The Home of Renowned Tasting

This article appeared in the last issue of the excellent Wine Front. Everyone should subscribe as it is the best wine publication in Australia that money can buy. It goes without saying (but I will anyway) that Winorama is the best that no money can buy.
___________________

This extensive, and quite frankly, exhausting tasting took place in two stages. One up in the Hunter Valley where Campbell and I did 28 pairs of 99 and 05 vintages (actually Mattinson only did the 2005’s the soft lad) and a second tasting held in Sydney for wines
where an older vintage was not available. Both sessions were done double blind. I had no idea who had submitted wines and only knew the vintage. Big blind tastings make it very hard to write any sort of detailed note. You taste by exception and there are only so many times you can write ‘lemon and lime’ without getting very very bored. So these notes are merely snapshots. Fantastic for fixing style, for the purposes of compare and contrast, but not nearly so accurate as a leisurely bottle tasting. So take the points allocated to the wines with a grain of salt as they are the best I can do under trying circumstances.

The 2005 vintage is exceptional in that the wines are unusually approachable at an early age. They are characterised by soft acidity and lovely ripe fruit flavours – often verging on the tropical with pronounced aromatics. Many of the wines are an each way bet for drinking now with a big plate of seafood, or cellaring for the medium term. The best wines made in the classic style could well turn out to be outstanding. If you have never been a fan of young Hunter Semillon then this could well be the vintage that flicks your switch.

The 1999 vintage is arguably the best of the nineties. The product of a near perfect growing season the wines have beautifully defined citrus flavours,refreshing acidity and finish long and dry. A classic cellaring vintage. Many of the wines are just beginning to reveal their true potential. Again, if you have never been a fan of aged Semillon then this is the vintage that could well turn you on.

Do I sound like a zealot? Good because I mean to convert the wicked non semillon drinkers of Australia. Repent now and enjoy these unique and superb wines. Feel righteous brother and sister for they are low in alcohol and high in refreshment. Yea though I walk through the Hunter Valley in the shadow of verdelho, I will fear no evil; For thou are with me.

2005 Hunter Semillon - a unique vintage

Tintilla Estate $18.50 Tropical, white peach and lemon. Fresh. Excellent on
the palate. Excellent flavour. ‘Out there’ style. 92 points

Peppertree Grand Reserve $39 Classic. Lemony. Passionfruit. Austere, dry and flinty
on the palate. Long term. 94 points

Tranquil Vale $17 Sulphur. Passionfruit and grass. Particularily lean and flinty. Not a lot of flavour. Phenolic finish. 88 points

Gartelmann $22 Lemon, flinty, powdery. Fresh citrus flavours. Well balanced. Hard edges. 89 points

Pokolbin Estate $25 Herbs, grass and citrus fruit. Very attractive though. Slightly sweet and spritzy but with a dry finish. 90 points

Mount Pleasant Lovedale $25 Bananas, lemons, soft smelling. Oooh bracing and tart but with great power and flavour. Long finish. Long term. 96 points.

Tinklers School Block $15 Grassy herbal nose. Lemon and herbs on the palate.Zesty and balanced. Flinty not fruity. 90 points.

Constable & Hershon $19.95 Lemon, herbs and green bananas. Juicy. Lovely balance. Drink young. 92 points

Audrey Wilkinson $25 Sulphurous and tight. Citrus flavours and prominent hard acidity. Quite bitter. 84 points.

Tyrrells Vat 1 $25 Ripe white peach. Beautiful soft acidity. Round and balanced. Clean dry and very long. Quite superb. 96 points.

Allandale $17 Overtly grassy. Tart and hard on the palate. 84 points.

Briar Ridge Karl Stockhausen $26 Lemon zest and spice. Classic style. Lemony. Austere. Long term. 94 points

Cockfighters Ghost $18 Flowers, musk – like moscato. Lacks definition on the
palate. Easy drink now style. 87 points.

Bimbadgen Estate $17.50 Subdued and lemony nose. Quite typical. Wishy washy, phenolic and poorly defined palate. 81 points

Capercaillie Creel $15 Herbs and lemon. Nice and fine. Not fruity. One for
the cellar. 90 points

Saddlers Creek $23 Stinky wool jumper. Dirty flavours. 81 points

McGuigan $13.50 Light and herbal. Banana juice flavours. Quite sweet.Early drinker. 88 points.

Smith Leigh Old Vines $15 Touch of sulphur. Limey. Touch hard. Not typical of vintage. Long term - perhaps. 90 points

Brokenwood ILR Reserve $17 Lemon, powder, Moscato. Excellent soft acidity.
Lemon flavours. Really nice. Good now. 92 points

Margan Family $18 Very floral. powder puff, lemons. Good acid. Good balance. Drink now to four years. 90 points

Meerea Park Alexander Munro $35 Wool jumper. Pure lemon juice and flint. Like licking a lemon at this stage. Decades in it. Don’t even think about drinking it now. 94 points.

Meerea Park Epoch $19 Tropical fruit, yeast, lemon. Soft acidity. Excellent
flavour. 93 points

Glenguin Christina $25 Capsicum, powder and citrus. Lots of acidity. Grassy
and very young. Has somewhere to go. 92 points

Meerea Park Terracotta $30Lime and grass. Smells great. Intense limey palate.Very smart. Long term. 95 points

Thomas Wines Braemore $24 Direct lemon/lime aromas. Ripe fruit but tight and lemony. Excellent. Long term. 94 points.

Mistletoe $17 Sweaty and herbal. Grassy palate. More like a sauvignon blanc. 84 points.

Mt Pleasant Elizabeth $16.99 Floral, juicy tropical fruit and lemon/lime. Spicy
passionfruit/citrus palate with some grassiness.Balanced and long. Drink now or keep. 94 points

Warraroong Estate $28 Classic. Limes. Dry lemon/lime palate. Some herbs.
Tight. Long term. Extremely good. 95 points.

James Estate $14 Very spicy and grassy. Lots of lemony flavour. Slightly sweet and phenolic. 89 points

Pyramid Hill$16.95 Sweaty and lemony. Quite lean and restrained.Opened up well. Cellaring style. 91 points.

Tatler “Nigel’s” $19 Tropical fruit. Some hard edges. Lime flavour. Grassy finish. Good now. 89 points

Adina $20 Quiet nose. Lemon powder and capsicum. Smells good. Spritzy with odd flavours, high acidity. 86 points

Krinklewood Classic citrus and bath powder nose. Simple watery lemon palate. Slightly coarse. 88 points

Hungerford Hill $23 Attractive fruity open nose. Spritzy with mouthwatering acid and limey flavours. Good length.Long term. 92 points

Kelman “Orchard Block” $18.50 Citrus and hay. Light delicate flavour but rather ghostly with no presence or length. 84 points

Wright Family Wines $20 Ripe pineapple. Tropical fruit and lime cordial flavours. Intense and full bodied but still fine. Drink now. 90 points.

Majors Lane Estate $17 Banana/tropical fruit with lemon. Edgy granny smith apple and lemon flavour. Tart and pippy. Could develop well. 88 points.

Two Rivers “Stones Throw”$13 Honey, bananas and tropical fruit nose. Sour lemon flavours. Some hardness. Has potential. 89 points.

Rothbury Estate “Brokenback” $28 Light green apple and bath powder. Spicy, dry and balanced. Quite intense. Cork sealed. 92 points.

Wandin Valley Estate “Reserve” $18 Lime and spice. Dry and well balanced. Some sulphury wet wool characters. 88 points

Piggs Peake “Sows Ear” $24 Sweaty, grassy and sulphurous. Spicy intense raw palate. Very green and grassy. 84 points

First Creek $14.50 Lemony with a touch of sulphur. Good palate.Lemony and well balanced. Good wine. Slightly coarse. Drink now. 90 points

Chatto $17.50 Classic subdued nose with honey and citrus. Fresh lemon/lime flavours. Clean, direct and very natural. Good finish. 93 points

Arrowfield “The Authors” $16.99 Rubbery and smelly. Lemon dominant. Intense spicy lemon palate. Quite austere. Long term. 88 points.

1999 Hunter Semillon - A classic vintage

Tintilla Estate $18.50Round waxy nose. Nutty, lemony and dry. Tart finish.
90 points

Peppertree Grand Reserve $40 Still fresh with excellent flavour, bracing acidity. Long dry limey finish. 94 points

2000 Tranquil Vale $32 Orange and honey. Sweet orange and honey flavours.Lacks focus. Alcohol and residual sugar. Quirky stuff.84 points

Pokolbin Estate $50 Wool jumper, lime. Tart spritzy palate with very limey flavour. Acidic and bony. Quite austere. Strong finish.91 points

2000 Mount Pleasant Lovedale $50 Subdued and nutty. Dry non fruity palate. Excellent
finish. Looks curious in this line up. 91 points.

Tinklers School Block $35 Very nutty and dry smelling Quite spicy. Oxidative palate. Super dry. 86 points.

2000 Constable & Hershon $35 Sulphur. Orange and honey. Volatile. So tart it makes me wince. 88 points

2000 Audrey Wilkinson $25 Grassy and strange. Some turpentine flavours. 75 points.

Tyrrells Vat 1 $48 Delicate. Looks very young. Warm toast and lime flavours.Flinty. Absolute classic. 96 points.

1998 Allandale $25 Stagnant pond, lemon, and honey. Quite rich. Dry nutty palate. Good now. 90 points

Cockfighters Ghost $25 Young and fresh. Spice, lemon and lime. Nutty palate.Very good. 92 Points

Bimbadgen Estate $30 Complex toasty nose. Oranges. Palate not quite as good. Quite nutty. 90 points.

Capercaillie Creel $25 Hay, lemon and honey. Light. Bitter, astringent palate. Oily. Lacks balance. 84 points

Saddlers Creek $32 Sulphur. Youthful spice and lemon. Classic limey palate with a good dry finish. 90 points

McGuigan $25 Wool, spice and lemon. Nutty limey palate with good flavour. 92 points.

Brokenwood ILR $45 A baby – hardly any sign of age. Light delicate aroma.Spicy. Spritzy powerful palate. Quality. Don’t touch it yet. 93 points

Meerea Park Alexander Munro $35 Closed. Bracing acidity and intense lemon flavours.Nutty finish. Very young. 94 points.

Meerea Park Epoch $19 Very ripe smelling – perhaps even stonefruit. Lots of flavour. Ready to drink. 90 points

Glenguin Christina $25 Really delicate and young. Bright lemon flavours. Precise with excellent balance. Not ready. 95 points

Meerea Park Terracotta $30 Lemon, nuts, toast. Flinty austere palate. Long term. 94 points

Thomas wines Braemore $36 Peach, lime, toast. Complex smelling. Beautiful lime palate.Long. Benchmark stuff. 97 points.

Mistletoe $18 Absolutely disgusting. Smells like a rag soaked in turps. Faulty bottle? 70 points.

1998 Warraroong Estate $30 Toasty. Not fruity. Waxy fat palate. 84 points