TN: DWS Trade Day - Mouton, Rousseau mini verts etc

[ACG]

I've been a little bit crap and slow about getting around to posting these, but the following notes are from this years Domain Wine Shippers Trade Day (held mid September I think), an event that I never miss, purely due to the calibre of the wines on offer.

I wrote up ridiculous amounts of notes, but these are probably the most 'notable':

Australian Whites

Fraser Gallop Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Clean, grassy and classy Sem Sauv if rather simple. Fresh & drinkable, if lacking in some density. Good. 17.2

Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2007
Quite obvious wood but also quite typically creamy and oxidative with the typical flor like characters that can make or break this wine. Nice length and quite distinctive stuff. 17.7

Australian (and one Kiwi) Reds

Clarendon Hills
The prices are exorbitant, the range of single vineyard wines confusing and ever changing. The wines however are often absolutely remarkable things of impact & world class quality. Pity that Roman Bratasiuk himself is the man behind it, for both times (including this tasting) I have met him, he has almost gone out of his way to be rude and brusque.
Thankfully his son is much more accommodating...

Clarendon Hills 'Kangarilla' Grenache 2007
Lollies, boysenberry and raspberry ripple. Quite exotic smelling and rather attractive, if hugely ripe. Big tannins and extract, but also showcases the old vine fruit particularly well. Excellent stuff. 18.3

Maude Pinot Noir 2008
Loved the 2007, this seems just a bit more simple. Sappy & notably ripe nose with a glacé fruit character to it that is almost tipping over into jamminess. Very pretty soft palate is silken & slinky, if lacking the thrust for high marks. Good. 17.4

Stanton & Killeen Shiraz Durif 2007
Big & cuddly, with obvious oak all over it ,but also with a very appealing chocolatey texture. Great value too. 17.0

Stanton & Killeen 'The Prince' 2008
Produced from Portuguese varieties. Exotic, tangy perfume with redcurrant and cranberries. Sour palate with unforced, proper tannins and a smack of alcohol to finish. Unusual and interesting, if slightly awkward wine. High marks for individuality regardless. 17.5

Stanton & Killeen Durif 2006
Oaky, chocolatey & textural Durif with superpowered raspberry fruit. Unquestionably powerful and sure to develop well, but with a rather bizarre porty aftertaste. Interesting wine that I really think deserves a retaste. 16.5 +/-

Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port 2000
Unusual to say so, but this is the most Portuguese Australian port I have ever had. Powerfully raisined and black berry flavours, with lots of sinew, but no burn. Rather, this just feels like a rather hefty table wine. I really quite enjoyed this. 18

Champagne

Billecart Salmon 'Nicholas Francois Billecart' 1998
I've not tasted this before, so I had to do a double take after tasting it. Absolutely top shelf Champagne (and not surprising once I caught a glimpse of the RRP - $220+). Lifted full & creamy nose shows obvious bottle age with honeyed overtones. A very creamy, rich and quite full style, but also with a properly dry palate, making for a very rewarding drink. Really long & complex. Excellent. 18.5

Alsace
Really enjoyed these, particularly the 07's. Right up my alley (hence the high scores)

Josmeyer 'Hengst' Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru 2007
Both fresh & opulent with excellent definition. Nose shows crisp typically lychee & spicy fruit driven nose and just a hint of barrel, leading to a very dry, but rewardingly long palate with proper acid to finish. Lovely textural Gewurtz with time to go. 18.0+

Josmeyer 'Brand' Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru 2007
Less opulent & gewurtzy than the Hengst, with a long, dry & quite tropical palate, finishing with 'wow' grip and power. World class gewurtz. 18.5

Josmeyer 'Brand' Riesling Grand Cru 2007
Lovely pretty nose. Fresh & perfumed. But the palate is hardcore! Spicy, grippy and macho even. Such a spicy Rizza! Love it. 18.5+

Josmeyer 'Hengst' Riesling Grand Cru 2007
Drier and more stony, lemony wine with just a twinge of rubber. Again great acidity, but this seemed awkward compared to the rest of the range. 17

Josmeyer 'Brand' Pinot Gris Grand Cru 2007
I know which Josmeyer vineyard is my favourite! Brand me! Lightly peachy with understated power & intense apricotty fruit, this was such a juicy and impressive Pinot Gris of real concentration. Perhaps the best Pinot Gris I have had this year. 17.9

Josmeyer 'Hengst' Vendange Tardive Riesling 1995
Impressive curio. Bright yellow, Berocca wee coloured even. Nose is just a little bit funky with developed marmalade fruit. Palate mixed the sweetness of the late picked fruit with dry acidity, making for a palate that is actually rather refreshing. Interesting and tasty. 18

White Burgundy

Domaine Laroche Les Clos Chablis 2005
Kimmeredgian cream & a bit of flab on the nose. Fat, classically proportioned but ultimately blunt palate. Straw bottle age character showing here that I never enjoy in Chablis. Waste of good grapes really, though it's still a fair drink. Just could be much better given the vineyard and vintage. 16.5

Ballot Millot Mersault 'Charmes' 1er Cru 2005
Wooded nose, really heavily oaked but still perfectly formed, the palate showing beautiful Mersault fruit, just with poorly formed wood over the top. Could well integrate in time, hence the quite positive score. 17+

Ballot Millot Mersault 'Charmes' 1er Cru 2004
Nice to try this after the 2005, this is creamier with more fruit and more layers to the palate, boding well for the future of the 05. Nose is again very attractive, with the fig & whipped cream character of really good white Burgundy, palate though is lean & falls away dramatically. Extra points for the nose though. 16.8

Bouchard Mersault 'les Gouttes d'Or' 1er Cru 2004
Another 04 and another lovely nose let down by a slightly disappointing palate. A continuing theme in 04 white Burgs (though with some exceptions). Beautiful nose. Freshly whipped cream with a nutty, long and earthy palate. Truffled cream. Still falls away at the finish. 17.6-

Bouchard Mersault 'les Gouttes d'Or' 1er Cru 2006
Tighter & showing more wood on both the nose and the palate. In fact I have written in my notes book 'spitting wood chips, but should be good with age'. Score reflects this. 17.4++

Bouchard Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2004
Formic & wood on the nose, leading to a very sour, backward palate. Excellent acidity, simply excellent, long & gritty, with a dose of oak on the tail. Long termer! 18+++

Red Burgundy

Bouchard Beaune Greves 'Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus' 1er Cru 2006
Ah the baby Jesus, always my favourite Bouchard red. Beautiful, full & aromatic nose, with deep fleshy red fruit and justs a touch of animale. Serious extract on the palate with astringent, proper seed (grape) tannin. Just a big angular at present but much to like for the future. 17.8+

Bouchard Beaune Greves 'Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus' 1er Cru 2001
Just a bit of tawny, treacle like decay on the nose. Bacony palate still retains the core of modern red fruit, with some meatiness growing in there too. Good drinker now, but is drying out. 17.2

Bouchard Le Corton Grand Cru 2006
Very full & chunky nose, with a very big, firm & un-burgundian palate. Awkward, though time may well resolve it. 16.0++

Bouchard Le Corton Grand Cru 2001
Never liked this wine and neither of these helped. This was simply hard & beefy, with an inelegant palate that is drying out. Dry red. 15.5

Confuron Cotetidot Vosne Romanee 'Les Suchots' 1er Cru 2006
A wine for the structuralist (me, me!). Tolerance of leafiness and stems required. Beautiful black tea & dark red fruits. Formidable tannins. Seriously firm, but still so fresh! Impressive. 18.1

Confuron Cotetidot Vosne Romanee 'Les Suchots' 1er Cru 2004
Pea & Ham soup. Drinkable but a bit freaky. Hammy and lacking the freshness of the 06. 16.8

Mongeard Mugneret Nuits St Georges 'Les Boudots' 1er Cru 2006
Black fruit on a really hard and brackish palate. Black fruit and heaps of tannins. Very serious indeed. I quite liked this. Future. 17.7+

Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2006
I was amazed at how much of a step up this was. Put simply, this is one of the finest wines I have had this year. I am just going to reprint my tasting note as it is written in my tasting book. Whilst it lacks detail, the emotion says it all.
'Stunning strawberry fruit fragrance. Beautiful textured masterpiece of a palate. So beautiful, feminine & rich & sexy. My God. 19.3'

Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2005
The 06 was all about seduction, this 05 is all about structure. Sappier, gamier, harder, darker and much more backward than the 06, with red licorice replacing the strawberry fruit. So much more oak and truly lethal tannins. Very serious. Long termer. Stick this in the cellar and drink the 06 now. 18.2++

Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2003
Bigger, more volatile & riper. Licoricey nose, but more gruff and soupy too. Redcurrant fruit carries through onto the palate, but so does fire and alcohol heat. Structured tannins to finish. Lesser of the three, but still a good wine. 17.8+

Bordeaux

Pauillac de Chateau Latour 2004
Very rich & full black fruited style with a forward, Cab dominant nose. Fleshy, lightly minty chocolatey palate. Fleshy and quite fat, I'd drink (significantly cheaper) Margaret River Cabs over this, though its unquestionably from good bloodlines. 17.0

Mouton Rothschild 2005
Vinfanticide. Deep & quite dark red in colour with cedar and sweet chocolate on the nose, combined with just a smidgen of Bordeaux gameyness. Very full, smooth dark black fruit that is polished to perfection. Excellent tannin. It's all rather restrained actually, indicating the absolute youth of this wine. Score will only go up as its showing very little of what it may become. 18.5+

Mouton Rothschild 2004
Quite sweet, open, black & full fruited. Spicy tea leaves and dark fruit that is just a bit underwhelming through the middle, but finishes with such excellent tannic structure that I still felt quite positive about this wine. 17.8++

Mouton Rothschild 2003
Quite advanced already, but still utterly plush and full and showy. Nice perfumed, but the palate is dull and somewhat caramelised. Tannins are similarly missing in action. Only ok really. 16.8

Andrew

[jafa]

Nice notes. Worth the wait, Thanks.

Domaine Laroche Les Clos Chablis 2005
Kimmeredgian cream & a bit of flab on the nose. Fat, classically proportioned but ultimately blunt palate. Straw bottle age character showing here that I never enjoy in Chablis. Waste of good grapes really, though it's still a fair drink. Just could be much better given the vineyard and vintage. 16.5 Andrew

I rather like that straw/hay character, but think that in excess would be trying.
Fondly remember some 1996 JM Brocard Le Clos GC that at 10 years had a great straw flavour. Even better
the 1996 JM Brocard Beaureguard 1er, also at 10 years, perfect white burg IMHO. Sigh, all gone.

jafa

[ACG]

I actually find that straw character in Hunter Sem too, usually in the (circa) 1-5 year old riper styles. Brokenwood with a year or two on it is a prime example.

Can't say I'm a fan of the character, but it does seem to dissapate with bottle age.