From memory, a deeper aroma profile than its predecessor, and slightly
Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Ostréa 2006
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Tag Archives: 2006
Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Noirots 2006
Immediately, powerfully fragrant and spicy. There’s so much going on in the upper registers it takes a while for a thread of rich, red berry fruit to begin asserting itself. I’d say there’s a reasonable amount of oak here, very much of the savoury, spicy variety. This isn’t a wine that sneaks up. Rather, it is a bold challenge, throwing complexity and savouriness in your face by way of a rather frenetic aroma profile. Yet it remains nimble.
I was almost reluctant to taste this wine, as I wasn’t sure how its relative cacophany of aromas might translate to the palate. Certainly, oak-driven spice continues as a key thread in the mouth. There’s so much more here, though. The attack is alive with fine, firm acidity that seems to jolt the tongue, only to be replaced in an instant by a more plush, fruit-driven impression. Indeed, detailed red fruit flavours begin to the caress the mouth most seductively, taking in the oak’s savouriness plus a general sense of detail and creating, from it all, a lushly feminine coherence. Fragrant vanilla overlays an after palate of clean red fruit and brambles, possibly some tobacco leaf, and ultra fine tannins that dry the edges of the tongue. Quite a long finish that suggests cherry liqueur in its concentration and smoothness.
This is quite a wine. Complex, shapely, fragrant. I can’t decide if the oak is too prominent; I do know that its character complements the fruit exceptionally well, even if balance is arguably compromised. It is drinking very well now.
Update: drinking well on evening two, oak stepping back into the overall shape of the wine. One criticism I might make is that the whole remains hazy and never quite resolves to the level of clarity I would ultimately like. Still, a delicious wine.
Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut
Price: $A69
Closure: Cork
Christophe Vaudoisey Bourgogne Rouge 2006
Vintage variation’s a bugger if what you want is a reliable quaff, but picking apart this variation can be highly educational if you’re an obsessive wine geek. A magnum of Bin 65 for those who guess into which camp I fall.
Case in point: this wine versus its 2005 sibling. Admittedly, these are Borgogne-level wines where vintage variation may not be instructive in terms of individual sites but, nonetheless, between these wines there are points of similarity and difference that make both worth tasting.
Domaine Jean Tardy & Fils Fixin La Place 2006
A village wine from the northerly Fixin appellation of Burgundy. Fixin reds are usually described as sauvage, feral, rustic, and so on, but the producer here is based in Vosne-Romaneé, an appellation typically known for its silky, sophisticated style. I’m curious to observe what this combination means in the bottle.
Domaine Bart Bourgogne Rouge 2006
Questions of
O'Leary Walker Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
In a nice nod to sub-regionality, the back label identifies this wine’s fruit as having been sourced from Armagh and Polish Hill River. Work was a slog today, so much so that I just had to swing by the local Dan’s Choice and pick up a bottle of something I haven’t tried before. Usually, my wine purchases are a lot more deliberate. The obsessive side of my personality, if I can be so euphemistic as to call my defining characteristic a “side,” usually demands my choice of beverage be the result of some consideration. But I just grabbed this at the shop without much thought. And here we are.
I guess I should rely on chance more often. This is a really honest wine, well-made and flavoursome. Swirly, rather high toned aromas of spice and mint encircle dust and moderately well-defined Cabernet fruit. We’re a long way from Coonawarra or Bordeaux with this wine, but that’s alright because it’s a comfortable, even slightly plush place. The aroma profile seems warmer, somehow, cuddlier than more restrained Cabernet styles, even as it challenges with a bit of savoury tar, cooked meat and slightly sharp oak.
MadFish Premium Red 2006
Tasting obscure, limited run, single vineyard wines from boutique producers is just so… obvious. Let’s face it, for those on a limited budget, much of our satisfaction must derive from more accessible wines. Quite apart from affordability, I have to admit I’m more than a little fascinated by the challenge that surely faces producers of cheap, larger volume labels. In this space, MadFish has developed an admirably positive name for itself. What, then, to make of this current release Premium Red?
Not as much as I would have liked, I’m afraid. A full nose of dusty Cabernet fruit mixed with softer, round berries. Quite fragrant, part of its personality is a good dose of green leaf, verging on astringent twig. I’m not bothered by some green notes in Cabernet, but this one verges on excessive, at least for my taste. Still, good volume. The palate confirms a borderline unripe flavour profile, although there’s also a decent amount of sweet dark berry fruit alongside. It’s actually a very well-formed wine, structurally, with a nice swell to the middle palate and a gently tapered after palate and finish. Waves of sweet fruit push through entry and mid-palate in particular. But astringent, marginal tannins intrude towards the end and roughen up what is, otherwise, a good BBQ red.
MadFish Wines
Price: $20
Closure: Stelvin
Thomas Braemore Semillon 2006
There is a group of small, energetic producers in the Hunter Valley exploring classic regional styles with considerable success. Thomas Wines presents a portfolio of single vineyard wines that aim to showcase the individuality of each site. I see from its website that it was established in 1997, so well over ten years ago at this stage. The last few vintages have generated quite a bit of excitement, though, especially the KISS Shiraz and this Semillon label.
Some toast quickly blows off to reveal a still-youthful aroma profile. Tangy citrus juice collides with higher toned, powdery florals. There’s perhaps a bit of rubber too, but it’s not especially intrusive and, for me, adds an interesting funky undertone to the aroma. Very nice to smell.
The palate is structured like a polished jewel, with consistent, linear acidity from tip to toe. Like a wedge, it starts from nothing and builds smoothly through to the finish. Along the way, intense and complex citrus notes land precisely, with good detail and definition. By the time the middle palate arrives, the mouth is awash with crisp yet full fruit flavour. Although the acidity is firm and beautifully structured, it’s not forbidding, a well balanced foil to the generous fruit. Elegant, long finish that becomes quite chalky in texture.
A really excellent Semillon that should be fascinating to watch over time. Cracking value.
Thomas Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Domaine Alain Chavy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly 2006
A subtle, prickly nose that’s more about minerality than anything else. Not that it’s one dimensional; indeed, there are subtle, elegant fruit and almond notes that fill out the wine’s aroma profile. As with the 2005, this is evolving rapidly in the glass, crisp white stone fruit moving up to push the entire nose forward a notch. The minerality gains a sort of smokey dimension with some energetic swirling. It’s not excessively complex, but this wine has the sort of clean, characteristic aroma that is a pleasure to smell — this is a self-confident wine.
Entry is crisp and acidic, lightfootedly ushering delicate fruit flavour to the middle palate. Wines that show consistent line from nose to palate are especially satisfying to me, and I’m happy to report this one replays the same almond and light stone fruit flavours observed in its aroma, albeit with an additional sense of weight. Having written that, it’s quite a light bodied wine, noticeably acid driven. It seems minimally worked, with little creaminess and no discernible butterscotch character. Instead, one enjoys a straightforward purity, an unmediated sense of terroir, although perhaps one held back at present by its structure. I’m yearning for a few ounces more weight and intensity.
Perhaps I just need to be patient. Hints of richer yellow peach sneak out now and then, promising a future filled with greater generosity.
As an aside, I had a couple of glasses of 2004 Brands Chardonnay the other day, and was reminded simultaneously of why full-throttle Chardonnays have historically been extremely popular and why they became, ultimately, reviled. I felt like I was eating dessert, an overly rich one at that, which was delicious in the same way that sweet, battered, deep fried things are delicious. We couldn’t finish the bottle between us. The funny thing is, I have a periodic craving for this kind of Chardonnay. I guess they have their place.
Domaine Alain Chavy
Price: $A48
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2008
Domaine Séguinot-Bordet Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2006
Mealy, flinty nose that shows markedly more tension than this same maker’s Chablis tasted recently. It’s tighter and less broad in fruit character, even as winemaking is a more obvious influence. Very attractive, actually — complex and elegant, with fruit sitting squarely in the grapefruit zone. Highly sniffable.
The palate shows good focus and general zinginess. There’s also a reasonable degree of mealy, lees-type influence in the flavour profile that provides a nice counterpoint to tight, bright fruit character. On entry, very refreshing and bright, with ultra-fine acid firming the wine’s line. The flavour profile is extremely well integrated and this allows one to focus more on refinements like shape, flow and complexity. Reasonable intensity, though not mouth-shattering either. A lovely mineral lift through the after palate seems to linger for an unreasonably long time, generating both satisfaction and the desire for another glass. Very dry, very fine finish.
The price of Chablis being quite reasonable, it’s worth springing for the higher levels of quality, as one’s satisfaction scales, to my taste, in proportion to outlay, if not more.
Domaine Séguinot-Bordet
Price: $A39.50
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2008