Cooling-Off Day, Pre-Show Dinner

The gang gathered to watch the Wild Rice production of the political play, Cooling Off Day, at SOTA. We scheduled a quick dinner next door at the Cathay. A bit too quick really to fully appreciate the 6 blind wines that we had, not realising that we had more time given that the show started at 8pm rather than the 730pm that Kel told us about! Nevertheless, it was great fun, with a few surprising wines along the way.

• 1995 Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia

  The first ever vintage of Yattarna. I thought this was very good, though not quite great. It had a nice nose. Clearly Chardonnay, but also quite clearly new world. Although there was a nice waft of chalky, limestoney mineral, almost seashell at points, this was bolstered by sweet ripe lemon aromas, fleshy apples, and some tropical pineapple notes, along with a touch of flowers and honeysuckle at the edges. Pretty pleasant, but nothing really outstanding. The palate attacked with a burst of super high acidity, with fresh brightness running through a rich, beeswaxy body with pretty deep flavours of yellow fruit, honeyed pears, quince and lots more of the chalky minerality that was picked up on the nose. This was quite nice actually, and still very young, with just a hint of browning apples at the egdes that hinted at its maturity. Apart from that, there was still plenty of power and persistence all the way into a slightly nutty finish. Nowhere near as profound as the amazing 1997 that we had last year, which was miles better, but this was still very impressive for a 17 year old new world Chardonnay. I cannot remember many Californian equivalents that have lasted so well. A nice wine.

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• 2005 Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Chapelle 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Very nice indeed. This was a lovely marriage of good terroir with a superb vintage, It started with a super perfumy nose that could hardly be anything other than a Volnay or a Chambolle, what with its rich wafts of flowers weaving their way through some funky, slightly barnyardy notes before opening up into earth and spice notes with a whole raft of sweet morello cherry aromas behind them. Just lovely. The palate was very fresh and lively, with lots of tingly acidity lending the wine an almost nervous energy as it raced through the mouth with pure, vibrant flavours of red cherries and fragrant flowers. I thought it was surprisingly opened for a 2005 even considering the fact that it had been popped several hours before serving. The finish was nice too, laced as it was with stony minerality that added a good bit of complexity to the otherwise still primary flavours. This has everything that I like about the 2005 vintage, with pure fruit, good tensile strength, firm but fine tannins and a lovely bright balance to its depth of fruit. A really nice, classically proportioned Burgundy that should age well. Yum.

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• 2008 Domaine Ponsot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Very good. This was a completely different animal from the 2005 Volnay that preceded it - while that was all feminine grace wed to the tensile strength of the vintage, this was about as masculine as a Burgundy gets. It was lovely in its own way though, with a compelling nose with lots of funky undergrowth nuances, bits of leather and meat, and some inky, licorice root accents sprinkled over its core of black cherry, wood spice and perfumy flower aromas. Funky, savoury and really quite surprisingly complex for a young Ponsot. The palate had a really nice richness for a 2008, with a plush, velvety texture to its black cherry fruit notes seasoned with wood spice and set against an earthy, leathery background. Lots of depth here and all the way through its dark fruited midpalate and into a long, rather savoury finish flecked with fresh acidity and a nice bit of Morey spice. Surprisingly forward, but this still has quite a long way to go before it hits peak. It is a nice wine that should be a good accompaniment to gamy meat even now, but it should be even better in 5-6 years' time..

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• 2003 Massaya Silver Selection 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  40% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 15% Cab and 15% Mourvedre. What a surprise, this was a really good wine. Cinsault blend though it may be, it seemed to share more in common with a good super-Tuscan than say a Chateau Musar. It had a really nice nose, with spicy dark fruit nestled amongst deep aromas of earth, meat and leather. Nice, but it was the palate that really impressed. It was perfectly proportioned, with beautifully fine tannins and fresh acidity lending a lovely sense of balance to its delicious, but somehow still subtle flavours of dried grapes, blackberries and dark cherries. Quite impeccably put together I would say, with lots of polish and no lack of elegance to the way it wrapped itself around the mouth. There was a nice sense of focus and detailing as well, especially as the wine pulled seamlessly into a nice finish touched with some mineral and gunpowder notes. It may not been as quirky as a Musar, but there was a polished nobility here that seemed to be a nod towards the participation of the Brunier (Vieux Telegraphe) and Hebrard (Cheval-Blanc) families' part ownership of the property. This is certainly a wine to look out for in the future. While drinking well now, it will certainly improve with age.

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• 2004 Dornier Donatus 88 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  Not my preferred style of wine, but this was still rather drinkable. There were lots of woody notes on the nose, with smoked wood, wood spice and cigarette smoke wreathing around rich cassis and plums notes. Clearly a new world Cab-Merlot blend just on that nose alone. The palate was rather on the low acid end of the scale, with rich plummy notes, black cherries and some floral accents moving into a finish of crushed herbs and eucalyptus wed to some vanilla oak notes. Okay, but not great.

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• 2001 Warrenmang Shiraz Black Puma 91 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees

  A big, black Aussie Shiraz in spite of its cool climate credentials. Not bad, but you must like this style of wine to truly enjoy it - not quite my cup of tea. I must say it had a nice nose though, with big, expressive scents of plums and cassis and blackberries flecked with bits of eucalyptus and smoked meat, Nice. This could not have been anything but an Aussie Shiraz on that nose alone. I did not enjoy the palate quite as much though. It was clearly rich, with a nice meaty depth to its rich cassis and plum notes touched with more wood spice and a kiss of eucalyptus on the finish. There was still quite a bit of oaky vanilla in there, but the wine somehow managed to come across as quite well proportioned and nicely balanced, with fine tannins still providing some grip. All in all, a well-made wine which went quite well with pork ribs. Not one I would rush out and buy though.

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• 1993 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** 93 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Beautiful again. This was the wine of the night once more. It was lovely in just about every way, with a classic Mosel subtlety in the way it slowly charmed you, from its nose with its little bit of of petroleum drizzled over gentle aromas of pear and apple, honeyed apricots and peach, to its wonderfully balanced palate where fresher, citrussy notes of lime and lemons added some lift to more pear and apple and more torpical pineapple flavours. Fresh, well-defined and perfectly focused, this is a wine I could down glass after glass of. The longish finish was lovely as well, with honey and accaicia notes dancing above a core of sweet nectarines and peach. There was just a bit of spritziness in there that gave the wine a little lift. This was just lovely, better even than the last very good bottle that we had.

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