The Home of Renowned Tasting

Day One
The notes are a little sketchy, although I took some, but for once I’d expect that you might let me off the hook a little as it’s a social occasion for me, rather than a professional one (such as I might consider myself every now and then). I’m writing these notes straight from the heart - the best wines evoke this (feel free to call me a wanker now). The first night (Friday) was held at the magnificent Yarra Valley restaurant of Gary Cooper and Tim Sawyer, Bella Vedere, who shut up shop and created a feast of Babettesque proportions for our vinous revelry. And now if I don’t concentrate too much on the food, then that’s not because I don’t appreciate it, but more because this is a wine review site. I will say that it was breathtakingly good grub at times, and the food and wine matching was, well…a match made in some sort of heaven. You can click on the menu to have a look at the dishes.

Quail egg with green salt and sugar
96 Krug
This was our standing up and chatting wine - and coupled with the sweet/salt/creamy taste of the innovative egg dish..well masterful. It’s almost a dry white, like a big strong white Burgundy in its intensity and power. Hazelnuts, licorice, white fruits, biscuits and spice but rolled layer upon layer so that the concentration is almost mind blowing. Painfully intense and destined for greatness…but not a wine for pleasure now. Outstanding Champagne.

Caviar Malossol superior Oscietra on crushed kipflers, with flat leaf parsley
90 Krug,
Sitting down now. The 90 is dry and very fine, subtlety harnessed to power. Showing some bottle age, but essentially youthful and vigorous with classic Krug complexity and an explosion of citrus and yeasty fruits. More superlatives required. A much better wine than the 96 at this stage..but not later. The Caviar on kipflers quite simply amongst the best things I have ever eaten.

Crayfish and scampi in brandy butter on angel hair pasta with tomato and crayfish porcini froth
01 Ramonet Montrachet
White flowers, fragrance, almond paste, mineral and yellow fruits. Light but enormous power (often the hallmark of truly great wine). Rich but bone dry with a tapestry of vanilla, almond and stone fruits. The length carrying on for an eternity. Magnificent wine. Amongst the best White Burgundies I have tasted.

03 Leroy Corton-Charlemagne
Slightly funky and fishy, smoke, peach, vanilla and grilled nuts. A big wet sloppy kiss of a wine but full of flavour and drive. It’s fat but beautiful. A lascivious creature that overwhelms the senses. Not the class of the Ramonet, but certainly a compelling wine. Superb long dry finish leaving the mouth aglow with warmth and longing.

96 Drouhin Montrachet ‘Marquis de Laguiche’
Flowers, almond, a smokiness, yellow fruit and vanilla oak. It combines the best attributes of rich creaminess with a bone dry, almost tannic, flinty character - although subtle and winning. By any mortal standards a wine of considerable greatness.

Licorice tea smoked duck breast with fennel and black truffle
88 Leroy Musigny
An engaging potato sack earthiness coupled with sweet black raspberry, vanilla, licorice and an almost alarming fragrance. In the mouth a huge spread of dry extract offering beautiful tannic density combining with earthy but sweet dark fruit. It’s magnificent and builds and builds and builds with time in the glass. Apparently one of about 300 bottles. A rare wine and a rare privilege to taste.

01 Leroy Musigny
Bloody hell..you could get lost in the aromatics pumping out of this. Raspberry, spices, earth, violets, soil, caramel - multi-layered and complete. The palate is an effortless journey from finish to end. Velvety but concentrated - rich but floating through the mouth. The finish endless. The essence of red Burgundy. One of the greatest wines I have tasted. I’m dribbling as I type!

Foie gras and Sauternes jelly with toasted brioche
59 Suduiraut
Now I must say that I’m a moderate consumer of animals, perhaps a couple of times a week, and a lot of vegetarian dishes I cook…so the old FG I approach with respect and caution…but I love the stuff. I’m a bugger for it and we were delivered a rare old slab here. The 59 is an amazing wine - it smells like the freshly torched sugar on a Creme Bruleé and then some apricots, old leather bottle age and a host of other subtle smells. The palate is rich and full with apple and quince past - great intensity and closes with a bone dry finish of enormous length. I’m not a big one for sweet wines but this had me raving.

Rare breed pork shoulder braised in chocolate and sour cherries
62 Vega Sicilia ‘Unico’ All fresh and lively - looked like a 10 year old wine - strawberries and lashings of vanilla, medium bodied, sweetly fruited with slight leathery bottle age character coming through on a silky tannin structure. It built in the glass rather than tired but still looked slightly one dimensional compared to the mighty 65 3110…

65 Lindemans Bin 3110
The legend continues. Licorice, earth, dusty bottle age, blackberry. It’s dry and tannic but still young and vigorous. Layers of flavours and always something new to reveal. It’s a magic wine and one worthy of a place alongside all the greatest wines of the world. This is my fourth encounter in the last couple of years, and every bottle has something unique to say.

Glenloth pheasant boned and filled with foie gras and truffle, glazed en cocot with pomme anna potato
74 Heitz ‘Martha’s Vineyard’,
A second encounter with this wine and by far the strongest showing. A myriad scents - sweet fruit, mint, cigar box, spice and earth. The palate is wonderfully complex but still muscular and vigorous showing all the classic Cabernet traits of lead pencil, sweet fruit, herb and mint. An outstanding wine and most likely a fond farewell - I doubt that I’ll ever have (such) the pleasure again. As good as any Cabernet you could wish for.

92 Dalle Valle ‘Maya’
I’ve since decided that Californian Cabernet hits a particular sweet spot for me and this was no exception. Rich Cassis, cherry, chocolate, mineral and lavish oak. Full bodied, dense and concentrated with ripe fruity blueberry, Cassis and good minerality - perhaps lowish acid but no concern for me as the ripe furry tannins are minding this part of the shop. Great wine - although an alarmingly young one.

Wagyu beef oven roasted with orange salt with black bean sauce and buttered broad beans
82 Chateaux Mouton Rothschild
By this stage I was feeling a bit stuffed but there’s nothing like the fragrance of Mouton to revive the spirits (and someone has written in my notebook ‘Gary is a wonderful human being - so glad you are here!’ - so that’s nice too). An exotic and flamboyant nose of lead, cassis, flowers and mineral leads on to a hugely concentrated, yet balanced and poised, textbook Cabernet palate. It’s a wine of irrepressible charm and charisma, and while the palate is not quite at the outrageously great level of the nose, it’s so good that you’d never want to quibble.

82 Chateaux Latour
A second outing with the 82 and an equally compelling bottle. The nose is more sauvage and strict than the Mouton but still a thing of beauty, although reticent - earth, cherry, mineral, coffee and cedar - brooding and magnificent - the young Marlon Brando of Pauillac. The palate ratchets the intensity up a notch with amazing power and thick mouthfilling earthy Cabernet fruit. The line and length astounding. The essence of Cabernet.

82 Chateaux Margaux
Corked.

Cheese plate – Comte and Meredith blue, Yarra Valley walnuts and pear
90 Chateaux Margaux
Two years ago I remember this being a lush and very full wine but here it seems fine and poised. A more delicate wine of grace and great symmetry with the classic Margaux fragrance and a certain fine boned beauty. Perhaps I’m fading. Nonetheless an exceptional wine, but not inspiring for me on this night.

90 Cheval Blanc
It’s about my favourite wine of all time. Raspberries, a gentle grassiness and fragrance cut with smoke and mineral. Sweet fruit on an endlessly fine, medium bodied palate of grace and precision. One of the true greats.

Apricot and white chocolate pudding with cumquat and sauternes ice cream
67 Chateaux Suduiraut
Again the Creme Brulee, cumquat and spice but without the additional layers of complexity of the ‘59 Suidairaut, which made it look a little simple and old. A thick syrupy palate but still fresh and clean. On any other night it would have been a star.

95 Krug
In the car on the way home. It’s a top wine, and refreshing, but fair to say I was not concentrating enough to tell you more…

99 Chateau Petrus
Black raspberry, tea, plum, truffle. It’s a rich wine but very tight with silky tannins and a winning personality - certainly at this time of night anyway. Here I resort to a Clive Coates style note in my pad and have merely scrawled “very fine indeed!”

Day Two
I have to retire for the evening - I’ll fill this in later.
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Rory of Enoteca suggested that this would be a lighter alternative for summer drinking. It has straw flavours with a bit of honey. It is just a shame I didn’t get the review up earlier. The acid is soft and it comes across as a lighter, fruit driven style of white that has a hint of rose as well as honey. I tried several unusual dry whites on the day I tried this and although I think it would be a good point of difference at a restaurant it was not my style.

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It’s in a screwcapped bottle thereby flaunting DOC regulations and subsequently not allowed to call itself Chianti. I imagine the original guidelines would have insisted on cork to ensure quality, perhaps to stop producers closing bottles with plugs of bark and wax, plastic bottles, cans or whatnot. Some irony to be found there perhaps. Anyway, I snapped this at work and had a quick taste and I must say I really like it. It’s not a great wine, but it is very enjoyable and represents an inexpensive diversion for a mid-week dry red that’s fit (as a butchers dog) for the table. I can’t decide on a score of 87 (top of Average) or 88 (bottom of Good) although I’m not sure it really matters that much. Read the review.

Nice strong colour with a typical regional smell - earth, dark cherry, briar and almond essence. It’s mid weight ,lacking depth but still nice and ripe with earthy cherry fruit, firm assertive drying tannins (which I like as it’s nice to have a grippy wine with food) and good freshness. It finishes dry with decent length. It’s functional wine and good value for an import. Very gluggable but needs food - which is of course exactly the point of most Italian wine.

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It’s a blend of 85% Corvina and Corvinone and 15% Rondinella and Molinara but is 100% delicious as often only a good Italian can be. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this wine.

It smells of black cherry with a touch of smoke, new leather and sweet dried herb - good and rich. On the palate medium bodied but fat and lush with dried cherry, herb, bitter almond and a gentle earthy character. It has good extract with dry grainy toothsome tannins, seemingly low acid (although balanced) and a good exit leaving the mouth dry and clean. It’s just a great wine to drink.

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A dark dark red, but without any purple. Aromas of black cherries, red cherries, raspberries, blackberries, dusty dry spices and some French polish. A sensational palate, showing red fruits more than black, nuanced, nuts and some cream, raspberries, salted liquorice, then fine sweet fruits and a bit of white pepper on the finish. There is a lovely depth of richness, firm tannins and some acid that just seems to be jumping out of ripe berry fruits. The tannins gathered weight with time, but I didn’t mind; I like a good firm tannin.

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I listened to an interesting podcast about the wines of Vietti on Grape Radio a few weeks, so when I saw this yesterday I decided to buy a bottle.

A nose showing dark cherries and leather, liquorice, with a touch of cream and some dusty cedar. Quite a dry and savoury palate, red cherries and dry spices, which in itself doesn’t really convey the charm of the wine, because its beauty lies in the lovely lovely tannins, chewy but fine, with nothing blocky or coarse or green. Moderately acidic, finishing dryly, a super food wine. Could probably do with another year or two.

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Tua Rita is located in Suvereto, a small medieval town in the Tuscan province of Livorno on the coast south of Bolgheri. It is best known for its 100% Merlot wine called Redigaffi, a wine which is very much on the radar of Mr Parker. The Rosso dei Notri is a Sangiovese dominant blend, and I believe is made from young vine fruit. A ripe nose, with blackcherries and liquorice, a baked earth character and some goat hide rusticity. The palate displayed black fruits with a red cherry lift, savoury fruits through the palate, a touch of liquorice sweetness and a dry finish. Medium bodied, complementing food nicely, though given that other reviews on the net seemed to universally mention a clean and fruit-pure wine, I suspect this bottle might be affected by the ‘b’ word.

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Don’t like the lurid orange coloured plastic stopper they use. Surely there are better options now like DIAM or heaven forbid..a screwcap. Anyway, at least you know the wine is not likely to be corked, even if cellaring it is a dodgy proposition. I guess this is supposed to be a drink now commodity wine anyway.

Nice and savoury with licorice, dark cherry, earth, smoke and dark chocolate. Nothing jumps out, it largely presents as earthy and dark smelling. On the palate medium bodied with slightly peppery dark cherry, earth and dark chocolate flavours. Not fruity but quite rich with a faintly tinny taste - although not unpleasant. It has powdery tannin, fairly high acidity and decent length. All good things that add up to make a highly enjoyable drink.

Other vintages : 2003

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I tasted this on the old Enomatic at North Sydney Cellars and had to buy a bottle. I should not have opened it now mind you, it’s very tannic and not close to being ready, but this tasting did confirm that I’d like to squirrel away a couple of bottles to drink at a much later date. I can’t remember what I paid for it just now - somewhere around $70 I think.

At once floral and earthy with dark cherry, smoke, a touch of licorice and a little bit of spicy oak. Very attractive. On the palate medium bodied with dark cherry and red fruit, spice with earth and tobacco flavours. Not what you would call fruity in the slightest. Good fresh acidity and formidable chalky tannins that really grip and coat the mouth. Very good dry finish with a mass of tannin on exit. A day in bottle and a good chunk of Reggiano worked wonders short term, but this really needs to be left alone for a good while.

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There is a baked raw character in so many European wines from the blisteringly hot 2003 vintage that I find very difficult to get past. Italy, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Northern and Southern Rhone. They all suffer. Some tasters seem not to mind this character, and of course there are some exceptions and exceptional wines, but by and large I think it is a dodgy vintage.

Quite rich with baked cherry, a touch of earth, roast herbs, wood and spice. On the palate medium to full bodied with baked cherry, red fruits, dried herbs and some earth and chocolate flavours. Fairly shallow. It has slightly rough sandy tannins that don’t sit comfortably within the wine and a fair amount of dry extract. Reasonably fresh though and has a decent finish. A good effort, a nice wine, but the vintage character wins out.

Other vintages : 2001, 1997

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I don’t write up a lot of the things I actually drink (time/motivation) and I don’t drink a lot of the things I write up (capacity/preference) and I don’t write up a lot of the things I don’t drink either (quality/interest/time). Confused? So am I. Anyway, I was cooking Italian for some friends the other night and thought this would be just the ticket. I am doing the note from memory but reckon I have the measure of it.

Pleasingly rustic with ripe cherry and plum, licorice, coffee and a bit of the farmyard. On the palate medium bodied but with plenty of weight and flavours of cherry, strawberry conserve, licorice and some dried herbs contributing a slight Campari-like bitterness. It has some firmish tannins that soften with air and feels nice and thick in the mouth. Good finish too. A very nice wine and one I’d drink now to best enjoy the fruit.

Other vintages: 2003

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I’d like to drink a lot more Italian wine but very sadly I have finite capacity. I bought a few of these a couple of months ago and finally got round to drinking one this evening with a fine bit of Japanese style Wagyu beef. Magic.

Aromas of cherry, red berries, licorice, dried herb, earth and smoke. Quite rich but typically Tuscan and so welcoming. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of cherry, earth and licorice with plenty of dry chunky tannin and balanced acidity - rustic yet highly civilised. It has a big finish of licorice and cherry and offers supreme enjoyment from beginning to end. Molto buona.

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It was tasting through a variety of wines the other day at North Sydney Cellars (on the old Enomatic) and this Sicilian made from the Nero d’Avola grape jumped up and gesticulated wildly at me. I just had to buy a bottle.

Aromas of sour dark cherry, licorice, dried herbs, cracked pepper, smoke and baked earth. Not fruity although deep and rich. On the palate medium to full bodied with black cherry, licorice, bitter chocolate, earth and dried herb flavours. It has chunky lightly gritty tannins and fresh acid to balance and feels dry, earthy and very satisfying to drink. Surprisingly expansive and long with a dry and savoury dark cherry and earth aftertaste. This is packed with personality and charm and drinking it made me happy. It’s one of the most enjoyable wines I’ve had in quite a while.

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Initially quite reserved, with subtle tar and roses on the nose, tarred cherries and a sense of hollowness on the palate, and a hint of distracting acetone on the finish. Not a promising start, but with time it blossomed and filled to show aromas of cherries and leather, with liquorice and sour red cherries, dusty spices, some great savoury length and a bit of tar on the finish. Silky smooth tannins - not at all what I was expecting, so I would suggest it has been made in a more New World kind of way, with the tannins subdued and tamed, and not a lot of grip. Should drink well over the next 5 years, perhaps more.

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Enoteca Sileno import and wholesale a pretty good range of Italian wines and Rory of Enoteca dropped this off for me to taste. This wine is from the Le Marche region and produced from the Verdicchio grape. It has quite a golden colour but tastes fresh. It reminds me of a cross between Marsanne and Pinot Gris because it shows honey, a little blossom and some spicey apple. We tried it at room temperature and lightly chilled and preferred the latter because it has some texture and fruit that make it quite big on the palate. A different style of white to try over summer.

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A wine to serve blind and challenge your friends, especially if you use the Riedel black tasting glasses. It is 100% Grenache. cordon cut to let the grapes dry out. A nice red colour that is very bright. The nose is Porty with raisin flavours rather than any spiritual influence. The palate has the same rich, ripe, raisin flavours which when combined with a sweet edge leaves a port like impression but at lower alcohol. I didn’t try it with Florentines but I reckon it would be worth a try.

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A wine tried just after my unusual varieties tasting last month. I would have liked to included it because I think it would have looked good beside a Negro Amaro. It wasn’t consumed blind but I had no idea what to expect and no expectations or bias, just curiosity. Bright red with medium depth of colour. The nose is quite a tantalizing mix of dried herb and licorice with a bit of plum. The palate is clean with great length showing red currants, a little licorice, dried herbs and some plum. The wine is quite tannic so will go well with food or a little time in the cellar.

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A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. My friend michel recommended it. Cherries and blackberries, coffee grounds, dusty cinnamon spices, cassia bark, a little bit sweaty and stinky. The palate is ripe and supple and soft, black and red cherries, dry spices, fleshy, comforting and tidy tannins, all finishing with a peppery dryness and a bit of grip. Savoury, not sweet, and just the ticket to have with homemade pizza. Cheap at $13.99, but less in a mixed dozen, and the good news is that the magnums are under $25….

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I bought a few of these recently because I am a bugger for half bottles. So cute…and so handy!

Aromas of red fruits, smoke, dried herbs, pepper and a touch of licorice with a little volatility to whisk it briskly up the old snout. On the palate medium bodied with sour cherry, red berry, earth and smoky flavours. Plenty of lively acidity and some firm sandy tannins. Finishes with little rasp of tannin and sour red fruits. A good wine and a very nice drink.

Re-tasted Sep07 : Touch of VA, cherry fruit, fennel. This bottle a little richer and fuller. 90 points.

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I was wandering the aisles of Dans on the weekend looking for stuff to fill a 6 pack with. Just to get the discount you understand, and this wine, from what I believe is a good Chianti vintage, caught my eye. This label did confuse me a little though, but I think the producer is a firm called “Carlo Antonini and Cerreto Guidi”.

A glass at lunchtime suggested cherries, leather, a bit of spice and earth. Quite lightly bodied, with coy fruit and a leathery dryness. It was also quite short, and had a tinny bitterness on the finish. Well 5 hours later it had fleshed out, with sweet fruits and dusty cherries, bark, and only a hint of bitterness. A wine with some generosity, but perhaps a bit simple.

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