12 November 2010

Troy Denham, the State Manager for Fours Seasons Fine Wines, was keen to put a couple of wines from their excellent portfolio into our masked tasting to see how they performed. It was with this in mind that we looked at several brackets of riesling, and a bracket of chardonnays. There were a couple of real stars in the tasting, so the wines had their work cut out.

It was no surprise that the Grossett rieslings did well, they are the benchmark for Australian rieslings. That the 2010 wines from Xabregas showed so well was impressive. Importantly, wines like the Leasingham Bin 7 do not show well in these tastings. The firm acidity makes them hard work now but guarantees a 20 year cellaring future.

The highlight of the chardonnay bracket was the contrast between the two wines from Xanadu. The Stevens Road was impressive in all respects. The sheer weight of fruit combined with turbo-charged wine-making inputs makes this a wine that must be noticed. By comparison, the Reserve was superbly balanced, making it a joy to drink!

Finally, Angove has done it again with their Butterfly Ridge which retails for $7. It is a sound wine that drinks well.

Reviewed

Riesling

Grossett – Riesling – Polish Hill – 2010 (18.7). Very citrusy nose. Lemon and lime juice with a touch of curd. A powerful wine, this has spectacular line and length. The length really is incredible and the fruit quality impeccable. The palate is dominated by steely fruit and limey acidity. This is tight and quite austere, but will be a superstar.

Grossett – Riesling – Springvale – 2010 (18.5). This has everything! There is floral fruit laid over minerals and slate. Passionfruit, lime and even a touch of lavender. The palate is fresh and vibrant. The abundant acid is remarkably soft and allows the fruit to flourish. This will live for many years, but is relatively approachable now.

Xabregas – Riesling – X – Spencer Road – 2010 (18.5). Extraordinarily pale and almost with a touch of spritz. Quite Germanic in a kabinet style really, with lovely aromatics. This is extraordinarily fine and delicate, yet there is immense power behind the wine. If there is a hint of sweetness, the acid balances the wine beautifully.

Cherubino – Riesling – The Yard – Pannoo Vineyard – 2010 (18.3). Reserved, with a steely backbone. There is musk, sherbet and lime juice acidity that frames the finish. There is a touch of talc on the back palate. The length is impressive and this just needs time to flourish.

Lucien Albrecht – Riesling – Reserve – 2009 (18). Lovely floral/aromatic nose not dissimilar to gwertztraminer. Really seductive with lime juice and musk, the fruit characters carry through on an impressive finish that is rich and textured.

Howard Park – Riesling – Porongurup – 2010 (17.9). Again, shy. This is high in acid, but it is not aggressive. There is lemony fruit, but it is struggling to make its presence felt. This opens and gets really juicy. Very fine wine.

Xabregas – Riesling – 2010 (17.8) Floral and sweet fruit characters. This is textured, viscous and long. The obvious residual sugar carries the palate and the acid keeps the balance. Drink on a warm afternoon by itself.

Plantaganet – Riesling – 2009 (17.7). Much rounder, even a touch creamy. Again more to the steely side, but with some passionfruit and citrus notes coming through. The finish is very long, with lemony acidity providing the length. Sound wine. Powdery, fine, more modern and greater length.

Xabregas – Riesling – Show Reserve – 2009 (17.5). Minerals to the fore. Steely, with a touch of lanolin. Piercing acidity but balanced. Long and fine finish, but really needs time. 10 yrs+

Howard Park – Riesling – Museum Release – 2006 (17.4). Some developed characters with a touch of toast and just a hint of kerosene, (A good thing). Just starting to hit its drinking window, the developed toasty notes are balanced by fine acidity. Good drinking.

Leasingham – Riesling – Bin 7 – 2009 (17.3+). Lemony fruit, though the acid gets to me at the moment. There is good quality fruit, but it needs many years to emerge from the steely framework.

Boston Bay – Riesling – 2010 (17.1). Restrained, with textured and structural components more obvious now. The palate is fine and well balanced, with lime and mineral components. Falls away on the finish a touch, but a good effort.

Angove – Riesling/Gwertztraminer – Butterfly Ridge – 2010 (16.5). Floral and aromatic, there is musk, lychee and passionfruit. The palate is viscous and textured but the acid helps avoid the finish becoming cloying (just). At $7,this is another screaming bargain.

Talisman – Riesling – 2009 (16). Much more steely and racy, this has good length, though it is not so complex.

Chardonnay

Xanadu – Chardonnay – Reserve – 2009 (18.5). Quite burgundian nose, with almond meal and minerals combined with well judged oak. The palate has lovely fresh acidity and there is a touch of citrus and stonefruit characters to finish. Really subtle oak and well integrated. Texture is very good. The balance of this wine is a highlight and after a day or two sitting open on the tasting bench, this really blossomed.

Xanadu – Chardonnay – Stevens Road – 2009 (18.4). This is BIG! Well made wine, with all wine-makers fingerprints evident. There are creamy textural components on the nose, along with mealy cashew and almond notes and a gentle creaminess. The intensity of the fruit on the palate is outstanding, thought the piercing acidity is a touch dominant now. There is pineapple fruit on the palate and textural wine-maker’s inputs. Great length and a very textured finish, with the barrel ferment, lees and oak components all adding to the finish. This has more of everything and is for lovers of big, (but not blowsy) chardonnay.

Clairault – Chardonnay – Estate – 2008 (17.4). This has some toasty oak notes to open. The palate is long and very closed, with the supple oak dominating the finish. I would like to see this again in 6 months to see where it is going.

Clairault – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.2). Dumb. This is a very minerally wine with textural wine-makers inputs. Reserved and tight, this needs a few years to open up. There is some fresh peachy fruit, but this is just developing.