Australia vs The World

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

Tonight's entertainment was a (paid) tasting of twelve wines, showcasing mid-range Australian wines against similar ‘rest of the world’ counterparts. Six different pairings were offered:

Frankland Estate Riesling 2022 (Frankland River, Western Australia): Pale straw colour. Lime juice, florals and a little orange peel on the nose. The palate is more lemon than lime, and there’s high acid but not sharp or tangy, and the finish is moderate. This is the entry level Riesling for Frankland Estate, and I would prefer to spend the extra money for the Isolation Ridge wines.

Seehof Trocken Riesling 2022 (Germany): 3g/L residual sugar. Perfumed nose, with florals and lemon blossom. There’s lemon peel on the palate, with some ‘wet pebble’ minerality, and a moderate finish. More delicate than the Frankland Estate, but a better wine.

Dukes Margaret River Chardonnay 2022 (Margaret River Western Australia): I’ve seen this wine before, and have a couple in the cellar. Fruit is from Victory Point. The nose has a mealy or grain character, with polished oak, and ripe peaches. The palate is more peach and stone fruit, with a creamy texture and reasonable length. Well balanced.

Faiveley Mercurey Clos Rochette Monopole 2022 (Burgundy, France): Yellow colour. A mix of stone fruits (peach and nectarine) on the nose, with modest oak. The palate has a mix of more peachy fruit and spicy oak. The palate is fuller and more savoury than the Dukes, with a creamy texture and a medium to long finish.

Chatto Lutruwita Pinot Noir 2023 (Tasmania): From vineyards around Launceston. Garnet colour. Fresh strawberries and red cherries on the nose, with some five-spice. Fine and modestly grippy tannins and the wine finishes a little thin.

Cambria “Julia’s Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2019 (Santa Barbera, California, USA): Spicy aromatic nose, with five spice and red berries. There’s more bright red cherries on the palate, which is fuller and almost rich (compared to the Chatto), with a medium to long finish.

Peccavi “No Regrets” Cabernet Merlot 2022 (Margaret River, Western Australia): Crimson colour. Blackcurrant, dark plums and dusty oak on the nose. Juicy red berries on the palate, with blackcurrant, cassis, a little green capsicum, grippy tannins and savoury oak. A medium long and dry finish. This was the ‘value for money’ wine of the tasting, but I prefer their straight Cabernet.

Tenuta Gattabuia Bolgheri 2019 (Tuscany Italy): A 70/30 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from an excellent Tuscan vintage. Crimson colour. Sour cherry, blackcurrant, blackcurrant on the dusty nose. There’s more sour cherry and coffee on the savoury palate, which has soft integrated tannins, supporting acid and a medium to long finish.

Protero Capo Nebbiolo 2018 (Adelaide Hills, South Australia): One of Steve Pannell’s brands. Ruby colour. A savoury nose, with leather, cocoa powder, red fruits and florals. Tannins are prominent and fine grained with relatively high acid as well. Medium finish.

Araldica Flori Barolo 2018 (Piemonte, Italy): Ruby colour. A touch of leather on the nose, with five spice and sour cherry in abundance – much more open than the Protero. There’s red juicy fruits flooding the palate, with the tannins starting to integrate, and high acid. There’s some textural mouthfeel and the wine finishes long. I really enjoyed this, despite its youth.

Place of Changing Winds ‘Harcourt’ Syrah 2022 (Bendigo, Victoria): Crimson / purple in colour. There’s dark and red plums on the nose, with white pepper and mocha. The palate is quite savoury, with juicy red fruits, and acid predominantly on the front of the tongue. Medium bodied and just a moderate length.

Craggy Range ‘Gimlett Gravels’ Syrah 2020 (Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand): Full purple in colour. The nose was initially oak dominant (cedar and spice), but a bit of swirling revealed dark and red fruits. There’s sweet blue fruits and red cherries in a linear fashion along the tongue. There’s also some mocha or cocoa, with moderately grippy tannins and some glycerol texture, leading to a long finish. This wine grew on me.

An interesting range of what were promoted as mid- or entry level wines of their style. A couple stood out, and will make their way into the cellar. More importantly, tastings like these, although commercial in nature, give me the opportunity to try wines I would not normally see.

Cheers
Allan