TN: Taste of Tasmania 09/10

[GraemeG]

A quick whip around the stands at the Taste of Tasmania just before new year. Josef Chromy was the standout, Lubiana surprisingly disappointing.

2008 Bay of Fires Riesling - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 11.5%} Nose of limes & wet rocks. Sweetly-fruited on the palate, chalk, musk & lime flavours; dry, with medium acidity, body & length of finish. Suspect this has a shortish drinking window, but is very pleasant none-the-less.

2008 Bay of Fires Chardonnay - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.3%} Stones, nine nuts and discreet oak aromas precede a youthful, fresh palate, with stone fruit flavours, a decent mid-palate weight and a generally medium-bodied aspect. Good cooler-climate chardonnay.

2008 Bay of Fires Pinot Noir - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$30} Derwent Valley fruit. Cherry & tart strawberry, stalky & smoky. Smells very young. Palate is pure, clean pinot fruit, with medium not-quite-hard acid, discreet oak, soft dusty tannins, light-medium body and a medium length finish. All rather youthfully tight at this age, and certainly doesn't leap out of the glass to meet you, but has some depth of flavour and finish. Give it another two years.

2008 Stefano Lubiana Riesling - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$30} Rather closed nose of slatey minerals. No fruit bomb. The dry, high acid palate has tight lime and chalk flavours, is quite powerful - to the point of being medium-bodied - and has a powerfully linear long finish. The best of Lubiana's wines on this occasion.

2009 Stefano Lubiana Sauvignon Blanc - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, A$30} Restrained nose of grassy and shellfish aromas - no asparagus here. The palate adds lychees and a touch of gooseberry; it's mercifully dry, with a load of acid, and near medium-bodied weight. A vivid and arresting sauvignon, which is now rather expensive unless you're a fan of the grape, in which case it has enough individuality to justify itself.

2008 Stefano Lubiana Riesling alfresco - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap} Overly sweet-smelling nose of creaming soda. Not much sign of the grape's identity, that's for sure. Off-dry, with spritz, vaguely sweet but bland flavours, and no body or length to speak of. Disappointing.

2008 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir Primavera - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 14%, A$30} Youthful, sweetly-lifted aromas of appealing warm & jammy strawberry fruit. Has a guileless appeal. Rather more tart & chewy on the palate, with gritty tannins despite the lack of oak, light-body and a rather fast-fading and dilute finish. Not great.

2007 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir Estate - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$45} A classy nose here, with touches of cured meats peeking through dark cherry fruits. A medium-acid, softly-dusty-tannined and rather tight pinot which follows its meaty, dark berry fruits with a nicely balanced finish, but which finishes disappointingly short. Pleasant enough wine but a loser in the value for money stakes.

2007 Stefano Lubiana Merlot - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{cork, 14%, A$30} Fleshy raspberries and plump plum aromas - all very ripe and succulent. Just on the lighter side of 'medium' as far as acid, tannin, weight go; the palate avoids any greenness; is youthfullly soft, with subtle oak and decent mid-palate presence. Quite respectable - the pick of the reds, and always Lubiana's most under-rated wine.

2008 Frogmore Creek Riesling FGR - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 9.5%, A$22-ish} A youthfully soft nose of, what, white flowers, daffodils? These fashionable off-dry wines rarely show off riesling to much advantage, and whatever the winemakers say, are quite unlike pradikat rieslings from Germany, being far more dilute (and generally acid-deficient) in comparison. This has enough acid to keep it in some sort of balance (the 'F' is Forty, as in grams of Residual Sugar) but none-the-less fades from the front palate - the only place it makes an impact - rather quickly. I can't find much in the way of actual flavours, however.

2006 Frogmore Creek Chardonnay Estate Bottled - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 14%} A slightly-developing but still vivid and rich nose of nutty oak, peaches and cream. Dry, with lowish acid, it manages mildly stony fruit flavours on the palate, a light-medium body, but a rather short finish. Drink up.

2006 Hood Wines Riesling Wellington - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, 13%} Powerful, youthful nose of citric and lime aromas. If you were told it was Australian, you'd say Clare, not Tasmania. Dry, long and linear, searingly acidic, medium-bodied, with citric fruits still subdued by the structure. Wait. And then it should be very good.

2007 Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.5%} Mainstream, and to be honest, rather forgettable nose of lifted sweet strawberries and cream. Mostly to the lighter end of the pinot spectrum, although its best feature is the balance, with everything nicely proportioned. Nothing more to say, really.

2007 Frogmore Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.5%} A brave attempt in Tasmania's coolish climate. A nose of currenty, brambly cabernet fruits, of rather low intensity, but not suggesting a ripening problem. The palate's biggest problem is the generally dilute nature of the flavours, which sit on the tip of the palate and fade quickly. This is despite a quite tannic palate, and medium-bodied weight. Close, but no cigar...

2007 Bream Creek Riesling - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 11.9%, A$23} This 'dry' offering (6.8g/l RS) has a flowery, semi-Kabinett-like nose, and follows up with a generally low-keyed lychee-flavoured palate. I remember previous vintages as better than this.

2008 Bream Creek Schönburger - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, 13$, A$23} This is such a bizarre wine. The nose wins an Oscar for 'Best Gewurz Impersonation'. All rosewater, pot-pourri; your basic Wine-Tasting 101 blind variety identifier. and it smells like it's going to be really sweet. Then the palate arrives; musky flavours, Turkish delight, some mid-palate weight, and way drier (ie. 'Dry') than you'd expect. Only really light-medium bodied, it also manages a decent length of finish, just to complete the list of surprises. Easily Bream Creek's best white, in my opinion.

2007 Bream Creek Chardonnay - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 12.7%, A$25} Youthful nose of nuts and figs, with some discreet supporting oak. Palate follows - adds some smoky flavours, a toasty note - it's not in the least tropical. Medium+ bodied, with a decent length finish, but reamins a bit one-dimensional overall. But like all Australia chardonnay, better than it was 10 years ago.

2008 Bream Creek Riesling VGR - Australia, Tasmania
{screwcap, 11.8%} 'Variable Grams Residual', in case you were wondering. And I think winemaker Fred Peacock told me how many, but I didn't note it down - between 40 & 60g is a safe bet. It's a bit bland; sweet white flowers on the nose, some perfume; the palate has a little sweet lime as the chief fruit component. The light body is fine, and even the acid's in balance, but there's just nothing much of real interest here. A bit insipid overall.

2008 Bream Creek Pinot Noir - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{screwcap, 13.5%, $32} Middle-of-the-road new-world pinot aromas, rather lightweight. That applies to the whole wine, in fact; soft acid, low oak, a smidgin of powdery tannins, light-body. The fruits emerge as nicely spicy on the palate; htey tread lightly and with a fresh sourness. In some ways its a rather pure wine; reasonable value (although their Reserve bottling is always better value) if your expectations aren't too high.

2006 Bream Creek Cabernet-Merlot - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{Diam, 14%, A$27} A youthful, cool-climate nose of brambly fruits which avoid greenness, but don't smell quite fully ripe either. The palate is austere in a way; soft dusty tannins balance the medium-body of the wine, oak is subtle, there's plenty of acid; but the cool brackish fruits sit a bit too much on the front palate for this to be accorded a wine of distinction - and the finish is a bit short too. OK, but not special.

2006 Bream Creek Schönburger Late Harvest - Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania
{375ml, screwcap, 10%, A$24} Rather gewurz-like (as is its dry sibling) on the nose, with rich pot-pourri aromas. But the palate finishes rather dry, despite the initially sweetish fruit - worse is the light-body and generally short finish. Not a patch on the wonderful 2004 vintage.

2009 Josef Chromy Riesling - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley
{screwcap,12.5%, A$25} Subdued yet powerful, youthful nose of citric fruits. A dry palate follows, rather Clare Valley-like in its intensity and flavours, but with a long even palate, despite a relatively light-bodied feel on the palate. Interesting wine whose best years are well ahead of it.

2007 Josef Chromy Chardonnay - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley
{screwcap, A$30} A flinty, matchstick-smelling,rather stony-fruited nose. The palate has plenty to offer; French oak, grilled nuts, figs, the full catastrophe. Rather youthful, and would doubtless benefit from more age, although a rather front-palate bias to the mouthfeel tells me it's never going to be great...

2008 Josef Chromy Riesling SGR (Sixty Grams Residual) - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley
{screwcap, 8%, A$25} The only truly worthwhile off-dry riesling of the day. A rather low-key, Kabinett-like nose. Gentle citric flavours permeate the wine, the acid supports it beautifully, it's light-bodied, faintly sweet, but wonderfully balanced. Winemaker Jeremy Dineen told me he was aiming for 7.5% alcohol - measured the readings 4 times in a day and still got it wrong. A fine wine though, at the end of it all. I have no idea about aging it.

2008 Josef Chromy Pinot Noir - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley
{screwcap, 14%, A$30} Classic pinot cherry aromas, but laced with meaty delicatessen notes. The palate follows this up with gentle oak, medium bodied weight, and lovely balance of components along the tongue. Medium length finish, but it all hangs together, adding up to greater than the sum of its parts. For this quality, very well priced.

2005 Josef Chromy Pinot Noir Zdar - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley
{screwcap, A$50} Maturing nose of cured meats laced with liquid crimson velvet. The palate is very seductive, all wet leaves, forest floor, with plenty of animal/meaty flavours. It's softly seductive, with fine tannins, a generally medium-bodied feel - the actual underlying flavour & structure profile is not that different to the regular pinot bottling (allowing for the extra aging), but what this wine has is length, man. More persistence than a nagging in-law. Extremely attractive wine, and well-priced in context.

2008 Josef Chromy Riesling Botrytis - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley
{screwcap} Lovely honey & maramalade aromas, all with a riesling accent. Components all in balance - it's not the captivating wine that the 2007 was, but it's pretty good nonetheless. Not heavy, not too much botrytis, not too much sugar, lots of character and length. Good.

Also, a week later I got to Domaine A. All whites sold out, new releases coming in Feb. No tasting fee - a nice change. Wines as good as ever...

2004 Stoney Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River (1/4/2010)
{cork, A$40} Garnet. Smokey bacon and cured meat aromas. A mix of indeterminate red fruits. Developing and enticing. Dusty tannins, background oak, medium body. Plenty of secondary characters now coming to the fore on the palate, with smoothing out of the components, a medium-long finish, and the fruit generally subservient to the structure. Not for very long aging, but very attractive now and for the next few years. This was the Domaine A wine declassified and released as a 'Reserve' second label wine at a lower price.

2004 Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River (1/4/2010)
{diam, A$26} Dark crimson colour, but rather shocking asparagus aromas. Menthol. Green. Rather scary stuff. The palate is modest, with soft powdery tannins, the greenish fruits predominant. It's kind of in balance, but still tends to the front palate. A polarising wine.

2005 Domaine A Pinot Noir - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River (1/4/2010)
{cork, A$70} Bright garnet. Plenty happening on the nose; plums, raspberries, meats and delicatessen aromas. The palate is tight, though. Not at all expressive, although it is even. The fruit may be sullen, but firm acids, soft oak, subtle tannin, and medium length of finish all combine into a - for now - mysterious but promising package. Still, it's a lot of cash to pony up, and I've yet to taste Domaine A pinot singing at its peak (10yrs+, according to cellar door folk). Apparently the bottle-aging mintiness goes away and the wine comes back to life. Hmmmm.

2003 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River (1/4/2010)
{cork, A$65} Gorgeously pure cassis/currant nose. Barely any development despite the wine being 6 years old - and the current release! The palate is very primary, seemingly all cabernet fruits; tight, ripe, primary, controlled. 24 months in new French oak has melted away entirely; everything about the wine is 'medium-sized' except the finish, which is lengthy and classy, if a bit sullen at the moment. Very fine wine.

2001 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Tasmania, Coal River (1/4/2010)
A very rich, full and attractive wine. Plums & spices; ripe black fruits and a touch of secondary development. The finest of dusty tannins on the palate, medium-full body, and a long even finish. Still elemental in many ways. A triumphant wine, and one for the future. The current 'museum release' at the winery!

cheers,
Graeme

[ACG]

Love those Domaine A's, but they are such polarising wines. The Cabernet however with a decade on it is truly glorious.

[griff]

Nice notes.

In reference to the wineries you got to, I liked the 2006 Domaine Lady A Fume - That was a weird wine indeed. As for the 2004 Domaine A Merlot it had a heap of DMS!

cheers

Carl

[Sharkey]

I was in Tassie for Taste of Tassie last year and also toured the wineries and not only was Josef Chromy the pick of the wines, it also has the best cellar door. I highly recommend a visit to anybody who goes to Launceston.

[Mandingo]

I thought the Goaty Hill and Home Hill wines were both pretty good, esp the riesling from Goaty Hill and the Pinot from Home Hill. Great fun - mainly drank Boags but (tried the cask ales but they were ones to lay down and avoid!) - and the cover band doing the old 70s and 80s numbers was great. Also discovered Mojitos which slid down beautifully on the wharf!