Austrian Dinner and Masterclass 26th March 2013

I will cheerfully admit I am a huge fan of Austrian wines. When a winemaking teacher tipped me off to the existence of Gruner Veltliner it opened up a whole world of textural, aromatic white wines that are almost more fun to smell than to drink (almost but not quite!). After years of enjoying Austria's Riesling and Gruner the importer decided to challenge us with reds. Yep, reds from Austria. Made from native grapes that suit the climate. And they are very darn good too. I even heard a whisper of some Austrian sparkling eventually coming into the country at some stage too.

So when the importer asked if I would like to showcase some of the Austrian wines I was dead keen.

Austria can be just as confusing as Germany when it comes to decoding what the labels mean. At least they almost always list the variety used on the label. From experience the best thing you can do is get to know the producer and their style after that it is just a matter of working out which is vineyard name, what is marketing speak and what is quality level. The notes from the night can be view here and as always the best way to learn is by doing, so you can purchase the wines here. Feel free to email to chat about an introduction pack for similar.


Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee 735 At the time of the dinner we had no access to Austrian sparkling wine. Champagne would "have to do". I loved the crisp and refreshing nature of the 735. Very zesty, a hint leesy but perfect for a warm night to lead into the aromatics. Jacquesson make some great Champagne that have flavour and interest as a drink but often get forgotten sadly.

Bracket One. Gruner Veltliner - textural wines with power and complexity. Great transmitter of terroir.
Stift Goettweig Grüner Veltliner Gottweiger Berg DAC 2011 Soft, floral, spice (pepper), musk, savoury and dough. The palate was zesty and clean. This wine shows the mid-weight Gruner style, it was so well balanced I found myself emptying the glass sooner than I meant to.

Prager Grüner Veltliner Hinter Der Burg Federspiel 2011 Using 100% stainless steel the Prager team want the purity of variety and terroir to shine. This was noticeably lighter than the other three in the bracket. I enjoyed the pure, fresh, grapey, floral, Clean and doughy notes. The acid was more noticeable in this wine as were the phenolic structure and there was even a hint of the Gruner bitterness too. This made it a very refreshing drink.

Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd 2011 Riper, peach, melon, zesty fruits, mineral/chalk, hint of funk and grapefruit. Great mouthfeel and balance makes this wine a joy to drink. This wine was a bit of a talking point. A lot of people loved the power in the this wine but a few people found it a bit challanging. It really showed the progression from light through to full Gruner.

Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Loiser Berg 2000 Being able to try an older bottle really puts the wines into context. It is said that old Gruner takes on similar characters to aged White Burgundy. There was plenty of toasty, honey, zesty and tuna characters. The wine still had the purity of floral and grape/grapefruit perfume and the texture was amazing. Just a great example of how well the wines age.

Bracket 2. Riesling - dry wines with drive and purirty.
Domaine Wachau Riesling Terrassen Federspiel 2011 This is "just" the entry level. Wow! Sweet fruits, waxy, grapey, green apple. Very crisp, long and satisfying. The wine was just everything that great Riesling should be. Such an enjoyable drink.

FX Pichler Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd 2011 I must confess a love of Pichler wines. This wine did not disappoint. Pure, spicey, grape and powerful. There was hints of exotic fruits as there was probably a touch of botrytis in here but that only made the wine more complex. Lots of mid palate stuffing in this wine. A hint of saline but just dripping with ripe stone fruits. This is a keeper for sure.

Emmerich Knoll Riesling Vinothekfuellung Smaragd 2011 A mouthful to say and to drink. A blend made for wine bars (Vinothek) in a slightly fuller and more forward style. Lots of spice, red apple and a mixture of overt fruits best summed up as "like a hippy commune". The palate was full and satisfyingly harmonious. Great for drinking now. Will probably improve with time but I'd never find out.

Bründlmayer Riesling Heiligenstein Lyra 2001 A great producer and vineyard from a hotter year and this wine certainly provoked discussion. I loved the silky mouthfeel and fresh toast and cured limes. It was however at the end of its life and definitely needs to be drunk. Some people loved it, some thought it was too old. I think I'd like to restaste to be sure ;)

Bracket 3. Native reds - What are they like? Closest I can come is a divine blend of Nebbiolo, Syrah, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. You just need to try them.
Pittnauer St. Laurent Dorflagen Villages 2011 St Laurent is thought to have descended from Pinot Noir a long time ago. This is an entry point to the variety and was full of smokey, blood oranges, dirt, mineral and meaty. The palate was tart, with red fruits, soft and tasted of the earth. Fine tannins and a hint silky. I think this variety suits the foods we eat in Australia.

Pittnauer St. Laurent Altenberg 2007 The next step up, a single vineyard example. Darker, fuller and with more pronounced mineral and earth. The palate showed lots of cherry cola and had such a great feel and balance. A very impressive wine that would hold its own next to a lot of more famous Old world wines.

Moric Blaufrankisch Burgenland 2011 Blaufrankisch offers a step up in weight and intensity compared to St Laurent. This village level wine was full of sweet fruits, plums, hint of prune and currants. Although very primary there is a lot of depth and glimpses of savoury notes. The palate is full but not heavy and there is a nice perfume that carries through the wine.

Moric Blaufrankisch Neckenmarkter Alte Reben 2007 Single vineyard from high altitudes. This was a serious wine. Rhone like earthy/limestone and dried meats, red and blue fruits and a fair weight on the mouth backed up with great tannins. I'd love to see this wine with more time in the bottle as it was quite compact at the tasting.

Emmerich Knoll Grüner Veltliner Beerenauslese 2007 500ml To finish we had the pleasure of this sweet wine. Luscious, balanced and seamless. There was a plethora of tropical fruits and floral characters. The perfect way to draw a close to a lovely evening that showed off how good Austrian wines are.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Austrian wines or if you are curious to know more please get in touch.

A Love Affair In Aromatics – Riesling.

Riesling is one of the ‘noble’ varieties of grapes used to make wine. I believe it to be the King (or should I say Queen?) of the aromatic whites. It is found in most wine producing countries over the globe, and if made by someone with a passion for the variety, they will usually have success. However, Riesling seems most at home in Germany, Austria and Alsace where its ability to transmit the terroir shines through. The best wines of these regions, indeed the best Rieslings from outside these regions too, seem to develop and display personality and soul.

It appears that Riesling as a variety doesn’t seem to capture the attention of the greater drinking public. It seems the domain of ‘wine people’ (heaven forbid we use the term connoisseur). I feel there is a lot to like about Riesling. And of course I’d say that, I’m a wine person! Even a basic Riesling can be lovely. The perfume, elegance and understated nature of the wine with its lovely structure underneath punctuated by fresh and lively acidity. Add to that the lack of oak to mask these graceful characters and all of this adds up to a clean and fresh drink that enlivens the palate. The very best though can charm, intrigue, beguile. They don’t always jump out of the glass and instantly grab your attention like a Sauvignon Blanc may do. But there are layers and nuances that become apparent the more time you spend studying the wine.

One barrier to people enjoying Riesling is that they can range from bone dry through to lusciously sweet. And generally it is hard to tell from looking at the label what you are going to get. When thinking of Riesling its best to consider it in three broad styles; Dry, ‘Dry’ and Sweet. The Dry Riesling styles are truly dry. As in they have little to no residual sugar left after fermentation, high acid, very crisp and clean. Most Riesling from Australia and especially Clare and Eden Valleys fall into this category. So to do Germany’s ‘Trocken’ Riesling. ‘Dry’ Rieslings tend to have a touch of residual sugar that is used to balance high levels of acidity. They are refreshing, fruity and really lovely drinks that you should not be scared of tasting. Kabinett Rieslings, a lot of Alsace and New Zealand Rieslings tend to fall into this category. In Australia we tend to use the term ‘off-dry’ to describe these wines. Sweet Riesling is sweet, can be late picked, botrytised or even ice wines (left to freeze on the vine in winter). The best are truly complex and almost seem too pretty to drink. Like all great wines, the key to sweet Riesling is the balance. No matter how sweet it should have acidity that balances the sugar to make a clean and refreshing wine.

Riesling is a wine that can be drunk on its own, matched with white meats, pungent cheeses, spicy foods and it has been known to out shine even Pinot Noir when you are faced with a plate of lovely duck. It is a wine that is cheap for the quality you get and it is a must for any serious wine cellar. How can one grape bring so much joy? It just proves that there is a lot to love about Riesling.

Riesling Cheat sheet

Flavours

Tropical fruits, citrus, white flowers, stones, slate, white chocolate, pork fat/sausage meat.
With age it can add toffee/caramel, dry biscuits, kerosene, undergrowth, crème brulee.   

Styles

Dry, off-dry, sweet, occasionally sparkling. Does not like oak.

Regions Germany – Mosel (esp sweeter styles), Rheingau (dry styles), Pfalz

Austria – Wachau, Kremstal
France – Alsace
Australia – Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Frankland River, Henty

Aging

Drinks well on release to 12 months then goes into a dip from 2 years from vintage until about 7 years. In this period all the fruit drops off and the wine looks flat and disappointing. Afterward though the fruit returns as does the bottle aged characters that are so desired in Riesling.  

Ready to try some Riesling? Why not check out some of TWD's current offers:
Alsace Riesling

Old World Riesling

Australian Riesling

Wine of the Week

Wine of the Week

Paradigm Hill Riesling 2011

Paradigm Hill is an impressive vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula. Probably most famous for their Pinot Noir I have always had a soft spot for their Riesling. We visited Paradigm Hill on Sunday when Main Ridge Estates cellar door was closed (so sad). It is a great experience and they have a beautiful 'puppy' (she more the size of a small lion!) Jemima.



Too drinkable. Should be in 1 litre bottles.

The Riesling has nice crunchy, zesty acidity, floral notes and a grapey, melon like edge. Great texture too. Brilliant Spring drinking this year or even better in five Springs from now.

$35ea - cheaper by the dozen. Email orders or questions to philip@thewinedepository.com.au

WINE OF THE WEEK

Kate Hill Riesling 2011

What? White in winter? Yes, and it is fantastic.

For more than ten years Kate has been making wine in some of the world’s prime wine-making regions including South Australia, Tasmania, France, California and Chile in both large companies and small. After all this experience she chose Tasmania to settle down, and it seems to have been a brilliant decision.



Kate Hill Riesling - Can't be many better Ries in Australia.

Made from fruit in the Coal and Derwent Valleys of Tasmania. 2011 was a high acid year. But never fear, this wine (as always) has great balance, there is a lingering floral perfume to balance out the citrusy and minerally notes. It probably will get better with age, but when they taste this good it's hard ...to lay them down.

So beautiful.

A steal at $30ea.

If you are tempted email me philip@thewinedepository.com.au to order.

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.

Awesome Australian Wine

Today is my 30th Birthday. What better way to celebrate then tasting some of my favourite Australian wines?
That's right, on my birthday I was willing to brave inclement weather and bad Melbourne traffic to taste wines - so they would have be special. And I wasn't disappointed.

These wines are for sale and wines I recommend, I have included the price which is correct at the time of publishing. They are subject to change in price and availability.

If you want to order please email me philip@thewinedepository.com.au or call 0418 230482



Lovely, lovely Ngeringa Chardy.

The first table I visited was occupied by my friend Erinn from Ngeringa based in the Adelaide Hills. Erinn and the team make really thoughtful, elegant and expressive wines from their biodynamic vineyards. We tasted through some of his range which included the stunning Ngeringa Chardonnay 2009 ($42ea), a lovely and lean chard with purity, clean stone fruits and a floral lift. The Chard is one of the best wines they make in my opinion. The Viognier 2010 ($48ea) and Viognier dominant blend JE Assemblage White 2010 ($27ea) both had excellent textural qualities with aromatic complexity and great subtlety - quite rare for Australian Viognier.
The reds kicked off with his elegant, savoury and silky Pinot Noir 2009 ($42ea). This is a wine of great perfume and certainly opened up with air. Then we tasted two Syrah - the flagship variety at the winery. JE Syrah 2009 ($27ea) showed delicate aromas of cola, pepper and cardomon with hints of blood orange and plums. The palate was balanced, savoury and with lovely fine drying tannins. The big show Syrah 2008 ($53ea) was showing its typical refined lean, smokey, spicy and savoury nose. The palate was very fine and a hint on the tannic side. The palate was not as impressively balanced and vibrant as previous years; Erinn explained that as it is from a difficult year (extremely hot conditions plagued the country), and picked early to retain the freshness and acidity. They took a lot of care to make it the best possible wine they could and he was proud of the result given how many producers picked later and produced jammy, alcoholic wines.
I tend to agree, with a bit of time in the bottle (or the right food match) and this wine would be stunning.
Still one of my favourite wineries in Australia.



Next stop was the Jamsheed table. Gary Mills has been making some of the best wines in Victoria for a while now, in the April TWD Magazine I featured some of his entry level wines in the drink now list. I would encourage you to taste these wines as they are extremely drinkable and amazingly good value. I also got to try his Gewurztraminer, Riesling (and friends) blend Le Blank Plonk 2010 ($21ea), the Gewurz definitely sticks out on the nose with its lychee and rose water notes. The Riesling adds a citrusy spine and length to the palate. This is refreshing and very drinkable. I also tried some of his Roussanne which I did not catch the vintage or price of but throughly enjoyed for its faint stone fruits and white flower notes and mineral purity and textural bliss.

After that was a chat with James Lance and his wines from Punch in the Yarra. James' offerings were a bit unique and special because they had lost all of their fruit in 2009 due to the fires that came through the vineyards. With the support of vineyards in Victoria and New Zealand there was the birth of the label 'Friends Of Punch'. And there was a lot to like about the wines. Gippsland based Mallani Vineyard Chardonnay 2009 ($36ea) had everything I want in good Chard. Silky, vibrant and elegant. Plenty of stone fruits, floral notes and citrus. Great balance and lots of length of flavour. It was so good for the price. The best of the friends wine (to my palate) was the Quartz Reef Vineyards Pinot Noir 2009 ($65ea). Quartz Reef is a producer in Central Otago (Kristina and I spent some time with Rudi on our trip in 2007 and loved every second). They made some batches with the Punch style in mind and let them pick how they wanted them blended. The wine was then sent to Punch for finishing. The result is a smokey, dense, full, spicy and tasty Pinot. There is lovely structure and good length of flavour. Very drinkable. By contrast there was also the Bannockburn Vineyards Pinot Noir 2009 ($65ea) which was more savoury, herbal, undergrowth like Pinot. It was very tight and tannic at the moment. The final Friends of Punch wine I tasted was the very Rhone like juby, smokey, slightly herbal and fine boned Bannockburn Vineyards Syrah 2009 ($65ea), one for the cellar!
James was also offering advanced tastings of his 2010 wines. Chardonnay, Pinot and Close Planted Pinot all looked amazing. You will hear more about them when they are released. They are knock outs.

I did taste a few other wines before I headed home to celebrate my birthday without having to spit the pretty wines. But I'll save those stories for another day.

Return To The Yarra Valley

Last week a friend from paintball, Rob, decided to take me wine touring as an early birthday present. Well, that's what he claims, but it was school holidays.... Maybe he just wanted to leave the house? Either way, it was good fun.

He chose two wineries, I chose two and away we went.

Redbox - As it turns out they aren't officially open on Wednesdays, but they were quite welcoming and despite the wines being open since the weekend they look remarkably good. I really liked the Riesling and Chardonnay. I have a feeling you may seem them recommended in the near future.

Panton Hill - Rob was really keen to try these guys out. When we went into the tasting room, no one was around. We couldn't find anyone at the winery. We even tried calling the telephone to no response. We have to go back at another time. Maybe try calling in advance.

Tarrawarra - I've been to Tarrawarra a few times in the past and it seems to get better each time. We were shown wines by Richard, who was great. He opened a few extra goodies because we showed some interest and ultimately there were some absolute winners there. The Pinots and Chards have always impressed (the Estate Pinot is a stunner). But the single vineyard Merlot and single vineyard Shiraz are sensational; hence their inclusion in the Cellar Dozen and Special Bottle Club lists respectively if you wanted to try them for yourself.

Dominique Portet - An old favourite of mine. Making possibly the best Rose in Australia and some really excellent Sauvignon Blanc. The Estate SB was so impressive it has also made it for sale into the Cellar Dozen this month. I have never tried an Australian SB so concentrated and full of loveliness (although Sorrenberg SSB has come mighty close as do some Leeuwin Art Series SB). We got to taste a cellar release of the 2005 Yarra Shiraz - direct from the cellar that morning in fact;  it was so lovely and savoury, but still had plenty of youthful exuberance. I thought it was a pleasant way to finish the tasting, until the Vendanges Tardives Sauvignon Blanc was brought out; this is what sweet wine is all about. Delicious and compelling drinking. Thankfully Rob was driver for the day.

A great day in all and I tried some wines that left me seriously impressed.

Dinner At Matteo's 02/04/12

A memorable night for two reasons - some truly amazing wines, and the fact that two people pulled out last minute so there was a lot more wine than we needed. The plus side was there was no real disappointments, the downside was it was hard to decide what not to drink.

We started of course with Champagne and then did a horizontal of German Rieslings from 2007, five Hermitage, an option wine and Port.

Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve NV BCS is always a lovely drink, zesty, mid-weight and with a spicy oystershell note. Clean enough to make you down the first glass before you know what has happened.

Three excellent Riesling producers

Donnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken Nahe 2007 White peach, floral, candied lime, chalky, dense nose and very tropical. The palate is silky, showing mango flesh, tropical fruits, spice and quite zingy acid. Long finishing and unbelieveably enjoyable.

Dr Burklin Wolf Wachenheimer Altenberg Riesling Trocken Pfalz 2007 I would venture that the cork or storage had let this wine down just a little. It was dirty, kerosene, spice and a sulphur like note. It was developed beyond the other two whites.
The palate was full and powerful, chalky and quite balanced but a hint simple. I've had quite a few of these producers wines and this is not the norm. Shame.

Joh Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese Mosel 2007 Obviously a different beast because it is quite sweet compared to the two dry wines. It definitely showed too. Floral, vibrant, peaches, grapes and pepper. The vibrancy follows through into the mouth along with the floral notes, citrus and flint. The mouthfeel is lush and silky, it is incredibly long lasting and really well balanced - it does not finish sweet.
This is just a baby and certainly showed the most potential to improve.

These were the Fantastic five Hermitage. (Please excuse the dodgy stitch).

Guigal Hermitage 1999 Guigal always offer good drinking and this wine really set the tone for the bracket. Smoke, iodine, limestone, green olives, toast, spice, pepper, meaty, oak.
Sweet red fruits reminiscent of wine gums, olives, liquorice, spices, hint burnt, hint toffee, very long, vibrant, generous.

Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage 1999 Darker and more backwards than Guigal, brooding, oxidised dark berries, pepper, hint of brett? and herbal notes.
The palate was floral, blue and black fruited, silky and lush, tangy acid, meaty, chocolate with nice fine elegant tannins, just a hint of portiness. Very, very long.

Delas Feres Hermitage 1997 Grassy almost gruyere like, herbal, red fruits, floral, almost Burgundian and a hint meaty.
Palate is dry, astringent with a floral and tropical fruit sort of finish. Savoury minerals, smoke, spice, tea leaf, mouth filling and great length.

Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage 1997 Again, this wine was oxidised or poorly stored. It showed coffee, choco and a strong sherry/port/madeira character. It showed impeccable pedigree though.
Gritty tannins, dry and bitter and a hint rubbery. There was some silk to balance it out and porty and clove notes. I'm positive there are better bottles out there and I suspect they will be brilliant.

JL Chave Hermitage 1997 Smoke, spice, dense, raw oak - sappy, stoney, soot, iodine, brown spice, liquorice. The nose on this wine was amazing. It was a clear step up in quality (which is saying something!).
The palate was savoury, silky, elegant, fresh, fine characters of smoke, chocolate, oak, dry spice, dry earth, tea and a hint tropical/pineapple.
This wine was really, really good.

Given to us blind, it is one of the few mystery wines I've picked 100% correctly - it is harder than it sounds.

Option Wine
Chapoutier Cote Rotie 1997 The worst question in wine options? Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Rhone. You think they would be so easy. But with age, there is a lot of crossover between characters. Thankfully this wine smelt similar enough for me to place it in the Rhone but the tannins were sufficiently different for me to put it out of Hermitage. Stunning wine.
Smokey, sausages, gruyere, red fruis, tea leaf.
Full palate with a spine of tannins, chocolate, smokey and meaty, peaty with a hint of cheese. Quite savoury.

Some of the best VPs I've had were Single Quinta rather than the 'big show'.

Cockburns Quinta Dos Canais Vintage Port 2008 Young port is always a mouthful and can be hard to see the quality. The wine was dense, elegant and balanced with a hint of orange rind and a strong impression that it wants to be left alone for another 10-15 years.

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.

Riesling To The Occasion

Imagine coming back from holiday and a supplier asking if you'd like to attend a large Riesling tasting featuring some of the best German producers (with a few ring ins). Well that is what happened, and of course I said "Oh God yes!". It is after all the best way to ease back into the working cycle (don't believe me? Try it for yourself).

This is what the grape in question may look like.

In my mind Riesling is the ultimate terroirist - it transmits the flavours of the soil it is grown so faithfully. Couple this with the fact that Riesling tends to reject outright any wine maker influences that could cover these natural characters (think new oak or malo) and you've got the a pretty unstoppable force.

Might I also add to this that Riesling is delicious!

So many highlights... So much lovely Riesling.

JL Wolf -Dr Loosen's sister estate in Pfalz. Brilliant wines. Wachenheimer Riesling 2009 was so amazing. Pure, clean, mineral, great perfume and great balance. Just so drinkable, but the balance points to a long and healthy life ahead of it.

Donnhoff Nahe based, they make trocken (dry) styles and also QMP wines (ask what this is). Their mango and tropical, off dry, fleshy and intense Norheimer Kirschheck Spaltese 07 was excellent and certainly lingered in my mouth after I had spat. Equally good was their dry Niederhauser Hermannshole Grosse Gewaches 08, spices and herbal, tight young, citric and texturally appealling.

Heymann-Lowenstein Making dry wines from the Northern part of the Mosel known as the Terrassenmosel (not surpringly the vineyards are terraced in this area). These guys make some truly amazing Riesling!. The entry level Schieferterrassen had it all. Very expressive wet stones (in a good way), pepper & spices, stonefruits. It is long, dry, intense, silky and just a hint of bitterness.  The Von Blauem Schiefer was the next step up in intensity and presence. The Rottgen was dense, grapey and appley, floral. The perfume dances over your palate. Superb wine! Their Kirchberg was similar to the Rottgen but had more of everything and great length. The best was last for sure. Uhlen Rothlay showed floral, apples, grapes, spice. So young and pure. It's youthful simplicity coupled with an amazing mouthfeel made this wine a pleasure to taste.

This is what they mean by Terrassenmosel.

A. Christmann Another of the Pfalz brigade (it is a really great and underappreciated region!). The whole line up of trocken wines were perfumed, and full of finesse and class. The Grosse Gewaches in particular are worth mentioning. However we were treated to a very small (but still, extremely generous) taste of his Idig #1 Eiswein. A wine made from grapes left to freeze on the vine. Sauternes like concentration and intensity. Really complex, really satiny mouthfeel. A little taste is often enough because the flavours lingers for so long. Beautiful!

Wittman calls Rheinhessen home. their wines are pure and direct. Some good perfume lift with some more 'funky' sort of notes too. They had an interesting Silvaner on tasting too. Nice to try some of these quirky varieties.

Brundlmayer So these guys are Austrian, not German. But the wines are really, really good. A couple of pretty Gruner Veltliners (Yum!) and some mineral laden, clean and fruitful Rieslings.

Georg Breuer Those who are paying attention may remember we've sold some of these wines before. I do love the wines from Breuer. This time there was only the Berg Roseneck to taste, but it showed all the hallmark pretty florals and fruits with the underlying structure and power.

Berg Roseneck in all its glory

Ring ins

Huber Germans making Pinot Noir? And Pinot Blanc? Yep, that is what we have here. They were brilliant too. The Noir was like a light and minerally Mercurey and the Blanc was spicy, white fruited and citric with and oaky/creamy finish.

Pittnauer Austrian Reds Zweigelt and St Laurent. Hard to compare to other varieties. They are both dense, savoury, meaty with a savoury undergrowth character. The St Laurent is more silky and dense. The Zwiegelt leaner and more savoury.

Sadly I did not get to taste everything, but I was easing myself back in after all...

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.

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.

Matteo's Dinner 05/12/11

One of my most favourite traditions (second only to Burgundy on Boxing Day) is Patrick's Monday dinners held on second month at Matteo's in Brunswick.

This month we looked at four German Rieslings from the excellent vintage of 2007 and three Bordeaux from the much overlooked 2001. Plus the usual Champagne on arrival and mystery wine to finish.

My highlights were the Von Buhl & Kunster Rieslings and the Ferriere. Of course it is quite hard. At these dinners the quality of wine we drink means some great wines are overlooked.

*A NOTE OF WINE NAMES*
So when you get to the German wine names don't freak out. All those words mean something (mainly where they are from and the quality/ripeness level) and sort of mean nothing. German wines with short names are generally not as interesting! Email me if you want an explaination
On Arrival
The Champage was De Sousa Grand Cru NV Blanc de Blancs - No great thing. Have made better wines at cheaper prices.  But the Champagne always suffers once the food and the main show arrives.

Entrees
Muller Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Spatlese Trocken 07 - Dirty, dough, zest, mineral, peach, hint of lime. Balanced and clean, long. Lovely wine, but the most simple of the three sound wines. Will definitely improve with time though.
Von Buhl Jesuitengarten Forst Trocken Grosses Gewachs 07 - Lime, floral fresh, dough, hint of soda water, slate/stone. Great harmony, length, delicate, perfumed, dense back palate, v. long. V. impressive. Unfortunately v hard to get hold of any.
Franz Kunstler Holle Grosses Gewachs 07 - Kerosene, dirt, floral notes and minerals. The palate was spicy, long and mineral. Very clean, and a bit chalky. Great wine, all compact and ready to spring into action in 15 or more years.
Von Buhl Paradiesgarten Deidesheim Trocken Grosses Gewachs 07 - Corked. Curse those vile pieces of bark.

Mains
Figeac St Emilion 1er Grand Cru 01 - Hint alcoholic, cherry choco, cheesy, caramel/oaky, dry spice. Quite silky, bitter choco, dark spice, rich mouthfeel, dry tannins. Good wine, a good olde worlde take on a new world style.
Pontet Canet Pauillac 5th Growth 01 -  I think this was slightly oxidised. But still quite drinkable. Dark fruits, hint backwards (oxy), herbal, plums, meaty, hung meats, floral notes, smoke. Pepper and dry - clay like notes.
Montrose St Estephe 2nd Growth 01 - Classy, violets, sweet red & black fruits, currants, spiced ham. Rich in the mouth with lovely silk, a floral lift. Was long and clean. Impressive.
Mystery Wine
Ferriere Margaux 3rd Growth 98 En Magnum - Beautifully perfumed and floral. V pure, hint varnish, dried meats, brown earth, pepper and oak. Very silky with fine dry tannins. The wine did fade a bit, but the initial taste was brilliant. Comfirms that magnums are the perfect storage vessel.

No port to finish. Disappointing, but given I had a cold and could barely hear, probably the wiser option.