TN: Adelaide Offline at T-Chow 27/11/10

[n4sir]

There was a small turnout of nine people for the last Adelaide offline of the year. My thanks to everyone for another enjoyable evening, and of course to the crew of T Chow again.

2010 Cherubino Riesling, Porongurup WA (screwcap): Very pale straw with just a hint of spritz on the glass, virtually colourless. Sweet, lime and mineral, a hint of green banana, bath salts and crushed basil with breathing; the palate’s just as elegant but tight with very firm acidity and good length. I thought this was the best of the rieslings tonight, but still think it needs a few months to fully come together.

2008 Tim Adams Reserve Riesling, Clare Valley (screwcap): Medium straw. Seems surprisingly developed, waxy/pithy lemon with toasty characters already, while the acid really sticks out rather awkwardly mid-palate; it has considerably more weight than the Cherubino, yet it’s rather brutal and disjointed.

2005 Pearson Vineyards Riesling, Clare Valley (screwcap): Bright yellow. A little more developed than the Tim Adams but not significantly more so, pithy and mineraly with just a touch of peat; the palate’s more mineraly, limestone/mineral water with a slice of lemon. There’s still a heavy whack of acid but it’s better integrated in this wine than those surrounding it – for some reason a high level acid was noticeable in quite a few of the wines tonight (maybe it was the muggy evening, or I was just having a ‘root day’).

1999 Pipers Brook Riesling, Tasmania (cork): Bright gold/amber. Attractive, developed bouquet of sweet, sugared lemons and gingerbread, a touch of fennel and then overripe banana as it degenerated quickly in the glass; the palate’s all acid though, a little lemon/menthol leading to a nasty, bitter finish. Well past its best days.

2002 Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay, Eden Valley (cork): Deep yellow/light gold. Nutty with bright, citrus/stonefruit, French vanilla and cashew; a flinty, slightly nutty entry leads to the bright, lemony fruit and acid mid-palate (bordering overkill after all the previous high-acid wines tonight), some fig with breathing, finishing long and creamy/nutty. While I recognise most of the characters from my last taste of this wine over two years ago there’s a sense it’s now at its peak.

1971 Saltram Bin 88 Cabernet Shiraz, Barossa Valley (cork): An unusual bottling with a plain paper lab/sample label unlike the commercial release. When I got hold of eight bottles of these we opened four immediately and they all went down the sink, so when I gave this bottle to Pam a few weeks ago I told her not to expect much. Medium to dark garnet. Savoury bouquet of fresh red berries, some molasses and smoky Barossa meats, bluegum honey, aged soy/umami and tomato skin with breathing. The medium-weight palate’s elegant, sweet and slightly medicinal with hints of honeycomb and mineral, fine ripe berries, tingly, fine acid and great length, getting better as the night wore on. It’s not as good as the freakish 1970 Bin 55 we had at Andrew Jefford’s farewell in March, but after the previous duds I’m happy to try at least one good one.

1996 d’Arenberg Ironstone Pressings Grenache Shiraz (cork): Medium to very dark red. Very dark, damp nose at first, but with a good breathe sweet red berries, boiled lollies and sump oil characters come to the surface; the palate immediately opens with an attack of sweet, red raspberries, tar and liquorice, finishing very long but very dry. The whole package looked rather clumsy against the old Saltram preceding it - there was a little discussion if the damp/bilgy character was from a little taint or the rustic winemaking methods and time in old oak. I’m coming to the conclusion that maybe I just don’t like this wine with bottle age - as a side note, there’s no Mourvedre in the blend this vintage (and their 1996 Twentyeight Road was clean and brilliant).

1996 Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz, Barossa Valley (cork): Dark to inky red purple. Still incredibly young, bursting with all sorts of blue, red and boysenberries, all finely dusted in cocoa; the palate’s just as fruit-sweet, with fine, grippy tannins, and the sweet vanillin/bubblegum oak makes its presence felt on the long finish, but it’s never over the top. Well stored bottles should live for just about forever – easily WOTN, and makes me wonder just how good The 1996 Reserve is.

1997 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz, Barossa Valley (cork): Light to medium red. Meaty and sweet, confected and more than a little grenache-like; the palate is very similar, only light to medium weight with sweet raspberries, sliced delicatessen meats and musk, finishing clean with decent length. A nice surprise considering the reputation of the vintage, but it’s at its peak and shouldn’t be held any longer.

2003 Joseph Angel Gully Shiraz, Clarendon (cork): Inky red/purple, a bright violet rim and viscous legs on the glass that gave a visual clue to the alcoholic bomb characters to follow. It’s drinks like two thirds Kirsch, one third Vodka out of a new oak barrel, full of vanilla, stalky cherries and hot, minty alcohol, finishing stalky, lean and downright mean.

NV Morris Old Premium Tawny Port 500ml (cork): If we’re going to end the night with something with high alcohol I’d rather have this than the previous monstrosity, full of rancio, vanish/walnut characters with clean spirit on the finish. Good stuff.


Cheers,
Ian

[griff]

Ah the 1997 Grant Burge Filsell. Brings back memories as it was one of the first wines I cellared. I agree it was a pleasure for the vintage.

Thanks for the notes!

cheers

Carl

[Jazzy]

Thanks Ian for another great Offline night. My friends first time attendance and they look forward to more.
Those that could,nt attend missed out on another good nght.Thanks also for arranging the Dinners in the past, always much appreciated.
Pam