Appellation Australia

Charity Dinner at Otto Restaurant, Sydney

A few brief notes and photos on a recent dinner at Otto Ristorante in Sydney. The event was a charity dinner for Walk, Talk, Fly with 6 well known local chefs each providing a pasta dish and BYO encouraged.

We had some excellent wines, the food was mostly very good and as usual it was a fun night with this group.

The Wines

1995 Lanson Champagne Brut Noble Cuvée de Lanson – France, Champagne
From magnum. Oyster shell, green apple and lemon on the nose. Palate shows the typical high acid Lanson style, but there is some light fruit richness to balance this out. Give it 10 more years. 91/100

2010 Pieropan Soave – Italy, Veneto, Soave
Light spice and nutty aromas with some waxy notes in the background. The palate is medium weighted with interesting textural elements. Medium length and quite tasty. 89/100

1996 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Lovedale – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Served blind. Lanolin and lime with honey and a touch of smoke. Palate has weighty honeyed fruit but also has the acidity to finish cleanly. Drinking at its peak. This is the second great bottle I’ve had in the past couple of years, with a less impressive bottle in between. 92/100
2000 Tyrrell’s Chardonnay Vat 47 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Served blind. A rich and aged nose of caramel, honey and butterscotch. Palate is very much richly weighted as well though there is still good drive and length. More advanced than a bottle last year, but still very good. 90/100

2009 Bass Phillip Chardonnay Premium – Australia, Victoria, Gippsland
Lemon, some sea spray and a little wild earth character, the nose opened and improved the longer the wine was in the glass. The palate is classy, with oak and fruit in balance and appealing length. I’d like to see this again in 3-4 years. 90/100
2007 Michel Picard Corton-Charlemagne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Flint and mineral on the nose, with lemon, oats and lilies in support. Rich fruit that really takes off on the mid-palate and finishes long. Very youthful but still has character and is delicious. 92/100

2000 Dominique Laurent Bonnes Mares – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Really lovely complex aromatics here – strawberry, game, floral notes, light smoke and earth. Palate is bold but has detail as well, with both savoury red and deeply set black fruit elements. There is very good tannin structure and good length. Being a 2000 I had thought it may be near its peak, but I think this safely has another 5-6 years to get there. 92/100

2002 Dry River Syrah Lovat – New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
Black pepper on the nose with stems and some meaty aromas. The palate shows great restraint with more spice and pepper elements evident. Pleasingly detailed texture provides extra interest. For me I thought this was drinking well now and should continue to do so over the next few years. 90/100
2008 Freeman Vineyards Secco Corvina Rondinella – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Hilltops
Blackcurrant, cherry and liquorice with some szechuan pepper aromas. The tannin and bold black fruits mingle well on the palate, giving the impression of both richness and structure. I’m sure I’ve had a previous vintage of this but I can’t find my note – I remember liking whatever vintage that was and I liked this one too! 89/100

1991 Henschke Cyril Henschke – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Served blind. The nose is excellent – with leather, redcurrant, tobacco and still some signs of vanilla oak. Deliciously smooth and resolved on the palate, with balance and complexity – this has really progressed well over the past 7 years since I last tasted it. Drink over the next 4-5 years. 91/100
1990 Penfolds Bin 389 – Australia, South Australia
Intense nose of tobacco, blackberry, graphite and cocoa. Palate is extremely youthful still, there is plenty of dark fruit and fine but evident tannin. Another 5+ years wouldn’t have done this bottle any harm. 91/100

2010 Cascina Degli Ulivi Semplicemente Triple A Vino da Tavola – Italy, Vino da Tavola
Violets, cherry and strawberry aromas with some horsy notes as well. The palate is lightweight and has quite nice acidity. Drink now. 87/100

2004 Giacomo Brezza & Figli Barolo Sarmassa – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The nose was closed and tight initially, with some time there was tar and fresh pine needles then some nicely perfumed floral notes. The tannins were at the fore on the palate. While there is not great complexity just yet, it should come with some extended time in bottle. 90/100
2001 Pian Delle Vigne (Antinori) Brunello di Montalcino – Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Appealing nose with raspberry and cherry, tobacco and tar with a little touch of earth.The palate has a plush softness to it but there is excellent depth as well. Balanced and already drinking well. 92/100

1971 Château Broustet – France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Honey, orange peel, toffee and butterscotch on the nose. Palate still shows vibrancy and balance against the medium sweetness. Very good. 90/100

The Food

Joe Camilleri – Beppi’s
Spinach pasta rolled with lemon mascarpone, smoked salmon, salsa verde with ocean trout caviar micro herbs & basil

Danny Russo – The Old Library
Squid ink Tortellini filled with crab meat & mascarpone, tomato, lemon caper sauce

Giovanni Pilu – Pilu at Freshwater
Malloreddus, guanciale, bottarga & crispy Sardinian bread

Eugenio Maiale – A Tavola
Roast pumpkin filled triangoli, sage butter, poppy seeds

Alessandro Pavoni – Ormeggio
Carnaroli Risotto beetroot and Gorgonzola

Richard Ptacnik – Otto Ristorante
Chestnut strozzapreti with braised rabbit, pancetta, olives, thyme

Canberra District Cellar Doors

A recent visit to 5 cellar doors in the Canberra District wine region.

Clonakilla

Clonakilla is one of my favourite wineries in Australia and I will often try to time a trip down to Canberra to coincide with the release of the new vintage of their flagship Shiraz Viognier each September. The cellar door is functional but seems a little bit dated now, I am also ever hopeful of them switching to better glassware than the standard ISOs (many places are now using restaurant range Riedels or similar) but it hasn’t happened yet and it seems like a simple change that could really help the wines (and the experience).

The wines were fairly solid across the range as usual, however the Shiraz Viognier I think suffers from the difficult 2011 vintage and I will probably allow my decent vertical collection to be broken. It is by no means a bad wine, it just isn’t worth $85 and I actually preferred the $35 O’Riada.

2012 Clonakilla Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Light herbs, floral and citrus notes – nicely aromatic. Good acidity on the palate and pretty appealing overall for drinking now. 89/100
2012 Clonakilla Riesling – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Nicely floral nose with green apples as well. Palate is strongly acidity driven and bright. Good and will get better, but I can’t see it being great. 88/100
2011 Clonakilla Viognier Nouveau – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Citrus, apple and light apricot on the nose. The palate is uncomplicated, though it hints at decent texture. 87/100
2011 Clonakilla Viognier – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Peach, spice and lemon with some wild barrel character in the background. The palate give the initial impression of roundness, but there is good acidity to lift the wine. Texturally interesting as well. 90/100
2011 Clonakilla Shiraz Hilltops – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Hilltops
I liked the nose, with floral and cherry notes and a touch of game. The palate is simple and there is a stalky character to it, with little depth. 86/100
2011 Clonakilla Shiraz O’Riada – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Very appealing nose of pepper, violets, spice and bright red cherries. The palate has that floral lift to it as well but there is some spice and good depth also. Really good and I currently prefer it to the Shiraz Viognier in this vintage. 90/100
2011 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Very light pepper, with mint, cedar and cherry. The mint note appears on the palate as well, the length is alright but it just feels like it is lacking in drive and complexity. It’s still good but I feel like it will be at its best over the next 5-7 years. 88/100

Eden Road Wines

Next stop was Eden Road Wines. I haven’t visited this producer before but had heard good things and decided it was time to try the range. Last year they purchased and moved into the large Doonkuna cellar door, which is conveniently close to Clonakilla. The cellar door did feel a bit bit too big, especially as we were the only people there at the time but a positive was the plentiful natural light.

I was really quite impressed by the overall quality of the wines here, the top Chardonnay (Tumbarumba & Courabyra) and Shiraz (Hilltops, Canberra, Gundagai) are moving into fairly expensive territory (between $36 and $50) but I quite liked The Long Road range, especially the Chardonnay, at around $20. I believe the majority of the grapes are sourced from growers, but with the purchase of Doonkuna they acquired ownership of some additional vineyard area. I’ll definitely revisit here next time and I’m looking forward to trying this range again.

2011 Eden Road Pinot Gris – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Spice, some lemon peel, pear and peaches. The palate has an oily Alsace styled mouthfeel to it, with good length and finishes clean due to the acid line. 89/100
2010 Eden Road Riesling The Long Road – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Grapefruit and soft floral aromas, backed by a touch of slate. The palate is mineral driven with a good core acid profile. Well balanced. 89/100
2011 Eden Road Chardonnay The Long Road – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba
Green apple, oats and pear aromas on the nose. The palate shows pure fruit and a minerality reminiscent of good Chablis. I found this to be delicious and great value, I actually slightly preferred it to the two more expensive Chardonnay tried from this producer. 90/100
2011 Eden Road Chardonnay Tumbarumba – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba
Graphite, mandarin, light oak and pear on the nose. Palate shows restraint with nicely bright citrus fruit though there is an ever so slight roundness to the edges. Finishes with good length. 89/100
2011 Eden Road Chardonnay Courabyra – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba
Lemon, slate and a touch of oak influence. Palate is medium bodied and there is just a pinch of rich fruit showing through. Good, but I think it will lift further with a couple of years in bottle. 88/100
2012 Eden Road Riesling Off-Dry Canberra – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Peaches, pear and light spice aromas. Pushes the limits of reasonably calling it off-dry, with 28 grams per litre of residual sugar without quite having the level of acidity needed to lift and focus the wine. Still quite tasty though. 87/100
2011 Eden Road Pinot Noir – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba
Lightly scented nose of cherry, olive and stalk. The palate is also best described as light, though there is some mid palate texture to give it some interest. 87/100
2010 Eden Road Shiraz The Long Road – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Lifted aromas of red cherry, liquorice and a small pinch of spice. The palate is medium bodied with a good balance of red fruit and some pepper/spice. Will be nice to drink over the short-medium term. 88/100
2010 Eden Road Shiraz Hilltops – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Hilltops
Aromatic bright floral notes, red berries, cherry and pepper on the nose. The palate gives off more of a dark fruit impression with good depth and restraint. Very enjoyable. 90/100
2011 Eden Road Shiraz Canberra – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Floral nose with spice, stalk and some blueberry undercurrents. There is plenty of interest on the palate, good depth and restrained savoury fruit – right along the lines of the style I like. 90/100
2011 Eden Road Shiraz Gundagai – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Gundagi
Black cherry, liquorice, dark chocolate and graphite. Excellent savoury mouthfeel with some medium bodied dark fruit supporting. Textured and long, really quite impressive. 91/100

Helm

Helm is another producer I really admire in the Canberra region. From visits over a number of years I think that the Riesling here is some of the best in Australia, however the wines tasted this time were just slightly below expectations (still mostly good though), apart from the 2010 Premium which was great. The cellar door in a tiny 1888 school house is charming, and it is also a nice place to stop for a picnic lunch as there are tables and chairs scattered around the vineyard outside.

2011 Helm Riesling Classic Dry – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Floral and aromatic nose with some lemon and lime. Good acid profile on the palate, a touch more depth to the fruit would be nice though. I prefer the 2010 and 2009 but this was still pleasant. 88/100
2010 Helm Riesling Premium – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Lemon, light florals and slate on the nose. Shines on the palate – precise, balanced and focused on the palate, with drive and persistence. I loved the 08 and 09 versions of this wine and I can see a trend developing. 91/100
2009 Helm Sauvignon Blanc – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Olives and lemon on the nose. Palate is medium bodied with some grip and a slightly oily texture to it. Interesting but not necessarily enjoyable. 87/100
2012 Helm Riesling Half Dry – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Passionfruit and orange peel on the nose. Residual sugar is noticeable and if I had to guess would be around 15 grams per litre – though there is decent balance with the acidity. Could do with some more complexity but it is superficially nice to drink. 88/100
2012 Helm Riesling Botrytis – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Lemon peel and honey on the nose. The richness and the sweetness come in over the top of the acid line and while it doesn’t end up as cloying, it doesn’t have enough drive for my taste. I wanted to like this more but it wasn’t as good as I hoped. 86/100
2009 Helm Cabernet Sauvignon – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Mint and menthol with light liquorice aromas. Medium bodied with decent length, but fails to provide nearly enough depth. Fine to drink but there are so many more interesting options available. 85/100
2008 Helm Cabernet Sauvignon Premium – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Plum, licorice and game aromas. Palate is medium bodied and suitably balanced between ripeness and restraint. Balance is fine, there is just some excitement lacking here. 88/100
2008 Helm Cabernet Shiraz – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Chocolate, spices, liquorice and light mint on the nose. Medium bodied and nicely balanced, there are some nice textural elements here. The Cabernet fruit is from the same source as the 2008 Premium bottling and the addition of the Shiraz component give it more depth and interest. 89/100

Capital Wines

I’ve been waiting for the cellar door at Capital Wines to be ready for the last few years and this year it was finally completed. It is located in reconstructed stables next to their well regarded Grazing restaurant which would also be a good place to stop for lunch if in the area. The reconstruction has been done quite well and there is a good mix of rustic elements and modern touches.

Overall this was a consistently strong lineup of wines, with the Reserve Merlot especially exciting.

2010 Capital Wines Chardonnay The Senator Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Lemon butter, some wheat and peach. Rounded palate, probably a bit too rounded for my taste but there is some texture to give it a little bit of interest. 87/100
2011 Capital Wines Chardonnay Viognier Kyeema Canberra District – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Quince, peach and apricot on the nose. Lusciously textured on the palate, there is richness and enough acidity to keep it bright. Interesting in style, I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first but I quickly warmed to it. 89/100
2011 Capital Wines Riesling The Whip Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Lemon peel, lime and light florality on the nose. Medium length and well balanced palate. Drinking well already, though the acidity should be enough to let it age well over the next 5-6 years. 89/100
2011 Capital Wines Sauvignon Blanc The Swinger – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Passionfruit and floral aromas. Light bodied, though there is a bit of fruit sweetness to play well against the acidity. Will be best consumed in its youth. 88/100
2011 Capital Wines The Abstainer – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Light nose with rose petal and cherry. Palate is light as well, there is little depth but at least it is dry and what is there seems balanced. 86/100
2010 Capital Wines Merlot The Backbencher Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Plum, graphite and some bright red cherries on the nose. Medium bodied palate with more restrained bright red fruits. Not strongly structured but it is drinking well now. 88/100
2010 Capital Wines Shiraz The Front Bencher Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Pepper, mixed spices, blackberry and light cherry on the nose. Palate has good length and texture, it’s nicely restrained while still having some generosity of flavour. 89/100
2011 Capital Wines Tempranillo The Ambassador Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Raspberry, cherry and graphite on the nose. Savoury palate and though there are some assertive tannins they do not overshadow the fruit. There is good length and I think this would only get better with food. 90/100
2009 Capital Wines Merlot Reserve Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Bright and lifted nose of floral aromas, plum, cherry and soft oak. The palate is plush and soft, though the structure is more evident in the mid-palate and it carries well into a lengthy finish. Impressive now and I’d like to see it in 3-4 years. 91/100
2010 Capital Wines Shiraz Reserve Kyeema – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Graphite, smoked meat/game and some spice. I like the savoury style of the palate, though the tannins grip and hold quite tightly. Decent length, but I didn’t really see it being much better than the standard Shiraz in this vintage. 89/100
2011 Capital Wines Riesling Late Picked – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Nice mix of pineapple, quince and mango aromas. Palate is balanced, I would guess at about 40-50 grams per litre of residual sugar, but the acidity balances it nicely. Should age well over 6-7 years. 89/100

Lark Hill

The final cellar door is one that I haven’t visited for 3-4 years after an “interesting” experience on the previous visit, backed by many others telling me they had had similar less than ideal experiences. This was a shame as the wines are usually very good. Recently the son of the owners, Chris has been doing a lot of good work on social media and we decided to give it another go. Chris wasn’t working on the day, but there were no problems with the service. I will mention one negative, which is a tasting fee (unusual to find in Australia) refundable with purchase, implemented earlier this year. I don’t have an issue with the fee as it is rare that I won’t buy at least something at a cellar door, however it isn’t mentioned at all on their website and I find it slightly deceptive to provide cellar door details on the site but not mention the fee.

The winery is certified biodynamic and was the first Australian winery to release a commercial Gruner Veltiner (from the 2009 vintage). Again, these were consistently good wines and I like that they have an aged release available for tasting and purchase.

2012 Lark Hill Viognier – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Peach, ginger, apricot and a nice floral note. Some fruit richness on the palate but it never feels over the top as the acidity cuts through it and it finishes crisply. 88/100
2011 Lark Hill Riesling – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Light florals, lime and minerality on the nose. The palate has biting crisp acidity, it has excellent focus but I do wish it was a bit more generous in its flavour profile. 88/100
2012 Lark Hill Grüner Veltliner – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
White pepper, floral notes and pear on the nose. The spice carries onto the palate, there is good verve and length, it does seem to lack a little spark compared to the 2010 but it is still very good. 89/100
2009 Lark Hill Chardonnay – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Hay, peach and some spicy, slightly nutty oak influence. Palate is a well balanced mix of fruit richness along with some more restrained minerality. 88/100
2010 Lark Hill Pinot Noir – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
A pretty nose of cherry, spice and rose petals. Balanced on the palate, it has medium intensity red fruit along with some more earthy savoury elements. Good for drinking now and over the short-medium term. 89/100
2010 Lark Hill Shiraz Viognier – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Pepper, cherry/kirsch as well as some charcuterie characters. Palate is spice driven, though some black tinted fruit comes into play as well. Good length and a good wine. 89/100
2005 Lark Hill Exaltation – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Mint chocolate, cherry, raspberry and some subtle earth. The palate is medium bodied, there is very good balance between some red fruit and the resolving tannin structure. Drinking well now but should continue to do so over the next 5-6 years. 90/100
2010 Lark Hill Riesling Auslese – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Honey and quince with lime aromas. Palate is quite sweet, there is some spice to it but perhaps needs some more acid to lift it. 87/100

Cru Beaujolais tasting plus random wines and a flight of Auslese

Another month and another great tasting with a regular tasting group. Beaujolais is something I was unsure about before the tasting – I’ve had ones bordering on great but never one that has blown me away and I don’t really get the hype – unfortunately the tasting didn’t push me off the fence either way just yet, but it was an excellent chance to try this variety of wines side by side and compare to a couple of Australian efforts.

The last two flights of Gamay were served blind, as well as the three Australian reds immediately following.

2009 François Chidaine Vouvray Pétillant – France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant
Lime and pear drive the nose, there is also an earthy and slightly oxidative edge to it, adding interest. The palate is cleaner and delivers good freshness through acidity. 88/100

2005 Domaine Thomas Sancerre Le Pierrier – France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
Lemon, hay, light honey and floral aromas. The palate shows honeyed development with decent length. Drinking well now and over the next couple of years. 89/100

2010 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Fleurie Les Garants – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Nicely perfumed on the nose, with cherries and violets and lots of raspberry influence. The palate is quite lithe, though there are hints of sweet fruit in the background. 88/100
2010 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Brouilly Pierreux – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly
Strong floral impact on the nose with violets and roses, there is some liquorice and iron, with meaty elements as well. Medium bodied palate, with grip through the tannins. The palate is mostly savoury in nature, though there is light sweet fruit lurking. 89/100
2010 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Moulin-à-Vent Les Trois Roches – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
There is good depth to the nose here – lots of earth elements then violets, tobacco and raspberry contributing. The palate is impressively structured, with spice and minerality giving interest and lifting the wine. Seems more serious than the other two 2010s from this producer that I tried alongside, and I enjoyed it a great deal. 90/100

2010 Julien Sunier Régnié – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Régnié
The nose is pretty and appealing, though there is complexity to it as well – with strawberry, floral notes, stalks, cherry/kirsch and raspberry. The palate is light-medium bodied, the appealing bright fruit characters carry on from the nose. Delicious right now and really enjoyable for its style. 91/100
2010 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Charcoal, pepper and blackberry on the nose. The acidity on the palate sticks out ever so slightly, disrupting the line and balance. Still decent, but fell behind in comparison to many of the other wines on the night. I’ve had this before and liked it much more then, so I’m not sure what went wrong here. 86/100
2010 Domaine Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Another wine with a strong floral element to the nose, the background aromas are of earth, spice and light stems. Bright acidity mingles with light but juicy red fruits on the palate. Another wine that is enjoyable right now, but for me it was behind the Sunier in interest. 89/100

2008 Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly Vieilles Vignes – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly
Funky nose – with iron, earth, game and cinnamon. The palate is more fruit forward, with good acid supporting. 88/100
2010 Coudert Brouilly – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly
Raspberry, black pepper and cherry aromas. The palate is medium bodied but it is neither overly bright nor having great depth or drive. Good but no more. 86/100
2006 Daniel Bouland Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Mélanie – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côte de Brouilly
Violets, spice and earth on the nose. The palate tends too far towards being overly extracted for my taste, with the tannins also prominent. 86/100

2010 Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py Javernières – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
Stalks, blackberry, dark floral notes and light oak influence. At first I was impressed with the structure on the palate, but there is very good fruit weight and a core of minerality and the balance is excellent as a result. For me this was one of the wines with better length on the night and I thought it had good potential to improve with time. 91/100
2010 Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py “Réserve” – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
Cherry, light cinnamon, violets and an element of game. The palate is approachable, with plush fruit and well integrated bright acidity. I think there is the potential and structure to age well over the medium term even though it is good now. 89/100
2010 Eldridge Estate Gamay – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Stood out in this blind flight as being the Australian entry. Aromas of coconut, cherry, vanilla and a smidge of pepper. The extra fruit weight on the palate gives it away, though there is less acid and tannin than many of the other wines tonight. Despite its origin being fairly obvious side by side, I still quite enjoyed it. 88/100
2006 Domaine Piron & Lafont / Piron-Lameloise Chénas Quartz – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chénas
Rubber, caramel and vegemite – quite awful on the nose. The palate is less offensive, but it is short and lacking in depth. I’m unsure if this was a sound bottle, but I did not like it.

2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais l’Ancien le Buissy – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais
Smoky, with game and cherry elements. Acid and tannin are at the forefront, though there is some decent fruit weight, as well as good length. I was left somewhat indifferent to it, though there was no specific issue. 88/100
2011 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Cheverny – France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Cheverny
Extremely stalky, with hay and a wheatgrass note in the background. The palate is lean, but it has a little bit more fruit than the nose. This was too far into the green spectrum for me. 82/100
2011 Sorrenberg Gamay – Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth
Orange peel, roses, spice and a little bit of mint. The palate is an interesting mix of spice and sweet red fruit – this is very different in style to most of the other wines tonight, but I liked it. 88/100

2002 Yeringberg Pinot Noir – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Cherry and stalks, with light forest floor character. The palate is nicely balanced, with savoury elements and sweet fruit combining well. Drink over the next 5 years. 89/100
2002 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Floral nose, with mint, soot and cherry notes. The palate is fairly smooth, but there is a lack of depth and it finishes much too short, especially for a wine and producer with this reputation. 87/100
2005 Yarra Yering Barbera – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Menthol, cinnamon, smoked meats and soft blueberry aromas. The palate shows spice and restrained sweet fruit. There are multiple layers to this wine and it finishes with excellent length. I note that the label says it is 15% alcohol, but it doesn’t show. I really liked this and was strongly impressed. 91/100

1975 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Golden coloured. Pear, honey, orange peel and a very light nutty aroma on the nose. The palate is poised, with sweetness but also a lightness and wonderfully well integrated acidity that carries the wine into a medium-long finish. Continued to lift and improve with time in the glass, if I had any more of these I would be looking forward to trying it again in 6-7 years or more as it continues to develop towards its peak. 92/100
2010 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Very pretty floral aromas along with slate, tropical fruit and lemon in support. The palate has excellent fruit intensity with abundant sweetness and the acid structure to keep it driven. Rich and delicious in a fruit forward phase. Drink it now or give it significant time for further rewards. 91/100
1983 Schloss Plettenberg Winzenheimer Rosenheck Riesling Auslese – Germany, Nahe
A nose of spice and honey, with slate and a light ginger note. The palate exhibits great balance, with appealing sweetness and cleansing acidity combining to give the wine that quality where you really look forward to the next sip. I thought this had slightly less depth than the Fritz Haag, but it was delicious in its own right. 91/100

NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Malmsey 10 Years Old – Portugal, Madeira
Complex nose of vanilla, raisins, caramel, almond and walnut, with just a light spirity lift. With the same complexity on the palate, there is sweetness and a softness to it as well as excellent length. 90/100

Le Jules Verne – Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

Dinner at the 1 Michelin star, Alain Ducasse operated, Le Jules Verne.

The restaurant is situated on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, 150 metres above ground. From my pre-trip research it receives mixed reviews, swinging wildly between being excellent and an abominable tourist trap. I was hesitant to commit, but in the end decided that the experience would probably be worth the risk.

We had our concierge book a table as soon as reservations for our desired date opened, 3 months in advance. The request for a window table is one that I am sure the restaurant continually receives, and we were lucky to have our request granted – giving us a view towards Les Invalides in the East and to the South East down the Parc du Champ de Mars and Ecole Militaire. We were seated with daylight still in force, and as the sun set and the lights of the city started to come up, accompanied by soft rain against the window, the decision to dine here seemed worthwhile.

The restaurant has a private elevator between the ground and second floor, which did prove useful as the public elevators were reduced in number due to maintenance, resulting in long lines to ascend and return. There is also a small set of stairs from the restaurant where you can visit the second level and then return via the same stairs to the restaurant.

In general the food was good to very good. Highlights for me were: the “Green asparagus from Provence and morel mushrooms, yellow wine sauce” which was just a stellar dish of simple ingredients, heightened by how well they worked together and the “Bresse poultry breast with tarragon, spring vegetables” which continued the same theme of complimentary ingredients that weren’t complicated for the sake of it. The “Wild strawberry and mango contemporary vacherin” was brilliant as well, even though I would have thought I’d prefer the “Tower bolt” which was good with its contrasting textures, but there flavours of the vacherin won out.

The service was mixed, wavering between the professional standard expected of this venue and a few interactions where it was evident that it would be much easier for the staff if we would stop bothering them. I’ll also note that a question via a couple of emails after our return to Australia went unanswered, which is in stark contrast to other venues that have gone to lengths to assist in answering questions even though we were departed tourists with no immediate expectation to return.

I would recommend it as a once-off experience, despite the high cost which was 210 euro per person for the dinner degustation plus wine. The prices at lunch excluding the weekend tend towards being more reasonable. The food is generally very good and did hit some high notes, and the view is simply brilliant.

Wine

We had one bottle of wine here, the 2009 Domaine Ramonet Les Enseignères from Puligny-Montrachet. Despite being a “village” level wine, this punched well above its designation (and vintage reputation as well!). A powerful and complex nose of florals, citrus, wax and minerality. The palate continues the impression of fruit power, the ample richness is brought together with good acidity/minerality and fine length. I enjoyed drinking this right now in its life, it is immediately appealing and I think well balanced as it stands. 91/100

Food Photos

Amuse-bouche – Gougères

Amuse-bouche - Gougères

Amuse-bouche – Petit pois

Amuse-bouche - Petit pois

Homard de nos côtes en Bellevue, sucs de cuisson en sabayon et caviar gold – Bellevue-style local lobster, sabayon and Gold caviar

Homard de nos côtes en Bellevue, sucs de cuisson en sabayon et caviar gold - Bellevue-style local lobster, sabayon and Gold caviar

Asperges Vertes de Provence et morilles étuvées, sauce au vin jaune – Green asparagus from Provence and morel mushrooms, yellow wine sauce

ASPERGES VERTES de Provence et morilles étuvées, sauce au vin jaune - Green aspargus from Provence and morel mushrooms, yellow wine sauce

Blanc de Turbot à la plancha, poireaux et coquillages liés au beurre d’algue – Pan-seared turbot, shellfish and leeks thickened with a delicate seaweed butter

Blanc de TURBOT à la plancha, poireaux et coquillages liés au beurre d’algue - Pan-seared turbot, shellfish and leeks thickened with a delicate seaweed butter

Suprême de Volaille de Bresse à l’estragon, légumes de printemps en beaux morceaux, vrai jus – Bresse poultry breast with tarragon, spring vegetables

Suprême de VOLAILLE DE BRESSE à l’estragon, légumes de printemps en beaux morceaux, vrai jus - Bresse poultry breast with tarragon, spring vegetables

Vacherin Contemporain fraises des bois/mangue – Wild strawberry and mango contemporary vacherin

VACHERIN CONTEMPORAIN fraises des bois/mangue - Wild strawberry and mango contemporary vacherin

l’Écrou au Chocolat et praliné croustillant, glace noisette – Tower bolt, dark chocolate praliné, hazelnut ice cream

L’ÉCROU AU CHOCOLAT et praliné croustillant, glace noisette - Tower bolt, dark chocolate praliné, hazelnut ice cream

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Dinner #2

Following on from the first dinner in my last post –

This was another great event and again thanks to all that were involved, especially Phil who did a wonderful job with hosting and cooking on his birthday!

Champagne to start

1996 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Vintage – France, Champagne
Nutty, with some apple, orange peel and spice. The palate is still showing good weight and is also getting near to its peak with development of honeyed character. Drink over the next couple of years. 90/100

Random Australian Whites

1981 Heggies Vineyard Riesling – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Under screwcap. Kerosene, toast and green apples with some lightly scented floral notes. The palate shows nice balance and is bright and delicious without being very complex. Still, an appealing wine and yet another good old Riesling under screwcap. 91/100

1986 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Elizabeth – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Took a little bit of time to open up after pouring, but was quite classic in its composition – lemon, toast and lanolin along with some background grapefruit. There is well balanced fruit richness still evident on the palate and it finishes with medium length. Holding up well, as it was not dissimilar from a bottle 4-5 years ago, but I would drink in the not too distant future. 90/100

2001 Tyrrell’s Sémillon Vat 1 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Lemon butter, coconut, graphite and some citrus peel aromas. The palate is rounded, with that buttery element coming through as well. There is enough acid to give the wine some focus. I still think that this is a wine to drink in the short-medium term. 90/100

2003 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill – Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Polish Hill
Lemon pastry, some light honey and background smoke. The palate is youthful, with prominent acidity and decent length. 90/100

Top white Burgundy Flight

2007 Domaine Michel Niellon Bâtard-Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
An attractive nose that has layers of complexity – aromas of lemon, stones with light moss, baked apple and some tame smoky oak. The palate is on another level again, there is powerful rich fruit complimented by verve and vibrancy. Texturally and length wise it is simply exceptional. It is so delicious and interesting already that I would be very tempted to drink it while in its youth. 95/100

2007 Maison de Grand Esprit Montrachet La Belle Voisine – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Under screwcap. The nose here required some time to reveal itself and show lemon, honeysuckle plus light spice with a chalky mineral note. The palate has good weight to it, but it is also incredibly tightly coiled. Very impressive structure and line but this really needs time, probably another 8-10 years at least. 92/100

DRC Romanée St. Vivant Pair

2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
The nose took some time to open up but it was interesting once it did, there were earthy green olives, raspberry, stalks and eventually with some time there was a burst of fresh red floral aromas. The palate was restrained and lightly bodied with fantastic focus from the acidity. This isn’t a powerhouse within its context, but there is good detail and texture – on any other occasion it likely would have made a play for wine of the night. We did find that having food really gave it quite a lift, more so than most other wines during the tasting. It did seem to have potential over the medium term, I’d leave it another 5 years before another look. 92/100

2008 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
The fragrance of this wine immediately enthralled me, there was cinnamon, beautiful floral notes of rose and violets, liquorice, five spice and a whiff of incense – it would be difficult to be more appealing to me. The palate is exceptional as well, with wonderful purity and lift that is supported by a set of fine tannin. Balanced, textured and seriously long, this was one of my top highlights of the tasting and so close to my wine of the night. Others at the table that I spoke to were not quite as enthusiastic but I am more than happy to go against the trend here. 96/100

DRC La Tâche Mini-Vertical

2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
A swirling nose of cherry, liquorice, graphite, earth and after quite some time perfumed floral aromas came forth. The palate is where this wine really showed its potential, it is muscular and wound extremely tightly, but there was brilliant depth and an effortless power to it. There are powerful fine tannins and they are needed to keep pace with the weight of this wine. Of all the wines we tried, this was the one that was most in need of time, I don’t doubt that it will be a legend but it may not be there for another 15+ years. 95/100

2006 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
A wine that is out of this world. An intoxicating nose, with lifted rose notes, five spice, cherry, raspberry and cocoa. Impeccably balanced palate with simultaneous density, definition and clarity. There is restrained power here with a depth and persistence to it that left me stunned. It is extremely youthful but aside from the evident potential to be a superstar with time, I found it to have exceptional appeal even now. 97/100

2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
The nose here is complex with smoke, stems, red cherries, truffle and earth. This theme repeats on the palate, it is savoury and layered, it does have moderate weight to it as well but the balance is excellent. This is a wine that needs time, 10 years might be a good start. This has the same interest and focus of the 2007 DRC RSV, but it has much more depth, length and finesse – while both were good, the comparison had the La Tache in front for this particular vintage. 94/100

While in the neighborhood

2000 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru
Medium intensity nose with black cherry, earth, violets and vanilla. The palate is well integrated and balanced with silky red fruit and very good length. In a perfect spot for drinking right now, this wine was not humbled amongst very serious company. 92/100

A Sweet Finish

1990 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #2 – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Youthful and lifted nose of spices, lemon, white floral notes, mandarin and a touch of honey. The palate is superbly balanced with a sense of richness rather than outright sweetness that contributes the punch and then there is a wave of acidity lifting and driving through to the finish. This wine from a 750ml bottle was not yet close to its peak, I think there is easily another 10-15 years in it yet. 93/100

2001 Château Suduiraut – France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Light golden colour. On the nose there is a delicious mix of apricot, quince, pineapple, orange rind and peach. The palate had botrytis driven intensity and vibrancy in equal measure. There is the depth that marks this as a wine to be taken seriously, yet it is delicious as well. From 750ml this was showing very nicely already but also has plenty of room to develop over the longer term. 94/100

1992 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Mâcon-Villages Cuvée Spéciale Botrytis Quintaine – France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Villages
From 375ml. Green apple, orange peel, sultana and botrytis on the nose. There is a peppery and spicy quality to the palate that is interesting against the light-medium level of sweetness. It isn’t a deep or stunning wine, but it is unique and it was great to try it. 89/100

One more DRC to close the night out

1985 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Marc de Bourgogne – France, Burgundy
My first encounter with this pomace brandy from DRC. Aged 17 years in barrel and about 600 bottles produced per vintage. It is very volatile straight after opening and pouring, but patience with it in the glass was rewarded with the volatility falling to the background and allowing more of the underlying elements to appear. There is an old cedar oak base, with caramel, cocoa, orange peel and some ginger. The palate showed complexity and persistence from the start and I found this also improved with some air, rounding out slightly while maintaining most of its intensity. I enjoyed the experience of trying this and quite liked it overall, but I don’t have enough context/experience to give it a score/verdict.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Dinner #1

There had been murmurings for some time that an event not to be missed was on the horizon. The anticipation of the prospect of the possibility of an event simmered for what seemed like an eternity, with snippets of information trickling out slowly. Finally one day the missive arrived and was simply titled “DRC dinner expressions of interest” – the proposition being that we could gather in order to consume a bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from the Romanée-Conti vineyard and that we could bring another bottle of DRC to be enjoyed as well, if we happened to be at all interested in such an event …

A decision was later made to split the event into two, in order to give the wines sufficient attention and respect. The first of these events took place in mid-August and the second followed a couple of weekends later. I would like to thank the attendees for their usual amazing generosity and good company as well as special thanks to all that were involved in the organisation effort and those that provided great food to accompany these wines.

I have had comment from some that drinking young DRC is a waste and while I can appreciate their perspective, unless you are friends with multiple people that have been cellaring these wines for decades, there are a different set of problems from buying older wines – from storage issues to authenticity. Many of the wines at both events were beautiful and while I hope some day to revisit them with age, I still gained a large amount of pleasure from seeing them in their youth.

I present to you the lineup and some brief notes on the wines at Event #1, with notes on Event #2 to follow at a later date.

Champagne to start

NV Krug Champagne Grande Cuvée Brut – France, Champagne
Disgorged spring 2011, using 12 vintages from 1990 to 2004. (ID Code 211017). Lemon, apple and some vanilla on the nose. Powerful and intense fruit on the palate, but with fine balance through acidity and structure. Clearly young, but very tasty. 92/100

2008 Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Blanc d’Argile Extra Brut – France, Champagne
Interesting nose of green apple, lemon sherbet and a hint of pear and graphite. The palate shows good fruit purity and excellent core acidity, with nice length and balance. Could probably use some more time in the bottle to develop but it is an interesting wine already. 92/100

Aged Riesling

1979 Pewsey Vale Vineyard Riesling Eden Valley – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Under screwcap. Amazing shimmering light golden in colour. Spice, honey, lemon and light toast aromas. The palate is beautiful, there is still fruit richness and a layered, complex honeyed component. Superb length and still astoundingly vibrant and delicious. A compelling data point in favour of screwcap, it was perfectly developed with all the aged character that you look for in Riesling and was a wonderful wine right at its peak. 93/100

1990 Seppelt Riesling Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Quite reticent on the nose at first, but showed some oyster shell and honey with time in the glass. The palate took some time to open up as well, showing some decent power but not great depth. Drink now. 88/100

Hermitage and Burgundy Blanc

2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc – France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
A complex and layered nose of honeysuckle floral notes, honey, peach, pear and nutty aromas. A fantastic palate – rich fruit with so much complexity, incredible balance and vibrancy. At a good spot for my taste, but will likely continue drinking well for some time to come. 93/100

2007 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Smoky vanilla oak on the nose along with some lemon pastry and peaches. The palate is more appealing, with lovely pure fruit and very good focus/drive. Very young, it needs more time. 91/100

DRC Montrachet

2008 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Explosive and quite incredible multi-dimensional aromas – honey and graphite, pear, pineapple, orange peel, vanilla, an elusive wisp of smoke and with time the nose took on an additional set of floral notes. The intensity on the palate is at another level to any white wine I’ve tried previously, there is a richness that fills your mouth and yet it has the most stunning minerality and acidity that provided the wine with definition, drive and clarity. The wine just got better and better the longer it was in the glass, I kept some for as long as I could resist throughout the evening and it just continued to reveal more layers every time I went back to it. I don’t know what a wine like this will be like in 10 years time, I only know that I thought it was brilliant already. 98/100

Red Burgundy starter

1996 Mommessin Clos de Tart – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru
Good complexity on the nose, with stalk and earthy notes as well as violets, strawberry and some spice. The initial impression of the palate is that of firm acid and tannin, but as it had time to breath, the palate seemed to soften and the austerity was not as noticeable. This reminded me very much of the 1990 Clos de Tart that I had 4 years ago. 90/100

The DRC Reds

1986 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Faded colour with an orange tinged rim. Aromas of summer truffles, earth and black tea leaves. The palate is lightly bodied, there is good acidity but there is also a lack of depth and it seems more simple than the nose alludes to. Holding up okay, but drink now based on this bottle. 90/100

1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
Lovely floral aromas to start with, supported by some light charred cedar, redcurrant and cloves – given time in the glass, the florals moved to the background and more earthy notes come to the fore. The palate is medium bodied, with a core of red fruit persisting. It perhaps lacks real character or palate complexity to lift it, but it was nicely close to its peak and rather enjoyable regardless. 91/100

2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
An intense nose that also has great complexity to it – there is sois bois, black cherry, some ground coffee, truffle and dark floral aromas. While there is plush, powerful density of fruit on the palate there is an impressive set of tannins and it flows very nicely into the long finish. I didn’t get a sense of it being over-ripe or hot on the palate despite the vintage reputation. It isn’t shut down at all yet, providing plenty of pleasure, though I think it has more to offer over the medium term. Well and truly exceeded my expectations and lived up to its pedigree – it’s a different expression of the site, but it still reflects the site rather than the vintage alone. 94/100

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Served blind. Initial aromas were of cherry, stems, forest floor and a hint at cinnamon, leading into more spice driven notes as time went on. The palate is on the lean side but didn’t at all seem too austere – it actually really impressed me with its balance and length. There is plenty of interest provided through textural and spice elements. Drinking well already this is the best 2004 red Burgundy I’ve had, and by quite some margin. 93/100

2006 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
The most incredibly ethereal nose I’ve encountered on a wine in recent memory, these were aromas that required serious contemplation – fragrant cherry, raspberry, rose petals, subtle earth and spices, then there is a surging minerality that carries onto the palate. The palate is elegant and has such purity, but then there is stunning depth at the same time, almost more than should be possible from a wine with such finesse. I had this lingering impression of fragility as it is so delicately and perfectly balanced. While it was clearly at an incredibly youthful stage of its life – this is a harmonious and wonderful wine even now. 97/100

The end of the evening

2003 Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon-Beaulieu Les Rouannieres – France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon-Beaulieu
Intense aromas of quince, mango, honey and some ginger. The palate is explosive, with richness tempered by a long line of acidity – the balance is really impressive for such a forceful wine. Delicious on its own or with a sweet dessert. 92/100

NV Seppelt Tokay Grand DP 57 – Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
Christmas cake, toffee and butterscotch on the nose. Intense and lifted on the palate without showing any signs of being spirity. Lengthwise this is compelling, I just wish this bottle had a bit more complexity. 90/100

Annual Rare Wine Dinner – Tasting Notes

This dinner is an annual event organised by a member of a tasting group I recently joined. He is starting to host some public dinners and upcoming events can be viewed here.

The event was hosted at Arras restaurant and they did a great job with a custom menu to match the wines. The food was mostly excellent – similar to a few weeks prior when I visited for a Champagne dinner and there were a couple of dishes that didn’t quite work for my taste.

I had a seriously good time – most of the wines were at the very least interesting and there were a number of WOTY contenders. I’m looking forward to next year!

1985 Krug Champagne Brut – France, Champagne
Golden coloured. The nose shows development, with hazelnut, cocoa, earthy notes and some ginger and caramel. The palate showed (excellent and trademark) power, richness and depth. I felt that this bottle was around its peak and probably missing some vibrancy to take it to the next level, though there was no sign that it was going to fall over in the glass. 92/100
1979 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame – France, Champagne
The nose was appealing complex, with sea spray and seaweed, graphite, honey and floral notes. Some seriously impressive cleansing acidity on the palate gave the wine vibrancy and driving focus. While it didn’t have the depth of the Krug served by its side, it was equally enjoyable in its own style and should hold for some time based on this bottle. 92/100

1953 Staatsweinguter Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese – Germany, Rheingau
Utterly magnificent nose of chocolate, raisins, apple, ginger and coffee – if it weren’t for the long list of great wines ahead, I would have been happy to appreciate the complex and layered aromas on this all evening. The palate had a surprising level of pure sweetness to me but it was delicious regardless, with a core acidity that carried the wine into a lingering finish. A complete wine and an amazing experience. 95/100
1976 Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern Eltviller Sonnenberg Riesling Auslese – Germany, Rheingau
There is a very ripe tropical fruit element to both the nose on this wine as well as passion fruit, yellow and white floral notes, some spearmint and a touch of kerosene. The palate is rich and ripe as well, but there is balance through the acidity. Good length and delicious at a superficial level, it could use a touch more depth to be brilliant but it hardly matters when it is enjoyable like this. 91/100

1929 Château d’Yquem – France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
A Belgian négociant bottling. Deep brown, with a rusted-gold coloured core. The nose showed volatility initially but revealed ground coffee, orange peel, quince, marzipan and roasting nuts during its time in the glass. The palate is extraordinary – out of this world in fact, a striking richness paired with flawless acidity which led into an explosive and nearly endless finish. After an hour in the glass it had built and somehow amplified in intensity. This was a superb wine with no doubt, but if I may be permitted one criticism it is that the nose didn’t quite hit the same level of brilliance as the palate, but this is a minor point in the overall context. I left some in my glass until near the end of the dinner and it wasn’t until the last stretch, after many hours, that it finally started to fade away. A privilege to try and something I’ll remember for a long time. 96/100

1978 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Intense sesame oil aromas, followed by sencha tea leaves and an earthy edge. The palate has a somewhat pleasant oily textural element, but it suffers from a serious lack of depth and falls a touch flat at the end. The nose was more interesting than the palate, but this didn’t hit any heights for me. 87/100
1962 Masson-Dubois Meursault Charmes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Muted nose, there are some roast nuts and oxidative notes. The palate is disjointed and flat, finishing short. Despite still being just drinkable, it has sadly faded well past its best.

1949 C Marey & Liger-Belair Richebourg – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Fantastic nose of earth, sour red cherry, autumn leaves, stems and a undercurrent of florality. The palate had lovely complexity and texture, while still having a woven core of red fruit and acid lifting the wine. A terrifically appealing and balanced wine across all its elements. 93/100

1964 Enrico Serafino Barbaresco – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Leather, smoke and some cloves on the nose. The palate is drying out, with the tannins not fully resolved and sticking out a little bit. Austere and I think it was probably suffering from some brett as well. It was more drinkable than I have made it sound, just not providing great enjoyment. 85/100
1967 Enrico Serafino Barbaresco – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Older in colour than the 1964, with some browning around the edges – but it is actually more youthful to me initially otherwise, on the palate especially. The nose is strongly iodine dominant, but there is smoke, iron and graphite as well. The palate doesn’t have great depth, but there was some fruit remaining and was pleasant enough to drink. It did start to fade in the glass after not a huge amount of time, so drink now. 88/100

1961 Château Montrose – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
The aromas were muted at first, but they opened with time to display cherry, spice, redcurrant and tobacco. The classy palate was the highlight for me, lovely subtle red fruit and integrated structure. Balanced and with good length, I think this will continue to hold but not improve over the short-medium term. 91/100
1929 Château Abel Laurent – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
From a producer that was later absorbed into Chateau Margaux. The nose is complex and intriguing – peppermint up front, then bacon, earth, praline and coffee. The palate is not as riveting, it has some remnants of black fruits with enough structure to give it purpose across its medium length. For me it held up reasonably well in the glass, though some others noticed it falling over fairly quickly. A really interesting wine that I enjoyed experiencing. 90/100

1961 Château Coutet – France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
The nose here is enticing, with brown sugar, mandarin, cinnamon and light apricot. The palate has a large dose of sweetness but there is a nice line of acidity and it ends with good length. Ready to drink now. 90/100

1953 Staatsweinguter Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Edelbeerenauslese Cabinet – Germany, Rheingau
Incredibly complex and layered nose of swirling floral aromas, chocolate, butterscotch, sultana and caramel – one of those wines where you keep picking up on more elements every time you return to it. The palate is flat-out brilliant – there is stunning concentration and intense richness that is bound by a coil of some of the most amazing acidity I’ve ever encountered. To describe the length as long would be to do it a disservice as it went so far beyond long. For me this was the highlight of the night among some exceptional wines. 97/100

10×20 Tasting Notes: Miscellaneous Post Tasting Wines

This ends the series of notes on the 10×20 tasting.

Post Tasting Dinner: White

2010 Domaine Joblot Givry 1er Cru Clos de la Servoisine – France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Givry 1er Cru
On the nose there is grapefruit, some lemon and pear. The palate is medium bodied, with some nice fruit purity. There is good focus from a core of acidity and the finish is bright and quite persistent. A really nice wine. 91/100

Post Tasting Dinner: Burgundy Red

2006 Dupont-Tisserandot Mazis-Chambertin – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Tea leaves, some lifted red floral notes, cherry and light spice notes. The palate is bright and appealing, it is young but actually quite open and interesting. While the fruit shines, there is also finesse to it and impressive length. 91/100
2007 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St. Georges – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Corked. NR

Post Tasting Dinner: Other Red

2010 Abbots & Delaunay Carignane Alto Stratus – France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Minervois
Cinnamon, spice, tobacco and chocolate with some swirling floral aromatics. The palate shows both spice and savoury elements and is quite appealing. Drinking well now for my taste. 90/100
1994 Lake’s Folly Cabernets – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Leather, cherry and blackberry on the nose. The palate is in great condition, there is medium bodied red fruit with a brightness to it that lifts the wine. There is also some complexity and depth, this is drinking well right now. This is a classically styled aged Hunter Valley red, though I probably would not have picked it as Cabernet if blind. 91/100

Site Redesign

A long overdue site makeover has been implemented. There are still some features to be added (like external links and a new photography gallery) but the outline is now in place. Some old posts may look strange but I’ll try to fix them as I notice them!

10×20 Tasting Notes: Jasper Hill

Jasper Hill

2012 Jasper Hill Riesling Georgia’s Paddock – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
Floral and lime notes on the nose. Cleansing acidity on the palate, finishing nicely crisp. Very good length. Extremely young obviously, but very good and has plenty of potential. 90/100
2002 Jasper Hill Riesling Georgia’s Paddock – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
Lots of kerosene on the nose, with some toast and honey. Palate is developed and has nice length. Drink now. 89/100
2011 Jasper Hill Shiraz The Sisters – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
A blend of Shiraz with 80% from Georgia’s Paddock and 20% from Emily’s Paddock. Cocoa and blueberry aromas, with a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium bodied and pleasant without much complexity. Nicely easy to drink and may develop over the medium term but is approachable now. 88/100
2002 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia’s Paddock – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
Vanilla, some smoked meat, mocha and plum aromas. There is great density on the palate supported by some impressive tannin structure and lifted by a gentle minerality element. Excellent carry through to the finish. Should happily continue to develop over the next 10-15 years. 92/100
2003 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia’s Paddock – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
Tobacco aromas with some cherry, smoke and leather. The palate is quite youthful, there is some plush and sweet red fruit. Doesn’t feel as structured as the 2002 currently is, but it is more appealing for drinking right now. 91/100
2006 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia’s Paddock – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
Plum, liquorice, chocolate and some light vanilla oak on the nose. The palate is densely fruited but it has the structure from tannins and supporting oak to balance it out. Need some more time to come together and soften a bit, another 5-6 years perhaps. 90/100
2009 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia’s Paddock – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
A dense and complex nose of blackberry, earth, liquorice as well as kirsch, violets and some pepper. The palate is brooding, rich, detailed and intense – it is given a lift by bright acid and kept from being over the top by the structure. This needs some serious time in bottle to be its best, 7-8 years at least. 92/100

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10×20 Tasting Notes: Jasper Hill

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