2012 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting
Olympic Park, Homebush
Tasted Friday, February 17, 2012 by graemeg with 1,115 views
Introduction
This year’s Exhibitor’s Tasting for the 2012 Sydney Royal Wine Show at Olympic Park had a few differences to 2011. All the classes we reshuffled into a more logical tasting sequence; so all the Commercial, Premium, Aged, Named Vineyard classes for the same type of wine (ie. Shiraz) appeared sequentially as you walked around the pavillion. The logic to this is that you do less walking if you want to work your way through the whole lot; it does mean that people will tend to cluster together somewhat; but it suited me. The Riedel Overture glasses are gone; instead we’re back to the little ISO XL5s; certainly that’s a retrograde step. Global Financial Crisis, anyone?
With the call for the lunch-bus going out at 11.20am, this left not quite three-and-a-half hours for the tasting; in the circumstances getting through 55 wines was probably acceptable, although it’s a bit of a challenge to pick all the gems from the dross, not seeing the 2200-wine catalogue until you enter the room. As twelve trophy winners were being served at lunch, I focussed on what I though were other items of interest for me (so the commercial classes got scant attention, for instance). And yet I always find something in the catalogue on the way home from lunch that makes me go ‘D’oh! Why didn’t I see that?’
All wines are bottled if not yet for sale; the Sydney show no-longer accepts ‘unfinished’ wines (ie barrel/tank samples) for judging. Medals won are noted. Wines were tasted pretty much in the order shown, which wasn’t perfect, but wasn’t bad. Everything was at ambient (about 21C) temperature. Most wines were just opened; a few of the reds I got to later – including all the cork-sealed ones – had spend an hour or two with seals removed (along with one or two tasting samples) but no further air treatment.
Flight 1 - White wines (28 Notes)
I guess you adapt to the temperature pretty quickly; all the wines would obviously have showed better at 14C compared to 21C. I picked what I though were the most interesting wines, thus avoiding most of the Commercial Whites, the Sauvignon Blancs, and above all the classes dominated by PG (“Acres of beige” was the judges’ comment on one commercial class dominated by pinot gris; 28 wines produced 1 silver and 4 bronze medals). Not surprisingly, I didn’t see a single white wine under a cork-type seal.
Flight 2 - Red Wines (28 Notes)
These fared better at ambient temperatures; what that also does is emphasise the alcohol; I suspect there are fewer ‘15% and over’ wines than ever before. Certainly I found the alcohol obvious when it was higher (I presume – lots of these were only wearing lab/show labels or had their labels obscured.
Closing
I didn’t realise the lunch-bus boarding call would come so soon; I’d allowed 20 minutes to go through the dessert wines but never made it. Still, that’s 56 wines in 200 minutes; can’t do much better than that and be selective…
Trophy wines are under the lunch notes.
2011 West Cape Howe Riesling
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker
Gold medal {screwcap, 12%} Youthful, fruity and musk-like nose. Minimal citrus in evidence. Dry, light-medium-bodied, zesty palate. Plenty of acid and clean, green-apple fruit. Persistent finish. Terrific riesling from WA.
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2008 Peter Lehmann Riesling Wigan
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Gold medal. {screwcap} A developing nose of classic lime, citrus and lemon is enlivened by a dash of koresene. It’s medium-bodied, with medium acid, lemon-curd and browning apple flavours, a soft texture despite the acid and a medium length finish. Very tidy, and with plenty of time for aging, although it seemed rather advanced for 4 years old.
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2010 Peter Lehmann Riesling Wigan
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Bronze medal. {screwcap} Youthful nose of floral, apple/lime/lychee aromas. There’s terrific initial intensity of lime flavours on the palate, with medium-high acid levels. It does settle down on the palate quite quickly; and turns into a medium-bodied wine with only a medium-length finish. Perhaps misses the mark slightly, but it’s getting to an awkward age…
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2006 Pewsey Vale Vineyard Riesling The Contours Museum Reserve
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Bronze medal. {screwcap, 12.5%} A rather sulphurous nose reveals some developing aromas of lemon, musk and chalk. Palate follows on with these flavours; is laden with crunchy acid, but somehow fades away past the mid-palate. Light-medium-bodied in the end, but feels a bit unbalanced with the initial attack fading away so fast. Still delicious, however. First rate flavours, second rate structure.
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2007 Peter Lehmann Riesling Wigan
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Silver medal. {screwcap} Youthful, far more so than the 2008. A touch reductive initially, with chalky, minerally aromas. There are a musk and lemongrass flavours on the palate, which is quite youthful, with medium acid and a light-medium body. The wine lacks great intensity at this age, but the palate is very evenly coated with flavour before a medium-length finish. Developing OK and should be very good given time. The best of the three Wigans I tasted on the day.
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2005 Jim Barry Riesling The Florita
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
{screwcap} Reductive, rubbery note. Smoke & petrol aromas dominate a little citrus. Dry, with medium acid and body, it has petrolly flavours, with some bland lemon thrown in. The finish is medium length but this is not terribly interesting. At seven years old from a good vintage, one of the country’s most famous riesling vineyards should do better than this. Disappointing.
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2011 Andrew Thomas Wines Sémillon Braemore
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Bronze medal. {screwcap, 11.5%} Youthful,notes of grass & straw. Right on the money. Light body, medium acid. Juicy grass and lemon fruit flavours, discreet acid, slightly chalky and totally dry texture. Medium-length finish. Should blossom beautifully over 10 years.
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2007 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
{screwcap} Youthful, grassy & herbal aromas. The palate is mostly dusty lemon fruits, quite juicy, light-bodied, with medium acid, and a soft, medium-length finish. Rather in-between as aging goes; this is nicely balanced but sleeping. A solid Vat 1 without really scaling the heights, but needs more time in any case.
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2007 McGuigan Sémillon Bin 9000
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Gold medal. {screwcap} Distinctly developed, with a real honey note to the mostly lemon aromas. Only a touch of primary hay and straw remains. The palate is rich and juicy, with medium acid, despite being only really light-medium bodied. There’s plenty of attention to most of the palate by the flavours, but in the end the finish is just short-medium. I suspect there’s a little sugar here adding the richness. Generous but simple. Drink now, and I wouldn’t have given this a gold.
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2007 Brokenwood Sémillon Stanleigh Park Reserve
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Gold medal. {screwcap} You see all these Brokenwood single vineyard wines entered in the show, and never anywhere else! This has a nose of dust and smoke and little fruit. Very earthy and textural. The palate is chalky, almost phenolic; it tastes very much of grape skins without actually being tannic. Medium acid, light-medium body. A nod to some aging lemon flavours on the palate, medium-length finish. Perhaps in a slump? Seems to have some potential, and is a little out of the mainstream of ‘typical semillon’ these days. Interesting.
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2007 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Elizabeth
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Bronze medal. {screwcap} Developing aromas of friendly lemon. Tidy palate; medium-high acid, light-medium body; mostly lemon-like flavours but with a little toastiness emerging. Dry, medium-length finish. In the tradition of the 2004 & 2005, and streets ahead of 2010. An obvious buy if it hits the streets around $13.
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2004 Tahbilk Marsanne 1927 Vines
Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes
Bronze medal. {screwcap} Developing aromas of grass and hay, with a thick greasiness about them somehow. Phenolic palate of honeydew flavours; medium acid, medium body. Sits rather on the front palate, manages a medium length finish but lacks a bit of excitement overall.
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2005 Tahbilk Marsanne 1927 Vines
Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes
{screwcap} There’s a little development apparent here in the grass and melon aromas. The palate is lifted by a medium-high level of acid, which aids freshness and helps the medium-bodied weight; there’s almost a powdery tannic touch to the flavours which are a bit indeterminate just now. Medium-long finish of melon-like fruits, totally dry, and evenly spread in its impact along the tongue. Pretty tidy wine which needs more time.
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2003 Tahbilk Marsanne 1927 Vines
Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes
{screwcap} So much for consistency among show judges; this very wine picked up a gold medal here last year but managed a mere 14.8/20 this time around. I still think this is the best of the three vintages on offer here today. Developing aromas of grass and melon. White-flesh fruits fill out the palate; it has medium acid and medium-weight, and a medium-long finish. Rich and interesting. Tahbilk Marsanne at its finest. I suspect this is the first vintage of this wine under screwcap. Hooray for that.
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2003 Pewsey Vale Vineyard Riesling The Contours Museum Reserve
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Gold medal {screwcap}. There’s still a greenish tinge to the colour, but the nose is distinctly aged; toast/lemon/kerosene; textbook old Eden riesling. The palate is dry, but the vestiges of lemon-butter fruits are still sweet enough. It has medium acid and a medium weight, and fills out to coate all the tongue with classic riesling fruit. A shorter than ideal finish is maybe the only disappointment; but otherwise this has the goods. Ought to age another 5 years at least, although I doubt you’d miss much drinking it now.
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2009 Taylors Riesling St Andrews
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
Bronze medal. {screwcap} Pure clean lime fruit. It’s a juicy, mouth-watering wine, although the acid doesn’t screech at you. Mellow lemon flavours dominate, and there’s a dry chalkiness to the texture. Medium-body, medium-long finish. Even palate. A bit understated at this age, but a classy wine with many years ahead of it.
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2007 Taylors Riesling St Andrews
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
Bronze medal {screwcap} Very advnaced for five years; developing honey/toast/kerosene aromas here precede a chalkily phenolic and very dry palate with medium-high acid, a real honey tinge to the lemon flavours, plenty of weight in the middle of the tongue, and a medium length finish. Still some way to go as far as development goes (another 5-6 years?) but it will be at its best earlier than a great vintage. A lesser wine than the 2009.
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2007 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Silver medal. {screwcap} Doesn’t Hunter semillon taste distinctive after all these rieslings? Clean straw, lemon & grass aromas. A light-bodied, crunchily-acidic, cleanly textured wine, still thoroughly primary at five years old; dry, naturally, and with a medium-length finish. Expect it to put on weight in all departments as the years pass. Top effort.
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2007 Andrew Thomas Wines Sémillon Braemore
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Silver medal. {screwcap} Interesting to compare this side-by-side with 07 Lovedale. This appears older in ever way, with dust and smoke poking through the lemon/peach aromas. You’d swear this was lightly oaked. The light-medium palate boasts medium acidity and a medium-length finish. Evenly balanced palate; the flavours of lemon and a touch of toast are classic developing Hunter characters. It’s quite generously flavoured; seems to reflect the warm vintage more so than the Lovedale. A shorter-term prospect, though; best within another 5-6 years.
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2010 Nepenthe Chardonnay Ithaca
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
Silver medal, {screwcap} Youthful. Soft nutty notes. Cool-climate (no butter!). A dry, medium-bodied palate offers some sweetly ripe fruits emphasising grapefruit/guava flavours. Medium level of oak, but nothing tannic. A bit front-palate. Fair wine, but not exciting.
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2010 Vasse Felix Chardonnay Margaret River
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Silver medal. {screwcap} Youthful. Juicy lime and melon aromas, tinged with nuts and figs. Medium-full bodied in the mouth; the leesy character to the banana-like flavours makes it pretty thickly textured; alcohol seems to be controlled. Medium acidity keeps it from sagging. Dry, medium-length finish. A handsome effort.
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2009 Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Bronze medal. {screwcap, 13.5%} Rich cashew and fig aromas – the nose here rides on oak-derived influences. The dry palate has juicy yellow fruits – fairly simple flavours – enlivened with spiced oak; nicely judged weight and balance, but a bit dull. Medium length finish.
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2010 Penfolds Chardonnay Reserve Bin 10A
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
Gold medal. {screwcap} Youthful; lots of nutty oak, melon/grapefruit and butter aromas. Very intense. Malolactic is alive and kicking here! It’s dry, medium-bodied, with plenty of leesy/barrel-ferment characters concealing unobtrusive structure; medium acid and integrated alcohol. Softly oaky on the medium-long finish. Pretty appealing wine which should drink very well in the shorter term, who knows after that.
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2010 Hardys Chardonnay Eileen Hardy
Australia, Tasmania
Gold medal. {screwcap} Youthful. Juicy peach/melon aromas. Little oak evident. Typical white-fleshed chardonnary flavours on the palate, but framed by wonderful acid; long, even and balanced. There’s a little oak in the form of seasoning rather than flavour, but it all adds up to a medium-full bodied white, with a long, dry and balanced finish. Beautiful now, but no reason to think it shouldn’t age well.
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2007 Penfolds Chardonnay Reserve Bin 07A
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
Silver medal. {screwcap} Developing, a little sullen on the nose; a dash of peach and melon. Nothing too grand. A neat, fairly low-intensity palate follows with fig-like flavours, fine french oak; medium body, medium length finish. Not really terribly exciting or impressive in its own right, but is well enough balanced to justify keeping for a while I think. A sleeper for now.
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2010 Yabby Lake Vineyard Chardonnay Single Block Release Block 6
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Gold medal. {screwcap} Youthful melon/peach aromas, a lick of oak. These chardonnays are all beginning to blend together! A dry but finely-etched palate revells in cutting acid, and supports rich, full-bodied fruit judiciously swathed in fine french oak. Long-ish finish; very good indeed.
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2011 Salena Estate Bianco d'Alessano Ink Series
Australia, South Australia, Lower Murray, Riverland
{screwcap} A new grape for me, this locally-grown Bianco from Puglia. Youthful nose of rosewater and spice/rose notes; it’s rather gewurz-like and candied in its aromatic richness. The palate too has floral, musk and turkish-delight flavours, soft persistent acid but all at a light-bodied level; the real revelation that it’s not gewurz! Nicely dry – with residual sugar this could get really gloopy. A fascinating mix of flavour and structure ends with a medium-length finish; presumably a short-term wine, but a very worthwhile one. Should be served colder than this to show its best.
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2004 House of Arras Grand Vintage
Australia, Tasmania
Gold Medal. Developing, yeasty/brioche nose. Dry medium-bodied palate rides on fine creamy bubbles and showcases leesy chardonnay-influenced flavours. Classy effort which covers most of the palate well; solid medium-length finish. Good wine, but at A$50-ish retail there’s plenty of competition.
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