles Melton Sparkling Red NV (Disgorged 1996) - (Barossa Valley, South Australia)
Some dirty horse-osity initially which did blow off which a bit of time to reveal raspberries and some plum. Some sweetness and some background oak on the palate. An okay wine, but not really my thing. 86/100

Lindemans St George Classic Release Cabernet Sauvignon 1980 (Released 1989) - (Coonawarra, South Australia):
The person who brought this wine warned us that this would either be herbaceous and horribly under-ripe or would be very good.

Youthful violet with not the slightest hint of fading or browning. Powerful, beautiful nose of tobacco, ash, tomato leaf, cedar, roast vegetables, blackberries. Palate is vibrant, yet elegant - with all facets having integrated and balanced perfectly - tannins, oak and fruit were all there but acting as one. The finish is amazingly persistent. After 45-60 minutes of breathing, it was just as good if not even better.

In one word, stunning - I could still taste this wine the next morning and couldn’t think about anything else on the drive to work or for most of the morning at work. I initially said 92, then 94 after half an hour before coming to rest at 96 the next morning. Thank you to the person who brought this. 96/100

Viking Grand Shiraz 2000 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):
These grapes were previously part of the parcel used to select Penfolds Grange from and to be fair, 2000 was a very difficult vintage in many parts of the Barossa.

Iodine, band-aids, sawdust and a chemical smell along the lines of what I imagine a mad scientist’s laboratory would smell like. Some heat on the nose. Shockingly the palate actually wasn’t too bad, young and showing some obvious tannins but the length was good and the finish was fine. 84/100

Glendonbrook Shiraz 2001 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales):
Bacon and a spirity liqueur character and well as a hint of violet and blackberry. Palate was smooth and easy to drink and matched up with the price point of the wine.

Apparently not a representative bottle based on the nose. It had been sitting in a car boot for a week. 84/100

All wines were tasted blind at dinner with some friends from the Winestar Forum with the exception of my bottles which were the Bindi, Sorrenberg and the Elk Cove.

Bollinger R.D 1988 - (Champagne, France): Disgorged May 2000. Tarnished gold in colour. Toast, walnut, yeasty dough, pears and slightly oxidative nose. Palate is intense but still retains balance and structure with a crisp finish. My favourite wine on the night. 93/100

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2005 - (Clare Valley, South Australia): What a disappointment, this is meant to be one of Australia’s very best (and expensive) Rieslings - all lemon and lime and a watery palate with no backbone, no structure, no length, no intensity. A bit of sweetness on the finish.

Wine critics have been generally extremely positive about this wine, but I have seen reports from others that their bottle was similarly poor. 85/100

Bindi Composition Chardonnay 2004 - (Macedon Ranges, Victoria): The antithesis of what I don’t like about Australian chardonnay. No buttery, over-oaked characters here. Fairly tight nose, some cinnamon and grapefruit. Some flinty minerality, good underlying oak and a bit of acid at this stage. Length is good. I liked it. 89/100

Felton Road Pinot Noir 2003 - (Central Otago, New Zealand): Cherries, tomatoes, some stalks, touch of funk initially that blew off. Thought there was some acid poking out but not nearly as much as some others at the table found. Fell away at the back of the palate. 87/100

Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 - (Eden Valley, South Australia): Savoury nose with elements of earth and blackcurrant at the forefront - lovely tannin structure and great texture/mouthfeel. My second favourite wine on the night. 93/100

Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 1994 - (Eden Valley, South Australia): Powerful nose with spice, pepper, some background oak and a hint of mint and menthol. Once again good structure and length. 90/100

Sorrenberg Gamay 2001 - (Beechworth, Victoria): Spice, earth, smoked smallgoods, some floral notes and a touch of butterscotch(?). Fleshy palate with some sweetness. Something different and definitely needs to be had with food. 88/100

Elk Cove Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2000 - (Oregon, USA): I think probably the first US Pinot I’ve tried and it’s not too bad! Earthy, forest floor, dirty and funky nose with some stalks in the background. Balanced and silky on the palate. Just lacking in some wow factor. A bit of a polarising style as well, with some liking it and some hating the dirt and funk. 89/100

Lindemans St George Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 - (Coonawarra, South Australia): Original release rather than the recent museum release bottling. Pencil shavings, cedar, cassis. Lovely complexity on the palate, great length. Very Bordeaux like. Super stuff. 92/100

Katnook Estate Prodigy Shiraz 1997 - (Coonawarra, South Australia): Tomato leaf, fair amount of vanilla oak. Palate is pretty good but the oak is still too prominent. 89/100

Rockford Grenache 1996 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): Very ashy on the nose. Components of the palate are well integrated. I don’t know if this was meant to go 10 years but it was holding up fine. Decent enough but probably not a bad move to move the fruit into their GSM blend (Moppa Springs). 87/100

Rosemount Hunter Valley Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling 1982 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales): A rarity! The story is that during the Fosters/Southcorp merger, inventory of warehouses were being done and 16 cases were found in a corner and nobody knew what they were. It turned out to be lost museum stock of this wine.

Colour was a deep orange brown, almost looked like a fortified wine. Nose was obvious aged Riesling with a bit of botrytis for good measure. Acid was there on the palate and holding the palate together. Very sweet but very nice. Fell apart after about half an hour in the glass, but was wonderful for the time it was alive. 92/100

Last month Australia’s largest wine company Southcorp (now part of Fosters and even bigger) put on its annual road-show to showcase its wines across major capital cities.

In Sydney, this was held at the completely refurbished Hilton hotel that was reopened in July. As often happens at these public events it didn’t take long to descend into madness, with two full metre high spittoons being knocked over and spilt across the brand new carpet, but I managed to make a few brief notes before it became too difficult to move.

Next year hopefully Southcorp will either halve the number of tickets sold, double the size of the room hired or hold the event over two days.

Apart from these wines, I also attended a Seppelt Fortified Masterclass which I will write about in a separate post shortly.

Secret Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2005 - Grassy, herbaceous, very fresh, a pretty good attempt at a stereotypical Marlbourough Sauvignon Blanc. I’m sure it’ll sell well. 87/100

Leo Buring: Recently refocused as a Riesling only label after dabbling in a few other varieties over the years. At the base level are the Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings which retail for around $12AU, followed by the Leonay Riesling which is only made in great years and can either be from the Clare or Eden Valley depending on which produced better grapes and retails for around $28. Two new Rieslings were on show, a single vineyard Watervale Clare Valley Riesling and a Mount Barker Riesling from Western Australia which will be released at the same price point as the Leonay Riesling later this year.

Clare Valley Riesling 2005 - A touch yeasty? Needs time to settle down after bottling - nice aromatics of lemon/lime. 88/100
Eden Valley Riesling 2005 - More restrained than the Clare - showing excellent structure and should age very well. 89/100
Leonay Eden Valley Riesling 2005 - Great minerality, great acid structure. Approachable now but will blossom with time. 91/100
Single Vineyard Watervale Riesling 2005 - Planned as an aged release in 2010. Very, very good. Superb pure fruit. Looking forward to seeing it again on release. 92/100
Mount Barker Riesling 2005 - Over the top, bracing acidity that will settle down after time and should give it the structure to age. Worth putting away a couple of bottles to see what happens. 90/100

Leonay Riesling 1991 - Not showing well on this occasion. No fruit, a bit of honey and butterscotch, no kero. Short on the finish. 81/100
Leonay Riesling 1995 - A touch of coffee(?), kero and honey on the nose. Lovely mouth-feel. This bottle seemed ready to drink. 90/100
Leonay Riesling 1997 - Touch short on the finish but otherwise very nice. Still very youthful with no signs of the fruit fading, will go for quite some more time. Balanced flavour profile. 91/100

Devil’s Lair: A brand that has a good reputation from the Margaret River region in Western Australia. Aside from their flagship Chardonnay ($35) and Cabernet Blend ($45) reviewed here, they produce a second label called Fifth Leg which is aimed at a lower price point ($15) and is apparently selling very well.

Chardonnay 2001 - A Chardonnay with a bit of character and complexity but perhaps lacking balance side by side with the 2003. 89/100
Chardonnay 2003 - More power than the 2001 but the balance is held together by smart oak usage. Good structure, excellent length. 90/100
Cabernet Blend 1999 - Minty nose and a bit of sweetness on the palate. Not my thing. 87/100
Cabernet Blend 2002 - Too herbaceous and green. Disjointed palate. I’ll pass. 85/100
Cabernet Blend 2003 - To be released April ‘06. This is more like it. Rich nose of berries, cassis, tobacco. Perhaps a bit too much oak on the palate but that may sort itself out between now and release. 89/100

Seppelt: The shining example of a winery under the control of a huge corporation that is actually making very good wine across the board, from their under $10 Victorian range to their flagship St Peters Shiraz at $50. I’ve written about Seppelt and the not so complicated secret behind their success before here.

Salinger Rose NV - Strawberry nose. Quite light, worth a look at over summer. 86/100
Salinger Sparkling 2001 - Crisp, refreshing. Good value for money. 87/100
Drumborg Riesling 2005 - Lovely restrained floral nose. Great length and structure. Give it some time in the cellar and be rewarded. 92/100
Moyston Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - Earthy, grippy tannins. Give it a few years to develop and will be good. 89/100
St Peters Shiraz 2003 - Very approachable. Great balance. Not quite as intense as the 2002 St Peters, but still excellent fruit, smart use of oak and the structure to age well. Highly recommended. 95/100
Benno Shiraz 2003 - I have seen some recent comments on a disturbing amount of oakiness on the palate and this tasting didn’t give me any reason to disagree. A bit disappointing as the fruit is clearly very good. Should probably come together, but the jury is out. 90/100

A number of people I know were interested in tasting the Chris Ringland Shiraz, formerly known as “Three Rivers” before he was forced to change the name. This wine is a super small production Shiraz from the Barossa Valley and made by Chris Ringland of Rockford fame. Ever since Mr Robert Parker took a liking to it, the prices have skyrocketed and so the only way we were going to get to taste this was if a number of people put some money in to get a glass of the wine in return.

There were only 1000 bottles made of this in 1999 (83 and a 1/3 cases) with maximum production reaching no more than 100 cases in any vintage and thus forms my entry to Wine Blogging Wednesday #15.

We also decided that this was a good opportunity to see how the 1999 Barossa vintage wines were progressing and give the Ringland some competition so we decided to do a 1999 Barossa Shiraz horizontal. As opposed to a vertical, where you taste different vintages of the same wine, a horizontal is where you taste several different wines but of the same vintage.

The Wines: All wines are 1999 vintage from the Barossa Valley and Shiraz based except for the opening Champagne and the Mount Edelstone which is from the Eden Valley in South Australia. The wines were tasted unmasked.

Flight One : A couple of sparklings to kick the night off …

Le Bernard Pitois Brut Reserve NV - A nice, fresh citrusy nose. Good length. Restrained toasty bread and yeasty characters. Nice, but not overly complex. 87/100

Rockford Black ‘99 Disgorgement - Cherries, plum and hints of tobacco on the nose. Quite balanced and shows some elegance on the palate. 88/100

Flight Two : The start of the main event …

Turkey Flat - Closed for business on the nose initially which did open up slightly after some time to show some peppery oak. A bit thin and weak on the palate with some acid protruding on the front. Not a whole lot of interest, and for me, the weakest of this flight. 83/100

Burge Family Draycott - A bit of charred oak on the nose. Smooth palate lacking in complexity. Pulls up a touch short on the finish. 85/100

Greenock Creek Seven Acre - The most full-bodied of this flight. Liquorice and berries on the nose. Grippy tannins on the palate. Lovely long finish. Powerful but still has poise and balance, not over the top. Wine of the flight. 89/100

Henschke Mt Edelstone - This did stand out as the odd one out in this flight on the nose. I got a whiff of spearmint and menthol and yes there were some earthy, horsy, savoury aromas and flavours, but in this case I though they added rather than detracted from the wine. 87/100

Flight Three : A step sideways …

Grant Burge Meschach - Concentrated blueberry jam on the nose. Good length and balance on the palate. 87/100

Viking Grand - Vegetable nose. Clunky, disjointed palate with some sharpness on the front palate and oak and over-ripe fruit sticking out. Thanks but no thanks. 82/100

Peter Lehmann Stonewell - Lots of chocolaty oak on the nose along with ripe fruit. The oak does recede a little on the palate though to show some better balance but still fails to impress. 85/100

Langmeil The Freedom - This may sound strange but I found vanilla soap the predominant character on the nose. Powerful fresh, ripe fruit. Good length. Nice but needs time to come together fully. 87/100

Flight Four : and now a step up …

Rockford Basket Press - A bit muted on the nose but much nicer on the palate of ripe berry fruit with good balanced oak providing structure. Smooth finish and good length. 89/100

Yalumba Octavius - I did not at all like the 1990 of this that I had recently due to the over the top oak. However I found the ‘99 to be more restrained. I did find it to be a bit too tannic for my liking at this stage. 87/100

Torbreck The Factor - Alright, now we are getting serious. The best nose on any wine this evening with a beautiful floral lift that made me mistake that this has the slightest dash of viognier in it (apparently not). Powerful but totally balanced palate. Wonderful length. Super stuff. 94/100

Flight Five : The big guns …

Veritas Hanisch - I decided to save this for the last flight due to its power but it ended up being out classed. Deepest colour wine that I noticed tonight. Powerful, concentrated, still youthful fruit … but too simple at this level. 88/100

Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road - Supremely powerful nose and palate. A touch spirity and a touch oaky but otherwise I enjoyed drinking this, but didn’t feel challenged by it. 91/100

Penfolds Grange - Closed, closed, closed initially. Was allowed to sit in the glass for a few hours and started to open a little and show a bit more of that typical Grange nose. Elegant, smooth, balanced and structurally complete palate with lovely mouth-feel. Really shows that elusive spark of something special over the other wines so far. In my notes I underlined twice “Come back in 15 years” when I think it’ll be spectacular. 96/100

Chris Ringland - Went blow for blow with the Grange in the battle for wine of the night and came out with a respectable result against the champion. There was a candy like element to the nose and but I thought that it provided a very nice floral perfumed element rather than being confected. Savoury, spicy, earthy and slightly meaty palate along with some wonderful concentrated berries. Breathtakingly long finish. Based on this tasting I feel it deserves its place among the top Australian Shiraz. 96/100

The conclusion : My top three wines for the night were the Grange and the Ringland as equal best Wines of the Night, with the Torbreck Factor coming in third.

I think the slightly underrated 1999 vintage looks pretty good overall, there are some good candidates for aging and some that are drinking very nicely now.

It was a good experience to have tasted the Chris Ringland wine, I can actually see what all the fuss is about and it’s just a shame for us regular wine lovers that it has been made so expensive due to one mans review.

Once again a merry band of men and women from the Winestar Forum met up in order to enjoy some food and wine.

The Restaurant: I quite liked the restaurant; my entree of Balmain Bug Raviolo was excellent and was perfect for the white wines. Wasn’t quite as impressed with the main of Char-grilled Sirloin on mushrooms, but it was still good. Service was fine and corkage very reasonable ($3pp). Came to about $70 per head including bread, a small starter, entree, main, dessert, gratuity and corkage.

The Wines: Only the Kalleske Cleanskin was served masked on this occasion.

Charles Heidsieck NV (Mis en Cave 2000) Brut Reserve - (Champagne, France): Hyper-active, fine bead. A little bit of toast initially, with a hit of unbalanced acid on the finish. Pleasant enough, but I don’t think it is going anywhere special. 86 Points

Mount Mary Triolet 2001 - (Yarra Valley, Victoria): Blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Something off-putting on the nose asides from some grassy notes, someone at the table mentioned oysters and I wouldn’t disagree. It didn’t have a great deal of complexity or interest on the palate - some tropical fruit but it was only barely there. Pulled up a bit short and watery on the finish. Didn’t live up to the reputation for me, perhaps just not my style. 84 Points

Plantagenet Riesling 1991 - (Mount Barker, Western Australia): Nose was not giving anything away. Much better on the palate, aged toasty characters with structure holding in-tact. Balanced across the palate with a good length finish. No kerosene characters. Was holding up very well for a 14 year old West Australian Riesling and I though was quite pleasant to drink but without having the intensity of a great aged Riesling. 89 Points

Savaterre Chardonnay 2001 - (Beechworth, Victoria): A wonderfully complex nose of peaches, cream and pears with well integrated oak supporting. Restrained elegant power on the palate, lovely mouth-feel, still showing some freshness. Great balance and structure. Clean, long finish. Best Australian Chardonnay I’ve had this year and I’m going to do my best to source some of this. My favourite wine this evening. 93 Points

Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 - (Beechworth, Victoria): Tobacco and smoked meat on the nose. I noted down that the tannins are still quite prominent. A modicum of class, perhaps a shadow of the past. A good enough wine and I certainly wouldn’t refuse a glass, but not mind-blowing, and certainly not living up to reputation or price. 88 Points

Seppelt Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): Nice enough savoury bouquet and palate, but the fruit was missing in action, presumed dead. Finish pulled up short. Mike, who brought this bottle, had tried a much better bottle earlier this year. Ah, the “joys” of bottle variation. 86 Points

Penley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 - (Coonawarra, South Australia): Notes are a bit scarce on this one sorry. Was a bit green (on the nose) and mean (unbalanced tannins). I thought that it was lacking in length and pulled up short on the finish. 86 Points

Clos L’Eglise Pomerol 1999 - (Pomerol, France): Thought this was looking a bit tired and weary for a ‘99. The shop is closed for business, nothing there to hold any interest. Might just be going through a phase which it will come out of. 85 Points

Kalleske Shiraz Cleanskin 2002 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia): A glass stainer. Massive nose - Somebody mentioned Chocolate Bullets which summed up perfectly the liquorice and chocolaty oak. Despite the full on body, there was still balance to be found. Perhaps a little bit short on the finish, but I don’t think you’ll find better value for $7.50 anywhere. 89 Points

Preveli Merlot 2002 - (Margaret River, Western Australia): Sadly, without any doubt corked. Not Rated

Clarendon Hills “Sandown” Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - (Clarendon, South Australia): Nothing happening at first. Was given a couple of hours in the decanter to open up (and I believe a number of hours beforehand) - If anything it got worse as time went on and in my opinion was offensive in the end smelling a bit like rotting cabbage. Maybe TCA affected but definitely not a good bottle either way. Not Rated

Oliver’s Taranga Shiraz 1996 - (McLaren Vale, South Australia): Deep red in colour. Quite powerful but lacking balance and I found the alcohol overbearing, leading to a hot finish. 86 Points

Henschke Keyneton Estate 1996 - (Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia): Blend of 65% shiraz, 30% cabernet and 5% merlot. Yes it was a little bit gamey (read: bretty) but I thought it was all the more interesting for it. Lovely complex nose, great balance and a good length finish. Close to hitting its peak. My favourite red wine of the night. 91 Points

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1991 - (Grampians, Victoria): Was a bit clunky and all over the place to begin with, but after half an hour seemed to pull itself back together and was quite enjoyable, if lacking in anything to make it stand out from the crowd. Likely a couple of years past its best. 88 Points

Miranda Golden Botrytis 2002 - (Riverina, New South Wales): Didn’t pick up a whole lot of botrytis in this. Not a great deal of intensity. Some overt sweetness sticking out, but not enough to ruin my enjoyment. Medium length finish and a good accompaniment for dessert. 88 Points

Malivoire “Moira Vineyard” Chardonnay 2002 - (Ontario, Canada): Disappointing. Very developed in colour for a reasonably recently bottled Chardonnay. A very oniony, sulphury nose put down to mercaptans. “Do Not Put In Mouth” stuff. Took most of the bottle home to see if they blew off but was just as bad the next evening. Can only put this down to being a bad bottle, I will write to the maker and see if they care to respond. Not Rated

Perhaps this offline should be known as the “It has shown better in the past” night with so many bottles not showing as well as they had previously! I had a good time regardless and am looking forward to the next one.