Food – Smoked trout in bechemel and watercress sauce on toasted sourdough Homemade rillettes de porc Boudin noir en croute Veal wrapped in pancetta with asparagus and mushroom sauce Roasted beetroot, cherve and spinach salad Braised cauliflower and spinach salad Spinach braised in beef stock with anise Wagyu beef steak with potatos new potatos roasted […]
Category: Wine Reviews
Following on from a dinner early this year where we had some Truffles come in from France, this dinner was based around Western Australian and Tasmanian truffles. The Australian truffles seemed quite good, perhaps a little bit less complex than the French ones that we had but still delicious. The Wild mushroom & truffle risotto […]
This is a blend of 70% Viognier and 30% Roussane. Tasting Note: An aromatic nose of musk, peach, apricot and floral notes. Medium to full weighted palate, texturally very good. Sound balance, there is a bit of warmth present but it isn’t dominating. An interesting wine that suits pairing with food and is well worth […]
An interesting casual tasting with a couple of friends last Friday night. Bannockburn “Estate” Pinot Noir 2004 Ah, controversy, Bannockburn has probably sold more bottles through people wanting to try this for themselves than they would have with a middle of the road review from Jeremy Oliver. Some cherry and caramel to the nose with […]
This is from the Yarra Valley in Victoria and is a blend of 81% Chardonnay, 14% Viognier and 5% Sauvignon Blanc. There is also a “Red Hat” blend that I didn’t get the chance to try. The marketing angle is quite clever with the two wines in the range easily identifiable and a link to […]
A recent farewell to a friend who will be living in Burgundy for a year. So some of our usual group of wine lovers came together to send him off as best we could. Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame 1996 Opened pretty powerfully on the nose, but seemed to become reclusive after a few minutes […]
A dinner centered around the very generous offer by a friend to open a legend of Australian wine, the 1955 Wynns Coonawarra “Michael” Shiraz. NV Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne Very aggressive, swirling bead. Nose is strongly peachy with some pear and melted cheese on toast. A creaminess to the initial mouth-feel, but finishes slightly […]
This is one of three 2006 Rieslings from this producer based in Pemberton, Western Australia, the others being a Dry and an Auslese version. This sits in between the other two versions, very much in the off-dry style. A clean, perfumed nose of musk, floral notes, stonefruit and citrus. Very good balance between some slightly […]
The idea of this dinner was to compare the various styles of White and Red Burgundy wines across various sub-regions. Except for a slight hiccup with the white wines, the night was very succesful and interesting. The dinner was held at Restaurant Sojourn in Balmain. After two visits I’m certain that Sojourn is my new […]
1999 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne Lazy bead, dissipating quickly after pouring. A fairly open nose of apple, lime, lemon and strawberry. The palate is dilute, with a bit of flavour initially that falls away on the mid-palate, leading to a bland, watery finish. Unstructured on the palate and very disappointing. 84/100 1998 […]