Melbourne East Offline- Whites Only (Almost)

[Rory]

Usual gathering of myself, Pau, Anthony, Chris, Sanjay, Neville & Ray.
Held at Bella's in Elsternwick, a good seafood/vegetarian chosen by Chris (I think he has almost lived there over summer). Food and service were good.
Whites were chosen as our theme due to it being summer and in typical Melbourne fashion, it was cool.

All notes are mine.

The first up for the night was Ray's, a sparkling that had low bead and some colour identifying as having some age, obviously Oz, with an elegant bready/aged riesling nose. Good fruit up front, a little hollow in the middle, some fruit on the back palate, finishing a tad too soon. No-one picked it, the fruit was different, and so it was: Seppelt Hans Irvine '91. Mostly the grape was Ondenc, which was why it was tuff to pick, but it has aged remarkably well.

After reading Winefront Feb last night, I wish Campbell had tasted this next one.
Anthony's bottle, yes, fairly obviously riesling, green tinged, slatey minerla nose with lime concentrate, very low kero. Very interesting palate - quite zesty, citrus rind, yet soft and a lovely rolling mouthfeel. A very good riesling with some age ( I, like eveyone else, picked it as a '92)....... yeah, we know what we're doing.... this is easy!
The bottled was revealed, with Anthony chuckling to himself, as a Seppelt Eden Valley Maturation Release Riesling '84!!!! AN '84 for crying out loud! In one word: Outstanding. This baby will live for ever. In all fairness, I think Sanjay may have even joked it may well be this wine.

The next wine was made difficult to pick by indecision. Neville was on the right track when he used the descriptor "passionfruit" on the nose. There wasn't much, but it was there, we should have run with it. Then someone said Pinot Gris and everyone was over it like a rash, foolish us, should have stuck with you Nev!
Musky passionfruit with caramalised pear om nose running into a palate of much them same with some touches of oak inputs (see... Pinot Gris) and a good mineral cut. Some acidity, bold flavours with a mouth coating consistency (see.... still Pinot Gris), gooseberry slightly on finish.
Domaine A, Lady A Sauv/Blanc '01..... barrel fermented. Neville did mention a fume' blanc kind of style, and he was right.

From here on in I forgot who brought what.

Yellow gold in colour, the next wine was obviously a French Chardy. Feral nose with brown butter toast and strong nuts (the nose that is). Laser like intensity of fruit heradled a goog one with high acid the hallmark of a way to go with this very classy wine. Domaine Caillot "Le Limozin" '97 Meursault.

Next up was once again very classic old world Burgundy. Nutty, mineral, low butter & some toasty oak still evident. Very, very intense fruit (like a '96 Giaconda), cutting acid, searing flavours slicing around the mouth. Brilliant wine with exceptional length, I thought it younger, so there is no hurry to open another one for some time. SCE Domaine Ramonet, Chassagne Montrachet "Morgeot" 1er Cru.

Cutting lemon on the nose with some alcohol & aldehyde sat me back for the next wine. Interesting. High acid palate, difficult to pinpoint the descriptors, complex, yet clumsy & unfocused with some mineral finish. I don't know if this Domaine Chaury Puligny -Montrache '00 will get bettewr with age or not. There was some discussion around the table about that with most feeling it won't pull together.

The next wine was revealed as a Mount Mary Triolet '93 as Nevilles back up (his first wine the Mount Mary Chardonnay '93 being wildly oxidised). Great muscadel nose, musky/toasty caramelised orange nose with the Sem/Sauv comimg through on the palate with some wood inluences still evident. A good wine that has aged well, the only negative in the discussuion being the price tag. In my cellar I have found the Triolets from good years are better with at least 10 years of age, but I'm not sure of the qualities of late.

Rich honey toast and tobaccowith honeyed edges, the classic hallmark of aged semillon, the Tyrells Vat 1 Semillon '90 followed on to a toasty honey palate with some citrus/ lemon edge and a lingering lemon finish. The wine is starting to dry out a bit on the finish, so I'm not sure where it will go from here.

Without fail, two reds snuck in (you can only drink so much white, right!), the first being somewhat dismissed as a cheap Mornington Peninsula Pinot from a bad year, when being revealed as a Phillip Jones Old Cellar '03 there were howls of astonishment. Stalky, green, unripe tannins, some mentioned a mixture of ripe & unripe fruit. Very ordinary, should never have been released. Harsh call I know, but people are going to pay good money for this crap.

And finally, true to form Sanjays got a port to finish. Very smooth dark molasses and tar on the nose, very smooth plump palate and lingering finish, the Hardy's Special Release Vintage Port '73
was very nice thank you.

Two bottles that didn't get written up were Neville's MM '93 Chardonnay and my first wine, a '97 Leeuwin Art Chardonnay that had developed into some caramalised monster from the depths. Hope the other two in the cellar are in better condition!

Rory

[Anthony]

It was a great night and my food was very good. Highlights were for me the Domaine Caillot "Le Limozin" '97 Meursault and the SCE Domaine Ramonet, Chassagne Montrachet "Morgeot" 1er Cru. Both were awesome wines and really illustrates just how good White Burgundy is.

The Seppelt 84 has always been a freakish wine. Age has just showed how freakish this wine. Would have loved to try it when it was young. Has any oldtimers ever do so?

The biggest disappointments due to bottle variation was the Leeuwin Art Chard and Mount Mary. Would have loved to see how they stood up against the White Burgs.

cheers
anthony

[707]

Sick guys! Where's the reds?