Not much preamble to this one, this was a great tasting hosted by a friend recently. All the white burgundy were served blind and provided by our host and one guest. After that it was on to the various “backup” bottles, they were a mix of blind and not and brought along by the various attendees.
- 2000 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Vintage – France, Champagne
Pears, honey and some nutty style notes on the nose. Palate has nicely rich fruit and good persistence. Drinking well now but will hold as well. 90/100
- 1996 Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys – France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Very dark colour. Oxidative nose. Palate is harsh and didn’t come around with time. I don’t seem to have much luck with these Defaix bottles. NR - 2008 François Raveneau Chablis – France, Burgundy, Chablis
From a plot opposite to the Vaillons slope. Lemon pith, orange, musk and a flinty minerality. Great acidity and texture to the palate, with nicely rich fruit and fine length. Has very good potential to improve over the medium term. 90/100
- 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Aromas of chestnuts, perfumed florals and peaches. Texturally the wine is excellent and the depth of the fruit really stood out to me. Has some intensity but I couldn’t help but feeling that it was holding a little bit back and may be waiting to show more in 5-10 years time. 92/100 - 2010 Domaine Jacques Carillon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Macherelles – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Basil, florals and lime on the nose. Some spice to the palate, there is also some textural interest and appeal even though it is evident from the soaring acidity that it is very youthful. Very good! 90/100
- 2009 Domaine Morey-Coffinet Bâtard-Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Aniseed, musk, peach, honeysuckle and floral aromas. Very tightly wound on the palate, it only hints at richness with a creamy and silken mouthfeel. Great length and balance, with the structure to age well. 92/100 - 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Citrus peel, stonefruit along the lines of apricot and peach, light smoke and a huge wave of chalky minerality. Scintillating palate, incredibly driven with seriously impressive focus. I found that it soared in the glass, taking on more persistence and richness. Extremely good length. 94/100
- 2008 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Very interesting nose of tobacco and coriander with pear and white floral notes. Heavily viscous and very ripe palate, though it does have enough acidity to keep up. Not as steely as I would expect from a stereotypical Corton but very good all the same. 92/100
- 1996 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
The nose here is interesting and probably divisive, there is a very nice honeyed nutty character but also some estery elements and some eucalypt that are a bit out of place. The palate is rich and beautifully textured, though the length is probably just not quite up to where it ought to be. Drink now based on this bottle. 90/100 - 2000 Mount Mary Chardonnay – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Though there was some disagreement, this was corked in my opinion. NR
- 2005 Scarborough Chardonnay Yellow Label – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Floral nose, with popcorn and lemon butter. Good freshness, with the acidity giving it a great lift. Similar in profile to when I last tasted it 5 years ago, though it has come together and developed nicely. Should continue to do well over the next 4-5 years. 89/100
- 1993 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain – France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
Dark coloured but not more than expected. Honey, marmalade, some botrytis, spice and floral aromas. Palate is very well balanced with great acidity and fruit restraint, it only hints at a light splash of residual sugar (though it is technically 28 g/l). Opened up more with time in the glass and I thought it was an interesting wine. 91/100
- 1970 Tulloch Shiraz Pokolbin Dry Red – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
From half bottle. Toffee, licorice and some chocolate. The palate is just barely holding on to life, there is a sliver of fruit remaining. It fell over reasonably quickly in the glass but I was glad to try it. 86/100
- 2005 Spinifex Indigène – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Spice, very earthy with beetroot and a dusty talc character. Palate has a dense jammy element to it, but I didn’t think it was over the top and there is decent structure around it. In a good place for drinking now and over the next few years. 90/100 - 2005 Grant Burge Abednego Mourvedre-Grenache-Shiraz – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Raspberry, licorice, some oak and kirsch. Lots of blueberry fruit on the palate, it is stylistically bold and headily intense. Rather good in its style and around another 5 years aging would probably be worthwhile. 90/100
- 1995 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Coffee/mocha aromas, with lots of Hunter Valley style from the leather and some low level (but not unpleasant) brett. Quite well rounded on the palate, there is a good interplay of savoury and sweet fruit notes. To me it probably just lacks a little structure to take the step to excellent. 91/100 - 1996 La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja – Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Very appealing perfume of white pepper, earth, cherry and some leather, it was much cleaner in comparison to the Shiraz it was served next to, but it had complexity and character of its own. Very savoury on the palate, it had lovely balance and the structure here was more impressive. Drink now and over the next few years. 92/100
- 1990 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Very classic in style I thought – unmistakeably Coonawarra Cabermet. Blackberry and mulberry, toasted oak and some light mint. Great fruit/structure balance, it is still youthful but it has gained complexity and character. In a good spot for drinking but should hold/develop further. 91/100
- 2003 Seppelt Shiraz Benno – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Bendigo
Rosemary, pepper, licorice, menthol and a fair bit of oak still showing on the nose. Medium bodied on the palate, the tannins are still exerting quite a bit of influence. I last tried this 7 years ago and the oak was dominating at that point, it has softened and melded a little bit but probably needs more time still, maybe another 7 years. 89/100 - 2011 Fonty’s Pool Pinot Noir – Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Pemberton
Cherry and cranberry along with some stalks and strawberry. The palate is lightly structured but there is good persistence to the fruit. Didn’t get drowned out even though there were some big wines served prior to it. 88/100