Wine and Dinner at Ironside Thai (Christchurch)
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:57 pm
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,
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,
