Wines from New Zealand and Australia

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Lamonts Wine Store – Cottesloe

This tasting really highlighted to me the value of blind tastings, and the problems of not tasting blind. Arriving late, I tasted the first four wines blinded whilst the rest of the group were having a break. As you will see from my comments, the Mount Difficulty really impressed, where as the Martinborough (traditionally one of my favorite NZ pinots) was disappointing. I was not prejudiced, as I did not know the wines.

For the rest of the tasting, people were discussing the various wines that were in the tasting and guessing as to what was what. There was also (understandably) allot of discussion about the various wines during the tasting. It is very difficult to remain objective in this environment, so treat my scores with a pinch of salt.

Having said all this, there was a couple of real standouts. I found the Central Otago wines held there own against the best from Martinborough. The strength of the 2007 vintage was also highlighted in some of these wine.

Tasting Notes

Mount Mary – Pinot Noir – 2005

Wow, Perfumed, seductive and floral. Hints of rose water/turkish delight. Seductive palate with velvety mouth feel. briary black current fruit. Very long, but finish shut down by very fine tannins. Cleaver use of oak. (18.7)

Felton Road – Pinot Noir – 2008

Seductive and alluring. Perfume and spice. Seductive with cinnamon and red currants. Gorgeous palate perfume. long and subtle, will take several years to show its best. Seductive wine. (18.7)

Mt Difficulty – Pinot Noir – 2007

Perfumed and delicate. A feminine wine with red fruits and strawberries. Follows with lovely fruit on the palate. Seamless and oh so long. Cherry fruit with very fine tannins. Closes with tea leaf. Structured and very good (18.5)

Kupe – Escarpment – Pinot Noir – 2006

Perfumed, complex, supple. Leather and spice complexity. Palate… weighty, meaty, earthy. Complex long and very fine. Palate maintains freshness with pippy cherry fruit and fine tar. Seamless. Will evolve (18.5)

Ata Rangi – Pinot Noir – 2006

Similar nose to earlier wines. Structure and grip to the fore. Tar and tea leaf on the nose, followed by ripe fruit and a touch of tea leaf on the palate. Very good, but needs time (18)

Ata Rangi – Pinot Noir – 2007

Sour cherries with some sappy characters. very closed. The palate has potential ++. Powerful fruit, long, fine and seamless. Builds. Needs time. (18)

Dog Point – Pinot Noir 2007

Turbo charged wine with lots of everything. Perhaps a touch of volatility. The plate is framed by lovely silky fruit with cinnamon. Finish a touch subdued, flattened by fine tannins and oak. One for the cellar, but style may galvanize some (18)

Bass Phillip – Premium – Pinot Noir 2001

Two bottles tried and very inconsistent. The good bottle was ripe, fragrant, complex and seductive, with obvious development. (18) The other was cardboard and dusty

Marchard & Burch – Pinot Noir -2007

Bright cherry fruit with cherry pips and some savoury notes. Clean and fresh. On the palate, quite silky, textured and long. Pleasant souring finish. Lacked the fruit weight of the best, but a good effort. (17.8)

Gibston Valley – The Reserve – Pinot Noir 2006

Not properly assessed, but… soft and open, Complex, feminine and ripe. supple and long. sympathetic oak and tannin (17.5-18)

Quartz Reef – Pinot Noir – 2007

Earthy, meaty, blackberry fruit. Riper strawberry fruit on the palate. Lacks intensity and structure. May evolve (17.5)

Cristom – Pinot Noir – 2005 (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Weight wine with ripe fruit. Chocolate fruit but lacks complexity of some here. ? alcohol level (17.5)

Yabby Lakes – Pinot Noir – 2006

Touch of smoke and tar. Quite closed. The palate shows ripe fresh fruit with good length. Whilst textured, it appears a bit angular and the finish is a touch unidirectional (17.3)

Lamont’s Cottesloe

Reviewed: 6 January 2012

John Jens, one of the doyens of Western Australian wine retailing has landed a large shipment of imported wines directly to Perth after a visit to France in 2012. The majority of the wines appear to be from Burgundy, though there is also a good selection of wines from the Loire as well as Italy.

I took the opportunity to look through a cross section of wines and styles to get an understanding of the intrinsic quality of the range. It is worth highlighting that the wines have only just landed in Perth, so are still likely to be suffering bottle shock from the trip from France (in refrigerated containers). If anything, they will get even better in the coming months.

Overall, I was very impressed by the quality, but even more so by the value. The combination of the very high Australian dollar and the direct shipment has enabled Lamont’s to sell the wines at prices that I never imagined possible. Bravo.

If I had to limit myself to one region to buy from, I would suggest Burgundy. Both the Chablis and red Burgundies offer excellent quality at remarkable prices. Given the prices, I would suggest skipping the basic wines and try to get some Premier Cru wines.

Thanks to Lamont’s for hosting this tasting!

Reviewed

Piazzo – Arneis – Roero – 2011 (16.7). Pretty, floral nose with mineral highlights and lovely texture. The fruit is very subdued but the textural palate is long and savoury. Light weight, but easy drinking. A very food friendly European wine.

la Battistina – Cortese – Gavi – 2011 (16.8). A quite neutral nose, but the palate is bursting with vibrant tropical fruit. Pear, musk and spice all meld together forming a very appealing package, with racy acid adding zip to the finish. A lovely afternoon wine.

Domaine Lebrun – Sauvignon Blanc – Pouilly-Fume – 2011 (16.9). Quite a complex nose, with struck match and barrel ferment/lees aromas. The palate is full, round and generous, with the spicy fruit balanced by nervy acidity and a touch of minerality on the finish. I would like to see this settle down for a year, but the quality is good. Reflects the cooler year.

Domaine Fouassier – Sancerre – Les Chailoux – 2011 (17.1). Neutral fruit here with hints of lavender and lime. The palate is complex, chewy and textured, with excellent length. The acid is in check and the balance good. The length of flavour here is the key. A pretty wine that drinks well now and should sit well with lighter food.

Domaine Fouassier – Sancerre – Les Chasseignes – 2011 (17.3). This is quite a neutral wine. Opens with hints of apple, pear skin and a touch of herbs, with some honey to close. The oak, barrel ferment and lees work are superbly managed and is the defining character on the palate. Viscous, dense and mouth-filling, this is a serious wine, but only for the aficionado as you need to look hard to see the quality fruit.

Sebastian Dampt – Chablis – 2011 (16.8). Whilst the nose is muted, I like this. The palate is quite rich and round, with a lovely minerality that runs through to the finish. Good length and acidity make for an approachable wine for everyday drinking. Modern winemaking.

Sebastian Dampt – Chablis – 1er Cru – Les Vaillons – 2011 (17.5). This wine is a bit of a sleeper. It is so well balanced and easy to drink, that it is easy to overlook the quality fruit and winemaking. Good use of oak combined with ripe fruit make this a lovely drink now, but will improve further with age. Finishes with hints of honey, minerals, bees wax and a touch of salty tang.

Sylvain Mosnier – Chablis – 1er Cru – Cote De Lechet – 2010 (17.5+). Ripe fruit, reflecting the year. This has a touch of pineapple-like fruit on the nose. The palate is more austere with minerals over subtle fruit. I would prefer more mid-palate fruit weight now, but this will fill out with a few years in the bottle and get even better. Opened to show complex oyster shell/sea air/iodine notes.

Sebastian Dampt – Chablis – 1er Cru – Cote De Lechet 2010 (18). More weight to the fruit compared to the Monsier. Ripe fruit and expansive, though well-judged oak coat the mouth and add presence to the palate. Quite complex, the minerals build on the finish with sea air, honeycomb and poached peach. The flavours linger and leave a salty tang that is very refreshing.

Laurent-Savoye – Beaujolais – Fleurie – La Cadole – 2011 (16.8). Lovely colour to this wine. Fresh red berries on the nose. Cherry, sour plum and spice on the palate. Whilst this is supple and easy to drink, there is enough weight to pair this with red meats or chicken.

Philippe Livera – Cote de Nuits-Villages – 2010 (17+). A pretty wine that has life and vitality. The fruit is not particularly dense, but the acid keeps the finish fresh and light. An easy drinking pinot that has hints of earthiness and very fine tannins.

Jean-Marc Millot – Pinot Noir – Cote de Nuits-Villages – Aux Fauques 2010 (17.5+). More depth to the fruit compared to the Livera and more intensity to the colour of the wine. The palate is outstanding, with quite dense, ripe fruit and soft, texturing tannins. The slightly souring acidity combines with the fruit to make the finish memorable. A very smart wine.

Piazzo – Barbaresco 2009 (17). Modern, sweet fruit here that is not what I was expecting. The fruit initially presents quite rich, but the texturing tannins and souring acidity add authenticity and life to this wine. Slightly chewy, this will flesh out and develop with time. Hints of licorice and starting to show the first signs of development.

Piazzo – Barbaresco – Reserva – Vigna Giaia – 2005 (17.8). I like this. The tannins, acid and oak handling all hail its piedmontese origins. The tannins are fine, yet prodigious, and leave my teeth feeling lightly coated. Complex, and ripe, the restraint makes this wine. With air, the licorice, peppery fruit and excellent oak use add to the restrained power.

Domain Thenard – Pernand Veregelesses – Ile des Veregelesses – 1er Cru – 2009 (17.8). Sweet, fragrant fruit on the nose, with pretty, almost perfumed, red fruits. The palate shows more structure, with the acidity and firm (yet fine) tannins holding the fruit in check, though the perfumed fruit hints at how this wine will develop. A lovely Cote de Beaune that needs a few years to hit its best.

Domain Thenard – Corton – Clos du Rois – Grand Cru – 2009 (18.3). Complex, subtle and totally captivating, this is a beautiful wine. The palate is refined and elegant, with the fruit flavours expanding and evolving as the wine sits in the mouth and for some time after. The balance is outstanding with no rough edges. The finish is near seamless and only hints at potential. Remarkably elegant for a Beune red. The soft tannins make this an enjoyable drink today, though it is guaranteed to age well.

Jean-Marc Millot – Vosne – Romanee – 1er Cru – Les Suchots – 2010 (18.5). Wow! Wow! Wow!. What a wine. The palate is rich, ripe, dense, refined, long, textured, balanced and succulent. This is a superb wine that is mouth-coating, viscous and very long. The richness almost masks the structural components that guarantee that this will age for many years. A profound wine that is soft, young, fresh, fragrant and modern. One taster described this as a ballerina wine:- Athletic, supple, strong and graceful, yet very pretty.

Jean-Marc Millot – Echezeaux – Grand Cru – 2010 (18.7). Restrained, tight and taut, this is a wine of great potential. The lovely ripe fruit floods the palate with texturing oak adding interest. This is so impressive, as the fruit quality is outstanding and quite approachable, yet the structure is there to ensure that it will age superbly. The tannins are assertive, yet ripe. Outstanding, this captures the character of Echezeaux.

19 April 2010

My good friend John Jens always says that, when it comes to wine, perspective is everything. It was with this in mind that we headed to Bouchard on Mount Street to attend the launch of the 2007 Art Series Chardonnay from Leeuwin Estate.

The event, put together by Paul and the team at Vintage Cellars in Shenton Park consisted of a vertical tasting of both the chardonnay and the Art Series cabernet sauvignon. To cap things off, Denis Horgan was on hand to add some more perspective to the evening.

After starting with the current release riesling, we got down to business with the 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007 chardonnays. They say that 05 & 07 were great years for reds in Margaret River, but they were also great years for Leeuwin chardonnay. The wines were sublime.

Over the years I have found the cabernets from Leeuwin to be a little variable. I still have some of the 1991 and these are drinking a treat now, but other vintages have not excited me as much. This changed with the 2004 vintage. I have tasted most of the Margaret River cabernets from that vintage and the Leeuwin would be in my top 5. It is an excellent wine. The 2005 however, is even better. This is a star.

Vintage Cellars had a great deal available on the night, and I am trying to negotiate the same deal for our subscribers. I will keep you posted.

Tasted

Leeuwin Estate – Riesling – Art Series – 2009 (18). Very fresh, with lime juice, imperial leather soap and floral notes too. The palate is quite a contrast with a really steely character and a very long finish. This is a tightly coiled spring that will slowly unwind over many years.

Leeuwin Estate – Chardonnay – Art Series – 2004 (18.2). Lovely nose with floral notes over vanillin oak and some wine-maker’s inputs (barrel ferment and lees characters). There is a touch of smoky toast to the oak. The palate is quite gorgeous. This is a rich style that is starting to show the benefits of bottle aging. The slight grip on the finish prevented it from getting a gold medal.

Leeuwin Estate – Chardonnay – Art Series – 2005 ( 18.7). Much tighter and more focused than the 2004, the fruit is quite restrained. Whilst the palate is restrained and tight, this is super long and very fine indeed. The palate is silky and seamless, and the fruit and wine-making inputs are completely integrated. A superstar!

Leeuwin Estate – Chardonnay – Art Series – 2006 (NR). My glass was quite flat and atypical. I have previously given this 18.5.

Leeuwin Estate – Chardonnay – Art Series – 2007 (18.8). More floral again and really creamy. This is very subtle right now. The palate is seamless, though very tight, with chalky minerals and a touch of spice. This has incredible length and texture, and it really builds in the mouth. Possible even better than the 2005, but it will take 10 – 15 years to know for sure.

Leeuwin Estate – Cabernet – Art Series – 2002 (16.8). Quite developed, with mint and eucalypt and a touch of leafy characters. Nice mouth-feel and texture, with some cedar/cigar box overtones. Lacks the fruit weight of the best.

Leeuwin Estate – Cabernet – Art Series – 2003 (17.8). Riper and more youthful, this is fragrant and quite elegant. The palate is more masculine with a firm and textured finish. The fruit is quite vibrant, and the wine is quite seamless. The fruit richness is evident on a palate that is complex and developed. Good drinking.

Leeuwin Estate – Cabernet – Art Series – 2004 (18.5). Wow, a real step up in complexity and vibrancy. There are some cedary characters over dark fruit. Yes, there is blackcurrant, but not in the cassis/candy spectrum. The palate is quite superb. Blackcurrant, cherry, spice and mocha all make a presence. There is lovely rich fruit and excellent texture/palate weight. Very long and quite complete.

Leeuwin Estate – Cabernet – Art Series – 2005 (18.6). Lovely floral characters on the nose (think violets in the style of a Margeaux). Even though there are pretty fruit characters, this is really closed and only hints at its potential. In some ways, this reminds me of Cullen’s Diana Madeline at its best. The silky tannins are really fine. I was lucky enough to see this in a blind tasting of the best 2005 cabernets from Margaret River, and this was definitely in the top 3. Needs many years, but I have ordered some already.

11 March 2010

When I talk about the tastings we do, most people think that we must be the luckiest people on earth. After all, we get to try 15 -20 wines and decide what we like. Despite my protestations, most people refuse to believe me when I say that the tastings are hard work. Yes, we try a lot of wine, but how many would we actually want to drink?

Wine tasters are a fussy lot. Because we try dozens of wines each week, a wine has to be really good to stand out. I challenge anyone to taste 20 rieslings or shiraz in 90 minutes and call it fun (you have to write notes too). In any given tasting, often only one or two wines stand out, and these often become our wines of the week.

My neighbours are the great beneficiary of these tastings, as I give away all the wines at the end. I will keep one or two interesting wines to see how they develop, but I prefer to drink wines from the cellar.

This tasting was an exception to this rule. Whilst the actual tasting was still challenging, there were several wines that were noteworthy. Many of the wines were good to very good. Between us, the panel identified nine wines that were worth revisiting, but one wine in particular stood out for sheer drinkability.

The Howard Park chardonnay 2008 was the wine that I kept going back to. In fact, I ended up having a glass of this with a piece of snapper the next night and it was delightful. The Heggies are thoroughly modern and superbly made and showcase high quality fruit, but they need a few years to show their best. I have not seen Tintilla before, but their Hunter Valley chardonnay impressed too.

A couple of the cheaper wines also stood out. The Wynn’s was the absolute bargain in the tasting and is a wine that I will be buying. The Robert Oatley was also excellent value (even if the story behind the label is a bit irrelevant).

Reviewed

Howard Park – Chardonnay – 2008 (18.5). Classic wet stone and mineral notes underlay the subtle stone-fruit characters on the nose. Fabulous palate of real length and finesse. The oak and winemaking inputs (Malo-lactic fermentation +/- lees stirring) add to the complexity. Seamless and delicious. This is the wine I kept going back to!

Heggies – Chardonnay – Reserve – 2007 (18.2+). Minerally and rich with some slate and stone-fruit. Lees and barrel ferment characters add interest and complexity. The palate is rich and has obvious oak input. The fruit is hidden now. The next day this got all lemony. By day three this had really hit its straps. Beautiful floral aromas weave through the stone-fruit, and the texture and mouthfeel are first class.Very modern and will benefit from aging. Do not serve too cold.

Clairault – Chardonnay – Estate – 2007 – Screw Cap (17.5). Bigger, richer style with some malo characters. The palate is rich, buttery, complex and long. This is a bigger style but the excellent fruit has been well handled. A hint of Mendoza clone.

Heggies – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.5). Minerally, but austere with tight structure right now. Both the Heggies wines appear to have had the malo-lactic fermentation at least partially blocked to preserve freshness. A very modern wine. One for the metrosexuals.

Wynn’s – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.5). Restrained with peach and melon characters. The palate is rich, ripe and creamy. White fleshed peach and good acid backbone defines the palate while the oak handling is sympathetic. A pretty wine that will be even better in a couple of years. Great value wine!

Tintilla Estate – Chardonnay – Pebbles Brief – 2009 (17.5). A rich wine with lees and oak characters. The wine is characterised by peach and mineral tones. The palate is ripe, complex, and long. High quality fruit. Well made and a touch of pineapple and grapefruit. You can almost taste the limestone sub-soil on which it is grown.

James Oatley – Chardonnay – Tic Tok – 2008 (17.2). An elegant and restrained nose that hints at potential. Lovely palate with subdued stone fruit and a touch of pineapple suggestive of some Mendoza clones. Creamy oak adds complexity. Unusual regional blend (Mudgee/Pemberton).

Higher Plane – Chardonnay – 2008 (17). I did not get a lot here, but this was highly rated by the other panellists.

Lamont’s – Chardonnay – White Monster – 2007 (17). Darker colour with a touch of caramel suggests an older wine. Old fashioned style with ripe fruit and obvious worked oak. The fruit quality is excellent. One for the lovers of a BIG chardonnay. (Aptly named).

Houghton – Chardonnay/Viognier – The Bandit – 2008 (16.8) More obvious fruit driven style without the complexity of the best. Has some subtle peachy fruit with good length. Excellent short term drinking.

Flametree – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.5). Fine and elegant. The palate is quite linear and tight. The winemaking inputs are obvious yet sympathetic. Creamy finish, but the fruit is shy. May improve.

Capel Vale – Chardonnay – Unoaked – 2009 (16.5). Unoaked. Vibrant and fresh with tropical fruit and peach. Peachy palate but not complex. So fresh that it could be mistaken for a sauvignon blanc!