So I had the chance to try a bit more Lethbridge Riesling 2011...
On the plus side, good development..a bit of toasty notes....
On the downside...a bit more VA than I was expecting...The TA for the wine is very high which I love....but the VA is a bit of a concern for the long term....It wasn't that off putting but it wasn't what I was expecting to see and would definitely limit how much this wine will age. Have an older example I'm planning on trying soon so maybe that'll give me a better idea....
Just to make it clear, the VA wasn't that obvious when it was younger...
Showing posts with label Riesling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Riesling. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Pizza Pizza
Had a nice casual dinner with friends...
Framingham F Series Old Vine Riesling 2012....A NZ Riesling but tasted more like an Australian one...I was told 6g/L RS...that seems about right..slight hint of sweetness but not a lot...good acid...slatey minerally iron on the palate...Good depth, great acid, the sugar is coming across differently than most NZ Rieslings I've had...Really quite good this one. I'd like to see it in 5+ years though.. 91 points
Clonakilla Viognier 2008
Far better acidity on this than I was expecting and the structure is there for this to easily got another 5+ years....Mouthfeel was very Chardonnay like...good acid, you could sense the oak but it gave it depth....The apricotiness is all gone and instead you get nice florals, minerality, a little peach....Someone said Viognier doesn't age...well, at least this is one that does...91 points
Thomas Kiss Shiraz 2003
This opens up and I get sweet French oak on the nose..sweet vanilla...reminds me of a McLaren Vale....After pouring you definitely pick up some Hunter notes...earth, some poop, leather..but the oak is throwing me off...the color is also very dark....Palate is like a cross between McLaren Vale and the Hunter. Dark fruit, very ripe (2003 was a rather ripe year in the Hunter). Earth, Leather, vanilla, some chocolate as well on the palate. Good acidity and tannin structure is there as well...This could easily last another 10 years....I know Thomas reds are bigger but it has been awhile since I've had one...Put this in the Graveyard/Alexander Munro type category...whereas I'm preferring more Vat 9 type stuff...Still, very good...92 points
Ar Fion Smokestack Lightning Pinot Noir 2013.
Strawberries and Strawberries on the nose...smells a lot like a Rose made from Pinot...Color is very light but that doesn't bother me at all. Palate was VERY rose like..but not. This was sort of like drinking the darkest deepest Rose I've ever had...it had much better mouthfeel though...good acid..a very interesting wine...Something was missing though....Is this a Pinot Noir Rose? Seems like it to me...weird...87 points..
Warrabilla Reserve Durif 2004
16%+ alcohol...but I really didn't get a lot of heat from it...Big big red...really ripe fruit...for people like that fruit bombs, here you go...Really quite well made, good depth and complexity... 90 points
Wendouree Shiraz 2012
Much like the Shiraz Malbec (but not the Shiraz Mataro), this is actually borderline sweet...almost has that fake candy taste I hate too. In my mind, this is NOT Wendouree....There is structure there..acidity and some fine tannins...and the fruit is VERY young..VERY VERY young...so knowing their reputation, I'd like to give this at least 5+ years before making an assessment....I love Wendouree....but so far I'm not loving this..This and the Shiraz Malbec are probably the least "Wendouree like" wines I've ever had...87+ points but I'm expecting more later..
Framingham F Series Old Vine Riesling 2012....A NZ Riesling but tasted more like an Australian one...I was told 6g/L RS...that seems about right..slight hint of sweetness but not a lot...good acid...slatey minerally iron on the palate...Good depth, great acid, the sugar is coming across differently than most NZ Rieslings I've had...Really quite good this one. I'd like to see it in 5+ years though.. 91 points
Clonakilla Viognier 2008
Far better acidity on this than I was expecting and the structure is there for this to easily got another 5+ years....Mouthfeel was very Chardonnay like...good acid, you could sense the oak but it gave it depth....The apricotiness is all gone and instead you get nice florals, minerality, a little peach....Someone said Viognier doesn't age...well, at least this is one that does...91 points
Thomas Kiss Shiraz 2003
This opens up and I get sweet French oak on the nose..sweet vanilla...reminds me of a McLaren Vale....After pouring you definitely pick up some Hunter notes...earth, some poop, leather..but the oak is throwing me off...the color is also very dark....Palate is like a cross between McLaren Vale and the Hunter. Dark fruit, very ripe (2003 was a rather ripe year in the Hunter). Earth, Leather, vanilla, some chocolate as well on the palate. Good acidity and tannin structure is there as well...This could easily last another 10 years....I know Thomas reds are bigger but it has been awhile since I've had one...Put this in the Graveyard/Alexander Munro type category...whereas I'm preferring more Vat 9 type stuff...Still, very good...92 points
Ar Fion Smokestack Lightning Pinot Noir 2013.
Strawberries and Strawberries on the nose...smells a lot like a Rose made from Pinot...Color is very light but that doesn't bother me at all. Palate was VERY rose like..but not. This was sort of like drinking the darkest deepest Rose I've ever had...it had much better mouthfeel though...good acid..a very interesting wine...Something was missing though....Is this a Pinot Noir Rose? Seems like it to me...weird...87 points..
Warrabilla Reserve Durif 2004
16%+ alcohol...but I really didn't get a lot of heat from it...Big big red...really ripe fruit...for people like that fruit bombs, here you go...Really quite well made, good depth and complexity... 90 points
Wendouree Shiraz 2012
Much like the Shiraz Malbec (but not the Shiraz Mataro), this is actually borderline sweet...almost has that fake candy taste I hate too. In my mind, this is NOT Wendouree....There is structure there..acidity and some fine tannins...and the fruit is VERY young..VERY VERY young...so knowing their reputation, I'd like to give this at least 5+ years before making an assessment....I love Wendouree....but so far I'm not loving this..This and the Shiraz Malbec are probably the least "Wendouree like" wines I've ever had...87+ points but I'm expecting more later..
Friday, July 11, 2014
Low Alcohol with Friends
Had a number of low alcohol wines with friends...Some of them were good, some were interesting...some were just ok..
Wynns John Riddoch 1988.
Smells like a Coonawarra with green bell peppers on the nose...some spices..dark and red fruits...Palate is really nice...Lighter than what I normally associate w/ a Coonawarra Cabernet but still has great fine tannin structure..acidity is showing nicely as well. Fruit is still there...I think some felt this was on its last legs..probably..but would be interesting to see if this changes a bit more in a few years. I think this was showing better than the 91 JR awhile back...Either way, drinking very nicely right now... 92 points
Chambers Rosewood Gouais 2004.
Gouais is apparently the parent grape of Chardonnay. Nose reminded me a bit of an aged Semillon..but had some Chardonnay characters coming across too...Lemon pith, some honey, some peach....Palate was very Chardonnay like but with some of honey coming across as well...acidity and development of the fruit w/ the acid was very Semillon like..but this reminds me a lot of Chardonnay...Sensing a bit of oak as well...Overall these are quite nice..something different...and apparently these are also only around 15/bottle which makes it a great value. 90 points
Lakes Folly Cabernet Reserve 1994.
I didn't even know they made a reserve but apparently they did in 94 and 95. The Hunter really comes across on the nose and palate..a bit of funk, leather, earth, sweaty saddle..but not a huge amount...Red fruits, spice, leather and earth on the palate..really very nice. Great acidity, great texture...I can drink this type of wine all day....92 points
Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese 2006
I'm a fan of Donnhoff..I'm a fan of their Niederhauser Hermannshohle line. 2006 as a vintage is a bit fatter than what I would normally like from Riesling...and last time I had this it was a bit on the simpler side..but for me this was drinking quite nicely. This really has come into its own with greater complexity, the acidity is showing a bit better as well...Fruit Salad on the nose...lemons, melons, rock dust...Palate has great acidity...star fruit, melon, lemon..nice minerality...Definitely a good amount of residual sugar but it balances so nicely in this wine...92 points
Main Divide Pinot Noir 2001
Some truffle and graphite on the nose...red fruits...Palate has nice acidity...Earth, minerality, red fruits...This is showing quite nicely really..and I think this is a lower tier from Pegasus Bay's normal line...Cellaring has helped this wine a lot...Actually reminds me a bit of Ata Rangi... 90 points
Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese 2006
I'm a fan of Donnhoff..I'm a fan of their Niederhauser Hermannshohle line. 2006 as a vintage is a bit fatter than what I would normally like from Riesling...and last time I had this it was a bit on the simpler side..but for me this was drinking quite nicely. This really has come into its own with greater complexity, the acidity is showing a bit better as well...Fruit Salad on the nose...lemons, melons, rock dust...Palate has great acidity...star fruit, melon, lemon..nice minerality...Definitely a good amount of residual sugar but it balances so nicely in this wine...92 points
Main Divide Pinot Noir 2001
Some truffle and graphite on the nose...red fruits...Palate has nice acidity...Earth, minerality, red fruits...This is showing quite nicely really..and I think this is a lower tier from Pegasus Bay's normal line...Cellaring has helped this wine a lot...Actually reminds me a bit of Ata Rangi... 90 points
Friday, June 27, 2014
Cellar Favorites with Friends
I met up with some friends for a wonderful evening of food and wine....
2003 Keith Tulloch Semillon - Just starting to develop some toasty notes. Good acid, good depth...This looks like it'll go quite awhile longer and I'd love to see this in five more years.
2006 De Iuliis Semillon - The acid is fading away on this...not a lot of development going on either...Maybe this will turn a bit but it isn't what I'm looking for in Semillon..
2012 Lethbridge Dr. Nadeson Riesling - I'm a big fan of these and still a big fan. 10g/L of RS and 13g/L of TA....Served a little cool which made the sugar stand out a bit more but once it got going the acidity and depth really showed..the sugar offset some of the searing acidity..I really enjoy this style...I wish more places made Riesling like this.
1996 Lakes Folly Chardonnay - I wasn't expecting much here because of the age but this had a wonderful nose and equally wonderful palate. Reminded me a lot of an aged Champagne with some yeasty notes, lemon pith, nutty notes as well. Acid still going strong. Quite a revelation for everyone at the table as I think everyone expected this to be past it.
1991 Orlando Lawsons Padthaway Shiraz (Magnum) - Deep dark fruited Shiraz, big fruit, mocha notes, some secondary minty and herby characters as well...In quite a nice spot really. Not quite the style I like but drinking fantastically well. Really no complaints here, I'd be perfectly happy drinking this.
1998 Penfolds St. Henri - Some felt this was in a good spot, to me it was way too young. Great structure, tannins were firm but not too aggressive but definitely there in force...Good acidity, fruit was still very young...some development but this will probably not be its best for 10+ years..at least...
1990 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (Black) - A bit of funk on the nose but that blew off...Acidity was quite good, redder fruits but definitely a Coonawarra feel to it. Tannins were fully resolved....Was probably a bit past it but still a very nice drop. Considering this was probably 5 dollars on release and was probably near the bottom of their releases, this is looking very good.
2009 Yarra Yering Dry Red No 3 - A mix of different Tourigas...I've never been a fan of this...still not much of a fan of this. Really young bright fruit....feels a bit awkward to me...
1996 Sallys Paddock - Nice mouthfeel to this...great little bordeaux blend. Darker fruits with some herby characters to it...Good overall structure and mouthfeel. I haven't had a Sallys Paddock and been blown away by it..but they're always consistently pretty good...
2013 Yellow Tail Merlot (this was a bit of a joke wine) - Most people have the same response...Yellow Tail? And a MERLOT at that? Haha. To me, a lot of cheap wine or a lot of wine that the winemaker is new to making have this manufactured fake red candy smell to it...as well as on the palate. I tend to see it in wines that are 5-15 dollars. Not everyone seems to pick this up though as I've seen plenty of wines that have this and people don't sense that. For me, even blind I'm picking this up. I'm not sure what it is and obviously there are tons of cheap wines I DON'T pick this up in..but a lot of them I do. I suspect some sort of winemaking flaw but I don't know what it is. Either way, this has it in spades. Palate is relatively sweet too so I suspect a good amount of residual sugar...If you don't mind the fake candy, I can see why people would drink this..easy to drink, a bit sweet (even though they don't know it is)...
2006 Glen Eldon Twisted Trunk Reserve Shiraz - A big bruising Shiraz...Huge oak on the nose and palate...This probably needs more time for the oak to integrate..not sure if that'll happen but it needs more time...I'm sure this is a crowd pleaser though...
1999 Yalumba Signature - Still a young pup...Big dark fruit, very viscous on the palate. A lot of oak but it has integrated relatively well. Tannins are there but not overpowering....This is in a pretty good spot right now if you like them a bit young but I can see this going another 5-10 years. Again, not the style I prefer but this was still quite nice.
2005 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon - This fell a bit flat for me..probably needed to be served earlier in the evening. Light for a Cabernet...this seemed to be in a bit of an awkward spot...
2004 Buller Calliope Durif - VERY viscous...Almost port like in thickness...very dark dark fruit, big big fruit on the palate...To me this seems almost sweet...I'm not sure how much residual sugar is here but I've seen stuff that suggests it is relatively high for a red...and this is also labeled 16% alcohol but it is probably closer to 17%. That said, I wouldn't guess 17% as it isn't finishing very hot..but definitely finishes a bit hot to my palate. This would definitely be a crowd pleaser..I can see a lot of people loving this. For me, just too big..
2004 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz - I've not always been happy with their Hilltops..I think they tend to be a bit awkward...but this has integrated nicely...it has a dash of Viognier and the Shiraz has really started to develop some secondary characteristics. Very Hilltops region on the nose and exhibits some of that on the palate. Overall a pretty good wine.
2003 Keith Tulloch Semillon - Just starting to develop some toasty notes. Good acid, good depth...This looks like it'll go quite awhile longer and I'd love to see this in five more years.
2006 De Iuliis Semillon - The acid is fading away on this...not a lot of development going on either...Maybe this will turn a bit but it isn't what I'm looking for in Semillon..
2012 Lethbridge Dr. Nadeson Riesling - I'm a big fan of these and still a big fan. 10g/L of RS and 13g/L of TA....Served a little cool which made the sugar stand out a bit more but once it got going the acidity and depth really showed..the sugar offset some of the searing acidity..I really enjoy this style...I wish more places made Riesling like this.
1996 Lakes Folly Chardonnay - I wasn't expecting much here because of the age but this had a wonderful nose and equally wonderful palate. Reminded me a lot of an aged Champagne with some yeasty notes, lemon pith, nutty notes as well. Acid still going strong. Quite a revelation for everyone at the table as I think everyone expected this to be past it.
1991 Orlando Lawsons Padthaway Shiraz (Magnum) - Deep dark fruited Shiraz, big fruit, mocha notes, some secondary minty and herby characters as well...In quite a nice spot really. Not quite the style I like but drinking fantastically well. Really no complaints here, I'd be perfectly happy drinking this.
1998 Penfolds St. Henri - Some felt this was in a good spot, to me it was way too young. Great structure, tannins were firm but not too aggressive but definitely there in force...Good acidity, fruit was still very young...some development but this will probably not be its best for 10+ years..at least...
1990 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (Black) - A bit of funk on the nose but that blew off...Acidity was quite good, redder fruits but definitely a Coonawarra feel to it. Tannins were fully resolved....Was probably a bit past it but still a very nice drop. Considering this was probably 5 dollars on release and was probably near the bottom of their releases, this is looking very good.
2009 Yarra Yering Dry Red No 3 - A mix of different Tourigas...I've never been a fan of this...still not much of a fan of this. Really young bright fruit....feels a bit awkward to me...
1996 Sallys Paddock - Nice mouthfeel to this...great little bordeaux blend. Darker fruits with some herby characters to it...Good overall structure and mouthfeel. I haven't had a Sallys Paddock and been blown away by it..but they're always consistently pretty good...
2013 Yellow Tail Merlot (this was a bit of a joke wine) - Most people have the same response...Yellow Tail? And a MERLOT at that? Haha. To me, a lot of cheap wine or a lot of wine that the winemaker is new to making have this manufactured fake red candy smell to it...as well as on the palate. I tend to see it in wines that are 5-15 dollars. Not everyone seems to pick this up though as I've seen plenty of wines that have this and people don't sense that. For me, even blind I'm picking this up. I'm not sure what it is and obviously there are tons of cheap wines I DON'T pick this up in..but a lot of them I do. I suspect some sort of winemaking flaw but I don't know what it is. Either way, this has it in spades. Palate is relatively sweet too so I suspect a good amount of residual sugar...If you don't mind the fake candy, I can see why people would drink this..easy to drink, a bit sweet (even though they don't know it is)...
2006 Glen Eldon Twisted Trunk Reserve Shiraz - A big bruising Shiraz...Huge oak on the nose and palate...This probably needs more time for the oak to integrate..not sure if that'll happen but it needs more time...I'm sure this is a crowd pleaser though...
1999 Yalumba Signature - Still a young pup...Big dark fruit, very viscous on the palate. A lot of oak but it has integrated relatively well. Tannins are there but not overpowering....This is in a pretty good spot right now if you like them a bit young but I can see this going another 5-10 years. Again, not the style I prefer but this was still quite nice.
2005 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon - This fell a bit flat for me..probably needed to be served earlier in the evening. Light for a Cabernet...this seemed to be in a bit of an awkward spot...
2004 Buller Calliope Durif - VERY viscous...Almost port like in thickness...very dark dark fruit, big big fruit on the palate...To me this seems almost sweet...I'm not sure how much residual sugar is here but I've seen stuff that suggests it is relatively high for a red...and this is also labeled 16% alcohol but it is probably closer to 17%. That said, I wouldn't guess 17% as it isn't finishing very hot..but definitely finishes a bit hot to my palate. This would definitely be a crowd pleaser..I can see a lot of people loving this. For me, just too big..
2004 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz - I've not always been happy with their Hilltops..I think they tend to be a bit awkward...but this has integrated nicely...it has a dash of Viognier and the Shiraz has really started to develop some secondary characteristics. Very Hilltops region on the nose and exhibits some of that on the palate. Overall a pretty good wine.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Tasmania Unbottled 2013
I've been relatively disappointed in Tasmania the last few years but this was a good opportunity to see what they're doing in the region, try the new releases...and Australians are some of the best at changing styles (to their credit and detriment).
Overall impressions: I was quite impressed with the different things a lot of the winemakers were trying to do...A lot more skin exposure, a lot more time on lees...mixing up different oak treatments, malo treatements..some residual sugar in some of the Rieslings...some lighter Pinots as well...I'm not sure Pinot Noir is the right grape for Tassie...Maybe it is the soil..not sure..but the Riesling and Chardonnay is definitely quite interesting...they even had a couple of different Pinot Grigios..it'll be interesting to see how this turns out for them.....I know that their pricing structure is a bit messed up...I believe in part because things are expensive there and shipping the wine out of Tassie is really expensive...I don't think that is an excuse though...I think they really need to start making wine that competes and whatever price levels are out there...
Josef Chromy
Always an interesting mix of wine out of Josef Chromy...a typical Aussie Pinot at different price points that most will be very happy with. However, I was far more interesting in their Riesling..
Josef Chromy Zdar Riesling 2008
Only made in the best years and in very limited quantity, this had very good acidity, good development on the nose and texture wise, it was really nice. Toasty notes, lemon pith, some minerality, lemon curd, sour apple notes, a bit of petrol...First time I've had this. At 40RRP though, I'm not sure what space this fits in...It is basically Grosset type territory...Pikes Merle..more than Lethbridge, more than Leo Buring Leonay and Peter Lehmann Wigan....This IS good though....but the RRP is a bit of a stretch (coming back to being price competitive).
Josef Chromy SGR delikat Riesling
More of a Kabinett style of Riesling...so a bit of RS with really high acidity...I like that they even made something like this since some Aussies are so adamant they must have bone dry wine...but the fact is, the acidity in Tassie is really high...they really do need a slight bit of RS to soften it a bit...it really does not make it sweet....
Stefano Lubiana
An excellent range overall....and doing a lot of good things with their wine...Price pretty fairly for the quality.
Stefano Lubiana Riesling 2011
Really interesting nose...Oak? Interesting...I'm also picking up a bit of tightness in my gums so I suspect even some skin contact? Really interesting texture for this...good depth for a young Riesling...quite enjoyable with the very good acidity....How will this look in a few years? Not sure...but I'm excited to find out....If you like Riesling, this is a great one to try for something different....If you don't like Riesling..this is a great one to try..you may just like it...
Stefano Lubiana Chardonay
I'm a bit biased after the very interesting Riesling....the Chardonnay is show really nice depth...good acidity in contrast to the oak and what seems like Malo (really hard to tell because the acidity is so high). A very well made Chardonnay, at a fair price...
Honorable mentions..
Sparkling:
House of Arras was impressive. Yeasty, very champagne like..a bit brighter fruit wise...I like both their Grand Vintage 2004 and Vintage Rose 2004.
Jansz - Normally I'm not a fan...their vintage Cuvee and Rose were quite good though...as was the late disgorged 2004.
Glaetzer-Dixon. Two really interesting Rielsings Uberblanc Goldpunkt and Uberblanc (Red Dot).
Overall impressions: I was quite impressed with the different things a lot of the winemakers were trying to do...A lot more skin exposure, a lot more time on lees...mixing up different oak treatments, malo treatements..some residual sugar in some of the Rieslings...some lighter Pinots as well...I'm not sure Pinot Noir is the right grape for Tassie...Maybe it is the soil..not sure..but the Riesling and Chardonnay is definitely quite interesting...they even had a couple of different Pinot Grigios..it'll be interesting to see how this turns out for them.....I know that their pricing structure is a bit messed up...I believe in part because things are expensive there and shipping the wine out of Tassie is really expensive...I don't think that is an excuse though...I think they really need to start making wine that competes and whatever price levels are out there...
Josef Chromy
Always an interesting mix of wine out of Josef Chromy...a typical Aussie Pinot at different price points that most will be very happy with. However, I was far more interesting in their Riesling..
Josef Chromy Zdar Riesling 2008
Only made in the best years and in very limited quantity, this had very good acidity, good development on the nose and texture wise, it was really nice. Toasty notes, lemon pith, some minerality, lemon curd, sour apple notes, a bit of petrol...First time I've had this. At 40RRP though, I'm not sure what space this fits in...It is basically Grosset type territory...Pikes Merle..more than Lethbridge, more than Leo Buring Leonay and Peter Lehmann Wigan....This IS good though....but the RRP is a bit of a stretch (coming back to being price competitive).
Josef Chromy SGR delikat Riesling
More of a Kabinett style of Riesling...so a bit of RS with really high acidity...I like that they even made something like this since some Aussies are so adamant they must have bone dry wine...but the fact is, the acidity in Tassie is really high...they really do need a slight bit of RS to soften it a bit...it really does not make it sweet....
Stefano Lubiana
An excellent range overall....and doing a lot of good things with their wine...Price pretty fairly for the quality.
Stefano Lubiana Riesling 2011
Really interesting nose...Oak? Interesting...I'm also picking up a bit of tightness in my gums so I suspect even some skin contact? Really interesting texture for this...good depth for a young Riesling...quite enjoyable with the very good acidity....How will this look in a few years? Not sure...but I'm excited to find out....If you like Riesling, this is a great one to try for something different....If you don't like Riesling..this is a great one to try..you may just like it...
Stefano Lubiana Chardonay
I'm a bit biased after the very interesting Riesling....the Chardonnay is show really nice depth...good acidity in contrast to the oak and what seems like Malo (really hard to tell because the acidity is so high). A very well made Chardonnay, at a fair price...
Honorable mentions..
Sparkling:
House of Arras was impressive. Yeasty, very champagne like..a bit brighter fruit wise...I like both their Grand Vintage 2004 and Vintage Rose 2004.
Jansz - Normally I'm not a fan...their vintage Cuvee and Rose were quite good though...as was the late disgorged 2004.
Glaetzer-Dixon. Two really interesting Rielsings Uberblanc Goldpunkt and Uberblanc (Red Dot).
Monday, August 12, 2013
Geelong - Lethbridge, Eagle Rise part 1
I've always been a fan of Lethbridge which is in Geelong. I've only had the chance to try some Bannockburn Pinot once before and was really impressed...so when it came time to go to Melbourne with a free day on the weekend...there was really only one region that I wanted to visit...Geelong...
Geelong actually has three different regions...Moorabool, Surf Coast and Bellarine. Since both Bannockburn and Lethbridge were in Moorabool, that was my obvious choice although out of the three, it is the smallest and most spread out...
Ray Nadeson is the owner and winemaker at Lethbridge. From my talks with him and from others, Ray was in the medical field, developed a device that he patented and then sold off the rights...so what does a guy with enough money to retire on do? He opens a winery and makes what he loves.
Every winemaker says this..but very few often do this....Ray makes wines he loves to drink..the way HE wants to make them. While everyone else may be going to the left, he's going to the right. He has true passion for what he is doing, he even goes to see the trees that are going to be used to make the barrels he will be using for his wine.....He has his hands in every aspects of his wine and you have to really respect a guy that has such passion for what he is doing.
Lethbridge Dr. Nadeson Riesling 2012.
I love what they're doing to their Riesling.. Some residual sugar (10g/L), low ph (3.00) and really high acid (13g/L)...While that style is not completely unique globally...I don't see a lot of it...and it is completely unusual in Australia (although I have seen one or two others recently do something similar). That high high acid combined with a bit of residual sugar to soften it, is a fantastic combination. Lime pith, minerality, tart apples....Great complexity, great mouthfeel. I believe these are fermented in oak with a bit of lees stirring......It will really be interesting to see how these develop in 5 or so years..and if it gains some of that weight and secondary notes that Aussie riesling tends to...I think my only issue is I'm not sure how to keep my hands off the stuff long enough to wait that long and Ray doesn't make enough of it to really have a museum stock (I think he said he makes 100-150 cases). In any case, one of my favorite Aussie Rieslings if not my absolute favorite. RRP is 30 and it is a great buy at that.
Lethbridge Kabinett Riesling 2010.
This is something you won't see anywhere but the Cellar door, I believe they only make about 30 cases of it. Made in a Germanic style called Kabinett so I'm expecting to have a good amount of RS but not a huge amount. Made basically in the same style as his Nadeson, this too is also just absolutely fantastic. To compare it to German Kabinett, to me it feels like the RS and the fruit are not as seamless together as they are with a German Riesling..but I don't consider that a downside..it is just different....In many aspects it does remind you of a German Kabinett but I feel like the acid is showing better, I think there is greater depth at this age than you see from a German Kabinett....This is really very enjoyable and one I think my wife would actually drink as well. A bit of crushed rock, lime, apples, lemon peel...Texture is great with really high acidity to balance out the 30g/L of RS....This isn't made to appeal to most Aussies because many are adamant Riesling needs to be bone bone dry (Blue Nun did serious damage to the psyches of Aussies)...but it will appeal to anyone that enjoys German Rieslings...
Lethbridge Botrytis Riesling 2011.
I pretty much never talk about dessert wines. I enjoy them but in Australia, most of them are very straightforward - Sweet. Some have better acidity, some better complexity...but Australians iconic Botrytis Semillon, Noble One, I would hardly compare to a good Sauternes...There is a depth and complexity it just doesn't have (although Noble One is pretty good). THIS wine however, is one that had me just amazed.
Hand Picked Berry by Berry...as each individual berry was infected by Botrytis, they hand picked each individual one off the vine. I think Ray said it took them 6 weeks to pick the fruit and they only made about 25 half cases of the wine...so you can imagine all the time and effort it took to make this. Ray says they may never make another one again because of how much time and effort it took..but I have a feeling at some point, when conditions are right, they'll do it again.
My first impression of the wine were..wow, what else is going on in here? A real depth to the nose, not just sweet but something else...I then find out this has had time in oak which seems to really have given this weight, complexity and just that extra oomph that is really contributing to the nose. Palate - Sweet but not sticky sweet...really high acidity is helping to balance this out. Lime, lemon peel, some nuttiness coming out as well, a tad bit of rock, some vanilla....Really quite wonderful....My favorite dessert wine made in Australia (if you don't count 100 year old Para)....
Lethbridge Chardonnay 2010
A good % of new oak and full malo...This isn't your fat buttery oaky chardonnay but it is most definitely a more traditional, non Chablis like Chardonnay. A bit of peach, some nice creaminess and complexity. Good acidity but not as much as I'm looking for at this stage. A very good Chardonnay but I feel like it needs more time.
Lethbridge Chardonnay 2011
A cooler year in 2011, new oak, full malo, but a lot of really great acidity. Some peachiness, a bit of minerality, stone fruit...good depth and complexity. It fits more into what I'd like to drink but still carries that fullness that a chardonnay can carry..really quite nice..
Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay 2008
Lethbridge Chardonnay 2010
A good % of new oak and full malo...This isn't your fat buttery oaky chardonnay but it is most definitely a more traditional, non Chablis like Chardonnay. A bit of peach, some nice creaminess and complexity. Good acidity but not as much as I'm looking for at this stage. A very good Chardonnay but I feel like it needs more time.
Lethbridge Chardonnay 2011
A cooler year in 2011, new oak, full malo, but a lot of really great acidity. Some peachiness, a bit of minerality, stone fruit...good depth and complexity. It fits more into what I'd like to drink but still carries that fullness that a chardonnay can carry..really quite nice..
Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay 2008
Texture wise, this and the 2011 estate Chardonnay felt really similar..but this one had a LOT more depth, a LOT more complexity....Layer by layer it would unfold as I was tasting it. Stone fruits, lemon pith, stone fruit....Acidity with a bit of fatness to it...This is probably my favorite chardonnay in Australia right now...
Lethbridge Pinot Noir 2011
Really nice acidity, earth, forest floor, red fruits, a bit of spice...really quite nice but I'm not sure I like this as much as the 2010. Still, really great mouthfeel, really good texture, good depth, and nothing like a typical Australian Pinot...which is great.
Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir 2009
Greater depth than the regular estate...A bit more fruit but a bit more stuffing..good acidity, fine tannins, spicy red fruits, some vegetal flavors, some spice, herbs, some earthy tones, mushrooms...really quite nice. Definitely one of the better Australian Pinots out there....I think the 2008 had a bit more structure to it..it would have been nice to see these side by side.
Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir 2013 (barrel Sample)
I don't really get a chance to try barrel samples so this was a great opportunity. Good acidity, clean fruit, but still development going on...I have no way to properly evaluate this but the fruit seemed very pure....I'm looking forward to trying this when they release it.
Lethbridge Nebbiolo 2013 (barrel Sample)
Most of the Nebbiolo in Australia that I've had have been underwhelming...this was definitely NOT. The difference to me is the correct structure and mouthfeel was there that I'm looking for in Nebbiolo. Proper tannin structure, good acidity, definitely still a baby at this point and still developing but this looks like it'll be a really good Nebbiolo and probably the best in Australia...Ray says it is because most winemakers don't have enough patience as he shows me the barrels they've modded to allow the juice to have contact with the skins for over 100 days....Really old school, really smart guy...really good wine.
Lethbridge Shiraz 2010
Geelong Shiraz is really underrated....Good acidity, red fruits, herbs, some meaty characters, a bit of earth...Medium bodied...Not quite the acidity of a Hunter Shiraz but the fruit is a bit cleaner, less earthy characters...I think a lot of people would enjoy this style.
Lethbridge Heathcote Shiraz 2010
This is actually a Shiraz Mouvedre...and the Shiraz fruit from Heathcote.... a bit more fruit forward initially than the Geelong..good acidity...Some meat and chocolate...nice medium bodied feel...Nice texture and depth...finishes with a typical Mouvedre finish...really quite a nice wine...I've seen this blend before in Australia...this is one of the most successful versions of this that I've tried in AU.
Lethbridge Indra Shiraz 2008
This is like their estate Shiraz but with a lot more depth and lot more complexity. The oak is well integrated, good acidity...Medium bodied with red fruits, herbs, earth and fine tannins. A really great version of a Geelong Shiraz....I think the only downside is for the same price do I want an Allegra, Mietta or Indra? To me the Mietta and Allegra sit as top tier Chard/Pinot in Australia...Indra is great but not quite top tier....
Lethbridge Hugo George 2009
Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Franc....A Tuscan style wine....fine tannins, great depth, good acidity with a great mid palate. A very interesting blend that I think would be fantastic with food. Red fruits, some green pepper, herbs, some vegetal notes.....Really quite an interesting wine. I'm not sure this hits the heights of their other premiums...but a VERY interesting wine.
Eagles Rise
Small producer who makes about 500 cases of each wine. What differentiates them from their competitors is they like to hold back their releases until they feel they're ready to drink. Available for tasting was a Pinot Grigio, dessert Pinot Grigio, a Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. They do have some reserves and other versions but they weren't available to try...
Eagles Rise Shiraz 2005.
My favorite of those available for tasting. Redder fruits, good acidity, some herbs and some vegetal characteristics coming through...A bit of age so a few other secondary characteristics coming through....a bit of meatiness...mdushroms, earth....RRP is only 20 on this...I don't think it is easily available..
The vineyard is also for sale..for just under 1 million AUD...dreams dreams dreams....
Lethbridge Pinot Noir 2011
Really nice acidity, earth, forest floor, red fruits, a bit of spice...really quite nice but I'm not sure I like this as much as the 2010. Still, really great mouthfeel, really good texture, good depth, and nothing like a typical Australian Pinot...which is great.
Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir 2009
Greater depth than the regular estate...A bit more fruit but a bit more stuffing..good acidity, fine tannins, spicy red fruits, some vegetal flavors, some spice, herbs, some earthy tones, mushrooms...really quite nice. Definitely one of the better Australian Pinots out there....I think the 2008 had a bit more structure to it..it would have been nice to see these side by side.
Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir 2013 (barrel Sample)
I don't really get a chance to try barrel samples so this was a great opportunity. Good acidity, clean fruit, but still development going on...I have no way to properly evaluate this but the fruit seemed very pure....I'm looking forward to trying this when they release it.
Lethbridge Nebbiolo 2013 (barrel Sample)
Most of the Nebbiolo in Australia that I've had have been underwhelming...this was definitely NOT. The difference to me is the correct structure and mouthfeel was there that I'm looking for in Nebbiolo. Proper tannin structure, good acidity, definitely still a baby at this point and still developing but this looks like it'll be a really good Nebbiolo and probably the best in Australia...Ray says it is because most winemakers don't have enough patience as he shows me the barrels they've modded to allow the juice to have contact with the skins for over 100 days....Really old school, really smart guy...really good wine.
Lethbridge Shiraz 2010
Geelong Shiraz is really underrated....Good acidity, red fruits, herbs, some meaty characters, a bit of earth...Medium bodied...Not quite the acidity of a Hunter Shiraz but the fruit is a bit cleaner, less earthy characters...I think a lot of people would enjoy this style.
Lethbridge Heathcote Shiraz 2010
This is actually a Shiraz Mouvedre...and the Shiraz fruit from Heathcote.... a bit more fruit forward initially than the Geelong..good acidity...Some meat and chocolate...nice medium bodied feel...Nice texture and depth...finishes with a typical Mouvedre finish...really quite a nice wine...I've seen this blend before in Australia...this is one of the most successful versions of this that I've tried in AU.
Lethbridge Indra Shiraz 2008
This is like their estate Shiraz but with a lot more depth and lot more complexity. The oak is well integrated, good acidity...Medium bodied with red fruits, herbs, earth and fine tannins. A really great version of a Geelong Shiraz....I think the only downside is for the same price do I want an Allegra, Mietta or Indra? To me the Mietta and Allegra sit as top tier Chard/Pinot in Australia...Indra is great but not quite top tier....
Lethbridge Hugo George 2009
Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Franc....A Tuscan style wine....fine tannins, great depth, good acidity with a great mid palate. A very interesting blend that I think would be fantastic with food. Red fruits, some green pepper, herbs, some vegetal notes.....Really quite an interesting wine. I'm not sure this hits the heights of their other premiums...but a VERY interesting wine.
Eagles Rise
Small producer who makes about 500 cases of each wine. What differentiates them from their competitors is they like to hold back their releases until they feel they're ready to drink. Available for tasting was a Pinot Grigio, dessert Pinot Grigio, a Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. They do have some reserves and other versions but they weren't available to try...
Eagles Rise Shiraz 2005.
My favorite of those available for tasting. Redder fruits, good acidity, some herbs and some vegetal characteristics coming through...A bit of age so a few other secondary characteristics coming through....a bit of meatiness...mdushroms, earth....RRP is only 20 on this...I don't think it is easily available..
The vineyard is also for sale..for just under 1 million AUD...dreams dreams dreams....
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Summer of Riesling 2013
I was lucky enough to attend a Riesling event at the Beresford
Hotel. It has a combination of stuff from Australia, New Zealand, France,
Germany, Austria and the US.
Overall there was a fantastic selection of Rieslings even though it was a bit more Australiancentric than I would have liked.
Most of the German and Austrian Rieslings were ok. Prices were actually quite good overall.
I think as I have more and more Riesling...my palate is moving more towards some RS + good acidity....Australian Rieslings tend to have very good acidity but with the whole bone dry thing, I think a lot of them fall short. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of VERY good bone dry Rieslings in Australia..they age fantastically well...but so many of them end up just being a battery acid mess lacking in any real complexity and void of any fruit...just because it tastes like petrol doesn't mean it has developed properly.
Here are some of the highlights from the show:
Gaelic Cemetery Riesling 2012. Very good depth to this. Hasn't started developing too much but it has a very nice mid palate, good length, quite a nice drop. Just a touch of RS is really helping to soften this a little bit...it is nice. Retail on this is stupid though..Something like 45AUD. Made by the same winemaker as Pikes...I can see the similarity in style but even as expensive as Pikes Merle is...it is still cheaper than this...and a better wine to boot. Good wine, worth drinking but probably 10-15 dollars too much...
Lethbridge Dr. Nadeson Riesling 2011....I love this guys stuff and this is no different. Some RS mixed with high acid content and low ph makes for a very interesting Riesling...a bit of sweet and a bit of sizzle...It looks an importer may start bringing his stuff in the US..I'm actually excited about seeing that happen...
Tunkalilla Riesling 2010 from Willamette Valley in Oregon. I was really surprised with this one...really nice development on the nose..good complexity..you can smell that it has a bit of residual sugar...Citrus, lemon, some herbs...looks interesting. On the palate it just smacks you in the face...REALLY strong acidity...but it it all balanced out by the RS...17-18g of sugar which isn't too high but it strikes a very interesting balance of RS and Acid..I think I actually like this better than the Lethbridge...with 9.9g of acid (which is high) and a ph under 3....
Weiser Kuenstler "Enkircher Ellergrub" Kabinett 2011. This is the same wine I tried at Sepia..although because they've kept them too cold, I'm not getting as much from the nose. Still, the wine had great depth and great balance. It was still one of my favorites but I didn't get the same wonderful nose from before...I do like some of the new world style Rieslings..but German Rieslings have it down when it comes to integrating RS into the wine...such great balance and oneness and the minerality tends to really show through a bit better...
I was a little disappointed there weren't any German GG's there and I felt the foreign section was a bit smaller than it should have been..but overall it was a great showing...
Overall there was a fantastic selection of Rieslings even though it was a bit more Australiancentric than I would have liked.
Most of the German and Austrian Rieslings were ok. Prices were actually quite good overall.
I think as I have more and more Riesling...my palate is moving more towards some RS + good acidity....Australian Rieslings tend to have very good acidity but with the whole bone dry thing, I think a lot of them fall short. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of VERY good bone dry Rieslings in Australia..they age fantastically well...but so many of them end up just being a battery acid mess lacking in any real complexity and void of any fruit...just because it tastes like petrol doesn't mean it has developed properly.
Here are some of the highlights from the show:
Gaelic Cemetery Riesling 2012. Very good depth to this. Hasn't started developing too much but it has a very nice mid palate, good length, quite a nice drop. Just a touch of RS is really helping to soften this a little bit...it is nice. Retail on this is stupid though..Something like 45AUD. Made by the same winemaker as Pikes...I can see the similarity in style but even as expensive as Pikes Merle is...it is still cheaper than this...and a better wine to boot. Good wine, worth drinking but probably 10-15 dollars too much...
Lethbridge Dr. Nadeson Riesling 2011....I love this guys stuff and this is no different. Some RS mixed with high acid content and low ph makes for a very interesting Riesling...a bit of sweet and a bit of sizzle...It looks an importer may start bringing his stuff in the US..I'm actually excited about seeing that happen...
Tunkalilla Riesling 2010 from Willamette Valley in Oregon. I was really surprised with this one...really nice development on the nose..good complexity..you can smell that it has a bit of residual sugar...Citrus, lemon, some herbs...looks interesting. On the palate it just smacks you in the face...REALLY strong acidity...but it it all balanced out by the RS...17-18g of sugar which isn't too high but it strikes a very interesting balance of RS and Acid..I think I actually like this better than the Lethbridge...with 9.9g of acid (which is high) and a ph under 3....
Weiser Kuenstler "Enkircher Ellergrub" Kabinett 2011. This is the same wine I tried at Sepia..although because they've kept them too cold, I'm not getting as much from the nose. Still, the wine had great depth and great balance. It was still one of my favorites but I didn't get the same wonderful nose from before...I do like some of the new world style Rieslings..but German Rieslings have it down when it comes to integrating RS into the wine...such great balance and oneness and the minerality tends to really show through a bit better...
I was a little disappointed there weren't any German GG's there and I felt the foreign section was a bit smaller than it should have been..but overall it was a great showing...
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sepia Sepia Sepia
I have been meaning to go to Sepia for a long time...with a great reputation for food and wine, I was really looking forward to it....I won't really review the food but I will mention what I had and the wine I tried and how it matched with the food
Water - You can have Sparkling, Still or Tap. The sparkling and still are on the expensive side (9 dollars pp) but because they charge per person, this means you can keep drinking water and it really doesn't matter. People can have what they want and you don't have to split up bottles. Expensive but just one less thing you have to think about...
1st Course - Kingfish Bacon, Citrus Soy, Olive Oil, Smoked Trout Roe. No matching wine with this.
2nd Course - Sashimi Tuna, Smoked seared Ocean Trout, Poached Banana Prawn. These were a reverse nigiri...I'll let you imagine what that might be like.
Wine: (or in this case sake). Umenoyado "Gin" Junmai-Ginjo. Having had quite a bit of sake lately, I wasn't too overly impressed with this. Very nice solid, sake but I wouldn't say it was overly interesting. Good match to the food in that the sake didn't take away from the fish, which I think is its intention.
3rd Course - Beetroot butter, Goat milk Chevre, Rhubabr, apple balsamic, rye, goat milk crisp.
Wine: Felton Road "Bannockburn" Riesling 2011.
I've had a number of rieslings from New Zealand and when they have some residual sugar, they are definitely quite pleasing. To me they are distinctly different from Australian Riesling as well as German Rieslings...In this style, I think it is actually quite easy to pick it is from NZ. Nice Limes and Lemons on the nose with a whiff of sweetness. Palate has very good acidity to balance out the sugar. Almost very lime ade in nature. It has very good focus but next to my wife's riesling it seemed a bit on the simple side. Excellent match though to what was a very excellent dish.
Weiser-Kuenstler "Enkircher Ellergrub" Kabinett Riesling 2011. I thought this was absolutely fantastic. The nose on this was absolutely fantastic..Lemons, citrus, some leafy greens and nice minerality. The palate had very good acidity which was a perfect balance to the residual sugar. For whatever reason I think German rieslings seem to have a oneness when they have some RS and this is no exception. What was amazing about this is the amount of depth, each swish showed a new side to it. A little rock, a little fruit, a little sugar, which turned into a slightly different shade of fruit...I was shocked. While not part of the pairing, this might be my WOTN.
4th Course - Butter poached Port Lincol squid, Citrus scented ink, barley cured egg yolk, wild wood sorrel.
Wine - Txomin Etxaniz 2011. A combination of Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza. I've never tried this type of wine before. Very tight acidity, combined with a very apple like flavor. It was actually quite nice and definitely a food wine. By itself it was fairly decent, but maybe a bit on the simpler side. Nose was quite good...but what impressed me about this was how well it went with the food. A VERY good match because the acidity was a perfect pairing with the fattiness of the squid yolky ink.
At this point in the meal I'm already impressed by the food but really impressed with wine pairings..they're not only spot on but they all have a very nice nose....and looking into the next few wines I can see they'll be something different as well....
5th course - Roast Scampi tail, shellfish mousse, scampi shell crumb, sudachi Japanese land seaweed.
Wine - Pierre Luneau Papin "Clos des Noelles - Semper Excelsior" 2007. A muscadet that has been on lees for an extended period of time which gave it a lot of added complexity. On its own I thought this was a very interesting Muscadet..it was definitely more interesting than the ones I had in the past. I wouldn't exactly say this was anything more than a well made wine but it went very well with the food. It was a good contrast to the very rich shellfish mousse and really seemed to bring out the flavor of the scampi...At this point I'm laughing because the pairings have been really great with what are not very expensive wines..in fact, I don't think any of these go for more than 30 USD a bottle..and yet they are really singing with the food.
6th Course - South Australia Lamb, Goat Cheese and sake kuzu dumplings, black olive miso vinaigrette, fennel molasses
Wine - Gaia 14-18h Rose 2011. Made from Agiorgitiko in Greece, I was looking forward to seeing what Gaia could do when making a Rose. Overall - It was just a Rose. Well made but not overly interesting. As much as I'm trying to understand Rose, I still have a hard time understanding Rose. That said, if you're going to drink Rose, this is a fairly decent one. This was also the only wine I didn't really felt was a good match for the food. I can definitely see where this was heading though..the lamb was very delicate and lightly flavored..it did NOT come across as very lamb like and did not have overly strong flavors..but the rest of the food did have some stronger flavors. I'd say the only disappointing match of the night and probably my least favorite wine.
7th course - Seared Rolled David Blackmore Waguy Beef, Chestnut Mushroom, roasted red onion juice wasabi fried potato and kombu crum, citrus soy.
Wine - Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2009. Mostly Sangiovese in this. Had a wonderful nose with a very expressive oak/vanilla coming off of it. Nice red fruit and some herbs. Palate had very very nice acidity...I love reds with good acid...medium bodied, good fruit, I guess American oak but it is French/Slovenian casks..either way, it has imparted an almost fruit bomb type of oak to it but not too much and at the same time, it has carried this very medium bodied acidity that is coming across very nicely. I tried this before the food came out and I was expecting something really fatty (since we hadn't had a heavy red meat yet). This was an excellent excellent match to the Wagyu...While I think a lot of people throw big big tannic reds at meat...it was really nice to see how the wine and its composition was selected to match how the food was, to match the fatiness or the strong flavors of the food...really nice.
8th course. Lemon Verbena Curd, Alpine Strawberry caramel, crisp meringue.
No wine
9th course. Poached paradise pear, salted goat milk ice cream, maple crepe, candied waluts.
Wine - Royal Tokaji "Late Harvest" 2009. So rather than rely on botrytis this relied on a very late picking for its sweetness. I was looking forward to trying this...Nice balanced sweetness but maybe a little on the simple side. Matched very well with the 2nd pre-dessert.
10th course. "Summer Chocolate Forest". Soft Chocolate, hazelnut and almost, rose geranium cream, sour cherry sorbet, blueberry jellies, green tea licorice, chocolate twigs.
Mas Amiel "Prestige - 15 Ans dAge". Somewhere between a sherry and a port but without being too porty...this added a nice chocolate element to what was already a chocolate overload in the dessert. It was quite an interesting wine but at this point I'm well sugared out...I wouldn't mind trying this when I'm not quite as stuffed and without the food.
Overall - Food - Excellent. One of, if not the best dining experience I've had in Sydney...which includes, Quay, Tetsuyas, Marque, est. Aria, Momofuku and several others....Very "safe" food but at the same time very interesting...a nice twist on different dishes and my understanding is the degustation on Saturday is changed on a regular basis which I think is great.
Wine - I think every wine I had here was very well made and they all had one thing in common. They all had VERY good noses...The matchings were easily the best I've had in Sydney. They weren't the most expensive wines I've had in a pairing but they were paired the best, by far, than any place I've had in Sydney. The fact that they were able to do this with relatively low cost wine (again, I don't think any of these are over 30USD a bottle although they might be more expensive in Australia) and with wine that you might never have tried otherwise, speaks volumes about the quality of their sommelier. The wine list is very well thought out, a very good mix of different things to try...and you can see a lot of effort and thought is put into what it is they're selling.
Water - You can have Sparkling, Still or Tap. The sparkling and still are on the expensive side (9 dollars pp) but because they charge per person, this means you can keep drinking water and it really doesn't matter. People can have what they want and you don't have to split up bottles. Expensive but just one less thing you have to think about...
1st Course - Kingfish Bacon, Citrus Soy, Olive Oil, Smoked Trout Roe. No matching wine with this.
2nd Course - Sashimi Tuna, Smoked seared Ocean Trout, Poached Banana Prawn. These were a reverse nigiri...I'll let you imagine what that might be like.
Wine: (or in this case sake). Umenoyado "Gin" Junmai-Ginjo. Having had quite a bit of sake lately, I wasn't too overly impressed with this. Very nice solid, sake but I wouldn't say it was overly interesting. Good match to the food in that the sake didn't take away from the fish, which I think is its intention.
3rd Course - Beetroot butter, Goat milk Chevre, Rhubabr, apple balsamic, rye, goat milk crisp.
Wine: Felton Road "Bannockburn" Riesling 2011.
I've had a number of rieslings from New Zealand and when they have some residual sugar, they are definitely quite pleasing. To me they are distinctly different from Australian Riesling as well as German Rieslings...In this style, I think it is actually quite easy to pick it is from NZ. Nice Limes and Lemons on the nose with a whiff of sweetness. Palate has very good acidity to balance out the sugar. Almost very lime ade in nature. It has very good focus but next to my wife's riesling it seemed a bit on the simple side. Excellent match though to what was a very excellent dish.
Weiser-Kuenstler "Enkircher Ellergrub" Kabinett Riesling 2011. I thought this was absolutely fantastic. The nose on this was absolutely fantastic..Lemons, citrus, some leafy greens and nice minerality. The palate had very good acidity which was a perfect balance to the residual sugar. For whatever reason I think German rieslings seem to have a oneness when they have some RS and this is no exception. What was amazing about this is the amount of depth, each swish showed a new side to it. A little rock, a little fruit, a little sugar, which turned into a slightly different shade of fruit...I was shocked. While not part of the pairing, this might be my WOTN.
4th Course - Butter poached Port Lincol squid, Citrus scented ink, barley cured egg yolk, wild wood sorrel.
Wine - Txomin Etxaniz 2011. A combination of Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza. I've never tried this type of wine before. Very tight acidity, combined with a very apple like flavor. It was actually quite nice and definitely a food wine. By itself it was fairly decent, but maybe a bit on the simpler side. Nose was quite good...but what impressed me about this was how well it went with the food. A VERY good match because the acidity was a perfect pairing with the fattiness of the squid yolky ink.
At this point in the meal I'm already impressed by the food but really impressed with wine pairings..they're not only spot on but they all have a very nice nose....and looking into the next few wines I can see they'll be something different as well....
5th course - Roast Scampi tail, shellfish mousse, scampi shell crumb, sudachi Japanese land seaweed.
Wine - Pierre Luneau Papin "Clos des Noelles - Semper Excelsior" 2007. A muscadet that has been on lees for an extended period of time which gave it a lot of added complexity. On its own I thought this was a very interesting Muscadet..it was definitely more interesting than the ones I had in the past. I wouldn't exactly say this was anything more than a well made wine but it went very well with the food. It was a good contrast to the very rich shellfish mousse and really seemed to bring out the flavor of the scampi...At this point I'm laughing because the pairings have been really great with what are not very expensive wines..in fact, I don't think any of these go for more than 30 USD a bottle..and yet they are really singing with the food.
6th Course - South Australia Lamb, Goat Cheese and sake kuzu dumplings, black olive miso vinaigrette, fennel molasses
Wine - Gaia 14-18h Rose 2011. Made from Agiorgitiko in Greece, I was looking forward to seeing what Gaia could do when making a Rose. Overall - It was just a Rose. Well made but not overly interesting. As much as I'm trying to understand Rose, I still have a hard time understanding Rose. That said, if you're going to drink Rose, this is a fairly decent one. This was also the only wine I didn't really felt was a good match for the food. I can definitely see where this was heading though..the lamb was very delicate and lightly flavored..it did NOT come across as very lamb like and did not have overly strong flavors..but the rest of the food did have some stronger flavors. I'd say the only disappointing match of the night and probably my least favorite wine.
7th course - Seared Rolled David Blackmore Waguy Beef, Chestnut Mushroom, roasted red onion juice wasabi fried potato and kombu crum, citrus soy.
Wine - Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2009. Mostly Sangiovese in this. Had a wonderful nose with a very expressive oak/vanilla coming off of it. Nice red fruit and some herbs. Palate had very very nice acidity...I love reds with good acid...medium bodied, good fruit, I guess American oak but it is French/Slovenian casks..either way, it has imparted an almost fruit bomb type of oak to it but not too much and at the same time, it has carried this very medium bodied acidity that is coming across very nicely. I tried this before the food came out and I was expecting something really fatty (since we hadn't had a heavy red meat yet). This was an excellent excellent match to the Wagyu...While I think a lot of people throw big big tannic reds at meat...it was really nice to see how the wine and its composition was selected to match how the food was, to match the fatiness or the strong flavors of the food...really nice.
8th course. Lemon Verbena Curd, Alpine Strawberry caramel, crisp meringue.
No wine
9th course. Poached paradise pear, salted goat milk ice cream, maple crepe, candied waluts.
Wine - Royal Tokaji "Late Harvest" 2009. So rather than rely on botrytis this relied on a very late picking for its sweetness. I was looking forward to trying this...Nice balanced sweetness but maybe a little on the simple side. Matched very well with the 2nd pre-dessert.
10th course. "Summer Chocolate Forest". Soft Chocolate, hazelnut and almost, rose geranium cream, sour cherry sorbet, blueberry jellies, green tea licorice, chocolate twigs.
Mas Amiel "Prestige - 15 Ans dAge". Somewhere between a sherry and a port but without being too porty...this added a nice chocolate element to what was already a chocolate overload in the dessert. It was quite an interesting wine but at this point I'm well sugared out...I wouldn't mind trying this when I'm not quite as stuffed and without the food.
Overall - Food - Excellent. One of, if not the best dining experience I've had in Sydney...which includes, Quay, Tetsuyas, Marque, est. Aria, Momofuku and several others....Very "safe" food but at the same time very interesting...a nice twist on different dishes and my understanding is the degustation on Saturday is changed on a regular basis which I think is great.
Wine - I think every wine I had here was very well made and they all had one thing in common. They all had VERY good noses...The matchings were easily the best I've had in Sydney. They weren't the most expensive wines I've had in a pairing but they were paired the best, by far, than any place I've had in Sydney. The fact that they were able to do this with relatively low cost wine (again, I don't think any of these are over 30USD a bottle although they might be more expensive in Australia) and with wine that you might never have tried otherwise, speaks volumes about the quality of their sommelier. The wine list is very well thought out, a very good mix of different things to try...and you can see a lot of effort and thought is put into what it is they're selling.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Leasingham Bin 8 Riesling
I'm trying not to buy a lot of wine because I'm still struggling to figure out how I'm going to get what I have to the US without sacrificing my liver....but I recently came across a killer deal and I couldn't resist.
Leasingham Bin 8 K.S. Riesling 2008.
Leasingham has gone through some ownership issues and whether as a result of that or just the market, they have stopped exporting to the US although they still export to Europe.
The K.S. stands for Kabinett Style which basically means it has a bit of residual sugar. Personally I don't mind a bit of residual sugar as long as the acidity balances it out...I rarely get to see any quality Australian Rieslings (ones not made to be simple and sweet) with RS. The few I see have a very small bit of RS...this one actually has significantly more than what I might see from Lethbridge or Pressing Matters (both of which I think are great). Nose has a good amount of Petrol and lime. This smells like a typical dry Australian Riesling with some age on it. It is actually quite nice. Some people might be put off by it but I think it is quite nice. Nose is a bit simpler than I'd like I didn't really give this a chance to get a lot of air. The nose should have led me to this but the palate was actually quite surprising. The best way to describe it is a good amount of RS but that strong Australian acid backing it. Unlike German Rieslings which seem to seamlessly integrate the sugar as part of the wine...this is very much like half DRY Australian riesling, with the mouthfeel and acidity and that strong Clare Valley Riesling touch to it, combined with a Riesling that has a bit of RS. Don't get me wrong, it is actually quite nice. Lime, petrol, a bit of sweetness but it is quite balanced with very good acidity. Good minerality. I'm really enjoying the fact that this has a that aged Riesling taste (even though it is only from 2008) but a bit of sugar...
I'm of two minds on this wine..
On one hand, I can see this being liked by non wine geeks and wine geeks alike...On the other, I'm not quite sure this would compete properly in the same space as Kabinett German Rieslings...While I think this was quite enjoyable, there is something awkward about the wine. The ones I've seen with just a touch of RS feel very integrated and you can just catch the glimpse of sweetness....This one really did feel like it wanted to be dry but it wasn't. It certainly doesn't help that the Australian market thinks this would be more like a dessert wine (which it definitely is NOT..this wine wants food food). I do like this wine..I'm glad I have some bottles left...I'm also looking forward to having it with some spicy food in the near future. If you're looking for something completely different than what you might normally see as Riesling in Australia, definitely give this a go.
Leasingham Bin 8 K.S. Riesling 2008.
Leasingham has gone through some ownership issues and whether as a result of that or just the market, they have stopped exporting to the US although they still export to Europe.
The K.S. stands for Kabinett Style which basically means it has a bit of residual sugar. Personally I don't mind a bit of residual sugar as long as the acidity balances it out...I rarely get to see any quality Australian Rieslings (ones not made to be simple and sweet) with RS. The few I see have a very small bit of RS...this one actually has significantly more than what I might see from Lethbridge or Pressing Matters (both of which I think are great). Nose has a good amount of Petrol and lime. This smells like a typical dry Australian Riesling with some age on it. It is actually quite nice. Some people might be put off by it but I think it is quite nice. Nose is a bit simpler than I'd like I didn't really give this a chance to get a lot of air. The nose should have led me to this but the palate was actually quite surprising. The best way to describe it is a good amount of RS but that strong Australian acid backing it. Unlike German Rieslings which seem to seamlessly integrate the sugar as part of the wine...this is very much like half DRY Australian riesling, with the mouthfeel and acidity and that strong Clare Valley Riesling touch to it, combined with a Riesling that has a bit of RS. Don't get me wrong, it is actually quite nice. Lime, petrol, a bit of sweetness but it is quite balanced with very good acidity. Good minerality. I'm really enjoying the fact that this has a that aged Riesling taste (even though it is only from 2008) but a bit of sugar...
I'm of two minds on this wine..
On one hand, I can see this being liked by non wine geeks and wine geeks alike...On the other, I'm not quite sure this would compete properly in the same space as Kabinett German Rieslings...While I think this was quite enjoyable, there is something awkward about the wine. The ones I've seen with just a touch of RS feel very integrated and you can just catch the glimpse of sweetness....This one really did feel like it wanted to be dry but it wasn't. It certainly doesn't help that the Australian market thinks this would be more like a dessert wine (which it definitely is NOT..this wine wants food food). I do like this wine..I'm glad I have some bottles left...I'm also looking forward to having it with some spicy food in the near future. If you're looking for something completely different than what you might normally see as Riesling in Australia, definitely give this a go.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Five Nations Wine Challenge 2012
This is a yearly even that is held in Australia and judged by a number of well known critics.
The Five Nations are:
Australia
New Zealand
Argentina
South Africa
Chile
The five judges select 110 different wines from their home country to compete against the wines from the other countries. For example, Bob Campbell respresented New Zealand and Huon Hook represented Australia.
They had a good broad range of different types of wine and for the most part the quality was above average.
BUT
The tasting part of the show was so poorly run, I have to question the experience of whomever was putting it on.
Let's start off with how you get a ticket in the first place:
Your options were to fax it (secure but a bit out of date).
or
E-mail it. Sounds pretty benign except only someone completely ignorant would send their credit card details over something like E-mail which is not secure. I'm not saying these people should really understand all the technical stuff behind getting credit card information but certainly doing it this way is a bit of a joke.
Don't have a secure shopping card? Have the information sent over SSL off of your website. DO NOT HAVE PEOPLE E-MAIL YOU THEIR CREDIT CARD DETAILS.
Ok so no big deal...fax it in...get the ticket (which btw was just a word document with no way to verify if you actually bought one or not).
The show was moved from its previous room at the Four Seasons to a larger room at the Four Seasons..perfect...no point in getting squeezed together...EXCEPT....
They didn't seem to have very many tables..so you had a very large room with just enough tables to fit the wine shoulder to should across all of the tables..so on the outside you had tons of free space (For what I'm not sure) and on the inside you had a ton of people squeezing in trying to get a taste.
So you had a rather unprofessionally organized event to start off...and then it gets better (worse).
It is on a Friday night...in the city...so half the people there are showing up not to taste but to get pissed drunk....People pouring each other nearly full glasses of some wine..chatting it up across the table so no one could get in..For a social event where you just want to drink some wine and come home completely off your face, it would've been great....For a tasting it was terrible.
What made this worse is there was only one bottle of any given wine. Ok, so not only are you doing this on a Friday night where you know all of the piss heads will show up and get to pour their own "tastes" but you supply a single bottle....I'm sure these wineries donated their wine for the show so I'm not sure why they'd only have a single bottle left for the tasting...who knows..
Luckily for me, I figured out that there wouldn't be enough wine to taste the ones I wanted to taste so I skipped from whites to reds for a bit and back...not exactly ideal but I would've missed out more than I did...
And finally, one of the most annoying things you can have at these events...a lack of spit buckets....There were spit buckets..small ones....spread out across the tables...but there weren't many (I'd guess about 12 in total for the entire room). This made for a terrible time if you were there to actually taste and not drink...another indication that their target market was for the after work Sydney crowd to come and get pissed on some wine..great.
There were some other minor annoying things...
The wine that they had available to buy was set aside on a different table...but no way you'd actually know that without running across it...luckily at some point I did...In many ways this was good as it ended up hiding some wine from people that I'm sure would've just come and poured themselves a few glasses full...
There was absolutely no rhyme or reason to how the bottles were placed the table except that they were in their general area. Example, Chardonnay was in the Chardonnay section...but the bottles were in alphabetical order or by vintage (which doesn't make sense to do anyways) or even by country..they were basically randomly put out across the section.....It meant if you were actually looking for something specific, it took longer than it should have..
So that was the show itself...for me, because of all the pressure to hurry up, because it was so crowded, I felt incredibly rushed...
Overall, glad I got to to but really annoyed at how it was organized...Sorry to rant about it but I figure if they ever get around to searching what people thought of the show, maybe they'll read this and make improvements...
Now to the WINE
Overall the quality of the wine was quite good...with a few very ordinary wines but for the most part, because of how the wines were selected, the overall selection was excellent.
Caro 2009 from Argentina. Consisting of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, I had never heard of this label but was quite surprised at it its structure and complexity. Dark fruit, some herbs. It was very very tannic...but the fruit still managed to come out. The wine shifted as it was in my mouth and I was actually quite surprised. I do wish it had a bit more acid but overall this looks to be a pretty good wine in 10+ years..it'll probably take that long for the tannins to soften..
Newton Forrest Cornerstone 2009 from New Zealand. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec blend. First thing that strikes me is this is a fairly medium bodied Bordeaux blend...More red than dark fruits coming off the nose...Maybe come pencil shavings...Palate has lovely acid that gives it a great lift. It is also making it stand out from the rest of the wine I'm trying. Fruit is bright and very forward but not big and overpowering. It is mainly red fruits or maybe it is just the acid that makes it feel that way..Tannins are there but mainly for structure. The wine evolves while it is in my mouth..good complexity but not more than the Caro or a few others...but either way, this is a really nice wine, something I'd gladly drink over and over.
Penfolds Bin 169 2008 from Australia. This is a Penfolds 707 but with French Oak instead of American. It is actually quite difficult to find and I'm a bit surprised it was here. Really deep deep dark fruit. Tannins are definitely there for structure and the oak is very apparent although not as much as the 707. It actually does seem significantly more elegant than a 707 would be at this stage. It is a very well made wine, it has good complexity, good structure, good balance. There is actually nothing wrong w/ this wine but for whatever reason, it isn't exciting me either. Don't get me wrong, this is very good but for the price I'd rather get multiple bottles of other things. The best way for me to describe this is...a wine that everyone (wine geeks and non wine geeks) will enjoy and everyone will be happy drinking it...but no one will remember it later on other than to say they've had it.
Pikes "The Merle" Reserve Riesling 2011 from Australia. Slight petrol notes on the nose which is nice to see on a Riesling this young. Picking up some stoney characters as well. Really good acidity on the palate and a tad of residual sugar. The RS really helps soften the acidity just a tad but not so much where you lose it...I really enjoy Australian Rieslings done in this fashion. Completely dry Rieslings are also great but sometimes they're just overdone. To put it in perspective, I liked this more than the Peter Lehmann Wigan 2006, more than the Pewsey Vale Contours 2006 and the Grosset Watervale Riesling 2011 at least on this day.
Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay 2010 from Australia. I'm surprised but not surprised. I'm surprised that every time I come back to this wine, it is excellent. You'd think there would be more bottle variation or my palate would change or the conditions would be different so it would taste different but no...As I've stated several times before, this is a really great Chardonnay...Good acidity, good use of oak, good fruit, has good complexity, good balance. I only wish this was priced better in Australia (it is actually cheaper outside of Australia). Do I think this is comparable to the top Chardonnays in Australia? As it is tasting now yes. Will it age well? Probably...but without the proven track record it is hard to put this at the same price point. Other "new" guns like Lethbridge Allegra or Yabby Lake Single Vineyard or something from 10 Minutes by Tractor, are also up there but at a lower price point.
Boekenhoutskloof Shiraz 2009 from South Africa. I'm not very familiar with South African wine but I'm told this is fairly well known. Very complex nose with red and dark fruits, some earth, a tad bit a of leather. Palate is has nice dark fruit and a bit fruit forward but not too much. Good use of oak, very nice balance. A bit of a fruit bomb but not a fruit bomb. Silky tannins, not as much acidity as I'd like but this has very nice balance and complexity. I would like to try this again to see how it goes....
Some other wines to mention...
Navarro Correas Structura 2006. A nice Bordeaux blend but definitely more on the fruity side. This won a Trophy in its division.
Polkura Block G+I Shiraz 2009 from Chile. BIG fruit bomb. Actually quite a complex palate. Very smooth tannins, very low acidity. A bit of heat. Not sure this will get better but it will be a crowd pleaser.
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2010 from NZ. Far more approachable than I've seen them in the past. A lot more fruit forward than I'm used to seeing them as well. Still, this was nice to have in a sea of Pinot Noir made like Shiraz.
Overall the quality is was very good..there are probably about 30 or 40 more I could mention and nearly everything there was above average so it was a good event from that standpoint. My only hope is they're far more organized the next time around...
The Five Nations are:
Australia
New Zealand
Argentina
South Africa
Chile
The five judges select 110 different wines from their home country to compete against the wines from the other countries. For example, Bob Campbell respresented New Zealand and Huon Hook represented Australia.
They had a good broad range of different types of wine and for the most part the quality was above average.
BUT
The tasting part of the show was so poorly run, I have to question the experience of whomever was putting it on.
Let's start off with how you get a ticket in the first place:
Your options were to fax it (secure but a bit out of date).
or
E-mail it. Sounds pretty benign except only someone completely ignorant would send their credit card details over something like E-mail which is not secure. I'm not saying these people should really understand all the technical stuff behind getting credit card information but certainly doing it this way is a bit of a joke.
Don't have a secure shopping card? Have the information sent over SSL off of your website. DO NOT HAVE PEOPLE E-MAIL YOU THEIR CREDIT CARD DETAILS.
Ok so no big deal...fax it in...get the ticket (which btw was just a word document with no way to verify if you actually bought one or not).
The show was moved from its previous room at the Four Seasons to a larger room at the Four Seasons..perfect...no point in getting squeezed together...EXCEPT....
They didn't seem to have very many tables..so you had a very large room with just enough tables to fit the wine shoulder to should across all of the tables..so on the outside you had tons of free space (For what I'm not sure) and on the inside you had a ton of people squeezing in trying to get a taste.
So you had a rather unprofessionally organized event to start off...and then it gets better (worse).
It is on a Friday night...in the city...so half the people there are showing up not to taste but to get pissed drunk....People pouring each other nearly full glasses of some wine..chatting it up across the table so no one could get in..For a social event where you just want to drink some wine and come home completely off your face, it would've been great....For a tasting it was terrible.
What made this worse is there was only one bottle of any given wine. Ok, so not only are you doing this on a Friday night where you know all of the piss heads will show up and get to pour their own "tastes" but you supply a single bottle....I'm sure these wineries donated their wine for the show so I'm not sure why they'd only have a single bottle left for the tasting...who knows..
Luckily for me, I figured out that there wouldn't be enough wine to taste the ones I wanted to taste so I skipped from whites to reds for a bit and back...not exactly ideal but I would've missed out more than I did...
And finally, one of the most annoying things you can have at these events...a lack of spit buckets....There were spit buckets..small ones....spread out across the tables...but there weren't many (I'd guess about 12 in total for the entire room). This made for a terrible time if you were there to actually taste and not drink...another indication that their target market was for the after work Sydney crowd to come and get pissed on some wine..great.
There were some other minor annoying things...
The wine that they had available to buy was set aside on a different table...but no way you'd actually know that without running across it...luckily at some point I did...In many ways this was good as it ended up hiding some wine from people that I'm sure would've just come and poured themselves a few glasses full...
There was absolutely no rhyme or reason to how the bottles were placed the table except that they were in their general area. Example, Chardonnay was in the Chardonnay section...but the bottles were in alphabetical order or by vintage (which doesn't make sense to do anyways) or even by country..they were basically randomly put out across the section.....It meant if you were actually looking for something specific, it took longer than it should have..
So that was the show itself...for me, because of all the pressure to hurry up, because it was so crowded, I felt incredibly rushed...
Overall, glad I got to to but really annoyed at how it was organized...Sorry to rant about it but I figure if they ever get around to searching what people thought of the show, maybe they'll read this and make improvements...
Now to the WINE
Overall the quality of the wine was quite good...with a few very ordinary wines but for the most part, because of how the wines were selected, the overall selection was excellent.
Caro 2009 from Argentina. Consisting of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, I had never heard of this label but was quite surprised at it its structure and complexity. Dark fruit, some herbs. It was very very tannic...but the fruit still managed to come out. The wine shifted as it was in my mouth and I was actually quite surprised. I do wish it had a bit more acid but overall this looks to be a pretty good wine in 10+ years..it'll probably take that long for the tannins to soften..
Newton Forrest Cornerstone 2009 from New Zealand. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec blend. First thing that strikes me is this is a fairly medium bodied Bordeaux blend...More red than dark fruits coming off the nose...Maybe come pencil shavings...Palate has lovely acid that gives it a great lift. It is also making it stand out from the rest of the wine I'm trying. Fruit is bright and very forward but not big and overpowering. It is mainly red fruits or maybe it is just the acid that makes it feel that way..Tannins are there but mainly for structure. The wine evolves while it is in my mouth..good complexity but not more than the Caro or a few others...but either way, this is a really nice wine, something I'd gladly drink over and over.
Penfolds Bin 169 2008 from Australia. This is a Penfolds 707 but with French Oak instead of American. It is actually quite difficult to find and I'm a bit surprised it was here. Really deep deep dark fruit. Tannins are definitely there for structure and the oak is very apparent although not as much as the 707. It actually does seem significantly more elegant than a 707 would be at this stage. It is a very well made wine, it has good complexity, good structure, good balance. There is actually nothing wrong w/ this wine but for whatever reason, it isn't exciting me either. Don't get me wrong, this is very good but for the price I'd rather get multiple bottles of other things. The best way for me to describe this is...a wine that everyone (wine geeks and non wine geeks) will enjoy and everyone will be happy drinking it...but no one will remember it later on other than to say they've had it.
Pikes "The Merle" Reserve Riesling 2011 from Australia. Slight petrol notes on the nose which is nice to see on a Riesling this young. Picking up some stoney characters as well. Really good acidity on the palate and a tad of residual sugar. The RS really helps soften the acidity just a tad but not so much where you lose it...I really enjoy Australian Rieslings done in this fashion. Completely dry Rieslings are also great but sometimes they're just overdone. To put it in perspective, I liked this more than the Peter Lehmann Wigan 2006, more than the Pewsey Vale Contours 2006 and the Grosset Watervale Riesling 2011 at least on this day.
Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay 2010 from Australia. I'm surprised but not surprised. I'm surprised that every time I come back to this wine, it is excellent. You'd think there would be more bottle variation or my palate would change or the conditions would be different so it would taste different but no...As I've stated several times before, this is a really great Chardonnay...Good acidity, good use of oak, good fruit, has good complexity, good balance. I only wish this was priced better in Australia (it is actually cheaper outside of Australia). Do I think this is comparable to the top Chardonnays in Australia? As it is tasting now yes. Will it age well? Probably...but without the proven track record it is hard to put this at the same price point. Other "new" guns like Lethbridge Allegra or Yabby Lake Single Vineyard or something from 10 Minutes by Tractor, are also up there but at a lower price point.
Boekenhoutskloof Shiraz 2009 from South Africa. I'm not very familiar with South African wine but I'm told this is fairly well known. Very complex nose with red and dark fruits, some earth, a tad bit a of leather. Palate is has nice dark fruit and a bit fruit forward but not too much. Good use of oak, very nice balance. A bit of a fruit bomb but not a fruit bomb. Silky tannins, not as much acidity as I'd like but this has very nice balance and complexity. I would like to try this again to see how it goes....
Some other wines to mention...
Navarro Correas Structura 2006. A nice Bordeaux blend but definitely more on the fruity side. This won a Trophy in its division.
Polkura Block G+I Shiraz 2009 from Chile. BIG fruit bomb. Actually quite a complex palate. Very smooth tannins, very low acidity. A bit of heat. Not sure this will get better but it will be a crowd pleaser.
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2010 from NZ. Far more approachable than I've seen them in the past. A lot more fruit forward than I'm used to seeing them as well. Still, this was nice to have in a sea of Pinot Noir made like Shiraz.
Overall the quality is was very good..there are probably about 30 or 40 more I could mention and nearly everything there was above average so it was a good event from that standpoint. My only hope is they're far more organized the next time around...
Monday, August 27, 2012
Fesq and Company Distributor tasting August 2012
Fesq and Company is a wine distributor here in Australia. They had a trade/corporate tasting in Sydney where many of the brands they carry had some of their wine available for tasting. While I'm currently not a buyer or working for a wine store, I've considered myself part of the trade simply because I do review them and try to get their name out there...I'm certainly not there to drink (I don't see how you can go to these things and not spit everything to be honest). It is always interesting to get to meet some new wineries and get an idea of what is out or coming out from each of them.
A quick list of what wineries were represented (I took some out of the list if I didn't recall seeing it there).
Best's Great Western
Between Five Bells
Bream Creek
BTW...
Carlei
Cascabel
De iuliis
Elderton
Fire Gully
Leconfield
Leeuwin Estate
Lethbridge
Misha's
Moss Wood
Pierro
Printhie
Radford
Richard Hamilton
Sons of Eden
Tim Gramp
Turners Crossing
Zilzie
Duskey Sounds
Main Divide
Momo
Pegasus Bay
Seresin
Tarras
Waipara Hills
A lot of good surprises here...and I actually have pictures! But stupid me, I had the chance to take them with proper light but was busy tasting..and by the time I got around to taking pictures the lighting was terrible...the result is a lot of pictures out of focus because I needed to allow light in (I didn't want to use a flash with tons of people around) and I couldn't hold it steady enough. Anyways, some are better than none I suppose..
The winery I was impressed with most was one called Lethbridge which is located in Geelong. The winemaker's name is Ray Nadeson whose philosophy is basically, he wants to make wine he loves to drink..and while I think every winemaker wants to believe that, with the way Australian wineries change their styles to fit whatever is "in" at the time, I truly believe he is one of very few that take that approach and reflects that into their product. The best way I can put this is, Ray makes wine for Wine Geeks...He makes wine that gets you thinking, he makes wine in a style he likes even if that isn't what Australians typically want...It was exciting to see.
Lethbridge
2011 Dr. Nadeson Riesling.
Lemon, lime, crushed rock and a bit of grass on the nose. A young riesling so hasn't developed any aged characteristics but nice. A big hit of acid on the palate..nice...and what is this? Some residual sugar? Not a typical Australian Riesling...I like it. Nice tart, pure fruit...but I'm really liking the acid...and thing nice thing is, the acid and the sugar are really balancing each other out...It really is a lovely balance. Don't get me wrong, I like bone dry rieslings as well but I do like the fact that you can get that lovely acidity and balance it with a bit of RS so the wine isn't like tasting battery acid. Ray tells me the pH is below 3 and something like 13 grams of total acidity...It almost makes me laugh because definitely this needed the RS...I'm really liking this..... I'm going to guess it retails for about 25-30 AUD which makes this a fantastic buy if you can find it.
2008 Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay.
Ray starts off by telling me this is a limited production of about 90 cases and Heston Blumenthal recently purchased about 40 for his restaurant "Dinner". Always interesting to know but not letting it influence what I'm tasting. Peach, citrus a little bit of nuttiness on the nose..nice but maybe a little tight...Then I taste it...a bit of minerality like a rocky peach...good citrus coming through...nice acidity....the oak is really giving it some body and complexity...I'm not sure if malo was used but it has good body but it isn't buttery....Then the wine continues to unfold and evolve. A hint of lime, some herbs, the acidity continues to dance on my tongue and bring out more layers of flavor. I REALLY love when you can just keep that one sip of wine in your mouth and it just keeps getting better and better. So I'm impressed....and surprised..and wondering why the heck haven't I heard of this place before? Full retail on this is 65, I think you can find it for as low as 50-55. Either way, great buy.
I move on to the Pinot Noirs of which there are three...
2011 Lethbridge Menage a Noir Pinot.
This is their entry level Pinot Noir....I swish it around...looks to be lighter than a typical Australian Pinot Noir....nose of cherry, no burnt rubber, a bit of moss, rocks...nice nose. Doesn't smell like a typical Australian Pinot...I try it...feels different..body is different...not a terribly complex wine but this feels...right. I'm thinking, is this guy making Burg like Pinots in Australia? The fruit is nice, not great...a bit of earth and dirt...nice cherry flavor..but as this probably sells for about 25AUD in Australia..this isn't bad...I'm not terribly excited about this wine but the style is making me VERY excited about trying the next two.
2010 Lethbridge Pinot Noir
Again, it looks to be very medium bodied..I'm excited....Lovely nose...strawberries, cherries, forest floor, some earthiness...maybe a touch of coffee..I'm intrigued. I taste it...WTF. This guy IS trying to make a very Burg like Pinot Noir...I want to give him a hug. It is not just the body of the wine but also the mouthfeel..where it hits you in your mouth..the parts of your mouth that taste the wine....Typical Burg like acidity and mouthfeel...I'm getting earthiness...wonderful clean fruit....Cherries, coffee, a bit of truffle is sneaking in there...I would NOT pick this as Australian....There is no way I would pick this as Australian....I'm not sure this would be popular w/ many Australians because this isn't what they're used to but it is really nice stuff. I think more than anything, I love the style and I love what Ray is trying to do with his wines...Should retail for about 35 AUD or so..which makes this a fantastic buy if you can find it.
2008 Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir
At this point I'm really looking forward to trying this...if their mid range was like that...I'd love to see what their top of the line one is like...The Mietta is a LOT darker than I would have expected...it is almost a disappointment..but then again, a great Pinot can have deep color.....Nose is a bit tight...Still picking up red fruit...some earthiness...I give it a go and to my surprise, it is still in the same style as the previous two except it has much more structure. Still a bit tight, tannins still need some time..but the fruit is very nice..very pure...definitely makes me think New World but Old World style...great acidity....good earthiness...forest floor...herbs...some bark...Really really nice wine. I think at this point in time, I would prefer their normal estate Pinot Noir...but I can definitely see this being absolutely brilliant. The style is fantastic....I believe this retails the same as the Allegra Chardonnay...which again makes this a very good buy.
Below is Ray from Lethbridge. Sorry about the poor photo quality Ray!
Turners Crossing
Another winery out of Victoria. I found out from their managing director that they have a vineyard called Yankee Creek, which I thought was a really funny coincidence. Paul (pictured below) is also planning on sending me some wine labeled Yankee Creek which we both think will be "a hoot" (His words not mine :)).
2008 Turners Crossing Shiraz Viognier.
My initial reaction to this is, it doesn't stand out as an Aussie Shiraz Viognier. Some floral notes on the nose but I'm not picking up the umami that I normally get from Australian Shiraz Viognier. Red fruits, a touch of earth...but not picking up too much else. Palate was clean, pure red and dark fruit with good balance and the viognier really softens the wine. Some earthiness coming through but not a lot... I wouldn't say this wine is striking me as overly complex but it is very nice to drink. Strikes me as a very good cool climate shiraz that people (both wine geeks and non wine geeks) would really enjoy to drink on a regular basis. Retail is about $20AUD which makes this an excellent buy.
2005 Turners Crossing "The Cut" Shiraz
The first thing that strikes me about this is the bottle. Big Dreadnought bottle with a punt as deep as my hand. Nose is deep dark fruits...this looks like a giant wine..Picking up some black pepper and mushrooms on the nose. I take a sip...Not a giant wine...nice. Still, big structure, tannins are still evident but I'm picking up really nice acidity. Dark dark fruit and some earth but as it sits in my mouth, it starts unfolding. The fruit gets a bit brighter, some spice starts coming out...some herbs. Wonderful complexity, wonderful balance. This is definitely a wine that would appeal to the Australian "full bodied" (Aka, super giant fruit bomb crowd) because of its great structure but it is also a very lovely wine for wine geeks. Definitely a wine for the long haul but drinking great right now. Retail is $90 AUD which puts it up there price wise but it definitely delivers on quality.
Misha's Vineyard
A relatively new winery out of Central Otago...they had a few interesting Pinot Noirs available...I think I tried these right after the Lethbridge ones so it was a good contrast. I've mentioned this several times before but to me, Central Otago has been making some great pinots...they're not Burgundy like but they do have good acidity...and they are medium bodied..unlike their Australian counterparts which I can hardly call Pinot Noirs (in a general sense). I DO know what Aussies might not like about them...they think they're too fruity (Oh the irony). Their higher end Pinots (High Note and Verismo) were both good solid Central Otago Pinots...Maybe a bit expensive considering the numerous alternatives coming out of that region..but they were very solid.
De iuliis
Consistent performer...They've been releasing shiraz from the Stevens Vineyard which I've always enjoyed...they do a fantastic job of representing the Hunter and that particular vineyard. I think every vintage of their Stevens shiraz has been very good. Medium bodied, leather, red fruit, good acidity...great Hunter. Their limited Hunter Valley Shiraz is also always very good...I don't think you can go wrong with either one of these.
Moss Wood
An iconic Australian producer. Always a great Cabernet Sauvignon....Their Ribbon Vale series represents a reasonable value.
One other thing I'd like to mention is Bread Brasserie which provided all of the bread and cheese for the event...about 6 or 7 different types of bread...I tried most of them :). They were excellent.
A quick list of what wineries were represented (I took some out of the list if I didn't recall seeing it there).
Best's Great Western
Between Five Bells
Bream Creek
BTW...
Carlei
Cascabel
De iuliis
Elderton
Fire Gully
Leconfield
Leeuwin Estate
Lethbridge
Misha's
Moss Wood
Pierro
Printhie
Radford
Richard Hamilton
Sons of Eden
Tim Gramp
Turners Crossing
Zilzie
Duskey Sounds
Main Divide
Momo
Pegasus Bay
Seresin
Tarras
Waipara Hills
A lot of good surprises here...and I actually have pictures! But stupid me, I had the chance to take them with proper light but was busy tasting..and by the time I got around to taking pictures the lighting was terrible...the result is a lot of pictures out of focus because I needed to allow light in (I didn't want to use a flash with tons of people around) and I couldn't hold it steady enough. Anyways, some are better than none I suppose..
The winery I was impressed with most was one called Lethbridge which is located in Geelong. The winemaker's name is Ray Nadeson whose philosophy is basically, he wants to make wine he loves to drink..and while I think every winemaker wants to believe that, with the way Australian wineries change their styles to fit whatever is "in" at the time, I truly believe he is one of very few that take that approach and reflects that into their product. The best way I can put this is, Ray makes wine for Wine Geeks...He makes wine that gets you thinking, he makes wine in a style he likes even if that isn't what Australians typically want...It was exciting to see.
Lethbridge
2011 Dr. Nadeson Riesling.
Lemon, lime, crushed rock and a bit of grass on the nose. A young riesling so hasn't developed any aged characteristics but nice. A big hit of acid on the palate..nice...and what is this? Some residual sugar? Not a typical Australian Riesling...I like it. Nice tart, pure fruit...but I'm really liking the acid...and thing nice thing is, the acid and the sugar are really balancing each other out...It really is a lovely balance. Don't get me wrong, I like bone dry rieslings as well but I do like the fact that you can get that lovely acidity and balance it with a bit of RS so the wine isn't like tasting battery acid. Ray tells me the pH is below 3 and something like 13 grams of total acidity...It almost makes me laugh because definitely this needed the RS...I'm really liking this..... I'm going to guess it retails for about 25-30 AUD which makes this a fantastic buy if you can find it.
2008 Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay.
Ray starts off by telling me this is a limited production of about 90 cases and Heston Blumenthal recently purchased about 40 for his restaurant "Dinner". Always interesting to know but not letting it influence what I'm tasting. Peach, citrus a little bit of nuttiness on the nose..nice but maybe a little tight...Then I taste it...a bit of minerality like a rocky peach...good citrus coming through...nice acidity....the oak is really giving it some body and complexity...I'm not sure if malo was used but it has good body but it isn't buttery....Then the wine continues to unfold and evolve. A hint of lime, some herbs, the acidity continues to dance on my tongue and bring out more layers of flavor. I REALLY love when you can just keep that one sip of wine in your mouth and it just keeps getting better and better. So I'm impressed....and surprised..and wondering why the heck haven't I heard of this place before? Full retail on this is 65, I think you can find it for as low as 50-55. Either way, great buy.
I move on to the Pinot Noirs of which there are three...
2011 Lethbridge Menage a Noir Pinot.
This is their entry level Pinot Noir....I swish it around...looks to be lighter than a typical Australian Pinot Noir....nose of cherry, no burnt rubber, a bit of moss, rocks...nice nose. Doesn't smell like a typical Australian Pinot...I try it...feels different..body is different...not a terribly complex wine but this feels...right. I'm thinking, is this guy making Burg like Pinots in Australia? The fruit is nice, not great...a bit of earth and dirt...nice cherry flavor..but as this probably sells for about 25AUD in Australia..this isn't bad...I'm not terribly excited about this wine but the style is making me VERY excited about trying the next two.
2010 Lethbridge Pinot Noir
Again, it looks to be very medium bodied..I'm excited....Lovely nose...strawberries, cherries, forest floor, some earthiness...maybe a touch of coffee..I'm intrigued. I taste it...WTF. This guy IS trying to make a very Burg like Pinot Noir...I want to give him a hug. It is not just the body of the wine but also the mouthfeel..where it hits you in your mouth..the parts of your mouth that taste the wine....Typical Burg like acidity and mouthfeel...I'm getting earthiness...wonderful clean fruit....Cherries, coffee, a bit of truffle is sneaking in there...I would NOT pick this as Australian....There is no way I would pick this as Australian....I'm not sure this would be popular w/ many Australians because this isn't what they're used to but it is really nice stuff. I think more than anything, I love the style and I love what Ray is trying to do with his wines...Should retail for about 35 AUD or so..which makes this a fantastic buy if you can find it.
2008 Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir
At this point I'm really looking forward to trying this...if their mid range was like that...I'd love to see what their top of the line one is like...The Mietta is a LOT darker than I would have expected...it is almost a disappointment..but then again, a great Pinot can have deep color.....Nose is a bit tight...Still picking up red fruit...some earthiness...I give it a go and to my surprise, it is still in the same style as the previous two except it has much more structure. Still a bit tight, tannins still need some time..but the fruit is very nice..very pure...definitely makes me think New World but Old World style...great acidity....good earthiness...forest floor...herbs...some bark...Really really nice wine. I think at this point in time, I would prefer their normal estate Pinot Noir...but I can definitely see this being absolutely brilliant. The style is fantastic....I believe this retails the same as the Allegra Chardonnay...which again makes this a very good buy.
Below is Ray from Lethbridge. Sorry about the poor photo quality Ray!
Turners Crossing
Another winery out of Victoria. I found out from their managing director that they have a vineyard called Yankee Creek, which I thought was a really funny coincidence. Paul (pictured below) is also planning on sending me some wine labeled Yankee Creek which we both think will be "a hoot" (His words not mine :)).
2008 Turners Crossing Shiraz Viognier.
My initial reaction to this is, it doesn't stand out as an Aussie Shiraz Viognier. Some floral notes on the nose but I'm not picking up the umami that I normally get from Australian Shiraz Viognier. Red fruits, a touch of earth...but not picking up too much else. Palate was clean, pure red and dark fruit with good balance and the viognier really softens the wine. Some earthiness coming through but not a lot... I wouldn't say this wine is striking me as overly complex but it is very nice to drink. Strikes me as a very good cool climate shiraz that people (both wine geeks and non wine geeks) would really enjoy to drink on a regular basis. Retail is about $20AUD which makes this an excellent buy.
2005 Turners Crossing "The Cut" Shiraz
The first thing that strikes me about this is the bottle. Big Dreadnought bottle with a punt as deep as my hand. Nose is deep dark fruits...this looks like a giant wine..Picking up some black pepper and mushrooms on the nose. I take a sip...Not a giant wine...nice. Still, big structure, tannins are still evident but I'm picking up really nice acidity. Dark dark fruit and some earth but as it sits in my mouth, it starts unfolding. The fruit gets a bit brighter, some spice starts coming out...some herbs. Wonderful complexity, wonderful balance. This is definitely a wine that would appeal to the Australian "full bodied" (Aka, super giant fruit bomb crowd) because of its great structure but it is also a very lovely wine for wine geeks. Definitely a wine for the long haul but drinking great right now. Retail is $90 AUD which puts it up there price wise but it definitely delivers on quality.
Misha's Vineyard
A relatively new winery out of Central Otago...they had a few interesting Pinot Noirs available...I think I tried these right after the Lethbridge ones so it was a good contrast. I've mentioned this several times before but to me, Central Otago has been making some great pinots...they're not Burgundy like but they do have good acidity...and they are medium bodied..unlike their Australian counterparts which I can hardly call Pinot Noirs (in a general sense). I DO know what Aussies might not like about them...they think they're too fruity (Oh the irony). Their higher end Pinots (High Note and Verismo) were both good solid Central Otago Pinots...Maybe a bit expensive considering the numerous alternatives coming out of that region..but they were very solid.
De iuliis
Consistent performer...They've been releasing shiraz from the Stevens Vineyard which I've always enjoyed...they do a fantastic job of representing the Hunter and that particular vineyard. I think every vintage of their Stevens shiraz has been very good. Medium bodied, leather, red fruit, good acidity...great Hunter. Their limited Hunter Valley Shiraz is also always very good...I don't think you can go wrong with either one of these.
Moss Wood
An iconic Australian producer. Always a great Cabernet Sauvignon....Their Ribbon Vale series represents a reasonable value.
One other thing I'd like to mention is Bread Brasserie which provided all of the bread and cheese for the event...about 6 or 7 different types of bread...I tried most of them :). They were excellent.
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