Dinner with TORB
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:01 pm
A quick run down the highway this afternoon found me dining at the table of TORB. Never one to be backward in coming forward, within an instant, a glass of Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Shiraz (original release) was in hand. This truly Outstanding wine ranks among the finest of this breed I've tasted. Still holding a deep ruby core with minuscule fine bead, the nose of "fruits of the forest" lept from the glass. As the wine warmed notes of truffles, leather and sweet earth provided extra dimension and mind-boggling complexity. Perfectly balanced and marvellous in the mouth, the ever-changing nuances provided perplexing twists and turns for over 90 minutes for both of us. Bravo Joe Grilli!
My contribution for the evening was a horribly flat, low level TCA affected/mercaptan bottle of 1994 Cape Mentelle Shiraz and the very good 1995 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz - a well-made wine with savoury/meaty/spicy notes over mainly black fruits and some minty/menthol sympathetically melded to fine French oak. Seemingly needing more time to reach its' apogee', by the end of the night we both agreed this will hold but probably won't get much better. Went much better with the tasty Porterhouse roast than by its' lonesome.
Next followed the Veritas Winery 1998 Hanisch Vineyard Shiraz (RPJ -99 points). Served blind (as were all wines to this point) my initial reaction in the glass was of abundant dark berry fruits. This opulence was quickly replaced with meaty/rubbery/oaky characters that were none too pleasant. The palate was relatively hard, ungenerous and tired; quite frankly, I did not like this much at all. TORB tells me this wine was worrying him and tonight's bottle was a further deterioration in quality to the what he tried in February last year. Recommended at best, for me.
To finish up, we cracked a bottle of the otherworldly Bullers Rare Tokay. A wine for slow sniffing and sipping and bordering on an Ultimate rating for me. This is "the nectar of the gods" delivering the most unctuous, decadent flavours of creme brulee, toffee, raisaned small berries, fruitcake, dusty oak amongst many other splendid things and balanced by scintillating cleansing acidity on a monumental finish.
My contribution for the evening was a horribly flat, low level TCA affected/mercaptan bottle of 1994 Cape Mentelle Shiraz and the very good 1995 Seppelt Great Western Shiraz - a well-made wine with savoury/meaty/spicy notes over mainly black fruits and some minty/menthol sympathetically melded to fine French oak. Seemingly needing more time to reach its' apogee', by the end of the night we both agreed this will hold but probably won't get much better. Went much better with the tasty Porterhouse roast than by its' lonesome.
Next followed the Veritas Winery 1998 Hanisch Vineyard Shiraz (RPJ -99 points). Served blind (as were all wines to this point) my initial reaction in the glass was of abundant dark berry fruits. This opulence was quickly replaced with meaty/rubbery/oaky characters that were none too pleasant. The palate was relatively hard, ungenerous and tired; quite frankly, I did not like this much at all. TORB tells me this wine was worrying him and tonight's bottle was a further deterioration in quality to the what he tried in February last year. Recommended at best, for me.
To finish up, we cracked a bottle of the otherworldly Bullers Rare Tokay. A wine for slow sniffing and sipping and bordering on an Ultimate rating for me. This is "the nectar of the gods" delivering the most unctuous, decadent flavours of creme brulee, toffee, raisaned small berries, fruitcake, dusty oak amongst many other splendid things and balanced by scintillating cleansing acidity on a monumental finish.
