Been a bit slack about posting dinner notes here for a while, so catching up now!
NOBLEROTTERSSYDNEY - MARG RIVER & GREAT SOUTHERN - Fix, St James, Sydney (6/12/2023)
Another Margaret River night – following on from 2005, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2021. The theme was meant to compare MR to Great Southern, but a reduced Rotter count and the fact there’s only about two decent reds from GS (oooh!) meant it turned into an all-Margaret River night. With some distinctly random offerings as well. And farewell to Fix, who been Rotters’ homebase since the pandemic.
NV EdenVale Cuvée Brut Reserve - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
{0%} [Kim] A freebie from the Air BnB. Not even wine, really. Rhubarb and apple nose, which becomes off-dry on the palate. Weird funky character. No yeast. Big soft-drink bubbles. Turns out to be alcohol free. Claims to be predominantly chardonnay though. One glass is OK but it’s far from the real deal.
NV G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne Cordon Rouge Brut - France, Champagne
{diam, 12.5%} [Kim] Fairly neutral nose of white flowers, squash, gentle rockmelon. Not much yeast influence evident. Palate suggests the bare minimum time on lees. Clean, white fruit, verging on neutral; perhaps a gentle hint of citrus. Light/medium weight, medium/large and fairly aggressive bubbles make the palate. Crisp, crunchy aperitif style.
2023 Metala Shiraz Rosé - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek
{screwcap, 12.5%} [Kim] From 100% shiraz. Lifted & floral, with smoke and prosciutto. I thought it must be grenache - no. Bone dry palate, medium acid, light-bodied, no oak. Flower petal flavours, short/medium gentle dry finish. You can do a lot worse than this, despite its commercial origin and cashing-in-on-the-fad aura.
1996 Dunsborough Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{cork, 13.3%} [Graeme] On theme, but at nearly thirty, something of a curio. For some reason I thought this were made by the legendary John Wade, but I can’t find any actual evidence. Decanted and poured immediately. Volatile nose of leather, carpet and no remaining fruit. Somewhat flat palate, fading away. Not obviously oxidised, level was into neck, cork intact, but there’s no interest here. A previous bottle was better some years ago, but it’s a bit of a lottery now.
2016 Twinwoods Cabernet Sauvignon Optivus Reserve - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{cork, 14.5%} [Andrew & Glenn] Two bottles of this, in Kemeny’s Hidden Label guise, drunk at either end of the meal, and quite consistent. Deep currant aromas. Black olive, gum leaf, hint of soy and tamari. Medium-full bodied palate, low/medium powdery tannins, not too woody. Friendly sort of palate, with decent mid-palate presence thanks to cedary oak. Medium length finish. At peak, I think.
2014 Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon Matthew - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%} [Graeme] Total cabernet style; current, cassis, and I heard Glenn say crushed ant – concur with that. Lavish sort of palate, pure, rich and ripe with black fruit; no green or olive here. Medium weight, subtle cedary tannins, medium acidity. Polished palate of pure black flavours; very much fruit-driven but controlled, with medium weight, and a medium length finish. Just about my first go at Woodlands premium cabernet, family-labelled wine; it’s very good, but doesn’t quite have the sophistication of the Moss Wood (two wines later), despite being similarly priced. Perhaps will age OK. Maybe. But for $20 price difference, you’d buy the Moss Wood…
2010 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%} [Stephen] Suffered a little after the 2011 bottle. Still a decent cabernet, with twig, herb and basil notes over curranty fruit. Medium weight, medium dusty tannins, medium acid. Lacks the generosity of the younger wine, seeming a bit lean and narrow in comparison. There’s a hint of green olive and capsicum to the flavours here, culminating in a medium length dry finish. Can’t see cellaring helping much here. Remains a good wine judged alone, and ready to drink!
2011 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%} [DavidH] Vivid garnet. Black olive and currants. Subtle oak only. Soft and very drinkable palate. Fruit-driven it seems, never unripe; medium acid, medium dusty tannins, medium weight. Good, even palate balance. Even, medium-length palate. At a stroke has swept away all the prejudice I held against this label from the nasty greens vintages they offered through the 80s, 90s, right up to about twenty years ago. And justifying the ‘sleeper’ nature of 2011, was better than the 2010 bottle we tasted afterwards. Amongst the big name CS bottlings from MR, this has always been the cheapest; it might be a bargain to judge by this.
2010 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Moss Wood Vineyard - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 14%} [Paul] Perfection, this. Aging curranty cabernet, cedary oak, balanced palate, rich but not sweet or alcoholic. Medium-full weight, finely-oaked, medium acid. Seems like it could hardly get better, yet no decline is apparent. Long, fruit-driven but, in the end, savoury finish. Lovely stuff.
NV Morris Muscat Classic Rutherglen - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
{500ml, screwcap, 17.5%} [Kim] Sweet fruitcake, almond, cinnamon. Palate follows nose, with a dash of caramel, sultanas, and cold tea. It’s medium weight, medium-dry for sugar, and with a short/medium sort of finish, driven largely by sweetness rather than structure. Very nicely satisfying wine for the price, but the Grand (or Cellar Reserve as Morris call it) is usually worth the extra money for the complexity provided.