| | The only absentee for the April Rotters dinner was the restaurant itself. The sudden closing of Alio’s left us venueless; we decamped up the road at very short notice (24 hours) to Pazzo, to taste reds from (mostly) 2003. The small private room at the back is very dark; I took even less notice than usual of colour. - 2007 P. Louis Martin Champagne Grand Cru Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
[cork, 12%, A$90] {DavidC} Gorgeously youthful nose with plenty of yeast/bakery aromas. Chardonnay-dominant palate (I discovered it was BdB later) with nut and autolysis flavours, creamily fine but persistent bubbles, and medium-full bodied weight. It’s dry but generous, with a long moreish finish. A grand wine by anyone’s standards.
- 2001 Kumkani Shiraz - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
[cork, 14.5%] {Geoffrey} Decanted just prior to service. Big, aged nose of black liquorice. The palate is nicely medium-weighted, with a touch of prune & compost to the flavours. It’s dry, ripe and a little dusty with quite low chalky tannins and medium acidity. Earthy too; falls somewhere between Antipodean new-world expressions of the grape, and the Rhone’s traditional presentation. Nicely even palate too, just lacks the ultimate word in complexity. Still, very good, even if it doesn’t quite meet the theme.
- 2003 Château Chasse-Spleen - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
[cork, 13%] {Graeme} Double-decanted 3 hours prior. It’s an aging Bordeaux nose, but it does veer a little on the baked side, even through the smoky, cigar-box aromas. There’s a nod to currant fruit on the palate, with medium dusty tannins, and medium body. Acid is fairly soft, and although it coats the tongue evenly, there’s a warmth denseness of texture you mightn’t expect and which just costs it a little for freshness. It was a scorching vintage; this doesn’t taste too hot, but I don’t think it’s got anywhere further to go and should be drunk (enjoyed) over the next few years.
- 2003 Stefani Estate Shiraz - Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
[cork, 14.5%] {Stephen} A vast and developing nose of jam, plum and vanilla. Strawberry and plum flavours display great warmth and ripeness on the palate; this is a full-bodied fruit bomb style of wine, with low powdery tannins and not much acid in evidence. A mass of flavour sits at the front of the tongue but fades in its impact past the mid-palate. The finish is only just medium-length. I wouldn’t say this has evolved particularly, it’s merely getting older. Aging without wisdom, you might say. Drink up.
- 2003 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
[screwcap, 13.5%] {Bruce} The nose is evolving past the primary stage, but there is still plenty of rich curranty fruit, along with a cedar and a bit of black olive. It’s followed by a beautifully sophisticated palate of chiefly cabernet fruit with a smoky (not really oaky) accent. This is so polished and taut; it has medium chalky tannins of the finest grain, medium acidity, great intensity of flavour without heaviness or alcoholic heat, and culminates with a lingering finish of great class and focus. A triumphant wine.
- 2003 Penfolds Bin 389 - Australia, South Australia
[cork, 14%] {DavidM / Greg} Two bottles of this were opened, and they were significantly different, although they could be mistaken for the same label. The one was just a little more brett-accented and hollow than the other; less advanced, but brighter and harsher. Most of the standard 389 attributes were on show in both bottles to one degree or another; meaty black fruits, a touch of coconut oak, medium chalky tannins, medium-length finish. It’s a big mouthful of flavour; these warm vintages early in the century will provide a challenge to the wines’ freshness as they age, I reckon. On average, a very good wine, but not terribly exciting. Will doubtless hold longer, but probably not with much gain.
- 2003 Willow Bridge Estate Shiraz - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Geographe
[15%, cork] {Gordon} Nose hairs are gone at the first sniff of this. Searingly alcoholic raisin aromas. The palate is full-bodied, hot and pruney. It’s as dry as the alcohol level suggests, but is really fundamentally unbalanced. No sign of acid or tannin, just heat – it’s like a bottle of cordial from the Fukushima nuclear plant canteen…
- 2003 Maglieri Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
[15%, cork] {Stephen} A back-up bottle generously opened by Stephen as a ‘cheap’ comparison, being the princely sum of $8 at purchase. Soft old woody red-fruit nose. Big and full on the palate (well, medium-bodied really), but a bit simple and coarse in texture, despite there being not much tannin left. For the initial asking price, it’s OK, but needs to be drunk now.
- 2004 Mitolo Cabernet Sauvignon Serpico - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
[15%, cork] {Glenn) Not quite 2003, but no matter. Neither old nor young on the nose. Another bottle of 15% rocket fuel. Shot through with dead fruit characters; wrinkled, dessicated sultana flavours without the sugar sweetness. Not in the least cabernet-like. It’s full-bodied, with medium gritty tannins, no acid at all and wave after wave of alcoholic heat. Frankenstein’s monster in liquid form. In fairness, if you like the (extreme) style, then it’s a good example of the breed. Not for me. I can’t very well make any predictions about further aging a wine I don’t think should have been made in the first place.
- 2006 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
[375ml, 13.5%, cork] {DavidC} Quite youthful nose of nougat, marzipan and vanilla bean. Clean and fresh. Surprisingly dense on the palate; medium-full bodied, low in acid, and about medium-dry for sweetness. It has plenty of rich presence on the mid-palate, and a medium length finish of vanilla and nougat, but there’s a certain thickness to the texture which tells me it will be a shorter term cellaring proposition.
Perhaps it’s my biases, but for me the best two reds had the lowest alcohol levels. The Cullen easily has the best future of any of the wines tasted tonight. And the champagne was outstanding. Pazzo did a good job too. Who knows where we’ll be next month? |
