The Auswine Forum

Another Saturday and another wine event, has been one every weekend for the last few weeks, not that I’m complaining! Tonight was the next instalment of the Rare Wine nights put on by Shannon. We moved from Becasse to Arras due to concerns of their voluntary administration. Arras certainly came to the party allowing us use of the whole mezzanine level and a degustation menu created to match the wines. 12 of us were present and the seating was very generous and allowed us to feel relaxed and not cramped.

On Arras in regards to food and wine matching, I am not sure who did this there but they should be highly commended the choices were spot on in nearly every course. With some not the norm match-ups synergising very well. I couldn’t fault any aspect of the food with each dish exceeding my expectations, traditional dishes with just a small change to keep them interesting made for a great night on the plates.

Many thanks to Shannon and his tireless efforts in organising these nights, there is a lot of the behind the scenes stuff we don’t hear about (organising restaurants, menus, getting the people to attend, dealing with the sommeliers to ensure wines are treated/presented in the best possible way. Also thanks to Tim for the handouts as always, a lot of work go into them and they make interesting reading during the meal.

The Krug was a fabulous way to start proceedings, full and creamy with lots of power and length. The Grande Dame was carrying a lot more acid and was a good counterpoint to the Krug. The oysters and sauerkraut were a strange combination but one that worked really well.

The 76 Langwerth was in a really good place, lots of fruit beautifully balanced with acidity. I seriously love this stuff. The 53 was for me bordering on BA levels and Shannon it has been a warm vintage.

The next was a surprise in a 29 d’Yquem which was a negoticiant bottling (i.e someone buys a barrel from the chateau and then will blend with around 10% of something else) the wine was to me unlike anything I’d tasted before, I was racking my brains trying to pigeon hole it but couldn’t. It had elements of an old port, a tokay, an old German TBA yet it was austere and racy without the spirit heaviness of a port/tokay. I was just sitting there rolling it around in my mouth for a good few minutes. Matching this with the truffles and foie gras put me a very good place. World is about to end? that’s cool, let me just finish this.

The two White Burgs I thought were showing pretty well given their respective ages. They were a bit flat but there was none of the over oxidised notes and yeasty aromas you sometimes get from older whites.

The Richebourg was wonderful, lots of coffee on the nose, dark berries, it still had great balance and structure. The Groper went surprisingly well with it with the radicchio and rice giving the more-ishness the dish needed.

The 64 Serafino was showing very well, and was the favourite of the two, the 64 I dare say had a few more years in it. Very Bordeaux nose for my mind, coffee, cigar box. Was drinking very well and matched the eel and venison perfectly with the flash fried lettuce leaf providing an interesting mix.

The Montrose was very Coonawarra on the nose, capsicum, tobacco leaf and had a wonderful balance of fruit and tannins. The 29 was great initially but did fall apart fairly quickly, but as always was a privilege to drink something like this. The Pot au feu was an interesting interpretation, with a massively intense ‘meatball’ partnered with beef brisket.

The sommelier advised us that he would only serve the Coutet with the dessert as the 53 EBA was at a completely different level and that it would be unfair to drink them together. The Coutet was wonderful and went really well with the deconstructed apple strudel. Lots of marmalade, butterscotch.

The sommelier was right, the 53 EBA was sensational, it was beyond good. Words fail me, I’m not even going to bother trying to describe it, I sat on it for ages just savouring it, smelling it, leaving it in my mouth, and then 15mins later still being able to taste it.

The we finished off with what can only be described as a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory moment. I’ve never seen 12 pairs of eyes simultaneously light up when they brought this to the table. I think everyone just went back to being an 8 year kid in the candy shop after the owner had said ‘help yourself it’s all free’. There was a whole range of flavours and textures to sample. I thought it was brilliant.

Once again thanks to Shannon and all the staff at Arras for making it a wonderful evening.

And on a private note thanks to Tim and Michelle for the room at the Sheraton as a thank you present, totally unnecessary but muchly appreciated.

Also forgot to take photos of a few of the wines so had to use the handout ones that were done in a light tent or similar. I also had my iso up way too high, will wait and hopefully others will have better shots.

Oyster, Champagne, sauerkraut
1985 Krug
1979 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame

Onions and Violets
1953 Staatsweinguter Kiedricher Grafenberg Riesling Auslese
1976 Langwerth Von Simmern Eltviller Sonnenberg Riesling Auslese

Truffled potato, Fois Gras and grapes
1929 Chateau d’Yquem (Negoticiant Bottling)

Blue eye, mushrooms, brown butter
1978 Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Le Ruchottes
1962 Masson Dubois Meursault Charmes

Groper, radicchio and rice
1949 Marey C & Ligier Belair Richebourg Grand Cru

Venison, eel, horseradish and beetroot
1964 Barbaresco Enrico Serafino
1967 Barbaresco Enrico Serafino

Pot au feu, tongue salad
1961 Chateau Montrose
1929 Abel Laurent

Strudel, apple, raisin and Calvados
1961 Chateau Coutet

1953 Staatsweinguter Steinberger Riesling Edelbeerenauslese

Coffee, Tea and Arras Petit Fours

Good lord

I have to go to one of these one day!

Fantastic stuff guys.

Congratulations.. looks wonderful.

Good lord

I have to go to one of these one day!

what he said

It has taken me just over a month to get this up but finally it is here. Enjoy.

After making a decision to move the Bastille Day dinner from the Private Dining Room at QuarterTwentyOne to a new restaurant following the appointment of administrators to the Becasse Group I began the search for a new and suitable restaurant to host the Bastille Day Rare Wine Dinner. Arras Restaurant manager and head Sommelier Alon Sharman was only too happy take on the next instalment of my Rare Wine Dinners by offering the exclusive use of the Mezzanine level at Arras Restaurant in Clarence St, Sydney (the old home of Becasse).

Let me say from the onset of the evening Arras did not disappoint with a couple of my regular guests stating in their opinion “the food was even a level above that of the last two dinners at QuarterTwentyOne”. Each and every dish was a well matched combination with each of the wines served, no easy task when you are serving wines up to 90yrs of age. The Mezzanine level at Arras offered more room than that of the PDR at QuarterTwentyOne and the light/white colour scheme at Arras lent a more spacious and softer feel as the evening progressed.



It is worth mentioning that we broke the bad cork record that has been 1 bad bottle at each and every dinner I have hosted since the first dinner 3 years ago. We must remember that when it comes to wines of this age it is very true that there are only great old bottles not great old wines. Each and every bottle can be different at this stage in their life and provenance can play a very big part in how these wines have developed and are showing today. For the first time not one bottle suffered a problem related to cork or poor cellaring and I credit this to mine and my close friends in Europe and our ongoing effort to source wines with good provenance from cold European cellars. As one can imagine the effort I put into to sourcing, verifying and preparing these wines is tireless and ever increasing as is my knowledge and experience in presenting and understanding them.

Before I get to my tasting notes and opinions on these wines I would like to point out that while some of these old wines may not be at their so called ‘Peak’ I try to portray what I find in each wine and what is good about them. At the same time remembering that we are tasting wines from a different time that were made using different techniques and theories then those of the wines made today. In essence we are drinking history, raising our glasses to some of the greatest wine makers of all time. Wine makers past and present whose skilful wine making has outlasted them themselves in many of these wines.



1985 Krug Champagne

Amazingly rich, complex, creamy and so very very long on the palate. A myriad of flavours including citrus, nuts, coffee, pate on toast, brioche and earth. A very powerful wine showing some age and in lovely condition. I held a little of this and tried it over an hour or so and noted it just held and held. Stunning wine.

1979 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame

So very fresh and vibrant this was unique champagne in perfect condition. Unique because I found an ocean beach like minerality to the nose and palate with notes of citrus and apple. Very tight and round with plenty of acidity, a great experience and matched rather well with the Oyster and Sauerkraut. These 2 Champagnes were a very great way to get the night underway setting the scene for some excellent wines to follow.



1953 Staatsweinguter, Kiedricher Grafenberg Auslese Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

An exceptional and rare vintage, these wines never cease to amaze, consistently confirming my ongoing appreciation and addiction for what is quite simply some of the greatest wines ever made. Why the world has forgotten these wines is beyond me and I will continue to show them at my dinners at each and every opportunity. Complex, harmonious and spicy, apple compote, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, caramel and smoke. Very well balanced, waxy with lovely soft acidity supporting the effortless glide across the palate for a very long finish that went on and on.

1976 Langwerth Von Simmern Eltviller Sonnenberg Auslese Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

Floral and pretty this was right in the slot for many of the 76’s I have been fortunate enough to taste. With a very slight hint of kero and lanolin adding to the atypical tropical fruit including apricot, pineapple and quince with white flowers on the nose and the honey of bottle age this was another great example of the rich Rheingau Auslese style that is typical of the warm 76 vintage. While having plenty of weight and coating every corner of the palate I felt it not quite as good as other 76’s from LVS that I have been fortunate to try in the past such as the Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen. The Onions and Violets dish was an unusual but perfect match to these timeless German Riesling making the combination of food and wine in this instance rather outstanding.



The Surprise wine: 1929 Chateau Yquem (Negociant bottling from Brussels)

Expectations for me were high for this wine and I was not disappointed. The sheer power and persistence of this wine was outstanding and probably one of the longest wines on the palate I have ever had the pleasure to taste. The nose was full of leatherwood, honey, marmalade and tangerine peel. The palate showed amazing acidity with a melange of flavours including: Orange marmalade, walnut, brown sugar, caramel, coffee, acacia honey, chocolate orange and more with a double burst of flavour that slingshot the wine to a finish that just didn’t want to end. I sat on this for a number of hours and noted it continued to open and gain complexity for up to about 2 or 3hrs with the acacia honey and walnuts growing stronger before starting to fade ever so slightly from its glorious high. Sheer power! The truffled potato, fois gras and grapes just the perfect combination to such a rich sauternes. A tried and tested match but magic none the less.



1978 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru “Les Ruchottes”

On the nose distinctly mineral with seashells, pear, subtle tangerine like citrus? (or was it still the Yquem stuck in my nose) and herbaceous grassy characters. On the palate some pomello and bitter citrus seed or pips, acidic, oily texture but not quite as interesting compared to the nose. Unfortunately it seemed to be lacking in some respects. In no way faulty just not overtly interesting however I did wonder if this and the next wine suffered a little considering the sweetness and power of the wines they followed.

1962 Masson Dubois Meursault Charmes

Light on the nose with nuts and caramel that followed to the palate with some butter and a hint of orange. On its own a little flat however when partnered with the Blue eye, mushrooms and burnt butter it went extremely well and showed what would ordinarily be an uninteresting wine could be made much better with the help of a very well matched dish.



1949 C.Marey & Cte. Liger-Belair Richebourg

A very impressive Burgundy. On the nose smoky, earthy, red cherries, rose, mushroom and soy. The palate revealing much the same but Cola, Sarsaparilla like fruit, truffle and woody damp earth, medium acid and pretty much resolved tannins. Complex and alluring this was a very enjoyable wine still showing good balance and structure. The Groper, radicchio and rice made an interesting match that I thought really did work. Outstanding.



1964 Enrico Serafino Barbaresco (magnum)

My notes on this wine are short for some reason but probably because I was too engrossed in the conversation at this stage rather than the wines themselves which may just go to show that they just didn’t demand the attention that the previous wines did so far tonight. My notes state, quite grippy and tannic, drying, mouth puckering acidity and texture with some tart cherry, cigar box and leather a touch austere but still may age for a few more years yet.

1967 Enrico Serafino Barbaresco (magnum)

Again my notes were short stating: Iodine like and medicinal, leather, soft tannins, earthy and some mouth watering acidity. The food once again in this instance helped these wines, the Venison, eel, horseradish and beetroot went down quite a treat with these two wines. A pleasure to try these wines and interestingly, opinion was divided around the table on just how good these wines were. I thought they were both good wines, very drinkable and certainly interesting.



1961 Chateau Montrose

At first a little musty then opening to reveal a very dry wine, ruby red my notes echo those who have previously tasted this wine, smoky red fruits, cassis, olive, crushed rocks and quite amazing minerality. Plenty of structure, tannin and lovely sweetness albeit quite noticeable grip and texture. I believe this wine may continue to develop for quite some years to come. A very good dry style of wine.

1929 Chateau Abel Laurent (now part of Margaux)

Expressive nose loaded with coffee, tar and earth which followed to the palate but with incredible tannin leaving a quite dry choco coffee experience showing some caramel undertones and a touch of chocolate mint. An interesting wine that was quite dry, chewy and somewhat unctuous. The Pot au feu and tongue salad was a great dish that once again matched these wines very well.



1961 Chateau Coutet

I thought this medium bodied in the context of a sweet dessert style wine with a lovely elegance that showed hints of orange, spice, honey and a clean finish supported by fine acidity. Delicate with considerable balance this partnered quite nicely with the Strudel, apple, raisin and Calvados. Once again a very enjoyable wine in fine condition.

1953 Staatsweinguter Steinberger Edelbeerenauslese, Rheingau, Germany

This wine was actually the wine I had been waiting to try all night and for very good reasons. This was a sheer masterpiece! Loaded with honey, butterscotch, toffee, caramel, cooked sweet banana, brown sugar syrup, lime like acidity with pretty floral accents, thick, oily and mouth coating, so very rich, deep and unctuous and a finish that just didn’t seem to end. I could almost still taste this wine two days after the dinner, what an impression this left. Simply out of this world! What a way to end an exceedingly rare and very enjoyable line up of wines.



My thanks again to everyone who attended and shared this wonderful wine experience. So many of these wines are like comparing the best to the best, it is one revelation after another. Special thanks to Tim for his time and efforts in preparing the booklet on the wines. A very big thank you to Alon and the entire kitchen and restaurant team at Arras, the food was sensational and very well matched. The service and handling of the wines was professional and careful and I look forward to hosting dinners with you again. Thank you also to Carey and Andrew for the photo’s. Last but certainly not least how fantastic were those Petit Fours we were like a big bunch of kids in a lolly shop, Thank you Arras.

Awesome Shannon !

Also, the 100 years of Burgundy dinner is looking pretty good !

What an exceptional set of photoboards Shannon. Amazing, such a great way to record each set of wines!

Great report and photos guys, mouthwatering. Thanks.

Mahmoud.

Thank you Mark, Craig and Mahmoud, many great wines once again committed to memory.
Next stop Italy and in particular Barolo on 14th September at Buon Ricordo.