Moet-Hennessy Tasting, Brisbane 4/5/05
Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 10:37 am
Nothing to get too excited about, as the big guns from this company werenÂ’t on show.
Brief impressions only.
Chandon Vintage 2001 Sparkling
Rather impressive for an Aussie sparkling at this price point. Initial citrus fruit sweetness with attractive yeasty flavours. Nice, soft beads.
Moet & Chandon Rose NV
By keeping the Pinot Noir on skins for a while, the wine shows off not only citrus fruit and bready flavours but also light red berry (pomegranate) fruit and solid backbone. I had never tasted this wine before, however it was the surprise of the night for me – highly enjoyable.
Mountadam Chardonnay 2002
Slightly restrained nose, however smelling of lovely cool climate Chardonnay – Melon, a little unripe peach, and just the right amount of toasty oak. Definite (though not detracting) acidity and excellent balance should ensure cellaring ability. My only question mark on this wine is the length of finish. Perhaps slightly intimidated by the Moet before it.
Mr Riggs Shiraz 2003
This disappeared pretty quickly, and I canÂ’t remember too much about it. I guess this is a good thing. From what I remember, good balance between fruit and oak, and good drinking even at this young age. Good quality fruit here.
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Strong dark fruit with strong herbaceousness (mint, parsley) and earthy/compost/savoury flavours. Strong gravely tannins. Its interesting that I have used the word ‘strong’ often. This is exactly what I felt of the wine – everything was very… strong. Not for the faint hearted, in fact it was a little off-putting. The most disappointing wine of the night for me, particularly given its price. Give me a Coonawarra cabernet any day over this.
Cloudy Bay 2002 Late Harvest Riesling (375mL)
Noble One and Golden botrytis are my staple stickies that I enjoy so much, I hadnÂ’t even thought of moving up into this next price bracket. Big mistake. Yum. About 30% of this wine is Botrytis infected, so it has the vibrant sweetness of the other two, though in addition, a strong acidity that gives the wine excellent structure. Not at all cloying, finishing very clean. This wine was simply delicious. I went back for seconds.
Hennessy VSOP Cognac
Usually I drink Hennessy XO so this was somewhat of a step down, though ultimately better VFM. Not as smooth as XO, and the alcohol spirit was more pronounced in mouth. Finished with a funky coffee aftertaste that I rather enjoyed.
Brief impressions only.
Chandon Vintage 2001 Sparkling
Rather impressive for an Aussie sparkling at this price point. Initial citrus fruit sweetness with attractive yeasty flavours. Nice, soft beads.
Moet & Chandon Rose NV
By keeping the Pinot Noir on skins for a while, the wine shows off not only citrus fruit and bready flavours but also light red berry (pomegranate) fruit and solid backbone. I had never tasted this wine before, however it was the surprise of the night for me – highly enjoyable.
Mountadam Chardonnay 2002
Slightly restrained nose, however smelling of lovely cool climate Chardonnay – Melon, a little unripe peach, and just the right amount of toasty oak. Definite (though not detracting) acidity and excellent balance should ensure cellaring ability. My only question mark on this wine is the length of finish. Perhaps slightly intimidated by the Moet before it.
Mr Riggs Shiraz 2003
This disappeared pretty quickly, and I canÂ’t remember too much about it. I guess this is a good thing. From what I remember, good balance between fruit and oak, and good drinking even at this young age. Good quality fruit here.
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Strong dark fruit with strong herbaceousness (mint, parsley) and earthy/compost/savoury flavours. Strong gravely tannins. Its interesting that I have used the word ‘strong’ often. This is exactly what I felt of the wine – everything was very… strong. Not for the faint hearted, in fact it was a little off-putting. The most disappointing wine of the night for me, particularly given its price. Give me a Coonawarra cabernet any day over this.
Cloudy Bay 2002 Late Harvest Riesling (375mL)
Noble One and Golden botrytis are my staple stickies that I enjoy so much, I hadnÂ’t even thought of moving up into this next price bracket. Big mistake. Yum. About 30% of this wine is Botrytis infected, so it has the vibrant sweetness of the other two, though in addition, a strong acidity that gives the wine excellent structure. Not at all cloying, finishing very clean. This wine was simply delicious. I went back for seconds.
Hennessy VSOP Cognac
Usually I drink Hennessy XO so this was somewhat of a step down, though ultimately better VFM. Not as smooth as XO, and the alcohol spirit was more pronounced in mouth. Finished with a funky coffee aftertaste that I rather enjoyed.