Great night drinking my favourite wine. I’ll preface this with my usual disclaimer when discussing Rockford BP in that I’m a big fan of them so all the notes below are really splitting hairs insofar that any of the wines below in isolation would have been a real pleasure to drink.
Café Lyon was a surprise in the way they manage to combine the local eatery vibe with a bit of panache for a very reasonable price, the servings were very generous, and the food cooked exceedingly well. The service was friendly and casual, although they were somewhat perplexed by our sometimes strange habits, being wine drinking tragics http://www.cafelyon.com.au/
All the wines on the night were sound which was a relief. We started off with a couple of wines while waiting for everyone to arrive.
2004 Dr Burklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Altenburg – Nice weight, green apple, I made mention that it had some very Australian characteristics with a bit of kero and lanolin. Quite enjoyed this and went back for a second glass.
1969 Redman Claret – This was showing surprisingly well for a 45y.o wine. If you could liquefy leather and drink it, this would be it. Fully integrated with a soft suppleness about it which glided along the palate. A lovely old girl.
2001 Rockford Black Shiraz Disgorged 2001 - the cork was thoroughly soaked through and showed evidence of leaking. It basically just slid out of the bottle with a satisfying pop so all was not lost. It was tasting fairly straightforward with none of the leathery, secondary characteristics you usually get coming through, which painted it as quite youngish. Nice jammy characters without being cloying and a nice way to whet the appetite.
Flight One
1996 Rockford Basket Press – This opened up with some nice plummy notes, starting at the black fruit end of the spectrum with a tip of the hat to the red end (Redcurrant) as it slowly ages. There was some lip smacking acid still evident although the tannins were well integrated.
1997 Rockford Basket Press – A bit more muted than the 96 on the nose, with a touch of game, soft on the palate, the structure was a bit lacking. Although on the palate I felt it had a touch brighter fruit than the 96.
Flight Two
2004 Rockford Basket Press – Very bright and vibrant fruit, blackcurrant, blackberry, almost Ribena like, hard to believe this is 8 years old already as it is still showing very young. This should age wonderfully in the next 10 years.
2006 Rockford Basket Press – More reticent on the nose, with a touch of heat, once it opened up it almost became jammy in sweetness, think plum jam. This had a lot more structure than the 04. Will be interesting to see this in 10 years as well, as it has the bigger tannin profile but not quite the fruit behind it that the 04 has.
1997 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon – Showing its age a bit more than its 97 BP sibling. Finished a bit hot for me. Nice Bacon Fat on the nose, put me in mind of more a Margaret River style CS than a Coonawarra one being more fruit forward with less rusticity.
Flight Three
2008 Rockford Basket Press – This to me showed a definite change in the way the BP is made, with a lot more spices and white pepper being evident in this and the 09. How much of this is the influence of Ben Radford is unknown. Texturally it is very soft, with great purity of fruit and some really nice sour/sappy acid backbone holding it all together. The fruit has a real depth to it and is wonderfully balanced.
2009 Rockford Basket Press – This was a bit unbalanced at first, with the white pepper, blackberry being the dominant aromas. Once it settled down it came across as a wine that maybe was in a bit of a hole at the moment. I’ve had the 09 numerous times before so was a bit perplexing.
2010 Rockford Basket Press – Very young wine, nice sweet fruit on the nose, blackberry and dark fruits, probably the closest one to the 2004 of the later vintages. I liked how it picked up a bit of smokiness in the glass which bodes well for its future as it settles down and starts aging.
We then finished off with a
2004 Ch Doisy-Daene Sauternes - which was drinking very well, very thick and rich, orange, apricot, and a nice bit of acid to keep it fresh. Lovely way to finish the night.
Great night was had by all.
I think the next theme was going to be a wine that you are really keen on and want to show others - which will hopefully will enable some newcomers to attend.
Crispy Pork Belly, Boudin Noir, Wilted Spinach and Lentils De Puy
Sirloin, Charred Spanish Onions, Bearnaise and Roast Shallot Jus. Served with Cauliflower and Leek Au Gratin, Pommes Frites
Chocolate Fondant, Cherry Compote, Espresso Ice Cream and Almond Brittle
Tim and Cam who I realised hijacked my camera when I went to the loo, you get special treatment of my Photoshop skills :twisted: