Charity Dinner at Otto Restaurant, Sydney

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