Grand Cru (Perth) Tasting Group – Alternative Whites

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

This month’s tasting theme was Alternative Whites – meaning grape varieties or blends from anywhere and any vintage that did NOT contain the mainstream varieties of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling or Chenin Blanc.

Twelve wines were shown, and we got quite a mixed bag! Quite a few of the wines were from overseas. The guesswork as to the grape variety was indeed interesting, as tasters attempted a process of elimination based on what they were seeing in the glass. Needless to say, we got it wrong quite a lot of the time, although a couple were nailed straightaway.

As usual, we tasted masked, from youngest to oldest (only the vintage was known).

Gavi 2023 (Piemonte, Italy): From the Cortese grape. Pale yellow in colour. A perfumed nose, with green apple, musk, and as the wine warmed in the glass, lots of apricot. Ther’s also lemon zest, pineapple, and one taster noted tropical fruit punch. The palate is spicy, with prominent acid, and lots more apricot, with some melon and guava. Some viscosity, almost oiliness. Short finish. Some of the indicators pointed to Viognier – but it wasn’t!

Hahndorf Hill Field Blend 2023 (Adelaide Hills, South Australia): 12 different varieties go into this blend. There’s passionfruit, citrus, jasmine, green apple, and pears on the nose (one taster noted tyre rubber). The palate showed lime cordial, lemon, white pepper, and maybe some residual sugar. Acid is prominent and the wine finishes a little short. We ventured that it might be Gruner Veltliner, but no-one was going to guess the composition on this one!

Inama Vin Soave 2023 (Veneto, Italy): Pale yellow in colour. The nose shows peaches and tropical fruits, lychee and a little citrus. There’s apparent oak on the nose also. The palate has a creaminess (presumably oak or lees derived), with more stone fruits and citrus, and acid in the background. It’s a subtle wine, and shoeing good length without being heavy. Some tasters suspected this might be an Aligoté. Well regarded by the group.

Torre Penelas Pazo Das Bruxas Albarino 2022 (Rias Baixas, Spain): Yellow colour. Lots of tropical fruits on the nose, with guava, pineapple, citrus and pear. The palate also has mandarin peel, pear skin, ginger, citrus and some almond. A slightly bitter finish to a moderately flavoured wine. Guesses for this wine were Pinot Grigio and Gruner Veltliner – wrong again!

Castle Rock Gruner Veltliner 2022 (Porongorup, Western Australia): Yellow in colour. A whiff of kero initially (no, it’s not Riesling), with lemon, rhubarb, white pepper and a spice or musk on the nose. There’s musk, citrus, mandarin, white pepper and rhubarb on the palate, along with white florals and herbs (chervil, chives). Good acid and length and well regarded by the group despite a couple of tasters detecting a slightly sour finish. We correctly guessed the grape variety this time.

El Camaron Albarino 2022 (Rias Baixas, Spain): Yellow colour. A modest nose, with green melon, pear, and citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit). More white grapefruit on the palate. Acid is prominent and the wine has moderate length. There’s grassiness on the back palate. Opinions on the grape variety included Pinot Gris and Fiano.

Chalmers Montevecchio Bianco Field Blend 2022 (Heathcote, Victoria): Pale yellow. Pear, herbs, apple skin, nectarine and marzipan on the nose. There’s some fruit sweetness on the palate, with guava and nectarine and a touch of salinity. It’s a straightforward and uncomplicated wine, with moderate acid and a slightly astringent finish. Of course, with at least nine varieties in the mix, no-one was going to pick this one.

Brash Higgins ZBO (Zibibbo) 2022. (McLaren Vale, South Australia): a skin contact wine, yellow and cloudy. The first comment around the table was ‘Scrumpy”. The nose is very like cider, with apples, rockmelon and passionfruit. The palate for all the world tastes like a fruit lager, with a little musk, tangerine, cumquat and (one taster noted) flor. Some salinity and what was described as a ‘bright bitterness’ on the finish. Why not have a beer instead?

Reserve Delsol Picpoul De Pinet 2022 (Languedoc, France). Has the words “Les Grandes Reserves” on the capsule. A deeper yellow in colour. Initially a modest nose, with lemon, oyster shell, white flowers (one taster was specific with ‘acacia’) and cut Granny Smith apple. There’s pear, grapefruit pith, French herbs and rock candy on the palate, with some apricot towards the finish. Medium to high acid and good structure. Well supported by the group. Of course, no-one picked the grape variety.

Pazito Albarino 2020 (Rias Baixas, Spain): Yellow colour. Ripe red apples, light apricot and nectarine on the nose. The palate is quite full and rich, with stone fruits, pears, and sweetness from both the fruit and some residual. A rounded mouthfeel and supporting acid. Well regarded by the group – who thought it might be Pinot Gris.

Maison Chanzy Bouzeron ‘Les Trois’ Aligote 2018 (Burgundy, France). ‘Les Trois’ refers to three vineyards. Pale yellow in colour. A modest nose, with hay, butterscotch and white grapefruit. The palate is also moderate weight, with a little butterscotch, and baking spices. It is quite restrained, with soft caid and a medium finish. The group considered this might be a Rhone white variety – at least we got the country right!

Tahbilk Marsanne 2015 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria). Deep yellow in colour. Trademark lanolin, honeysuckle and preserved lemon on the nose. There’s more lanolin, honey, toast, beeswax and preserved lemon on the alate (one taster noted diesel). Good acid and reasonably long finish. A few tasters were able to identify the producer as well as the grape variety.

Wine of the night was the Reserve Delsol Picpoul De Pinet 2022.

Despite exposing our deficiencies as tasters(!), this was a fascinating and educational event. Thanks to all who attended.

Cheers
Allan

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[Ian S]

A really good mix of grapes and regions, and lovely to see Tahbilk marsanne part of it.

It looks like the Gavi producer is Michele Chiarlo of Calamandrana, but well known for Langhe wines, as well as others from Piemonte. I've just noticed the founder was born in Bubbio, a pleasingly humdrum rural village between Alba and Acqui terme. The sort of humdrum I really like.