TN: AFWAC - Wendouree tasting 28/5/07

[n4sir]

When Phill (aka crusty2) mentioned that a Wendouree tasting of the Adelaide Fine Wine Appreciation Club (AFWAC) was on last Monday and he had some spare seats I just had to pull a few strings to get there. Selections of a dozen Wendouree wines don’t happen everyday, and it wasn’t surprising to see a full house to sample some wines that are getting increasingly more difficult to get.

I’d like to thank Phill and everyone there again for another great experience; AFWAC meets the last Monday of every month, and anyone in Adelaide who’s interested in joining and/or attending as a guest should PM crusty2 for details.

Phill chose the wines based on their drinkability at this point in time hence many of the blockbuster wines of the 1990s weren’t present, and I can’t help wondering just what those would be like in comparison. The wines were presented in mini-flights of 2-3 as grouped below.


2002 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: Very dark to almost inky red/purple. Toasty/slightly jammy nose of raspberry/blackberry and just a touch of herbs, chocolate and black pepper, becoming more tart and jammy with breathing. Savoury/jammy entry to the mid-weight palate with some soy sauce, the fruit jammy/peppery, the finish long but very dry with very fine tannins.

2000 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: Very dark to almost inky crimson/brick. Chocolaty/earthy nose with briary fruit and a hint of black pepper and barnyard; tart/sweet mulberry/raspberry fruit on the well-balanced palate, finishing fine and tannic. This was a very good outcome for the vintage, and the best drinking of the three Shiraz Mataros at the moment.

1997 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: Dark brick/red. One bottle was corked, but fortunately I was able to try a sample from the other bottle. Sweet nose of chocolate, raisin & some white pepper becoming stronger with breathing; looser-knit palate of rum & raisin chocolate, and a warm, peppery finish, becoming slightly medicinal with breathing.



1997 Wendouree Shiraz: Dark to very inky blood red with maybe just a hint of purple. Gorgeous, sweet chocolaty nose with ripe blackberry/black cherry and some confectionery, camphor, cedar, liquorice and pan grille complexity. The palate’s just as classy and choc-a-block full of black cherry fruit, with hints of orange peel on entry, and then black pepper which flows though to the long finish. Outstanding for a 1997 Shiraz, and clear WOTN for the vast majority and myself.

1997 Galah Shiraz: Dark crimson with a hint of brick. Attractive nose with ripe raspberry/cherry with a hint of floor polish; peppery/grainy mid-weight palate with sweet cherries and some chocolate on the finish. Phill slotted this one in as a cheaper immediate comparison to the 1997 Wendouree, and maybe not surprisingly while a nice enough wine it didn’t come remotely close.



1997 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec: Very dark red/brick. Camphor, mint and menthol on the nose, with some dampness that resembled minor TCA; jammy entry followed by some mint and black tea, the fruit dropping off suddenly leaving ungainly tannins. There was a fair amount of discussion about whether this bottle was slightly scalped by TCA, or it was an older woody character from the bottle age – the other bottle appeared a little fresher at first, but was still remarkably similar overall, so the mystery remains.

1999 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec: Dark to inky blood red. Very closed at first, revealing subtle hints of sweet cherry; darker slightly simple cherry fruit to begin with, but the tight, tannic palate slowly revealed some coffee characters, and finished very long and malty. This seemed to be in a transition phase but even now I enjoyed it for its scale, relative freshness (for an eight year old) and potential, and rated it my third most preferred for the night.



1975 Wendouree Claret: Medium brick red. Fully developed, slightly porty nose with some truffle, chocolate, earth, tomato, varnish and nutty rancio characters. The palate was soft and mid-weight, the finish long and nutty but drying out with the fruit vanishing every passing minute leaving just the structure. One bottle was badly oxidised, and I shared my sample with the person who was good enough to share his 1997 Shiraz Mataro when I got the corked one. It was still a privilege to try such a treasure made by Roly Birks, and I think the rapid decline we struck was partly due to the reduced quantity in our glasses.

1997 Wendouree Pressings: Dark to inky red. Slightly varnishy nose with dark, plummy fruit; the palate opened with a similar powerful punch of spice red fruit and some star anise, but pulled up surprisingly short.



1997 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec: Very inky red/brick. Dark nose of chocolate and blackcurrant with some camphor, black coal and black tea; impressive palate of ripe fruit and sweet oak, loose knit and good drinking right now. This was my second favourite wine of the tasting.

1988 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec: Very dark red/brick. Dusty nose of black tea, earth and sweet cherry; very dry palate that I found disappointing, all structure with the fruit seemingly long gone leaving bitter tannins. Many thought otherwise and it was voted overall second most preferred.



1975 Wendouree Vintage Port: Inky crimson with a tawny edge. Gorgeous nose of camphor, soy sauce and muddy chocolate/nutty wood; the palate opened with a sweet burst of earthy cherry fruit, dark/mud chocolate and classy spirit and eventually some minty liniment, but on the verge of greatness pulled up surprisingly short.



The final vote to determine everyone’s most preferred wine for the night (excluding the VP) was:

1997 Wendouree Shiraz: 1st

1988 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec: 2nd

1997 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec: =3rd
1975 Wendouree Claret: =3rd
1997 Wendouree Pressings: =3rd



Cheers
Ian

[crusty2]

Thanks Ian for the notes.

The Shiraz/Mataro were poured into standard XL5 glasses at 6pm and were tasted by the guests at about 7.45pm. All the other wines were decanted and breathed in large surface area containers for 1 hour prior to decanting back into the original (washed) bottles.
I had noticed variability in the 1997 Shiraz/Mataro, both had this wet woody smell to them with one slightly more pronounced, so I made the decision to pour alternate glasses of the wines around the room. This was also to promote a sense of sharing with the person seated next to you as each was encouraged to sample both the wines. This also applied with the 1975 Claret.

Hope all who attended enjoyed the chance to sample the Wendouree wines on offer that night. I did mention I may do this again in 2 years time. (some wanted Wendouree next month as well).

BTW our club is 21 years old and we are planning on tasting some 1986 wines for our July AGM.

[707]

Phil, what tastings have you planned for the balance of the year?

[MartinE]

2000 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: Very dark to almost inky crimson/brick. Chocolaty/earthy nose with briary fruit and a hint of black pepper and barnyard; tart/sweet mulberry/raspberry fruit on the well-balanced palate, finishing fine and tannic. This was a very good outcome for the vintage, and the best drinking of the three Shiraz Mataros at the moment.

1999 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec: Dark to inky blood red. Very closed at first, revealing subtle hints of sweet cherry; darker slightly simple cherry fruit to begin with, but the tight, tannic palate slowly revealed some coffee characters, and finished very long and malty. This seemed to be in a transition phase but even now I enjoyed it for its scale, relative freshness (for an eight year old) and potential, and rated it my third most preferred for the night.

Thx for the notes Ian...I've got the two above down for holding another 10 years...Am I right?

TIA

M.

[n4sir]

2000 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: Very dark to almost inky crimson/brick. Chocolaty/earthy nose with briary fruit and a hint of black pepper and barnyard; tart/sweet mulberry/raspberry fruit on the well-balanced palate, finishing fine and tannic. This was a very good outcome for the vintage, and the best drinking of the three Shiraz Mataros at the moment.

1999 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec: Dark to inky blood red. Very closed at first, revealing subtle hints of sweet cherry; darker slightly simple cherry fruit to begin with, but the tight, tannic palate slowly revealed some coffee characters, and finished very long and malty. This seemed to be in a transition phase but even now I enjoyed it for its scale, relative freshness (for an eight year old) and potential, and rated it my third most preferred for the night.

Thx for the notes Ian...I've got the two above down for holding another 10 years...Am I right?

TIA

M.

I'd be drinking the 2000 between now and the next 3-5 years, maybe it will go 10 but personally I wouldn't risk it.

The 1999 is from a cracker of a vintage, and given how closed, tight and muscular it was I'd guess it should go the distance.

Cheers,
Ian

[MartinE]

2000 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro: Very dark to almost inky crimson/brick. Chocolaty/earthy nose with briary fruit and a hint of black pepper and barnyard; tart/sweet mulberry/raspberry fruit on the well-balanced palate, finishing fine and tannic. This was a very good outcome for the vintage, and the best drinking of the three Shiraz Mataros at the moment.

1999 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec: Dark to inky blood red. Very closed at first, revealing subtle hints of sweet cherry; darker slightly simple cherry fruit to begin with, but the tight, tannic palate slowly revealed some coffee characters, and finished very long and malty. This seemed to be in a transition phase but even now I enjoyed it for its scale, relative freshness (for an eight year old) and potential, and rated it my third most preferred for the night.

Thx for the notes Ian...I've got the two above down for holding another 10 years...Am I right?

TIA

M.

I'd be drinking the 2000 between now and the next 3-5 years, maybe it will go 10 but personally I wouldn't risk it.

The 1999 is from a cracker of a vintage, and given how closed, tight and muscular it was I'd guess it should go the distance.

Cheers,
Ian

Sounds right...thx

M.