27 June 2009

The chardonnay bracket proved very interesting on a couple of points. Firstly, the best had a minerality that really added complexity. This character presented as fresh curry leaf. I have a plant growing near the back door, and I have rubbed the leaves many times to confirm the smell. I have seen this now in many top White Burgundies and Chablis.

The other take home point was that although screw caps are much more reliable than corks, there are other factors that can affect the quality of an individual bottle of wine. This was highlighted by the Yerring Station wines. I had very high expectations for these, but they showed poorly on the day. Perhaps it was the way they were transported.

To the wines. The Moorooduc and the La Strada were both excellent, but stylistically diverse. The Moorooduc was rich textured and creamy, while the La Strada was tight, lean and elegant. The 2007 Howard Parks continue to impress. This time it was the Leston from Margaret River that we saw. Finally, I don’t quite get the point yet of a lot of the unusual blends that we are seeing at the moment. May be it is just me but…

Tasted

Moorooduc – Chardonnay – 2006. Serious nose on this. It opens with a touch of vanillin oak. The palate is creamy long and fine. Really builds in the glass and is quite seamless. A rich style that is perhaps a bit dated. There is plenty of barrel ferment and lees work apparent. Was fantastic with steamed fish over dinner. (18)

Howard Park – Leston – Shiraz – 2007. Powerful nose.Some lovely floral – perfume on the nose. The palate is all about licorice, spice and white pepper. Plums and finishes with fine tannins and spicy fruit. Very long and fine and will age well. (18)

La Strada -Chardonnay – 2006. Closed and restrained on the nose but with pure varietal fruit. Curry leaf complexity too. The palate is fine and lean, with minerals and spice. Should evolve. (17.8)

Port Phillip Estate – Estate – Chardonnay – 2007. Opens with curry leaf. Must be good. Complex, with barrel ferment and lees characters in the nose. The palate is flinty with minerality. The wine is complex, with lemony acid. Lovely length and texture. Fine oak to support, but is too young right now. (17.5)

Duke’s – Shiraz – 2007. This was all about Spice with some tobacco to close. The palate is vibrant and spicy, but the fruit is hidden by fine tannins and oak. Just to young. 5yrs (17)

Forester – Shiraz – 2006. Concentrated nose with licorice and plummy fruit. This continued on the palate with more Licorice, plum and cinnamon to close. Well supported by JJ. (17).

Forester – Home Block – Shiraz – 2007. Tasting notes to follow (17)

Two Tracks – Chardonnay – Marlborough – 2008. Closed, > lemon, toasty, textured, zesty finish, long and creamy. (17)

Robert Oatley – Chardonnay – 2008. Creamy but quite lean, > Apricot, Lemon, lanolin and peach. Long but in a lean style. (16.8)

Yerring Station – Coombe Farm – Chardonnay – 2007. Subtle curry leaf and minerals. Complex. >> Tight, balanced, lemony, grippy close. Minimal oak . But adds to finish. Closed. Opens and gains complexity. (16.5)

Schwarz Wine Company – The Dust Kicker – Hunt and Gather – Red Blend – blend – 2007. Cooler fruit here, with some herbal overtones. The palate has chocolate, cherry and plum. Manufactured wine for the punters. (16.5)

Redhouse – Mediterrane – s/tem/sang – 2008. Sweet vibrant fruit. Red fruits and a touch of ripe banana. Red fruits and tar on a moderately long palate. Not complex but a good quaff. (16.5)

Guinea Run – Shiraz/merlot/cabernet – 2007 . Luscious cherry and plum. There is plummy and vibrant fruits, and the dusty tannins add interest. Tarry finish. Tasted twice. (16.5)

15/06/2009

Shaun Maher from Liquid Library (Wholesaler in Western Australia) put on a tasting to highlight the quality of some of his new release wine. The focus was on imported wines from France as well as Itally, Spain, Portugal etc. Held at The Ellington, there were over 50 wines to try. This was too many to try, and to many to write up, so I will focus on the most interesting and best. A highlight was the Chablis’ from Christian Moreau and the Burgundies from Jean-Louis Chavy.

Other highlights included the Domaine La Barroche – Chateauneuf du Pape – 2006, the Chateau du Cedre “Prestige” 2005 form Cahors and the Artadi – Vinas de Gain – 2006 from Rioja. A word of warning, this was Not a blind tasting, so I may have been seduced by some of the labels. If the wines are reviewed here though, it means that they were pretty good.

Tasted

Te Whare Ra – Sauvignon Blanc – 2008. More Complex than the Wairau River. Goosebury and some tropical characters on the nose. The palate is bright, fresh andfleshy with zingy acid to keep it all together. (17.5)

Vincent Pinard – Flores – Sancerre – 2007. Quite a contrast to the NZ sauvignon blancs. This wine was more about the minerally charachters with lemony acid. Not obvious. (16.5)

Serge Dagueneau – Pouilly Fume – 2007. Complex wine with obvious worked characters (Lees stirring +/- barrel ferment), but with fresh floral notes too. The mouth feel and texture really made this stand out. The palate is quite steely, with a mineral finish. Long and mouthwatering. (17.5)

Pichot –Coteau de la Biche – Sec – 2007 (Vouvray). Complex, earthy and minerally on the nose, followed by a palate with “WOW” factor. Long, textured and viscous, this is a big wine. Whilst the acid keeps the fruit in check, the residual sugar just shows up on the finish. One to drink not to sip. (17.3)

Christian Moreau – Chablis (AC) – 2007. Typical style with mineral/honey and a touch of toast from ? barrel ferment/lees working. Good, but finishes a bit short (16.5)

Christian Moreau – Vaillons – Chablis – 1er Cru – 2007. Still quite closed. More complex than the AC wine, this is al about the minerally charachters. The palate is quite big and rich with the minerals/honey coming through the mid palate. Long, and with very good acid balance. (17.5)

Christian Moreau – Valmur – Chablis – Grand Cru – 2007. This is good! Very closed (and served way too cold). You get a sense that the amount of new oak is a little higher her, thought the Vanilla/lemony charachters are well balanced. The palate is very long and fine, and it builds in the mouth. excelent acids to close. (18.5)

Christian Moreau – Les Clos – Grand Cru – 2007. Only hinting its potential now, this is closed tight and minerally. The palate is a standout. Mineral and spice withjust a touch of honey. Seamless, long and really builds inthe mouth. Harmonious oak adds texture, and the fine acids bring the finish to life. (18.7)

Jean- Louis Chavy – Puligny Montrachet (AC) – 2006. Richer, more viscous and textured than the Chablis. This is long, and rich on the palate, but without the concentration of the Chablis. Some mineral and honey to close. (17.5)

Jean- Louis Chavy – Perrieres – Puligny Montrachet – 1er Cru -2006. Complex and enticing. More obvious mineral and hints of honey. Fine oak also apparent with some barrel ferment and lees working. Follows with a rich and textured palate that is quite seamless. Fine acid to close. Good Stuff (18.5)

Chateau Mont-Redon – Chateauneuf de Pape (rouge) – 2006. A real suprise here because of the rich and forward nose. There is a complex and enticing nose of ripe rasberries, white pepper and floral notes. The palate is very long and fine, but is not as forward as the palate. Tight and closed, this needs several years to show its best. (17.8/18.2)

Domaine La Barroche – Chateauneuf de Pape (rouge) – 2006. I have not seen this label before. Ripe and aromatic, thought the fruit is shy. Plenty of pepper and cinamon, with subtle oak apparent. The white pepper and spice are to the fore on the palate. Develops lifted fruit. The tannins and oak are grippy now. (18+)

Artadi – Vinas de Gain – Rioja – 2006. I have a soft spot for tempraillo based wines, and this is a good one. It has a beautiful nose that is complex and has spices running through it. The balance is the key to the palate. It is ripe, with fruit in the plummy spectrum, folowed by supple but powdery tannins. Builds in the mouth. (18)

Roda – Reserva – Rioja – 2005. Silky wine with floral and red fruit characters. I have to question the value here. (17.5)

Quinta do Vallado – Douro – 2007. No question on value here. Complex wine with ripe red fruits. Bright red fruits continue o the palate. This is complex, long and textured with powdery tannins and a very drying finish. Will take years in the cellar. (17.8)

Te Whare Ra – Pinot Noir – 2007. Silky and complex with cherries and spice. a touch of oak is present on the nose. The palate has more cherries and a touch of blackcurrant. The wine has good lenght and builds in the mouth. (17.9)

Chateau du Cedre – Le Prestige – Cahors – 2005. Made predominantly from Malbec, this wine has the lot. Starts with liquorice allsorts on the nose as well as aniseed and plum. A dense wine. The palate has more liquorice with a slky mouth feel. Dusty fine tannins and oak grip finish off this big wine. Very drying to close. The style may polarise.(18)