TN: Brisbane Offline @ Giardinetto 11/5/07

[n4sir]

It was great to meet up with the Brisbane Wine Club contingent of the forum in my lightning trip last weekend - I can now finally put some faces to the names. This offline was held at Giardinetto Restaurant, 366 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley - it's shrunk a bit since the last time I was there, so unfortunately I didn't move around as much and spend as much time as I would have liked with everyone.

As usual the food was great, and the wines an eclectic mixture - my thanks to everyone there for making myself, Wayne & Julia very welcome and sharing some great wines, and especially Maria for organising the dinner and lending me some Riedels for the night.


2002 Olssens of Watervale Riesling (screwcap): Waxy, citrus nose with just a hint of kerosene already; spicy palate with a good depth of lime/lemon fruit, a hint of kero too and a bit of talc to boot. This is developing very nicely, albeit a little quicker than I would have expected.

2002 Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay (original CD release): Very closed nose at first, then a bit of pineapple, honey and later fennel with breathing; nutty entry followed by pineapple and mineral, finishing long and very dry. This looked a lot older than the other Chardonnays at the dinner. I was still a little shellshocked at the beginning and strangely kept calling this a Vat 1, even though I knew full well what it was!

2005 Devils Lair Chardonnay (screwcap): Heavy/nutty cashew oak and malolactic characters dominate the nose at first, gradually letting through some peach, spice & watermelon characters before really letting rip with vanilla and surprisingly noticeable VA. The palate's also dominated by that huge slice of creamy/cashew oak, but has a good dose of acid to give it structure and some mineral characters with breathing.

2003 Kirrihill Companions Chardonnay (screwcap): Grapefruit characters on the nose and a little fennel with breathing; the palate again has a nice balance of milky citrus/stonefruit and supporting nutty/cashew oak, finishing long and a little nutty.

2004 Winter Creek Old Barossa Grenache Shiraz (screwcap): Dark chocolate and sweet raspberries with just a hint of pepper on the nose, and the slippery palate's just as pure with those chocolaty red berries. I was thinking this would need a good breathe before pouring, yet this one was a cracker from the turn of the screw - pure, glugable Barossa red at its easiest.

2002 Kabminye Schliebs Block Mataro Carignan Cinsaut Black Frontignac (screwcap): This one's similar to the Winter Creek but just a little more kinky: savoury/meaty with just a hint of dried flowers and bacon, but again the chocolaty red berry fruit and slippery palate makes it almost too easy to knock back. I was very happy how this one travelled too.

2005 Veronique Barossa Shiraz (screwcap): I've been meaning to try this for a long time, and Maria was kind enough to take a bottle along for me to finally get my teeth into. A powerful nose of sweet Barossa fruit & oak, very heady but well balanced, opening with coconut and some pen ink, followed by powerful raspberries/blackberries and creamy vanilla, and later some cedar. The mid-weight palate's a similar balance of ripe raspberry/blackberry fruit with supporting oak and good tannins, finishing very sweet and clean. This wine is no blockbuster but it's not overblown either: Dominic Torzi has produced a very cleverly made and well-balanced drink that's great value.

1999 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon: This did the rounds very early, so I skipped it at this stage when Michael passed me the bottle hoping to get back to it when I thought it would be more open;I never saw it again! I must remember the line about never looking a gift horse in the mouth...

1996 Lindemans Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet: At first the huge, oaky nose of coffee/nougat, creamy raspberry/blackberry and vanilla, mint, and a fair dose of VA made me double check this wasn't the 1991 again; with breathing it's a bit more spicy with some cumin/paprika, but that banana oak isn't far away either. The palate's bone dry, very long and smoky with a sweet, slightly chalky finish, but overall this bottle seemed to be in a bit of a flat spot/transition phase to me.

1998 Vidal Estate Joseph Soler Cabernet Sauvignon: Slate/smoky nose; extremely bone dry, tannic, mid-weight palate that lacks fruit for my taste; I really didn't like this Hawkes Bay wine and quickly consigned it to the spittoon of shame.

1996 Trevor Jones Dry Grown Barossa Shiraz (magnum): Aged Barossa Shiraz at its best, reeking of petroleum, dark chocolate and ripe raspberry fruit supported by creamy/vanilla oak and a hint of black pepper, the palate velvety, the tannins fully integrated, and the finish stunningly long and velvety. I was amazed half of this was left at the end of the night and took it home, where Wayne & I polished it off that night/early morning watching Foxtel!

1999 Tyrrells Vat 9 Shiraz (original CD release): This did the rounds early, but by the time I poured a glass it reeked of brett, all bandaids, bran and some popcorn; the palate's in just as poor shape, the ripe cherry fruit tainted by bran/metallic characters to the point I found it undrinkable.

1991 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark coal, chalk, blackcurrant, dirt, liquorice and peppermint, the aniseed characters becoming more intense and sweet to resemble something like white sambuca. The palate's just as complex, powerful and balanced, a chalky/tannic entry followed by minty/savoury raspberry fruit, the finish stunningly long and sweet with just a hint of green on the very end. In a very close call this brilliant Pennies would be my WOTN marginally ahead of the Trevor Jones magnum.

2006 Torzi Matthews Schist Rock Barossa Shiraz (screwcap): Creamy vanilla/blackberry nose, and the palate's a similar blackberry milkshake style with a peppery finish. This had some similarities to the Veronique yet seemed just a little less polished and a tad simple in comparison.

2003 Yalumba Hand Picked Series Mourvèdre Grenache Shiraz: Slightly porty/meaty with earthy/ripe fruit, medium bodied and very dry/savoury compared to the surrounding wines. I thought this was a bit over-ripe and simple and didn't particularly enjoy it, but again the surrounding wines may have had something to do with that.

2006 Brookwood Estate Mellow Rouge (screwcap): Dark to inky red. Extremely sweet, opening with some black liquorice and blueberry/cassis, eventually resembling pure creme de cassis liqueur; the palate's just as sweet, full of sugary ribena fruit and low on the tannin factor and alcohol, similar to Brown Brothers' Dolcetto & Syrah. Chick's drink.

2000 Lindemans Pyrus Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc: Powerful, mouth-filling, dark blackcurrant fruit matched to smoky/toasty then sweet oak; this looked extremely young but it's already well proportioned and the finish is excellent. It's not quite as good as the 1999 I tried last year, but it does look to be equally cellar-friendly.

2002 Miranda Golden Botrytis (375ml): Intense citrus with some grapefruit and barley sugar; just like a few weeks ago the palate's perfectly balanced with an excellent level of weight, length and sweetness without any risk of being cloying.

Seppelt DP63 Grand Muscat (375ml): Just as I was wishing for something to match the chocolate profiteroles Mark pulled out this little beauty - what a perfect way to finish a great dinner!


Cheers
Ian

[chillwrx]

1996 Trevor Jones Dry Grown Barossa Shiraz (magnum):[/b] Aged Barossa Shiraz at its best, reeking of petroleum, dark chocolate and ripe raspberry fruit supported by creamy/vanilla oak and a hint of black pepper, the palate velvety, the tannins fully integrated, and the finish stunningly long and velvety. I was amazed half of this was left at the end of the night and took it home, where Wayne & I polished it off that night/early morning watching Foxtel.
1991 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon:[/b] Dark coal, chalk, blackcurrant, dirt, liquorice and peppermint, the aniseed characters becoming more intense and sweet to resemble something like white sambuca. The palate’s just as complex, powerful and balanced, a chalky/tannic entry followed by minty/savoury raspberry fruit, the finish stunningly long and sweet with just a hint of green on the very end. In a very close call this brilliant Pennies would be my WOTN marginally ahead of the Trevor Jones magnum.


I have often thought that I did not get aged shiraz and this confirms it. I thought the wine was over the hill, quickly falling over in the glass. As I brought the wine I may have been too harsh but it just was not for me.

Absolutely agreed with the 91 407 though - great wine. I will stick with aged Cabernet.

[n4sir]

1996 Trevor Jones Dry Grown Barossa Shiraz (magnum): Aged Barossa Shiraz at its best, reeking of petroleum, dark chocolate and ripe raspberry fruit supported by creamy/vanilla oak and a hint of black pepper, the palate velvety, the tannins fully integrated, and the finish stunningly long and velvety. I was amazed half of this was left at the end of the night and took it home, where Wayne & I polished it off that night/early morning watching Foxtel.

1991 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark coal, chalk, blackcurrant, dirt, liquorice and peppermint, the aniseed characters becoming more intense and sweet to resemble something like white sambuca. The palate’s just as complex, powerful and balanced, a chalky/tannic entry followed by minty/savoury raspberry fruit, the finish stunningly long and sweet with just a hint of green on the very end. In a very close call this brilliant Pennies would be my WOTN marginally ahead of the Trevor Jones magnum.

I have often thought that I did not get aged shiraz and this confirms it. I thought the wine was over the hill, quickly falling over in the glass. As I brought the wine I may have been too harsh but it just was not for me.

Absolutely agreed with the 91 407 though - great wine. I will stick with aged Cabernet.

I have to admit I was a little surprised at your TN in the other thread, although I doubt you're alone since Wayne & I had about 750ml left to demolish when we got home (thank you very much!).

Admittedly it's more advanced than I would have expected for a 1996 Barossa Shiraz magnum, but that put it right in the "sweet spot" I adore, very similar to the superb magnum of 1989 Stonewell I had last year and 750ml bottles of 1994 Cimicky Signature, 1990 & 1994 Rockford Basket Press recently too.

In short I thought it was a classic old Barossa Shiraz in its prime and it stayed that way until we finished the last drops in the wee hours of the morning, but I can also see where you're going saying maybe you just don't get (some) aged Shiraz either. I'm personally struggling with aged McLaren Vale Shiraz at the moment - there haven't been too many over 10 years of age that have really impressed me, and going to Mark Wickman's Fox Creek vertical dinner on Tuesday will be interesting to see if that drastically changes things.

Overall though I'm a sucker for aged Cabernet too - I'll take a ten year old from Coonawarra, Clare or McLaren Vale over a straight Shiraz nine times out ot ten. Ironically I was thinking of also taking a 1990 Bin 407 up there which would have been an interesting comparison to the 1991, but unfortunately I ran out of luggage space and was limited to the two bottles.

Cheers,
Ian

[chillwrx]

1996 Trevor Jones Dry Grown Barossa Shiraz (magnum): Aged Barossa Shiraz at its best, reeking of petroleum, dark chocolate and ripe raspberry fruit supported by creamy/vanilla oak and a hint of black pepper, the palate velvety, the tannins fully integrated, and the finish stunningly long and velvety. I was amazed half of this was left at the end of the night and took it home, where Wayne & I polished it off that night/early morning watching Foxtel.

1991 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark coal, chalk, blackcurrant, dirt, liquorice and peppermint, the aniseed characters becoming more intense and sweet to resemble something like white sambuca. The palate’s just as complex, powerful and balanced, a chalky/tannic entry followed by minty/savoury raspberry fruit, the finish stunningly long and sweet with just a hint of green on the very end. In a very close call this brilliant Pennies would be my WOTN marginally ahead of the Trevor Jones magnum.

I have often thought that I did not get aged shiraz and this confirms it. I thought the wine was over the hill, quickly falling over in the glass. As I brought the wine I may have been too harsh but it just was not for me.

Absolutely agreed with the 91 407 though - great wine. I will stick with aged Cabernet.

I have to admit I was a little surprised at your TN in the other thread, although I doubt you're alone since Wayne & I had about 750ml left to demolish when we got home (thank you very much!).

Admittedly it's more advanced than I would have expected for a 1996 Barossa Shiraz magnum, but that put it right in the "sweet spot" I adore, very similar to the superb magnum of 1989 Stonewell I had last year and 750ml bottles of 1994 Cimicky Signature, 1990 & 1994 Rockford Basket Press recently too.

In short I thought it was a classic old Barossa Shiraz in its prime and it stayed that way until we finished the last drops in the wee hours of the morning, but I can also see where you're going saying maybe you just don't get (some) aged Shiraz either. I'm personally struggling with aged McLaren Vale Shiraz at the moment - there haven't been too many over 10 years of age that have really impressed me, and going to Mark Wickman's Fox Creek vertical dinner on Tuesday will be interesting to see if that drastically changes things.

Overall though I'm a sucker for aged Cabernet too - I'll take a ten year old from Coonawarra, Clare or McLaren Vale over a straight Shiraz nine times out ot ten. Ironically I was thinking of also taking a 1990 Bin 407 up there which would have been an interesting comparison to the 1991, but unfortunately I ran out of luggage space and was limited to the two bottles.

Cheers,
Ian

I am glad someone enjoyed it - keep the bottle though and you can use it like a baseball bat in emergencies.

[Rudy]

2002 Olssens of Watervale Riesling (screwcap): Waxy, citrus nose with just a hint of kerosene already; spicy palate with a good depth of lime/lemon fruit, a hint of kero too and a bit of talc to boot. This is developing very nicely, albeit a little quicker than I would have expected.

Nice mouthfeel, but as Ian notes, not a keeper. Good drinking now, I won't be keeping my others for too much longer.

2003 Kirrihill Companions Chardonnay (screwcap): Grapefruit characters on the nose and a little fennel with breathing; the palate again has a nice balance of milky citrus/stonefruit and supporting nutty/cashew oak, finishing long and a little nutty.

I preferred this to the other chards with its mix of fruit and oak - perhaps it was that this one had more time to open up ?

1998 Vidal Estate Joseph Soler Cabernet Sauvignon: Slate/smoky nose; extremely bone dry, tannic, mid-weight palate that lacks fruit for my taste – I really didn’t like this Hawke’s Bay wine and quickly consigned it to the spittoon of shame.

Something not right here - same consignment

1996 Trevor Jones Dry Grown Barossa Shiraz (magnum): Aged Barossa Shiraz at its best, reeking of petroleum, dark chocolate and ripe raspberry fruit supported by creamy/vanilla oak and a hint of black pepper, the palate velvety, the tannins fully integrated, and the finish stunningly long and velvety. I was amazed half of this was left at the end of the night and took it home, where Wayne & I polished it off that night/early morning watching Foxtel!

Like Chill, this was closed when I tasted it. Consigned.

1999 Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz (original CD release): This did the rounds early, but by the time I poured a glass it reeked of brett, all bandaids, bran and some popcorn; the palate’s in just as poor shape, the ripe cherry fruit tainted by bran/metallic characters to the point I found it undrinkable.

Nice enough early on.

1991 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark coal, chalk, blackcurrant, dirt, liquorice and peppermint, the aniseed characters becoming more intense and sweet to resemble something like white sambuca. The palate’s just as complex, powerful and balanced, a chalky/tannic entry followed by minty/savoury raspberry fruit, the finish stunningly long and sweet with just a hint of green on the very end. In a very close call this brilliant Pennies would be my WOTN marginally ahead of the Trevor Jones magnum.

Cracker - WOTN for me.

Seppelt DP63 Grand Muscat (375ml): Just as I was wishing for something to match the chocolate profiteroles Mark pulled out this little beauty – what a perfect way to finish a great dinner!

Great way to finish off the evening !

Thanks to Maria for the organisation - the food was nice, service was friendly and attentive.

Cheers, Mark

[Santa]

Thanks to everybody who attended the dinner last Friday. It is always interesting to put faces to names (forum & real)

I have two apologies to make. The first is for not posting my gratitude earlier, but till now I have been doing the work of three people (and I am sure you are all familiar with how that can be). The second is that due to the 'snug' restaurant environment, it was a little difficult to move around. Might also have been due to all the 'luggage' I dragged along on the night

Thanks for the tasting notes Ian, Craig and Mark.

The food was delicious, wines were eclectic, service was great, company was enchanting and the lighting was subdued (essential when one is in their 40's)

Nice to meet you all. Hope to do so again.

Cheers to all,