A theme to look at some great local vintages over the past 30 years or so. Lots of corks, but we seem to have got away with it this time. Most of the reds decanted just before service.
- 2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon - France, Champagne
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Pale salmon-pink colour. Developing nose of roses and strawberries. Remarkably youthful palate, light/medium in weight, with rose and pinot flavours. Super-creamy small bubbles. Medium acidity. Crisp and delicate, with a medium length finish. Shows no signs of decline at all, more like a kind of stasis. Really impressive and drinkable. - 2017 McGuigan Sémillon Bin 9000 - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 11%} [Glenn] Pale lemon colour. Quite advanced nose, all smoke and browned grass. The palate is much fresher, with a honeyed sense, but without any sugar. Grass, straw, hay flavours. Medium weight, but not especially acidic. Medium length finish. This should hold a while, but I’m not sure about more dimension to the flavours ever showing up, to be honest. - 2017 Briar Ridge Vineyards Sémillon Signature Release Karl Stockhausen - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 10.8%} [Glenn] I seem to have a very rushed note for this, largely because it was so relatively undeveloped after the McGuigan. Much less smoke on the nose, more grass. Palate is similar; this was light-bodied, with more acid. Freshness. This is clearly too young, and needs at least another five years to shine. Drink the Bin 9000 in the meantime. - 2014 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} [Greg] Decanted just before service. A developing nose of smeary red fruit and earth. You understand why the style was christened ‘Hunter River Burgundy’ all those years ago. The aromas are a little more floral than the palate, where there is more spice to the fruit. It’s quite savoury, with medium dusty tannins, hardly a flavour of oak, medium/high acidity, and a medium/long balanced finish. Only one step away from its youth, though – this will be a joy for the next decade at least, from this great red Hunter vintage. I also thought this the best of the dry table wines tonight, by a distinct margin. - 1998 Tyrrell's Shiraz Vat 11 Baulkham - Australia
{cork, 13.8%} [David - guest] Soft and leathery – the epitome of ‘stylistic brett in a glass’. No real fruit remains detectible, it’s a mass of tertiary flavours and leatheriness. Lowish acidity now, resolved and barely-detectable tannins. Intact, but clearly on the downslope. Additional decanter time wouldn’t have helped. Last month’s 1999 was a better offering. - 2010 Trinity Hill Homage - New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels
{cork, 13.5%} [Geoffrey] A riot of a nose. Jam, tobacco and earth. It’s voluptuous, but some found a touch of green. Clearly developed somewhat, but hardly seems fifteen! I’d concede there’s often a hint of green capsicum/(DMS) in even the ripest kiwi syrahs though. Palate is a bit more mainstream, dusty, with spicy fruit, raspberries, some French oak. Medium dusty tannins, lowish acidity. Much less sweet than you’d expect from the nose. Medium weight, but softly-textured, with a medium/long finish. Can be kept, but I think this is around peak drinking now. - 2004 Brown Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Patricia - Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria
{cork, 13.5%} [Stephen] Developed nose of cedar, compost and a whiff of camphor. Varietally curranty as well. Palate follows on, with medium dusty tannin, lowish acidity, and fading currant fruits, all of which turn just a little astringent on the medium length finish. Medium weight wine at peak drinking. - 2010 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Odyssey - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{cork, 14.5%} [DavidH] Somewhat minty Oz cabernet in a faintly old-fashioned style, with plenty of coconut, hints of dill and curranty fruit that’s aging into softness. Warmly alcoholic, with fading powdery tannins. Luxurious mouthful of wine that lacks complexity a bit maybe. Close to peak I think. - 1998 Wendouree Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
{cork, 13.7%} [Graeme] Double-decanted off quite a lot of sediment three hours earlier. Solidly developing nose of black fruit, hint of eucalypt and faint liquorice. On the palate a little bit medicinal somehow, quite monolithic and dense, with aging blackberry fruit. Medium/high acidity, low/medium powdery tannins. Not obviously oaky in any way. Medium length finish, but a little weak on the mid-palate. This was very good, but not at the exalted level you might expect from some of the things written about it over the years. Can hold – the level was still well in the neck and the cork was perfect. - 2012 Grant Burge Shiraz Meshach - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
{cork, 14%} [Andrew] Big classic Barossa shiraz straight from central casting. Blueberry and vanilla flavours pack a medium/full-bodied palate, edged with black fruit and low powdery tannin. Soft acidity. Not hot – carries the alcohol well. Into the drinking window, and good for 5-8 more years. Pretty good stuff. - 2007 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
{cork, 14%} [Gordon] Quite a deep gold. Aged nose of copper, bronze, and vanilla bean. Palate has medium weight, the same flavours plus some hint of cinnamon. Medium/dry for sweetness, but still very rich on the medium length finish. Drinking beautifully now. - 1945 Penfolds Bin S6 Grandfather Port - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
{cork} [Gordon] The second bottling (in 1969) of this label after the initial 1940 vintage. A soft, spongy cork slipped out easily. A blend of shirazes in a tawny style. Startlingly fresh for a fortified this old. Brandy and caramel richness, with camphor and carpet notes. Medium-dry, and very rich despite a faint mothball note. Long, even finish - wow. Just a wonderful experience. - NV Wynns Coonawarra Estate Pedro Ximénez - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{500ml, vinolok, 17%} [Andrew] Caramelized honey with a treacle/molasses character. Medium sweet, with just enough acidity to keep it balanced. Rich texture although perhaps a bit simple for the $50-ish that Wynns asks for this (compared to PX from Portugal or Spain, for instance). - 2018 Hickinbotham Cabernet Sauvignon Trueman - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
{screwcap, 14.5%} [Stephen] Big chocolate-coated currant-flavoured wine. Medium powdery tannins. Quite full weight, low/medium acidity. Rich style, with alcoholic warmth. Wants a bit of time to settle, probably at peak around a decade old I reckon.
