Next Sydney Offline July 17 @ Cafe Lyon

[9redpens]

a light touch of the blow torch or bon a fide angel status ?

[ufo]

a light touch of the blow torch or bon a fide angel status ?

Of course bona fide status

[Hacker]

Have put a 1996 Lanson on the ice. Would like to see if the searing acidity has settled down or not. If it hasn't, it never will....

[maybs]

Hey guys, looks like train from the city is the best way to get over to this restaurant at Lindfield? I was going to get a cab because I have the opened bottle of wine and a few glasses and it is peak hour and, well, cabcharges are awesome. However, I just looked at a map and Lindfield is further away than I recalled.

So I am leaning towards the train, but is anyone in the CBD and want to split a cab?

[Polymer]

Scott - It is only 30 minutes from Central so even less from Wynyard via train but yeah, not looking forward to carrying a bunch of stuff during peak hour..but I think a cab might take forever..

[Hacker]

Scott - It is only 30 minutes from Central so even less from Wynyard via train but yeah, not looking forward to carrying a bunch of stuff during peak hour..but I think a cab might take forever..

The trials and perils of wine geekism!

[maybs]

Scott - It is only 30 minutes from Central so even less from Wynyard via train but yeah, not looking forward to carrying a bunch of stuff during peak hour..but I think a cab might take forever..

Yeah my main concern about cab at the moment is that it is a 25 minute train ride but may take 45 via cab thanks to good old Sydney traffic.

Sigh. Guess the box of 5 zaltos with the Wendouree cork sticking out the top will be coming with me on the train

Haha Hacker I know, I just caught myself thinking what a first world problem, having to carry a nice bottle of wine and some expensive glassware on the train, hahaha

My PA lives at Belrose and just offered to drive me, but the idea of being chauffeured by a 21 year old girl is kind of weird to me.

[TiggerK]

Train is by far the easiest way guys.... Restaurant is 1 min walk across P.Highway to the right/north.

Got a young duo - off-dry Riesling and a Pinot. See you all soon!

[catchnrelease]

Lineup:

1996 Lansen Champagne
2013 Felton Road Block 1 Riesling
2007 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese
2006 Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay
2012 Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir
1991 Wynns Centenary Shiraz Cabernet
1992 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz
1997 Coleraine Te Mata Estate Cabernet Merlot
1998 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec (corked)
2010 Sami-Odi Hoffman Dallwitz 0.534 Shiraz
2002 D'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz
2003 Standish The Standish Shiraz
2003 Wendouree Shiraz
2009 Konrad Noble Two Riesling Sauvignon Blanc (late addition backup, a.k.a. 'the incident')
NV Veuve Cliquot Brut

[Diddy]

Not bad for a cork with 14 or so years on it

Spoke too soon!

[sjw_11]

Arrrrrrgggghhh noooooo not the Wendouree?!?!? My condolences peepz

[maybs]

Arrrrrrgggghhh noooooo not the Wendouree?!?!? My condolences peepz

Yes Sam, Wendouree down

[qwertt]

Not bad for a cork with 14 or so years on it

Spoke too soon!

But the cork was a beauty!

[maybs]

Not bad for a cork with 14 or so years on it

Spoke too soon!

But the cork was a beauty!

Yes, well, it certainly did its job of keeping the wine securely in the bottle. Unfortunately, the precious cargo it was guarding was well and truly f***ed, technically speaking

[maybs]

Just procrastinating over my mid morning coffee, so thought I would post a quick note. Alex has already posted the final line up above. I didn't take any real notes and the wines were coming thick and fast so this is more just a few general impressions. I know Tim took a few photos and maybe someone else has some more detailed thoughts to add.

I should start by saying the room, food and general atmosphere was great. We were in fact downstairs in the main restaurant, smack bang in the middle, and I felt a bit sorry for a few couples who were there trying to enjoy a quiet, romantic dinner as there was plenty of fun and lively conversation taking place. I thought the food was quite good value and the company was excellent, so thanks everyone.

WOTN for me was by far the Wynns Centenary. It had aged and developed gracefully, whilst still retaining power and structure. I thought it tasted and felt like a very well rounded wine and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I really enjoyed both of the Rieslings, as they were styles that I am not overly familiar with and it was nice to try something new. The Felton Road, to put it bluntly, was just delicious and refreshing. The Donnhoff had the most amazing concentrated nose, I actually just sat smelling it on and off for about 5 minutes before tasting. It had great texture with a full mouthfeel and some tannin. Kevin seemed a bit disappointed in the acid level which was a little lacking, but I thought the depth of flavor helped carry it through to being a very enjoyable wine.

I was personally very pleased that 9redpens brought the Mate's Vineyard chardonnay. Tim brought the '08 to the previous offline I attended and I was really impressed by it. The '06 didn't disappoint either, this is top class chardonnay and at 8 years of age it still has good acid, length and balance. I really enjoyed it and it was probably second WOTN for me (but I am an unashamed Chardonnay sycophant)

I thought the Sami Odi was a really interesting wine with a lot of character and I liked it a lot.

The Dead Arm was an '02 Dead Arm, brash, rich, unapologetic and drinking really well. I like the style a lot and this was a very good example.

The Wendouree Shiraz was quite tight even after a while in the decanter. Some of the guys who had some left at the end of the evening indicated it was starting to show more. I thought it had really nice fruit but was perhaps lacking in...depth? Texture? Not sure. Anyhow it felt like it needs time but it clearly has some quite good things going on.

Oh and the Standish was really good too actually, probably the second red WOTN for me.

Felton Road Pinot was excellent but young. Very smooth and lovely red fruit. Should go some distance.

The 2009 Konrad was pretty average, but we were desperate for a sticky and, well, Tim hadn't had his savvy blanc fix

The Wendouree Cab Malbec was badly corked and undrinkable

Anyhow, sorry for the crap notes but those are just a few thoughts I had on what was a delightful and generous line up. Thanks everyone and I will look forward to the next one.

[Hacker]

Firstly, thank you everyone for a great evening of fun company and banter and interesting wines. Cafe Lyon lived up to its usual standard, great food and service, certainly a grade up from a normal suburban noshery. Arnie, hope all is well today mate.

Such a shame about the Wendouree Cab/malbec - the first corked wine in about five offlines I can recall! It was bound to happen. My palate must be hopeless though - I didn't pick the taint, I just got a huge dose of eucalyptus. Everyone else picked up the TCA though, but that aside the eucalyptus would have been offputting for me to enjoy the wine.
I agree with maybs, the rieslings were a great way to start, lovely interesting and refreshing. We also had a 1996 Lanson, which continues to be an acid bath, just too distracting for me. Will this ever settle down?
The Mate's Chardonnay continues to impress - I would love to find some. It reminds me of Pierro Chardonnay in a way. just a lovely drink. The 2012 Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir was a reminder of why I love pinot, and it delivered in spades. Burges, will you ever learn?
I got lucky with this particular bottle of the 1991 Wynns Centenary Shiraz Cabernet, Tim has had more experience with this wine and there is considerable bottle variation. This one sang, thank goodness, and was very impressive.
The Sami Odi had an interesting nose - creosote like - not in a bad way, and it developed into a lovely structured Barossan wine of great interest. Is the 2012 version, Baby Tui, from the exact same part of the Hoffmann vineyard?? I had a little more trouble with the 2003 Standish 'The Standish' though, at first it totally enveloped me in a wave of luscious thick rich Barossan trademark velvetiness, but it was just too sweet. Distractingly so. Probably a child of the heated 2003 vintage. The 2003 Wendouree Shiraz was tighter than Mike Tyson's fist but the potential was there and in ten years time I'm sure will reveal all.
I know I have left a few wines out but these were my standouts.

Consensus on the night for the next offline considering all the excitement of the Wendouree mailer is - "a Wendouree night of at least 10-15 years bottle age." Watch this space.

[ufo]

All is well guys, (Thanks for asking Dave) I think it was the entry I had. Even though bit eventful for me it was a great night and good to meet new people.
My two favourites were dead arm & Sami Odi. Yeah it's a pity that Cab/Mlb was corked otherwise I would have been WOTN for me.

[catchnrelease]

The Felton Road Riesling was WOTN for me, hopefully I can get my hands on some through work.

[Polymer]

I quite liked the Lanson Champagne but yes, very high in acid....I can actually see this coming around in 10+ more years....felt very fresh to me..

I thought both of the Rieslings were nice..I actually enjoy NZ rieslings quite a bit..and while a lot think their residual sugar is very candy like, I think when you have the acidity like this one did, it is really enjoyable. The 2007 Donnhoff I was a little disappointed with, not because it was bad but because last time I had it, it had a bit more acidity which I wanted. It seemed to be better later in the evening though so I'm hoping it just means it needs some air...It was strikingly similar to the 2006 which is odd because 3-4 years ago they were very different..

I really like Kumeu Rivers Mate's...Great nose..this one had very nice depth and acidity but the oak was really poking out for me and I have a feeling it was because of the Rieslings before it..I wish I had more time with this...

Felton Road Calvert I don't think I had a fair chance w/...quickly two more wines were getting passed along and this quickly got lost in the shuffle...What I did feel was it was a bit riper than I'd like Pinot to be...but it had pretty good acidity..I really would've liked to have more time on this..

The Wynn's Centenary was quite nice...really nice acid...initially what struck me was it reminded me of Bin 389. I think someone said it reminded them of the Michael for that year..which I thought was funny because after some air this really reminded me of a 91 John Riddoch...considering it has both that was pretty cool...

The 92 Seppelt Great Western started off ok for me....Very typical Great Western/St. Peters nose..the wine started to open up a bit and actually had really nice texture..fine tannins, reasonably good acidity...but by the end of the night this was a mess...If I had anymore of these I'd not decant and I'd drink up VERY soon...

The Coleraine was another one that sort of got lost in the shuffle..which is weird..we were almost out of wine before the mains hit but there was a funny period where we were exceeding our glassware...I liked the mouthfeel on this but for whatever reason, where we placed it, it didn't get to show right and I didn't get enough time w/ it either...

The Sami Odi I kept going back to because some things about it screamed big Barossa..but there were other things about it that were very contrary to what I'm expecting from a big Barossa...Some florals and stalk on the nose...Texture wise this and the Standish were VERY similar but I was getting a bit more glycerol from the Standish...I also thought it was a bit more elegant than the Standish....What really made it more interesting to me was when I tried the Dead Arm I was able to contrast things a bit more...Most Dead Arms I don't think are too too big..but for whatever reason this one struck me as really big. Very ripe and I was getting a lot of heat from it...it says 14.5% but I'm sure it was higher. What is weird is I've had this wine in the past and I don't remember it being like this..I'd probably give this another 5 years to see if it mellows out a bit...

The Wendouree Shiraz was too young...Personally I don't mind the texture of young Wendourees..I like the acidity and the fat tannins (I don't know how else to describe them)...the grip without the ripping out my gums part is very appealing..but I think it needs a lot more time..it wasn't giving away much and except for things like nail polish and other things I typically get from a Wendouree, the rest of it was just too tight and made it seem simple...10+ more years I think...

I won't comment on the funny dessert wine we bought...other than Timmie was able to sneak in his NZ Sauv Blanc.

The Veuve was a good way to close out the evening...nice depth..clean flavors...I actually think Champagne can go anywhere in the evening at any time between any wines and any food...

The Wendouree Cab Malbec..to me the first sniff was really swampy but it seemed to blow off a bit and I couldn't smell it for a few minutes (or more) after..I didn't feel like the wine was completely stripped either...seemed really tight but I was still getting something from the nose and palate....After about 10 minutes sitting in the glass though, it was getting worse..

[rooman]

Guys

My apologies, I have completely mixed up the weeks. I thought yesterday was the 11th!!! We have been extremely busy at work. Seems I missed a great evening.

Mark

[Mike Hawkins]

It's disappointing, but not unexpected, to read the 96 Lanson is still dominated by acid. I've been saying for a few years it might not ever come in to balance. Indeed, there are quite a few Champagnes from 96 that are overly acidic without the fruit to match, especially those with a decent whack of pinot noir. For this reason, it remains one of the more polarising vintages in Champagne history. That said, the 'highs' are very high.

[Chuck]

Train is by far the easiest way guys.... Restaurant is 1 min walk across P.Highway to the right/north.

Got a young duo - off-dry Riesling and a Pinot. See you all soon!

Apologies for crashing the party but this brought back memories. Worked on Saturday nights at the KFC just across the P. Highway slightly south of the station when heavily oaked chardy was all the rage. Forgive me but I still love both.

And while on a rave Anne and I are sitting in a farmhouse B&B in Yorkshire UK countryside looking at very fat sheet ready for the spit enjoying sensational English rib eye steak and a 2004 Mountadam Patriarch Shiraz brought from OZ. It doesn't get much better.

Carl

[burgster]

All is well guys, (Thanks for asking Dave) I think it was the entry I had. Even though bit eventful for me it was a great night and good to meet new people.
My two favourites were dead arm & Sami Odi. Yeah it's a pity that Cab/Mlb was corked otherwise I would have been WOTN for me.

Sounds like a great night, but could you just explain the logic behind that statement to me.

[catchnrelease]

All is well guys, (Thanks for asking Dave) I think it was the entry I had. Even though bit eventful for me it was a great night and good to meet new people.
My two favourites were dead arm & Sami Odi. Yeah it's a pity that Cab/Mlb was corked otherwise I would have been WOTN for me.

Sounds like a great night, but could you just explain the logic behind that statement to me.

The Cab Malbec wasn't totally ruined, you could tell there was a great wine there but it had been stuffed up by the cork.

[ufo]

All is well guys, (Thanks for asking Dave) I think it was the entry I had. Even though bit eventful for me it was a great night and good to meet new people.
My two favourites were dead arm & Sami Odi. Yeah it's a pity that Cab/Mlb was corked otherwise I would have been WOTN for me.

Sounds like a great night, but could you just explain the logic behind that statement to me.

The Cab Malbec wasn't totally ruined, you could tell there was a great wine there but it had been stuffed up by the cork.

[/b][/u]

Sorry, the end of sentence should have read as "It would have been WOTN for me"