Australia and Rhone at Haukeland Sykehus

The purpose of this event was to compare Rhone reds with Australian Rhone varieties. We had four flights of four wines, and with the second flight we were served some game to go with the wines. I am grateful to Per Gøran for organizing this event and for letting me take part in it even though I am not a regular member of the tasting group at Haukeland. All the old bottles were from Per Gørans own cellar.

As my notes are a bit uncomplete I am not sure what was the fourth wine of this flight, but I believe it was a Cotes du Rhone from Cave de Rasteau. Anyhow, the wine was, like the rest of the wines of this flight, rather unremarkable.

• 2005 Quarry Hill Wines Shiraz

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

  Warm aromas. Something artificial and a bit of rubber. Ok intensity on the palate. Somewhat juicy. Some pepper. Not at all remarkable.

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• 2005 De Bortoli Shiraz Flawed

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  Not sure wether this was a bad bottle. Artificial and pale on the nose. Not good, seems oxidised. Artificial also on the palate. Not my thing.

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• 2003 Jean Berteau Côtes du Rhône

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Fruity, somewhat anonymous on the nose. Rubber. A bit thin on the palate, but decent length with some pepper in the finish. Surprisingly cool and balanced for the vintage.

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The food was being served with this flight, so that we afterwards could consentrate on tasting the really interesting wines.

• 2004 Famille Perrin / Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Reserve

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Licorice (Nero chocolate) on the nose. On the palate there is a nice acidity and good tannins. Some pepper into the finish. Good with the food. The wine of the flight (until I had the Campuget again after the tasting).

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• 2004 Château de Campuget Costières-de-Nîmes Tradition

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Costières-de-Nîmes

  More powerful on the nose than the wines from the previous flight, but still in a cool style. Acidic on the palate. Pretty good by itself, but a bit pale and acidic with the meat.
  
  After the tasting had ended there were some wine left in the bottle so I had another taste: Smells of cowshit (but in a very good way). Totally different now. Delicious. Appears very intense, even after just having had the Grange. Very rich and powerful also on the palate. Fantastic. Must buy and dig some down in the cellar for a few years.

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• 2003 Penfolds Shiraz Koonunga Hill

  Australia, South Australia

  Artificial and sweet nose. Some licorice. The two first wines of the flight are better. Better on the palate than on the nose. Fills the mouth, and there is something slightly bitter, spicy in the aftertaste that I like. Went ok with the food, but the nose keeps it from beeing a good experience.

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• 2001 Richmond Grove Shiraz

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Lots of berries on the nose. SWEET. More of everything compared to the other wines tasted so far tonight. Some vanilla, a bit artificial. Lots of body in the mouth, but a bit sweet also here. Some acid, but otherwise not much to say. Short aftertaste. Not my kind of wine. The two french wines were clearly the two best wines of this flight.

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Now we had finished eating and could cet on with the real tasting. The wine of this flight was clearly the 1988 Beaucastel. At first we thought it might have been a bit over, but it turned out to be a real classic. I wish I could drink wines like that on a regular basis...

• 2000 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Rich and almost a bit plump on the nose. Not as sweet as the previous Australians, but sweeter than the 96. Aromas of vanilla and warm blackberries. Good. Very powerful, but a bit artificial, on the front palate. Fruity, and the tannins are not to rough. Long aftertaste, but a bit too much alcohol in the finish. I like the wine, but at this price (65$) it is a bit too expensive.

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• 1996 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Earthy nose. Some sweetness, but it is not importunate. It is clearly beginning to mature, and is more complex than the 2000. There is vanilla, but not too much, and some brackish water. On the palate it has less fruit than the 2000, but there is good complexity and balance. Long. A good wine that I like surprisingly much even though it is Australian.

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• 2003 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark aromas on the nose. It is a bit too sweet and artificial for my taste. Licorice. The nose is like an Australian, rather intense but sweet. A bit pale on the front palate. Some pepper. Neither is it very long. This is disappointing.
  
  In the glass it is gradually improving with air. After a little while it is showing more of both tannins and acidity. It is probably a good wine that is closed up right now and need some time yet before it should be drunk.
  
  Had another glass after the tasting: Less sweetness on the nose. Lots of tannins and much more power on the palate. It has opened up a bit, but is still very young. Now it is very good, and will probably improve immensely from cellaring.

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• 1988 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  When sniffing to this we first thought it to be a bit on the decline, but that soon turned out not to be the case. A great wine that had less sweetness on the nose than the 03, it was actually almost bordering on sourness. Earthy, interesting, complex, delicious. But at first appearing to be a bit over. Fantastic on the palate. Not as powerful on the front palate as the Balmoral, but incredibly rich and complex. Very long with lots of spice in the aftertaste. Delicious, fantastic wine.

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The two bottles of Grange in this flight was what I had looked most forward to in this tasting. Sadly I was disappointed, particularly by the 2001, which gave me a headache and not much else. The two Cote-Roties however were both great, with the 1988 Guigal being totally fantastic and clearly the wine of the night.

• 2000 J. Vidal-Fleury Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Completely different nose from the Beaucastels. Less sweetness and more pepper and spices. Also paprika. Utterly delicious. Lots of punch in the front palate. Also lots of tannins. Pepper in the aftertaste, and enormous length. Is drinking very good now, and will probably be fantastic with time. Great wine.

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• 1988 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Deliciously complex and mature nose. Not as much oak as I would expect from Guigal. Aromas of cedar tree and asparagus. Stunning. Complex, rich and with great balance on the palate. Incredibly long. Fantastic wine with a lovely balance. Clearly the wine of the night.

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• 2001 Penfolds Grange

  Australia, South Australia

  Extremely intense on the nose, not like anything I have ever sniffed at. Fruity, it is almost like standing next to a fruit press working at high speed. More vanilla than the Cote-Roties. It is difficult to describe this wine in words, but in a way it is just a bit too much of everything. After the Guigal 88 this also feels a bit artificial.
  
  On the palate this is just to much. "Headache wine". Improves some with air, but it is still so that the head starts bangning just by sniffing at it.

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• 1982 Penfolds Grange

  Australia, South Australia

  Wow! Pure black currant juice!! Fruity, rich and with some spice on the nose. Very consentrated on the palate. Rich, smooth. Lots of fruit, lots of acid. Pretty good balance, but not as long as expected. Still lots of tannins that dry out the mouth. This wine seems remarkably young and probably have many years yet to live.

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This was a tasting that in a way confirmed my prejudice against Australian wine as being generally to hot, sweet and alcoholic. Over the entire tasting the french wines were generally more balanced and acidic, and definitely more to my taste. The Balmorals were not bad however, and also the 1982 Grange (but at that price a wine has an obligation to be good).