Appellation Australia

Giaconda is one of the biggest names in boutique Australian wineries, especially for their Chardonnay. While they were not the first wine producer in Beechworth in Victoria, winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner has certainly put it on the wine lovers map as an area with massive potential.

With this in mind, some friends and I set out to try four vintages of each of the four top wines produced by Giaconda to see if the wines live up to the hype (leaving out the two “lesser” wines Nantua Les Deux and Aeolia Roussanne and second label McClay Road wines, some of which I talked about here). From the cellar door, new releases of the Chardonnay are $98 AUD, Shiraz $80, Pinot Noir $67 and Cabernet Sauvignon $55.

At the end of the evening, we also tried a few assorted other wines that were not related to Giaconda at all.

A Champagne to begin -

NV Gosset Grande Reserve Champagne - (from magnum)

Some toasty notes to the nose, with a hint of apricot and hazelnut. There is alright intensity of flavour on the palate but it is broad, lacking focus. There is some harshness on the finish disrupting the line and length of the wine.

84/100

Chardonnay -

1997 Giaconda Chardonnay

A rich nose, with complexity that draws you into the wine - intense aromas of honey, slightly floral honeysuckle, roasted nuts, lanolin and mellow butterscotch in the background. A luscious, delicious palate that has good texture and very good length, as well as a vein of acid bringing the richness into balance. Drinking brilliantly and at its peak. My favourite wine of this flight.

94/100

1999 Giaconda Chardonnay

This was darker in colour than the 1997. Initially the nose was fairly muted with some honey, after some time in the glass this fell over, descending into oxidised, spirity aromas. The palate was similar, starting off with a lack of character and the heading downhill. A bottle that was not a good example would be my presumption, although Oliver rates this as already past its drinking window - so maybe not.

80/100

2001 Giaconda Chardonnay

Initially asparagus and onion skins on the nose that blew off to reveal an ungenerous, reclusive nose. The palate is soft and lacks depth, finishing alcoholic and sharp. Not very pleasant.

83/100

2004 Giaconda Chardonnay

A light straw-yellow in colour. Has a tight but interesting nose that exhibits restrained peach, minerals, citrus and honeysuckle. The palate has scintillating focus with brilliant balance as well as lingering flavours and length that cannot be faulted. Excellent now, and could well be breathtaking in a couple of years with some additional complexity.

94/100

Pinot Noir -

1998 Giaconda Pinot Noir

A murky red colour with bricking around the edges. Nose showed signs from the beginning of being over the hill and descended into vinegary territory with time in the glass. The palate is dry, tannic and dead.

NR/100

2000 Giaconda Pinot Noir

Capsicum dominates the nose initially, with stalks, briar, vegetables, pepper and floral notes coming through after letting the wine breath. The palate is clean, but lacks the depth and texture of good Pinot Noir. Almost to be expected, it finishes short and watery - completing the disappointment.

80/100

2002 Giaconda Pinot Noir

The nose opens with interesting smoked meaty and gamey aromas, with background scents of cherry and raspberry. Unfortunately the palate doesn’t deliver on what I thought was a promising nose. The length is alright and it seems balanced, but looking past that, it is devoid of character or interest. Drinkable, but it needs to be much more than that for the price level.

86/100

2004 Giaconda Pinot Noir

The least murky in colour of the four Pinots. The nose expresses dark cherry, violets, briar and spices with some earth and gamey notes also being hinted at. The palate is again elegant but too simple, without texture or depth. The best wine of the Pinot Noir flight, but still a letdown.

88/100

Cabernet Sauvignon -

1999 Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon

A nose of restrained blackcurrant, smoky notes along with a slightly funky undergrowth element to it. The palate is elegant and at the same time complex, with tingling, teasing flavours across the length of the wine. Classy texture with well integrated tannins providing backing and structure. Very enjoyable and my favourite Cabernet from this tasting.

92/100

2000 Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon

Tobacco, blackcurrant/cassis, with some hints at floral notes as well as some more funkiness. The palate is elegant, but in this case it lacks complexity, texture and the overall impressive structure of the ‘99. Will drink nicely over the next couple of years, but I don’t think it’ll get a whole lot better.

88/100

2001 Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon

Corked. Slightly dusty nose, with a palate that has been stripped of fruit.

NR/100

2003 Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon

The nose is quite reticent, revealing only some smoky, dusty and tobacco styled aromas. The palate is classy, restrained and with good structure. At odds with some critics, I found this to be enjoyable and well worth taking a look at.

89/100

Shiraz -

1999 Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz

Lots of spice to the nose, pepper, cinnamon, briar and Chinese five spice powder. There is also some crushed pepper flavours on the palate. Finishing just a touch short, the palate is otherwise balanced and flows along a focused line.

90/100

2000 Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz

Nice complexity on the nose of this wine with pepper, lavender, tobacco smoked meat and bacon fat. The palate is a little bit up and down across the slightly short length, lacking focus - but there is a vitality and intensity to the flavour that almost makes up for its shortcomings.

91/100

2001 Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz

A reserved nose of Chinese five spice, violets and earth. The palate is elegant but seems to lack some backbone and structure as well as being generally unexciting.

87/100

2002 Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz

Black olives, restrained black pepper, earth and spice with some nicely integrated cedary oak in the background. Structurally excellent on the palate with a superb length and a rich depth of flavour that really took this up a level. Intense and youthful but also showing balance and class. Delicious to drink and I think sure to get better with additional age, one of my favourite red wines of the night.

93/100

The others -

2000 Du Tertre (Bordeaux)

Ruined by heat damage (cooked) at some point in its life.

NR/100

1990 Domaine Deletang Montlouis “Les Batisses” Moelleux (Loire Valley)

An enticing nose of light honey, honeycomb, citrus fruits and apricot. The palate is soft and rounded, lacking in focus as well as intensity. The intensity may build with time in the bottle, but I don’t know that this will reach greatness.

87/100

2002 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz (Barossa Valley)

A concentrated yet approachable nose of licorice, blueberry, some cherries as well as undertones of citrus zest with some chocolate oak influence neatly playing a supporting role. A velvety, plush and deeply fruited palate that demands drinking and not necessarily thinking. Still in its youth, but I think it is so balanced and smooth that it is drinking perfectly well at the moment with the potential to change with age, but perhaps not improve depending on how you like your wine.

92/100

NV R L Buller Calliope Rare Liqueur Muscat (Rutherglen)

Simply stunning. Coats the sides of the glass for some time after each swirl. Dark orange maple coloured with flicks of golden yellow throughout. An intoxicating, intense nose of raisins, burnt brown sugar, maple syrup, orange peel caramel and more. Viscous and unctuous palate with incredibly rich sweetness, depth and complexity and yet it is somehow fresh and balanced at the same time. A finish that seems endless. A brilliant experience.

I tried this again recently alongside the Buller Rare Tokay and while they were both superb, the Muscat was a level above the Tokay.

97/100

The conclusion -

The Chardonnay can be brilliant and from two of the wines that we tasted, it deserves its place among the very top Australian Chardonnay.

The Pinot Noir was lackluster and the vintages we tried were disappointing to say the least. The ‘04 looks headed in the right direction, but it is expensive considering that not a single person at the table was wowed by any of them.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was good and the price seems reasonable for the better vintages.

Shiraz could well be the future star. I thought it consistently good and the ‘02 was a special wine (I have also tried the ‘04 which was brilliant).

A recent dinner with the theme for the start of the evening being “Grand Marque Champagne”. All wines were tasted blind by me except for the Savaterre and the Carpineto.

Comte Audoin de Dampierre Family Reserve Grand cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne 1996

A hyperactive bead with the most mousse of any of the Champagne this evening. I adored the nose on this, elegant floral scents, apple, lemon, minerals and just a smidge of toast. The palate is superbly balanced with great focused acid playing off against a richness of flavour. I agreed with the others that this is drinking wonderfully well now and while it may change with age, I don’t think it will necessarily get better than this.

95/100

Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Non-Dose premier Cru Champagne NV

Based on the nose, I thought this wine was a ring-in, with the nose having a musky, sweet moscato like character to it as well as strawberry bubblegum and some slate and chalk aromas. The palate lacked points of interest and was short. Adair came up with the absolutely perfect descriptor for the palate which was mineral water. I can see what Attila was saying about the uniqueness of this wine, but it just didn’t do anything for me at all in terms of enjoyment.

80/100

Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon Champagne 1996

A very fine bead. Cherry, toast, vanilla, mushroom, flint and herbs on a nose of brilliant depth, just from the nose this is a step up in class. An utterly charming palate that was elegant and almost perfectly structured, while at the same time having breathtaking depth, intensity and an incredibly long, sublime finish. Obviously this is young and not the wine that it will be in time, but it is already shows a level of complexity that belies its age. This was genuinely stunning, a monumental wine.

97/100

Lindemans Reserve Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier Sparkling 1999

What poor wine would follow the brilliance of the Dom? This had a very tight, muted nose with a hint of bread and butterscotch. There was too much acidity on the palate and not enough fruit leading into a finish that seemed short in comparison to some of the previous wines. That said, it was enjoyable to drink, simple yet tasty, which for me made it a superior wine to the Larmandier.

When people thought it a Grand Marque Champagne, the comments were that it was somewhat disappointing (too much acid, too much alcohol, disjointed etc) - as a $10 Australian Sparkling wine though, it is a revelation and I’m delighted that a humble Aussie went toe to toe with the big guns. I think I will purchase some.

89/100

Krug Vintage Champagne 1988

A honeyed, toasty and nutty nose that I usually associate with Krug, but there is none of the trademark Krug intensity, complexity or richness here. The palate was flat and bitter, finishing short and becoming increasingly oxidised and sherried after a short time in the glass.

NR/100 because it was a bad bottle, but under 80 if I was to rate it.

Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Champagne 1995

A nose that that wasn’t willing to give a whole lot away, with just some simple citrus aromas and a small level of toast. The palate is round and ripe with a rather delicious creamy mouth-feel but no sign of the depth or length that I would expect of a Marque Champagne.

91/100

Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon Rose Champagne 1978

A real privilege to taste this wine, my first Dom Rose.

A golden orange in colour with just brief glimpses of the trickling bead through the wine. The nose showed life through honeycomb and floral notes as well as an almondy oxidative character. I took a sip, and to my surprise there was still a core of acid present and propping up a palate that is clinging onto life with good depth of flavour.

88/100

J-L. Chave Blanc 2000 (Hermitage, France):

Ripe pear and some heat on the nose. A viscous glycerol like mouthfeel with more alcoholic heat showing through badly. There is an interesting texture to that palate that I kind of like, but I couldn’t really find anything else to like about this wine.

I think the label said 13.5% which I am sure the winemaker would have trouble stating with a straight face.

82/100

Domaine Francois Raveneau 1er cru Montee de Tennerre 1999 (Chablis, France):

Seashells, salt water/sea spray with a touch of both toast and asparagus on the nose. The palate is steely and has the kind of unique “pure” flavour that I link to Chablis but doesn’t really have the depth of a wine destined for greatness. I enjoyed drinking it regardless and perhaps it will prove me wrong in time.

89/100

Savaterre Chardonnay 2004 (Beechworth, Victoria):

A mistake to bring this wine to this dinner, but I had been wanting to open one for the past few months without an occasion to do so and was hoping it might find an audience. C’est la vie.

Nectarines, peach, oatmeal, plenty of high quality oak and a caramel malt barley kind of character to the nose. The palate has a certain textural brilliance to it that really draws me to this wine. Complex and minerally and mealy, it is only set to get better from here. I was the only one on the night who liked this wine.

91/100

Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy 1er Cru Lavaux-St.-Jacques 1996 (Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy):

An interesting gamey, spicy, earthy nose with just an elusive hint of nutmeg. The palate shows the savoury fruit intensity that some (most?) Australian Pinot producers would love to be able to achieve. No real “wow factor” yet, but I would probably back it to be showing extra complexity in the next 5-8 years and that could raise the wine a level. As it stands now, a nice drink indeed.

90/100

Isole e Olena Cepparello 1998 (Tuscany, Italy):

A fair bit of toasty oak dominating the nose along with some liquorice and spice. The palate is medium bodied with a earthy texture. The tannins are standing out at the moment but I think that they may come around with time. This is very much a wine to enjoy alongside food.

90/100

Chateau Haut Batailley 1982 (Bordeaux, France):

The nose is enticing with deep smokiness, tobacco, spice, mushroom and cedar. The wine is drinking at its very peak, with all the elements of the palate coming together in balance. Though mature, the tannin structure is still excellent and the wine is carried through by this into a long finish. The interaction of components of this wine is what I think of when I think of very good mature Bordeaux.

92/100

Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1982 (Bordeaux, France):

A nose that had me captivated - blackberry, bramble, spice, violets, tobacco, slate and graphite - youthful and yet with utterly superb layered depth and complexity. The palate is similarly enchanting with layer upon layer of depth and with every part of the wine coming together to sing in perfect balance leading into a peerlessly long finish. I’m rendered almost speechless, even thinking back on the wine now a few days later. Profound, brilliant and about as close to perfection as I have ever tasted in a red wine.

99/100

Gere & Weninger Barrique Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 (Villany, Hungary):

A wine that most would have trouble pinning down as a Cabernet varietal wine. The nose is rich and has nicely integrated oak with floral and pepper overtones. There was a unique graceful texture on the palate that I found quite appealing. Good length and quite enjoyable, this is one of the things I love about offlines - getting to try wines that I would never have been able to taste otherwise.

89/100

Gere Villany Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (Villany, Hungary):

A nose comprised of charred oak, medicinal aromas, pepper and sweet, jammy fruit. The palate is rather flat and lacks all that much of interest to talk about I’m afraid. Attila made an interesting point that the winemaker now gives himself top billing on the front label rather than the region that was in large font on the 1993.

80/100

Carpineto Farnito Vinsanto del Chianti 1986 (Tuscany, Italy):

A golden orange colour. Nose has deep aromas of coffee beans, hazelnuts, almonds, some oxidative notes and spirity liquor. A rich, luscious apricot and nutty palate with sweetness balanced by well proportioned acidity. The palate has good intensity and flavour, but not a whole lot of depth or length. I quite liked it though and it was certainly something a bit different.

89/100

Seppelt DP63 Show Muscat NV (Rutherglen, Victoria):

My opinion was that this wine was corked and not like some other bottles of this that I have had which had been superb. This was just a bit flat and lacking, with some complexity wanting to emerge from behind the taint but not allowed to come through.

NR/100

I had a chance to very briefly sample a few of the mid-year new release Giaconda wines earlier this evening. Giaconda from Beechworth in Victoria, is famous for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which are released along with the Cabernet and Shiraz towards the end of the year, but they sell two interesting white wines in the middle of year as well as a new release of the second tier “McClay Road” label from fruit that didn’t make the cut for the Giaconda label.

The Nantua ‘Les Deux’ Chardonnay 2005 is comprised of 93% Chardonnay and 7% Roussanne. The nose has elements of stonefruits, peach, apple and roasted nuts to it. The palate has an interesting texture to it, but I also found some bitterness that caused disruption to the line and the focus. I’ve never really had much affection for previous vintages of this wine and my mind wasn’t changed by this. At $45 a bottle, it isn’t for me. 87/100

Next up was the Aeolia Roussanne 2005. The nose is waxy as well as showing ripe pear and lemon rind characters. There is an oily texture and luscious, viscous mouth-feel to the palate while still having focused acidity and avoiding being over the top. It finishes with a bit of a punch and with good lasting length. It’s not really my style and at $75 I’m not tempted, but it is certainly interesting and I could see some people with different tastes getting excited about it. 90/100

McClay Road Shiraz 2005 is the second release of this second-tier Giaconda label, the first being the declassified, smoke-tainted 2003 vintage wines. I’m reminded a bit of the Castagna Sauvage 2003 Shiraz by this, although the McClay isn’t quite as feral. The complex nose does display lovely savoury smoked meat characters and black pepper. The palate is balanced and while the depth and length are slightly lacking, the wine as a whole is going to be good to drink over the next couple of years. At around $35, it is just about at the right price for what it is. 90/100

Finally, I was able to try the “Warner Vineyard” Shiraz 2004 which has just been delivered in the past couple of months to customers who ordered it late last year. Deep set aromas of graphite, blackberry, spices and earth. It has powerful, deep fruit that is tightly coiled and hits the palate with precision, great length and superb balance. Completely seductive and the antithesis to the ripe, high alcohol, fruit and oak monster Australian Shiraz that seem to get all the attention overseas. An exceptional wine and I’m glad to have a couple of bottles put away to drink over the next 6-8 years. 94/100

Some quick notes from an excellent evening hosted by David Lole in Canberra. All wines were tasted and scored blind except for the Curlewis, the St. Henri and the Petaluma Essence.

Rockford Sparkling Black (Sept. 2005 disgorgement) - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):

Bright, clean raspberry, cherry, pepper, vanilla and blackberry aromas as well as a smidge of oak. Flavours refreshingly dance across the tongue into a good length finish. Rather lovely to drink - sure it is youthful, but at least you don’t have to deal with the infamous leaking/snapping Rockford corks when you open them early.

90/100

Grosset Watervale Riesling 2002 (screwcap) - (Clare Valley, South Australia):

Lemon and lemon zest, floral aromas, gunflint (although I wasn’t as troubled by the sulphur as some others) and a touch of toast and honey. The palate is austere and shows an excellent minerally acid structure. Certainly youthful and not providing all that much pleasure to drink at the moment, but the promise lies in its future in around 5-8 years time.

91/100

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1999 - (Margaret River, Western Australia):

Toast, strong pear, peach, grapefruit and nutty, creamy oak that is well blended into the rest of the nose. A very classy palate that is just slightly let down with just a touch too much oak at this stage and just a bit of alcoholic heat on the back palate that I fear may not subside with time.

91/100

Curlewis Reserve Pinot Noir 2002 - (Geelong, Victoria):

Lots going on with the lovely nose - black cherry, earth, forest floor (I learnt a new descriptive French wine term on the night - “valley of the hare”) stalks, some beetroot, spice and honey. Superb length, great depth of fruit and fine walnut flavoured tannins. A genuine top-shelf Australian Pinot Noir that I think is drinking very well at the moment.

93/100

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1996 - (Grampians, Victoria):

Deep youthful colour, but there was some complexity on the nose suggesting that it had a bit more age to it. Earth, mushroom, violets, rosewood, a hint of black pepper and cassis. Tannin structure is present on the palate but showing good integration with the other components. An excellent wine that should be drinking at its peak in around 3-5 years and should live on for some time after that.

93/100

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1998 - (Regional Blend, South Australia):

Chocolate, blueberry, vanilla oak and lots of clean, vibrant red berry fruit. Lovely balance on the clean palate, with good length and importantly it is very enjoyable to drink! Sure, it doesn’t give you a sense of place - but that obviously isn’t what it is aiming for. Drinking really nicely now, but has the structure and balance to develop complexity should you want to give it time over the next 6-8 years.

92/100

Penfolds St Henri Claret “Special Release” 1979 - (Regional Blend, South Australia):

Great colour, no browning even around the edges. Leathery, sweet earthy fruit. Everything is fully resolved and balanced on the palate. A nice old wine that was drinking without faults, and not falling over in the glass, but almost certainly would have had a lot more to offer in the early to mid 90’s.

87/100

Best’s Bin 0 Great Western Shiraz 1998 - (Grampians, Victoria):

A nice coincidence to have this wine on the same night as the Seppelt Great Western. Raspberry, bramble, blackberry and a lovely touch of floral lift (which had some thinking Shiraz/Viognier). A palate that has great weight and depth of fruit flavour. Very youthful and primary but has the class to go the distance and I think it’ll hit its peak in 8-10 years. Should have been poured after the Giaconda, but that is one problem with tasting wines blind.

92/100

Giaconda Cabernet 1992 - (Beechworth, Victoria):

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Excellent colour with just a hint of thinning around the edges. Classic cabernet nose of graphite, capsicum, cedar and some some smoky ash. Excellently balanced palate flows through to a long finish. A much better bottle than the one I had late last year with some friends in Sydney at a dinner. Not showing any signs of tiring, but it is well and truly ready to drink.

92/100

Petaluma Botrytis Semillon “Essence” 1999 - (Coonawarra, South Australia):

Great depth of aromas to the nose with honey, botrytis, peaches and pears, crème Brule, burnt toffee and caramel. The palate is just a bit over the top, especially in comparison to the balanced 2000 vintage of this wine that I served late last year. The acid structure is there in the background, but it is just overawed by the level of sweetness. It did seem to come together slightly with some air. Very good but not great.

89/100

A quick get together at Borelli’s Italian Restaurant in Epping. The restaurant was good for what it is, a small local place that has food with good flavour and large servings, with fairly priced meals (for us it was around $50 AUD per person for three courses and tip) and corkage at $4 a bottle. Most importantly, it was centrally located for the people attending this get together. We had an interesting little mix of wines on the night with a couple of them standing out at the end.

Pol Roger Brut 1996 - (Champagne, France):
A nose of green apples, citrus, some minerals and a touch of yeast but seemed to have softened in intensity since I last tried it in December 2004. There was a slight musty character that reminded me of a similar character on the 1988 Dom Perignon that I had at the French wine dinner at Marque I but I don’t think it was corked (nor did anyone think the Dom corked), it can be hard to tell sometimes though. A glass left to the side for a few hours didn’t seem to have any obvious level of taint to it. The palate had some nice texture to it and a cleansing wave of acidity across the length. A bad bottle or not, I still thought it was a nice wine.
88/100

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1996 - (Margaret River, Western Australia):
Citrus peel and roasted nuts on the nose. Generous flavour on the palate and the length was good except for a weird bitter echinacea like character on the mid to back palate. Seemed quite developed - not as good as a previous bottle that I had late last year. Based on this bottle and even the one previous, I’d been drinking it over the next couple of years.
86/100

Paul Jaboulet Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage 1997 - (France):
Cherry, liquorice, stalks, iodine and tar. Tannins and oak well integrated on the fairly sappy palate. Drinking pretty nicely at the moment, I don’t think it would benefit from much more age.
87/100

E. Guigal Hermitage 1997 - (France):
Blackberry, liquorice, dark berry fruits, dark chocolate. Again the slight sappy green element to the palate, but not as pronounced as with the Jaboulet. Structure, tannins and length seemed to be slightly better than the Jaboulet. A nice wine that will probably be a bit nicer with a few more years in bottle.
88/100

Castagna Genesis Syrah 2002 - (Beechworth, Victoria):
Pepper and spice with background apricot as well as bright raspberry and cherry aromas, there were some floral notes coming through as it just started to open up. I didn’t think the viognier too overt (although if you hate it, it is certainly there in the background). Palate exhibits some excellent texture and structure. Needs another 5+ years to really shine.
91/100

Parker Estate Terra Rossa First Growth 1994 - (Coonawarra, South Australia):
Lots of blackcurrant and cassis, smoke, hints of slightly roasted vegetables and capsicum. Palate is smooth and the components seem well integrated, but it surprisingly has very little secondary development as yet. Very good now and should probably get better if everything stays balanced while it develops complexity.
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

Savaterre (Beechworth) - One of my clear favourites of this event and I’ve put my money where my mouth is by ordering a mixed lot of these three wines from the mailing list. Not to mention that the winemaker Keppell Smith seems like a really nice guy. It makes it a lot easier to support small makers when their winemakers aren’t jerks (not naming any names). These wines aren’t cheap, but I consider them right at the forefront of quality Australian wine. If you are interested, you can join the mailing list here.

Chardonnay 2004 - Peaches and cream on the nose along with flint and minerality and just a touch of very well integrated oak supporting. It has a clean, elegant, tightly focused palate that pushes all the right buttons for me. Superb length and has the structure to age wonderfully well. This is already excellent and is only going to get better after it has spent some time in the bottle. 94/100

Pinot Noir 2004 - Earth, cherry, violets, oak and some enticing truffle/mushroom aromas. Shows lovely length and exceptional balance. While I very much liked the Les Enfants below, this wine has better structure, texture, depth of fruit and all around class. This is a Pinot to hold onto for a few years before enjoying. 94/100

“Les Enfants” Pinot Noir 2004 - As the name indicates, this is from young vines. Keppell usually makes the grapes from these vines into a house wine for local restaurants - but he felt the fruit this year was too good to pass up the chance to make a Savaterre wine from it. The wine has an enticing nose of stalks, earth, cherry and a bit of smoked meat. Palate is savoury and dry rather than fruity which I really liked. This is the kind of wine I wanted to see more of in the Pinot master class I spoke about earlier. 91/100

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

I recently reviewed the Castagna “Sauvage” - a blend of Shiraz, Viognier and Sangiovese here. “Genesis” is the flagship of the Castagna range and as mentioned in the previous review, it wasn’t able to be made due to drought and bushfires in 2003.

This particular vintage, was the second release of “Genesis” and the first made from vines owned by Castagna. When the grapes were picked, the vines were less than two years of age - if this is what Julian Castagna can do with such young vines, I am looking forward to his future releases when the vines become fully mature.

Tasting Note: Lifted scents of violet and a touch of apricot with earth, spice, tobacco, blackberries and plum, along with some gamey, meaty characters in the background. Lovely textured mouth-feel. An outstanding effort from such young vines. 92 Points Drink: Now - 2007