2011 SIMPLE SERIES V: BENCHMARK AUSSIES 10-YEARS AND OLDER - The Moomba, Circular Road (1/4/2011)
It was my turn to celebrate my birthday this time round. The theme was Aussies 10-Years and Older, and the venue (most fittingly) was The Moomba, where we had some excellent Australian dishes to go with the wine - Korubuta Pork Belly, Roast Lamb and a 500-day Aged Steak. The twist came in the fact that everyone not only brought old Aussies (with only the pair of Art Series Chards breaking the age rule - but that was forgiven of course!) but also that every wine was a benchmark wine of sorts, so that we ended up having a line-up that was a veritable who’s who’s of the Aussie wine scene. A great dinner.
OUR APERITIF
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1998 Bannockburn Chardonnay - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
A pretty decent wine. It had a lovely nose when first poured, with a layer of toasty oak, scents of flowers, cream, yellow fruit and a nice touch of mineral. More than one of us thought it could have been a Puligny on the nose when served cold, but then it got progressively toastier as it warmed up with flecks of popcorn in there. No mistaking the new world on the palate though. It was very nice on the attack. Rich, layered, with ripe yellow fruit filling the mouth alongside toast and spice and some buttery notes. Some aged caramel and toffee notes spread out on the midpalate as well. Not the freshest or crispest wine, but it was decently balanced. Nice sunny stuff, drinking at just about the right age now. Unfortunately, it was all but overshadowed by the pair of Leeuwin Art Series Chards that followed. (89 pts.)
A DUO OF ART SERIES CHARDS
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2002 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
This was really, really good. Lovely nose showed maturing scents of earth, mushroom, yeast and sous bois, almost a bit funky here, alongside some toast and a nice layer of ripe white fruit. A whole lot deeper and more complex of a bouquet than the Bannockburn Chard we started the dinner out with. The palate here was mouthfilling, with a creamy layer of white fruit and butter, plenty of sweet lemons and some yellow-fleshed stone fruit fanning out from the attack, through a fleshy mid-palate and then into long, clingy finish with a nice juiciness. Lots of substance here, clearly new world in its sunny ripeness, but everything is nicely balanced and integrated. Delicious stuff, and drinking very nicely. I thought this was just that tad better put together than the 2003 Art Series on the same flight. (93 pts.) -
2003 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
A good, even very good new world Chard, but it was not quite as good as the classier 2002 on the same flight, and I do not think it will ever be. This was livelier on the nose - ripe lemons, white fruit, a touch of herb, some mushroom and slightly gentler bit of oak - more cream than toast here. Very nice. The palate was noticably riper than 2002, with a touch of glycerol floating around ripe yellow fruit somewhere between stone fruit and tropical notes I thought. It was crisper than the 2002, acidification maybe, but somehow less supple and integrated with the acidity and the fruit seeming a little disjointed the edges of the wine. Still, there is decent balance and a nice amount of substance here. The oak, which was well-controlled on the nose, was more obvious on the finish, with a layer of buttery toast. Overall, very good, but this needs some time yet. (92 pts.)
A TRIO OF PARKER FIRST GROWTHS
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1998 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Good, but a little disappointing - this was the weakest showing of a 1998 First Growth I have had so far. The nose was very similar to the 2000 we had alongside. Tobacco scents, cigar, slightly less ripe on the cassis notes, but very nice and just as Bordelais as the first wine. I thought this had perhaps the best nose of the three First Growths, the most expressive and complex at any rate. The palate was rich, ripe and very yummy with its juicy cassis notes. It was also rounder, more elegant than either of the other two wines, and a bit more structured too, with a touch of tannin in there. In a sense, this was the oldest wine, but tasted the youngest. However, what set it apart from the other great bottles I have had in the past was a spike of alcohol that threw the balance in there, slightly more than either the 2000 or 2001 showed as well. The finish was also slightly shorter, ending with a touch of heat. Pity. Overall, a nice, yummy wine with quite a bit of quality, but not quite up to the standards I would have expected from this wine in this vintage. (91 pts.) -
2001 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Good, but not quite outstanding. This was another Bordeaux ringer on the nose, a bit riper in its fruit expression than the first two wines maybe, with sweet cassis at the fore, but this was framed with nice tobacco and cigar scents. The palate was soft and round, with more ripe cassis again taking centre-stage, before some brambly notes emerged on the mid-palate and towards the finish. Very yummy fruit. Like the other two First Growths though, this too was marked with some alcohol, but it is not exactly imbalanced. There was some acidity, just not as well integrated as I would have liked. Finish showed a touch more leafy notes and sweet fruit before it flattened out somewhat, with the wine going a bit limp - I thought it needed some more freshness here. All in all, a good wine, but probably the least impressive of the three on the flight. (90 pts.) -
2000 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
I liked this quite a bit - strangely enough, it was voted the best of the three Parker First Growths on the night, even though the other vintages were stronger on paper. This had a very Bordelais nose - rich cassis, bramble, lots of tobacco, cigar smoke. Very nice. The palate was more new world though. Plenty of ripe cassis flavours, and it was very plush in a modern, slightly glycerol spiked way. Quite nicely balanced in spite of the alcohol though, with a nice satisfying roundness through the mid-palate and into a longish finish with more ripe fruit and a little touch of spice and smoke. I found this to have more depth and length than the 1998 at the moment (a wine that I have had several times and really liked), and somehow a better pairing with the Korubuta Pork dish we had the three wines on the flight with as well. Solid, delicious stuff. (92 pts.)
OTHER CABS AND CAB BLENDS
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1999 Petaluma Cabernet-Merlot Coonawarra - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Decent, but not much more. Along with the 2001 Dead Arm, this was the other wine that fell short of its reputation. Nose was very Aussie Cab-blend, with wafts of eucalyptus accompanying rich cassis scents, wet leaf, tobacco and some undergrowth, all spiked with a whiff of alcohol. Apart from the alcohol, actually quite pleasant. The wine lost us on the palate though. Thick, rich, almost viscous, it showed very ripe cassis, lots of alcohol, but not quite there on the balance. Finish was lengthy with a layer of spice and nicely softened tannins. However, this came across as a bit of a brute, having tons of depth and concentration, but lacking in refinement and poise. The label read 13.5%, but we were all quite sure this held a whole lot more. A world away from the very classy Wynn’s John Riddoch a few flights down. Given the stellar ratings from almost everyone else on CT, I cannot help but wondering whether the bottle we had was suffering from some sort of flaw - it certainly was not great on the night. (88 pts.) -
1994 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Release John Riddoch - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
I thought this was excellent. Certainly one of my favourites of the night - even then, it drank far, far younger than its 17 years. When poured, the wine showed a typically Coonawarra nose of ripe and cassis and dark berry scents punctuated by some tobacco leaf and a touch of eucalytus. Nice, but no fireworks. It was on the palate where the wine really showed its mettle. Nicely fresh, with a fine structure reminiscent of the Wolf Blass Black Lable we had before, this showed more ripe cassis fruit balanced upon a very earth, savoury umami backdrop, almost salty at points. Lots going on here, with great, almost profound depth on the midpalate with lots of complexity in its black-fruited flavours. The finish was excellent too, going on and on with juicy fruit and another touch of that savoury umami note. Drinkable now, but in spite of the complexity that was already obvious, the fruit seemed almost primary, and the wine was dripping with freshness. I can only see this getting better and better with a few more years in the bottle. (93 pts.) -
1997 Wolf Blass Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label - Australia, South Australia
A superb wine. I was certainly not expecting this, but along with the Wynns John Riddoch, this was one of the classiest, most complete wines of the night - a real pleasure to drink. It had a beautiful nose, with inviting dark fruit scents, a meaty bass note, peppery spice and a nice mineral undertone. Lots of depth and complexity without needing to shout. The palate was every bit as excellent. It had lots of layered depth, with rich cassis and dark berry fruit providing very autoritative flavours. Yet these were superbly inetgrated with a lovely fresh balance and a fine sense of structure. The long finish showed mouthfull of flavours, with bits of vanilla and spicy, almost chili-flake notes, accompanying more of the lovely fruit. Really solid stuff. Given the balance and structure of the wine, this should go one aging for a long time yet. Great stuff. (93 pts.)
SHIRAZ
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2001 Clonakilla Shiraz - Viognier - Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
An excellent wine. Quite amazingly, almost everyone picked this out as a Cote-Rotie style Shiraz-Viognier and, by process of elimination, identified it as a Clonakilla. This is truly a unique wine in Australia. The nose showed lovely notes of garrigue, lavender, rosemary, thyme - very Rhone - alongside some cherries, winter melon and peppery spice all layered with a nice floral tone. The palate showed enough big, palate-staining ripeness to betray its new world origins, but it had a lovely, velvety elegance to it that formed a classy frame to the ripe cherry and red berry fruit flavours, and a nice touch of cooler climate meat and pepper flavours, especially as it pulled away with a long finish. I would not exactly call this fresh, but it was well-balanced, and there was enough acidity so that it each sip of the wine called out to another. Very nice indeed. (93 pts.) -
1998 Yarra Yering Shiraz Dry Red #2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Lovely - one of my favourites of the night. This was probably one of the most idiosyncratically Aussie-tasting wines we had, it really could not be from anywhere else. The nose was thick, almost fruit juice-like, with sweet berries, dates and plums seasoned with a touch of eucalyptus and woody bramble. Very nice. The thickly textured palate carried on where the nose left of on the fruit-juice tones, with lots of sweet plums, almost prune juice points. Lovely purity of fruit. The label says 14.9% alcohol, but no one could really tell. There was lots of honest to goodness natural sweetness here, no confected stuff, and it was balanced by some really excellent acidity that made the wine a really brilliant pairing for the roasted lamb dish we had. It was impressive and super yummy, but perhaps a tad one-dimensional when drank by itself. However, with meat, it just came alive with all sorts spicy, smoke notes emerging and filling the mouth in a deliciously piquant, almost spritzy finish. Wow! (93 pts.) -
1997 Penfolds Shiraz RWT - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Very good, perhaps the most technically perfect and complete wine of the lot we drank, but somehow just missing a bit of the soul that one or two of the others had. The nose a lot earthier than the Yarra Yering No. 2 on the same flight, meatier, more savoury, with some chalky notes, mineral and a nice amount of ripe cassis and plums, all wrapped in nicely integrated oak accents. The palate had a dusty earthiness to it, with dark fruited notes of prunes and plums showing a nice amount of concentration lifted by very nice acidity - good purity and depth throughout. There was still quite a bit of firmness, but the tannins were ripe and sweet, and added a sense of structure without detracting from the overall drinkability of the wine. Finish had decent length too, with some spice, haw flakes and a touch of flowers showing up. Lots of interesting complexity here. All in all, a very solid wine, just lacking a little je nais sais quoi. Maybe a few more years in the bottle developing more tertiary flavours might help - this certainly has good enough bones to age for a lot longer. (92 pts.) -
2001 d’Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Disappointing, especially seeing how long this lone bottle has been sitting in the cellar. Good, but nowhere near what I expected given its reputation and the positive notes littered all over CT. The nose was attractive in a sweet, modern way - ripe plums, flowers, some earth and meat scents, spice, a touch of eucalyptus and a layer of milky, vanilla oak. The palate was big, with rich flavours of plums and blackberries filling the mouth. There was still a grip of tannins and a good amount of acidity, but what really stood out apart from the fruit was some alcohol at the edges that seemed to dull any complexity in the wine. There was sure a lot of depth and concentration, but it was lacking a bit of verve and elegance, especially towards the finish, which showed a wash of alcohol and sweet fruit. Objectively a good, not great, wine but one that none of us quite liked. Quite unsurprisingly, this was one of the few bottles that was left half-drunk. Will report back on the remainder that I kept overnight. (90 pts.) -
1996 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Eight Songs - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Objectively good, but not quite up my alley. Really big, bold Barossa nose on thos one, with lots of plummy fruit, some earthiness, a spike of rubbery eucalyptus scents and then oaky milk chocolate and sweet spice smells. No disguising what this was for sure. We had decanted this for a few hours, and the wine certainly needed it. The palate was big, sweet, rich, with lots of spice, sweet prunes and plums. Not exactly high acid, especially compared with the classy twosome that precede it, but I must say that the balance was decent. Past the midpalate and into the finish, the fruit was butrresed by some savoury earth notes as the wine tailed away. Nice depth and length here. Overall, it is a good wine, kinda straighforward, but well-made. Nice enough, but not something I would revisit in a hurry - just a bit to much in the “big” camp for me. (90 pts.)
AND A STICKY
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N.V. Sandalford Sandalera - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Similar impressions with the last bottle, just that this was not quite as impressive, perhaps a result of the fact that we have had some absolutely mindblowing Aussie stickies in the intervening period. It was still really nice thought. The nose was especially lovely, with pure toffee scents, mocha notes, dried figs, prunes, raisins and a touch of sweet spices at the side. So nice. Delicious on the palate too. Not the most complex sticky, but boy was it tasty! Like the nose, it was very raisiny, almost raisin bread-like, with some sweet dried figs and drizzled with dark chocolate and toffee flavours. Sweet, thick, but balanced enough to keep it fresh and yummy. Very enjoyable. (92 pts.)
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