The Auswine Forum

We thoroughly enjoyed the food, the company and the wine.

Here are some notes for just a few of the wines of the night. I have not deliberately omitted some wines, it's just my mental notes of some wines are, errrr, misplaced



Billecart Salmon - 1996 Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rose
A brilliant start to the night. Very little mousse, and an abbreviated bead of tiny bubbles. A complex wine with wild strawberries, Brioche, crisp acidity, and a bone-dry forever-lasting finish that I can still taste now. Lovely wine. Contender for wine of the night IMO.

Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2000
On its own, this is a lovely complex wine, full of crisp citrus acidity, initially quite smoky, but opened to reveal tropical fruits of pineapple, and grapefruit. Sadly, because it followed the Elisabeth Rose, it seemed <<almost>> one-dimensional and ordinary!

1996 Petersons Hunter Valley Semillon
A lovely aged Semillon, a perfect match for the starter course too. Toast, honey, and refined / elegant crisp acidity, very smooth and long, rounded finish. Just a pup! Delicious.

2005 Kumeu River Mates Chardonnay
I'd been waiting to taste this, our NZ colleagues give this winery big raps.
Some very nice restrained fruit, pear skins, nectarines, white peach, very creamy and buttery, with roasted nuts in there too. I thought this just a little overworked, and was disappointed, the fruit was not all that well defined, "muddy" comes to mind. OK wine.

2006 Ata Rangi Chardonnay
A good wine to compare with the Kumeu Chardonnay.
I though that this was much crisper, with beautifully defined fruit, including some tropical elements, and a long spicy finish. Much less worked, a beautiful and natural wine.

2007 Piper's Brook Gewurztraminer
Delicate like a rose petal, some residual sweetness, and spice, nice length, altogether too easy to drink. Nice.

2004 Tapanappa Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz
Brian Croser is a genius, this wine has it all. Firm, dense and very serious, dust, herbs, spice, chocolate, dark fruit (blackberries, mulberries, plums) and sensational tannins "on steroids". After some extended time in the glass, the immediate black fruit is replaced by dark cherries, and mint. Enough acidity to outlast us all. Impressive wine! Contender for wine of the night IMO.

2001 Domaine des Lambrays Clos de Lambrays (Grand Cru)
A beautiful bouquet of herbs, perfume and flowers, a very feminine Pinot.
Initially very closed, opened with time to reveal majestic structure, with dense silky fruit and texture. A glorious wine, with lovely purity of fruit. Contender for wine of the night IMO.

1998 Seppelts St Peters Shiraz.
A lovely mature cool-climate shiraz, with a striking nose full of violets, white pepper, barbecued meats, all-spice, licquorice, dark chocolate, truffles and dark fruit. The palate very much follows the nose. The structure is complex, with immaculate balance, the finish just goes on and on forever. Very nearly at its peak on the night! Amazing. Contender for wine of the night IMO.

2003 Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz
A very classy, classic Clare shiraz, meaty and peppery, nice firm and mouthfilling tannins, but needs more time. Very Good.

2005 Adelina Shiraz (Clare Valley)
A very limited production wine, obviously lovingly created, a classy, and very neat Clare Shiraz, it took me quite by surprise, and necessitated a second tasting on the night Bloody Good.

1992 Mitchell Sevenhill Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)
Some immediate Brett, which I didn't mind at all (others may have though), full of funkiness, and weirdness, but mostly full of mature Cabernet, creme de cassis, tobacco leaf, capsicum, black berry fruits, and after an extended time in glass developed distinct licquorice, and more dark fruit, as the Brett lessened. In a blind tasting I would have called this classic Coonawarra Cabernet. Pretty darn good.

1999 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon
Still a very young wine, with a long life ahead of it, but I'm not confident that it will improve though.
Not as dark as the Mitchell Cabernet, classic bouquet and palate of a Coonawarra Cabernet, black currants and black plums, red capsicum, creamy cedary oak, firm and ripe tannins. Really quite a lovely texture, with a smooth and satisfying (lasting) savoury finish. One for the Coonawarra purists. Very good, but not great.



Once again, thanks to everyone for a great night.

John

edit:(1)name correction, (2)date correction

Thanks for the TNs, John. Nice, as usual.

In particular, I agree with you on the 1998 St. Peters. You've hit the nail on the head with your assessment of it's impeccable balance. IMO, that's the principal feature of a good wine.

When I had this wine about a year ago, I felt it had the backbone to go another 20 years. You say it's nearly at it's peak, but would you opine that it will hold this peak up to, say, 2020, or has it lost it's ageability.

I'd appreciate your feedback because I have another 5 bottles left, and I'll drink up over the next year if it won't hold as long as I thought.

Best,

PJ.

Hi PJ

I agree, it definitely has the goods to go for at least another decade.

I'm not sure how it could improve further though, it lacks nothing right now.

John #11 wrote:Hi PJ

I agree, it definitely has the goods to go for at least another decade.

I'm not sure how it could improve further though, it lacks nothing right now.

Gents,

I bought a lot of this at release and every bottle I've tried has impressed for many different reasons, but the common thread I've gleaned from all - it needs time. Drinkable now - but will get better!

My last note from November 2007 -

Saturated dark ruby purple. Quiite a boisterous nose with spicy, juicy blackberries leaping from the glass with undertones of Satsuma plum, savoury French oak and a touch of lift as a top note. For its age, still incredibly youthful and elemental. The medium- to full-bodied palate boasts a wealth of old vine creamy fruit loaded with choco-berry/plummy flavour, relatively low acidity, a nice dollop of savoury/vanillin oak and quite robust tannins on a chalky finish of excellent length. With extended breathing, this wine improved dramatically, revealing more complexity and improved palate structure/integration. An extremely classy wine that needs several more years to reach peak maturity. Drink now-2020+. 92 points.

C'mon everyone who was there on the night, share your thoughts!!

Alright, since I never take notes at these things, this is simply from memory:

1996 Billecart Elizabeth - loved it, loved it, loved it, must drink more of it whenever I get the chance
2000 Moet Grand Vintage - still very enjoyable but did seem a little simple after the Billecart
1996 Petersons Semillon - lacked excitement for mine, seemed a little flat, but I'm not a huge Semillon drinker
2005 Kumeu River Mates Chardonnay - I found this overworked and a little too buttery, but I guess it depends on what you look for in your Chardonnay
2006 Ata Rangi Chardonnay - like John, I enjoyed this much more than the Kumeu River for its cleaner fruit and crispness. Went looking for another glass but it was all gone!
2007(?) Piper's Brook Gewurztraminer - really enjoyed this, probably my pick of the whites, especially for the nose
2004 Fattoria Zerbina Pietramora Sangiovese - this was replacement bottle for the Isole e Olena Cepparello which I opened earlier to find it was corked. Mildly disappointing. Anyway, the Pietramora took forever to open up, I foudn the tannins way too agressive on the 1st taste without much fruit, however it opened up after half an hour into a powerful but very enjoyable Sangio
2005 Viottolo Viale Sangiovese Cabernet - really interesting to taste this next to a few Old World wines. I've had it previously & really enjoyed it. Enjoyed it again at the off-line, but it was very obviously New World in comparison - much sweeter flavour profile, more obvious oak. Initially I thought it looked a bit clumsy next to the Italians, but once my palate adjusted, I decided that it's a really enjoyable New World take on an Old World blend
2004 Tapanappa Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz - really enjoyed this, I think because the Shiraz filled out the 'meanness' that I sometimes get in Coonawarra Cabernet
2001 Domaine des Lambrays - sensational herbaceous nose, coudl have smelled this all night. Would have been good to have this at the last off-line against all of the New World Pinots. Lovely refined palate, delicate rather than overpowering, great. Probably my RWOTN
1998 Seppelts St Peters Shiraz - continue to be pleasantly surprised by Victorian Shiraz (as a parochial South Australian). Fantastic wine & lasted very well in the glass for 20-30 minutes, beautiful length
2003 Tim Adams Aberfeldy - shaded just a little by the company, but still a delicious, palate-coating Shiraz. I'd honestly be drinking this now, while it's still got that fantastic primary fruit, but that's just palate preference.
1992 Mitchell Cabernet - couldn't get past the Brett. Others commented that it blew off after a while, but I wasn't going to risk it.
1999 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet - everything in its right place, didn't excite me as much as the Tapanappa earlier
2005 Adelina Shiraz - this was actually a really great way to finish up the reds, beautiful ripe fruit, I've got though plenty of this at home!

My memory fades after that, my apologies for anything I've missed & thanks to everyone for their generosity in bringing such great wine. Extra thanks as always to Ian for organising.

Cheers
Nick

Thanks Nick, great notes.

John #11 wrote:C'mon everyone who was there on the night, share your thoughts!!

I've had a pretty busy week (4 multiple tastings in 6 days) and I've just about finally finished typing them all up.

Does anyone know the name of the Barbera that Mark took? I only wrote down "Vino da Tavola", and I'm waiting for Mark to get back to me with the name of the producer.

Cheers,
Ian

Hi Ian
I'd forgotten about that Barbera - I reckon it was a Gaja.
Cheers
Nick

It’s been a couple of months but finally another Adelaide offline, this one back at Soho Restaurant (73 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide), and this time there were 16 attending in the undercover courtyard out the back. My thanks again go to Bradley & Peta and the rest of staff for looking after us so well, and of course everyone from the forum for sharing their great company and interesting wines.


1996 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elizabeth Salmon, Brut Rosé: Pale salmon pink with a good mousse and fine, steady bead. Lovely complex nose of freshly baked bread, strawberry, toast and oyster/mineral; the palate’s just as stunning, a creamy entry with candied fruit mid-palate, and a refreshing, dry finish. What a way to start, and almost nothing else topped it.

2000 Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage: A little grassy/weedy and stinky compared to the Rose – the creamy texture was very nice with some tangy citrus fruits, but it was well and truly in the shadow of that wonderful Billecart-Salmon.


2006 Ata Rangi Chardonnay: Bright straw. Fresh/spicy nose with peachy fruit; the sweet vanilla/nutty oak’s more obvious on the palate, finishing long. What I’d describe as a Meursault or riper Chablis style of Chardonnay, very peachy and well worked with lots of winemaker inputs, and drinking very nicely now.

2005 Kumeu River Matés Vineyard Chardonnay: Bright straw. In contrast to the Ata Rangi, the oak’s toasty and more obvious on the nose, but less obvious on the palate; it’s also riper with the fruit more into the citrus/orange peel spectrum, with that toasty/cinnamon oak kicking in on the finish. Overall I prefer the Ata Rangi, but I also thought both Chardonnays matched the starter of Smoked Trout Mousse, Horseradish and Prawn Mayonnaise very well.

1996 Petersons Hunter Valley Semillon: Bright straw yellow, an astonishingly young colour. Bright citrus/lemon butter and mineral, with truckloads of acid and excellent length; still remarkably youthful and caught a little in between phases at the moment, but still mighty impressive.

2007 Pipers Brook Vineyard Gewurztraminer: Pale green (almost colourless). A little simple and one dimensional for my liking, with grassy/lychees and mineral, but fairly light weight and lacking the crunchy acid/savoury characters I’ve come to crave in my Gewurztraminer.


2004 Fattoria Zerbina Pietramora Sangiovese: Ripe, sweet and minty nose, clean but a little simple; the palate’s the same, quite sweet, light to medium weight and relatively simple with confectionery and minty/herbal characters.

2005 Viottolo Vitale (by Redheads Studio) McLaren Vale Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon: Sweeter, earthier and denser than the previous wine, with cinnamon sticks, black cherries and creamy vanillin oak; the palate shows its McLaren Vale roots with lashings of milk chocolate and ripe/earthy plum/cherry fruit. This looked very smart coming after the previous Sangiovese, and was one of the favourites of the night.

2001 Domaine des Lambrays Grand Cru, Clos des Lambrays: Delightful, fragrant nose of Italian parsley, bright strawberry/cherry and mineral and later on some spearmint; it’s just as delicate and bright in the mouth, with attractive mineral/herbal characters and excellent structure and length. This didn’t look lost among the other wines in this flight and matched the second course of Roasted Sweet corn and Flagoulet Bean En Crepe the best.

1991 Gaja Barbera Vino da Tavola, Piedmont: I found the nose of this smoky and metallic, with a little of the bilge/stinky characters others mentioned; the palate has the same characters and was rather short and flat, and there was a bit of debate whether it had a fault or this was the result of the style using very, very old oak – I thought it was the latter, but whatever the reason it wasn’t attractive.


1998 Seppelt St. Peters Shiraz: Still a dark to very inky blood red, with legs running down the glass. Remarkably complex and impeccably balanced right from the outset, with earthy chocolate, blackberry, truffle and petroleum, gradually developing some lovely aniseed characters with breathing. The medium to full weight palate’s just as perfectly balanced, with a long, silky structure and amazingly young fruit – this is a great Shiraz to have as a benchmark, and be as strong for another 10 years, probably many more – WOTN for me in a close one.

2003 Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz: Dark red, not as dark as the St. Peters five years its senior – the nose is just as attractive though, with dark chocolate, earth/truffle, tomato, inky violets and sweet berry fruit and some five spice. The palate’s medium weight but still choc full of fruit and is complex, with excellent structure and length. Drinking beautifully now, it’s an excellent wine and a brilliant result for the vintage, although it’s not a long keeper.

Irvine The Baroness: Very dark red. Very herbal nose with cassis, spice and lashings of creamy vanillin oak; the palate doesn’t measure up to the rest of this flight, it’s barely medium weight at best, very stalky and very short.

2004 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz: Dark to almost inky red. The Cabernet component really stands out in this bunch, with a herbal/menthol blackcurrant nose, and a very tannic/earthy palate – a very smart wine that’s a pretty good indicator of how much Wrattonbully is improving every year.


2003 Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon: Very good, clean nose of mint, cassis, pencil notes and some capsicum; the palate’s much more savoury and risque, with nutty/cashew and metallic characters, quite spicy and bordering feral.

2005 Marchesi de Frescobaldi Mormoreto Toscana IGT: I must have been talking or enjoyed this too much, as I didn’t take down any notes!

1999 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon: Bright, medium red, noticeably lighter than the 1992 Mitchell. Attractive nose with minty/capsicum, cassis and earth, but lacking the thunderous coal, chalk and spice characters of the best vintages; the palate’s surprisingly only medium-weight and approachable, with good blackcurrant fruit and an earthy/mineraly finish. It’s decent drinking now, but like the 2003 lacks the concentration and breathtaking power of the previous vintages.

1992 Mitchell Sevenhill Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum): When I opened this at home I thought immediately it was more advanced than a 750ml bottle I tried last year; dark to inky crimson/brick. This is a pretty good example of a wine skating around the edges without falling in, a little bretty and oaky at times but never going over the top. Lifted capsicum, pencil notes, cassis, truffle then some barnyard, changing to sweet black liquorice; the palate’s full-bodied and powerful with very ripe fruit just containing the lashings of vanilla oak, finishing long and very inky. One for the hedonists – four days later the dregs left in the bottle amounted to a glass that was still sound and full of capsicum, pencil notes and cassis.


2005 Adelina Clare Valley Shiraz: Textbook Clare (or so I was told): very inky with medium-weight, sweet plummy fruit and a clean finish. The deserts were out by this stage so I didn’t spend as much time with this as I should.


1983 Chateau Coutet 1er Cru Classe, Sauternes: Medium, honeyed gold, still remarkably youthful for 25 years old. The initial burst of sweetness was replaced by a rather strange, salty/oyster & fishy/sweaty socks character, but by dessert time it was back to being sweet again. Massive botrytis on the palate entry with lots of mineral and honeyed/drambuie characters, very long but not particularly sweet, finishing dry. A strange wine/bottle; while the colour hinted it was still young the palate seemed rather flat, yet there was no obvious sign of any fault either.

2004 Noon Solaire: I saw the bottle, but somehow I missed this one.

1990 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port: Classic, refined vintage port with surprisingly elegant brandy and liquorice characters, and a clean, mineraly finish. I really liked this while some thought this wasn’t a good bottle, but maybe the following VP didn’t exactly help either.

1998 Hardy’s McLaren Vale Vintage Port: This had all the good traits of the Reynella turned up a huge notch, with a freshness and fleshiness that was irresistible. Earthy plum/prunes, mud chocolate, black liquorice, and glowing brandy spirit, a huge, plush mouthfeel and an excellent lingering finish – about as good as it gets for a mere 10 year old, and it live just about forever too.

Dutschke The Tawny – 22 Year old Tawny Port, Bottled May 2003 (375ml): When I wasn’t happy with the 1983 Coutet and with the other ports not really matching the dessert, I decided to open this up too – a heavy, rancio powerhouse of liquid walnuts, toffee and caramel that (short of a 100 year old) is about as rich as it gets. As I’ve said before, a little goes a very, very long way.

Cheers
Ian

Ahhh fresh air and sunshine, wow. Been stuck in the cellar for the last week or so, apologies for not responding Ian.

Actually it was the 1991 Gaja Barbaresco. Although 1991 was a very poor vintage and this one nowhere near as good as Gaja can be, I found it to be quite interesting. I didn't see any metallic notes in it at all and found enjoyable savory characteristics throughout the finish, very tannic and austere. Nearing the end of its life, but went very well with the food.

Sorry, I haven't got time to put my notes down but I thoroughly enjoyed the wine and the food presented. Well organised and as always, Soho provided fantastic food and great service.

How long were the ports decanted for?

Alex F wrote:How long were the ports decanted for?

I think the Chris decanted the 1990 Chateau Reynella for about an hour before taking it along, and the others were opened on the spot.

Cheers,
Ian

I wonder how much aeration that gives the port? I've had ports improve immensely opening the night before having a tasting glass, decanting the next morning to remove sediment, straight back into bottle to drink the evening.

I've heard of old ports being decanted for 24 hours.

In the case of 1983 Orlando Vintage Port, the cork was soaked through, on opening wine was a bit volatile and smelt a bit oxidised. Palate horribly disjointed. Next day, beautiful nose with red fruits/caramel, and lovely, mouthfilling palate, with plenty of fruit and spice, finishing much longer than the previous day.

Same improvement noted on Peter Lehmann The King VP 1996. Although it can be said 4 days after opening it had broken down quite a bit.

2005 Kumeu River Mates Chardonnay - I found this overworked and a little too buttery, but I guess it depends on what you look for in your Chardonnay

The 2005 wasnt the greatest vintage of Mate's (in fact it is widely regarded, and i agree, that the 2005 estate label is better) though last time I tried 05 Mates it showed pretty well. I can also never understand people describing Mate's as buttery or excessively oaky. It is not a descriptor id even consider myself.

2006 Ata Rangi Chardonnay - like John, I enjoyed this much more than the Kumeu River for its cleaner fruit and crispness. Went looking for another glass but it was all gone!

I am assuming this is theAta Rangi 'Craighall' label not the 'Petrie'? If so I was impressed with this when I tried it last weekend, I thought it was a tremendous wine. So much so that I am including it in my big chardy tasting in a couple of weeks.

Yeah, it was the Craighall.

Craig(NZ) wrote:I can also never understand people describing Mate's as buttery or excessively oaky. It is not a descriptor id even consider myself.

There was plenty of buttery oak in the bottle at the off-line, and as it warmed during the evening, it stuck out further. Still a nice wine, just not my preferred style in chardonnay today.