TN: Adelaide Oflline at T-Chow 9/2/2007

[n4sir]

In contrast to last year, the first Adelaide offline kicked off very early in the year and this time we got lucky with the weather - a week either side an it would have been a forty degree Friday. Like last year it was a fairly big but also relaxed and friendly affair with fourteen attending (many new) and another eclectic mix of fine wines, the total cost of the banquet at T Chow including corkage a ridiculously cheap $26/head!

My thanks go to everyone there for kicking the year's offline events off in such fine style, to Nayan for taking care of ordering the superb food, and of course the staff at T-Chow for putting up with some of us until 1am in the morning. I hope to catch up with everyone again soon at the next one.

2001 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon: Bright straw colour with just a tinge of green. A fresh and slightly nutty nose, with hints of green grass/herbs, lanolin and just the slightest touch of honey. The palate suggests it's just an infant, fresh and crisp with dominant apple characters and cutting acidity; this needs quite a few years to reach the heights of the 1994 & 1997, but I can see it getting there.

1989 The Wilson Vineyard Rhine (sic) Riesling: Golden yellow. Toasty/spicy nose, no real kerosene characters but also a little simple; likewise the palate wasn't totally shot but it was also a little simple, with sweet pineapple fruit and some vanilla cream, finishing long and very dry.

1978 Chateau Malartic cru Classe, Graves (Magnum): Mid-to-dark red/brick with a glorious orange rim. A quite beautiful nose at first of cedar/capsicum, dried herbs, tomato skin and strawberry, becoming smokier, savoury and then metallic with a fair amount of breathing. The palate likewise opened beautifully, a smoky/savoury entry followed by mid-weight sour cherry/raspberry and a soft lingering finish, becoming smokier and eventually decaying to a sad end with enough airtime. That said, even at the end of the night, every fresh glass began as the first and provided much pleasure for around 15 minutes after pouring. I bought it at auction last year to try a fair example of well-aged Claret, and it's still a nice wine considering it's pushing nearly 30 years old.

1989 Baileys of Glenrowan Classic Style Hermitage (sic): Dark red with a bright orange rim. Quite a porty nose, with deep/dark raspberry fruit and sweet nougat oak and a hint of VA, and some rancio with breathing. It's drying out on the palate, a very porty entry and cordial-like, sweet and tangy raspberry fruit with the tannins exposed on the end.

2004 Kooyong Estate Blend Pinot Noir: Bright cherry red. An interesting mixture of bright cherry fruit and funky earth/stocky/bran characters on the nose. I was very impressed with the palate with a smoky entry followed by bright cherry fruit and slightly creamy oak, predominantly white pepper bordering black, the structure tight and tannic and the finish very long. It looked a lot better out of the shadow of the magnificent Meres.

2000 Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz: Dark, blood red. Very sweet/creamy cedar oak and ripe fruit on the nose; the oak was less evident on the palate, perfectly balancing the mid-weight raspberry fruit with very fine tannins providing great length and an elegant structure.

2002 Winter Creek Barossa Shiraz: Dark to very inky red/purple colour. Noticeably riper and spicier than the Dalwhinnie with dark, chocolaty blackberries, some fruitcake characters and black pepper on the finish. This appeared a lot younger/fresher than a bottle I tried last year, but that was admittedly tried alongside the 2004 vintage.

1999 La Guiraude Crozes Hermitage, Alain Graillot: Dark red/brick. Funky/earthy and complex nose with beef stock, freshly crushed red fruits, sous bois/mushroom and mineral. The palate was even more impressive, with spicy raspberry/jelly fruit backed by creamy oak, an excellent balance of all things sweet and savoury with a long, creamy finish.

2005 Karatta 12 Mile Vineyard Reserve Shiraz: Dark to almost inky blood red with a hint of purple. This Robe wine surprisingly seemed to have many characters in common with the previous Hermitage, but then I guess that's why Duane bought them both. It has that same clever creamy texture from the perfect marriage of the fruit and sweet oak, but it's a little riper and a lot younger - I was impressed with this upstart.

1996 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet: Chris was worried about the condition of his cellar, but I thought this was in pretty decent nick; dark crimson with a slightly orange rim. The nose reminded me a bit of the Malartic but younger: capsicum/mint, blackcurrant with a bit of chalk and a lifted element of acid, becoming more green/leafy and earthy with breathing. The mid-weight palate has a good purity of cassis fruit, but like the nose it has a cool/green edge to it, finishing long with fine but surprisingly dry tannins.

1996 Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz: Very dark red/crimson. David remarked how we hadn't tried any wines with any obvious American oak influence... until now. The nose opened innocently enough with sweet red fruits and a hint of petroleum, but was quickly dominated by sour-mash bourbon characters. The palate was even worse, raspberry/blackberry fruit and a long creamy finish again overpowered by bourbon-like oak: this was a wine for lovers of Jim Beam, Jack Daniels & Co.

2000 Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz: Very dark red/crimson, just a touch darker than the 1996. There's a different Winemaker and a different philosophy about oak, and in this notoriously bad vintage that's a plus. It had a cool, green nose of mint/peas and cherry fruit, and likewise the mid-weight palate is cool and devoid of oak with equally green/pepper characters, on the lean side but surprisingly solid for the terrible year - a good result if not spectacular.

2004 Samuels Gorge McLaren Vale Shiraz: Very inky crimson/red. Powerful, young nose of inky, rich blackberry fruit and creamy oak with touches of soy, chocolate, honey and espresso. The palate's just as rich, fascinating and challenging, it's spicy and slightly smoky, with rich/sweet fruitcake characters and a long peppery finish; just as I thought it would go over the top it would suddenly show remarkable restraint. This is a top-class wine, almost my WOTN.

2001 Noons Eclipse: Dark red with a bright rim. Quite an oaky and porty nose of cinnamon/cloves and deep-heat; likewise the palate was at the extreme end, very rich with very sweet/ripe fruit and oak and obvious alcohol. It certainly made the Samuels Gorge look good, but I didn't find it anywhere near as offensive as the Carnival of Love.

2002 Auto Moncayo Garnacha: Bright red. Gorgeous, clean nose of pepper and crushed blueberries/raspberries; the palate wasn't as impressive, on the hot and metallic side, which unfortunately got hotter and dirtier with breathing.

2001 Brookland Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red/purple. David thought this was an atypical Margaret River Cabernet - I could see what he meant about the palate as it seemed a touch warmer and earthier than expected, but it still had those classic capsicum and dry herb notes, especially on the nose.

1997 Chateau Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Dull red/brick. Chas's options wine opened with a burst of earthy petrol making me briefly wonder if it was an old Barossa red; after the option was over it showed its true colours by turning rather mousy. The slender palate was leathery and herbal at first, then metallic with breathing - at least I got the vintage right.

2005 Mollydooker Carnival of Love: The first thing I should do is give a hearty thank you to Gavin for opening this controversial and expensive bottle for us to experience, and not surprisingly it drew some vastly different opnions. Anyone who's read enough of my posts knows that I have a very sensitive palate in regard to high alcohol wines, and keeping that in mind I tried to block out all the negative vibes I'd previously read - unfortunately it didn't help. It's hot, really hot: if I put a big, fat, juicy Jalapeno in the glass I doubt I'd notice any difference, that's how hot. Similar to what others have mentioned, I found it be a complete mess of sweet caramel oak/soy sauce and baked/pruney fruit that fell away to leave pure, burning alcohol on the finish. I thought it lacked any kind of balance in stark contrast to the Samuels Gorge and the three young VPs at the very end of the night, but worst of all I just couldn't finish the glass (didn't even get close).

1986 Mildara Alexanders Coonawarra Cabernet: Murky, brick red. Complex, velvety, perfectly balanced nose of coal, capsicum, tomato leaf and a hint of cigar box; the palate was just as soft and enticing, sweet cherry/strawberry with some terra rossa dirt and a long, sweet finish. Martin and a few of the other Blacktongues scored a case of these last week - they're in remarkable shape and will probably keep a lot longer too.

2000 Murdock Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: I've tried a few bottles over the years where it's been a big disappointment, but not tonight: finally one showing trophy winning form. Glowing dark to inky red. Powerful and youthful nose of fresh cassis/cherry fruit perfectly matched by creamy/vanillin oak, very primary and yet surprisingly multi-layered. The palate had equally powerful and sweet raspberry/cherry fruit and supporting vanillin oak, again layered and perfectly balanced, the finish very long, sweet and addictive. There were a handful of wines I really liked but when pressed to name my WOTN this one would be it - that said I don't know if it will be as good as the Mildara in another 14 years.

2001 Dowie Doole Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium red, surprisingly pale. Compared to the previous Cabernets this was a real step down in concentration and complexity; minty, thin and relatively boring, but that's maybe a little unfair given the previous wines and the late hour.

2005 Coates Vintage Port (500ml): Dark to inky red. The first of the three stunning young VPs to finish off the evening this was my favourite, displaying remarkable elegance and approachability. It's earthy, nutty, creamy and has a gorgeous, long cherry finish, begging to be cellared but also begging to be drunk right now!

2006 Winter Creek Vintage Port (sample): Dark to very inky red. This was a cooler Barossa style with cloves/footy liniment characters, reminiscent of a top McLaren Vale VP and the 1996 Peter Lehmann The King 2017. The palate had more upfront grunt/less elegance than the Coates did, but the fruit and spirit are excellent and it has oodles of potential - it's not half bad now either.

2005 Kalleske JMK Shiraz Vintage Port (sample): I don't know how Martin got his hands on this sample bottle - apparently it's some of Troy Kalleske's personal stash! Dark to very inky red/crimson. This was a contrasting riper style to the Winter Creek, with some lanolin, dates and raisin characters. Like the other VPs it's already remarkably approachable now - I couldn't imagine a better finish for the dinner than having the three glasses of these ports to absorb.


Cheers
Ian

[Ollie]

As always some great notes Ian, thanks!

Do you or anyone whos' tried it think the 'Carnival Of Love' will improve / evolve with age or has this first taste put you off for life??!!

Cheers

Ollie

[Nick]

Thanks Ian, great notes. The Mildara had completely slipped my mind, but now you've reminded me, it might well have been my favorite cabernet of the night.

Didn't get much of the offensive bourbon off the 96 E&E (and I'm definitely not a bourbon fan!), but I might have been tasting it alongside the Carnival, which might have slanted my palate.

Ollie, my feeling with the Carnival of Love is that the most enjoyable thing about it was the primary fruit. If this was to fade with bottle age, I'd think you'd be left with the sweet oak flavours that are already sticking out. I also wonder how these very high alcohol wines will age (I think the Carnival was up around 17%). I'm normally a big fan of the Noon Eclipse, but I've had them quite young, and the 2001 didn't stack up to expectations on Friday night. Back to the Carnival - I didn't dislike it as much as Ian on the night (I finished half my glass!), but I wouldn't be laying any down in the hope that it would be getting better.

Cheers
Nick

[markg]

Thanks for the notes Ian.

Personally I think the Dalwhinnie and the Samuels Gorge were my equal WOTN. I have always enjoyed the 1996 E&E and it was my 3rd best of the evening, and I am not a bourbon fan by any means, but I do appreciate the well integrated and structured oak characteristics of this wine.

I was pleasantly suprised by the Mollydooker as I approached it with a negative attitude and came away suprised at how nice it was to drink, although I don't think I could share an entire bottle over dinner, perhaps with some cheese and greens

[Gary W]

Lovely notes. That 96 E&E is a great example of how to obliterate beautiful Barossa fruit. Yuk.
Carnival of Love sounds about right....
Have you tried a 99 Vat 1 as yet Ian?
GW

[n4sir]

1999 La Guiraude Crozet Hermitage, Alain Graillot:

Crozes I'm sure.

Thanks for the notes, a good to read.

1) Why was there no bubbles?
2) Where was all the good pinot?
3) Who brought the two Rhones?
4) How many days did it take to get your sense of smell back after those alco-monsters?

Correction made - I've been burning the midnight oil to get this posted and that one slipped through.

To answer to why there wasn't any sparkling wines, "Mr. Bubbles" wasn't there, were you Adrian?

For some reason we've hardly sighted a Pinot at T-Chow, and we did talk about this during the offline: I don't think it's by design, but maybe sublininally we've all had enough of Duck/Pinot tastings and don't take them there, other than that I haven't a clue.

As always some great notes Ian, thanks!

Do you or anyone whos' tried it think the 'Carnival Of Love' will improve / evolve with age or has this first taste put you off for life??!!

As I mentioned in the note, I realise I have a lower tolerance threshold for alcohol heat than many others and thought pretty hard about what exactly I was going to write about the COL. Personally I have my doubts it will greatly improve, but I admit I could be wrong.

The first thing I'll add is that it's very young, and at this time last year I tried a couple of 2004 McLaren Vales Shiraz that seemed on the hot side, but integrated very nicely in the following 6-12 months and it's no longer an issue.

The flip side is that those wines were <14.5% alcohol, and this one is at least 16.5%. In addition, for the middle of summer it was a particularly good evening so hot weather wasn't really an issue, and it was shown up badly by the other wines and especially the three young VPs which I guess would have been 19-20% alcohol.

There were very negative comments from some people, and when the alcohol kicked in I let rip with a few particularly nasty ones myself that shouldn't be reproduced here. I don't like to publicly bag wines on the forum, and there have been high alcohol wines I've liked a lot and even rated highly in blind tastings (such as Kalleske & Warrabilla), but when they're out of balance and searingly hot I think this is as big a fault as brett, mercaptan, over-oaking, etc. I'm not sure if Steve has a COL slotted in for one of the Blacktongues tastings this year, but I'm sure we will have a couple of the Mollydookers and it will be interesting to see how they fare in the blind format.

Again I have to thank Gavin for asking if we wanted to try it while probably suspecting it would be flying into a hellstorm at our table - it's not something I'm in a hurry to sample again, but it's still a priceless exercise to try such a polarising wine and have everyone make up their own minds about it.

Lovely notes. That 96 E&E is a great example of how to obliterate beautiful Barossa fruit. Yuk.
Carnival of Love sounds about right....
Have you tried a 99 Vat 1 as yet Ian?
GW

I tried the 1999 Vat 1 once last year in the Blacktongues "mixed whites" tasting where I really liked it:
http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=4670

It may be in next weeks "other whites" tasting too (hopefully).

Cheers,
Ian