We arranged an early start because Mike and entourage were staying in Tanunda ('bout an hours drive away) and had to get up early the next day to take in some wineries around the Barossa. Many thanks to Steve (707) for organising the resteraunt and getting us room for 15 people at such late notice before Christmas (although I did have heaps of warning but I like to leave things for the last moment including booking busy resteraunts).
We all started drifting in around 6pm (those of us from further afield arriving on time and those of us living around the corner being fashionably late (not mentioning any names Ga.in),
We kicked off the evening with a gorgeous 1993 Charles Heidsieck champagne. A wonderful nose of candied honey, butter and cookies, with a rich, creamy-textured palate of honied white fruits, nuts and apples.
Next round the table came another sparkling, a St Hallets sparkling burgundy (NV), a very pleasant, warm nose of black cherry and plums and a lovely crisp, full bodied palate of flavoursome redcurrants and plums.
While I was busy chatting with Glen and Mike about Glenn's new US version of the essential wine tasting guide, a bottle of 2002 Lewis Cellars reserve chardonnay, Napa Valley, did the rounds. I made my way back to my seat to make sure I got a glass of the wine that Mike had nursed all the way from the States. It was the first Californian wine I had ever tasted .... It had a complex nose of bannana, some straw, nuances of apricot, fig and what seemed to be bacon fat. A very nice, full bodied palate of balanced fruits and toasty oak.
Then a series of reds started to go around the table, we tried to introduce them to everybody in vintage order starting from the earliest to the latest in the following order:
1990 Wynns Michael Shiraz
A nose of dusty small berries, milk chocolate and some nuances of mint. The palate was rich and intense with a good backbone of tannins surrounded by a "..sweet core of fruits", finishing long and persistant.
1990 Penfolds Bin 707 Cab Sav
A nose of pure blackfruit and smokey spices with hints of coffee weaving through the smoke. The palate is just superb, with powerful fruit sweetness, a touch of pepper and nuances of mint. Complex, mouth filling flavours, silky tannins and a long finish I really enjoyed this wine.
1992 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cab Sav
Somewhat more restrained than the 707 but still an excellent cabernet, a dark purple color with excellent palate weight and plush berry and chocolate flavours with a good finish and length.
1994 Veritas Hanisch Shiraz
Everyone took note when this one did the rounds.. certainly an eye opener and different to all the wines tasted to this point, the glycerin just clung to the glass and formed a thick, transparent coating with a consistency of treacle. The palate was full bodied with fruit rich flavours and various elements of licorice, spice, a hint of mint, some white pepper, leather, earth and coffee. Loads of tannins, fruit and with a long, persistent finish, this wine was impressive.
1999 McWilliams Maurice O'Shea Shiraz
Smuggled over the border into South Australia, this East coast, hunter valley wine was one of the favourites of the night. A rich, savoury nose wound together with deep, dark chocolate and juicy berries. It had an intense, savoury palate with a core of sweet, lush fruit, chocolate and hints of licorice. Fine, grainy tannins and superb length.
2000 Branson Shiraz, Couch House
Quite a rare wine and most around the table agreed that it was a little ordinary, although pleasant, exhibiting mainly grapey characteristics on the nose and palate. A somewhat ordinary vintage of this otherwise extraordianry wine.
1999 Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz
The latest release of this superb wine, delivered to my cellar door only a month ago, this was the wine of the night and a stunner. This is the second time I have had a Roennfeldt Road Shiraz and neither has dissapointed and each one has been special, something that stands out from the crowd and makes everyone take notice. The color was a deep purple, nearly black, leaving teeth and glass drenched with dark stains that would not rinse off for many hours. Although the nose is not yet as complex as the 1997, it was still concentrated and thick, steeped in rich layers of graphite, minerals, spice, musk, coffee and vanilla bean. I could have gone on sniffing for ages but eventually I succumbed and put glass to lips.. The palate was an extraordinarily, full bodied intensely concentrated powerhouse full of deep, distinct layers of mouthfilling fruits, with an incredibly long finish that lasted for minutes. Although I think the description has been used before with this wine, Steve exclaimed that "..its so concentrated its like essence of shiraz...", and yes, thats exactly what its like !
2002 Rusden Zinfandel
Deep crimson. Scented coffee,chocolate,rose hip and strawberry aromas. Rich, ripe, sweet fruited berry flavours with heaps of chocolatey richness, lovely looseknit tannins and superb length. A delicious wine.
2001 Russian Hill Syrah/Viogner, California
The nose was closed and I couldn't get alot from it. The palate was elegant with some fine grained chocolatey tannins but perhaps too much apricot for my tastes.
2003 Noon Reserve Shiraz
Personally I liked this one, finding it loaded with flavour, full bodied and rich with great length. Yes there is alot of alcohol but I think it is superbly balanced. Perhaps not as good as the 2002 it is still a monster with many, many years to go before it comes of age.
2002 Dornier Cab/Sav Merlot, South Africa
Medium crimson color. Complex smoke, graphite and aniseed aromas with pleasantly savoury, almost ginger, oak characters. A wonderfully structured palate of superb savoury flavours with fine, grainy tannins that finish long and persistent. A top notch wine.
2002 Glaymond Cab Sav
Yum, I really enjoyed this one and it turned out to be the second best wine of the night for a number of people. Apparently Chris Ringland is the consultant for this label, which means they are pretty hard to get hold of here in Oz, the majority being shipped to the USA, so thanks Steve for sharing it !
A deep, inky purple color. Intensely fruit driven with rich, mouth filling dark chocolate,red cherry and plum flavours, fine, soft tannins and plenty of length.
1998 Charles Melton Nine Popes Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre
An opaque purple. Heaps of apricot and fruitcake aromas. Medium palate of sweet fruits, pepper and spicey complexity. Nicely structured tannins that firm up on the finish.
Seppelts DP 63 Show Reserve Muscat
This was from a genuine half bottle and not a from 750ml labelled with Grand Muscat (see TORBS storyon the difference between the old show reserve and the current Grand).. By this stage I was getting a little seedy and from memory and my chicken skrawl notes this muscat impressed with complex, rich, lush flavours of raisin, butterscotch and hints of licorice, nuts and treacle with a finish that lingered in your mouth for ages.
Somehow I missed out when this wine came out but gave it a go now..
1996 Burge Family Draycott Reserve Shiraz
.... Gagggckj --- corked...... real unfortunate as it would have been a cracker !
We finished of the night with a bottle of 1976 Skillogalee vintage port, very nice, rich licorique and raisins flavours.
Thank you to Steve for organising the resteraunt at the last minute. As per normal for this place it was a great meal and wonderful service. If it was left up to me we would be dining at North Haven... hmmmm... now theres an idea, walking distance for some
I regret not getting more time to talk to Mike and family and hope they might come back again sometime in the future.
Some photos of the evening.....
But we do like the RHEW wines. Just for clarification, this was the Top Block vineyard wine. I think Steve Norman thought the Viogner overdone, and now having done the Torbreck line I would probably agree with him. But RHEW "pretty ordinary stuff", nah!
