Michael R wrote:
I thought food was pretty average, but enjoyed the wines.
The food was definitely not the star, but I partly blame user error. Deconstructed prawn cocktail, what were you thinking mate?
Pinot Offline - Sydney
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
The food was definitely not the star, but I partly blame user error. Deconstructed prawn cocktail, what were you thinking mate?
You can find me on Instagram at oz_oenophile
Follow for my little wine journey.
Follow for my little wine journey.
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
Interesting, it seems like Vamps often sits in the mediocre category but every now and then someone has an excellent experience and become big fans.
Wild variation?? Rare moments of inspiration? Or just lots of alcohol?
Wild variation?? Rare moments of inspiration? Or just lots of alcohol?
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catchnrelease
- Posts: 507
- Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:12 pm
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
odyssey wrote:Interesting, it seems like Vamps often sits in the mediocre category but every now and then someone has an excellent experience and become big fans.
Wild variation?? Rare moments of inspiration? Or just lots of alcohol?
I enjoyed my dishes? Terrine entree was okay but I enjoyed the pork main and really enjoyed the chocolate mousse dessert.
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
catchnrelease wrote:odyssey wrote:Interesting, it seems like Vamps often sits in the mediocre category but every now and then someone has an excellent experience and become big fans.
Wild variation?? Rare moments of inspiration? Or just lots of alcohol?
I enjoyed my dishes? Terrine entree was okay but I enjoyed the pork main and really enjoyed the chocolate mousse dessert.
Meh, the terrine was pretty average, the kangaroo was overcooked and the sauce was out of balance but it was ok, the cheese was very average.
The food wasn't bad. But for mine it just wasn't anywhere near as good as several of the other places we have been to for offlines.
You can find me on Instagram at oz_oenophile
Follow for my little wine journey.
Follow for my little wine journey.
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
And considering that the prices they had for the dishes was $38+ for the mains it's not really up to scratch to have it cooked so badly.
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
Used to go to Vamps for offlines 7 or 8 years ago and stopped going as I always felt the food was pretty mediocre, sounds like it is still much the same.
Re: Pinot Offline - Sydney
Here's the full lineup, in approximate order.... and my very brief thoughts from memory.
Holyman Chardonnay 2013 - complex, spicy, bit wild, ageworthy, very nice.
Philippe Colim Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru 2010 - plenty of oak, touch soft, good fruit, couple more years should help integrate.
Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 2011 - Good acid, lemon, saline, fresh, clean, lovely.
Louis Jadot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2006 - Started off slightly over-ripe with some extract and VA, but showed much better and more complete after 10-15mins in glass, powerful, intriguing, good length.
Jean-Marc Vincent Santenay Les Graviers 1er Cru 2009 - Lip smacking fresh, juicy burg, balanced, almost lean with good acid, but the riper vintage evens it all out nicely.
Pegasus Bay Waipara Pinot Noir 2002 - Deep, dark fruit, bit of advanced character, some complexity, oak protrudes a bit. Sadly not as good as the previous great bottle, but still decent.
Friedric Becker Kammerberg Spatburgunder 2005 - Complex nose, some subtle smoke, spices and herbs. Changing in the glass on each sniff and sip. Really loved this, thanks Red Smurf! Runner up WOTN for me.
Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir 2004 - Wonderful nose, perfume, that elusive aged 'Burgundy' savoury perfumed character, although a bit of stalk distracts a touch. Palate is a touch angular, but a lovely wine overall.
Clyde Park Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 - Big fruit, quite heavy oak after the previous wines, needs more time, but will always be a big wine! No complaints about drinking it though, just hard to follow the previous two.
Bannockburn De La Terre Pinot Noir 2012 - Nice mouth feel and flow through the palate, well judged stalk influence, touch of funk, maybe still a bit simple in it's youth but should develop quite well.
Mac Forbes Wesburn Pinot Noir 2013 - Served blind. Has us guessing! Don't recall specifics, too busy with the options I think, was OK, but not very memorable.
Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2012 - I thought this was pretty and very well made, but there was a flurry of wines being opened (maybe a few too many too quickly, time spent with the wines was often fleeting), so my impression was all too brief.
Mt Pleasant Mothervine Pinot Noir 2011- Felt it was a bit too worked, but was happy to try it after a bit of hype a few years back. Worth keeping in the cellar, had plenty of potential.
Domaine A Pinot Noir 2008 - Was a bit 'cabernet' for my liking, not getting the Pinot characters, plenty of rich fruit, big furry tannins, quite closed, again, worth keeping for much longer.
Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir 2008 - Fan of this label, the balance and red fruit sweetness was apparent after the Domaine A's closed tannic grip. Ok, didn't love it, but I certainly liked it Mick!
Mayer 'Close Planted' Pinot Noir 2013 - Served with the Vosne, this was easily my favourite flight of the night. How they get this savoury balanced 'Goldilocks' feel in such a young wine is a talent I wish more winemakers had. Delicious wine, thanks Dave!
Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes 1er Cru 2012 - The Mayer held it's own, but was slightly pipped at the post for me with this beauty. Loved this, finish was so elegant and long, showing so well so young! My WOTN, thanks again Red Smurf!
Framingham Noble Riesling 2014 - needed something sweet with dessert! I wish they'd popped it into the freezer as requested on short notice, not the fridge as was a bit warm to show it's refreshing botrytis goodness. Pure and good though.
Wynns Coonawarra Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 - In good condition, always nice to have an aged aussie cab! Thanks maybs!
Thousand Candles 2013 - Meh, I just don't get it. Perfume when first opened was quite nice, but even having been decanted for a few hours, I thought this didn't really have much to offer, just trying a bit too hard to be more interesting than it is.
Great company and a really fun night. Food was very up and down, really enjoyed the French Onion soup and the Pear tart, but hardly wow cooking for the price. And the duck, while being perfectly acceptable, was lacked punch and was fairly uninspired. Enjoyed having that space all to ourselves though, a bigger table would be nice (too many spaceship Zalto Burg glasses!), but the service guy was very helpful and the vibe was relaxed and happy. Looking forward to the next one!
Cheers
Tim
Few bottle pics....
Holyman Chardonnay 2013 - complex, spicy, bit wild, ageworthy, very nice.
Philippe Colim Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru 2010 - plenty of oak, touch soft, good fruit, couple more years should help integrate.
Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 2011 - Good acid, lemon, saline, fresh, clean, lovely.
Louis Jadot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2006 - Started off slightly over-ripe with some extract and VA, but showed much better and more complete after 10-15mins in glass, powerful, intriguing, good length.
Jean-Marc Vincent Santenay Les Graviers 1er Cru 2009 - Lip smacking fresh, juicy burg, balanced, almost lean with good acid, but the riper vintage evens it all out nicely.
Pegasus Bay Waipara Pinot Noir 2002 - Deep, dark fruit, bit of advanced character, some complexity, oak protrudes a bit. Sadly not as good as the previous great bottle, but still decent.
Friedric Becker Kammerberg Spatburgunder 2005 - Complex nose, some subtle smoke, spices and herbs. Changing in the glass on each sniff and sip. Really loved this, thanks Red Smurf! Runner up WOTN for me.
Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir 2004 - Wonderful nose, perfume, that elusive aged 'Burgundy' savoury perfumed character, although a bit of stalk distracts a touch. Palate is a touch angular, but a lovely wine overall.
Clyde Park Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 - Big fruit, quite heavy oak after the previous wines, needs more time, but will always be a big wine! No complaints about drinking it though, just hard to follow the previous two.
Bannockburn De La Terre Pinot Noir 2012 - Nice mouth feel and flow through the palate, well judged stalk influence, touch of funk, maybe still a bit simple in it's youth but should develop quite well.
Mac Forbes Wesburn Pinot Noir 2013 - Served blind. Has us guessing! Don't recall specifics, too busy with the options I think, was OK, but not very memorable.
Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2012 - I thought this was pretty and very well made, but there was a flurry of wines being opened (maybe a few too many too quickly, time spent with the wines was often fleeting), so my impression was all too brief.
Mt Pleasant Mothervine Pinot Noir 2011- Felt it was a bit too worked, but was happy to try it after a bit of hype a few years back. Worth keeping in the cellar, had plenty of potential.
Domaine A Pinot Noir 2008 - Was a bit 'cabernet' for my liking, not getting the Pinot characters, plenty of rich fruit, big furry tannins, quite closed, again, worth keeping for much longer.
Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir 2008 - Fan of this label, the balance and red fruit sweetness was apparent after the Domaine A's closed tannic grip. Ok, didn't love it, but I certainly liked it Mick!
Mayer 'Close Planted' Pinot Noir 2013 - Served with the Vosne, this was easily my favourite flight of the night. How they get this savoury balanced 'Goldilocks' feel in such a young wine is a talent I wish more winemakers had. Delicious wine, thanks Dave!
Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes 1er Cru 2012 - The Mayer held it's own, but was slightly pipped at the post for me with this beauty. Loved this, finish was so elegant and long, showing so well so young! My WOTN, thanks again Red Smurf!
Framingham Noble Riesling 2014 - needed something sweet with dessert! I wish they'd popped it into the freezer as requested on short notice, not the fridge as was a bit warm to show it's refreshing botrytis goodness. Pure and good though.
Wynns Coonawarra Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 - In good condition, always nice to have an aged aussie cab! Thanks maybs!
Thousand Candles 2013 - Meh, I just don't get it. Perfume when first opened was quite nice, but even having been decanted for a few hours, I thought this didn't really have much to offer, just trying a bit too hard to be more interesting than it is.
Great company and a really fun night. Food was very up and down, really enjoyed the French Onion soup and the Pear tart, but hardly wow cooking for the price. And the duck, while being perfectly acceptable, was lacked punch and was fairly uninspired. Enjoyed having that space all to ourselves though, a bigger table would be nice (too many spaceship Zalto Burg glasses!), but the service guy was very helpful and the vibe was relaxed and happy. Looking forward to the next one!
Cheers
Tim
Few bottle pics....