I look forward to this show each year as it is a great opportunity to try many many many different kinds of wine from all over Australia...in fact, you're basically not given enough time to try them all..
Overall, this year the show was far better organized than last year. Wine was organized by varietal rather than numerical classes. This meant all of the Chardonnays were together, from the cheaper higher production to the named single vineyard premium class...The same for Shiraz, etc.
Another big plus was the tutorials were actually on time and ready to go. Last year, the tutorials were running late, weren't even set up...and of course ended late. This meant everyone wasted extra time just waiting around and in fact, the whole tutorial just ended up being a waste of time. This year, everything was setup, they had multiple rooms to handle all of the traffic and, for the most part, they were on time. I definitely think feedback from last year (not necessarily mine but a lot of people complained I'm sure) was taken in and the organizers should be congratulated.
Overall impressions of the wine this year....Not as good as last years...the whites, overall, were pretty good....The reds...a bit disappointing. I wasn't sure if this was because I had whites first or because I went to that Riesling tasting and my palate was still funny...or if it was just the reds were not that impressive. My wine buddy had a similar opinion so I figure it just must be the entries in this year's show...
Highlights White:
Peter Lehmann Wigan Riesling basically all of the vintages they had there...were good. This is definitely one of the best Rieslings in Australia...Consistently good, always a great nose, great acidity, great complexity...ages fantastic...nice long finish...Fantastic stuff...
Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2006. Another great Vat 1. Not as developed as I'd like but you can see that it'll get there.
Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay 2010. Their normal Chardonnay is a good buy...their Reserve is pretty fantastic with really good acidity, good use of oak...nice pure fruit...very Burg like.....the only issue I have with this wine is the price....
Highlights Reds: None. This isn't to say there weren't good reds...but for whatever reason, I was just really disappointed with most of them. Maybe my expectations were not right? I'm not sure...A good showing for the Hunter...I thought Briar Ridge and Meerea Park were still pretty good (although I was disappointed by the MP Howard 2007 Shiraz...not good at all compared to the 2006). I confirmed that the Xanadu Cab 2008 that I had in the US with the metallic smell must have just been that bottle or batch because I tried it again at the show and it was good and like I had remembered previously...no metallic smell to it...
Paringa's Pinot Noir was fairly good....Coldstream Pinot Noir was also pretty good considering it was an Aussie Pinot...It isn't that I don't like Aussie Pinots...I just don't think they're that good compared to so many other places....Bass Phillip seems great...and I'm sure there are others....
Stickies: I normally don't get this far but with the number of disappointing reds...
Penfolds Great Grandfather. I didn't even know about this but it was probably one of the main highlights of the entire show for me...Fantastic Tawny....Layers and layers of complexity...Finish was tremendous...They also had the Penfolds Grandfather which was very similar. The Great Grandfather just seemed like it had a bit more complexity and depth...but that said, I think the difference in price is something like 300 vs. 80...is the Great Grandfather that much better? Probably not...still really good though.
Oddly enough the Penfolds Bluestone 10 year old did better show wise than the Great Grandfather...It had better acidity and a cleaner taste...but far more simple...I can only guess the acidity helped it here? I dunno...
Overall...Great event. Hoping next year we'll see some highlight reds...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Frankland Estate International Riesling Tasting 2012
Held at Dolton House in Pyrmont, this was a fantastic opportunity to try not only some of the best Rieslings in Australia, but some really great dry Rieslings from Europe. A majority of the Riesling exported from Germany has some residual sugar and generally the dry Riesling they tend to either keep for themselves or they don't seem to have a market for....Australia is another country that loves their dry Riesling so it is a perfect market for them to export to. Not to mention the margins they must get in Australia are huge but more on that later.
Most of the major players in the Australian Riesling market were there..such as Grosset and Petaluma....but I was mainly interested in the stuff from Germany...
I'm a big fan of German Rieslings...Unlike many Australians (I'm a Yank so I guess that is where it is from), I don't mind some residual sugar....With good fruit and enough acidity, the RS does not feel sticky and thick in your mouth. Riesling with RS is still a very serious wine but a good example of what many Australians think was highlighted to me when a lady, who had just tried a Kabinett had asked the maker if it was a dessert wine. The answer back to her was no but she looked at him like he didn't know what he was talking about.
Highlights of the German Rieslings:
Clemens Busch.
Clemens Busch Marienburg Rothenpfad Grosses Gewachs 2010. For those that aren't familiar with GG, it is basically Germany's "1st Growth" classification when it comes to their dry Rieslings... This wine starts with good acid, and really nice fruit paired with a good amount a minerality. What made this wine so fantastic was the complexity as I was consistently picking up different flavors while I had it in my mouth...It had a long fantastic finish... The difference between this Riesling and a really great Australian Riesling was it had slightly less acid (but definitely a good amount), it showed better fruit and far better complexity. Really good Australian Rieslings tend to show their secondary characters (which are fantastic) but are far more upfront and definitely do not show the 20 different colors this one did....My biggest complaint about this wine in Australia? TOO EXPENSIVE. Many good GG's go anywhere from 35-60 internationally....Why does Australia have them for 100+ no idea...
Donnhoff. I think anyone that has tried German Rieslings has heard of Donnhoff...A huge variety of wines out of Nahe, Donnhoff makes some of my favorites Rieslings and certainly they didn't disappoint.
With their regular 2010 Donnhoff Tonschiefer Dry being very ordinary (I prefer most Australian Dry Rieslings to low end dry German Rieslings)..
2010 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett was significantly better and a nice change from so many dry Rieslings. Good Acidity to balance the RS, nice fruit, good minerality..nice slatey taste...
2010 Donnhoff Neiderhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese. A bit out of place since a vast majority of the Riesling here were dry but still, really fantastic wine. Laser like Acidity really balanced out the RS...I love Rieslings like this. Australians don't seem to like any RS but I think like this, its great. Great with food, great on its own...Bright fruit and brilliant finish. Why is RRP on this over 100? I'll wait and buy more overseas.
2010 Donnhoff Neiderhauser Hermannshohle Grosses Gewachs. I place this and the Clemens Busch above as the two best Rieslings at the show...Wonderful nose...Great Acidity that brings out the purity of the fruit....I love how this changes and evolves in my mouth. Picking up some really fantastic minerality....Finish is long...clean...fantastic...
Australian Riesling... I really enjoy good Aussie Rieslings...Really good acidity (sometimes too much), good toasty honey characters come into play as they age a bit...To be honest, I wish there was a bit more Residual Sugar in some of them...Dry doesn't mean it needs to be bone dry. And something with RS doesn't mean it is not a serious wine.
I think there were more disappointments than anything else Australian wise...but highlights for me were:
Tertini 2008 Riesling. Out of the Southern Highlands, a really great Aussie Riesling. Very good acidity which makes the sub 9g/l RS balance out perfectly. It softens it a bit but definitely not perceived sweetness, if anything it helps bring out the fruit...Wonderful bright fruit and the wine is already picking up secondary characteristics which is great. The winemaker thinks it'll last quite awhile longer and I'd have to agree. Thoroughly impressed, I think this might've been the best Australian at the show...beating out Grosset, Petaluma, Pewsey Vale and a few other better known Rieslings.
Heggies 2011 Riesling. I'm not sure if it was because I was so disappointed with Grosset and Mesh...but this one, which I don't even think had representation at the tasting, definitely showed them up. Very good Acidity, very good fruit...it seemed to have fantastic balance.
I definitely think Aussie stuff needs to have a little more Residual Sugar...I definitely think Acid is good..too much acid is not....low acid is really bad...and while there were some rather flat Aussie Rieslings, I think overall they do a dry/bone dry Riesling quite well. Especially at the low end, they beat their German counterparts. At the same time, on the the high end, while they gain a good amount of complexity, definitely they're falling behind those from Germany. Acid is good, too much acid probably isn't. The fruit needs to show better..it's possible they need to allow for some RS to add complexity...Brilliant tasting overall....One of the best events I've been to.
Most of the major players in the Australian Riesling market were there..such as Grosset and Petaluma....but I was mainly interested in the stuff from Germany...
I'm a big fan of German Rieslings...Unlike many Australians (I'm a Yank so I guess that is where it is from), I don't mind some residual sugar....With good fruit and enough acidity, the RS does not feel sticky and thick in your mouth. Riesling with RS is still a very serious wine but a good example of what many Australians think was highlighted to me when a lady, who had just tried a Kabinett had asked the maker if it was a dessert wine. The answer back to her was no but she looked at him like he didn't know what he was talking about.
Highlights of the German Rieslings:
Clemens Busch.
Clemens Busch Marienburg Rothenpfad Grosses Gewachs 2010. For those that aren't familiar with GG, it is basically Germany's "1st Growth" classification when it comes to their dry Rieslings... This wine starts with good acid, and really nice fruit paired with a good amount a minerality. What made this wine so fantastic was the complexity as I was consistently picking up different flavors while I had it in my mouth...It had a long fantastic finish... The difference between this Riesling and a really great Australian Riesling was it had slightly less acid (but definitely a good amount), it showed better fruit and far better complexity. Really good Australian Rieslings tend to show their secondary characters (which are fantastic) but are far more upfront and definitely do not show the 20 different colors this one did....My biggest complaint about this wine in Australia? TOO EXPENSIVE. Many good GG's go anywhere from 35-60 internationally....Why does Australia have them for 100+ no idea...
Donnhoff. I think anyone that has tried German Rieslings has heard of Donnhoff...A huge variety of wines out of Nahe, Donnhoff makes some of my favorites Rieslings and certainly they didn't disappoint.
With their regular 2010 Donnhoff Tonschiefer Dry being very ordinary (I prefer most Australian Dry Rieslings to low end dry German Rieslings)..
2010 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett was significantly better and a nice change from so many dry Rieslings. Good Acidity to balance the RS, nice fruit, good minerality..nice slatey taste...
2010 Donnhoff Neiderhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese. A bit out of place since a vast majority of the Riesling here were dry but still, really fantastic wine. Laser like Acidity really balanced out the RS...I love Rieslings like this. Australians don't seem to like any RS but I think like this, its great. Great with food, great on its own...Bright fruit and brilliant finish. Why is RRP on this over 100? I'll wait and buy more overseas.
2010 Donnhoff Neiderhauser Hermannshohle Grosses Gewachs. I place this and the Clemens Busch above as the two best Rieslings at the show...Wonderful nose...Great Acidity that brings out the purity of the fruit....I love how this changes and evolves in my mouth. Picking up some really fantastic minerality....Finish is long...clean...fantastic...
Australian Riesling... I really enjoy good Aussie Rieslings...Really good acidity (sometimes too much), good toasty honey characters come into play as they age a bit...To be honest, I wish there was a bit more Residual Sugar in some of them...Dry doesn't mean it needs to be bone dry. And something with RS doesn't mean it is not a serious wine.
I think there were more disappointments than anything else Australian wise...but highlights for me were:
Tertini 2008 Riesling. Out of the Southern Highlands, a really great Aussie Riesling. Very good acidity which makes the sub 9g/l RS balance out perfectly. It softens it a bit but definitely not perceived sweetness, if anything it helps bring out the fruit...Wonderful bright fruit and the wine is already picking up secondary characteristics which is great. The winemaker thinks it'll last quite awhile longer and I'd have to agree. Thoroughly impressed, I think this might've been the best Australian at the show...beating out Grosset, Petaluma, Pewsey Vale and a few other better known Rieslings.
Heggies 2011 Riesling. I'm not sure if it was because I was so disappointed with Grosset and Mesh...but this one, which I don't even think had representation at the tasting, definitely showed them up. Very good Acidity, very good fruit...it seemed to have fantastic balance.
I definitely think Aussie stuff needs to have a little more Residual Sugar...I definitely think Acid is good..too much acid is not....low acid is really bad...and while there were some rather flat Aussie Rieslings, I think overall they do a dry/bone dry Riesling quite well. Especially at the low end, they beat their German counterparts. At the same time, on the the high end, while they gain a good amount of complexity, definitely they're falling behind those from Germany. Acid is good, too much acid probably isn't. The fruit needs to show better..it's possible they need to allow for some RS to add complexity...Brilliant tasting overall....One of the best events I've been to.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Southern Highlands
I had a trip out to the Southern Highlands (not specifically for wine) and dropped by a couple of places...
Centennial - Probably the most well known winery out this way at least as far as number and the quality of the wines...They had a rather extensive range that you don't see too often in Australia. They source all of their wine from their own vineyards in the Southern Highland as well as from growers in Orange.
Sparklers - They have a surprising number of Sparkling wines....which I also think is unusual...and oddly enough, most of their Sparklers were actually quite good. For some reason, there just doesn't seem to be a lot of good Sparkling wine from Australian producers..there are some but it seems like most just are not there. That said, even Centennial's basic Bong Bong Sparkling wine, which is made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, is actually fairly enjoyable. Well made, definitely a drink now type of Sparkling....They also let us try their normal Chardonnay Pinot Noir which was also very good....They had a Rose, a Blanc de Blancs and a couple of others (didn't get to try to Blanc de Blancs).
Whites - I had heard some good things about their Rieslings so I was looking forward to giving them a try.
Centennial 126 Riesling 2011 . 12% Alcohol, 6g/l of residual sugar. I had expected a bit more out of this...not sure if this was old or not but it was missing something I would normally expect out of a good Aussie dry riesling..maybe it was the acidity level...maybe it was just too young?
Centennial 918 Riesling 2011. 9% alcohol, 18g/l of residual sugar. Missing acidity...I think this was a few days old..tasted ok and in fact the people I was with liked this one...
Cenntennial 836 Riesling 2009. 8% alcohol, 36g/l of residual sugar. VERY nice acidity on this one and it balanced out the residual sugar very well. Finish was a bit shorter than expected but overall it was pretty good.
They had an ok Pinot Grigio and a decent Sav Blanc (I believe it used oak which is a nice change). For some reason we missed the Chardonnay...
Reds - A really extensive range here....and almost everything surprisingly good..
Bong Bong Red - I'd give this a miss. I spit anyways but this was in and out in a hurry.
Shiraz 2010 - Good acidity, nice fruit, quite a good shiraz. Reminds me a bit of a Hunter shiraz but without as much leather and dirt. A definite winner for the price.
Reserve Merlot 2008 - Well made, herbaceous Merlot. Tasted like it was from Orange..another good drop.
Woodside Tempranillo 2010 - So many places are starting to make Tempranillo in Australia. Until somewhat recently, most of them have been doing it very poorly. I have noticed in the last couple of years, a big change. First is, they're making some decent Tempranillo..it used to be almost undrinkable....but they're actually turning out some pretty good ones. Second is, they are starting to actually pronounce it correctly. If you're going to call it Tempranillo, pronounce the double L's correctly....it is not tem pran ill oh. In any case, this was a good example of an Australian Tempranillo...Nice medium bodied, good fruit, good overall balance.
Reserve Sangiovese 2009 - Again, another wine Australia usually does poorly but done very well here. Not as good as the Tempranillo but by Australian standards, still very good..
Woodside Pinot Noir 2010. I was a bit disappointed in this. They have a reserve but I believe it was sold out...either way...not enough acidity to be a good medium bodied Pinot Noir...ok fruit but it wasn't a big Aussie Pinot...it wasn't an elegant medium bodied Pinot...I dunno, not bad...not great...not memorable.
Reserve Cabernet Savignon 2009 - One of the better NSW Cabernets I've had. Great value here...This one is built to last at least 5-10 more years. Good fruit, tannins showing that it would be best with some time but not too overpowering. Good acidity....really a well made wine and really good value for Cab Sav.
Reserve Barbera 2009 - A good solid Barbera...You don't get to see this too often and usually they're not very good when you do (in Australia). I think Margan's White Label Barbera is a bit better but still, well made, decent value.
Reserve Shiraz Viongier 2008 ....this was good, not great. I wasn't getting any of the floral notes I might expect off of a SV....Decent drop...maybe it was out too long? Nothing wrong with it really...but I think there were a lot of other things that were better...
Joadja winery- They only had 3 whites and 1 red with their other reds having sold out. They had a decent Pinot Grigio, a ok Sav Blanc, a decent Chardonnay...an ok Cabernet Malbec. The nice thing w/ the Cab Malbec was it was only 12.5%....but it really was just ok.
Sutton Forest. A bit further out and just off the freeway on the way to Canberra...a good place to stop for a nice little meal. A couple of interesting things here.
Sutton Forest Classic White which I believe was a blend of Chardonnay and Semillon. Not a huge fan of this blend in general but this one was done quite nicely.
Sutton Forest Chardonnay - Made in the style that has been popular the last couple of years...not over oaked, good fruit, good acidity....Not a super buttery mess of a wine.
Sutton Forest Red Blend - Made from Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. I was expecting a mess of a wine but it actually ended up quite nice. Medium bodied...Good fruit, good acidity, a nice dry finish (which I think is from the Sangiovese). A pretty good everyday wine.
Sutton Forest Pinot Noir 2010. A bit young still. Not a big fan of the big Aussie Pinot. Good fruit, not picking up a huge amount of complexity but this didn't have any funny flavors either which tends to happen when places try too hard to make Pinot...
Now, it could be because I had this one before and after it.
Sutton Forest Reserve Pinot Noir "Three Daughters" 2009. For some reason we ended up trying this before and after the 2010...When we first had the 2009 Pinot, thought, wow, not bad. Good complexity, decent acidity, good fruit..not my favorite style of Pinot but still, very well done. We then had the 2010...and then what I thought was the 2009 Reserve...So after having the 2009 Reserve I thought..wow, really quite similar to the 2009 Pinot, I'm going to ask about the 2009 Pinot and see how much that one is (because it wasn't listed) since the Reserve and it were both very similar and the 2010 was 13 dollars cheaper....Then I find out they it was the same wine. I didn't pick them as the same wine..which either means my palate isn't great or it could be the 2010 in the middle changed how I perceived them exactly....I guess I can take some solace in the fact that I thought they were very similar and what I liked about both of them were the same things...*shrug* :).
Centennial - Probably the most well known winery out this way at least as far as number and the quality of the wines...They had a rather extensive range that you don't see too often in Australia. They source all of their wine from their own vineyards in the Southern Highland as well as from growers in Orange.
Sparklers - They have a surprising number of Sparkling wines....which I also think is unusual...and oddly enough, most of their Sparklers were actually quite good. For some reason, there just doesn't seem to be a lot of good Sparkling wine from Australian producers..there are some but it seems like most just are not there. That said, even Centennial's basic Bong Bong Sparkling wine, which is made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, is actually fairly enjoyable. Well made, definitely a drink now type of Sparkling....They also let us try their normal Chardonnay Pinot Noir which was also very good....They had a Rose, a Blanc de Blancs and a couple of others (didn't get to try to Blanc de Blancs).
Whites - I had heard some good things about their Rieslings so I was looking forward to giving them a try.
Centennial 126 Riesling 2011 . 12% Alcohol, 6g/l of residual sugar. I had expected a bit more out of this...not sure if this was old or not but it was missing something I would normally expect out of a good Aussie dry riesling..maybe it was the acidity level...maybe it was just too young?
Centennial 918 Riesling 2011. 9% alcohol, 18g/l of residual sugar. Missing acidity...I think this was a few days old..tasted ok and in fact the people I was with liked this one...
Cenntennial 836 Riesling 2009. 8% alcohol, 36g/l of residual sugar. VERY nice acidity on this one and it balanced out the residual sugar very well. Finish was a bit shorter than expected but overall it was pretty good.
They had an ok Pinot Grigio and a decent Sav Blanc (I believe it used oak which is a nice change). For some reason we missed the Chardonnay...
Reds - A really extensive range here....and almost everything surprisingly good..
Bong Bong Red - I'd give this a miss. I spit anyways but this was in and out in a hurry.
Shiraz 2010 - Good acidity, nice fruit, quite a good shiraz. Reminds me a bit of a Hunter shiraz but without as much leather and dirt. A definite winner for the price.
Reserve Merlot 2008 - Well made, herbaceous Merlot. Tasted like it was from Orange..another good drop.
Woodside Tempranillo 2010 - So many places are starting to make Tempranillo in Australia. Until somewhat recently, most of them have been doing it very poorly. I have noticed in the last couple of years, a big change. First is, they're making some decent Tempranillo..it used to be almost undrinkable....but they're actually turning out some pretty good ones. Second is, they are starting to actually pronounce it correctly. If you're going to call it Tempranillo, pronounce the double L's correctly....it is not tem pran ill oh. In any case, this was a good example of an Australian Tempranillo...Nice medium bodied, good fruit, good overall balance.
Reserve Sangiovese 2009 - Again, another wine Australia usually does poorly but done very well here. Not as good as the Tempranillo but by Australian standards, still very good..
Woodside Pinot Noir 2010. I was a bit disappointed in this. They have a reserve but I believe it was sold out...either way...not enough acidity to be a good medium bodied Pinot Noir...ok fruit but it wasn't a big Aussie Pinot...it wasn't an elegant medium bodied Pinot...I dunno, not bad...not great...not memorable.
Reserve Cabernet Savignon 2009 - One of the better NSW Cabernets I've had. Great value here...This one is built to last at least 5-10 more years. Good fruit, tannins showing that it would be best with some time but not too overpowering. Good acidity....really a well made wine and really good value for Cab Sav.
Reserve Barbera 2009 - A good solid Barbera...You don't get to see this too often and usually they're not very good when you do (in Australia). I think Margan's White Label Barbera is a bit better but still, well made, decent value.
Reserve Shiraz Viongier 2008 ....this was good, not great. I wasn't getting any of the floral notes I might expect off of a SV....Decent drop...maybe it was out too long? Nothing wrong with it really...but I think there were a lot of other things that were better...
Joadja winery- They only had 3 whites and 1 red with their other reds having sold out. They had a decent Pinot Grigio, a ok Sav Blanc, a decent Chardonnay...an ok Cabernet Malbec. The nice thing w/ the Cab Malbec was it was only 12.5%....but it really was just ok.
Sutton Forest. A bit further out and just off the freeway on the way to Canberra...a good place to stop for a nice little meal. A couple of interesting things here.
Sutton Forest Classic White which I believe was a blend of Chardonnay and Semillon. Not a huge fan of this blend in general but this one was done quite nicely.
Sutton Forest Chardonnay - Made in the style that has been popular the last couple of years...not over oaked, good fruit, good acidity....Not a super buttery mess of a wine.
Sutton Forest Red Blend - Made from Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. I was expecting a mess of a wine but it actually ended up quite nice. Medium bodied...Good fruit, good acidity, a nice dry finish (which I think is from the Sangiovese). A pretty good everyday wine.
Sutton Forest Pinot Noir 2010. A bit young still. Not a big fan of the big Aussie Pinot. Good fruit, not picking up a huge amount of complexity but this didn't have any funny flavors either which tends to happen when places try too hard to make Pinot...
Now, it could be because I had this one before and after it.
Sutton Forest Reserve Pinot Noir "Three Daughters" 2009. For some reason we ended up trying this before and after the 2010...When we first had the 2009 Pinot, thought, wow, not bad. Good complexity, decent acidity, good fruit..not my favorite style of Pinot but still, very well done. We then had the 2010...and then what I thought was the 2009 Reserve...So after having the 2009 Reserve I thought..wow, really quite similar to the 2009 Pinot, I'm going to ask about the 2009 Pinot and see how much that one is (because it wasn't listed) since the Reserve and it were both very similar and the 2010 was 13 dollars cheaper....Then I find out they it was the same wine. I didn't pick them as the same wine..which either means my palate isn't great or it could be the 2010 in the middle changed how I perceived them exactly....I guess I can take some solace in the fact that I thought they were very similar and what I liked about both of them were the same things...*shrug* :).
Friday, November 4, 2011
Internationalist wine tasting
International Wine tasting event held on November 3rd at the Watersedge in Walsh Bay. Put on by the same people that did the Central Otago event I went to earlier, it was definitely a well run tasting event but more on that later.
A fairly uncommon opportunity to try wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and of course Australia, it was definite one of those I was looking forward to...
I'm also thinking I should be taking pictures..as of course that helps complete the picture but when I'm at these events I'm a machine...I did over 110 wines in 3 hours...actually, I think I'm getting quicker and quicker but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. But between tasting and talking w/ the people there, I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to take pictures...Maybe I need to research who is going to be there if I can and plot out a better plan of attack...
Japan
The Japan stuff was all Sake and two Whiskeys (which I didn't try). Two very unusual ones which were:
Kameman Shuzo - 2010 Genmaishu Junmai Genmai-zake. A bit of brown sugar and a different mouthfeel to Sake. Almost barley like? Brownish in color, it was quite nice but definitely not what I'm used to.
Mukai Shuzo - 2010 Ine Mankai Junmai Genshu. A sake made from Red Rice...I don't think I would've picked this as Sake. A bit of cherry, much more acidity than what I normally think of with sake...It's actually very wine like but with that familiar rice alcohol feel in the nose.
The others were Okamura Honke which was a very nice "normal" sake and the Kidoizumi Shuzo which was also very nice. For non-sake drinkers, the Chikuma Nishiki - Kizan Sanban is probably a good choice...a bit sweeter, it was actually quite enjoyable...different than what I'm used to but quite nice.
I'm not much of a sake drinker...I like good sake but I'm so woefully inexperienced...I know what certain phrases mean when describing the sake but really I'm out of my depth.
France:
The Champagne there was pretty good. Lombard & Cie was actually quite good overall. I have never seen them before but it was nice to again have a good sparkler..I'm not a fan of Aussie Sparkling..I think most of it is pretty bad. Lombard's Magenta Cuvee was good, not great but had that nice biscuit taste, a bit of peach, and no huge flaws like I tend to see with Aussie stuff. Their NV Brut which I guess is a a step up, was quite nice, to me it was very similar to the Magenta but a better nose, slightly more complex and nicer finish. The Brut Rose 1er Cru NV was also very good with a bit more acid, slightly sweeter but still a very nice finish overall.
Their 2004 Brut Grand Cru was ok, I felt like something was missing. Maybe it was because I had it after the Rose (which was their suggestion but not one I would think is right). Maybe it seem to harsh, a bit too dry, I would have expected this to be better than their Brut or Magenta. Lastly I tried their 2004 Blanc de Blancs. Definitely nicer than the Brut GC. A cleaner taste than the others so far, nice acidity, I actually think this one needs a bit more time.
There were two other Champagnes I tried at different times.
Larmandier NV Brut Blanc de blancs 1er Cru....I've seen them before as they tend to be in that 40-50 dollar range in the US. It was fairly good, nothing I'm seeking out. A step up from an Aussie sparking...I'd rather have the Lombard though.
Jean-Paul Perardel NV. Wasn't overly impressed here. Probably my least favorite of the group.
All of the champagnes were pretty good...Nothing was bad. I'd prefer them over an Aussie Sparkling...at the same time, I'd really only look for the Lombard & Cie...Maybe it wasn't a fair assessment since I had the others later in the evening...it won't prevent me from trying the others again...
The Bordeaux there, was terrible. I'm not sure how they possibly have any 2010's out...although that probably explains it. With 2009s just starting to come in from any decent producer in Bordeaux, seeing 2010s here was almost laughable. Both the whites and reds were disappointing..I'm not even going to mention other than that.
The Burgundies...Chablis was ok. The Domaine Christophe 2010 Petit Chablis was fairly nice. The Chardonnay was ok. Really there were no good examples of White Burgs there to try... No Pinots except one made by an Aussie with Burg fruit....Decent Pinot, great value at 21 dollars.. Called Les Petites Vignettes.
The Beaujolais was pretty good...not a great selection and even in talking to one of the main importers, what they have available is really limited (not just at the show but in talking to them, in general). The Vissoux Fleurie Poncie was nice, I've had this before from a different vintage but the 2010 was nicer. I asked one of the importers why there doesn't seem to be any availability of Lapierre Morgon...to which he asked if that was a small producer because he had never heard of it....I'm thinking, how do you import Booj but not know of Lapierre? I told him Lapierre is quite well known...he just said they must not carry it in Australia.
A couple of interesting things made with Tannat...too tannic to drink though...That was from Madiran and Cahors.
2005 Madiran Chateau Bouscasse. REALLY tannic...Overly Tannic...I would've expected it to soften somewhat...even though it is made from Tannat...Might go well with a big steak. I can't see drinking this any other way. Nice wine though.
2008 Chateau du Cedre Cahors. The guy told me it was Malbec..but this thing had huge tannins...he insisted it was just Malbec but I'm reading it is Malbec Tannat Merlot...which might explain why it is so Tannic. I looked this up online, it looks like it is just a little bit..really weird.... A bit more fruit forward than the Madiran but again, one that needs food. Apparently this retails for 50 AUD....I see some in the US for 15 or so..might be a different wine. At 15 it is a pretty good buy, maybe with some air it'll soften up a bit...at 50 it is a joke...
Chateauneuf du Pape.
They only had one which was the Chateau Mont Redon, 2007. Pretty good wine, big fruit but had a very nice balance. I think my wife would love this one. Retails for 90 AUD but selling for 68, either way it's a 25-35 USD CdP... At 25-30 it is a great buy. 90 makes me want to laugh. Another great example of Aussies getting RIPPED a new one by retailers. I've been told retailers are trying to keep prices stable which is why none of the prices have dropped with the stronger AUD....and apparently they cut their margins when the currency is weaker...but from 2000, that has basically been never. Sure there was a drop for a few months from .90USD to .60USD but basically, the currency has been appreciating since 2000 from .5USD to now over 1 USD. And retailers are laughing at the number of Francophiles that love their 50-100 dollar French wine that really retails everywhere else in the competitive retail world for 15-30 dollars.
Languedoc
They had a fairly nice Languedoc...Pretty good value here I think..
2010 Domaine Jean baptiste La Nine. This retails for 15 dollars elsewhere but in Australia it is 40..selling for 32....It isn't bad at 32 but Languedoc punches above its weight anyways....an underrated and undervalued wine region.
Alsace
The stuff from Alsace was disappointing. Ok Riesling, decent Pinot Gris...I've had better from here. The most interesting wine from Alsace was the really bad Pinot Noir. It is the perfect example of a bad European wine. No Acid, Dirt, tannins, no fruit. I like elegant wines, I don't really care for big fruit...but really when it tastes like tannins mixed with water and dirt..No...Even the importer thought it was bad.
Germany
Donnhoff. I haven't seen just Donnhoff estate riesling (Dry) before. I suspect that is their Donnhoff Riesling Trocken but not sure. It wasn't very good. Just too bone dry with not enough acid and not enough fruit. Their 2010 Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett was good but generally all their stuff is good. I like both the Kabinett and Spatlese from this producer...The one thing that surprised me was I thought the 2010 would have more acid..since I've read that is the case w/ most German Riesling for 2010...I didn't really think it was too acidic...
They had an A. Chistmann Grosses Gewachs Riesling which is supposed to be pretty good..I thought it was ok. Better than the Donnhoff Dry but not better than that Kabinett. It had a lot of complexity but I don't know...it was missing something..
Italy
There were a couple of decent Valpolicellas....One really traditional Old World one..and one that was a bit more modern. Both were well made. Some decent Sangiovese based wines...
The Nebbiolo there was ok. Most of it far too young...the on Barbaresco I thought was decent was way overpriced for what you got....The younger stuff was pretty cheap....
Overall, Italian stuff is looking good and in talking with them, the prices for Italian stuff has dropped..apparently because the price for it hasn't been established. To me this is good news. I think there will be some interesting Italian stuff coming in. Looking forward to some decent Sangiovese...
Some pretty decent Rioja from Exopto. They were all Tempranillo/Grenache/Graciano blends...
The Bozeto was a bit young. Nice Tempranillo though. The way the importer was talking about it, I expected it to be a bit more elegant but either way, it was a very nice Tempranillo and priced very well at 20-25.
The 2008 Horizonte Exopto was very good. At 33 it is a great buy..42 it is a decent buy. Very similar to the Bozeto but a bit more developed, a bit more elegant, greater complexity. A very good Rioja.
I already had this opinion but even the lower end Sangiovese and Tempranillo stuff tastes so much better than the Tempranillo and Sangiovese they make in Australia...I know they're trying new grapes but so far, any decent Temp/Sangio in Australia is 40+ and everything else seems to be bad..And the 40+ Temp/Sangio isn't exactly great..it is just decent.
New Zealand.
Some good stuff from NZ. Bunch of really nice Pinot Noirs. Both Craggy Range and Pyramid were nice...
Pyramid had some interesting whites...I'm not sure they were great, the semillon was very different, interesting, but for 43 on special (normally 53) I'd much rather get a Vat1. Both their Riesling and Pinot Blanc were nice. You can definitely get a feel for their style...Maybe it is their Terroir...Either way, they're nice but expensive...I don't imagine they sell for nearly as much in NZ or anywhere else...Pyramid had a decent Pinot, I don't think this is their better Pinot and quite overpriced at 70 RRP (selling for 57). You can pick this up for 30 USD. You can pick up their Calvert Pinot for 35-40. Based on how I see NZ wines priced in Australia, take NZ RRP and multiply by 2 which makes it a 105 AUD wine. What a joke.
Craggy had some good stuff. I think their Riesling was really good. Te Muna Riesling. Really really nice acidity, had a great tart feel and balanced by a bit of sweetness but not too much. Really quite good. I'll be looking for more in the US although it doesn't look like Te Muna makes it to the US. I'll give the Fletcher one a try either way. Te Kahu Merlot was good value although a bit expensive here. Their GG Syrah was pretty decent..a bit young. The 2009 Le Sol, I could hardly get anything from it was so tight. I've had this before with some age, really good. This one was just way too young and I'm not a good judge of what it will do later based on what I taste aside from the fact that I can tell it has good structure so I would guess it would become something quite nice.
Ata Rangi was good...Their main Pinot is actually very Burg like...I'm not sure everyone would like it but it was pretty good. Their Crimson Pinot was more fruit forward..fairly decent.
Matua Valley was ok. A lot of big Pinots but nothing I was too impressed with. For what they're trying to get, there are dozens of other Pinot Noirs from Central Otago that are better and cost less.
Mount Edward and Sato (Sato makes the Mount Edward Pinot Noir) were good...I think what Sato wants from his high end one (RRP 115) is a bit much...I'd rather just get a Felton Road Block 3 or Block 5 for that...
The US stuff was ok. Decent Cabs...Viognier was nice. Really nice Petite Syrah from Stags Leap.
Stags Leap cab was good..not great. The Chateau St. Jean Cab was just far too tannic...I'm not sure what was wrong w/ it..
Didn't spend too much time in the Australian section....
I did try stuff from Pressing matters..their Rieslings were actually pretty good. They had R0 and R9 which represents how much residual sugar there was in there...The R0 was good..the R9 was very good.
I've been wanting to try Scarborough in the Hunter for awhile so I tried their stuff here. Really nice Shiraz...great acidity for a red. After trying a couple of big reds there, this was really nice and cheap too for what you get. I need to go here next time I'm in the hunter. Good Semillon as well and actually a pretty good Chardonnay. Of course, at this point my Palate was getting pretty tired so it could be the acid was really refreshing and it is not as good as I thought but I think it was. Not super Huntery on the nose but definitely had that leather, earthiness, low alcohol and acidity that I like from the Hunter...
Also tried some Cherubino stuff at the end..but my palate was definitely gone and after the Hunter Shiraz..just too big at that point....Well made, but I couldn't get anything from it...
Tried a few other random things from Mclaren Vale and Barossa...a lot of nice wines but they're still quite big...I definitely think they're a bit more balanced and definitely they're toning down the super over the top..but you can just see it in your glass...The stuff literally coats the sides of your glass...
A fairly uncommon opportunity to try wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and of course Australia, it was definite one of those I was looking forward to...
I'm also thinking I should be taking pictures..as of course that helps complete the picture but when I'm at these events I'm a machine...I did over 110 wines in 3 hours...actually, I think I'm getting quicker and quicker but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. But between tasting and talking w/ the people there, I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to take pictures...Maybe I need to research who is going to be there if I can and plot out a better plan of attack...
Japan
The Japan stuff was all Sake and two Whiskeys (which I didn't try). Two very unusual ones which were:
Kameman Shuzo - 2010 Genmaishu Junmai Genmai-zake. A bit of brown sugar and a different mouthfeel to Sake. Almost barley like? Brownish in color, it was quite nice but definitely not what I'm used to.
Mukai Shuzo - 2010 Ine Mankai Junmai Genshu. A sake made from Red Rice...I don't think I would've picked this as Sake. A bit of cherry, much more acidity than what I normally think of with sake...It's actually very wine like but with that familiar rice alcohol feel in the nose.
The others were Okamura Honke which was a very nice "normal" sake and the Kidoizumi Shuzo which was also very nice. For non-sake drinkers, the Chikuma Nishiki - Kizan Sanban is probably a good choice...a bit sweeter, it was actually quite enjoyable...different than what I'm used to but quite nice.
I'm not much of a sake drinker...I like good sake but I'm so woefully inexperienced...I know what certain phrases mean when describing the sake but really I'm out of my depth.
France:
The Champagne there was pretty good. Lombard & Cie was actually quite good overall. I have never seen them before but it was nice to again have a good sparkler..I'm not a fan of Aussie Sparkling..I think most of it is pretty bad. Lombard's Magenta Cuvee was good, not great but had that nice biscuit taste, a bit of peach, and no huge flaws like I tend to see with Aussie stuff. Their NV Brut which I guess is a a step up, was quite nice, to me it was very similar to the Magenta but a better nose, slightly more complex and nicer finish. The Brut Rose 1er Cru NV was also very good with a bit more acid, slightly sweeter but still a very nice finish overall.
Their 2004 Brut Grand Cru was ok, I felt like something was missing. Maybe it was because I had it after the Rose (which was their suggestion but not one I would think is right). Maybe it seem to harsh, a bit too dry, I would have expected this to be better than their Brut or Magenta. Lastly I tried their 2004 Blanc de Blancs. Definitely nicer than the Brut GC. A cleaner taste than the others so far, nice acidity, I actually think this one needs a bit more time.
There were two other Champagnes I tried at different times.
Larmandier NV Brut Blanc de blancs 1er Cru....I've seen them before as they tend to be in that 40-50 dollar range in the US. It was fairly good, nothing I'm seeking out. A step up from an Aussie sparking...I'd rather have the Lombard though.
Jean-Paul Perardel NV. Wasn't overly impressed here. Probably my least favorite of the group.
All of the champagnes were pretty good...Nothing was bad. I'd prefer them over an Aussie Sparkling...at the same time, I'd really only look for the Lombard & Cie...Maybe it wasn't a fair assessment since I had the others later in the evening...it won't prevent me from trying the others again...
The Bordeaux there, was terrible. I'm not sure how they possibly have any 2010's out...although that probably explains it. With 2009s just starting to come in from any decent producer in Bordeaux, seeing 2010s here was almost laughable. Both the whites and reds were disappointing..I'm not even going to mention other than that.
The Burgundies...Chablis was ok. The Domaine Christophe 2010 Petit Chablis was fairly nice. The Chardonnay was ok. Really there were no good examples of White Burgs there to try... No Pinots except one made by an Aussie with Burg fruit....Decent Pinot, great value at 21 dollars.. Called Les Petites Vignettes.
The Beaujolais was pretty good...not a great selection and even in talking to one of the main importers, what they have available is really limited (not just at the show but in talking to them, in general). The Vissoux Fleurie Poncie was nice, I've had this before from a different vintage but the 2010 was nicer. I asked one of the importers why there doesn't seem to be any availability of Lapierre Morgon...to which he asked if that was a small producer because he had never heard of it....I'm thinking, how do you import Booj but not know of Lapierre? I told him Lapierre is quite well known...he just said they must not carry it in Australia.
A couple of interesting things made with Tannat...too tannic to drink though...That was from Madiran and Cahors.
2005 Madiran Chateau Bouscasse. REALLY tannic...Overly Tannic...I would've expected it to soften somewhat...even though it is made from Tannat...Might go well with a big steak. I can't see drinking this any other way. Nice wine though.
2008 Chateau du Cedre Cahors. The guy told me it was Malbec..but this thing had huge tannins...he insisted it was just Malbec but I'm reading it is Malbec Tannat Merlot...which might explain why it is so Tannic. I looked this up online, it looks like it is just a little bit..really weird.... A bit more fruit forward than the Madiran but again, one that needs food. Apparently this retails for 50 AUD....I see some in the US for 15 or so..might be a different wine. At 15 it is a pretty good buy, maybe with some air it'll soften up a bit...at 50 it is a joke...
Chateauneuf du Pape.
They only had one which was the Chateau Mont Redon, 2007. Pretty good wine, big fruit but had a very nice balance. I think my wife would love this one. Retails for 90 AUD but selling for 68, either way it's a 25-35 USD CdP... At 25-30 it is a great buy. 90 makes me want to laugh. Another great example of Aussies getting RIPPED a new one by retailers. I've been told retailers are trying to keep prices stable which is why none of the prices have dropped with the stronger AUD....and apparently they cut their margins when the currency is weaker...but from 2000, that has basically been never. Sure there was a drop for a few months from .90USD to .60USD but basically, the currency has been appreciating since 2000 from .5USD to now over 1 USD. And retailers are laughing at the number of Francophiles that love their 50-100 dollar French wine that really retails everywhere else in the competitive retail world for 15-30 dollars.
Languedoc
They had a fairly nice Languedoc...Pretty good value here I think..
2010 Domaine Jean baptiste La Nine. This retails for 15 dollars elsewhere but in Australia it is 40..selling for 32....It isn't bad at 32 but Languedoc punches above its weight anyways....an underrated and undervalued wine region.
Alsace
The stuff from Alsace was disappointing. Ok Riesling, decent Pinot Gris...I've had better from here. The most interesting wine from Alsace was the really bad Pinot Noir. It is the perfect example of a bad European wine. No Acid, Dirt, tannins, no fruit. I like elegant wines, I don't really care for big fruit...but really when it tastes like tannins mixed with water and dirt..No...Even the importer thought it was bad.
Germany
Donnhoff. I haven't seen just Donnhoff estate riesling (Dry) before. I suspect that is their Donnhoff Riesling Trocken but not sure. It wasn't very good. Just too bone dry with not enough acid and not enough fruit. Their 2010 Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett was good but generally all their stuff is good. I like both the Kabinett and Spatlese from this producer...The one thing that surprised me was I thought the 2010 would have more acid..since I've read that is the case w/ most German Riesling for 2010...I didn't really think it was too acidic...
They had an A. Chistmann Grosses Gewachs Riesling which is supposed to be pretty good..I thought it was ok. Better than the Donnhoff Dry but not better than that Kabinett. It had a lot of complexity but I don't know...it was missing something..
Italy
There were a couple of decent Valpolicellas....One really traditional Old World one..and one that was a bit more modern. Both were well made. Some decent Sangiovese based wines...
The Nebbiolo there was ok. Most of it far too young...the on Barbaresco I thought was decent was way overpriced for what you got....The younger stuff was pretty cheap....
Overall, Italian stuff is looking good and in talking with them, the prices for Italian stuff has dropped..apparently because the price for it hasn't been established. To me this is good news. I think there will be some interesting Italian stuff coming in. Looking forward to some decent Sangiovese...
Some pretty decent Rioja from Exopto. They were all Tempranillo/Grenache/Graciano blends...
The Bozeto was a bit young. Nice Tempranillo though. The way the importer was talking about it, I expected it to be a bit more elegant but either way, it was a very nice Tempranillo and priced very well at 20-25.
The 2008 Horizonte Exopto was very good. At 33 it is a great buy..42 it is a decent buy. Very similar to the Bozeto but a bit more developed, a bit more elegant, greater complexity. A very good Rioja.
I already had this opinion but even the lower end Sangiovese and Tempranillo stuff tastes so much better than the Tempranillo and Sangiovese they make in Australia...I know they're trying new grapes but so far, any decent Temp/Sangio in Australia is 40+ and everything else seems to be bad..And the 40+ Temp/Sangio isn't exactly great..it is just decent.
New Zealand.
Some good stuff from NZ. Bunch of really nice Pinot Noirs. Both Craggy Range and Pyramid were nice...
Pyramid had some interesting whites...I'm not sure they were great, the semillon was very different, interesting, but for 43 on special (normally 53) I'd much rather get a Vat1. Both their Riesling and Pinot Blanc were nice. You can definitely get a feel for their style...Maybe it is their Terroir...Either way, they're nice but expensive...I don't imagine they sell for nearly as much in NZ or anywhere else...Pyramid had a decent Pinot, I don't think this is their better Pinot and quite overpriced at 70 RRP (selling for 57). You can pick this up for 30 USD. You can pick up their Calvert Pinot for 35-40. Based on how I see NZ wines priced in Australia, take NZ RRP and multiply by 2 which makes it a 105 AUD wine. What a joke.
Craggy had some good stuff. I think their Riesling was really good. Te Muna Riesling. Really really nice acidity, had a great tart feel and balanced by a bit of sweetness but not too much. Really quite good. I'll be looking for more in the US although it doesn't look like Te Muna makes it to the US. I'll give the Fletcher one a try either way. Te Kahu Merlot was good value although a bit expensive here. Their GG Syrah was pretty decent..a bit young. The 2009 Le Sol, I could hardly get anything from it was so tight. I've had this before with some age, really good. This one was just way too young and I'm not a good judge of what it will do later based on what I taste aside from the fact that I can tell it has good structure so I would guess it would become something quite nice.
Ata Rangi was good...Their main Pinot is actually very Burg like...I'm not sure everyone would like it but it was pretty good. Their Crimson Pinot was more fruit forward..fairly decent.
Matua Valley was ok. A lot of big Pinots but nothing I was too impressed with. For what they're trying to get, there are dozens of other Pinot Noirs from Central Otago that are better and cost less.
Mount Edward and Sato (Sato makes the Mount Edward Pinot Noir) were good...I think what Sato wants from his high end one (RRP 115) is a bit much...I'd rather just get a Felton Road Block 3 or Block 5 for that...
The US stuff was ok. Decent Cabs...Viognier was nice. Really nice Petite Syrah from Stags Leap.
Stags Leap cab was good..not great. The Chateau St. Jean Cab was just far too tannic...I'm not sure what was wrong w/ it..
Didn't spend too much time in the Australian section....
I did try stuff from Pressing matters..their Rieslings were actually pretty good. They had R0 and R9 which represents how much residual sugar there was in there...The R0 was good..the R9 was very good.
I've been wanting to try Scarborough in the Hunter for awhile so I tried their stuff here. Really nice Shiraz...great acidity for a red. After trying a couple of big reds there, this was really nice and cheap too for what you get. I need to go here next time I'm in the hunter. Good Semillon as well and actually a pretty good Chardonnay. Of course, at this point my Palate was getting pretty tired so it could be the acid was really refreshing and it is not as good as I thought but I think it was. Not super Huntery on the nose but definitely had that leather, earthiness, low alcohol and acidity that I like from the Hunter...
Also tried some Cherubino stuff at the end..but my palate was definitely gone and after the Hunter Shiraz..just too big at that point....Well made, but I couldn't get anything from it...
Tried a few other random things from Mclaren Vale and Barossa...a lot of nice wines but they're still quite big...I definitely think they're a bit more balanced and definitely they're toning down the super over the top..but you can just see it in your glass...The stuff literally coats the sides of your glass...
Monday, October 17, 2011
3 x 16%!!!
Somehow I ended up trying three different 16% alcohol wines in a week…
2005 Noon Eclipse. Noon Winery basically sells out of their wines in the first few weeks/month their cellar door is open. Their mailing list has a huge waiting list and everything that gets sold overseas goes for about 1.5-2+ times their release price. They also tend to find their way to the wine auction sites right away for a quick flip. This is a Grenache/Shiraz blend with 2005 having a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose has really nice red fruit and dark chocolate…but I’m also picking up a good amount of alcohol. I know these tend to be very good while young but apparently they can age very well. I’m a bit worried before I even have a taste. Definitely a full bodied wine…Starts off with fairly bright fruit but a bit subdued..a bit of blueberry, raspberry…mid palate is there but something is missing. It finishes with a bit of heat….I’m sad. I don’t know if the wine is asleep at this point or if heat has killed it..it’s not stewed so I don’t think so. Crossing my fingers for it to be asleep. Not a bad wine and if the fruit comes back a bit then we’re looking good…but sadly disappointed for now. Goes for about 60-90USD. I’m glad I didn’t pay anywhere near that..
2007 Piggs Peake House of Bricks Shiraz. Located in the Hunter Valley but doesn’t grow its own grapes and doesn’t even source their fruit from there. This is their normal flagship wine (House of Straw, Sticks, Bricks). Made from Shiraz sourced from Lucknow, Orange and Adelaide Hills with a little bit of Merlot and Viognier. Big dark fruits on the nose with a hint of vanilla, mocha and spice. A deep dark purple in color… I’m preparing myself for a really gigantic mouthcoating jammy wine. Starts with a lot of dark fruit..blueberry, blackberry…Not getting any sweetness and jamminess. Hmmm… A bit of pepper, a bit of vanilla, chocolate…good acidity…nice fine tannins. Definitely a full bodied wine and I can tell the alcohol is high but no heat…Really balanced…I’m shocked. I haven’t been to Piggs Peake yet but it’s on my list to try. This sells for 55 AUD and they only export to Denmark.
2005 Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache. I had expected a fairly big wine at 16%. Something really dark in color and big fruit….Out pours this very light/medium red wine that reminds me of an aged Shiraz or Cab. Nose has some nice red fruit, cherries, red raspberry, a bit of strawberry and not a hint of high alcohol. I give it a try, hoping for the best…I can’t believe this is 16%. Medium bodied at most, nice bright red fruit, not overly tannic (which I wouldn’t expect anyways), and good acidity which is a nice surprise considering it is Grenache. Great overall balance and I feel like I can drink this all day. It tastes/feels like it is 12% and no way I’m guessing this is Grenache. Sells for 40-60 USD.
2005 Noon Eclipse. Noon Winery basically sells out of their wines in the first few weeks/month their cellar door is open. Their mailing list has a huge waiting list and everything that gets sold overseas goes for about 1.5-2+ times their release price. They also tend to find their way to the wine auction sites right away for a quick flip. This is a Grenache/Shiraz blend with 2005 having a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose has really nice red fruit and dark chocolate…but I’m also picking up a good amount of alcohol. I know these tend to be very good while young but apparently they can age very well. I’m a bit worried before I even have a taste. Definitely a full bodied wine…Starts off with fairly bright fruit but a bit subdued..a bit of blueberry, raspberry…mid palate is there but something is missing. It finishes with a bit of heat….I’m sad. I don’t know if the wine is asleep at this point or if heat has killed it..it’s not stewed so I don’t think so. Crossing my fingers for it to be asleep. Not a bad wine and if the fruit comes back a bit then we’re looking good…but sadly disappointed for now. Goes for about 60-90USD. I’m glad I didn’t pay anywhere near that..
2007 Piggs Peake House of Bricks Shiraz. Located in the Hunter Valley but doesn’t grow its own grapes and doesn’t even source their fruit from there. This is their normal flagship wine (House of Straw, Sticks, Bricks). Made from Shiraz sourced from Lucknow, Orange and Adelaide Hills with a little bit of Merlot and Viognier. Big dark fruits on the nose with a hint of vanilla, mocha and spice. A deep dark purple in color… I’m preparing myself for a really gigantic mouthcoating jammy wine. Starts with a lot of dark fruit..blueberry, blackberry…Not getting any sweetness and jamminess. Hmmm… A bit of pepper, a bit of vanilla, chocolate…good acidity…nice fine tannins. Definitely a full bodied wine and I can tell the alcohol is high but no heat…Really balanced…I’m shocked. I haven’t been to Piggs Peake yet but it’s on my list to try. This sells for 55 AUD and they only export to Denmark.
2005 Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache. I had expected a fairly big wine at 16%. Something really dark in color and big fruit….Out pours this very light/medium red wine that reminds me of an aged Shiraz or Cab. Nose has some nice red fruit, cherries, red raspberry, a bit of strawberry and not a hint of high alcohol. I give it a try, hoping for the best…I can’t believe this is 16%. Medium bodied at most, nice bright red fruit, not overly tannic (which I wouldn’t expect anyways), and good acidity which is a nice surprise considering it is Grenache. Great overall balance and I feel like I can drink this all day. It tastes/feels like it is 12% and no way I’m guessing this is Grenache. Sells for 40-60 USD.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Tasmania tasting
There have been a number of regional tastings in the Sydney area and I definitely think it is an excellent idea. There are a number of wineries where I just would not have tried their stuff without these types of events and I'm sure they have gained other customers as well in this manner. From my own personal standpoint, it saves me a bit of a trip to that region or at least opens my eyes to a few other places to try.
Let me start off by saying, I'm not a Tasmania Pinot fan...They have some decent Pinot..but when faced with buying Central Otago or Burgundy...Tasmania just doesn't do it for me...There are a handful of good pinots in Australia...and the rest, I don't know.
I think the same goes for most Australian Sparking..there were a few reasonably good Sparklers there...but for most part, they're just not very good...
I would say that the main highlights for this tasting were:
Dalrymple Estate Pinot 2009. Really nice balance, red fruit, decent acidity and soft tannins. Reasonably priced for a decent pinot but I'm not fussed enough to try to source some. There are just better options out there.
Moorilla Syrah - I think this was the Muse series, 2007...but not 100% sure because it wasn't on their normal tasting list. Really nice cool weather shiraz. Dark fruits, pepper, sweet tannins, decent acidity...Nice balance. My friend was really looking forward to Moorilla, everything we had there was really a bit of a disappointment except for this.
Coal Valley Riesling - Both the 2008 and 2009 were excellent. Really what I'm looking for in a good Australian Riesling. Really good acidity, not as much petrol on the nose...Nice bright fruit and a clean finish...
Heemskerk bottles - They have really sexy bottles...that is the best way to describe them. They look fantastic. I'm not sure how they'll fit in most wine fridges, racks or boxes..but they look damn good. Their wine is fairly good but their pricing is truly ambitious. Would be reasonable in the 20-40 dollar range...but their decent stuff was several times that..There is just no way it was worth it, not even remotely. I actually think it was the most overpriced I've seen any wines in Australia....
Let me start off by saying, I'm not a Tasmania Pinot fan...They have some decent Pinot..but when faced with buying Central Otago or Burgundy...Tasmania just doesn't do it for me...There are a handful of good pinots in Australia...and the rest, I don't know.
I think the same goes for most Australian Sparking..there were a few reasonably good Sparklers there...but for most part, they're just not very good...
I would say that the main highlights for this tasting were:
Dalrymple Estate Pinot 2009. Really nice balance, red fruit, decent acidity and soft tannins. Reasonably priced for a decent pinot but I'm not fussed enough to try to source some. There are just better options out there.
Moorilla Syrah - I think this was the Muse series, 2007...but not 100% sure because it wasn't on their normal tasting list. Really nice cool weather shiraz. Dark fruits, pepper, sweet tannins, decent acidity...Nice balance. My friend was really looking forward to Moorilla, everything we had there was really a bit of a disappointment except for this.
Coal Valley Riesling - Both the 2008 and 2009 were excellent. Really what I'm looking for in a good Australian Riesling. Really good acidity, not as much petrol on the nose...Nice bright fruit and a clean finish...
Heemskerk bottles - They have really sexy bottles...that is the best way to describe them. They look fantastic. I'm not sure how they'll fit in most wine fridges, racks or boxes..but they look damn good. Their wine is fairly good but their pricing is truly ambitious. Would be reasonable in the 20-40 dollar range...but their decent stuff was several times that..There is just no way it was worth it, not even remotely. I actually think it was the most overpriced I've seen any wines in Australia....
Monday, August 29, 2011
Coonawarra Tasting
I was lucky enough to attend a Coonawarra tasting put on by Coonawarra.org...Great event with large tasting glasses...It was $30 which is pretty fair although probably on the steeper side for tastings in Sydney.
Overall, Coonawarra had some very nice Cabernet Sauvignons...most of them were consistently good...but I will say the region itself seemed to have a very similar style to them....which I guess on one hand is good....on the other, you start looking for things that are different...
Highlights....I really like Katnook's Cab, great fruit, fairly tannic but felt right..Great cab...Their special Barrel selection was really good as well...Oddly enough, I wasn't as happy with their high end wines which are the Prodigy and Odyssey....To me they were big fruit, low tannin, basically made for the US type of wine...Good here and there and probably good for people that aren't into wine...but it felt like something was missing..
Kidman wines...This one surprised me..both the Cab and Shiraz were both pretty good...and for 20 or less? Probably one of the best QPRs at the show...
Raidis. All of their stuff tasted like it should....Actually, I can say that for most of the stuff at this show but Raidis in particular...Pretty good Sav Blanc, really solid Riesling and a surprising Cab. Actually, their Cab was the most surprising because it was definitely a cab but had fairly high acid which was quite nice. Especially since this was in the later half of my time there, it was actually very enjoyable. Not too tannic which wasn't typical at this show but definitely a great drink me now type of Cab and I imagine it would be great with food....would be interested to see how this one develops.....At 21 for the Cab and 14 for the Riesling, these were also great QPR wines...
Lowlights: really nothing...most of the stuff here was pretty solid and I'm really glad they put on this show...Got to try a few things from Coonawarra I might not have had a chance to try (which is the whole point). I will say, Wynn's had a couple of disappointments....their green label cab was blah...Their black label cab was ok...the rest was pretty good. VA Lane was good....I think on its own I probably would've though their standard black label cab would be pretty decent..but it was just up against a lot of really good Cabs which is a pretty good testament to the entire region...
Overall, Coonawarra had some very nice Cabernet Sauvignons...most of them were consistently good...but I will say the region itself seemed to have a very similar style to them....which I guess on one hand is good....on the other, you start looking for things that are different...
Highlights....I really like Katnook's Cab, great fruit, fairly tannic but felt right..Great cab...Their special Barrel selection was really good as well...Oddly enough, I wasn't as happy with their high end wines which are the Prodigy and Odyssey....To me they were big fruit, low tannin, basically made for the US type of wine...Good here and there and probably good for people that aren't into wine...but it felt like something was missing..
Kidman wines...This one surprised me..both the Cab and Shiraz were both pretty good...and for 20 or less? Probably one of the best QPRs at the show...
Raidis. All of their stuff tasted like it should....Actually, I can say that for most of the stuff at this show but Raidis in particular...Pretty good Sav Blanc, really solid Riesling and a surprising Cab. Actually, their Cab was the most surprising because it was definitely a cab but had fairly high acid which was quite nice. Especially since this was in the later half of my time there, it was actually very enjoyable. Not too tannic which wasn't typical at this show but definitely a great drink me now type of Cab and I imagine it would be great with food....would be interested to see how this one develops.....At 21 for the Cab and 14 for the Riesling, these were also great QPR wines...
Lowlights: really nothing...most of the stuff here was pretty solid and I'm really glad they put on this show...Got to try a few things from Coonawarra I might not have had a chance to try (which is the whole point). I will say, Wynn's had a couple of disappointments....their green label cab was blah...Their black label cab was ok...the rest was pretty good. VA Lane was good....I think on its own I probably would've though their standard black label cab would be pretty decent..but it was just up against a lot of really good Cabs which is a pretty good testament to the entire region...
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