Appellation Australia

Annual 2013 Rare Wine Dinner at Arras

Another great tasting put on by Greg and Shannon from Rare Wine Dinners earlier in 2013. The undoubted highlight of the night for me was the chance of a second encounter with the 1964 Cheval Blanc, a legendary wine that floored me the first time I tasted it, as well as a 1928 Chateau Lafite (cork pictured above). Tasting notes for the wines are followed by a few quick photos of the food from Restaurant Arras.

2009 Schloss Vaux Steinberg Riesling Brut – Germany, Rheingau
Powerful nose of lemon, pineapple, white floral notes and slight nutty elements. The palate has a dash of fruit sweetness to it and while there is good acidity to counter, a tiny bit more acid would have lifted this even higher. I thought this was very good regardless and would happily drink it any time. 89/100

1985 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Rosé Rare – France, Champagne
Another late disgorged bottle. Mocha and earth with some apricot, apple and honey. The palate doesn’t quite have the same brightness as the last bottle which really gave it such great spark but there is good depth and length and this is still very good. 91/100
1988 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Vintage Rare – France, Champagne
Lemon pith, browned butter, sea spray and pear aromas. Bright acidity that is integrated brilliantly into the rich, rounded fruit. Great length, this lovely Champagne is right near its peak and drinking amazingly well. 93/100

1978 M. Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc Chante-Alouette – France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Amazing lifted orange peel and apricot over the top of butterscotch, some oxidative nutty notes and quince. The palate is a highlight, it is tangy and has some grip to it while having terrific texture. Complex and fully mature, this is great stuff. 93/100
1978 Cantine Conte Zandotti Frascati Superiore – Italy, Latium, Frascati
Wood, caramel, nutty and marzipan notes – with some time it took on a more sherried character that seemed like it would dominate given sufficient air. The palate has that same aged wooden note, though it was interesting that it had some freshness to it even though all the other characteristics were so aged. Medium length but trailed off very quickly afterwards. An interesting wine that would probably have been better quite some years ago but was worth trying. 87/100

1987 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Erdener Prälat Riesling Spätlese – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Lemon barley nose with some florals and grapefruit in the background. A touch of bitterness distracts but the sweetness is there to almost cover it up and draw attention elsewhere. With medium length, it isn’t overly complex and I think it should be consumed now based on this bottle. 88/100
1945 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rosalack Auslese – Germany, Rheingau
Wonderfully complex nose – honey and ginger with some toffee, various earthy spices and mandarin. The palate shows off excellent structure and balance still, with impressive powerful fruit and uninterrupted flow. The sweetness is present and gives the wine a delicious quality that had me drinking it much too quickly, the last sip of this was the best with the balance still extremely impressive. 93/100
1964 Schloss Eltz Rauenthaler Rothenberg Riesling Auslese – Germany, Rheingau
Wheat, apple and graphite with a light touch of spice to it. The palate is balanced though it is perhaps a touch shallow overall and either more intensity or depth would be appreciated. Holding up fairly well, but a 1971 of the same wine earlier this year was probably just a bit better quality wise. 88/100

1947 Hospices de Beaune Beaune Cuvée Estienne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune
Smoky barbecue sauce with some undergrowth and a smidge of vegemite. The palate is similar and for me was just a bit too far past its best, though others at the table found much more pleasure and preferred this to the Leroy. (NR/flawed)
1969 Hospices de Beaune Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Les Duresses Cuvée Boillot Leroy – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru
Very appealing aromas of strawberry, rose, cherry, tea leaves and a dash of rhubarb. Initially the fruit on the palate is bright and lovely, though it started to drop away with time and the tannin that was hidden became more evident. A pure and pretty wine that was eminently enjoyable. 91/100
1957 Lionel J. Bruck Côte de Beaune Reserve du Jubile – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune
Black cherry, smoked meat and a whiff of tobacco. The palate has just a light touch of fruit with decent acid that extends the wine into a medium length finish. A pleasant wine with some interest to it. 88/100

1964 M. Chapoutier Hermitage – France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
A pretty and perfumed nose of violet, raspberry and cinnamon plus a bit of briar, smoke and intense licorice. The palate is both complex and enticing, it is helped along by nearly resolved tannins that give the wine much needed structure and balance for the amazingly pure red fruit flavor. Held well in the glass for half an hour then seemed to start fading. 93/100
1979 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
The nose has some appeal with earth, cherry and smoke. The palate however was short, with tannin and acid dominating over faint traces of fruit. Others liked this more but I couldn’t see it. (NR/flawed)

1928 Château Lafite Rothschild – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Promising scents of graphite, undergrowth, cassis and earth. More youthful that could be anticipated on the palate, this wine has beautiful finesse and it is incredibly precise with a framework of fine tannin providing impressive structure for the age. The palate actually started to fill out a little with time in the glass, though it never quite got to the level of impact that one might expect from a typical Lafite. The length is very good and while it is not as complex as one might hope for (a result of the pasteurisation?), it was still a privilege to try. 93/100

1964 Château Cheval Blanc – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
This is a wine that I have overly fond memories of, in 2007 I gave it 100 points after I was left completely mesmerised. It was with some trepidation that I approached this, given the expectations and potential to not live up to that incredible last bottle.

The initial impressions were promising, the beguiling aromas brought back strong memories of the last bottle – cherry, cedar, licorice, raspberry and after some swirling and patience it took on more earthy and truffle characters. If the nose wasn’t enough to convince me the palate certainly was, with exceptional class on display. The balance is stunning with plush, powerful and remarkably youthful fruit, in harmony with superb structure through impeccably fine tannin and acidity. This is a legendary wine and to have tried it twice is humbling. My clear favourite on the night, a great distance out in front of some other special and rare wines. 98/100

1959 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Haut-Lieu – France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Heady intoxicating notes of beeswax, pear, ginger, apricot, pineapple and marzipan. The palate has plenty of rich honeyed fruit up front with the fine acidity providing a perfect foil. Has very impressive length and carry, with good complexity there already but still the potential to develop further. Awesome. 94/100

1969 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Edelbeerenauslese Cabinet – Germany, Nahe
Marmalade, pineapple, pear and some slate. Really quite lovely balance with pure sweet fruit and plenty of restraint rather than outright power. Great length and a very tasty wine, though it feels a tad superficial. Some more time in the bottle wouldn’t hurt and perhaps the complexity will continue to develop. 93/100

Mackerel, oatmeal and strawberry dressing

Red Pepper Cannelloni “Paella Style”

“The Raw and The Cooked”

Roast Scallops, artichokes, rosemary and nettles

Salmon, Lime and Tonka bean

Roast Skate, Parsnip, Vadouvan and Raisin

Duck, Apples and Cabbages

Lancashire Hotpot by a Yorkshireman

Venison, Pine Smoked Octopus, Lentils and Cocoa Nib

“Still Raw and Still Cooked”

Review – A.Retief Sauvignon Blanc 2012

I was pleased to receive this sample as I’ve read plenty about Alex Retief, but despite Canberra being one of my favourites local regions I hadn’t yet gotten the chance to try anything from this winery. The Sauvignon blanc fruit was sourced equally from the Revee Estate vineyard in Tumbarumba and from the Ravensworth vineyard in Murrumbateman. The fruit was fermented in French barriques for 10 months on lees and 450 dozen were produced.

Variety: 100% Sauvignon blanc
Region: Tumbarumba and Murrumbateman
Country: Australia
Winemaker: Alex Retief
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 12.5%
RRP: $28
Source: Sample
Winery Website: A.Retief

Tasted from Zalto White Wine stemware.

Tasting Note: Aromas of peach, green apple and passion fruit, with just a hint at grass and sugar snap peas in the background. The oak is not at the fore on the nose, but it shows more influence on the palate giving the wine a smoky edge in addition to more prominent grass and tropical fruit flavour. There is balance through a razor like core of acidity, exactly how I like it to be.

Enjoyable to drink overall, and it delivers interest through the texture and structure. 90/100

This is one of the better Sauvignon blanc based wines I’ve had this year. Others that have particularily stood out in the last year were all from Sancerre and included;

2011 Gérard Boulay La Comtesse Monts Damnés
2010 Alphonse Mellot Edmond
2010 Domaine Etienne et Sébastien Riffault Akméniné
2010 Domaine Pascal Cotat Les Monts Damnés

When to Drink: Now while it is fresh and the acid maintains its edge, though it has the structure to hold over the next 2-3 years. 2013-2016

Guillaume at Bennelong – Impressive food and great wines

Last weekend I had dinner with friends at the soon to be closed Guillaume at Bennelong. I hadn’t been to Guillaume previously, so when this dinner came up I was super keen as I probably wouldn’t have another chance at its current location.

Some brief comments on the restaurant – the food was very impressive, it’s in a style that I really enjoy where in one way it is simple as it’s a few high quality ingredients and maybe a sauce, but it is granted complexity through the sheer technique and thought that goes into each dish. My favourite courses were the Truffle Risotto, which had some of the best Australia truffles I’ve ever tasted (from Manjimup in WA I believe) and the Wagyu beef with Paris mash. The general service was actually a bit patchy, there was nothing major but it was also far from perfect and didn’t live up to the expectation for a venue like this. The wine service was much better, though a shortage of glassware throughout the night was surprising.

I would definitely return if the restaurant was open past the end of this year, but I’m hopeful a new location in Sydney is found and that I’ll have the chance to visit.

Here are the photos and tasting notes from the night;

The Food

Squid “tagliatelle”, sea urchin, tapioca “cracker”

Truffle Risotto

Partridge, chestnut, broad beans, foie gras, truffle

Wagyu Beef, parsnip, parsley, garlic, shimeji mushroom, potato galette

Sweetbreads and Tongue, raisins, almonds, gingerbread

Tajima Wagyu Beef, chestnut mushrooms, spinach, shallot, merlot sauce

American Cheddar

Chocolate Souffle, cherry ripple ice cream

Petit fours

The Wines

1992 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque – France, Champagne
Pale coloured. Lemon zest, toast and mineral aromas initially, with air some more richness starts to come through with a hint at honey. The palate has bright acidity and that mineral element shines through as well. Still in the process of developing and with plenty of room to move upwards. 92/100

2007 Bouchard Père et Fils Bâtard-Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Too oxidative, especially on the palate. NR
2010 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Grapefruit, lemon and straw, after time it shows some lightly tropical notes. The palate is restrained and the finesse is impressive. While it has excellent length and it is a superb wine, a little bit more depth and power would have really lifted it a notch. 93/100

2008 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Meaty notes, red cherry and rhubarb with a tinge of earth and chestnut, and in the background initially, but lifting continually was a very fragrant perfumed element. The palate shows off focused minerality and fine acidity, with plenty of red fruit showing through. It’s more restrained in nature than muscular, though the tannins are firm and this obviously needs time to flourish. 93/100
1999 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Served blind. The nose showed leather, smoky meat, some blood/iron and well woven spice aromas. The palate is weighty and was much more muscular than the previous wine. The tannins and oak are prominent still, but the length is just outrageously good with the acidity dragging the fruit through the structural elements. Great stuff, though it is still very much in its youth. 94/100

2011 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Beautifully perfumed aromas draw you into this wine with violets, red cherry, strawberry, raspberry, a touch of oak influence and typical vosne spices – I would be entirely happy smelling this wine all evening. Superbly silky and with savoury spice, the fruit is dense but with a brightness to it that matches the nose. Fantastic depth and carry, this is a wine that aspires to brilliance and reaches it! 95/100

1990 Gaja Barolo Sperss – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Dense nose of tar and graphite with cherry and licorice. The palate is taut but detailed and both the structure and the length are seriously impressive. It’s 23 years old at this point and I’d probably back it to develop for another 10 with ease. 93/100

1995 Château Lafite Rothschild – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Given a long decant. Youthful and intense nose of pencil shavings, kirsch, cassis and some roses. The explosive youthfulness shows on the palate as well but it never feel overbearing as the structure is equally uncompromising. This has barely budged since I last tried it 5 years ago, at that time I said it would develop over the next 20 years and I’d probably still say the same again from now. 95/100

2000 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
A decadent but complex nose – plum, graphite, kirsch, coffee, cocoa and licorice. Clearly very rich and sultry in style, it has stunning depth and purity in the fruit to give it dimension and amplify the interest. Impeccably long, this is truly superb and a clear step up on a very very good 2006 Redigaffi tried a few weeks prior. 96/100
1997 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Thoughts were that this wasn’t quite in the best condition. Lots of undergrowth/autumnal decay, earthy mushroom and five spice. The palate is similarly very savoury, with some ripe fruit being hinted at. Fading a little bit on the finish, this is probably more developed that it should be if the bottle was in great condition but it was still quite tasty regardless! NR

2004 Penfolds Bin 60A – Australia, South Australia
Opulent but intoxicating aromas of blackberry, cassis, cinnamon, plum, tobacco and black cherry. It’s incredible how seamless the palate feels, despite the tremendous density and youthful power of the fruit. The tannin structure is really impressive as it is not at all obtrusive while still providing structure to reign in the immense fruit. Delicious but give it time if you can. 95/100

1983 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage – Portugal, Douro, Porto
Fresh and quite lifted aromas with olive and caramel, berries and chocolate. Rounded and luscious palate that is balanced out by fresh acidity. Good length. Drinking quite well now. 90/100

A stunning array of wines - Jayer, DRC, Rousseau, Chave, Raveneau, Harlan, Haut-Brion and more

A stunning array of wines at Tetsuya’s – Jayer, DRC, Rousseau, Chave, Raveneau, Harlan, Haut-Brion and more

Five years ago our group had the opportunity to buy a bottle of 1993 Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux with excellent provenance from a local source, we split the bottle 8 ways and have been waiting for an appropriate time to open it since. Earlier this year we decided that 20 years from vintage was as good a time as any and a dinner was planned with plenty of advance notice at Tetsuya’s in Sydney.

I’ve never actually seen another bottle of Jayer Cros Parantoux in real life, let alone had the chance to drink one – so all week leading up to this dinner my nerves and anticipation were rapidly building. I couldn’t see ever having another chance to drink one of these so if this bottle wasn’t up to scratch it would be heartbreaking.

Everyone in attendance brought along another bottle and as usual the generosity was beyond belief. This is a great group of friends and I’m really lucky to know them.

A quick note on Tetsuya’s before the wines, this was the first time in a couple of years that I had been back. I’ve always had good experiences there and expected it to be good but there were a number of people in the group that weren’t especially keen on going (either because of a less than thrilling experience or because of reports they had heard), but I believe even the sceptics came away surprised and very happy – one said that it was the best food he’d had there across numerous visits in the last 8 years. I too thought it was brilliant and would happily return again. Only slight issue for some was that the corkage is hitting record levels, but I’d much rather the option than them saying no – plus we were very well looked after personally by the wine director with no problems during the night, so I think it was worth it. Food photos follow the tasting notes.

1982 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne – France, Champagne
Deep gold in colour. The nose is very much in that heavily aged champagne style and personally I loved it – lots of apple cider, orange rind and chestnuts.. The palate is so much brighter, with acidity and real drive to it – it’s really surprising after the nose but its a great contrast and works well. Consistent with another bottle 4 years ago. 93/100
1999 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut – France, Champagne
Very bright nose – green apple, pear, sea spray and light brioche. Beautifully fresh palate, it has superior balance and great length. It’s still very primary and it will benefit quite a bit from some time in the bottle but it is still tasty now. 92/100

2004 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur – France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Lemon, white florals and flint on the nose. Wonderfully intense palate, with flavor that just builds and builds but there is a saline minerality that persists along the length of the wine and provides drive and verve. Very youthful still, but excellent nonetheless. 93/100
2006 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
This is probably the best wine I’ve had from this estate. Tight initially, it unwound slightly to show lemon, straw and light mint along with a noticeable but not overly intrusive oak component. Powerfully rich fruit on the palate, there is some tense acidity that keeps things in balance. This defies the general vintage reputation as it is powerful and mouth filling but has precision to it as well. Coming back to the wine many hours later toward the end of the night, it had barely budged, so I think giving it some time to mature would be a viable and good idea. 94/100

1993 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
The cork was pulled at the start of the dinner (and while it wasn’t in perfect condition, it did look appropriately aged and marked) but was only decanted just before pouring it into the glasses, a number of hours later.

My first impression from the aromas was outright relief, that it was not corked or in poor condition! The nose was amazingly complex and burst out of the glass with Vosne five spice, black cherry, smoke and lots of meat/game character. The palate was stunningly textured with very fine tannin providing the structure. It was both powerful and poised, with unbelievable length and impressive depth to the fruit. Complex and harmonious, this lived up to, and probably even exceeded my expectations for it. I had this in the glass for a number of hours and it became more and more earthy, then finally started to retreat aromatically after about 4 hours when I took my last sip. At 20 years of age it was in a good spot where it still had primary elements but they were phasing into more complex aged characters. A magnificent wine and I’m glad that I got to drink it with such good friends. 96/100

2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Spice, black cherry, rhubarb and graphite aromas – with time it starts to lift and shows extremely pleasant florals. The palate is on the restrained side of medium-bodied but it has purpose and good flow to it. Kept getting better with time and I think this will be a great medium term prospect. On almost any other night this would have been the star but it had two unbelievable wines either side of it. 93/100
2006 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Served blind. Incredibly perfumed and pretty floral notes then spice, musk, cherry and a just a smidge of earth. On the palate it is so relaxed, composed and classy, especially next to the very tense/taut 2009. Very long, with considerable depth to it. I was surprised when this was revealed, but maybe I shouldn’t have been as I think it might be impossible to go wrong with DRC in 2006. 94/100
2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Also served blind. There is less intensity to the florals compared to the 2006 next to it, but they are still there as well as tobacco, black cherry and some strong stemmy elements. Very tense and taut on the palate, it isn’t as immediately appealing but it has clear class and very good structure through the oak and excellent acidity. Above all, I think this needs some serious time to unwind and show what it is capable of. 93/100

1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage – France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Smoky and meaty aromas with black cherry and dark florals. The palate is right up my alley, it is wonderfully savoury with an overlay of powerful and expressive fruit with super texture. Right in the slot for drinking, but obviously still plenty of time left. Fantastic. 94/100

1995 Château Haut-Brion – France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
This wine caused quite a silence around the room when it was poured, I think many people, including me, were slightly entranced by just how good it was. Kirsch and graphite with plenty of spice and earth. The palate is a study in how a wine of this power can still feel refined, especially with balance this close to perfect. The depth is stunning. For me, it is now at a point where it is ready to drink, but it will be a fair few more years until it peaks. 95/100
1996 Harlan Estate – USA, California, Napa Valley
Graphite and tobacco with lots of blackberry and cassis. The palate is opulent and powerful but there is an impressive mineral streak to it that provides freshness and a sense of balance. Dense and layered, this is very very persistent length-wise. 95/100

2003 Chris Ringland Shiraz – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Range
Dark chocolate, cinnamon, tobacco and blackberry aromas. Huge power on the palate from the fruit, but there is more to this wine than just intensity, spend some time with it and you find layers and I think it has a certain class to it. For me this is a touch behind the 1999 and the unreal 1990, but it is still a great wine in it’s own right that will benefit from more time in bottle. 93/100

2005 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
From 750ml. Apple, pineapple, ginger, spice and honey aromas – quite intoxicating! It has fairly intense sweetness but the balance overall is excellent with a wave of acid coursing across the palate. A little bit in-between youthful exuberance and the complexities that come with more age, but still delicious. 92/100

2007 Château Climens – France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
From 750ml. Intense botrytis driven nose of pineapple, pear, honey and vanilla. The outright minerality of the palate is quite brilliant, both taming and extending the intense sweetness through its precision. Extremely appealing and with some more age it should be a real delight. 93/100

Chestnut Soup

Pacific Oysters With Ginger & Rice Wine Vinegar

Salad Of The Sea

Marinated Scampi With Walnut Oil & Egg

Confit Of Petuna Ocean Trout With Apple & Endive
Unpasteurised Ocean Trout Caviar

Snapper With Soy Butter & Nameko Mushrooms

Roast Breast Of Duck With Eggplant & Corn

Tea Smoked Quail Breast With Parsnip & Calamari

Slow Braised Beef Short Rib With Pickled Mushrooms

Pear Sorbet

Apple Granita With Mint Ice Cream & Basil Jelly

Chocolate & Hazelnut Marquise With Cognac Ice Cream

Petits Fours

Hunter Valley Trip – Highlights and Impressions

A recent long weekend provided an overdue opportunity to spend some time tasting in the Hunter Valley. I’ll just give some general impressions on some of my favourite wines as I was writing quick notes rather than any great detail. There are plenty more brief notes on Cellartracker for the wines I didn’t include in this post.

Some general thoughts on the vintages, 2011 seems to be a very strong year overall for both Semillon and Shiraz. 2012 for Semillon is not as strong in my opinion and from what I’ve heard the reds in 2012 were almost entirely wiped out, a disaster. 2010 is not generally considered a good year in the Hunter for Shiraz due to rain during harvest, but I tried a number that were excellent.

On the whole, the experiences provided by the cellar doors were very good. If I had one general complaint, it’s that I wish the ISO tasting glasses would be phased out. I understand there is cost involved in replacing glases, having to cater for ways to wash them etc, but I think if you are trying to show off your product at its best and some of your competitors are using good glassware, it puts you behind. Only two places that I went to charged a tasting fee and one of those was still using ISOs – I think if you are charging a fee it is reasonable to provide some good glasses.

Anyway, on to the favourite wines and wineries.

Lake’s Folly
Good glassware and always a worthwhile viist (during the few months they are usually open each year). Only two wines (although there are some special releases every now and again) so you can taste quickly and move on.

2012 Lake’s Folly Chardonnay – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Spicy, nutty and oats with some pear aromas. The palate is powerful, with good mouthfeel and nice balancing acidity. There is oak present but I found it quite restrained. I liked it, but couldn’t justify buying this vintage at the asking price ($65). 90/100
2011 Lake’s Folly Cabernets – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Spice, cherry and licorice on the nose. Sprightly and vibrant palate, with very good depth and carry. Very much in the Lake’s Folly classic style of Cabernet, this is great but really needs time to unfold. 92/100

Meerea Park
Very good glassware, Riedel restaurant or similar. $5 tasting fee redeemable on purchase and a minibus full of people came in and left due to the fee, which was good for our experience as the staff were already quite busy. The service was a little but slow at first, but the lady serving us was doing a good job and was friendly once things slowed down a bit. I had a poor experience here a few years back, so I was glad that it went well this time.

2003 Meerea Park Sémillon Terracotta – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Burnt butter, orange peel and wax aromas. Palate has medium complexity and intensity, leading into a quite good length finish. Drink now and over the next 3 years. I thought this was good value for money for a 10 year old release. 91/100
2008 Meerea Park Sémillon Alexander Munro – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Lemon, some bubblegum and some nutty character already. The palate is still youthful with bright acid and good texture developing. It was a bit off-beat but I liked it and think it will develop well over the medium term. 90/100
2010 Meerea Park Indie Shiraz Pinot – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
80% Shiraz, 20% Pinot Noir in a nod to some of the old school blends from the Hunter Valley. Cherry, stems, pepper and plum aromas. The tannins stand out on the medium bodied palate, they are grippy and need some time to be absorbed. I’d like to see this in another 7-8 years to see how it is doing. 90/100
2010 Meerea Park Shiraz Hell Hole – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Very earthy nose with licorice, dark chocolate and raspberries. Very deft palate balance and some compelling depth to the fruit. The structure is spot on and this is a wine that should age wonderfully. My favourite wine on the day at the Meerea Park cellar door. 92/100
2010 Meerea Park Shiraz Alexander Munro – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
A more dark fruited nose than many of the other releases tried at Meerea Park, with blackberry, earth and plum notes. The palate shows oak influence but it is well handled by some powerful and quite deep fruit. The aforementioned oak and some fine tannins contribute to impressive structure and this wine should be left alone for some time to age and develop. 91/100

Bimbadgen
ISO glasses. A disaster overall, it is my fault for not looking into it more but it was on the way to another location and it has a good reputation. I found the wines to mostly be unable to stand up to critical analysis. Only 7 out of 17 wines offered were from the Hunter Valley which is not necessarily an issue but I do prefer to taste Hunter wines when I’m there. The wines that did impress tended towards the very high point on the pricing scale. At one point there were 12 people being served by 1 staff member who was doing their best but was unable to provide good service to everyone.

2010 Bimbadgen Shiraz Signature – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
A more serious wine and quite good. Plum, black pepper, blackberry and cedar. More depth and layers to the fruit and I found much better balance than the other wines tried. Very good. 90/100

First Creek Wines
ISO glasses. A good setup with seating around barrels and friendly staff. Wines were vacuum pumped after every pour, which I understand is a commercial decision but I can’t help but feel it hurts the aromatics of the wines with this constantly being done each and every time.

2011 First Creek Wines Pinot Noir Winemaker’s Reserve – Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
Stemmy, cherry and nicely bright and floral nose, there is some oak in the background too. Palate is similar with bright fruit and good length. The fruit is quite forward but there is some structure evident as well. I liked this, but it is quite expensive at $45. 90/100
2012 First Creek Wines Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre – Australia, New South Wales
Meaty, cherry and plum with raspberry and spice. Medium bodied and good carry with the spice character coming through on the mid-palate into the finish. Tasty! 90/100
2011 First Creek Wines Shiraz Winemaker’s Reserve – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Floral and quite earthy on the nose, with some spice and blackberry. Good depth with layered fruit and very good structure. Very young and needs some time to age and develop. 91/100

McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant
One of the highlights of the trip in terms of experience (and some pretty good wines too). We started off with ISO glasses but as soon as they saw I was serious they brought out Riedel and also swapped to a different glass a few times for the different grapes/styles. The staff were excellent and kept bringing the better wines for us to taste without me having to feel like I was begging them for a pour from bottles that they already had open (like at some other cellar doors).

2009 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Phil Ryan Signature – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
Second picking grapes from Lovedale. Lemon, light toast and hay aromas. A big step up in depth over the 2011 Elizabeth before it. Has driven acid and great balance. Will age well over the medium-long term. 90/100
2006 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Anne – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
A declassified Lovedale after the winery decided it wasn’t up their required standard. Very youthful nose still with lemon, lime and light florals. The acidity and structure is a clear step up on the other Semillon tried so far. Great length and intensity, this is still developing but should get better over the medium term. 91/100
2007 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Lovedale – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Consistent with previous tasting in December last year. Straw, light smoke and hay on the nose and it has already taken on some waxy notes. Youthful and intense on the palate with good length and texture. Give it time. 91/100
2009 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Rosehill – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
Charred oak, raspberry and earth. Palate is medium bodied but with some good savoury intensity. Textured and well balanced. Drink now and over the medium term. I slightly preferred the 2010 but this was very good. 90/100
2010 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Rosehill – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
Earthy, with raspberry and roses. Palate is savoury and has great depth and balance. I really liked this quite a bit, just a touch ahead of the 2009 for me right now. Has good potential as the structure is there too. 91/100
2010 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Maurice O’Shea – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
Floral, with spices and earth – layers of aromatics that lift this above the other wines even when it is so youthful. Medium bodied palate and with superior balance and structure. Great length and superb potential. This is one of the best releases of this wine that I can remember tasting. 93/100
2009 Barwang Cabernet Sauvignon GDR Hilltops – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Hilltops
Blackberry, olives and toasted oak. Lots of structure on the palate, the tannins are fine but they do take centre stage at this point. I think this needs at least a couple more years in the bottle in order to be really enjoyable. 90/100

Gundog Estate
Riedel glassware. Cellar door staff were fun but they didn’t seem very interested in the details, I kept having to ask for the vintage after every pour etc.

2013 Gundog Estate Sémillon Wild – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
2-3 weeks skin contact. Floral, citrus and passion fruit aromas. Skin contact element is subtle, perhaps contributing to the good texture. There is a pinch of residual sugar but the acidity cuts through. Very good. 90/100
2012 Gundog Estate Sémillon Off-Dry – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Apple, pear and slate. Nice minerality with a lick of sweetness. For me, just a bit better balanced than the 2013 edition. 90/100
2012 Gundog Estate Sémillon Poacher’s – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Flinty, minerals and lime. Bright palate, with good balance and freshness. A good mineral element to it. Good length, a nice wine. 90/100
2012 Burton McMahon Chardonnay – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Wheat, grains and some oak influence. Good texture, it’s nicely bright but still has complexity. Enjoyable. 90/100
2012 Gundog Estate Shiraz Gundaroo – Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Intense aromas with five spice, cherry and black currant. Good length, with nice intensity as well. Lovely length actually, and has the potential to age over the medium term. 91/100

McLeish Estate
ISO glasses. A surreal experience, the staff member was friendly enough but seemed to have little idea about how vintages work and also found it hilarious that I was taking notes. The wines were good and they had quite a vertical of the Semillon available to taste, but I don’t think I’d go back soon.

2005 McLeish Estate Sémillon – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Honey, orange peel and floral notes. Medium bodied and nicely developing. Drink now to around 2018. 90/100

De Iuliis
Riedel glassware. Great cellar door staff, who were happy to let me taste reserve wines and so on. A good experience here.

2011 De Iuliis Sémillon Sunshine Vineyard – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Lime, lemon and minerality on the nose. Very good clean acidity and nice length. Bright fruit with intensity and drive. Should age well. 91/100
2005 De Iuliis Sémillon – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Lemon and just starting to hint at toast. Bright and clean palate, with good texture. it is starting to gain some roundness but the acidity is so cleansing. This is still on its way upward. 91/100
2009 De Iuliis Chardonnay Limited Release – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Buttery, with spice and wax. Nice palate development already with good texture and depth. Mouth feel is rounded and pleasant. 90/100
2010 De Iuliis Shiraz LDR – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Blackberry, spice and floral notes. Lovely spice on the palate and very fine tannins giving the wine structure. Medium bodied with great balance and very good length. 91/100
2009 De Iuliis Shiraz Limited Release – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Bigger in style than the LDR Shiraz, this ramps up the oak influence and spice, with violets and some layers of black fruit. The palate is medium bodied but leans toward the heavier sides as well, it has good fruit depth and plenty of structure but loses out on some of the elegance that I really like in great Hunter Shiraz. 90/100
2011 De Iuliis Shiraz LDR – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Very floral nose, with some spice and graphite. Delicious on the palate. Great length and structure, there is a core of minerality that drives and completes the wine. Great stuff. 92/100

Hermitage Road Cellars
Worst glassware of the trip, smaller than ISOs. Staff were friendly and enthusiastic but showed some basic wine knowledge errors. A number of wineries were avialable to taste but the Andrew Thomas wines stood out. Would come back to taste the Thomas wines if the Small Winemakers Centre is a crush of people like this time.

2012 Andrew Thomas Wines Sémillon Braemore – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Lemon, apple and light floral notes. Bright fruit with lovely length and balance. 90/100
2010 Andrew Thomas Wines Shiraz Sweetwater Individual Vineyard – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Floral, violets and spice aromatics. Good tannin structure overlaid with savoury fruit. Good length. 90/100
2010 Andrew Thomas Wines Shiraz Kiss – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Tightly wound, some spice, rhubarb and violets. Palate has good fruit depth. Structured well, but doesn’t have great interest at this stage. 90/100

Scarborough
Tasted at the new cellar door running in parallel with the old site, I don’t think the new location is as good as the old one but the choice is still there. ISO glassware. Complimentary goats cheese and bread sticks with the tasting, a nice touch.

2012 Scarborough Wine Co Sémillon White Label – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Citrus (mostly lemon) and sherbet. Much better acid here than the 2011 Green label. Good body and minerality. Some time in bottle will serve it well. 90/100
2010 Scarborough Wine Co Chardonnay Yellow Label – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Nutty, fig and lemon. Good acidity and balance on the palate. I like this, I’m not sure how it’ll age but it’s pretty tasty stuff now. 90/100
2011 Scarborough Wine Co Chardonnay White Label Selection – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Spicy oak and straw. Much more elegance here than the 2010 and 2009 White Labels. Good texture and length with potential. 90/100

Keith Tulloch
ISO glassware. Seated tasting either inside or on the verandah with a nice view across the valley. $5 tasting charge redeemable on purchase. Limited range available to taste but the Kester is the top wine and I managed to get a taste of the Field of Mars Semillon without too much prodding.

2012 Keith Tulloch Sémillon – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Pear, florals and spice. Good structure with bright acid and fruit intensity balancing. I tried this a couple of days prior at a restaurant and while it was more open this time, it still needs some age to show its best. 90/100
2011 Keith Tulloch Sémillon Field of Mars Block 3 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Pretty nose, with florals and pears plus good minerality. Mouthfilling without roundness, there is good texture and drive on the palate. Great balance and even better potential. 91/100
2010 Keith Tulloch Shiraz Kester – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
4 hours in the decanter. Tightly wound still, with spice and cherry as well as tobacco and earth. Good fruit depth and the savoury/fruit balance is spot on – providing interest against the plush, tasty fruit. Structurally very good too. Come back to this in 10+ years for its best. 91/100

Tyrrell’s
ISO glasses. A bit of a struggle to get to taste the better wines and still missed out on trying the Johnno’s, 4 Acre etc.

2007 Tyrrell’s Sémillon HVD – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Toast, wax and citrus peel. Better depth than the previous Semillon tried, it has good carry and some minerality. Still very youthful but it is starting to soften a tiny amount – should still be given some time to develop further but won’t need long term aging. 90/100
2007 Tyrrell’s Sémillon Vat 1 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Tight nose – some lemon and minerals with light smoke. Texture takes a step up over the 2007 HVD. Appealing length and depth to the fruit. Too youthful, give it more time. 91/100
2012 Tyrrell’s Chardonnay HVD – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Appealing aromatics – some perfumed floral notes, very light oak and lime. Well textured and balanced with good length. Should develop nicely in the medium term. 90/100
2008 Tyrrell’s Chardonnay Vat 47 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Quite powerful nose with wax, melon and straw. I really like the texture, with cleansing acidity and powerful fruit that never feels out of balance. Very good. 90/100
2011 Tyrrell’s Shiraz Vat 9 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Lower Hunter Valley
Pepper, earthy, blackberry and cherry. Nice elegance to the palate, it is tightly wound but will be very good with more time. 90/100
2011 Tyrrell’s Vat 8 – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
4-5% Cabernet and the remainder Shiraz. Nice aromatics – floral, dark chocolate and cherry. Medium bodied with lots of earthy spices on the palate. Good mouthfeel and length. 90/100

Audrey Wilkinson
Served in ISO glassware. Cellar door is in a stunning location on top of a hill, with great views down into the valley. Service was friendly.

2011 Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Spicy and toasty oak along with flint and pear aromas. The palate has nicely woven minerality and intensity of fruit. Very young and has the potential to get much better. 90/100
2010 Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard Shiraz The Lake – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Cherry, raspberry, spice and very light earth – otherwise it is clean and vibrant. Really pleasing sense of structure to the palate through fine tannin. Balanced and with good length, I really liked this but had to pass at $65. 91/100
NV Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard Vin De Vie Hunter Valley – Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Brandy snaps and strawberry. Quite fresh on the palate, not too heavy and the spirit element doesn’t stick out. Enjoyable. 90/100

Restaurant Wines

NV Pierre Gerbais Champagne Tradition Brut – France, Champagne
Biscuity, with honey, floral and lime notes. Lovely purity to the fruit with fantastic acidity and length. Very very good Champagne. 91/100
1992 J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Riesling Auslese trocken – Germany, Rheingau
Great colour. Nose shows ginger, pear, apricot and light honey. The palate has lovely spice and great length. Drinking right in the slot now. 91/100

Grampians Shiraz Double Vertical Showdown – Seppelt St Peters and Mount Langi Ghiran

I organised a tasting recently with the intent to compare two top-tier Australian cooler climate Shiraz, both from the Grampians region in Victoria (plus a few ring-ins, here and there).

The Seppelt St Peters Shiraz was originally released as Seppelt Great Western Hermitage in 1964 (winning the Jimmy Watson trophy in 1965, a prestigious award, especially back then) and is mostly a blend from two vineyards adjacent to the Seppelt winery, St Peters and the Imperial vineyard. St Peters was one of the first vineyards in the region, planted in 1863 and subsequently replanted during the 1930s and 1960s. Occasionally there is some material from other vineyards around 4 kilometers to the south blended in, but the two mentioned always form the majority. In 1998 the wine underwent a branding change and is now known as St Peters. The wine is matured in a mix of new and old French oak, for between 12-18 months.

We also tasted two “reserve” wines in the Seppelt lineup, from 1997 and 1998. These were winemaker selections of the 10 best barrels, and those 10 barrels happened to be a higher percentage of new oak compared to the final wine but they did not spend any extra time in oak as a number of sources online indicate. I think there is sometime a touch of pre-judgement involved where people expect them to be heavily oaked based on the incorrect belief that they had spent a good deal more time in oak. Unfortunately the “normal” 1997 was corked, but the 1998 flight was offered blind as well and I asked people specifically to see if one stood out as having significantly more oak and while one might have seemed to have a tiny touch more, the general feeling I got from around the room was that it was far from obvious. The flight was split evenly with 5 voting for the normal and 5 for the reserve before they were revealed.

Mount Langi Ghiran is about 30 kilometers south east of Seppelt and the vineyards here at the base of Mount Langi were replanted in the 1960s. The wine is from a single block known as the “Old block”, planted to “swiss clone” material sourced from Best’s Great Western Concongella Vineyard. The clone is apparently only found in the Great Western region in Australia and Mount Langi Ghiran are working with Michel Chapoutier to find out more about this clone via ampelographic and DNA research. This clone is one of the reasons that Trevor Mast, former owner and winemaker, believed was responsible for the distinct pepper character often found in this Shiraz. The wine we tasted saw a mix of American and French oak and it was mostly new. The wines that we tried at this tasting ran up to the last vintage where Mast was head winemaker, and the style was changed following his departure, including switching to entirely French oak, with less % new.

Overall I think the tasting was quite successful, there were plenty of diverse opinions about the wines we tried and I thought it was good to see that not many flights had a clear “winner”, with 3-4 flights ending in a tie and I believe in every flight there was at least one vote for each wine, meaning there was plenty of interest across the line up.

I feel like we got a good idea of the styles of both wineries by the end and it seemed like half the people fell on the side of Mt Langi and the other half on Seppelt. The Seppelt wines seemed very consistent in style (and also consistently very good), where as the Mount Langi were more up and down, which for many proved much more interesting.

Two wines were corked, one from both brand, each winery has offered a replacement with no drama, which is great customer service and was much appreciated. Both were also helpful when I was compiling information for a handout to pass out at the tasting, but especially Seppelt who put me in touch with Melanie, a winemaker there who went the extra mile to help with my questions!

2009 Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Cuvée Fidèle Extra Brut – France, Champagne
Fairly consistent with other bottles – Pinot Noir dominant and intense nose with cherry, earthy, autolysis character and honeyed aromas. The palate counters the richness and punch of the nose with a cleansing citrus acidity, while still having great depth and intensity to it. Not sure that others at the tasting liked this as much, but I think it is an interesting wine that is worth looking at. 91/100
2012 Kalleske Viognier Plenarius – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Another really lifted nose – this time is is orange peel, nutty, mandarin, musk and apricot. The palate has brilliant texture, I was quite smitten by it actually. There is some light tannin that gives it some grip and I think it is really well balanced with a rush of acidity to finish. This really impressed me, I’ve had only a few wines in this style that I’ve really liked, and this was definitely one of them! Super value at around $25 for a wine with this much interest as well. 92/100

2009 Grampians Estate Shiraz Rutherford Sparkling – Australia, Victoria
Crown seal. Quite a lifted nose with cherry cola, violets and some light earth. Nice savoury mouthfeel while still having a dose of sweet red fruit. The fruit sweetness isn’t overpowering and I think this is a well balanced wine with good intensity and length. I haven’t tried this sparkling Shiraz previously and I’m keen to give other vintages a go at some point. 90/100

1988 Seppelt Shiraz Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
The cork was in poor shape, though the level looked to be fine and the wine seemed in reasonable condition. The nose in particular had lots of interest with dense earth and spices, as well as a splash of florality right at the start. The palate did not have the same character to it – it was resolved and holding on to life but also a bit flat, especially towards the finish, confirming its best years were probably past. It still had some fans in this flight but I think the 89 Mount Langi had a better showing. 87/100
1989 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Another poor cork but the we must have just got to it in time as the wine was very pleasant. The nose is pretty classic with white pepper, some stems and earth. The palate is well structured, the tannins are still quite firm and it’s quite possible that they will outlive the fruit. Still, there is good flow of flavour through the palate and it doesn’t dip away. Drink now and in the short term. 90/100

1995 Seppelt Shiraz Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Charcoal, flint, roses and a bit of cherry still in the background – in fact the nose was a bit hard to pin down as there was a fair bit going on and it was shifting around with time, something that for me is always enjoyable when spending time with a wine. The palate is quite lithe, with good savoury texture and elegance. This had medium depth and probably slightly better length. I liked it more and more each time I came back to it in the flight, with the last sip being my favourite. Drink now and over the not too distance future but spend some time with it if you can. 91/100
1996 Seppelt Shiraz Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
I last tried this wine 7 years ago and I loved it, thinking that 3-5 years would be a good time to come back to it. On this occasion it was just as good and possibly even a touch better. The nose is intense but at the same time it is quite pretty; there is red cherry, plum, some smoky meat and graphite. The palate has a core of bold fruit, but there is the structure and drive to keep it from ever feeling like a burden. Especially good persistence and length to it. A very different wine to the 1995 Seppelt Shiraz, but just as interesting and even has potential to improve. A friend mentioned he has had some bottle variation with this wine, this bottle was on song though. 93/100
1995 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Cloves and pepper, with a nice truffly earthy character – along with the cloves there is a touch of gamey animal element to it, which was possibly some low level brett – the good kind in this case! The palate is medium weighted, with soft red fruits combining with structure that is starting to fold into the wine. Good length and I’d be starting to drink these now. 91/100
1996 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Badly corked. NR/100

1995 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
An interlude in the vertical to have with dinner. A bright high-toned nose of cherry, raspberry, licorice and plums. Palate is medium weight, showing a bit more development but still has quite pure red fruit and it is delicious. I don’t think it has the structure to age a large amount more, but it should make it to 20 years if the bottle is sound. 90/100

1997 Seppelt Shiraz Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Corked, a shame as I really wanted to see how this wine was travelling and also to have it next to the 97 Reserve. NR/100
1997 Seppelt Shiraz Reserve Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Quite a strong animale character, probably the most evident of all the Seppelt wines tried tonight for me – there is also leather, light mint and some charcoal. The palate is a good mix of forward fruit and more of that animale style meatiness. Still well structured, there are a lot of elements in play here and some additional years in bottle should have it showing very nicely. 91/100
1997 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Superb floral notes leap out of the glass at first, as well as leather and smoky meats – there was some funk/brett as well, at first it was just in the background but I found it start to come through more with time. The palate is pleasant but it doesn’t have the structure or driven character of some of the better wines tonight. Still very good and I’d be drinking this soon. 89/100
1997 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon – France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Smelled amazing at first but it seemed to recede into itself quickly – stalks, cherry, game and some light capsicum aromas. The palate is more impressive, with beautiful texture and length. It doesn’t have as much complexity as I would have hoped for and while the structure was fine, it wasn’t so imposing that I thought it would develop greatly over more than the medium term. It really didn’t stand above the other wines in this flight and even though was probably just my favourite wine of the flight, if you look at the comparative costs involved it was not good value, even though I know that this is not the best vintage for Hermitage. 91/100

1998 Seppelt Shiraz Reserve Great Western – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Pepper and spices, black cherry, blackberry and slightly charred coffee notes, it is cleaner in style than the 1997 Reserve but still has great complexity. The fruit is ripe and persistent but well controlled by some serious structural components. The texture and depth is brilliant and this was one of my very favourite wines on the night. This was very close in both style and quality to the 1998 St Peters in the same flight, but this just held the edge for me. 93/100
1998 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Shows a fair bit of pepper and spices with cherry and graphite – it is quite similar to the 1998 Reserve, maybe being very slightly less intense. The structure is a bit looser on the palate in comparison, giving it a more open character and even seemed to be a bit more stylish with the fruit showing through a tad more, while still having a feeling of overall restraint. The fruit is still very deep and textured and it is probably more appealing right now while still having potential to age over the next 5+ years. It was a very close contest between this and the 1998 Reserve and the table was split equally as to their preference. 92/100
1998 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Sage and herbs, very earthy and some leather. It’s nicely savoury and complex on the nose, the palate isn’t as interesting unfortunately. It is fairly lightly weighted, which isn’t a problem in itself, but I felt the depth and length were not playing enough of a part to shine in this company. Drink now and in the short term. 88/100

1999 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Lovely five spice aromatics here, there is also red cherry, liquorice and truffle. The palate is bold and fairly forceful, the balance is fine for me but the extra fruit intensity definitely stood out at this tasting. Very good, but with a bit more restraint and complexity on the palate it would be an even better wine, I’d like to see it in a few more years to track how it is progressing. 90/100
2000 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
The nose was fairly odd on this wine, I wasn’t sure if I liked it but in the end it was good over the course of the glass. There is a dark chocolate, nutty and very ripe berry character while also hinting at stalky and slightly green notes – with more time in the glass the green started to show through more. The palate is much more standard, with nice mouthfeel from some restrained red fruits and good length as well, while not having the same depth as some of the other wines in the lineup. Probably one of the weaker wines on the night even though it was interesting trying to work it out. 88/100
1999 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Black pepper, graphite, cherry and a light touch of leather – this seems to be very much classic Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz on the nose. The pepper carries onto the palate giving the red fruits an interesting kick, there is great texture and length here as well. Very consistent with a bottle from late last year, maybe a touch better even and probably my favourite Langi wine other than the 1992 tonight. 92/100
2000 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
First bottle was not right, dirty and flat. NR/100
2000 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Considerably better bottle than the first. Chocolate and cherry on the nose with a just a hint at green character. The palate is medium bodied and quite well balanced initially, though it finishes slightly thin. Like many of the Langi wines, it does have plenty of character so it is interesting despite any downsides. 88/100

2001 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
The intensity and vibrancy ramps up a notch on this wine, almost as though it is considerably younger than some of the other bottles we tried from just a few vintages prior. Lots of licorice, violets, plum, blackberry and just a touch of regional spice. The oak is much better integrated since I last tried it close to release. The balance is really top shelf, the concentrated but vibrant fruit and very fine tannins work harmoniously and the length and drive is fantastic. There is a great deal of potential with this wine to develop over the next 10 years. 92/100
2002 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
Five spice, red cherry, vanilla and violets – there isn’t as much leaping intensity compared to the 2001 but it is a little bit more deep and serious. The seriousness continue on the palate, with great purity and fruit richness that is reigned in by fine tannin structure and a framework of light oak. Still very primary in nature, but with great depth and the balance to age, I’ll leave my other bottle alone for another 7-10 years. I’ve tried this wine a number of times now – twice close to release when it was stunning and again about 4 years ago when it was awkward and relatively disappointing. I left my next bottle until now and thankfully I think it is swinging back upwards, even if it isn’t up to the same level as those early bottles just yet. 92/100
2002 Mitchelton Shiraz Print – Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes
A ring in to show a different style/region within Victoria. A nose with lots of bright fruit – cherry, blackberry and raspberry with graphite and peppery notes also. The fruit is bold but still has that bright quality to it, with good acidity playing a big part in balancing out the density. Has very good potential over the medium term as it is still very youthful now. 91/100

1992 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi – Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians
Served blind by Dave at the end of the evening. Deeply coloured, I probably wouldn’t have guessed 20+ years old. Clean and engaging nose – black cherry, five spice, blackberry and liquorice. Beautifully balanced palate, with spicy savoury elements combined with the still bright mid weight fruit. Great length and very classy, this was a fantastic way to finish looking at these wines and my equal wine of the night. 93/100

Then a cavalcade of “backups” thanks to Dave including a 1970 Mildara Shiraz Cabernet Malbec, 71 Best’s Bin 0 that was sadly past it and some stunning whisky and bourbon!

Rare Burgundy Dinner – 1919, 1923, 1928, 1929, 1937, 1947 and more!

An amazing night two weekends ago as we gathered at Marque restaurant in Sydney, Australia for a Burgundy themed event, organised by a friend as part of his RareWineDinners business. The attendees included some familiar local faces as well as people that had flown in from Adelaide, Tasmania and even San Francisco!

I can happily report that except for 1 bottle that was really not showing well (unfortunately the DRC!), all the wines had character and life, with many in stunning condition. Of course this underlines the critical importance of provenance with these kind of wines – the majority of these bottles were sourced from two cold cellars in Europe where the wines had been purchased on release and stored until being brought over to Australia, 90 years later in some cases!

A few highlights were;

The 1985 Veuve Clicquot Rare Rose Champagne (disgorged 2007) to start was fantastic and a little bit surprising how much I liked it, considering I very often don’t care much for Rose Champagne.

The 1947 Violland Corton Charlemagne which was in brilliant form, lots of nutty aromas on the nose with richness, minerality and still having plenty of acidity to lift the wine. The 2000 Ramonet Batard Montrachet was the token young gun and it had amazing potential.

For the reds, the highlight of the night for me was the 1929 Drouhin Clos De Vougeot – a wine of exceptionally complex aromas, a classy and texturally beautifully palate that gained weight with time in the glass and above all it was just seductively delicious (a lucky person with experience in the area said that it was utterly classic 1929 Burgundy – unfortunately I don’t have the experience to say the same!). This was followed closely by the 1937 Bouchard Clos De Vougeot, 1923 De Beuverand & De Poligny Nuits St.G and the 1919 Rigault Vosne Romanee.

NV G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne Cordon Rouge Brut – France, Champagne
Served as a palate cleanser and arrival drink. Some lemon curd and apple on the palate. I found the palate to be very light intensity, with decent freshness but a serious lack of depth. Okay value for Champagne, but I prefer many Australian sparkling wines at a similar price point. 86/100

1985 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Rosé Rare – France, Champagne
Disgorged 2007. Redcurrant, earthy, lemon and honeycomb notes on the nose. There is lovely vibrant acidity to go along with the medium weighted richness. Great length and really impressive, especially considering Rose Champagne often leaves me underwhelmed. Good bottles will continue at this very high level for some time to come. 93/100

1947 Louis Violland Corton-Charlemagne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Almost the same golden colour as the 1978 Lafon, this was just slightly darker in the core. The nose does have lots of aged elements, but it retains a sense of freshness – there is orange peel, lots of nutty aromas and some old oak and mint. The palate has a fantastic line of acidity, which some felt was clearly added by the winemaker but I thought was nicely integrated. Alongside this bright acid and framing minerality is good richness that built when given time in the glass. A very classy wine in brilliant form. 93/100
1978 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Grilled almonds on the nose, with ginger and a little resin element. The medium length palate is fairly soft but has glimpses of minerality that held my interest. Very good but it would be great with a little bit more drive and persistence. It is holding but I don’t think it will improve from here based on this bottle. 89/100

1986 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Quite reticent nose with light florals, honey and some pineapple, possibly from some botrytis influence. The palate has rounded out well and has very good balance, assisted by a flash of acidity at just the right moment. Improved in the glass after some vigorous swirling and while I liked it a lot, it didn’t quite deliver enough complexity to rate this higher. Drink now. 91/100
2000 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
The token young gun at this tasting. Mint, lime, spicy/toasty oak and apple aromas. The palate was especially true to the Ramonet house style – with layered and powerful fruit paired with superb tension, focus and length. Above all, though it is a outstanding wine already, the potential to improve is very much evident. 94/100

1929 Joseph Drouhin Clos Vougeot – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A stunning nose – spices, tea, cherry, roses, autumn leaves and some cocoa. The palate is beguiling, still possessing alluring red fruit and complex earthy spices. The layers of flavour, texture and especially the length are verging on out of this world. While it doesn’t have the outright structure of some of the other wines tonight, it is beautifully balanced and drinking perfectly now. Magic. 96/100
1919 Leon Rigault Vosne-Romanée – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Bramble, raspberry, rhubarb and very nice clove and earthy aromatics. Medium bodied and with a real purity to the fruit that is just unbelievable for the age. Not only is the palate fresh and lifted by this pure fruit, there is earthy complexity and even has fine structure with tannins still there to guide the wine. Totally outstanding. 94/100

1923 De Beuverand & De Poligny Nuits St. Georges – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges
Opened up wonderfully even a short time after pouring with tar and roses, musk and ground coffee all present. The structure on the palate had me reeling in consideration of just how good it was – at 90 years of age it was not my expectation but the tannins were perfectly placed and really gave the wine a feeling of great purpose and balance. Not quite as complex as some of the other wines that were highlights tonight, but I loved it all the same. 93/100
1929 Pierre Bourée Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Clos de la Justice – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
I adored the nose on this wine right from the first moment, it subdued a little bit over time but they still had me captive – complex spices, incense, cherry, pencil shavings and earth. The nose was hard to live up to, and for me the palate didn’t really manage it – it was taut and not willing to give much back, the length was good but it terms of depth it just wasn’t there as much as I tried to find it. Still very good and on almost any other night it might have starred. 90/100

1937 Bouchard Père et Fils Clos Vougeot – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Incredibly pretty aromas right away – highly perfumed florals, spice, truffle and a wisp of smoke. The palate has superb poise, it is balanced with a precise line of acidity and some delicious cherry fruit. Complex, depth and having great texture, this is a wine of immense class that is both appealing and extremely interesting. 94/100
1951 Arthur Barolet et Fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
The nose is earthy and nutty, with a fair bit of volatile acidity and a yeasty character. The palate is better with some acidity to carry the light fruit but it is still lacking a bit in interest and depth. There is still life and it is entirely decent to drink, however it was just not up to scratch tonight with the interest that the other wines had to offer. 87/100

1961 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Very earthy nose, it is smoky with mulch and an edge to it that is port like. The palate for me was showing less obvious aged character, it has a sense of structure and fruit rather than either being obvious. Drinkable but probably not a bottle in great condition and certainly not meeting the lofty domaine reputation. NR/100
1961 Pol Mairesse Richebourg – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
A nose that took some getting used to – there is dettol and deep heat, with lots of charcoal, gunpowder, stems and boot polish. It had plenty of interest, though it is not particularly easy to like. The palate is more conventional, with cherry fruit and some of that stemmy character coming through. The finish is a little bit short. Overall even though I think it was a bit too confronting for me, I can’t recall drinking anything quite like it and I valued the chance to try it. 87/100

1928 Chevillot Tâche-Romanée Grand Cru – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
A very fitting way to end the burgundy flights. There was plenty happening on the nose with five spice and hoisin, coal, red cherry and strawberries. The palate was quite elegant and restrained and while it did become a bit more expansive with time, it didn’t end up having the power or weight I might have expected from a La Tache based wine. Despite that, it was still lovely to drink with medium length and a gentle finish. Some people mentioned that it was more what you might expect from a 1928 compared to some of the other wines that were still quite impressively vibrant – not that this was falling over but it was certainly time to drink it. 91/100

1976 Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt a. Main Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese – Germany, Rheingau
Good freshness and plenty of style on the nose – there is apricot, pineapple, pear and peach along with dense honey and caramel. The palate is lovely, with the acidity really driving and lifting the wine into a long finish. I do feel like this wine was on the cusp of brilliance and others at the table that have had another bottle indicated that the previous bottle had more intensity while maintaining the same impressive balance, something that I think would take it onto that next level. 92/100

Current release Torbreck tasting notes including Les Amis, Factor, Run Rig and Laird

I recently attended this new release tasting for Torbreck at North Sydney Cellars. I am generally a fan of David Powell’s wines, but one of the big surprises for me on the night was the quality of the two white wines on offer, as I have previously either disliked or been very underwhelmed by the white wines from Torbreck – on this evening they were both interesting and great to drink, especially the Steading Blanc.

Of course the big guns were the main draw to the tasting, and they all had impressive elements – my favourites being the Les Amis Grenache, Factor Shiraz, Run Rig Shiraz Viognier and Laird Shiraz. On the whole this was a very strong showing and the Torbreck portfolio seems to keep improving every time I come back to it.

2011 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Roussane Viognier Marsanne – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
46% Roussanne 41% Viognier 13% Marsanne. Floral nose with some lime and pear notes. The palate is medium bodied, hinting at richness but held back by good acidity that also gives the wine a fresh lift. 88/100
2012 Torbreck The Steading Blanc – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
44% Marsanne, 32% Roussanne, 24% Viognier. Floral as well, but compared to the 2011 Woodcutters next to it, the floral notes are much more intense and wild – there is also wax, flint and apricot. The palate has excellent mouth feel and good texture, it is quite rich in style but great fruit purity is still maintained. Very impressive and I liked it more and more every time I came back to the glass. 90/100

2011 Torbreck (Cuvée) Juveniles – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
62% Grenache, 23% Shiraz & 15% Mataro. Pepper, violets and some meaty elements – I found the nose to have good interest, especially at this level. The palate continues the trend towards spice influence with restrained red fruit and medium length. Very good, and a pleasant experience after some much less appealing examples in previous vintages. 89/100
2012 Torbreck Shiraz Woodcutter’s – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Cherry, blackcurrant, lightly sappy and light spicy aromas. Medium depth on the palate, with some decent fruit, it is good to drink but for me it’s not really exciting in any aspect. 87/100

2010 Torbreck Grenache Les Amis – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Very appealing aromatics for me – dark cherry/kirsch, rose, dark chocolate and there is plenty of oak but I felt the fruit matched it for intensity. The palate is lovely, with ripe, intense fruit paired with great structure and a savoury spicy edge. Needs plenty of time to age and integrate but I think it will be excellent. 92/100
2010 Torbreck Mataro Kyloe – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Aromas that could either fall on the side of brett or a character of mataro – either way it was strongly gamey, with truffle, earth and cherry notes. The palate has that meaty character to it as well, but the red fruit shows through a bit better here. Has good length to it and if it’s brett I don’t think this bottle suffered too much from it. I’ll look out for chances to try future vintages as it seems promising and the price is fair. 89/100

2009 Torbreck Descendant – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
92% Shiraz, 8% Viognier. Candied apricot, smoke, tar, raspberry and some bramble aromas. I like how the palate has quite rich fruit, but it is still bright with a lovely line of acidity, and the tannin structure here seems spot on to let that vibrancy show through now while still having potential. 91/100
2009 Torbreck Shiraz The Factor – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Cherry, plum, earth, tar and floral notes. Beautifully balanced, it has powerful and rich fruit, and the tannins are similarly quite big in order to provide a frame for the palate. Fantastic carry of flavours and length. Very youthful, but very very good. 92/100

2010 Torbreck Run Rig – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier. Very floral on the nose, with supporting blackberry, spices and dark cherry. The palate has extremely bright but powerful fruit and outstanding depth and textural elements. Comes across as more classy than would be expected with this level of concentration but it is all in balance and really delicious. 94/100
2008 Torbreck Shiraz The Laird – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Served next to the 2010 RunRig, this is amplified in almost every aspect. Cocoa, ground coffee, outrageously floral perfume, blackcurrant and raspberry aromas. The layers of fruit are amazingly dense but they have real definition and texture to them, saving the wine from being one dimensional. Outstanding length and a great experience to taste it. 94/100

A few interesting wines including Bollinger, Lafite, Huet, Ramonet, Screaming Eagle and more

Just some quick TNs on a great set of wines with a few friends over dinner. I haven’t had a Screaming Eagle before, I have to assume very few end up in Australia, so it was a privilege to try one.

2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année – France, Champagne
Toast, talc, apple and lemon rind aromas on the nose. Palate is excellent, with fantastic acid drive and pure fruit persistence. There is depth and texture, though I found this wine to be surprisingly delicate for Bollinger GA, the power is still there in the background but very much restrained. I thought this was brilliant and has good aging potential. 93/100
1995 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Vintage – France, Champagne
Served blind. Pear, apple and some slight honeyed character emerging. The palate is very well balanced and it has great cleansing acid that leaves you wanting more. Has come along very well since I last tasted it and it still has room to develop further. 90/100

2004 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Blanc – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Served blind. Floral nose with pear, lemon, oyster shells and mint supporting. Very good tingly acidity on the refined palate. The fruit that is there is delicate and has excellent persistence. A lovely wine with time on it’s side. 92/100
2004 Cullen Wines Chardonnay – Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Served blind. Bright citrus fruit on the nose with some spice and lovely floral background. There is some power behind the fruit on the palate, but a beautiful line of acidity keeps the wine in balance. Texturally very good and I was pleased when this was revealed as it is a wine that I have really liked in the past and this time was no different. 92/100

1988 Huët Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg – France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Honeyed with ginger and pineapple as well as strong floral perfume. Palate has more richness than I had expected based on some other reviews, but it is more ripe fruit sweetness than lots of sugar. There isn’t a great deal of complexity just yet, but it is very tasty. There is still plenty of freshness, so I don’t think you need to be in a hurry to drink it and hopefully the complexity emerges. 91/100

2009 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Ripe fruited nose, with cherry, raspberry and musk. The palate is rich as well but there is good acidity countering and it has the structure to hold together. It will age, but it is pretty appealing right now as well in its youth. 90/100

1992 Château Smith Haut Lafitte – France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
A pretty classic bordeaux that showed much better than the vintage suggests it should. There is briar, tobacco, graphite and some stalky character (not too much though). Medium bodied, it is integrated and drinking near to its peak. Probably finishes just a tad shorter than I’d like, but it is not a big problem overall. 89/100
1978 Château Lafite Rothschild – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
A nicely complex nose of tobacco, pencil shavings, blackberry, cedar and earthy elements. The palate has excellent drive still, with medium weighted fruit surrounded by the structure that has almost seamlessly merged into the wine. Very classy and I would say that it is ready to drink now and over the next few years. 92/100

2002 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Layered aromas of graphite, kirsch, cassis, dark chocolate and tobacco. I was not at all expecting how refined and nuanced this was going to be on the palate, in fact I found it to be quite compellingly balanced. The fruit is beautiful and has real depth to it as well as plenty of character. I’d love to see it in another decade or so, but realistically probably won’t get the chance to do so! This was not the wine that I was really expecting, but found it seriously great anyway. 94/100

2001 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Castello di Nipozzano Mormoreto Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Stems, raspberry and blueberry fruit aromas along with a lightly earthy spiciness. The palate is medium bodied, there is some dark rich fruit that is reigned in by well proportioned tannins. Drinking nicely now but a few more years won’t hurt. 90/100

1997 Domaine Jo Pithon Coteaux du Layon Chaume – France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon Chaume
Darkly coloured which was of some concern but the wine turned out to be in fine condition. Aromatically appealing with pineapple, honey, toast, sultana and a fleck of ginger. Delicious palate has medium richness and very good length. While the complexity is lacking slightly, it is still very good to drink. 90/100
2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Lime, pineapple, spice and subtle white floral notes. The palate has good purity and sweetness, with some mouth-watering acidity lifting the wine as a whole. I last tried this a couple of years ago and it is has not had a chance to change much yet. I also tried the Auction GK Auslese #15 a few months back and it was a large step up in depth and excitement, despite that I really enjoyed this standard Auslese #17. 91/100

White Burgundy Event Tasting Notes

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

Older Posts

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Review – A.Retief Sauvignon Blanc 2012

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Hunter Valley Trip – Highlights and Impressions

Grampians Shiraz Double Vertical Showdown – Seppelt St Peters and Mount Langi Ghiran

Rare Burgundy Dinner – 1919, 1923, 1928, 1929, 1937, 1947 and more!

Current release Torbreck tasting notes including Les Amis, Factor, Run Rig and Laird

A few interesting wines including Bollinger, Lafite, Huet, Ramonet, Screaming Eagle and more

White Burgundy Event Tasting Notes

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