The third Club dinner of 2004 was held on Saturday, 7th August 2004. Unfortunately, this Club dinner will be remembered as “The DisasterÂâ€Â. I suspect the cool temperature of the dining room and the serving temperature of the wines played a significant part in the poor showing of some very "big" labels. Fortunately, the evening was “saved†by some less renowned wines.
Attendees were: Attila, David "The Grave Robber" Pearson, David Lole, TORB, Laszlo and Stephan. The evening was hosted by Attila this time.
Like all Club dinners, wines were served blind with spot-on and discussion ensuing before trivia and options are given until the wineÂ’s identity is known.
1) 1998 YALUMBA D Cuvée
Unfortunately the attendee who was to bring Champagne cancelled at the last minute, and due to terrible Saturday afternoon traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the recalcitrant behaviour of 4-month old babies strapped into car seats of very slow moving cars, this wine ended up being matched to AttilaÂ’s famous Tamari Almonds.
This wine showed none of the depth or aged and barrel characters of previous bottles, although Attila said it gained enough depth by the morning to enjoy with breakfast. This wine was poor value at $30. Rated Recommended as expectation were probably always too high for this wine, this wine was a disappointment on any and all levels and was a horrific start to the evening.
At least AttilaÂ’s Tamari Almonds were consumed in their entirety.
2) 1987 SEPPELT Great Western Vineyard Show Sparkling Shiraz
Ric commented that "Sparkling Shiraz does not get better than this" and it was agreed by all.
The colour was still bright red with dark red tinges. No brown but getting “c-throughÂâ€Â. Beautifully aromatic and deep nose with a huge base of cassis (DavidL noted DMS) and dark cherry fruit, with mulberry, liquorice, chocolate, raspberry, vanilla and only a hint of earthiness adding to the experience. The wine was extraordinarily dominated by fresh fruit and not aged characters. The palate was exceptional: balanced, long, complex and delicate. The wine was light in weight but deep in flavour and power. The small and persistent bead added to the balance, the “dance over the tongue†enjoyment and the softness of the wine, as did the fine tannins which were one with the wine. Some of my ideas of what Sparkling Shiraz can and should be were changed by this wine. Rated Outstanding/Ultimate, the evening had finally begun.
AttilaÂ’s Transylvanian vegetable soup was served next specifically to accompany the following wine. This was a simple, enjoyable dish that would have scared off any cold or flu that might have been coming my way.
3) 2003 KREINBACHER BIRTOK Somlói Furmint/Hárslevelu – Somlo, Hungary
Bright light straw. Some aromatics but dominated by banana, cream and vanilla from absolutely superb oak, and a mineral/earth streak throughout the wine. Ric also found liquorice and kerosene. Smooth palate with a hint of glycerine. Great power. Some finesse. No holes. Fine and long acid totally integrated with the wine. Great length. It reminded me of very high quality Burgundy. The wine had hardly changed after 36 hours. Rated Excellent, I felt that the absolutely gorgeous banana and superb oak flavours were over dominant at this time but, if this wine ages and it seems to have the ability to do so, I believe this rating will significantly improve.
4) 1994 TRIMBACH Cuvee Frederic-Emile Riesling - Alsace
This wine was the first of the big name disappointments. Sweet florals, honey, pineapple and a hint of mango on the nose. More lime is revealed as the wine breathes and warms up, particularly on the middle and back palate. Despite excellent complexity, the great amount of acidity in the wine did not provide any highlight to the flavours and structure. In fact the wine was broad and disjoined. The cork was in great condition but the wine seemed a bit oxidised. I keep tasting this bottle over the next 36 hours looking for some hint of greatness but it was never found. Rated Recommended/Highly Recommended, this was a nice mid-week wine.
Attila next served his Garlic prawns with yeast-free sourdough baguette to accompany his next wine. I thorough enjoyed this disk, not only due to the quality of the accompanying wine, but the sweetness and plumpness of the prawns.
[b]5) 1998 GYÖRGYKOVÃ
Spoilt does not begin to cover it, I think 
so I can't really argue there, but...one of the best wines of the vintage? You say was, so is it just that it was much more promising earlier in its life and has since declined? Will have to win a (big) lottery and line up the entire last century of Haut Brion 
