Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:45 am
Given all of the valuable advice people provided I thought it only fair to post the results.
This particular tasting group started when a friend once asked for advice on some good wines. When he couldn’t respond with the sorts of wines he liked we brought together a group of like minded people and a number of bottles and thus our semi-regular tasting group was born. The group is an interesting mix of people with vast cellars and discerning palettes through to those who – in a word – don’t. I probably sit somewhere in the middle.
The format has since evolved to a standard format. – six wines presented blind. With few exceptions always on a theme - One Region, One Variety, One Treatment, One Wine (Vertical).
If the wines are all Australian then I will generally provide the names of the regions which are represented as I have found it helps the discussion as people try to guess and then justify their guesses. Participants are asked to make at least an attempt at a tasting note – depending on the person this might simply be a three word descriptor.
Enough background… onto the wines. The descriptions below are a bit of an amalgam of the group experience. For the first time I asked people to nominate their Favourite, Runner Up, and least favoured. The numbers don’t add up (there were 11 of us) so someone voted twice.
Howard Park Riesling, 2007 Great Southern, WA
Lemon and Lime with a hint of grass,with green apples on the palate. Crisp acids.
Fav:1/ R-up: 3/ Least Fav: 1
Clonakilla Riesling, 2006 Canberra Region
Mineral with strong petro-diesel characteristics, lime and ripe apples. Acids had an astringent character to them.
Fav:0/ R-up: 0/ Least Fav: 2
Crawford River Riesling 2006 (South West Victoria)
Delicate citrus blossom dominated by lime, with ripe apple and pear with a note of honeysuckle. Soft acids
One of two divisive wines during the evening. There was rather spirited discussion over it.
Fav:3/ R-up: 2/ Least Fav: 2
Pipers Brook Vineyard Riesling 2005 (Tasmania)
Strong grapefruit characteristics dominated with a residual sweetness and soft acids – for most of the group marred by reductive characteristics that they could not get passed.
Fav:2/ R-up: 0/ Least Fav: 4
St Hallet Riesling 2007 (Eden Valley)
Strong floral nose dominated by rose and orange blossoms with light touch of grapefruit on the palate. Some in the group for a dried apricot / Sulfur undercurrent that they disliked.
This was another divisive wine and again rather spirited discussion.
Fav:2/ R-up: 0/ Least Fav: 1
Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2007 (Clare Valley)
Delicate floral and honeysuckle with an undercurrent of peach. Weak acid structure but that didn’t seem to put anyone off it. Well structured wine that only a couple people in the group did not prefer.
Fav:4/ R-up: 2/ Least Fav: 2
At dinner, afterwards was…
Leo Buring Leonay 2006
Delicate, but complex. Sweet florals, soft acids, slightly hint of spiciness great length.
Bay of Fires Riesling 2006
Crisp, clean, well balanced but with the in your face sweet acidity of grapefruit that worked well with the food we were having.
There was also a Grosset Polish Hill, but somehow it didn’t get opened at dinner.
Once again, thanks for all of your help.
This particular tasting group started when a friend once asked for advice on some good wines. When he couldn’t respond with the sorts of wines he liked we brought together a group of like minded people and a number of bottles and thus our semi-regular tasting group was born. The group is an interesting mix of people with vast cellars and discerning palettes through to those who – in a word – don’t. I probably sit somewhere in the middle.
The format has since evolved to a standard format. – six wines presented blind. With few exceptions always on a theme - One Region, One Variety, One Treatment, One Wine (Vertical).
If the wines are all Australian then I will generally provide the names of the regions which are represented as I have found it helps the discussion as people try to guess and then justify their guesses. Participants are asked to make at least an attempt at a tasting note – depending on the person this might simply be a three word descriptor.
Enough background… onto the wines. The descriptions below are a bit of an amalgam of the group experience. For the first time I asked people to nominate their Favourite, Runner Up, and least favoured. The numbers don’t add up (there were 11 of us) so someone voted twice.
Howard Park Riesling, 2007 Great Southern, WA
Lemon and Lime with a hint of grass,with green apples on the palate. Crisp acids.
Fav:1/ R-up: 3/ Least Fav: 1
Clonakilla Riesling, 2006 Canberra Region
Mineral with strong petro-diesel characteristics, lime and ripe apples. Acids had an astringent character to them.
Fav:0/ R-up: 0/ Least Fav: 2
Crawford River Riesling 2006 (South West Victoria)
Delicate citrus blossom dominated by lime, with ripe apple and pear with a note of honeysuckle. Soft acids
One of two divisive wines during the evening. There was rather spirited discussion over it.
Fav:3/ R-up: 2/ Least Fav: 2
Pipers Brook Vineyard Riesling 2005 (Tasmania)
Strong grapefruit characteristics dominated with a residual sweetness and soft acids – for most of the group marred by reductive characteristics that they could not get passed.
Fav:2/ R-up: 0/ Least Fav: 4
St Hallet Riesling 2007 (Eden Valley)
Strong floral nose dominated by rose and orange blossoms with light touch of grapefruit on the palate. Some in the group for a dried apricot / Sulfur undercurrent that they disliked.
This was another divisive wine and again rather spirited discussion.
Fav:2/ R-up: 0/ Least Fav: 1
Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2007 (Clare Valley)
Delicate floral and honeysuckle with an undercurrent of peach. Weak acid structure but that didn’t seem to put anyone off it. Well structured wine that only a couple people in the group did not prefer.
Fav:4/ R-up: 2/ Least Fav: 2
At dinner, afterwards was…
Leo Buring Leonay 2006
Delicate, but complex. Sweet florals, soft acids, slightly hint of spiciness great length.
Bay of Fires Riesling 2006
Crisp, clean, well balanced but with the in your face sweet acidity of grapefruit that worked well with the food we were having.
There was also a Grosset Polish Hill, but somehow it didn’t get opened at dinner.
Once again, thanks for all of your help.
