Aussie wines in Birch Bay, Washington

[Jenise]

Since everyone here was so helpful to me in making my choices for the Aussie wine tasting I hosted last night, I wanted to tell you all how it went. First, though, a story: after reading the dreadful stuff about Vasse Felix, I got nervous and uncorked the three bottles before breakfast yesterday and decanted them. It was hideously green and tart, even to a Bordeaux lover like me who has high tolerance for green flavors. I fretted all day with an eye on the clock, thinking I'd go out shopping and buy something else--anything else--to replace them rather than serve something that these people, who are more used to Yellowtail than Penfolds, wouldn't choke on. I finally ran out of time and the wine improved slightly, so the Vasse Felix stayed in the game.

The whites I served were a Hunter Valley verdelho, Yalumba Unwooded Chardonnay, Reynella Chardonnay, all $10, and a $6 Jackaroo chardonnay. Though there were two bottles of the Jackaroo to one of each of the others, the Jackaroo went first. Things were NOT looking good!

This was the lineup of Shiraz:

1. 2001 Wynns Coonawarra
2. 2001 Two Hands Bad Impersonator
3. 2001 Bleasdale Bremerview
4. 2000 Vasse Felix
5. 2000 Kilakanoon Oracle
6. 2001 D'Arenberg Footbolt

Because I liked 1 and 4 the best, I hoped they would be the Vasse Felix and the Wynn's, and they were though I guessed which was which in reverse. I simply love the elegant structure and restrained power of Coonawarra and Margaret River fruit. I also pegged the Two Hands but otherwise had no clue was which of the other three was which though of them it was very easy to choose the Kilakanoon my 3rd place wine. It's gorgeous. I was less enamored of the remaining three by a good margin.

The group's voting was quite evenly dispersed since since all the wines were good and showing well--every single wine had more than one first place vote (32 votes) and more than one last place vote. The Two Hands was the most love-it-or-hate-it, garnering 5 each last and first place votes. The WOTN did not win by a landslide, but the distance between it's points and the number two wine was the greatest difference between any two contestants, so it was a clear winner. And that wine was? The Vasse Felix.

Here's the way the voting went:

Group: Vasse Felix, Kilikanoon, Bleasdale, Wynns, Footbolt, Two Hands
Me: Vasse Felix, Wynns, Kilikanoon, Bad Impresonator, Bleasdale, Footbolt

I strongly dislike highly toasted oak, so the charry flavor of the Two Hands didn't appeal to me, but I loved it's French oak spice and could tell this was a very expertly made wine, enough to prefer it to the softer Bleasdale and the jammy, all-red fruit D'Arenberg.

My husband's #1 was the Footbolt, so after the voting I announced our divorce.

[ChrisH]

Thanks for that interesting report Jenise. Your group obviously likes the more refined style - like me .

I have some 2000 Vasse Felix in my cellar.


regards
Chris

[Jenise]

Chris, the 2000 Vasse Felix will eventually reward you--I hope. It's going to take a few years, though. Good luck!