It’s not every day one sits down to a glass of Chambourcin. I gather this is one of Australia’s better known examples, though (everything’s relative).
Cassegrain Chambourcin 2005
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Monthly Archives: January 2008
Offcuts
Cameron Hughes Lot 51 [Malbec from Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, 2004]: The only way to describe this wine was something like “all treble.” Fairly lovely, higher altitude fruit without much in the lower octaves. Good value, but nothing mind-blowingly good.Cameron Hughes Lot 25 [sparkling wine from Carneros, presumably 1999] Hate to say it, but a poor example of California sparkling wine. The fruit was too heavy, too rich, too ripe; the bead was anemic and it all felt like an overwrought California chardonnay that had been forced through a soda fountain. On the other hand, it didn’t smell too bad… but seriously: if you’re gonna buy California sparkling wine, there are better options. Beautiful bottle, however.St. Benno sparkling scheurebe [around $22] – Found this in a department store in Berlin. I thought it was intriguing with notes of lemon and pepper, but my partner felt it smelled and tasted like rotting celery or a dirty greengrocer’s. Definitely an acquired taste.Rotkäppchen sparkling pinot blanc (Weißburgunder) [around $27] – Rottkäppchen was the premier producer of sparkling wine in the GDR, and they’re one of the very few businesses to have prospered after German reunification (I think, but I’m not sure, that they now sell more sparkling wine than anyone else in Germany). This is their high end product – méthode traditionelle wine from Saxon grapes, no corners cut. It displayed definite varietal characteristics, but not much else: of course, proper stemware would have helped (I was using hotel room water glasses, what can I say?). Of course, for the money, there are probably better options available, but I was feeling adventurous.Franz Keller [?] Baßgeige Spätburgunder [pinot noir] – You want proof that climate change is a bad thing? Well, here you go. From Baden – ordinarily home to reasonably good Riesling – comes a German pinot noir that has all of the jammy, overripe lameness of too-warm California pinot noir. Very disappointing, especially compared with a pinot noir-gamay noir wine from the Valais that was drunk on the same evening.
Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
My partner saw me dragging this bottle into the kitchen and said “whoa, what is that, forty bucks?” I don’t know how much it cost – I’ll have to look at that up at the end of the review – but yes, the bottle does look fairly impressive in a conservative Napa Cab kind of way, right down to its twenty-fifth anniversary capsule.In the glass, my first thought was nah, maybe thirty bucks? It smells like good, clean, lovely Napa cabernet. More specifically, it smells heavy, dense, mostly fruity, with a fair bit of French oak coming through as well. The color is, however, not as dense as I’ve come to expect, which bodes well. On the palate, it’s brighter than I would have expected, with good supporting acidity and a lovely, fresh taste of ripe fruit (not overripe!), cassis, blackcurrant, and butterscotch, with minimal tannins on the finish… no, wait, there they are; they just take a minute or so to assert themselves. It’s all very California by way of Bordeaux and frankly pretty damned good.Silverado Vineyards
Price: US $35
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: January 2008
McWilliam's Barwang Chardonnay 2005
McWilliam’s seems to have taken a stealthy approach to marketing of late, as some of their brands have decidedly slipped off my radar, Barwang included. I remember having some lovely reds in the late 90s from this Hilltops winery, and the prices were always excellent for the quality. But not so much visibility of late. So, in an effort to remain “with it,” I thought I’d give this Chardonnay a go tonight.
The nose is pretty forward, and shows as much nutty oak character as it does fruit. The fruit is riper, perhaps in the yellow peach part of the spectrum but with some citrus-like notes too. The entry shows quite intense acidity that tingles the tongue from the tip round to the edges. The ripe fruit flavour profile seems perhaps slightly at odds with the prominent acidity of the wine, but perhaps this is preferable to a flabby, fat wine. This is anything but flabby. Despite the acidity, it’s not a hugely focused wine, the middle palate spreading fruit flavour generously and somewhat formlessly on the tongue. In style, I guess you would describe this wine as acid-driven but relatively worked in flavour profile, with some malo notes coming through alongside the ripe fruit. The McWilliam’s website indicates weekly battonage, but this isn’t an especially creamy wine. The after palate tapers slowly, allowing flavour to linger a little as the reasonably lengthy finish takes over.
Tyrrell's Lost Block Semillon 2007
I’m a big fan of the Tyrrell’s Semillon portfolio, and enjoy the Stevens, Vat 18 and Vat 1 examples with satisfying regularity. I’ve also enjoyed the Lost Block Semillon in the past, not least for its more affordable price. Picked up a bottle of the 2007 at the local bottlo and cracked it tonight to have with dinner.
A confident nose of powdery citrus, flinty minerals and some underlying sulfur. It’s a bit one-dimensional but it’s also attractively firm and characterful. The entry is lively thanks to some good quality acidity that drives flavour right on to the middle palate. Medium bodied, this wine shows more lively citrus and floral notes on the palate. The acidity is worth pondering for a moment, as to my taste it is cleverly balanced to create an immediately drinkable wine. There’s none of the austerity here that one might encounter in a young “cellaring style” of Semillon. No, this wine is all about enjoyment right now, and the acidity is soft enough to play along. The wine slips along to a slightly hollow after palate, then to a finish that lingers delicately, with some slight sweetness showing.
Clever winemaking here. It’s a wine that knows what it’s for — consumption in its youth, with food, well chilled. Great summer quaffing wine.
Price: $A14
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: January 2008
Pierre Brévin Pouilly-Fumé Le Marquisay 2005
Even though I didn’t drink much of it while in New Zealand recently, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, specifically that from the Marlborough, is surely prominent in the consciousness of wine drinkers in this country. As singular as it is, there are other equally interesting expressions of this variety, one of which is, of course, Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley. Here’s a reasonably priced example from the notable 2005 vintage.
Synthetic cork provides an inauspicious start to the overall experience of this wine. At least there’s no chance of TCA. A green-gold colour, light, clear. The nose is moderately intense, showing rich tropical fruits and a hint of honey. There’s a soft delicacy to this wine’s aromas, despite its rich flavour profile, that I find attractive. No great complexity to speak of. The entry is firm with acid, though not unbalanced or harsh. In fact, the acidity of this wine is worth noting, as it’s steely and linear, yet subtle too, never creating more than a lively structure to carry fruit flavour. The middle palate is rounded and generous, with more tropical fruit, citrus and honeyed edges, a hint of fresh herbs, perhaps a bit of smoke. Again, no overwhelming complexity, but it’s tasty for sure. The after palate drops off pretty quickly, and the wine’s finish is more of an echo rather than a continuation of substantial flavour.
In pure QPR terms, this wine is probably slightly overpriced compared to Australasian examples, but the fact remains that our local styles are quite different in character. So, given we’re not talking huge bucks here, I’d suggest this wine as a good option if you’re after a generous, refreshing white wine and want something less aggressive than Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Serve well chilled. We had this wine with old fashioned Pommy fish cakes and it was extremely food friendly. I reckon it would also be killer with a fish pie.
Pierre Brévin
Price: $A20
Closure: Synthetic cork
Date tasted: January 2008
T'Gallant Juliet Pinot Noir 2006
Last night the Pinot Grigio, tonight the Pinot Noir. I was surprised by the drinkability, if not sophistication, of the Grigio, so was interested to see what the Noir is made of. As with the companion wine, this one is priced keenly at $A14.
Pretty, relatively dense ruby red, good clarity. Upon opening, the wine’s nose was almost entirely mute. Some time in glass has helped it to express itself a little, but it’s not exactly screaming out of the glass, even now. The aromas are of sweet Pinot fruit and a little spice, thankfully not confected but also quite simple. The palate is a lot more expressive than the nose. Entry is quite immediate and leads to a middle palate of light to medium weight, showing varietal fruit and some more spice. The fruit itself, though identifiably Pinot Noir in character, has an unattractively
T'Gallant Juliet Pinot Grigio 2007
Cheap Pinot Grigio — surely I’m tempting fate. Nevertheless, this wine is in a super pretty bottle with a label that exists without paper. How could I say no? I’ve not tried either wine from T’Gallant’s budget “Juliet” range, and it’s always nice to see well priced wine from the Mornington Peninsula, so let’s see how we go with this one.
A generous, clean aroma of non-specific fruit that hovers around pear and apple but, dare I say it, is mostly “grapey” in character. Hence, it has the (considerable) appeal of fresh juice rather than anything more challengingly vinous. Quite simple, though. The entry is easygoing and widens to a light/medium bodied palate that shows mostly more of the grapey fruit character seen on the nose. In terms of structure, the wine is quite light on acid, such that mouthfeel is fresh but lacking a little in “zing,” especially as the wine warms. Phenolics are a little more present as the wine progresses towards the after palate, but again these are subtle and contribute a slight savoury note (herbal, perhaps) and some roughening of mouthfeel. Quite a satisfying finish, with phenolics carrying some sweet fruit flavour through with good length.
A well judged wine that is terribly easy to drink. It’s almost entirely lacking in sophistication, but for its intended purpose, who cares? Serve well chilled with food.
Price: $A14
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: January 2008
Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
According to Trinity Hill, this wine is made only in vintages of a certain quality, the previous release being a 1998 wine. This 2002 is the current release and was purchased at cellar door a few weeks ago.
Characteristic dustiness is most noticeable on the nose, along with equally typical cassis fruit aromas and some supporting cedar oak. Some age is evident, not through any prominence of tertiary aromas but from good integration of flavour components, each seeming to melt into the other in a relaxed fashion. Good balance. Entry is smooth and fairly immediate, with fruit flavour registering quite quickly on the palate. The middle palate shows the same dustiness as the nose, but which here comes across as an attractive gravel note. Slightly simple red and black berry fruits sit underneath and are propped up by more savoury oak. As with the nose, flavours are well integrated. Weight is medium bodied at most, and the wine gives an overall impression of elegance rather than power. Fruit flavour continues linearly through the after palate, rising attractively towards a finish of fine, chalky tannins. Satisfying length.
I wondered at some points whether it lacks a little in intensity on the palate, but perhaps it’s a stylistic thing rather than an absence of flavour. I suspect a lot of people will enjoy this interpretation of Cabernet, which is stylish without being a showpony of a wine. It could certainly sit longer in bottle if you were so inclined, though it’s drinking well now. We had this wine with Wagyu rump and it matched the beef really well, all flavours intermingling deliciously.
Trinity HillPrice: $NZ29Closure: CorkDate tasted: January 2008
Unison Vineyard Unison 2006
This wine is Unison Vineyard’s signature wine, along with the “reserve” level Unison Selection. It’s a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Estate grapes. The proportions of the blend are not specified, and deliberately so. When I queried Unison about this, I was told it views the Unison wine as a style whose blend may vary from year to year, so the exact percentage of each variety is really beside the point. It’s nice to encounter a producer with such a clear, confident vision.
Red-purple colour, not massively dense, pretty. The nose immediately presents bright, sweet red fruits within a billowy arena of pepper and dried flowers. It’s striking and bold, full of character, if a little simple and gangly. There’s good intensity on the nose and it showed consistency through the evening, with perhaps each element calming a little with time in glass. The entry and middle palate are equally forward, showing great line from nose to palate. The same flavour profile of