Wine and Dinner at Ironside Thai (Christchurch)

[Maximus]

There were seven of us – eight including Jon – who were catching up to celebrate Andy’s appointment as new wine rep for Negotiants and Willy’s new appointment as Assistant Manager at the Liquor King Carlton store – Andy’s old job. As the trend for these nights seems to be, we were enjoying our wine over some fine Thai cuisine provided by Jon and his crew at Ironside Thai here in Christchurch. I can’t speak highly enough of Jon (and his staff) who are always very professional but warm and friendly all the same. Once most of the patrons had left, Jon was able to undo a few top buttons and join us at the table. The following is a rough account of the wines:


1. Taittinger Brut Reserve Magnum

Light straw colour with a tinge of green. Very fine bead. Quite a toasty nose with slightly herbaceous overtones (I thought anyway). Finish lingers with pleasant citrus and biscuit flavours. Only four of the five present were drinking this. Certainly gave us one helluva kick start! A nice champagne but not one of my favourites.


2. Nautilius 2004 Sauvignon Blanc

Just like sniffing, and biting into, a juicy green capsicum. Enjoyable and very much a varietal wine. Refreshing to find the acidity low compared to the typical Marlborough Sauvs and mouthfeel is very pleasant, a lingering finish that is almost finely tannic. Soft and sweet.


3. Madiran 2001 Leognac (Tannat / Cab Franc / Cab Sauv / Fer Servadou)

Corked.


4. Noon 2003 “Eclipse” Grenache Shiraz

My first impression was ‘wow’. A complex nose, with hints of tomato leaf, mint (very subtle), cigar box, chocolate, dark berry fruit and vanilla. Something new with every sniff and the promise of more to come. A slight confectionery taste with mocha on the palate, leading to a rich, gorgeous mouth feel. Absolutely no evidence of heat from the high alcohol (15.5%) and my tongue enjoyed the challenge of removing the thick, black liquid from every corner of my mouth. My wine of the night and first introduction to Noon.


5. Castello Banfi 1996 Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese)

I was still hunting down and relishing the last drops of Noon so was a little rushed with this wine. Again, a complex nose but very hard for me to distinguish or classify what I was smelling – I thought it was closed and needed some serious air time. I did pick up liquorice and prune on the nose. The palate had concentrated berry fruit with a generous mouth feel. A good, aged Italian wine that was perhaps underestimated with no decanting or significant air exposure.


6. Cape Mentelle 2002 Zinfandel

Wine organization at the table was very poor and we had four bottles open at once. I missed this wine.


7. Daniel Schuster 2003 Omihi Vineyard Pinot Noir

Kept hidden by a pompous mongrel who kept it for himself. I was allowed a sniff only, and therefore canÂ’t offer any notes on this wine.


8. Taylors 1998 “St Andrews” Shiraz

Dark, red crimson colour. Nose of vanilla, white pepper, slightly herbaceous. Oak is prevalent on the palate. Having now tried a few St Andrews, I recognize the style. A nice wine, but I much prefer the same vintage Cabernet Sauvignon.


9. Hardys “Thomas Hardy” 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon

The sniff is much like a menthol cigarette. Decanted for four hours and I was still waiting for this wine to release. Blackcurrant and cherry on the palate, smooth and well made. This wasn’t my cup of tea – possibly needs a lot more time? Even still, I don’t think the nose will change considerably and that in particular didn’t appeal a great deal to me.


10. Orlando “Trilogy” Sparlking, 3L Double Magnum

Plonk. Not a patch on the Taittinger. Someone arrived late and this was opened (stupidly mind you) as a ‘catch up’ wine. They may as well have supplied straws to everyone.


11. Clearview Estate 2002 Sea Red

Corked.


A couple more bottles were opened, including a $50 Italian magnum of something, and a NZ cab merlot but I was a little jaded with the ‘green tea wine night’ so to speak and longing for some big, traditional, Barossa Shiraz or something to bring me back to normal and a ‘control bottle’ to which I could measure everything else. So I had a spell with plenty of water and finished with a couple beers, long flat white and then a short black.

The wine order for the night was certainly out of sync and some ‘new faces’ on the night took charge with some plonk on board and brazenly opened wines when perhaps they shouldn’t have. Needless to say, it was still great to experience and try a lot of new wines (to my palate anyway) and I took a great deal of satisfaction when no one guessed correctly the two grape varieties that comprise the Noon Eclipse (which, along with the Thomas Hardy, was my byo inclusion). A pity about the corked wines but these things happen. A 2.30am finish at the restaurant, followed by two hours of pool, made for a late but satisfying night.

I wasnÂ’t feeling particularly confident on the night with my wine notes and certainly didnÂ’t give any of the wines a proper analysis. With the eight hour duration at Ironside Thai, I think half of us started quickly with a slow finish, and the other half were the opposite. Would be interested to hear feedback of the same wines (even different vintage) of those tasted on the night.

Cheers for now,

[Red Bigot]

...but I was a little jaded with the ‘green tea wine night’ so to speak and longing for some big, traditional, Barossa Shiraz or something to bring me back to normal and a ‘control bottle’ to which I could measure everything else.

Interesting mix of wines with Thai food, cabernets are usually a pretty dud choice for Thai. After many years of extensive experimentation with mostly Oz wine with Thai food, with Thai friends here and in Thailand, we've come to the strong conclusion that a nicely balanced Shiraz that doesn't have excessive tannins or oak flavours suits best.

And then last year we discovered that Warrabilla Parola's Durif 2002 was an amazingly good match with the strong green-herb laced style of southern thai curries in Surat Thani, just brilliant. Smithy there is a market for you in Thailand , now the free-trade agreement is in place.

[Guest]

Thanks for the notes Max..............

Whereabouts is Ironside Thai???....I'm in ChCh next week.

Cheers

Dave

[GrahamB]

I have found a nice Thai/red wine match in a Rockford Moppa Springs.

Keep up the good work while you can Max. Study begins soon.

Graham

[Maximus]

Dave,

Ironside Thai is on Montreal Street in the city centre grid. The actual establishment looks like an old, single story Queenslander and it's off the street, set back a bit. It's on the corner of a wierd intersection with Victoria Street, which is the street that the Casino can be found on. $20-$30 will see you busting at the seams and if you're feeling rich (although his prices are very fair), ask Jon for the 'unlisted' wine list and dab at the drool as you peruse...


Graham,

We still have '98 Moppa Springs at work and I haven't tried it yet, so I'll bring that along next time I have Thai. Not a bad price at NZ$25 either. Study begins on Monday and the folks arrive on Thursday. A busy coming week. Make sure you keep that dust off your throat.


Cheers,

[markg]

Thanks for the notes Max,

I agree with your take on the 2003 Eclipse, a very good wine now with great upside into the future.

[Maximus]

Dave,

Please note that Ironside Thai is a fully licensed restaurant.


Mark,

Have you tried any of the older Noon wines? I don't know how long Drew's been around for (for Noon wines anyway) but I'd love to try, say a 1998 Noon wine and see just how good something with a little age is. I'm keen to try his Reserve Shiraz and also the Amarone style wine he does - with 17% alcohol?


Cheers,

[Red Bigot]

Have you tried any of the older Noon wines? I don't know how long Drew's been around for (for Noon wines anyway) but I'd love to try, say a 1998 Noon wine and see just how good something with a little age is. I'm keen to try his Reserve Shiraz and also the Amarone style wine he does - with 17% alcohol?

Maximus, the oldest Noons wine I have is the 97 vintage, I'm not sure if this is Drew's first vintage there, the winery was established in 1976. The 1998 Reserve Shiraz is a stunner, still quite youthful, will cellar at least 5 years yet, probably more. The last one I had was in Thailand last year with a Thai-style hot-pot meal and it went well with the different vegetables, fishes and meats cooked in the most amazing broth. We opened a 2002 for comparison, but didn't allow enough time for it to breathe up, it was only starting to show hints of coming glories near the end of the bottle. I think the 98 is the better wine though, it seemed to have better structure and fruit richness than the 02.

There are some 98 Reserve Shiraz in the current Langtons Auction, you can get them for around $150 pb + commission/freight, it's not a completely stupid price for such a great wine.