NobleRottersSydney - Best Wines to share

At an all-new venue, the theme for this dinner was supposed to be ‘one of the best wines from your cellar to share’, but somehow it was re-interpreted by some as ‘something worth sharing. Anyway, a full roll-up of Rotters saw some decent wines to accompany fine (if expensive) cuisine.

• NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Ultra Brut

  France, Champagne

  [cork, 12%] {Glenn} Lightly developing but low-key nose smelling mostly of green apples. The palate is indeed scrapingly dry, all malic acid and tartness. The almost total lack of sugar emphasizes the acidity, which therefore seems quite high, despite the light-body of the wine. Crisp and crunchy in texture, dusty and stone-like in flavour. Medium-sized, not-too-aggressive bubbles. An uncompromising aperitif style with a medium length finish.

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• 1988 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri Claret

  Australia, South Australia

  [13.3%, cork] {Graeme} Level was at bottom of neck. Double-decanted 3 hours prior to drinking. At 25 years, just hanging on. Quite a dark garnet still. Still a red fruit character to the nose, but its mostly developed malt-like and woody-cinnamon aromas. The palate has memories of sweet plums, soft and faded, with a touch of drying-out astringency appearing on the medium-length finish. It’s only just medium-bodied, with a smooth, even palate, with not much remaining of the original tannins. Short-medium length finish. Would have been far better ten years ago, and certainly needs drinking now.

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• 1998 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  [14.5%, cork] {DavidC} I had dire expectations for this, but it was better than I anticipated. The nose is big, intense, and developed, with caramel oak and chocolate aromas. On the palate it tastes a little baked, with plum and blueberry fruit still in evidence. There’s only the barest nod to dusty tannins, and the acidity hasn’t much to contribute either. Has most of its presence on the tip of the tongue; manages a medium length, fairly simple though still pleasant finish. Very much drink now, and something of a lottery too these days.

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• 1989 Château Haut-Brion

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  [cork, 13%] {Gordon} Double-decanted a few hours prior to dinner. A gorgeous, wonderful wine, if not quite up to the standard shown 2 years ago. This offers the same intoxicating herb and tobacco nose, laced with currant sweetness, the same medium-bodied completeness in the way it coats all the tongue, and the same enchantingly long finish. It’s not a blockbuster, but medium bodied; there’s just a nod to drying out here that suggests this particular bottle was definitely at its peak. As ever, a privilege to taste.

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• 2005 Château de Fieuzal

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  [cork, 13.5%] {Geoffrey} Young. Basil-scented nose. Cedar. Caramel. Meaty aromas too. Intense. The palate is brutally young and unintegrated – especially after the Haut-Brion! Smoky currant flavours are dominant; the high powdery tannins are so all-pervading you wonder that it can ever come into harmonious balance. It’s medium-bodied, and fills out the mid-palate well, culminating in a medium-length finish. It’s really a bit young to derive much pleasure from at this stage, bar a meal of solid protein, perhaps.

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• 2001 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  [cork, 13.5%] {Stephen} This was truly grand. Aged nose of sweat and compost, the barest hint of VA, and a dash of oak. Sounds terrible, smells glorious. Medium-bodied palate is true to the best off the Hunter; tastes of earth, mushrooms, musty spices. Shows different flavours with every sip. There’s still some ‘new-worldness’ to the palate, but the fruit plays second fiddle to the terroir. At twelve years this is singing; ought to hold another 5-10 years quite happily. Top stuff.

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• 2002 Penfolds Shiraz RWT

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  [14.5%, cork] {DavidM} A riot of blueberry fruit – the sweetest the Barossa can offer – along with pepper cinnamon and spice. All class, though, and the palate confirms it with dense blue fruit flavours, medium acid, lots of chalky tannins, discreet oak and great richness. Wants at least another 10 years to settle down a bit; can hardly fail to please even now, so luscious and sweet are the flavours, but there’s a lot of potential bundled up in this. See you in the 2020s…

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• 2006 Lerida Estate Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  [15.7%, screwcap] {Greg} Surprisingly youthful nose, richly perfumed with red cherries and spice, and – the longer it sits in the glass – apricotty viognier. Ripe and sweet on the full-bodied palate; blackberry flavours with spiciness dominate; the tannins and acid are pretty much lost. Surprisingly, doesn’t taste hot despite the frightening alcohol level, but also lacks real dimension and complexity on the medium-length finish; it promises on the nose but can’t really deliver. Much the better than the last bottle we tried, but still I think this will not improve further with cellaring.

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• 2008 Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon Ravenswood

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  [14%, diam] {Kim) Liqueured blueberries and raisins; lifted with alcoholic fumes. The palate has a really confected aspect to it, and is very much a modern fruity red; no-one would instantly call it cabernet. Tannins are quite strong but seem gritty; this might mellow a little with time, but seems a bit of a stylistic throw-back to the prestige Coonawarra cuvees of the 90s (Katnook Odyssey, oaky John Riddoch etc) few of which aged or evolved with much grace or charm. Still, this is a pretty big mouthful of wine, with loads of flavour on the front half of the palate at least; I think it best drunk before its tenth birthday.

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• 1983 Kaiser Stuhl Selected Release Auslese

  Australia, South Australia

  [11%, cork] {Bruce} Caramel and honey nose. On the palate there’s butterscotch too, but a touch stale. Medium-dry, medium-bodied, it’s quite intense with aged botrytis characters on the front palate, but ultimately a bit simple. Decadent and crumbly. We had this five years ago; it was better back then.

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• 2009 Mount Horrocks Riesling Cordon Cut

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  [375ml, 11.5%, screwcap] {Gordon} This is lovely. It has a sharp, cutting nose of lime and stainless steel, like someone assembled some abstract sculpture in the glass. The palate finds honeyed flavours to add; medium-sweet flavours of stewed apples, sugar and cinnamon. Medium-bodied, medium-length; this is utterly beguiling in the shorter term.

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• 2008 Josef Chromy Riesling Botrytis

  Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania

  [375ml, 9.3%, screwcap] {Gordon} Limes and green apples, along with rich botrytis Riesling aromas. The palate is medium-dry, rides on an acid frame, and manages lusciousness without heaviness. Has a cool pureness which dominates everything; culminates in a medium-length finish which remains sweet without ever cloying or sagging. Probably best over the next 5 years.

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• 1981 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  [20%, cork] {Gordon} Antiquated nose of molasses and caramel. The palate really is hot, and the simple and elemental brandy influence is really just too strong for me. Only really off-dry, and very much on the front of the tongue for presence. I just don’t get it…

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