This was a smaller affair put together at short notice with 10 people, and a theme of quality Australian wines (or else something else bloody good) to give Nayan some fond memories of Australia to leave with. The venue was Soho, who again rose to the challenge with an encore of the superb menu of the last offline with a different dessert substituted for the stickies. My thanks again go to Bradley & Peta, and to everyone there for another great evening with many great wines which made for many different WOTN - the headache at work the following morning was well worth it.
Seppelt DP117 Fino (375ml): Light to mid-straw colour. Yeasty/nutty nose at first with a hint of spirit, then some paint fumes; bone dry and yeasty palate with a slightly green tinge, and a slightly nutty finish. This was well chilled and looked a touch old to start with, but was a lot better as it warmed up.
Elgy-Ouriet Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs: Dark straw with a hint of pink and a very fine bead. Surprisingly toasty nose with just a little vegemite; very creamy palate with complex bread/biscuit characters, the finish surprisingly dry and short. We talked afterwards about an Aussie equivalent – the Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs which I thought finished with the 1997 vintage, but saw a 1999 release last night so it is still being made.
1993 Henschke Eden Valley Riesling: Dark gold. Sweet pineapple fruit with just a little vanilla and hardly a trace of kerosene, and later on some banana, finishing with a fine, slightly toasty/nutty finish. It's in remarkably good shape for 14 years old.
2004 Anvers Chardonnay: Pale/mid straw. Elegant nose with some struck flint, talcum powder and a little fennel; crisp, restrained palate with a candied/sweet entry followed by stonefruit backed by subtle vanilla oak, finishing slightly nutty. This seemed very reminiscent of Chablis in style, and the oak handling is excellent - it would have been interesting to compare this to the three top quality Chardonnays at the last offline.
2000 Domaine Des Comtes Lafon: Dark red. Damp cardboard on the nose, with some blue/red fruits trying to push through the TCA to no avail; the palate was pretty heavily stripped, a real shame.
2002 Fox Run Finger Lakes Lemberger: Very dark red. Ripe red berry fruits with a hint of liquorice; earthy entry with dark cherry fruit, becoming nutty mid-palate, finishing surprisingly oily/buttery, and later developing some cashew/game characters. This was a very interesting wine, matching the entrée well and was a nice comparison to the Pinots.
2004 Tarrington Pinot Noir: Murky, dark cherry red. Bright, sweet, jammy cherry fruits with a hint of blueberry on the nose and palate, which was thick and fleshy. While I thought this was a little sweet and simple, I still liked its palate texture.
2004 Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir: Clear, blood red. Sweet lifted cherry and blueberries backed by a healthy wallop of vanillin, then smoky oak; the palate’s far lighter and less fleshy than the Tarrington, the oak too obvious and the 14.9% alcohol too much.
1990 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz: I had my doubts about this one before I left home, at first it seemed fantastic then turned sullen with strange petrichor characters, so I opened and checked my spare wine and took both. Dark to very inky red. Very complex nose of earthy/lifted cherries, sous bois/mushroom, then capsicum and blackcurrant, vanilla, chocolate and roast coffee. The palate was full bodied yet surprisingly elegant & restrained, a little green at first with capsicum and blackcurrant, slowly building with breathing and adding layers and length and earthy/plum characters. This just got better and better as the night went on – I think it’s best is still another five or so years away on this form so it’s a pity that’s my last bottle, but it went to a good cause.
1990 Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Shiraz: Dark red. Some capsicum and tomato at first followed by a hit of heavy toasty/vanilla oak, ripe raspberry fruit and VA; surprisingly mid-weight palate with jammy black cherry/plum fruit and too much vanillin oak. This was my spare, and while it didn’t have the ugly heavy bourbon characters when I opened it, this was still badly outclassed by the surrounding aged Cabernets & blends. This may have the legend of winning the top three trophies at the National Wine Show back to back in 1992-1993, but I’m glad now I didn’t try and match it up against the Penfolds Bin 90A.
1994 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red. Picture perfect Cabernet nose of blackcurrant/coal and lifted mint, creamy vanilla oak and green capsicum; full-weight, gorgeous palate with the same characters as the nose, ripe and soft with just a tinge of green and excellent length. 1994 is a very underrated vintage for South Australia, and the Henschkes’ are up there among the very best.
1992 Clarendon Hills Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red. Just a little cooler on the nose than the Henschke, inky/dark coal, blackcurrant and pencil shavings, green capsicum, pepper and ozone. Dry/green palate with a chalky/tannic structure and a hint of beetroot in comparison, not as ripe as the Henschke but still very young with a long future – a great Cabernet that needs a good lamb roast to match.
2000 Yalumba FDR1A Cabernet Shiraz: Dark, clear red. Black cherry, toast and heavy vanillin oak; sweet blackberry/cherry and obvious but soft, chewy tannins, finishing again with obvious oak. This is really an excellent outcome for the extremely difficult 2000 vintage, although in a group like this it looked a little lightweight & oaky.
1998 Bowen Estate Ampelon Shiraz: Dark to inky red. Sweet ribena/blackcurrant fruit with lashings of vanillin oak; very ripe, full-bodied palate with jammy fruit, some raisin characters, violets, pen-ink and brine, a complete oral assault. I can’t imagine a Coonawarra red being quite as ripe as this and getting away with it – not really my style, but I’m still kind of impressed by it’s arrogant swagger.
1999 Masi Costasera Amarone Classico: Dark to inky red/crimson. Dusty earth/coal, salami and a little sweat (the ‘Stoker’s Apron’ as Philip White used to say), then cloves and mint. The palate’s similarly funky without being overly stinky, mid-weight with sweet cherry fruit and minty alcohol heat on the finish. For all its funky characters I still found this a little simple and hot, but it was in pretty special company.
1995 Houghton Show Reserve Shiraz: At two previous offlines this was my WOTN, and it was again for the majority of this one too. Medium-dark blood red. Gorgeous, ever changing nose of black jubes/jellies, cassis, dried herbs, vanilla, and beef stock; elegant and yet full-weight palate, subtle, ripe and mouth filling with ripe red fruits and a touch of pepper backed by subtle oak (somewhere), the length outstanding. I think many great wines have a tag – this one should be the chameleon: at one time it’s like Coonawarra, another like CDP, then the Rhone. I’ve never struck a bottle quite as Rhoney/stocky as this one, although I don’t think I’ve let a glass sit there as long as this – every bottle of this is an adventure and well worth seeking out.
2005 Glaymond The Distance Shiraz: Dark to very inky red/purple. Freshly scrubbed very ripe blackberries with a little VA; ripe blackberry fruit with vanillin oak, hot alcohol and brine characters. This was better with breathing, but it’s still hard and unfair to comment on such a young/raw wine in this company.
2005 Glaymond Landrace Shiraz Mataro: Dark to very inky red/purple. It’s a similar story here, the Mataro adding a smokier/dry element this time in place of the vanillin oak but it’s still a bit hot and simple. Again it’s pretty unfair to look at this after trying the previous wines.
1982 De Bortoli Noble One (the original 'Australian Botrytis Sauternes' label, 750ml): Dark tawny/amber with a bright olive rim. Gorgeous, buttery characters, some dates, creme brulee & dried flowers; rich savoury/sweet palate with marmalade characters and some tangy apricot mid-palate, finishing sweet but very dry at first. I initially thought this was maybe a little older and drier than at the Noble One vertical two years ago, but when matched with the Vanilla Panna Cotta dessert it fleshed out, the finish longer, sweeter and absolutely irresistible, and it was still improving long after the food had been consumed. By the end of the night this was even better than the bottle two years ago, and showed why it’s built the legend of Noble One that’s continued to this day. Outstanding.
1997 Hardy’s Padthaway Noble Riesling (375ml): Bright amber. Much lighter/simpler than the Noble One, with some pineapple and a good level of botrytis but nowhere near the same level of depth, complexity and soul.
1986 Cam Brai Vintage Port: Very inky red. Lifted, dark spirity fruit with mint, cloves, soapy detergent, raisins and some burnt sugar; sweet, sugar-dusted blackberries up-front, followed by cloves/mint, leather, cough drops and some milk chocolate/caramel, finishing with some minty alcohol. This looks very young for its age, but at the moment I don’t think it quite has the integrated length of a top VP – maybe in another 10-15 years?
Seppelt 125th Anniversary Joseph Ernst Port, blended from 1933-1954 Para Liqueurs: Murky tawny/brown. Sweet toffee/chocolate & coffee with some brandy/butter and VA lift; nutty rancio, caramel and some apricot, a little short at first and still in shock from the freezer/double decant to filter the sediment, but a lot better with time to settle down. It didn’t show its best and really needed another day to recover and open up after the filtering, but on the flip side I had half the bottle left to enjoy the last few nights in this freezing weather.
Cheers
Ian
