Adelaide offline Fri 5 Aug @ 7pm - T-Chow

[Mark Jappe]

Put me and Gail down for a 96 champagne and an 06 polish hill

[n4sir]

crusty2: 1996 Charles Melton Nine Popes magnum
n4sir+4: 2006 d'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cab Sav magnum, 1996 Tyrrell's Vat 1 + ???
Waiters Friend: 2006 Cullen Diana Madeleine or an old Wendouree
George Krashos: 1996 Wendouree Cab Malbec or Penfolds Bin 389 or 2006 Charles Melton Nine Popes
Scotty Vino: 2006 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
phillisc: 1996 Craiglee Shiraz
Mark Jappe +Gail: 2006 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling & 1996 Champagne
Tucker Wine Studios: 2006 Yalumba Signature or Kalleske Johann Georg
tonsta: 2006 Tyrrell's Vat 1 or Dead Arm or Kay's Block 6 or Mt Edelstone or YY Dry Red #1
John Mack:

[George Krashos]

Do people want me to bring the Wendouree or the Penfolds?

-- George Krashos

[Mark Jappe]

Do people want me to bring the Wendouree or the Penfolds?

-- George Krashos

Wendouree please.

[Tucker Wine Studios]

Quick question - how is the glassware at T-Chow? Do you need to bring your own or is it ok there?
I'm not too fussed about it, normal decent wine glass will do for me.
Cheers,
Mario

[tonsta]

Hi all,

I will be late, but should arrive at T-Chow by 7.30pm (possibly by 7.15pm).

Given that we would be starting with whites, is it still ok to bring the 2006 Vat 1? I reckon it would make for a good comparison against the 1996 that one of Ian's +1s is bringing.

Tony

[n4sir]

Quick question - how is the glassware at T-Chow? Do you need to bring your own or is it ok there?
I'm not too fussed about it, normal decent wine glass will do for me.
Cheers,
Mario

Glassware is okay at T-Chow: they have Riedel-style knock offs which are pretty decent.

The question will be if you need more than one glass - if they are not busy it would not be an issue, but being a Friday night that may not be possible.

Hi all,

I will be late, but should arrive at T-Chow by 7.30pm (possibly by 7.15pm).

Given that we would be starting with whites, is it still ok to bring the 2006 Vat 1? I reckon it would make for a good comparison against the 1996 that one of Ian's +1s is bringing.

Tony

No worries Tony, sounds like a good plan.

[tonsta]

Cool, that's what I'll bring!

[Scotty vino]

I'm bringing the 2006 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
pop and pour.? decant there? decant before?
thoughts?

[phillisc]

I'm bringing the 2006 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
pop and pour.? decant there? decant before?
thoughts?

Scotty, I will be there about 7, will go with the pop and pour...we could also do a quick decant/double decant if there is one floating around. I'm coming in on the tram...would probably drop smash glasses/decanter if I had them with me. The bottle(s) will be enough.

Cheers
Craig

[n4sir]

I'm bringing the 2006 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
pop and pour.? decant there? decant before?
thoughts?

Scotty, I will be there about 7, will go with the pop and pour...we could also do a quick decant/double decant if there is one floating around. I'm coming in on the tram...would probably drop smash glasses/decanter if I had them with me. The bottle(s) will be enough.

Cheers
Craig

They do have a decanter there, but on some occasions it can be quite grubby so choose to use at your own discretion

I think I will be going in with the same plan, carry as little weight and glass to break on the way in/out.

[Scotty vino]

I'm bringing the 2006 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
pop and pour.? decant there? decant before?
thoughts?

Scotty, I will be there about 7, will go with the pop and pour...we could also do a quick decant/double decant if there is one floating around. I'm coming in on the tram...would probably drop smash glasses/decanter if I had them with me. The bottle(s) will be enough.

Cheers
Craig

They do have a decanter there, but on some occasions it can be quite grubby so choose to use at your own discretion

I think I will be going in with the same plan, carry as little weight and glass to break on the way in/out.

Ill bring the good ol 1 litre conical flask. pretty durable and only 10 bux to replace at the lab wholesaler if it breaks.
Glassware? You guys bring your own?

[Tucker Wine Studios]

Hi Scotty,
I plan to bring a stemless wine tumbler which can be easily transported within its container (famous last words...) just to have a second wine glass in addition to the restaurants glass. Ian wrote that getting multiple wine glasses might be an issue if they are very busy.
Cheers, Mario

[Scotty vino]

ok thanks for the tips guys.

[Waiters Friend]

Just curious. What name is the reservation under?

[crusty2]

Great night. many thanks to the very generous Jason.
some of the wines last night
NV ?????????? Champagne - Chard 80% / Pinot 10% / Meunier 10%
2016 Duke Riesling
2006 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling
1996 Yalumba Pewsey Vale Riesling
2006 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
1996 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
1996 ???????? Mersault Chardonnay
1996 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay
1986 Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz
1986 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz
1986 Penfolds Grange Shz 87% / Cab 13%
2006 Penfolds RWT (Magnum) Shiraz
1996 Charles Melton Nine Popes (Magnum) Grenache/Shz/Mourvedre
2006 d'Arenberg Coppermine Road (Magnum) Cabernet
2006 Cullen Diana Madeleine Cab/Merlot
1986 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz
1996 Craiglee Shiraz
1996 Wendouree Cab/Malbec
2006 Katnook Cabernet
2006 Kalleske Johan Georg Shiraz
1996 Rockford SVS Moorooroo Shiraz

impressions to come later

cheers
Phill

[n4sir]

Great night. many thanks to the very generous Jason.
some of the wines last night
NV ?????????? Champagne - Chard 80% / Pinot 10% / Meunier 10%
2016 Duke Riesling
2006 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling
1996 Yalumba Pewsey Vale Riesling
2006 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
1996 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
1996 ???????? Mersault Chardonnay
1996 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay
1986 Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz
1986 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz
1986 Penfolds Grange Shz 87% / Cab 13%
2006 Penfolds RWT (Magnum) Shiraz
1996 Charles Melton Nine Popes (Magnum) Grenache/Shz/Mourvedre
2006 d'Arenberg Coppermine Road (Magnum) Cabernet
2006 Cullen Diana Madeleine Cab/Merlot
1986 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz
1996 Craiglee Shiraz
1996 Wendouree Cab/Malbec
2006 Katnook Cabernet
2006 Kalleske Johan Georg Shiraz
1996 Rockford SVS Moorooroo Shiraz

impressions to come later

cheers
Phill

Filling the missing gaps....

Champagne was Le Brun-Servenay Champagne Exhilarante Vieilles Vignes
Duke was a Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling
Meursault was Domaine de mac mahon Chardonnay Meursault Les Meix Chavaux
Seppelt Great Western Shiraz was a 1996

I backed up today with another boozy lunch at T-Chow, will post some notes when my head stops throbbing & I can almost read my ramblings

Ps. Food we had on the night:

Flight one:
Cabbage rolls (which are around 95% prawn)
Crispy skin chicken with challot
Salt & pepper eggplant
Salt & pepper soft shell crab
Taro duck
Salted fish fried rice

Flight two:
Braised beef hot pot
Honey pepper diced steak
Cumin lamb fillets
Pork belly casserole with challot
Chinese vegetables with garlic
Steamed rice

Cheers,
Ian

[mjs]

Ian,
Sounds like a big weekend ... so far
I look forward to your notes in due course (when you have deciphered them)
cheers, Malcolm

[Waiters Friend]

It was a pleasure to catch up with the Adelaide offline crowd last night. Thank you for your McLaren Vale suggestions, your hospitality, and of course, for sharing your wines. I'll get some notes up soon.

Cheers
Allan

[Scotty vino]

thanks goes to Ian for organising and Jason for being awesomely generous in the Pennies dept.
Was great to put a few faces to names and have a yarn.
The wines were darn impressive across the board and I feel like it was the perfect debut for my first offline.

Wines that left a lasting impression were;

2006 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling. Perfect drinking right now. Still has good acidity/zestiness next to the age component.
1986 Penfolds Grange. So balanced for a 30 yr old. Out of all the 86 wines this seemed the youngest to me.
1996 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz. Prob WOTN for me.
1996 Wendouree Cab/Malbec. Fantastic. Allan and I are making roads with this. Asphalt/bitumen/tar notes.
1996 Rockford SVS Moorooroo Shiraz. Not the big barossa slap i was expecting so balanced with a really long finish.
(the colour of the cork from this was black as the ace and I souvenired it and gave it whiff sat morn. took me back)

Food was good too. Nothing to serious to detract from the wines and a bit of cheap and cheerful always works for me.

Really enjoyed the night and I'm hoping I can summon something up to cut the mustard for 'bring out ya dead'.

[phillisc]

Great to catch up with the Adelaide crew (and nice to put a few names to faces) and after stumbling home past midnight and a bit of a hangy next morning...

Sorry about the 96 Pewsey, the experts thought it was completely stuffed, but I have had worse ones than that.
In no particular order
86 Magill (my wedding wine in '92 and the good old days even with Pennies, I said I like Magill, I need a few cases what can you do them for...pity those days are gone!) what was left in the wine was absolute quality, faint fruit, no acid or tannin, and a texture that finished like water...a solid 30 y.o. red.
96 Great western...close to WOTN for me, fantastic fruit profile, really good palate weight
96 Craiglee, nice on the nose, pepper spice, tasted amazing cool climate in the mouth...showing quite well on this occasion
86 Grange, in the groove, switched between being powerful then mellow, still showing excellent primary fruit character, will go another 5 perhaps 10 easily...have three of these to look forward to.
96 Moororoo SVS Rockford this might have pipped the Grange only because of its youth. It for me was a more powerful but certainly not overdone. Glad I have a couple left
96 Wendouree Cab Malbec...have had this one a few times, showed very well and thanks George for bringing it...confident that this has 10 years left in the tank, fantastic fruit, spice, so well balanced with the wood.. a real joy

06 Polish hill was right in the spot and can't see it getting any better, really lovely fruit and acid balance now.
06 Vat 1...my white WOTN, just magnificent, the fruit is singing...sunshine in a glass!
96 Vat 1...yes more developed than the 06, but certainly does not feel 10 years older, lovely fruit salad, great mouth feel, will continue to go on.

Thanks Ian for organising, I did not eat half the dishes offered...silly me..perhaps I focused too much on trying everything fluid wise
Good to have a chat with you Phil, ScottyV, Allan, Tonsta, Mario and good to see Jason from Pennies (think our paths over the journey have crossed many times).

Cheers
Craig

[Tucker Wine Studios]

My oh my, what a tasting.
Thanks to Ian for organising and to everybody for being so generous bringing all these fantastic wines. To be honest I felt quite a bit overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of the wines. So many great wines but not sure if I could show all the wines the appreciation they surely deserved. Most of the wines could easily have been a WOTN in a less high-caliber tasting. I had definitely too much wine on that night and felt pretty hungover on Saturday morning.

Some of my impressions: Good champagne to start with (vintage was 2002?), followed by two contrasting Rieslings, the Grosset PH impressive with its punchy acidity. Pity that the Pewsey Vale had a cork taint; otherwise it would have been a lovely wine. Then two Vat 1…will I ever be a big dry Semillon aficionado?…not sure…think I like Semillon mostly in its botrytised form. Really liked the 96 Yattarna, surely very mature but I like that, better than a 98 Yattarna I had some time ago. Also liked the Meursault…mature Chardonnay is my thing.

Hard to pick a RWOTN, enjoyed each and every wine. The 86 Magill maybe a bit fragile and somewhat overshadowed by the other Pennies. The 86 Grange a fantastic wine but would I have picked it as the pinnacle of Australian wine making if this would have been a blind tasting?...I doubt. Absolutely agree, this Seppelt GW was very delightful. Very much enjoyed the Wendouree, the first one I ever tried, not a polarising wine in my opinion. Very strong Rockford Moororoo. Happy with my rich and generous Kalleske JG.

Thanks again for all the great wines and the company.

Cheers,
Mario

[Rocky]

Great line up. Looking forward to the full report and photos

[Bobthebuilder]

Awesome lineup!
keep those notes flowing!!

[Waiters Friend]

I was privileged to attend the Adelaide offline 3 nights ago, at T-Chow in the CBD. This seems to be an institution among Adelaide offliners. I now understand why. Great Chinese food, that does not conflict with the wines, and merely supports them. We paid a miniscule $40 per head including decent wine glasses (and no corkage).

It was an interesting experience (as it usually is when I walk into an offline where I have not met anyone before) to see how the South Australians do this. Basically, it is plonk the bottles on the table, have a quick squiz as to what’s available, and start tasting. Food appeared periodically (ordered by Ian aka n4sir), but did not get in the way of the main event.

The theme for the night was “Langton classification from a vintage ending in 6”. Some of us also brought non-Langtons, or non-2006, but that just added to the vinous riches presented.

I took a lot of notes on the night, but did not get to all of the wines, and some of those I got to, I didn’t get to take notes on. One of those nights, I suppose. But here’s what I recorded.

2016 Dukes Magpie Hill Riesling (Porongorup, WA). Not a Langton wine, but there isn’t a Langton 2016 (yet) so I thought I would bring this anyway. Almost transparent. Pure intense lemon lime, with strong acid backbone and good length. This is a keeper (5-15 years) but it was good to see it in its infancy.

2002 Le Brun Servena Exhilarante Champagne. Yellow gold, with considerable yeast autolysis and lemon pith. My suspicions were correct that the wine is Chardonnay dominant – it turns out to be 80% Chardonnay, with the two red varieties being 10% each

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2006. Yellow gold, lots of kero, and lime cordial. I found the palate to be better, slightly oily but good acidity. There’s lemon and lime pith. It has good length and great balance.

Tyrells Vat 1 2006. Pale lemon colour. Lemon is the overwhelming descriptor here, both nose and palate. There’s good acid and the promise of length, but this has been opened way too young and needs time to fill out.

Tyrells Vat 1 1996. Yellow gold. Well developed, with lanolin, lemon rind / lemon butter, good acid and great length.

1996 Les Meic(?) Chavaux Meursault Lieu Dit. Despite not being a Langton wine (wrong country) this impressed many of the group. Gold colour, sulphur / gunsmoke, brine, citrus (lemon, nectarine) leading to a developed palate with some ripe peach. Complex.

1996 Yattarna. In my opinion, past it and oxidised. Others felt differently

2006 Cullen Diana Madeline. These are some of my favourite WA Cabernet blends. This didn’t hit the heights however (admittedly from the worst vintage in 12 years, but hey, I didn’t set the rules for this offline). If anything, it was closed, and dumbed down.

Penfolds Bin 128 1986. Menthol and red fruits. For me, out of balanced and a little over the hill. I didn’t explore it further

Penfolds Magill Estate 1986. Similar to the 128 – past it but in slightly better condition

Charles Melton Nine Popes 1996. I’m glad this was in a magnum, as I kept coming back to it. Good purple red colour. A complex nose, herbs, spices, cloves and developed fruits. A rich palate with Christmas cake, integrated tannins and supporting acid, leading to a long finish. One of the better wines of the night.

Penfolds Grange 1986. According to Jason (who brought the wine) this is 13% Cabernet. Deep ruby in colour. Rich, Christmas cake, dark chocolate, mocha. Age has slimmed down the tannins, and this has great balance and length. I don’t think this will get better, but should hold for a while.

Wendoure Cabernet Malbec 1996. Big tarry nose, and huge developed fruit – the Malbec component is distinct and obvious. This is hugely tannic and mouth-drying and I suspect it’s not ready yet. Another 5 years? Maybe never?

Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 1996 – the precursor to the St Peters. Red purple in colour. It’s showing coffee grounds, chocolate, blueberries and dark fruits, but it’s the palate that really shines – velvety mouthfeel, power with elegance. My wine of the night.

Penfolds RWT 2006. From magnum. Deep purple. Integrated oak, deep dark fruits and mocha / coffee. Dusty tannins, and just hinting at how it might develop. Too young – 5 years minimum.

Rockford Moorooroo Shiraz 1996. Ruby colour. Christmas cake, cloves, blue fruits. Tannins have integrated well, and there’s good length leading to a medium+ finish. It’s a well balanced wine and looking good.

There were a couple of other wines I didn’t get to on the night – hopefully others will have captured this. It was a top evening, in unpretentious surroundings, that worked really well. It was fabulous to meet some of the faces behind the forum names, and to enjoy the hospitality of the Adelaide crew. Thanks to all.

Cheers
Allan

[George Krashos]

Thanks all for a fun night. Wines were beautiful across the board and I enjoyed tasting a bunch of stuff that for whatever reason had never crossed my palate (the Cullen, the Kalleske JG, and a few others). Big thanks to Ian for keeping the food coming - and it was delicious. Good to see old and new faces. I've missed the last bunch of Offlines, which I regret. How about Langtons ending in "8" after Bring Out Your Dead ...?

-- George Krashos

[phillisc]

Ian are you over your headache yet ...I am keen to see your expert perspective on the wines...as is MJS.

Cheers
Craig

[Scotty vino]

Great cork colour from 1996 Rockford SVS Moorooroo Shiraz.

[TiggerK]

......It was an interesting experience (as it usually is when I walk into an offline where I have not met anyone before) to see how the South Australians do this. Basically, it is plonk the bottles on the table, have a quick squiz as to what’s available, and start tasting. Food appeared periodically (ordered by Ian aka n4sir), but did not get in the way of the main event.

Just curious... so you put all the wines on the table, and people take their fair pour in whatever order they desire all night??

[Waiters Friend]

......It was an interesting experience (as it usually is when I walk into an offline where I have not met anyone before) to see how the South Australians do this. Basically, it is plonk the bottles on the table, have a quick squiz as to what’s available, and start tasting. Food appeared periodically (ordered by Ian aka n4sir), but did not get in the way of the main event.

Just curious... so you put all the wines on the table, and people take their fair pour in whatever order they desire all night??

Yep - that's how it worked.