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2001 Cullen Chardonnay
heat affected – tasted like a weird semilon
2000 Jaboulet ‘Mule Blanche’ Crozes-Hermitage Blanc
another heat affected wine – oh well
2002 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay
A smoky balanced slightly developed wine with green melon on the palate and decent acid on the finish. I picked a bold Adelaide Hills but turned out to be a cooler Margaret. Very good and drinking well now.
1996 Bollinger Grand Annee Brassy colour. Straw, yeast autolysis on the nose with sherry oxidative notes. Crisp lean palate that was surprisingly developed for a 96. Lengthy finish. My first Grand Annee and it didn’t have the wood that I associate with Bollinger. Good
Rockford Black Shiraz 2006 disgorgement Scanlon and Rebecca picked candy banana esters on the nose and I found it too. Very slight mushroom as well that I find typical of Rockford Black. The palate was very dry with little fruit present and had a lengthy finish with a surprising amount of tannin. This was far too young (was mistaken for an older disgorgement in the cellar – I can see how easy that would have been too with the tiny print in the dark). Good with excellent potential.
2001 Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz A bright blood plum colour. Lovely liqueur in this wine. Great unforced powerful fruit balancing the liqueur on the palate with a finish of apple!!!
Best sparkling red this year and Excellent for me and maybe even Outstanding in a few years.
1996 Petaluma Coonawarra Dark red. Earthy cedar nose. Beautiful fruit and tannin balance here. The tannins have resolved for more than I would have thought. Entering its drinking window. Excellent
1991 Chapoutier La Sizeranne Hermitage Was very worried about this when decanting that morning. Mid-red with pale rim. Opened up very nicely. Lovely nose of dark savoury, spicy fruit and roast coffee beans. Maybe a bit of brett if you went looking but could also just be secondary flavour. A mid-weight savoury palate, thyme and some black pepper with a lengthy finish and lovely with food. Excellent.
1996 Chateau Gruaud Larose This one stumped me for one!
A deep imperial red. Slight flyspray on the nose. Surprisingly soft resolved tannins. While I haven’t had this maker before I simple couldn’t see this as a St Julian wine. Very approachable indeed! Very good.
1990 Fontanafredda Vigna La Rosa Barolo Light red brown. Intriguing savoury nose with leather and spicy wood- sandalwood perhaps. Light but firm palate finishing slightly shorter than I would like. I guessed a Dolcetto or a Barbaresco. After a firm no I thought perhaps an older Hunter shiraz. Also no so I gave up
I quite liked this but Peter said that the last bottle he had died after a couple of hours. I wish I took some home to test that theory Very good. (I should add that I was eating steak for the last four wines and I wonder in hindsight if this affected my tannin appraisal)
1995 Houghton Show Reseve Frankland River Shiraz Dark red. Concentrated fruit with oak quite prominent. Very young still and I wonder if it is having a delayed adolescence. Very good but I would cellar this another few years and see if it can improve.
1999 Domaine du Tunnel Cuvée Prestige Cornas
Dark red. Fantastic nose of black truffles (a straw poll found that everyone got something different here). The palate was a dense spicy shiraz but finished short. Palate was Acceptable but the nose was outstanding. Overall Good I suppose (but most people didn’t like it). I wonder if the palate will lengthen in time?
1996 Joseph ‘Moda Amarone’ Cabernet Merlot Talk about contrasts! Was a very dense colour and the nose was intense dark fruit. Soupy, fleshy palate. Wine on steroids. Tannins have resolved but secondary flavour has yet to emerge. Good and most likely improving with time.
1998 Charles Melton Nine Popes Dark red. Warm nose and warm fruity palate with alcohol lift. This is often a favourite but for some reason tonight I found it good but slightly nondescript. Good.
1996 Dalwhinnie Shiraz Ahhh…that tomato character on the nose that I associate with aged Central Victorian/Tasmanian Cabernet (and now shiraz). Not bad but distracting from some lovely fruit with a touch of oak. Rebecca picked the producer straight away which was impressive. Good.
1992 Best's Thomson's Centenary Reserve Shiraz Slight flyspray (second wine that had this) on the nose. Light ethereal wine with a touch of oak showing. Have to agree with Trouble here. I’m not sure I like the style as that’s two Thompson’s that I have had that I probably have underrated. Good.
2001 Pierro Cabernets I didn’t mind this. Was a solid Margaret river Cabernet with good fruit but perhaps a little lacking in interest. Towards the end of the night so perhaps not showing as well as it could have for others? Good/Very good.
2000 Jeanneret Dennis Shiraz Unforced Clare Shiraz. Beautiful fruit and fleshy palate with length finish. Drinking nicely now but will age for another ten perhaps. Very good/Excellent.
1998 Trevor Jones Wild Witch Reserve Shiraz Mid-red. Aged nicely with a Beautiful liqueur like quality that reminded me of a French blackberry liqueur. Very good and drink now.
1980 Chateau Coutet Barsac From a 750mL bottle. Colour of dark gold (Did lighten with time in glass – I agree). Beautiful nose of lifted spicy botrytis, caramel and marmalade with a slight amount of volatility that added rather than subtracted actually. The quote of the night would be Scanlon; “I can smell shoulder pads so it must be 1980’sâ€Â. Lovely palate of developed caramel and apricot and indeed marmalade but acid lingering to maintain balance. Excellent and drink now.
Talijancich Julian’s Fortified Nice sweet fortified with power to burn but perhaps not complexity (tough ask after the last wine). Good.
Then a stagger home.
Cheers
Carl
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