Blacktongues Dinner notes

[707]

The first of our thrice yearly Blacktongues dinners was, as always, a great evening. On this occasion Blacktongues and partners totalling 32 dined at our popular haunt The Sauce in Adelaide's eastern suburbs. The food and service was spot on, it never falters here.

Couples are required to bring a magnum or two bottles (of the same wine) of high standard to be shared at dinner. The wine must be checked for soundness at home to ensure we don't have unsound or corked wines at dinner. It is quite an effort to try nearly twenty wines in an evening, I didn't take notes so the one worders/phrases are from memory.

For pre dinner drinks we consumed four bottles of NV Moet & Chandon, I passed on this, saving capacity for later but it hit the spot apparently.

There were three single bottles of white floating around brought by those who need a see through fix with entree, plenty of positive nods about these, I again abstained
1991 Tyrells Vat 1 Semillon (Hunter)
1996 Wilson Riesling (Clare)
2002 Mountadam Chardonnay (Eden)

Two odd bottles of red floated around because the other bottle that was supposed to make the pair was corked or the quality wasn't good enough to bring
1981 Penfolds St.Henri (Barossa +) fading and thin
1994 Yalumba Signature (Coonawarra/Barossa) very good

The rest of the wines were either magnums or there were two bottles of each and came out in this order
1996 Henschke Giles Pinot (Adel Hills, Lenswood) just ok
2000 Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot (Mornington) lovely, got better as it aired
1990 Wynns Ovens Valley Burgundy (Vic?) history here and drank really well, a surprise packet
1985 Seppelt Great Western Hermitage (Grampians) WOW, this is cool climate Cabernet! leafy, intense and powerful at 20 years of age, a prick of a wine at options evenings! My WOTN
1994 Tyrells Vat 9 Shiraz (Hunter) good Hunter Shiraz
1994 Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet (Clare) nice wine, at it's peak or just past
1995 Grosset Gaia Cab blend (Clare) surprisingly good, got nods from many
1995 Saltram No.1 Shiraz (Barossa) now shows the overt oak treatment popular atv that time, drink up
1996 Penfolds St.Henri (Barossa+) Excellent, I had a second splash
1986 Wolf Blass Black Label Magnum (Langhorne Creek) drank nicely but would have been better a few years back, typical WB style
1988 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Magnum (Coonawarra) still showing a heap of class and drank beautifully
1991 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet Magnum (Coonawarra) looked a bit flat after the JR, nice
1991 Lindemans St.George Cabernet Magnum (Coonawarra) excellent, a great example of Coona Cab, I rated it just behind the Seppelt GW
1993 Hardy's Eileen Hardy Shiraz Magnum (McV+) drank really well, makes you wonder why they stuffed the formula in later years
1996 Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet (Margaret River) typical MR Cab, a bit leafy, dry palate with those dusty tannins
1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port (Portugal) the real McCoy, a it's peak, lovely dry finish
NV Buller Rare Liquuer Muscat (Rutherglen) magnificent

Next dinner is around August at another of our favourite eating places, Stamps in Adelaides southern suburbs

[markg]

Some nice wines there Steve, sounds like it was a great evening.

[FatBoy]

1996 Penfolds St.Henri (Barossa+) Excellent, I had a second splash

Drinking window ??

[707]

Still looks young and whilst lovely at present it will be a long lived St.Henri IMO.

If you've got a dozen, one a year from now.