Melbe East Offline - Oct 2003 - Tasting Notes
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2003 3:45 pm
Usual axe-murderers - Anthony, Neville, Rory, Sanjay, Peter, Pau and myself adjourned to Samsara in Mt Waverley, where the food was even better than last time. The only downside was my Riedel got broken at the table ! (what are the Esse Design Bordeaux glasses like - Murray, anyone ?)
Wines were :
2002 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir
Bright ruby colour. Attractive dark cherries on the nose. Medium bodied, smooth cherry fruit with some smoky oak rounding out the finish. Reminded me more of a New Zealand Pinot style (and all the better for it) and pretty good value in the low to mid $20Â’s.
1992 Bests Bin O Shiraz
Still relatively youthful ruby-red. Lovely perfumed fruit, with touches of mint and vanilla. Refined, sweet blackberry fruit, still slightly tight to taste resulting in a shortish finish that should fill out with time. This was obviously a very good vintage for Bests.
1994 Guigal Cote Rotie
Medium red. Chalky-powdery sweet fruit to smell – quite enticing, and opened up further over time. The palate is rich and powerful enough yet also elegant in that Cote Rotie style. Some tannins to finish and probably still on the upward climb to maturity.
1994 Xanadu Reserve Cabernet
Medium to deep red-ruby. Excellent nose of cedary cassis fruit. Lovely full-bodied palate with some Margaret River earthiness and moccha oak. Reminded me of a cross between Moss Wood and Cape Mentelle.
1984 Moss Wood Cabernet
Medium red. Maturing plummy fruit and cedary oak to smell. Rich plum and cedar in balance with dark chocolate at the back of the palate – something like an Australian Pomerol. On a plateau and no sign of going downhill – great for a wine that almost 20 years old.
1993 Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet (Sonoma Valley)
Very deep, maturing blackish red. Overtly fruity to smell – oak is there but certainly subservient to the fruit. Similar to taste – almost exuberant in its youthful fruitiness, although the structure is there underneath. The Merlot appears to have quite an influence on the style of the wine. I have never had a Californian like this (obviously I should get out more).
1990 Cullens Cabernet-Merlot
Deep red, blackish middle. Earthy fruit on the nose. The palate shows plum-cassis fruit and some of that earthy-gravelly character talked about (in a positive sense) with Margaret River Cabernets. Still relatively youthful - quality Aussie Bordeaux blend.
1994 Chateau Greysac
Medium red. Oak is now the dominant feature of the wine as the fruit has started to fade away.
1983 Hugel Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Noble (375ml)
Extremely rich yet not over the top. Great wine tasting of honey, peaches and that typical lychee character adding to the complexity of the dessert wine. Could live a long time but certainly drinking well now.
regards
Chris
Wines were :
2002 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir
Bright ruby colour. Attractive dark cherries on the nose. Medium bodied, smooth cherry fruit with some smoky oak rounding out the finish. Reminded me more of a New Zealand Pinot style (and all the better for it) and pretty good value in the low to mid $20Â’s.
1992 Bests Bin O Shiraz
Still relatively youthful ruby-red. Lovely perfumed fruit, with touches of mint and vanilla. Refined, sweet blackberry fruit, still slightly tight to taste resulting in a shortish finish that should fill out with time. This was obviously a very good vintage for Bests.
1994 Guigal Cote Rotie
Medium red. Chalky-powdery sweet fruit to smell – quite enticing, and opened up further over time. The palate is rich and powerful enough yet also elegant in that Cote Rotie style. Some tannins to finish and probably still on the upward climb to maturity.
1994 Xanadu Reserve Cabernet
Medium to deep red-ruby. Excellent nose of cedary cassis fruit. Lovely full-bodied palate with some Margaret River earthiness and moccha oak. Reminded me of a cross between Moss Wood and Cape Mentelle.
1984 Moss Wood Cabernet
Medium red. Maturing plummy fruit and cedary oak to smell. Rich plum and cedar in balance with dark chocolate at the back of the palate – something like an Australian Pomerol. On a plateau and no sign of going downhill – great for a wine that almost 20 years old.
1993 Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet (Sonoma Valley)
Very deep, maturing blackish red. Overtly fruity to smell – oak is there but certainly subservient to the fruit. Similar to taste – almost exuberant in its youthful fruitiness, although the structure is there underneath. The Merlot appears to have quite an influence on the style of the wine. I have never had a Californian like this (obviously I should get out more).
1990 Cullens Cabernet-Merlot
Deep red, blackish middle. Earthy fruit on the nose. The palate shows plum-cassis fruit and some of that earthy-gravelly character talked about (in a positive sense) with Margaret River Cabernets. Still relatively youthful - quality Aussie Bordeaux blend.
1994 Chateau Greysac
Medium red. Oak is now the dominant feature of the wine as the fruit has started to fade away.
1983 Hugel Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Noble (375ml)
Extremely rich yet not over the top. Great wine tasting of honey, peaches and that typical lychee character adding to the complexity of the dessert wine. Could live a long time but certainly drinking well now.
regards
Chris
