International Wine tasting event held on November 3rd at the Watersedge in Walsh Bay. Put on by the same people that did the Central Otago event I went to earlier, it was definitely a well run tasting event but more on that later.
A fairly uncommon opportunity to try wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and of course Australia, it was definite one of those I was looking forward to...
I'm also thinking I should be taking pictures..as of course that helps complete the picture but when I'm at these events I'm a machine...I did over 110 wines in 3 hours...actually, I think I'm getting quicker and quicker but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. But between tasting and talking w/ the people there, I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to take pictures...Maybe I need to research who is going to be there if I can and plot out a better plan of attack...
Japan
The Japan stuff was all Sake and two Whiskeys (which I didn't try). Two very unusual ones which were:
Kameman Shuzo - 2010 Genmaishu Junmai Genmai-zake. A bit of brown sugar and a different mouthfeel to Sake. Almost barley like? Brownish in color, it was quite nice but definitely not what I'm used to.
Mukai Shuzo - 2010 Ine Mankai Junmai Genshu. A sake made from Red Rice...I don't think I would've picked this as Sake. A bit of cherry, much more acidity than what I normally think of with sake...It's actually very wine like but with that familiar rice alcohol feel in the nose.
The others were Okamura Honke which was a very nice "normal" sake and the Kidoizumi Shuzo which was also very nice. For non-sake drinkers, the Chikuma Nishiki - Kizan Sanban is probably a good choice...a bit sweeter, it was actually quite enjoyable...different than what I'm used to but quite nice.
I'm not much of a sake drinker...I like good sake but I'm so woefully inexperienced...I know what certain phrases mean when describing the sake but really I'm out of my depth.
France:
The Champagne there was pretty good. Lombard & Cie was actually quite good overall. I have never seen them before but it was nice to again have a good sparkler..I'm not a fan of Aussie Sparkling..I think most of it is pretty bad. Lombard's Magenta Cuvee was good, not great but had that nice biscuit taste, a bit of peach, and no huge flaws like I tend to see with Aussie stuff. Their NV Brut which I guess is a a step up, was quite nice, to me it was very similar to the Magenta but a better nose, slightly more complex and nicer finish. The Brut Rose 1er Cru NV was also very good with a bit more acid, slightly sweeter but still a very nice finish overall.
Their 2004 Brut Grand Cru was ok, I felt like something was missing. Maybe it was because I had it after the Rose (which was their suggestion but not one I would think is right). Maybe it seem to harsh, a bit too dry, I would have expected this to be better than their Brut or Magenta. Lastly I tried their 2004 Blanc de Blancs. Definitely nicer than the Brut GC. A cleaner taste than the others so far, nice acidity, I actually think this one needs a bit more time.
There were two other Champagnes I tried at different times.
Larmandier NV Brut Blanc de blancs 1er Cru....I've seen them before as they tend to be in that 40-50 dollar range in the US. It was fairly good, nothing I'm seeking out. A step up from an Aussie sparking...I'd rather have the Lombard though.
Jean-Paul Perardel NV. Wasn't overly impressed here. Probably my least favorite of the group.
All of the champagnes were pretty good...Nothing was bad. I'd prefer them over an Aussie Sparkling...at the same time, I'd really only look for the Lombard & Cie...Maybe it wasn't a fair assessment since I had the others later in the evening...it won't prevent me from trying the others again...
The Bordeaux there, was terrible. I'm not sure how they possibly have any 2010's out...although that probably explains it. With 2009s just starting to come in from any decent producer in Bordeaux, seeing 2010s here was almost laughable. Both the whites and reds were disappointing..I'm not even going to mention other than that.
The Burgundies...Chablis was ok. The Domaine Christophe 2010 Petit Chablis was fairly nice. The Chardonnay was ok. Really there were no good examples of White Burgs there to try... No Pinots except one made by an Aussie with Burg fruit....Decent Pinot, great value at 21 dollars.. Called Les Petites Vignettes.
The Beaujolais was pretty good...not a great selection and even in talking to one of the main importers, what they have available is really limited (not just at the show but in talking to them, in general). The Vissoux Fleurie Poncie was nice, I've had this before from a different vintage but the 2010 was nicer. I asked one of the importers why there doesn't seem to be any availability of Lapierre Morgon...to which he asked if that was a small producer because he had never heard of it....I'm thinking, how do you import Booj but not know of Lapierre? I told him Lapierre is quite well known...he just said they must not carry it in Australia.
A couple of interesting things made with Tannat...too tannic to drink though...That was from Madiran and Cahors.
2005 Madiran Chateau Bouscasse. REALLY tannic...Overly Tannic...I would've expected it to soften somewhat...even though it is made from Tannat...Might go well with a big steak. I can't see drinking this any other way. Nice wine though.
2008 Chateau du Cedre Cahors. The guy told me it was Malbec..but this thing had huge tannins...he insisted it was just Malbec but I'm reading it is Malbec Tannat Merlot...which might explain why it is so Tannic. I looked this up online, it looks like it is just a little bit..really weird.... A bit more fruit forward than the Madiran but again, one that needs food. Apparently this retails for 50 AUD....I see some in the US for 15 or so..might be a different wine. At 15 it is a pretty good buy, maybe with some air it'll soften up a bit...at 50 it is a joke...
Chateauneuf du Pape.
They only had one which was the Chateau Mont Redon, 2007. Pretty good wine, big fruit but had a very nice balance. I think my wife would love this one. Retails for 90 AUD but selling for 68, either way it's a 25-35 USD CdP... At 25-30 it is a great buy. 90 makes me want to laugh. Another great example of Aussies getting RIPPED a new one by retailers. I've been told retailers are trying to keep prices stable which is why none of the prices have dropped with the stronger AUD....and apparently they cut their margins when the currency is weaker...but from 2000, that has basically been never. Sure there was a drop for a few months from .90USD to .60USD but basically, the currency has been appreciating since 2000 from .5USD to now over 1 USD. And retailers are laughing at the number of Francophiles that love their 50-100 dollar French wine that really retails everywhere else in the competitive retail world for 15-30 dollars.
Languedoc
They had a fairly nice Languedoc...Pretty good value here I think..
2010 Domaine Jean baptiste La Nine. This retails for 15 dollars elsewhere but in Australia it is 40..selling for 32....It isn't bad at 32 but Languedoc punches above its weight anyways....an underrated and undervalued wine region.
Alsace
The stuff from Alsace was disappointing. Ok Riesling, decent Pinot Gris...I've had better from here. The most interesting wine from Alsace was the really bad Pinot Noir. It is the perfect example of a bad European wine. No Acid, Dirt, tannins, no fruit. I like elegant wines, I don't really care for big fruit...but really when it tastes like tannins mixed with water and dirt..No...Even the importer thought it was bad.
Germany
Donnhoff. I haven't seen just Donnhoff estate riesling (Dry) before. I suspect that is their Donnhoff Riesling Trocken but not sure. It wasn't very good. Just too bone dry with not enough acid and not enough fruit. Their 2010 Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett was good but generally all their stuff is good. I like both the Kabinett and Spatlese from this producer...The one thing that surprised me was I thought the 2010 would have more acid..since I've read that is the case w/ most German Riesling for 2010...I didn't really think it was too acidic...
They had an A. Chistmann Grosses Gewachs Riesling which is supposed to be pretty good..I thought it was ok. Better than the Donnhoff Dry but not better than that Kabinett. It had a lot of complexity but I don't know...it was missing something..
Italy
There were a couple of decent Valpolicellas....One really traditional Old World one..and one that was a bit more modern. Both were well made. Some decent Sangiovese based wines...
The Nebbiolo there was ok. Most of it far too young...the on Barbaresco I thought was decent was way overpriced for what you got....The younger stuff was pretty cheap....
Overall, Italian stuff is looking good and in talking with them, the prices for Italian stuff has dropped..apparently because the price for it hasn't been established. To me this is good news. I think there will be some interesting Italian stuff coming in. Looking forward to some decent Sangiovese...
Some pretty decent Rioja from Exopto. They were all Tempranillo/Grenache/Graciano blends...
The Bozeto was a bit young. Nice Tempranillo though. The way the importer was talking about it, I expected it to be a bit more elegant but either way, it was a very nice Tempranillo and priced very well at 20-25.
The 2008 Horizonte Exopto was very good. At 33 it is a great buy..42 it is a decent buy. Very similar to the Bozeto but a bit more developed, a bit more elegant, greater complexity. A very good Rioja.
I already had this opinion but even the lower end Sangiovese and Tempranillo stuff tastes so much better than the Tempranillo and Sangiovese they make in Australia...I know they're trying new grapes but so far, any decent Temp/Sangio in Australia is 40+ and everything else seems to be bad..And the 40+ Temp/Sangio isn't exactly great..it is just decent.
New Zealand.
Some good stuff from NZ. Bunch of really nice Pinot Noirs. Both Craggy Range and Pyramid were nice...
Pyramid had some interesting whites...I'm not sure they were great, the semillon was very different, interesting, but for 43 on special (normally 53) I'd much rather get a Vat1. Both their Riesling and Pinot Blanc were nice. You can definitely get a feel for their style...Maybe it is their Terroir...Either way, they're nice but expensive...I don't imagine they sell for nearly as much in NZ or anywhere else...Pyramid had a decent Pinot, I don't think this is their better Pinot and quite overpriced at 70 RRP (selling for 57). You can pick this up for 30 USD. You can pick up their Calvert Pinot for 35-40. Based on how I see NZ wines priced in Australia, take NZ RRP and multiply by 2 which makes it a 105 AUD wine. What a joke.
Craggy had some good stuff. I think their Riesling was really good. Te Muna Riesling. Really really nice acidity, had a great tart feel and balanced by a bit of sweetness but not too much. Really quite good. I'll be looking for more in the US although it doesn't look like Te Muna makes it to the US. I'll give the Fletcher one a try either way. Te Kahu Merlot was good value although a bit expensive here. Their GG Syrah was pretty decent..a bit young. The 2009 Le Sol, I could hardly get anything from it was so tight. I've had this before with some age, really good. This one was just way too young and I'm not a good judge of what it will do later based on what I taste aside from the fact that I can tell it has good structure so I would guess it would become something quite nice.
Ata Rangi was good...Their main Pinot is actually very Burg like...I'm not sure everyone would like it but it was pretty good. Their Crimson Pinot was more fruit forward..fairly decent.
Matua Valley was ok. A lot of big Pinots but nothing I was too impressed with. For what they're trying to get, there are dozens of other Pinot Noirs from Central Otago that are better and cost less.
Mount Edward and Sato (Sato makes the Mount Edward Pinot Noir) were good...I think what Sato wants from his high end one (RRP 115) is a bit much...I'd rather just get a Felton Road Block 3 or Block 5 for that...
The US stuff was ok. Decent Cabs...Viognier was nice. Really nice Petite Syrah from Stags Leap.
Stags Leap cab was good..not great. The Chateau St. Jean Cab was just far too tannic...I'm not sure what was wrong w/ it..
Didn't spend too much time in the Australian section....
I did try stuff from Pressing matters..their Rieslings were actually pretty good. They had R0 and R9 which represents how much residual sugar there was in there...The R0 was good..the R9 was very good.
I've been wanting to try Scarborough in the Hunter for awhile so I tried their stuff here. Really nice Shiraz...great acidity for a red. After trying a couple of big reds there, this was really nice and cheap too for what you get. I need to go here next time I'm in the hunter. Good Semillon as well and actually a pretty good Chardonnay. Of course, at this point my Palate was getting pretty tired so it could be the acid was really refreshing and it is not as good as I thought but I think it was. Not super Huntery on the nose but definitely had that leather, earthiness, low alcohol and acidity that I like from the Hunter...
Also tried some Cherubino stuff at the end..but my palate was definitely gone and after the Hunter Shiraz..just too big at that point....Well made, but I couldn't get anything from it...
Tried a few other random things from Mclaren Vale and Barossa...a lot of nice wines but they're still quite big...I definitely think they're a bit more balanced and definitely they're toning down the super over the top..but you can just see it in your glass...The stuff literally coats the sides of your glass...
Friday, November 4, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
3 x 16%!!!
Somehow I ended up trying three different 16% alcohol wines in a week…
2005 Noon Eclipse. Noon Winery basically sells out of their wines in the first few weeks/month their cellar door is open. Their mailing list has a huge waiting list and everything that gets sold overseas goes for about 1.5-2+ times their release price. They also tend to find their way to the wine auction sites right away for a quick flip. This is a Grenache/Shiraz blend with 2005 having a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose has really nice red fruit and dark chocolate…but I’m also picking up a good amount of alcohol. I know these tend to be very good while young but apparently they can age very well. I’m a bit worried before I even have a taste. Definitely a full bodied wine…Starts off with fairly bright fruit but a bit subdued..a bit of blueberry, raspberry…mid palate is there but something is missing. It finishes with a bit of heat….I’m sad. I don’t know if the wine is asleep at this point or if heat has killed it..it’s not stewed so I don’t think so. Crossing my fingers for it to be asleep. Not a bad wine and if the fruit comes back a bit then we’re looking good…but sadly disappointed for now. Goes for about 60-90USD. I’m glad I didn’t pay anywhere near that..
2007 Piggs Peake House of Bricks Shiraz. Located in the Hunter Valley but doesn’t grow its own grapes and doesn’t even source their fruit from there. This is their normal flagship wine (House of Straw, Sticks, Bricks). Made from Shiraz sourced from Lucknow, Orange and Adelaide Hills with a little bit of Merlot and Viognier. Big dark fruits on the nose with a hint of vanilla, mocha and spice. A deep dark purple in color… I’m preparing myself for a really gigantic mouthcoating jammy wine. Starts with a lot of dark fruit..blueberry, blackberry…Not getting any sweetness and jamminess. Hmmm… A bit of pepper, a bit of vanilla, chocolate…good acidity…nice fine tannins. Definitely a full bodied wine and I can tell the alcohol is high but no heat…Really balanced…I’m shocked. I haven’t been to Piggs Peake yet but it’s on my list to try. This sells for 55 AUD and they only export to Denmark.
2005 Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache. I had expected a fairly big wine at 16%. Something really dark in color and big fruit….Out pours this very light/medium red wine that reminds me of an aged Shiraz or Cab. Nose has some nice red fruit, cherries, red raspberry, a bit of strawberry and not a hint of high alcohol. I give it a try, hoping for the best…I can’t believe this is 16%. Medium bodied at most, nice bright red fruit, not overly tannic (which I wouldn’t expect anyways), and good acidity which is a nice surprise considering it is Grenache. Great overall balance and I feel like I can drink this all day. It tastes/feels like it is 12% and no way I’m guessing this is Grenache. Sells for 40-60 USD.
2005 Noon Eclipse. Noon Winery basically sells out of their wines in the first few weeks/month their cellar door is open. Their mailing list has a huge waiting list and everything that gets sold overseas goes for about 1.5-2+ times their release price. They also tend to find their way to the wine auction sites right away for a quick flip. This is a Grenache/Shiraz blend with 2005 having a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose has really nice red fruit and dark chocolate…but I’m also picking up a good amount of alcohol. I know these tend to be very good while young but apparently they can age very well. I’m a bit worried before I even have a taste. Definitely a full bodied wine…Starts off with fairly bright fruit but a bit subdued..a bit of blueberry, raspberry…mid palate is there but something is missing. It finishes with a bit of heat….I’m sad. I don’t know if the wine is asleep at this point or if heat has killed it..it’s not stewed so I don’t think so. Crossing my fingers for it to be asleep. Not a bad wine and if the fruit comes back a bit then we’re looking good…but sadly disappointed for now. Goes for about 60-90USD. I’m glad I didn’t pay anywhere near that..
2007 Piggs Peake House of Bricks Shiraz. Located in the Hunter Valley but doesn’t grow its own grapes and doesn’t even source their fruit from there. This is their normal flagship wine (House of Straw, Sticks, Bricks). Made from Shiraz sourced from Lucknow, Orange and Adelaide Hills with a little bit of Merlot and Viognier. Big dark fruits on the nose with a hint of vanilla, mocha and spice. A deep dark purple in color… I’m preparing myself for a really gigantic mouthcoating jammy wine. Starts with a lot of dark fruit..blueberry, blackberry…Not getting any sweetness and jamminess. Hmmm… A bit of pepper, a bit of vanilla, chocolate…good acidity…nice fine tannins. Definitely a full bodied wine and I can tell the alcohol is high but no heat…Really balanced…I’m shocked. I haven’t been to Piggs Peake yet but it’s on my list to try. This sells for 55 AUD and they only export to Denmark.
2005 Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache. I had expected a fairly big wine at 16%. Something really dark in color and big fruit….Out pours this very light/medium red wine that reminds me of an aged Shiraz or Cab. Nose has some nice red fruit, cherries, red raspberry, a bit of strawberry and not a hint of high alcohol. I give it a try, hoping for the best…I can’t believe this is 16%. Medium bodied at most, nice bright red fruit, not overly tannic (which I wouldn’t expect anyways), and good acidity which is a nice surprise considering it is Grenache. Great overall balance and I feel like I can drink this all day. It tastes/feels like it is 12% and no way I’m guessing this is Grenache. Sells for 40-60 USD.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Tasmania tasting
There have been a number of regional tastings in the Sydney area and I definitely think it is an excellent idea. There are a number of wineries where I just would not have tried their stuff without these types of events and I'm sure they have gained other customers as well in this manner. From my own personal standpoint, it saves me a bit of a trip to that region or at least opens my eyes to a few other places to try.
Let me start off by saying, I'm not a Tasmania Pinot fan...They have some decent Pinot..but when faced with buying Central Otago or Burgundy...Tasmania just doesn't do it for me...There are a handful of good pinots in Australia...and the rest, I don't know.
I think the same goes for most Australian Sparking..there were a few reasonably good Sparklers there...but for most part, they're just not very good...
I would say that the main highlights for this tasting were:
Dalrymple Estate Pinot 2009. Really nice balance, red fruit, decent acidity and soft tannins. Reasonably priced for a decent pinot but I'm not fussed enough to try to source some. There are just better options out there.
Moorilla Syrah - I think this was the Muse series, 2007...but not 100% sure because it wasn't on their normal tasting list. Really nice cool weather shiraz. Dark fruits, pepper, sweet tannins, decent acidity...Nice balance. My friend was really looking forward to Moorilla, everything we had there was really a bit of a disappointment except for this.
Coal Valley Riesling - Both the 2008 and 2009 were excellent. Really what I'm looking for in a good Australian Riesling. Really good acidity, not as much petrol on the nose...Nice bright fruit and a clean finish...
Heemskerk bottles - They have really sexy bottles...that is the best way to describe them. They look fantastic. I'm not sure how they'll fit in most wine fridges, racks or boxes..but they look damn good. Their wine is fairly good but their pricing is truly ambitious. Would be reasonable in the 20-40 dollar range...but their decent stuff was several times that..There is just no way it was worth it, not even remotely. I actually think it was the most overpriced I've seen any wines in Australia....
Let me start off by saying, I'm not a Tasmania Pinot fan...They have some decent Pinot..but when faced with buying Central Otago or Burgundy...Tasmania just doesn't do it for me...There are a handful of good pinots in Australia...and the rest, I don't know.
I think the same goes for most Australian Sparking..there were a few reasonably good Sparklers there...but for most part, they're just not very good...
I would say that the main highlights for this tasting were:
Dalrymple Estate Pinot 2009. Really nice balance, red fruit, decent acidity and soft tannins. Reasonably priced for a decent pinot but I'm not fussed enough to try to source some. There are just better options out there.
Moorilla Syrah - I think this was the Muse series, 2007...but not 100% sure because it wasn't on their normal tasting list. Really nice cool weather shiraz. Dark fruits, pepper, sweet tannins, decent acidity...Nice balance. My friend was really looking forward to Moorilla, everything we had there was really a bit of a disappointment except for this.
Coal Valley Riesling - Both the 2008 and 2009 were excellent. Really what I'm looking for in a good Australian Riesling. Really good acidity, not as much petrol on the nose...Nice bright fruit and a clean finish...
Heemskerk bottles - They have really sexy bottles...that is the best way to describe them. They look fantastic. I'm not sure how they'll fit in most wine fridges, racks or boxes..but they look damn good. Their wine is fairly good but their pricing is truly ambitious. Would be reasonable in the 20-40 dollar range...but their decent stuff was several times that..There is just no way it was worth it, not even remotely. I actually think it was the most overpriced I've seen any wines in Australia....
Monday, August 29, 2011
Coonawarra Tasting
I was lucky enough to attend a Coonawarra tasting put on by Coonawarra.org...Great event with large tasting glasses...It was $30 which is pretty fair although probably on the steeper side for tastings in Sydney.
Overall, Coonawarra had some very nice Cabernet Sauvignons...most of them were consistently good...but I will say the region itself seemed to have a very similar style to them....which I guess on one hand is good....on the other, you start looking for things that are different...
Highlights....I really like Katnook's Cab, great fruit, fairly tannic but felt right..Great cab...Their special Barrel selection was really good as well...Oddly enough, I wasn't as happy with their high end wines which are the Prodigy and Odyssey....To me they were big fruit, low tannin, basically made for the US type of wine...Good here and there and probably good for people that aren't into wine...but it felt like something was missing..
Kidman wines...This one surprised me..both the Cab and Shiraz were both pretty good...and for 20 or less? Probably one of the best QPRs at the show...
Raidis. All of their stuff tasted like it should....Actually, I can say that for most of the stuff at this show but Raidis in particular...Pretty good Sav Blanc, really solid Riesling and a surprising Cab. Actually, their Cab was the most surprising because it was definitely a cab but had fairly high acid which was quite nice. Especially since this was in the later half of my time there, it was actually very enjoyable. Not too tannic which wasn't typical at this show but definitely a great drink me now type of Cab and I imagine it would be great with food....would be interested to see how this one develops.....At 21 for the Cab and 14 for the Riesling, these were also great QPR wines...
Lowlights: really nothing...most of the stuff here was pretty solid and I'm really glad they put on this show...Got to try a few things from Coonawarra I might not have had a chance to try (which is the whole point). I will say, Wynn's had a couple of disappointments....their green label cab was blah...Their black label cab was ok...the rest was pretty good. VA Lane was good....I think on its own I probably would've though their standard black label cab would be pretty decent..but it was just up against a lot of really good Cabs which is a pretty good testament to the entire region...
Overall, Coonawarra had some very nice Cabernet Sauvignons...most of them were consistently good...but I will say the region itself seemed to have a very similar style to them....which I guess on one hand is good....on the other, you start looking for things that are different...
Highlights....I really like Katnook's Cab, great fruit, fairly tannic but felt right..Great cab...Their special Barrel selection was really good as well...Oddly enough, I wasn't as happy with their high end wines which are the Prodigy and Odyssey....To me they were big fruit, low tannin, basically made for the US type of wine...Good here and there and probably good for people that aren't into wine...but it felt like something was missing..
Kidman wines...This one surprised me..both the Cab and Shiraz were both pretty good...and for 20 or less? Probably one of the best QPRs at the show...
Raidis. All of their stuff tasted like it should....Actually, I can say that for most of the stuff at this show but Raidis in particular...Pretty good Sav Blanc, really solid Riesling and a surprising Cab. Actually, their Cab was the most surprising because it was definitely a cab but had fairly high acid which was quite nice. Especially since this was in the later half of my time there, it was actually very enjoyable. Not too tannic which wasn't typical at this show but definitely a great drink me now type of Cab and I imagine it would be great with food....would be interested to see how this one develops.....At 21 for the Cab and 14 for the Riesling, these were also great QPR wines...
Lowlights: really nothing...most of the stuff here was pretty solid and I'm really glad they put on this show...Got to try a few things from Coonawarra I might not have had a chance to try (which is the whole point). I will say, Wynn's had a couple of disappointments....their green label cab was blah...Their black label cab was ok...the rest was pretty good. VA Lane was good....I think on its own I probably would've though their standard black label cab would be pretty decent..but it was just up against a lot of really good Cabs which is a pretty good testament to the entire region...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Good Food and Wine Show
I was looking forward to this...but unfortunately I got rushed around so I didn't get to try everything I wanted..not even close....I left with a few impressions though so I'll share those...
Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005. Smells like an aged Semillon, a bit of toast, lemon, honey...not bad, a bit muted though...It's flat though..it's on it's way out. Where is the acidity? I don't know..What I find most puzzling is the last Elizabeth I had was a 2002 and it was pure acid (which was terrible). I'm not sure what they're doing to this line but unless someone starts telling me they've improved what they're doing, I doubt I'll be buying Elizabeth anymore. I even read somewhere the newest vintage has some SB in it? WTF.
Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005. Everything the Elizabeth wasn't. Had some age on it but still had really good acidity. Beautiful nose....The Lovedale will age nicely, no doubt. Still prefer VAT 1 and a couple of other new jack semillons (Thomas, Meerea Park and other Tyrrells) but compare them in 5 years and the Lovedale might be the best...it's good..
Capital Sangiovese (don't remember the vintage). I actually thought this was decent. Probably the first decent Sangiovese I've had in Australia....Most of them up till now have been..well, terrible. It wasn't great..but it was fairly well made....
Lerida Estate. They make some pretty decent wine. I still don't understand their high end Pinot Noir though. It's big, awkward, it's missing acidity...It's not a shiraz/syrah, I'm not sure why places make it like one. To me if you're going to do this, go full on new American Oak, make it big, make it different...It could be I'm missing something, that it's not my style..but I don't hear/see much about this at all...It's just too expensive. It might stack up ok to other NSW type Pinot Noirs...that's not really saying a lot though... Their Shiraz Viognier is pretty good though..My wife like their Merlot Cab Franc...
D'Arenberg. They have so many different things to try both at the show and their cellar door. They have everything for tasting too which is why I think they're one of the best places to visit. They also have a lot of really good stuff. I was looking forward to trying their Ironstone Pressings and the Derelict Vineyard..both are their Grenaches...Derelict was a bit of a disappointment...I'm finding that if the Grenache is sub 25, they tend to be weak. Ironstone was pretty good but I wouldn't say great. The Coppermine was really good, still really tannic but still quite approachable. I thought this was 2005 but I think their latest is 2007 and it was probably their latest. I'd still wait a few years on this one. The Dead Arm Shiraz was quite good...still very big....I like Dead Arm..it's a big wine but it ages well. I think it's a great example of Australian Shiraz that won't just poop out after a few years.... The funniest thing about the D'arenberg tasting area though was this one Asian guy that basically sat there like it was a bar...giving his opinion about each and every wine to anyone that would listen. I think the winery guys at first enjoyed having an interested customer..but I got the impression they were getting annoyed after awhile...I certainly was...especially cause he basically wouldn't move which meant people had to go around him. After trying a few I left, went to a few other places, and 30 minutes later he was still there...he was there before me...was there way after me...he even brought his own glass....He was passionate about his d'arenberg...Too funny..
Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005. Smells like an aged Semillon, a bit of toast, lemon, honey...not bad, a bit muted though...It's flat though..it's on it's way out. Where is the acidity? I don't know..What I find most puzzling is the last Elizabeth I had was a 2002 and it was pure acid (which was terrible). I'm not sure what they're doing to this line but unless someone starts telling me they've improved what they're doing, I doubt I'll be buying Elizabeth anymore. I even read somewhere the newest vintage has some SB in it? WTF.
Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005. Everything the Elizabeth wasn't. Had some age on it but still had really good acidity. Beautiful nose....The Lovedale will age nicely, no doubt. Still prefer VAT 1 and a couple of other new jack semillons (Thomas, Meerea Park and other Tyrrells) but compare them in 5 years and the Lovedale might be the best...it's good..
Capital Sangiovese (don't remember the vintage). I actually thought this was decent. Probably the first decent Sangiovese I've had in Australia....Most of them up till now have been..well, terrible. It wasn't great..but it was fairly well made....
Lerida Estate. They make some pretty decent wine. I still don't understand their high end Pinot Noir though. It's big, awkward, it's missing acidity...It's not a shiraz/syrah, I'm not sure why places make it like one. To me if you're going to do this, go full on new American Oak, make it big, make it different...It could be I'm missing something, that it's not my style..but I don't hear/see much about this at all...It's just too expensive. It might stack up ok to other NSW type Pinot Noirs...that's not really saying a lot though... Their Shiraz Viognier is pretty good though..My wife like their Merlot Cab Franc...
D'Arenberg. They have so many different things to try both at the show and their cellar door. They have everything for tasting too which is why I think they're one of the best places to visit. They also have a lot of really good stuff. I was looking forward to trying their Ironstone Pressings and the Derelict Vineyard..both are their Grenaches...Derelict was a bit of a disappointment...I'm finding that if the Grenache is sub 25, they tend to be weak. Ironstone was pretty good but I wouldn't say great. The Coppermine was really good, still really tannic but still quite approachable. I thought this was 2005 but I think their latest is 2007 and it was probably their latest. I'd still wait a few years on this one. The Dead Arm Shiraz was quite good...still very big....I like Dead Arm..it's a big wine but it ages well. I think it's a great example of Australian Shiraz that won't just poop out after a few years.... The funniest thing about the D'arenberg tasting area though was this one Asian guy that basically sat there like it was a bar...giving his opinion about each and every wine to anyone that would listen. I think the winery guys at first enjoyed having an interested customer..but I got the impression they were getting annoyed after awhile...I certainly was...especially cause he basically wouldn't move which meant people had to go around him. After trying a few I left, went to a few other places, and 30 minutes later he was still there...he was there before me...was there way after me...he even brought his own glass....He was passionate about his d'arenberg...Too funny..
Central Otago tasting...
A couple of weeks ago I attended a Central Otago tasting in Sydney...It's one of those regions I've been wanting to visit but having them come to me was even better.
The big players weren't there but there was still a really good showing....
General impressions: Central Otago, basically across the board, makes great pinot noir. The only complaint I had was that many of them have developed the same style and so many of them, while good, were just too similar. I guess you can look at that as a good thing as well...
One thing I like about most of the wines is they have good acidity and bright fruit. They also have good complexity and length. Tasty fine tannins. They basically crap all over Australian Pinots which I consider to be on the very heavy side and still having a few oddities in flavor. There are a couple of exceptions like Bass Phillip...or something like Yarra Yering Pinot which is a Pinot made to be that over the top fruit bomb, super vanilla oak red but still tastes good...Victoria has some decent pinot, Tassie has some decent Pinot...but if you're looking for that medium bodied, good acidity pinot, Central Otago is just better....
Notable wineries: Akarua, Aurora, Ceres, Domain Road, Quartz Reef, Rockburn, Surveyor Thomson, Tarras and Wooing Tree.
Wooing Tree had some really good Pinot but made in that very typical Central Otago style. They also had one of the few Rose that I actually enjoyed. You could see that their quality was top notch. they also had a white Pinot Noir....Across the board their stuff was very good. One of the best.
Surveyor Thomson was probably the most unique stylewise. To me, Central Otago is like a New World Burg in mouthfeel and acidity. You can tell it's not a Burg because there isn't enough earth, poop and greeniness. Surveyor Thomson is a New World wine that is made to be like an Old World. A bit more earthiness, maybe a bit less acid than the normal Central Otago, more noticeable oak (but definitely not overoaked), really nice complexity, a bit more tannins than most of the other Central Otago Pinots...Less bright fruit...I don't know if everyone would like this but I thought it was quite interesting and probably one of my favorites of the night. They had the Estate Vineyard and the Explorer. The normal Surveyor Thomson was better by a bit...
Ceres had REALLY bright acidity...As did Aurora...and oddly enough, that stuck out to me. I think it toned the fruit down which wasn't a bad thing...I had both of these near the end of the tasting though so these are ones I wouldn't mind trying again.
The big players weren't there but there was still a really good showing....
General impressions: Central Otago, basically across the board, makes great pinot noir. The only complaint I had was that many of them have developed the same style and so many of them, while good, were just too similar. I guess you can look at that as a good thing as well...
One thing I like about most of the wines is they have good acidity and bright fruit. They also have good complexity and length. Tasty fine tannins. They basically crap all over Australian Pinots which I consider to be on the very heavy side and still having a few oddities in flavor. There are a couple of exceptions like Bass Phillip...or something like Yarra Yering Pinot which is a Pinot made to be that over the top fruit bomb, super vanilla oak red but still tastes good...Victoria has some decent pinot, Tassie has some decent Pinot...but if you're looking for that medium bodied, good acidity pinot, Central Otago is just better....
Notable wineries: Akarua, Aurora, Ceres, Domain Road, Quartz Reef, Rockburn, Surveyor Thomson, Tarras and Wooing Tree.
Wooing Tree had some really good Pinot but made in that very typical Central Otago style. They also had one of the few Rose that I actually enjoyed. You could see that their quality was top notch. they also had a white Pinot Noir....Across the board their stuff was very good. One of the best.
Surveyor Thomson was probably the most unique stylewise. To me, Central Otago is like a New World Burg in mouthfeel and acidity. You can tell it's not a Burg because there isn't enough earth, poop and greeniness. Surveyor Thomson is a New World wine that is made to be like an Old World. A bit more earthiness, maybe a bit less acid than the normal Central Otago, more noticeable oak (but definitely not overoaked), really nice complexity, a bit more tannins than most of the other Central Otago Pinots...Less bright fruit...I don't know if everyone would like this but I thought it was quite interesting and probably one of my favorites of the night. They had the Estate Vineyard and the Explorer. The normal Surveyor Thomson was better by a bit...
Ceres had REALLY bright acidity...As did Aurora...and oddly enough, that stuck out to me. I think it toned the fruit down which wasn't a bad thing...I had both of these near the end of the tasting though so these are ones I wouldn't mind trying again.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sydney Wine Show
Each year there is a very large wine show in Sydney. The Royal Sydney Wine show...or at least that's what I call it. Over 1000 different wines from all over Australia...Most of the iconic wines are not there but there were a few....
I also attended a Red Wine Tutorial where they review the judging criteria, etc. It started late, ended late and overall we didn't have much time but we got to try some Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo as these were the "up and coming" wine varietals in Australia. My experience in Australia so far as been...The Tempranillo has been ok. Most of them bad..Some good. The Sangiovese has been mostly bad. Nebbiolo has been decent.
The first was a 2009 Tempus Two Copper Tempranillo. Typical of what I've seen in Australia...way over-rippened fruit...A strong nose of raisins isn't really a good thing. Balance seems off...I've tried a different vintage before from here and I wasn't impressed. I wasn't impressed now either...
20010 running with the Bulls Tempranillo...Nice nose of red fruits...Pretty good wine. I think it's missing a bit of acid that I'd associate with Tempranillo...I'm missing that..It has some oak but not as much as I'd think it should have (weird huh?). I don't know how much aging potential this one has but it's very drinkable right now. It actually received a gold medal in it's class and based on how it tastes now, it probably deserved a good score compared to the others I also tried.
2009 Serafino Sangiovese. Again, not a memorable wine. Poor effort in my opinion.
2009 Grove Estate Nebbiolo. The person teaching the class wanted people to experience this as if it were a very new type of wine. I don't really consider that the case but this was definitely the youngest wine from Nebbiolo that I've tried. I love Nebbiolo, especially from Barolo...but in Barolo you won't see anything released in less than 3 years and all of the Nebbiolo I've had to date has been at least 3 years old so this one was definitely my first really young Neb. They say Nebbiolo is very VERY tannic which, to that point, I hadn't really felt was the case for me. Sure it was tannic but not as much as people would say. THIS WINE though, was VERY TANNIC. The most I think I've ever had in fact. I have to believe this is because of the age in which case I have to wonder why they bother to release it so young. With certain types of food you might be able to drink this but it's really close to undrinkable at this point. Decent wine though. Nice smokiness and red fruits on the nose. Had that nice medium bodied feel I enjoy from this grape...but yeah, tannins and tannins and tannins.
A few highlights from the rest of the tasting....
2002 Blue Pyrenees Rose Brut. I'm not an Australian Sparkling fan..in fact, for the most part I think most of the Sparklers I've had have been pretty bad. This one though might change my mind. Very nice balance and had that very nice biscuit flavor you'll get from good Sparkling wines....This one actually got a Silver Medal...
1999 Tyrrell's Vat 1. My first chance to taste this one. I love the 1998. This one is right there with it. This vintage is actually supposed to be better but the 1998 has developed a bit better so far but while I think the 1998 is not going to get any better, the 1999 still has some of that brighter acid that I think will carry this along for at least another 5+ years. Great Semillon. The best one for the day.
Some other Semillon I thought were great. 2005 Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon. Normally a Hunter fan but this was pretty good.. 2005/2006 Meerea Park Alexander Munro Semillon. Always a fan. Love stuff from the Braemore vineyard. 2007 Thomas Braemore. I'm a big fan of his Braemore Semillon. This one has already started to develop that great aged Semillon mouth feel and taste as well as the nose. Actually really surprised by this one and curious to see what it'll be like later on. It was, at this point, significantly better than the 2006.
I don't really know if any of the reds really stuck out in my mind. There were plenty of really good reds there but nothing I was overly excited about or hadn't had before. It doesn't help when you're rushing through a bunch of them.
2007 Meerea Park Hell Hole is tasting quite good. Better than what I had a year earlier, looks to be developing nicely.
2009 Thomas Sweetwater and Kiss were both good. The Kiss Shiraz is still very young.
Brokenwood Wade Block was a nice change in that it was one of the few fruit bombs I actually had there.
There were a few others like Cape Mentelle Shiraz, Eileen Hardy..that were good but I, for whatever reason, had higher expectations. I don't know why though because the Eileen Hardy I had before was the same..
Biggest disappointment for me on the day was Collector. Marked Tree Red has received so many good reviews, scores, etc. It was good but disappointing. It wasn't anything special although it was very drinkable now and for $25 (if you can still get it), it's not bad. Maybe this was a bit oxidized? I dunno... Collector Reserve was actually pretty good...I shouldn't really call that a disappointment. Probably one of the better reds on the day but I guess I had really high expectations, I'm not really sure.
I came away even more convinced I want more Aged Riesling and Semillon...The problem is I have nobody to drink it with....
I also attended a Red Wine Tutorial where they review the judging criteria, etc. It started late, ended late and overall we didn't have much time but we got to try some Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo as these were the "up and coming" wine varietals in Australia. My experience in Australia so far as been...The Tempranillo has been ok. Most of them bad..Some good. The Sangiovese has been mostly bad. Nebbiolo has been decent.
The first was a 2009 Tempus Two Copper Tempranillo. Typical of what I've seen in Australia...way over-rippened fruit...A strong nose of raisins isn't really a good thing. Balance seems off...I've tried a different vintage before from here and I wasn't impressed. I wasn't impressed now either...
20010 running with the Bulls Tempranillo...Nice nose of red fruits...Pretty good wine. I think it's missing a bit of acid that I'd associate with Tempranillo...I'm missing that..It has some oak but not as much as I'd think it should have (weird huh?). I don't know how much aging potential this one has but it's very drinkable right now. It actually received a gold medal in it's class and based on how it tastes now, it probably deserved a good score compared to the others I also tried.
2009 Serafino Sangiovese. Again, not a memorable wine. Poor effort in my opinion.
2009 Grove Estate Nebbiolo. The person teaching the class wanted people to experience this as if it were a very new type of wine. I don't really consider that the case but this was definitely the youngest wine from Nebbiolo that I've tried. I love Nebbiolo, especially from Barolo...but in Barolo you won't see anything released in less than 3 years and all of the Nebbiolo I've had to date has been at least 3 years old so this one was definitely my first really young Neb. They say Nebbiolo is very VERY tannic which, to that point, I hadn't really felt was the case for me. Sure it was tannic but not as much as people would say. THIS WINE though, was VERY TANNIC. The most I think I've ever had in fact. I have to believe this is because of the age in which case I have to wonder why they bother to release it so young. With certain types of food you might be able to drink this but it's really close to undrinkable at this point. Decent wine though. Nice smokiness and red fruits on the nose. Had that nice medium bodied feel I enjoy from this grape...but yeah, tannins and tannins and tannins.
A few highlights from the rest of the tasting....
2002 Blue Pyrenees Rose Brut. I'm not an Australian Sparkling fan..in fact, for the most part I think most of the Sparklers I've had have been pretty bad. This one though might change my mind. Very nice balance and had that very nice biscuit flavor you'll get from good Sparkling wines....This one actually got a Silver Medal...
1999 Tyrrell's Vat 1. My first chance to taste this one. I love the 1998. This one is right there with it. This vintage is actually supposed to be better but the 1998 has developed a bit better so far but while I think the 1998 is not going to get any better, the 1999 still has some of that brighter acid that I think will carry this along for at least another 5+ years. Great Semillon. The best one for the day.
Some other Semillon I thought were great. 2005 Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon. Normally a Hunter fan but this was pretty good.. 2005/2006 Meerea Park Alexander Munro Semillon. Always a fan. Love stuff from the Braemore vineyard. 2007 Thomas Braemore. I'm a big fan of his Braemore Semillon. This one has already started to develop that great aged Semillon mouth feel and taste as well as the nose. Actually really surprised by this one and curious to see what it'll be like later on. It was, at this point, significantly better than the 2006.
I don't really know if any of the reds really stuck out in my mind. There were plenty of really good reds there but nothing I was overly excited about or hadn't had before. It doesn't help when you're rushing through a bunch of them.
2007 Meerea Park Hell Hole is tasting quite good. Better than what I had a year earlier, looks to be developing nicely.
2009 Thomas Sweetwater and Kiss were both good. The Kiss Shiraz is still very young.
Brokenwood Wade Block was a nice change in that it was one of the few fruit bombs I actually had there.
There were a few others like Cape Mentelle Shiraz, Eileen Hardy..that were good but I, for whatever reason, had higher expectations. I don't know why though because the Eileen Hardy I had before was the same..
Biggest disappointment for me on the day was Collector. Marked Tree Red has received so many good reviews, scores, etc. It was good but disappointing. It wasn't anything special although it was very drinkable now and for $25 (if you can still get it), it's not bad. Maybe this was a bit oxidized? I dunno... Collector Reserve was actually pretty good...I shouldn't really call that a disappointment. Probably one of the better reds on the day but I guess I had really high expectations, I'm not really sure.
I came away even more convinced I want more Aged Riesling and Semillon...The problem is I have nobody to drink it with....
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