Dinner of the Century Burgundy 2009 at The Point 09/10/12

One of the greatest parts of running your own business (apart from setting your own hours) is you can follow what you love and what interests you. So when wine importer Euan McKay suggested we do a dinner showcasing Burgundy 2009 I said yes before he had finished his sentence. For me the only thing better than drinking Burgundy from a great vintage is drinking old Burgundy from a great vintage.

So the DINNER OF THE CENTURY was born (you have to imagine Pete Smith saying it!). The Point at Albert Park was selected as the venue and from the moment they sent through a sample menu I was salivating.



As you can see it is a rather visually appealing venue too!

You can read my basic overview on the appellations, producers and vintage and see the pricing once you are thoroughly tempted.


Champagne J. Lassalle Brut Preference N.V. A stunning Champagne made from five vintages and a blend of one third of each of the three varieties (Chard and Pinots Noir and Meunier). Brilliantly floral, nice crispness and excellent length and great body. I think I am smitten! Certainly this is one of the best Champagnes I have tasted in a long time.

Tete de cochon, pickled chanterelles and black pudding  2008 Pierre Morey Meursault ‘Les Tessons’ These two wines were quite different in outlook. The 08 showed a lot more funky, dirt and earthy notes over the floral, peach, creamy and hint lactic notes. The palate was all silk, purity, clean and clear white Burgundy. Just so lovely. Especially when the food arrived.
2009 Pierre Morey Meursault ‘Les Tessons’ By contrast the 2009 was more pure, clean and restrained with a fuller, richer and riper edge as you would expect from the vintage differences. There was a lot of charm in the powerful and full palate which made it great drinking on its own.
Both Tessons did share an elegance and finesse with so fine boned phenolic and acidic grip. They were a very impressive start.


The kind of wines you'd like to meet in a dark alley. Or a restaurant.

Murray cod, creamed leeks, parsnip and Avruga  2008 Michelot Meursault Premier Cru ‘Genevrieres’ The step up to premier cru was evident here. There is an extra level of denseness and concentration. Again the 08 showed a hint of funk to balance the pristine stone fruits. Great purity, clean with nice mid-palate fat. Such an enjoyable wine.
2009 Michelot Meursault Premier Cru ‘Genevrieres’ This wine showed a line of stony/minerality, with red apples and a hint of doughy/lees. Powerful and pure this wine was just a baby and really needs to hide in the cellar for a while yet.
This pair certainly showed more typical Meursault power and muscle while being finely balanced and very drinkable (as shown by numerous empty glasses before the plates were cleared!).

Yarra Valley duck, roasted breast and confit leg, leek and truffle pithivier, Griottine cherries  2009 Tollot-Beaut Savigny-Champ-Chevrey Premier Cru ‘Monopole’ If I could only drink one wine for the rest of my life this would be it. It has the charm and vibrancy that makes Pinot Noir great with some gritty, earthy tones and succulence on the palate. Great drinking now but it certainly has a lot more to offer if you can stay away.
2009 Violot-Guillemard Pommard Premier Cru ‘La Platiere’ This wine was very raw and youthful. Sour cherries, pepper and mineral. The palate had nice flesh and silk, hints of ironstone and dark chocolate. Powerful Pommard at its very best. Leave for at least seven years for best effect. Might I comment that the duck dish was a stand out of an exceptionally great menu. The wines played a happy foil to it with the different textures of duck marrying with the different expressions of Pinot.


An impressive line up. Same line up in ten years time? I'll make a time capsule!

Cheese – Epoisses, Cote-d’Or France, Jean Perrin Le Secret de Scey, Franche-Comté France  2009 Christian Serafin Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru ‘Les Corbeaux’ Wow! Dense, rich, dark and with a fair hint of oak. There was plenty of red fruits and mid palate silk with this wine that is a tightly wound coil at the moment. This needs time to relax and unwind to show its very best, but let me say again 'wow!'
2009 Hubert Lignier Morey-St-Denis Premier Cru ‘Les Chaffots’ Smoke, earth and minerals, red blue and black fruits, silk and flesh, firm tannins and lots of muscle! A wine with something to prove. I think this wine will always be slightly tannic but with the right dish that will be swept away and the complexity and perfume will really shine. Also, not being shown next to the Serafin could help the cause haha!
I'm a sucker for Epoisses, I think of all the dishes the cheese didn't marry as well with the wines but separately the food and wine of this course were awesome.

The final verdict? Who wants to do it again next week? Seriously though, impressive wines through out. 2009 is a vintage you will regret not buying more no matter how much you have. And if you haven't eaten at The Point you should add it to your to do list!

WINE OF THE WEEK

Francoise & Denis Clair Cotes de Beaune Village 2009

Following on from our All The Pinots tastings a good friend had their 40th Birthday. So naturally a bottle of Burgundy was the order of the day. The heart of Burgundy is known as the Cote d'Or (Golden Slope) and this wine could be sourced from anywhere in the Southern part known as the Cote de Beaune (Slope of Beaune) with Beaune historically being the major town in that part of the region.
2009 is widely regarded as one of the best vintages ever and with wines like this flying the flag it is hard to argue the point.



No contention with this Beaune.

This wine embodies the best parts of Pinot Noir, Burgundy and specifically the Cotes de Beaune style. Very perfumed cherry and raspberry, roses and violets, with a stoney, spicy and gamey depth. The palate is silky with hints of lavender. The oak tannins are soft and the acidity brings the whole wine together. There is a nice savoury undertone to the whole wine that makes it great with food. It went well with Mezzo's wild boar ravioli and prawn risotto.

Overall this is a great wine for Burgundy lovers and those trying to get their head around the style of the region. Whatever your knowledge level it is guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

$42ea cheaper for quantity. philip@thewinedepository.com.au

Bring A Bottle Night @ Matteo's 06/08/12

Twice a year everyone in our group digs into their own cellar to share something special. Each wine has to be 10 years old and European. They are all served blind and it is up to each of us to guess the wine after being given a series of options. Not surprisingly we call this game "options".

The most recent event was filled to the brim with excellent wine. As always there was some very generously shared wines that made it a special experience. Unfortunately my guessing was thoroughly wrong apart from the odd success. But I only get to drink wines like this at nights like this so I'll happily get them all wrong for that cause!

The first step of any excellent wine night always involves a magnum of Champagne, Agrapart Mineral Blanc de Blancs 2005 did the trick nicely. From the Grand Cru village of Avize and made in the 'Extra Brut' style (meaning it contains almost no residual sugar). Dry and chalky but with a serious weight of fruit and power to it. Like the best Champagne from growers this is an impressive wine that happens to be fizzy. It did get a bit grating towards the end of the second glass but I believe in another 5-10 years this will be just gorgeous.


Young, dry Champagne. It will grow into a beautiful swan!

Sadly our first wine was NQR - Raveneau Chablis Premier Cru Montee de Tonnerre 2001. Bummer! I really love Raveneau and I tasted this wine many years ago and it was lovely. Thankfully someone happened to have a bottle of Albert Bichot Domaine Long Depaquit Chablis 2009 that their favourite wine merchant had sourced for them and gallantly volunteered it for tasting. So lean and pure with a long of green apple crunchy underneath the slatey/white stones and floral notes. Young and looking more so due to the age of the rest of the wines but extremely enjoyable for drinking now but would round off in 5 or so years.

I provided the only other white Domaine Baumard Savennieres 'Trie Speciale' 2000. Followers of my ramblings will know of my fondness for Chenin Blanc from the Loire and Baumard is one of the best in my opinion. This wine was floral, sweetly herbaceous, clean and vibrant with a hint of botrytis like tropical fruit and maramalade. The palate was nice and clean with a steely mineral streak through the core, good fleshy fruit and nice silk. Yum. Went really well with my Tempura of Bamboo Funghi which I enjoyed immensly despite its vegetarian-ness.

Into the reds next. And what a line up.

Jean Grivot Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts 1er 98 Minty, red/blue fruits, aniseed, hint herbal, vibrant, meaty, limestone and Asian spice. There was a high amount of acid, purple fruits and fine tannins to the dry palate. I thought it was Barbaresco. It was enjoyable but it is looking at its peak now.

Laurent Roumier Clos de Vougeot 2001 Toasty, savoury, undergrowth, mineral/stones, meaty, fungi, hint of sulphide, seeds and currants. It was dense and curranty with a nice softness. This vineyard is often talked down for various reasons and I can't help but feel in less impressive company this would have stood up more.

Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 2001 This is a wine we tasted at Matteo's on release many, many years ago (we tasted the big three Dujac Grand Cru's on that night). I remember it was impressive that night and impressive on this tasting too. Smoke/soot, spice, earth, floral, purple fruits, clay almost terracotta like notes. It was silky with tart red fruits, smoke/soot, meaty and a mineral streak. I wrote 'lovely' as my last note. It sure was!

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 2000 This is another wine that has graced our tables numerous times (not always this vintage). Cakey, chocolate, smoke and ironstone, bacon fat and floral. Soft, clean, silky with good finesses. I really enjoyed this wine, not least because I picked it as Hermitage before the options were given!

Faiveley Mazis Chambertin 1996 At this time Faiveley were making unashamedly muscular and tannic wines for long term storage. I tasted the 1995 at one of my Burgundy on Boxing Day rituals. Sadly that did not help me. Mineral, herbal, stoney, hint sappy and crushed ants like. The palate was rich, silky, dense with plums and a herbal note. I love the Faiveley wines, this was one of the best I've tasted.



Hermitage at its best.

Delas Hermitage 1983 This came from one of the most impressive wine cellars in Australia. Although I've never been it sounds like an Aladdin's cave of wine goodies. Floral, herbal, manure, soot, stones, earth, slate, a hint of B.O. and floral notes. Dense, curranty, smoke, boney, lean and tight despite its age. Yum!

Chateau d'Issan Margaux 2000 Dry, spice, meat, game, baked earth. Very Bordeaux like (which is great when you trying to guess what it is!!!), red currants and floral notes. Dry spicy, spiney, light floral. This wine actually was very reminiscent of Margaux.

Chateau Smith-Haut-Laffite Pessac Leognan 1996 Dry, coffee, tea leaf, undergrowth and wet leaves. The palate was ripe, red and silky maybe even erring towards overripe? Plums and prunes evident too. There was a lean acid spine to balance the ripeness, plenty of oak tannins and it was really long. Looking really good for its age and ready to be drunk.

Chateau Leoville Barton St Julien 1996 A lot of my best Bordeaux experiences have been wines with Barton on the label. This was seriously impressive. Pure, pristine, currants, spice, delicate and chocolate. Fleshy, silky, meaty, firm and driven. This tasted young, extremely young and still had plenty of mid-palate fat. Wow!


Behold! The line up in all it's glory.... and Dave's arm...

Barbeito 20 year old Malvasia was an inspired Port substitute. Full of delicious nutty, coffee, caramel notes. Madeira is a great drink and one every wine lover should get to know..

There was also a glass of Bindi Composition Pinot 2010 which showed beautifully aromatic and fragrant much to my relief as my last tasting experiences it was awfully disappointing. And a glass of Craiglee Shiraz Viognier 2000 while the rest of the crew tucked into a glass of Whiskey.

I'm not sure if you can have too much good wine in one night, but we are certainly pushing the limits to find out!

Pinot Noir Tasting 05/05/12

Over the past few months I've been asked to host numerous private tastings for customers. The most recently run event was about a month ago near Heathcote and it involved educating a group of 14 people about Pinot Noir.

Grasping a chance to drink a handful of my most favourite Pinots from around the world, I looked forward to this event and the attended to the notes and wine selection with particular vigour. Of course having a willing and eager bunch of participants makes it all the more entertaining. Thankfully the attendees had that in spades.



The warm up act. Seriously good for the price.

The event was structured into four brackets, which built from entry level wines and graduated up to tasting the pinnacle of Pinot Noir - Burgundy.

Bracket One. Flavours of Pinot Noir.
Bress Vineyards Silver Chook Yarra Valley & Macedon 2010 $22 Showing the easy, cherry/red berry and rose petal notes. Excellent value and highly recommended.
Hungerford Hill Tumbarumba 2009 $25 Darker, plums and a hint undergrowth. Riper fruit and more generous mouthfeel.
Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge 2008 $32 Great entry point to Burgundy, showing the minerally, structured and more savoury styles they tend to make. If drinking water was impossible, this is what I would turn to.


Bracket One under way.

Bracket Two. Regionality and the wide world of wine.
Pegasus Bay Canterbury 2008 $63 From the South Island of New Zealand. Showing the typical style of great NZ Pinot. Bold with perfume, subtlety and restraint.
Apsley Gorge Tasmania 2008 $69 East Coast of Tassie based producer. A bit stinky when first opened, but possessing great texture, balance and silkiness. Beautiful wine.
Bernard Huber Baden 2009 $43 A Spatburgunder (aka Pinot Noir) from Germany. Showing perfume, oak, balance and nice refreshing acidity.
Britten Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir  The host added this wine so the USA got a jersey.  It has great pedigree with the owner being a former member of the Stags Leap team. This tasted slightly oxidised on the day sadly.



You can always tell a Curly Flat family.

Bracket Three: Terroir and aging.
We used two wines made in almost the same way to highlight how much a region or vineyard (ie Terroir) can affect the taste of a wine.
William Downie Mornington Peninsula 2010 $71 The more floral, red berry and vibrant style. Showed really well upfront. Beautiful balance and lovely to drink.
William Downie Gippsland 2010 $71 Darker, more brooding and darker fruits. Needed a bit more time in the glass to show its best. But definitely had that hallmark Downie balance and texture (and drinkability).
Then we used two wines from the same producer and different vintage to show how a wine can change with time in the bottle.
Curly Flat Macedon 2008 $56 Dark, powerful, generous with a lot of depth and great mouthfeel.
Curly Flat Macedon 2001 En Magnum The host once again donated this wine to the tasting. It showed more savoury/undergrowth/truffle and was a lot more silky and supple. I would say at its peak now in the best possible way.


Pouring the 95 Pruliers.

Bracket Four: Burgundy.
Nicholas Potel Vosne Romanee Les Petit Monts 1er Cru 2000 $105 The budget didn't quite stretch to Grand Cru but this high quality Premier Cru certainly showed the best of the region and why it is the pinnacle. Supple, savoury, minerally, perfumed, vibrant, spices, depth, layered, intense and thrilling. Great balance, depth of fruit and plush but with fine tannins and great length.
Dom Laurant Nuits-St-Georges Les Pruliers 1995 Because more is more, yet another bottle was taken from the cellar to be shared. This wine really showed up the difference between communes and vineyards in Burgundy. This wine reflexed the denser, more chunky style of Nuits compared to the refined, elegance of Vosne.



Expert host and wine waiter... me.

Additional Wine.
Roda I Rioja Riserva 2004 This wine was pulled out just as we took our leave of the group but I stuck around long enough to have a glass. I have included it because Tempranillo is often described as tasting like Pinot with a bit of age. It does share the red fruits, floral notes and spicy notes. Along with the silk and purity you would expect.

All in all a great tasting. If you are interested in hosting a tasting like this, we can work together to find a theme, budget and venue that suits. Email philip@thewinedepository.com.au 

Dinner at Sosta Cucina 11/05/12

After a few false starts Dave's group finally managed to convene to taste some awesome wines at one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in Melbourne Sosta Cucina.

A late withdrawal meant that we had to sacrifice a bottle of Cignale from Tuscany (one of my favourite Italian wines). But just as well, because an unannounced no show meant we were flush with wine anyway. It wasn't all that bad; never before has a waiter said to me "Would you like a top up of the Rousseau?... OK, which vintage?"

The menu was fantastic but crab and rabbit are almost always going to get my vote - and it was well chosen on my part too! Beautiful food and great service on the night.

Larmandier Bernier Brut Tradition NV - I never get sick of this wine. It was up to its beautiful standard! If you havent tasted it email me philip@thewinedepository.com.au because it is a must for any lover of wine.

Giaconda Chardonnay 2010 - A lot of people talk about Grange being Australia's greatest wine, I don't have much experience with Grange, but I would vote for this wine. In fact the 94 is the best Australian wine I've ever drunk.
The 2010 is already so complex, layered and lovely. Toasty, flint, pure, mineral - white stones, peach and apricot, zesty, white chocolate/creamy.
The palate is creamy, intense but balanced, great texture and seamless. It is a joy to drink and altogether too drinkable.

Phi Pinot Noir 2010 Coming off the back of some great accolades I was keen to try this wine. It needed a bit of time to open up. Initially it was dirty, ash, tart/herbal with a hint of VA. With time it developed some spicy oaky notes with cherry, red and blue fruits and plums.
Quite a tart palate with red fruits, clean finish and a tight core of fruit supported by fine tannins.

Bindi Composition Pinot Noir 2010 Bindi is an awesome producer, this is their entry level wine and I think it showed a bit that way on the night. Full, mint, round and meaty, dense eucalypt and smoke. It was dark fruited and round on the palate but just a hint simple.

Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er 2009 Such a priviledge to taste this wine. 2009 was such an amazing vintage in Burgundy. I was surprised there was a bottle left for us to drink. Initially it was quite ripe, lifted tropical and sweet red fruits. With air more savoury spice, rocket, pepper and clay notes came through.
It had great silk on the palate, with great length. Showed its extreme youth by being a hint bitter, disjointed and oaky. Very enjoyable none-the-less.

Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er 2008 On the night I felt compelled to write "Awesome Wine" with an arrow pointing to this wine. It was pretty good. Spice, rocket, ripe herbs, blood orange. Good silk, hint tart, smokey, long, hint of chocolate, great mouthfeel, very long and beautiful drinking.

Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er 2006 Savoury, truffles, tart red fruits and rose petal/floral cologne like notes and dark stone minerality.
Silky, structured, clean and balanced. Probably a bit in between youth and maturity. Lovely drinking though.

Mount Mary Quintets 2006 Pretty, delicate, currants, cherries, earth and a hint of undergrowth. The palate was dense but fine and balanced. The tannins were smooth and refined. This wine is just a baby.

Mastroberandino Radici Taurasi DOCG 2006 Aglianico could well be the next big thing in Australia - as I have said recently . I think it needs a nickname before it is properly accepted though.
I've had this wine a few times in the recent past and I love it more each time. The toasty, clay, burnt earth, meat and game notes really shone through with a beautiful rabbit dish. You just have to give it a go.

Kopke Reserve Tawny Port A well regarded but rarely seen producer. This was well put together, more savoury styled tawny. Mid-bodied and quite refreshing.

The night ended with the 3,2,1 voting (each person gives three votes to their favourite wine of the night, two to the next and one to the their third best). Giaconda Chard came first with 13 votes (and an enthusiastic "my Mother would love this"), Rousseau Cazetiers 08 second place with 10 votes and Cazetiers 09 third on 7 votes.

Dinner at Mezzo 07/05/2012

Having missed one month due to work pressures, the Mezzo crowd were all pretty keen to catch up and taste some seriously good wine.  And we were far from disappointed despite cork playing a starring role in two of the wines. CURSE YOU VILE THINGS! This month the theme was 2004 Burgundy, a vintage that I have tasted a lot of and enjoyed since release. A lot of people don't rate this vintage because it was a cold vintage, but the good producers made excellent wines. The wines below are a good example.

Lanson Gold Label Vintage Champagne 2002 I'm a huge fan of Lanson Champagnes (see why) and this wine only served to further my love. Great texture, zesty, floral, good amount of yeasty/autolytic notes and plenty of life in it. This is one Champagne that definitely lends itself to aging. Even a few years on this would have some of the lovely honey, toast, brioche and truffle notes that good older Champagne develops.

Maurice Ecard Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Narbantons 1er Cru 2004 Floral, mineral, ironstone, chocolate, tea leaf, dried leaf, herbal tart and hint oxidised.
Nice tart acid, clean, fresh, rounded, mineral/stoney, chocolate, very long.
Everything you want from a good Savigny!

Most of the 04s we tasted.

Robert Chevillon Nuits-St-Georges Les Vaucrain 1er Cru 2004 From the Southern end of the village of Nuits this wine initially showed signs of TCA. It did also show some good character too. Herbal, dry, leafy sour, pickles, red fruits, potatoes. The nose certainly changed with air.
The palate showed coffee, chocolate, increased density, good flesh, nice tannins if a hint on the astringent side, ironstone. V. long and persistent.
I'd love to see another bottle of this as I have had a few of their 04s and they just had more lift. The makings of an excellent wine were there though.

Jean Grivot Nuits-St-Georges Les Boudots 1er Cru 2004 This vineyard is situated at the Northern end of Nuits right next to Vosne and was served as a bridge between the Chevillon and the Mongeard that followed.
It was lovely, almost wine of the night! Floral, lifted crushed ants, currants, tobacco, blood orange mulch, mulberry.
Dark cherry, tart, chunky tannins, stoney, marachino cherry, hint bitter.
Very enjoyable wine from an excellent producer

Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne Romanee Les Suchots 1er Cru 2004 Defintely the wine of the night. Les Suchot is a Premier Cru situated amongst some of the greatest of the Grand Crus. At its best it rivals them. Tonight, it was by far and away the best wine on the table.
It opened up a lot with time in the glass. Coffee, savoury, rocket, pepper, brown spice, clay, meaty, pickle, dense, musky, oak.
On the palate it was dense, silky, pretty, red frutis, musk, violet and cherry. It was a complete Burgundy that just made me happy to be drinking it.

The Two Echezeaux

Bruno Deaunay-Bissey Echezeaux Grand Cru 2004 This was an unsual wine. It was green as a they come on the nose, a really good example of why people might dislike the vintage.
The palate was much better though. It had dark fruits, olives and minerals. But it was still tart and green. I have no experience with this producer but it was a shame because it wasn't all that enjoyable.

Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux Grand Cru 2004 Sadly this was a corked as they come. It was almost DNPIM (Did Not Put In Mouth). But curiosity got the best of me and I instantly regretted it. It was definitely and undeniably corked.

Options Wine
Lynch-Bages Pauillac 5th Growth 2004 If you saw my notes from last Matteo's Dinner (here) you would remember the pride I had at picking the options wine. Well it all came undone tonight. I thought it was Italian, then Merlot based and then Patrick gave up and told us what it was.
Earthy, dirt, dense, clay/terracotta, hint beef and pepper.
Fine moderate tannins, limes tones. Long, floral cherries, seductive.
It was an excellent wine but just a baby. It has a lot longer to go yet!

Lynch Bages 2004 - Awesome wine. Just a baby.

Additional Wines
Grosset Gaia Cabernet 2002 I'm not sure how we came to be drinking Gaia. It was definitely welcome on the table, but as always, Australian wine tends too look sweet, thin and bland after a lot of good European wines.
I thought it looked quite smart if you ignored the French winese. Currants, cherry, clay, earthy, stalky. The palate was silky, elegant and it looked young and lean despite being the equal oldest wine on the table.
Good old screwcaps, sealing in freshness and keeping away nasty cork taint!

Awesome Aussie Cabernet - Grosset Gaia 2002

Outis Nessuno Etna 2007 So this was the last wine of the night and if you don't know much about it, neither do I. It comes from Sicily and the region is Etna which is near the Mount Etna volcano. The varieties are Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, both of which are native varieties.
It was a lovely drink, but again after all that old wine looked and tasted almost like a fortified. There was some nice characters there.

Wines From The Cellar

Over the past little while I've been tasting wines from TWD's cellar to make sure they are still in good condition (yep, that is the real reason for sure!). Here are some of the highlights.

You can see the current list here and email any orders or questions to: philip@thewinedepository.com.au

DOMAINE RASPAIL-AY GIGNONDAS 2008 & 1998
Founded in 1854 with 18 hectares under vine planted to Grenache (80%) Syrah (15%) and Mourvedre (5%) proprietor Dominique-Ay keeps things very simple at Gigondas’ (a highly under rated appellation in Southern Rhone) finest address – one red and one Rosé. The Raspail-Ay Gigondas reflects the appellation’s characteristics faithfully in an elegantly robust style which needs four or so years for the tannins to meld with the wine.
The 2008 shows all the youthful Grenache dark fruits, with raspberry and rose lift backed up with a strong savoury streak, lovely fine structure and a mouth filling weight. Needs a bit of air but is lovely.
The 1998 shows stunning similarities to the 2008 with more leather and earth characters coming through. Still altogether and in great health.

CHATEAU DE BEAUCASTEL COUDOULET DE BEAUCASTEL 2008
One of the top Chateauneuf du Pape producers. Stunning wines that age well and impress no end. One of the few producers to actively use all the 13 permitted varieties. This wine is from their vineyards just outside of the Chateauneuf boundary but still offers great depth and plenty of rich fruit. Dense fruit cake, chocolate, earth, gravel, leather, game, olives and spices. Very dry palate with firm tannins but with the flesh to balance it out. Opens up with air and offers some red fruits and roses.

ROCKFORD DRY COUNTRY BAROSSA VALLEY GRENACHE 1995
An icon of the Barossa and Australia. They make great wines and wines to last. This is more red berries and a hint sweeter than the Rhones but no less impressive or drinkable. The extra fruit and floral components balance out the strong meaty, peppery and leather notes. 

COLLECTOR WINES LAMP LIT WHITE 2010
Small batches and made by hand with a lot of care. The fruit sourced around the Canberra District, these wines have been impressive since day one. A classy example of Marsanne (with a hint of Roussanne and Viognier) – really fragrant, honeysuckle, peach and melons with a floral lift. The palate is rich and generous of flavour but is not fat or oily. There is the slightest hint of funk/doughy/leesy character which adds a nice dimension. Really lovely drinking.

DOMAINE AUX MOINES SAVENNIERES-ROCH-AUX-MOINES 1997
Savennieres is a neighbour of Vouvray but not nearly as well-known region with only Nicholas Joly producing wines that you hear of. This Domaine, headed by a clearly talented Mother & daughter team makes some truly fascinating wines. A lovely example of older Chenin Blanc. Minerally with tight acid, pepper and spices. Pears and stone fruits. Lovely floral lift. Showing some caramel development with a hint of smoke. The palate is rich but with a steely dryness and a lime like acid streak.

DOMAINE BAUMARD SAVENNIERES 1996
A sadly unheralded producer of some of the best whites in the world. Again, all made from Chenin Blanc and made with love and attention to terroir. These wines will age for a long time, but make some fascinating drinking all through their life. Very clean and pure, precise minerally acid that everything else is built around. Showing youthful stone fruits, stones and a hint of honey. This is a great drink.

FRANKLAND ESTATE ROCKY GULLY RIESLING 2010
Frankland Estate is one of Australia's best Riesling producers. Making wines from the Frankland River Region in Southern Western Australia, they use a lot of German, Austrian and Alsatian techniques to make textured and complex Rieslings and more. This is one of their entry level wines and looking to be bargain of the year! Floral, lovely layers of flavour and great structure. This a stunning example of what they can do.

KILLIBINBIN BLEND LANGHORNE CREEK 2002 Langhorne Creek for many years has been bolstering the big brand wines from South Australia – mostly anonymously. Which is a shame because the region has great potential in its own right. This is a lovely Cab/Shiraz blend that has richness, plenty of flavour – dark and red berries, leather, spice, earth and a hint of spirit (without being hot). The palate is lush and delicious. Drinking beautifully now.

JOSEPH FAIVELEY CLOS DE ROI MERCUREY 1ER CRU 1996 Faiveley are a large business in Burgundy who own large parcels all over the Cotes. Including 70ha in Mercurey – a mostly overlooked region South of the Cote d’Or. The wines here make a lighter, more minerally, cleaner style. But as this wine shows, they still offer great drinking AND great value. Minerals, iron stone with rose petals, raspberries and tart red fruits. The palate is lean and clean with fine grain tannins that linger. Really impressive drinking.

DOM MONGEARD-MUGNERET CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY 2004 A lovely producer of silky, rich Burgundies that are drinkable young, but have a surprising knack of holding on for longer than you may think. This is a really impressive effort from a difficult year. Lots of red fruits, dark plums and olives with a hint of stem. Shows the typical Chambolle like silk, flesh and vibrancy.

Good Old Burgundy

A nice relaxing lunch yesterday at Mr Bianco in Kew was a great excuse to pull out a bottle that had been burning a hole in my cellar.

We started with a bottle of the Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2010 - You've no doubt heard me go on (and on) about it before, but it is stunning. Here are my original notes. Such beautiful perfume, great balance and great flavours.

A graphic depiction of the label. If you see one of these, grab it!

J Confuron Contetidot Nuits-St-Georges 1988 - Re-released a few years ago direct from the Domaine this wine was stunning when it landed and possibly even better yesterday.
The colour had held up beautifully, a light strawberry with just a tinge of orange. But I believe these guys have used a lot of stems in production which could easily account for the orange (rather than it being obvious signs of age).
At first smell it was quite tart and made my heart sink a little. But as it had time in the glass it developed beautiful rose petal, cherry, and raspberry notes. There was plenty of pepper, gravel/ironstone/iodine and savoury notes. Overall though, it was remarkably fresh and vibrant.
The palate was mid-weight, had a good attack of red berries and crunchy acid on the front. As the wine swept back there was a silkiness and flesh that softened me up and then the Nuits-St-Georges tannins kicked in hefty but fine, gritty and long lingering. Luckily the classic Burgundian 'peacocks tail' perfume was also present and made for a beautifully long lasting experience after each sip. This is all the more impressive that it is Village level, not Premier or Grand Cru. Great old Burgundy indeed!

I first tasted this producer in about 2003 when the tasting group I was organising went through a line up of their 2001s to try and understand 'house style' and as a great excuse to taste six awesome Burgs. They own 7 hectare in the Cotes de Nuits. They tend to use cold soaks before fermantation with all the stems (imagine making a tea like infusion out of the crushed grapes and their stems). Stems tend to give the wine a tart, acidic edge which is great if they are ripe but can be mouthpuckeringly sour if they are not. This can mean that the producer sacrifices immediate appeal for long term drinking. The best exponents of the use of stems tend to make the most long lived Burgs in my experience.
Therefore this Domaine is often best enjoyed with some bottle age.

Matteo's Dinner 06/02/12 - Bring A Bottle Night

One of the highlights of the year is Patrick's Bring A Bottle Night. Not to take away from his hard and inspired work of assembling wines of a theme and quality suitable for our demanding palates, but on this night everyone pulls out all stops to bring a bottle of incredible quality.

We did have a few corked/NQR wines this night. However, in the past, we've had an unbelieveably good strike rate.

The rules are simple:
* Each person brings one bottle.
* This bottle is least 10 years old and from a classic European Region.
* Each wine is served blind. Only the convener of the night knows all the wines.
* Each wine is guessed using the 'options' game.
* A good night is had by all.

This night we indulged in...

Larmandier Bernier Brut Tradition NV Champagne Still my go to Champagne when I have the luxury to drink it. Floral, good stone fruits, plenty of chalky/minerally/stoney notes. Great balance on the palate. Opens up with time in the glass as it gets warmer. Delicious. All hail the king of the growers!

Josmeyer Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes 1997 Alsace Smells lovely. Floral, lime, pure, crystalline, talc, banana skin, dry and savoury.
The palate is lean with nice mouthfeel, very clean, hint oxidised on the finish.  A great drink.

Muller Caroir Haatdter Burgergarten Riesling Trocken 2000 Pfalz Spice, peaches, melons, floral and lime. Just a whiff of liquid paper (but in a good way if that makes sense?).
Zesty, dry, citrus icypole. Less body than the Josmeyer but really refreshing.

Dr Burklin Wolf Ruppertsberger Geisbohl Riesling Spatlese 1970 Pfalz Really rich. Crab meat like, peppermint, toasty, minerally/stoney, buttery.
A lot of richness on the palate. Hints of botrytis, honey, creme brulee and spice. Looking really good for its age.
Incidentally I tasted this wine with Patrick about 9 years previously as a young, timid and beardless wine sales assistant. It tastes better than I remembered then.

Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape 1999 Rhone Valley This was my wine. I smelt it in my initial run through and thought, "Gee I hope that isn't mine". D'Oh!!!! It was stale, that is all I can say. It wasn't corked. Didn't seem oxidised. It was just stale. I have tasted this wine previously and it was stunning. As James Halliday once said, "There are no great old wines. Just great old bottles."

Rayas Pignan Chateauneuf du Pape 2001 Rhone Valley Stoney, red fruits, floral, compost, zesty. Perhaps a hint of brett? (what is brett?)
Silky, meaty/bretty, vibrant fruits, dry leaves, pickles. A really enjoyable wine from a great producer.

Sassacaia Bohlgeri 2000 (update 26/3/12 thank you anonymous) Tuscany The initial offering of a Barolo was corked. So our generous donator went and sourced a bottle of Super Tuscan to fill in our line up. Frustratingly, I did not write down the vintage. I shall find it and correct this error!
Bananas, vibrant, liqueur fruit compote, caramelly oak.
Rich, ripe, vibrant, jelly fruits, very firm tannins. Young, dense, tight, syrupy fruits and tar.
Impressive wine, very young though and has a lot of time ahead of it.

Hammand-Geoffrey Gevrey Chambertin La Bossiere 1er Cru Monopole 1998 Burgundy Dry, minerally, stoney, tea leaf, zesty.
The palate was rich, light, mineral laden clean and fresh.

Chateau Ferrand Lartigue St-Emilion 1996 Bordeaux Beautiful nose. Pure, rich, lifted, cheesy. Lovely.
Light, pretty, fresh, aromatic. A very Burgundian Bordeaux in a lot of ways.

Chateau Cos d'Estournel St Estephe 1993 Bordeaux Pea, straw/grass, red fruits, smoke, minerals.
Dry, stoney, silky, pepper and jelly fruits.
This is one of my fav Bordeaux Chateau. It is always a pleasure to taste this wine!

Chateau Lagrange St Julien 1995 Bordeaux Corked. Sadly. It happens. What did James Halliday say again?

Chateau Soutard St Emilion Grand Cru 1989  Bordeaux Pure, dry leaf, herbal, minerals.
Silky palate, dark fruits, meaty, jelly fruits,
currants, dry tannins. Resembles an old Coonawarra Cab.

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 1989 Bordeaux Pure, dark, steak, plums, currants, floral/violets.
Silky, pure, dry spice, seamless, clay notes, tobacco.
Another of my fav Bordeaux. It was looking spectacular!

Fonseca Vintage Port I missed the vintage of this wine too. However, it was young, vibrant and rich. Like any of the charming Grand Marque Port houses.

Lunch At RACV Club

Recently I was lucky enough to have lunch at the RACV club and no lunch there would be complete without some amazing wines.

Bass Phillip Rose - Dry, spicy and savoury. Nice elegance and texture. Really freshing and really moreish. The best I have seen this wine in ages taste wise. Not so sure about the new packaging though.  

Crawford River Riesling 2010 - Once again confirming why, this is one of my favourite wines in Australia. Textured, dense, aromatic and compelling. Still very young, but the freshness and structure is worth the price of admission alone.

Durche Gevrey Chambertin 06 - A producer who I did not know before this lunch. Very typical Gevrey; firm structure and dark fruits. A lot of charm and drinkability despite it's youthfulness.

Quinta do Noval Tawny NV - One of the Kings of the port producing sphere, this is a great entry point to Tawny and absolutely, in no way related to the typical Australian take on the style. It is dry, savoury and complex with refreshing acidity and fine but firm tannins. It also has the key to great port - it is extremely well balanced.

Toro Albala Pedro Ximenez 82 - Because more is often more at a lunch like this we indulged in a vintage PX from Montilla, not Jerez so it is not Sherry but made almost identically. Dark, silky, rich and with plenty of character and sweetness. One glass is often enough for me. But the aged PX tends to have a density and savoury edge that allows of a second or third glass to be savoured.

Wine Notes

A selection of wines I have tasted in the recent past that I have enjoyed.

DR BURKLIN WOLF TROCKEN PFALZ RIESLING 2009 - The Bűrklin-Wolf estate is based in the Mittelhaardt, the quality core of Germany’s world-renowned Pfalz. Since the 2001 vintage Bűrklin-Wolf have classified their wines according to the vineyard site (similar to Burgundy) rather than sugar weight (as the 1971 German wine laws dictate). They have discovered that today’s top vineyards are exactly the same as those identified in the 1828 Bavarian Land Taxation Laws: A time when these vineyards produced some of the most expensive and highly regarded wines in the world.

This is a great introduction (or a welcome return) to the Pflaz style. Citrus, stone fruits and a mineral undertone. Dry (trocken means dry in this context) and clean with good fleshy fruit and mid-weight body.

DR LOOSEN DR L DRY MOSEL RIESLING 2010 - The King of the Mosel. Owning sizeable amounts of land across the great vineyards and villages of the region, Ernie (not actually a Doctor) and his team craft the best drinking wines out of the whole region, while the top end wines cellar and improve for a long time.

An easy drinking, zesty style of Riesling that offers lovely mineral, citrus and floral notes while having nice weight in the mouth and plenty of clean acid.

MAX FERD RICHTER ESTATE MOSEL RIESLING 2009 - There are many producers who are more recognisable in the Mosel, but Dr Richter at the family Estate consistently makes some of the best and most balanced Rieslings from the region. In great years like 2009 even the entry level wines will benefit from age. The Spatlese level wines are simple amazing too.

Produced entirely from Estate fruit this wine has juicy, ripe fruit and crunchy crisp green apple. The palate is off‐dry, perfectly balanced, fine and mineral.

MARC BREDIF VOUVRAY LOIRE VALLEY 2009 Chenin Blanc may not be the most popular or the most famous wine grape, but the good examples are seriously good! Lovely, fleshy/flowery apples and pears, a nice mineral - flinty streak, lemon zest and a touch of dough. I have always described good Chenin as feeling ‘pillowy’ and I stand by that. Round and fluffy mouth feel but the zesty acid kicks it into shape. Great balance and harmony. Entirely too drinkable, but like all great Chenin it will age surprisingly well (and long). If you are thinking of cellaring, drink from 2019-goodness knows when.

BERNARD DEFAIX LES VAILLON CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2009 - The estate owns 25 ha of vineyards in Chablis of which half are Premier Cru and the largest holder of the famed Cote de Lechet. A natural approach in used in the vineyard and they are getting close to organic certification. The wines are made to be pure, fresh and textural.

Vaillon gernerally makes a more round style of Chablis due to the higher content of clay in the soil. This wine shows crisp apples, and some pepper and leesy/dough like notes. The palate has a hint of richness of texture, and some stoney/chalky minerality. Overall it is well balanced and has a classic bone dry finish. Will fill out with more time.

PRAGER HINTER DE BURG WACHAU GRUNER VELTLINER 2009 - Innovative is his approach winemaker Toni Bodenstein has been in control of winemaking since the early nineties and has positioned the Prager estate as one of the very top echelon. The estates vineyards cover 13ha; 65% planted to Riesling, 25% Gruner Veltliner. A strong use of stainless steel retains freshness in the wines without sacrificing the lovely Gruner texture that everyone loves.

Like drinking some divine tea. This wine has apple blossom, lemons, white flowers, peaches, white pepper and some savoury leesy notes. The palate is lighter than the nose would suggest and drier. But has great fruit richness and amazing length. So much complexity packed into one bottle. Very enjoyable.

Wine Notes

A selection of wines I have tasted in the recent past that I have enjoyed.

JL WOLF JESUITENGARTEN GRAND CRU RIESLING 2009 - Ernst Loosen, owner of the world-class Dr Loosen estate on the Mosel, also has the reigns of this estate in the village of Wachenheim in the Pfalz region. Ernst aims to preserve the traditional character of the region, but with a new level of concentration and opulence. Typically, wines from the Pfalz are weightier and drier, than Mosel wines, and have a style that’s rounder and more earthy. The wines are clean and focused with good body, full fruit flavours and a strong backbone.

This top-class vineyard produces highly refined Rieslings that have a delicate complexity and extraordinary finesse. The well-drained, weathered sandstone soil yields wines of amazing purity and grace. Drink now or leave until 2014-2024 and possibly longer.

GEORG BREUER SAUVAGE RIESLING 2009 - The Breuer Estate was a major force in the re-emergence of Rheingau as a pre-eminent wine region. And were very active in promoting the Charta wines, as well as being major players in the “Erstes Gewachs” vineyard classification movement. Breuer is especially successful with their dry Rieslings, which are clean, firmly structured and finely balanced.
Sauvage is a regional blend designed to reflect the house style of Breuer and reflect the vintage. In great years (like 2009) this wine is outstanding value. Drink now or from 2014.
 
DR BURKLIN WOLF WACHENHEIMER RIESLING 2009 - The Bűrklin-Wolf estate is based in the Mittelhaardt, the quality core of Germany’s world-renowned Pfalz. Since the 2001 vintage Bűrklin-Wolf have classified their wines according to the vineyard site (similar to Burgundy) rather than sugar weight (as the 1971 German wine laws dictate). They have discovered that today’s top vineyards are exactly the same as those identified in the 1828 Bavarian Land Taxation Laws: A time when these vineyards produced some of the most expensive and highly regarded wines in the world.

A village blend rather than from a single site means this wine benefits from receiving de-classified fruit from several of Burklin-Wolf’s most prestigious sites. This is a classic Pfalz Riesling with depth of flavor, aromatic spice and a soft, voluptuous dry finish. Drink now or leave until 2014 and beyond.

           

HUDELOT-NOËLLAT BOURGOGNE ROUGE 2009 - With a 10ha cache of superb vineyards brought together by the marriage of Alain Hudelot to Odile Noëllat from Vosne Romanée in 1960, Hudelot-Noëllat is a consistent first-rate red Burgundy producer. Their philosophy is simple, maintaining high average vine age, organic viticultural practices, ploughed vineyards and low yields.
Alain Meadows of Burghound included this wine in his top value in the vintage and suggested it is drinking well from now.

HUDELOT-NOËLLAT VOSNE-ROMANÉE SUCHOTS 1ER CRU 2009 - Wedged in between Clos St Denis and Romanee St Vivant on the Routes des Grand Cru, but only ranked Premier Cru because the middle of the vineyard gently dips down lower than the other Grand Crus. In the hands of good producers this vineyard excels and is often quite a bargain. Drink from 2016.

TOLLOT-BEAUT CLOS DU ROI BEAUNE 1ER CRU 2009 - Everything about this fine Domaine is attractive - even the elaborately decorated concrete cuves. The Tollot's and the Beaut's have remained together for many generations and therefore have maintained excellent and valuable vineyard holdings. The younger generation - cousins Nathalie, Jean-Paul and Olivier direct the Domaine. They have made substantial changes in the past few years and quality has risen at this progressive and fine Domaine. Always a consistent source of delightful and serious Burgundy that represents very good value coupled with wonderfully stylish presentation.

On the Savigny side of Beaune, this wine offers a more elegant and stylish version of Beaune. Drinking well from 2014 and beyond.

LANGOA-BARTON ST-JULIEN 3RD GROWTH 2008 - Located in the centre of the appellation along the banks of the Gironde river, Langoa-Barton has roughly 37 acres (15 ha) under vine. The plantings are: 70% Cab Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cab Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Typical of the area, the soil composition of the vineyard is composed of a gravel topsoil over a clay sub-stratum. Château Langoa-Barton shares its cellar with its sibling Château Léoville-Barton, and though the red wines share similar upbringing in the cellar, Langoa-Barton generally ends up as the lighter style of the two. About 7,000 cases of Château Langoa-Barton are produced in an average vintage.

Decanter rate this wine four stars and say “Deep purple-red, deep, slightly smoky, slighty briary black fruits nose, both freshness and depth on the palate, elegant concentration of fruit, tannins that will blend in to show an expressive, classy wine. Drink 2015-25”

DURFORT-VIVENS MARGAUX 2ND GROWTH 2008 - The Durfort-Vivens vineyards comprise 32 hectares on the typical gravelly soils of Margaux. Cab Sauvignon dominates, accounting for 70% of the vineyard. The remainder is 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

The 2008 is typically Margaux with a lovely perfumed nose, a lean and structured palate and a core of acid. Will build with time in the bottle. Drink now or leave until 2015.

D’ISSAN MARGAUX 3RD GROWTH 2008 - 53 hectares of vines planted on an estate which covers 120 hectares, most of which is pasture. The main vineyard which gives rise to the grand vin lies adjacent to the château, has a typically gravelly terroir and is planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

The wine is dark, silky and generous, nice density and balance. It definitely needs a bit of time in bottle. Drink from 2017.

Burgundy On Boxing Day 2011

So the chosen wine for Xmas just gone was the much viewed through the glass of my wine fridge and now finally cracked:

Robert Chevillon Nuits-St-Georges Les St Georges 1er Cru 2004

A momentus occasion like this requires time lapse.

2004 was greatly criticised and overlooked by a lot of people. I had the priviledge of drinking quite a few of them when they were released and I found very few failures (albeit I only tried good producers). So I have quite a soft spot for the vintage.

Chevillon is one of the top handful of Nuits producers with plots in most of the great vineyards of the appellation. I've always enjoyed the Chevillon wines I've tasted.

This bottle itself offered a lot of savoury/earthy/undergrowth/truffle characters with hints of ironstone, and spice on opening. With further time in the glass some lovely red cherry and rose petal notes developed, but the best part was the incredible mouthfeel; velvety with a lush and silky finish. There were the very fine but persistent Nuits tannins, but the silk just swallowed them up. I feel that the bottle may have been slightly oxidised but it was still a great experience and certainly if there is another bottle on offer I will jump at tasting it.

Overall it was a great experience. Until it ran out...



It's important to not waste a drop.

Wines of Xmas Past

So I want to hear about what you do for Xmas drinking.
I for one am big on sharing wine with the people I am with. But also pitching the wine to the people I am with. My lovely mother-in-law likes wine but generally hates anything I bring that is too structured or 'serious'. So on the big day it is a range of interesting wines that are approachable for those who don't take it as seriously as I do.
However, the next day is all about me. It is an annual tradition that came about because boxing day I was usually on my own watching the cricket. It is 'Burgundy on Boxing Day' and it is the best way to spend boxing day in my humble opinion.
For reasons unknown to me I had kept everyone one of those bottles until recently (pictured below).

A bottle of Burgundy (my choosing) to the first person to name all the wines in the line up!

What I want to know, is what you do with your Xmas drinking? Do you go all out or do you not really care? I want to hear it all.