17th March Sydney Offline - No Theme Bonanza

[catchnrelease]

Final lineup:

2013 Lethbridge Chardonnay
2013 Les Dolomies Cotes du Jura En Novelin Chardonnay
2012 Marie Anne et Frederic Lambert Cotes du Jura Les Gryphees Vendanges Manuelles Chardonnay
1999 Tyrrell's Vat 63 Chardonnay Semillon
2008 Lakes Folly Chardonnay
1981 Tyrrell's Hunter River Cabernet
1982 Lindemans Bin 6410 Steven Vineyard Hunter River Hermitage
2012 Seresin Sun & Moon Pinot Noir
2006 Crawford River Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Yalumba The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
1998 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 Pyramid Valley Growers Collection Howell Family Vineyard Cabernet Franc
2008 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon

WOTN for me was probably the Lindemans with the Les Gryphees Jura a strong contender too. The Tyrrell's Cab was also showing well for its age.

[dave vino]

[rooman]

Yep, I'm a definite. Love the No Theme theme.

Brio no longer do BYO? We shall discuss this with them, happy they made an exception.

I mean, I just don't get the whole not-BYO thing.

A) I go there and order water. No money from drinks for them.
B) I go there and have a beer and two of us share the second cheapest bottle off their list. They make maybe $35 from drinks for two?
C) They have a per person fixed BYO surcharge of $20 per head. (OK $10 or $15 would be nice, but I'll happily pay $20 at the nice Brio level of 'well made everyday mod-oz with a twist' food). They make $40 from two people. Win for them. They don't have to advertise it greatly, just let people know who ask.

I'd also happily pay $40, 50 or even 60 per person (not per bottle for we wine nerds) at higher priced/hatted restaurants, surely they can still make the same or more than their average drinks profit off that?? Not like we don't pay a decent gratuity as well as eating plenty of food.

C'Mon restaurants, what's the mentality behind No BYO? Just charge a reasonable price to even up the cleanskin bringers and it's a win win.... Or have I missed something? Sorry to detract from the theme, could well be its own thread.

Cheers
Tim

Tim
This is a losing battle
We are entering a decade of non byo
It sh$ts me bigtime.
They dont deserve us.

Brown Sugar in Bondi is still BYO

[Polymer]

I liked Brown Sugar as a restaurant and offline place....but getting there on a weeknight was ridiculously bad....Do they do BYO on the weekend?

[TiggerK]

Lots of fun last night, consistently good wines too, quality crew! The four chardonnays were so interesting, the Lethbridge showing their usual great balance, while being a touch richer than their 2012. The Dolomies showed a touch of the Jura oxidative style along with great acidity and plenty of character. Then the Lambert was well amongst the Jura oxidative style with curry leaf, nutty flor characters and good length. And the Lake's Folly was aging superbly under SC, still plenty of freshness to balance the lemon butter goodness. I loved all four wines. (The Vat 63 was considered to be slightly TCA affected, it was just at my threshold and I could feel some lovely fruit oh so close to bursting out, but just being muted at the last minute)

Then a total treat of an aged Hunter Duo (thanks maybs!!), the 1981 Tyrrell's 'Carbonic Maceration' Hunter River Cabernet was earthy, dark fruited and ripe with a fair amount of slightly rough tannin and still felt like it will keep going for years, plenty of depth and character. The 1982 Lindemans Steven Vineyard Bin 6410 was my WOTN, fantastic perfume with old furniture, leather, pretty strawberry and strawberry leaf and a pure, resolved palate that while not overly complex, is just such a pleasure to drink. If only all my cellar was this aged...

Briefly on the others, the Seresin suffered following the aged pair, but with enough air the upfront fruit took a step back and it did start to show some real interest. The Crawford 06 Cab was herbal and floaty, a nice contrast to the bigger 06 Menzies, no complaints with either other than give them some more time. Rockford Cab 98 felt together, composed and in a pretty good place. Will certainly go longer though, in fact I'd prob leave it 3-5 years more to hit peak I reckon. Balnaves was more syrupy, but not in a bad way, leave it alone though for a bit. The Pyramid Valley Cab Franc was a bit hard to pin down for me, I enjoyed it most certainly, but was hoping for a touch more tannic grip and bright fruit that I remembered from a previous tasting. I look forward to trying another bottle, and will serve it a bit cooler and with no decant. Got some leftovers, so will see how it's looking tonight. The Noble One was a sweet and syrupy plethora of botrytis, we debated if it was public preference, vintage conditions or winemaker decisions dictating the lack of acid in many more recent vintages of Noble One... Never unpleasant though, it's quality botrytised fruit!! Just needs freshness.

Great service, food was well cooked and enjoyable (Zucchini fries and the 5 spice squid in particular), we didn't query their reasoning behind the change of BYO policy, but will do so next time...

Cheers guys, enjoyed your company as always!
Tim

[maybs]

Good night guys, sorry again I was late! I thought all the wines were showing well apart from Vat 63 which was a bit iffy. I enjoyed everything though the second Jura was not really my cup of tea. Otherwise my main complaint was that definitely a few of the younger cabs needed more time. I was blown away by the variety which I suppose is one of the great benefits of a free for all offline. Was super pleasantly surprised how well the hunter duo went but also loved the Lake's, the Lethbridge, the Rockford and the Yalumba just to name a couple.

Good times. I thought overall the food was good, with maybe a few misses (the chicken sticks and gnocchi didn't do it for me) and a nice space and vibe. Hope they will have us back.

Cheers for a good night lads!

[griff]

Great to see that an oldie punt played well in the lineup! Always risky bringing old wines and hats off to whomever (maybe?) that brought it. Shame that Brio doesn't byo anymore. I think with all the openings in the CBD we surely must be able to find an alternate.

cheers

Carl

[Polymer]

Great night....a lot of wine..a lot of leftover wine as well...

The chards were all looking pretty good overall...
Lethbridge 13 was nice..maybe some slightly oxidative nuttiness coming through...A bit fuller than the 12s..
Les Dolomies - A bit lighter than I remember it but I think it just needed some air because it is rocking right now...Great acidity - Love this producer.
Lambert - I was sure this had some Savagnin in it...Looked around and some places say Chardonnay, I found one place that said 30% Savagnin..I'm sure it must have it...way too many Savagnin characters for this to be pure Chardonnay...It had the curry leaf...fermented bean sprouts...Interesting wine..
Lakes Folly - I think Hunter Chardonnay is vastly underrated..I continue to like their Chards and this was no exception. Nice overall balance and some slight cashew I often get from Hunter Chards...fullish Chardonnay but enough acidity and the right overall texture..

My favorite red was the Lindemans...looked amazingly young in the glass...wonderful leathery, slightly brambly, earthy red fruited nose...Great acidity and overall mouthfeel was excellent...I agree with Tim, maybe not as complex as I might expect from a wine of this age but still, it was great drinking....I could've popped this all night..

The Pyramid Valley Cab Franc..I thought was pretty interesting...like a smashed chocolate bar on the nose...good but not great acidity...I thought the tannins were nice...a lot of very fine tannins which made the wine feel fuller and then this really velvety grippiness on the finish...not harsh tannins at all...and for a wine this young..and a new world Cab Franc, I was a bit surprised. I quite liked the wine overall...

[dave vino]

Agree with what others have said.

I enjoyed the ubiquitous Lethbridge with its extra weight.

The two Jura wines were as expected and I'm happy to have some in the cellar. The length of the topped up Lambert is amazing, it's a drink that just keeps on giving

The Lakes Folly was so pristine and pure, lemon butter, complementary oak, aging perfectly under screwcap. Probably my WWOTN.

The 82 Lindemans was superb for it's age, very old school, leather and spice, sous bois and a touch of saddle. Even the colour was very good, the cork was soaked all the way through. RWOTN

The Seresin was a bit clumsy at first, maybe a touch warm? The next night it had fleshed out and had a lot more interest. Nice black fruits, pepper, and good aromatics. Not sure if it is worth the retail of $130, someone mentioned maybe it wasn't 'Fruit Day'

The Rockford was more laid back than the super charged younger CabSavs, and a pleasure to drink on the night and the following one watching the footy.

The Menzies is destined to be a long lived wine, still hugely primary at 8 years. The Crawford River was already showing hints of moving into secondary characteristics territory and was a lot less focused than the Menzies.

The 04 Balnaves tasted younger than the 08 I had the other week. Much more fruit up front, seemed less Coonawarra and more MR.

The PV Cab Franc was a strange one, and probably suffered being served right at the end without food. I couldn't pin down the nose and the acid was a shock to the system after the big CabSavs. I'm a fan of it, although I missed the uplifted red fruit notes I usually get in these wines. Would have been fantastic with Mushroom Gnocchi.

Food was good and at $50 odd a head it punches above it's weight and the vibe and space is really good for a casual wine night, that is almost like being at someone's house. Is at the quiet end of Harris St which is also a bonus. Maybe we can offer a $15 a head byo fee and he'll have us back, that would give him an extra $100 on a $300 bill.

[rooman]

I liked Brown Sugar as a restaurant and offline place....but getting there on a weeknight was ridiculously bad....Do they do BYO on the weekend?

I believe so. Of course it took me an hour last time to get to Salt and Pork in Roseville.

[rooman]

The 04 Balnaves tasted younger than the 08 I had the other week. Much more fruit up front, seemed less Coonawarra and more MR.

Dave

I have a bit of this tucked away but from everything I have read, its probably best leaving it alone for at least another 5-7 years. It looks as thou if well cellared it will go a couple of decades. Am I correct?

Mark

[Polymer]

I liked Brown Sugar as a restaurant and offline place....but getting there on a weeknight was ridiculously bad....Do they do BYO on the weekend?

I believe so. Of course it took me an hour last time to get to Salt and Pork in Roseville.

It took me longer to get to Brown Sugar from Mascot...Not to mention the bus situation is totally messed up...I think this was the only offline I've seen where everyone was 30-45 minutes late...

But if they have it on the weekend, I think it'd be great..Good food, pricing was nice..nice place overall...

[dave vino]

The 04 Balnaves tasted younger than the 08 I had the other week. Much more fruit up front, seemed less Coonawarra and more MR.

Dave

I have a bit of this tucked away but from everything I have read, its probably best leaving it alone for at least another 5-7 years. It looks as thou if well cellared it will go a couple of decades. Am I correct?

Mark

I'd come back and re-visit in another 7 years. It has the fruit not sure it has the structure for decades.

[Bobthebuilder]

I think all the wines except the vat 63 showed well, with a couple of standouts

Both the jura's I found really interesting, the 2012 Mary Anne et Frederic Lambert being my favourite with a bizarre nose of freshly sliced fennel.

2008 Lakes Folly Chardonnay was great, so young and fresh but with a wonderful balance of fruit and acid. Think this will really develop nicely over the next 5-10 years, but hard to keep it asleep when it drinks so nicely now.

1982 Lindemans Steven Vineyard Hunter River Hermitage was fantastic, my favourite of the night. Amazing to see how well this has aged with the freshness of the fruit still there.

1998 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon was really nice, beautifully aged cab. Silky smooth on the palate and a nice long finish. The heat in the younger cabs was not present and this gave it a clear advantage over them.

I took the remains of the younger 2 Coonawarra cabs home (2004 Balnaves and 2006 Yalumba Menzies) and they had settled down and integrated better on the Second night. There was about half a bottle of each left as well as a half a bottle of Shiraz Michelle had had the previous night, so when we were done I managed to drop around a 1/4 of a bottle of each to a couple who are neighbours and they both really liked them.

All up another fantastic night, the food was good and filling, went well with the wine, and as always the company was great!