On Saturday 15th January 2005, we gathered for the 1st 2005 Club dinner. Attendees were Ric (TORB), Danny (Baby Chickpea), David (Matau), Laszlo, Stephan (Scoobinski), Adair (me) with Attila as the host. The theme of the night was Bordeaux.
For numerous reasons, we were most excited that AttilaÂ’s mother was going to prepare the food for the evening, none less than she did so a number of years ago and her skills are still fondly mentioned today. Unfortunately however, AttilaÂ’s mother had to cancel at the last minute. Fortunately for us all though, AttilaÂ’s 20 year old nephew, Pityuka (Steven), a Chef-In-Training, stepped up to the hot plate. His Vienna Schnitzel and Chicken Paprika with little pasta dumpling reminded me of my frequent stops at CoomaÂ’s (NSW) Transylvania winery. Authentic, tender and very more-ish. The apricot filled pancakes were also a great success at the end of the evening. Well done.
Our Chef
The list of the wines and my impressions follow:
1) 1983 LOUIS ROEDERER – Champagne
Very smooth. Great complexity with biscuit, apple, yeast, cinnamon and quite developed aldehyde of medium intensity but starts to lack depth past the front palate. Good acid but there is definite lack of freshness showing that it showing that it is past its peak. A delight to sample but not a great wine anymore.
2) 2001 CLOS FLORIDENE Graves (White)
Some nice mineral and grassy characters upon opening but these were soon swamped by burnt onion in what turned out to be a bad case of DMDS.
3) 1992 TAHBILK Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – Goulburn Valley, Victoria
Medium/full bodied with good palate weight. Sweet dark and red developed berries of excellent depth with some lovely herbs, earth and tobacco. Excellent length with gravely tannins and some Tahbilk dirt for good measure. Good power with elegance. 17.7/20.
4) 1983 LINDEMANS Hunter River Burgundy Bin 6603 – Hunter Valley, NSW
Not a very good bottle as the fruit was starting getting quite thin and the wine only just being kept alive by beautiful, fine acidity. However, being one that enjoys the Hunter, I still obtained some enjoyment from the raspberry, tobacco and liqueur flavours on the long, although thin, palate. I hoped that the wine might build throughout the nice but it was gone after a few hours.
5) 1986 MOUNT MARY Quintet Cabernets – Yarra Valley, Victoria
Absolutely gorgeous nose, unmistakeably Cabernet. Blackberry and blackcurrant with loads of ripe herbs, tobacco, pencil shaving and roast capsicum. The front palate is smooth, deep and broad with the wineÂ’s complexity really opening up on the middle palate. The black fruits do not carry the wineÂ’s other characters as well on the back palate but this dimension did not take too much away from this beautiful wine. 18.2/20.
6) 2000 CHATEAU PALMER 3rd Growth - Margaux
Very rich, powerful, broad and deep. Full of dark fruits, high quality oak and ripe tannins with excellent minerality and pencil, these last complexity adding characters being the only clues that it was Bordeaux. My only criticism is that its increased breadth of the front palate gave me a feeling that is lacked a little depth and length on the back. Otherwise, this could be a quite stupendous wine, and a decade of cellaring may just enable it to fulfil this exciting possibility. 18.1/20.
7) 1997 VYLYAN Duennium Cabernets – Villány, Hungary
Disjointed and acidic. A Hungarian disaster.
8 ) 2002 CRUICKSHANK Pressings Cabernet Sauvignon – Upper Hunter Valley, NSW
Powerful and deep blackberry fruit with ripe Cabernet complexities. Oak supports well but is in the background. Abundant fine, chalky tannins that turn powdery after a few seconds in the mouth. Very impressive wine. 18/20.
9) 1976 Chateau LAFITE ROTHSCHILD 1st Growth – Pauillac
“This wine is like Cher, sixty years old and still looking good†– Attila.
Indeed, this was my wine of the night. Blackcurrant, liquorice, chocolate, cedar, caramel and brown sugar. Very intense. Heaps of classy, sweet oak still balancing the fruit, although there was a little but of dill. Very silky. I could not fault the front and middle palate, so broad and complex. Unfortunately though, the wineÂ’s back palate was starting to fade. A wine that is not getting better but is a sheer delight to drink. 18.4/20.
The Top Wines
10) 1996 CHATEAU GRUAUD LAROSE 2nd Growth - Saint Julien
A lovely nose but an acidic palate. Parker gave this 91 points. We gave it a miss. Just drinkable.
11) 1986 Penfolds 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
Powerful, porty and alcoholic. Agreeable.
12) 1995 CHATEAU LA MISSION HAUT BRION Grand Cru - Pessac Leognan
Strong cedary oak, weeds, black olives and tough blackberries. Lacking fruit and depth, and seemed a bit hollow. Agreeable.
13) 1995 DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER Grand Cru - Pessac Leognan
Oaky with that tough, dehydrated blackberry feeling again but very unbalanced. Agreeable.
14) 1982 CHATEAU CALON SEGUR 3rd Growth - Saint Estephe
Oxidised.
15) 1989 CHATEAU LEOVILLE BARTON Saint Julien 2nd Growth
A wine with a very complex middle palate particularly of herbs but unfortunately not much else, no front or back palate. Obviously a terrible bottle, given other reviews, despite its excellent level in the bottle and overall condition.
16) 2000 CHATEAU DERESZLA Late Picked Furmint – Tokaji, Hungary
Quite enjoyable Furmint characters, similar to the pear-like Pinot Gris, but it lacked intensity and depth to be memorable. 15.7/20.
17) 1983 Chateau LAFAURIE PEYRAGUEY 1st Growth – Sauternes
A broad and sweet palate of apricot (or was that the pancakes), marmalade, quince and lovely roasted almonds of good depth. The glycerine and sweetness was definitely at the luscious end but there was enough balancing acidity. A very enjoyable wine to finish the evening. 17.5/20.
In the end, less than half the wines presented were enjoyable with only a couple of these showing any hints of greatness, and the majority being very expensive disappointments. I now refuse to buy aged wines from auctions, not matter how great the condition of a bottle. I have simply had enough of wasting money. However, it was obvious that the evening was enjoyed by all as we retired to AttilaÂ’s lounge room to discuss the format of the next Club dinner, maybe a Champagne night.
Kind regards,
Adair
