NobleRottersSydney - less common GIs

Ravaged by absences, a handful of hardy Rotters convened to sample offerings from what were described as ‘lesser-known’ regional areas of Australia.

• NV Perrier-Jouët Champagne Grand Brut

  France, Champagne

  {cork, 12.5%} [DavidM] Fresh, crisp-smelling nose of bread and toast, but not in a developed way especially. Just very attractive. Classic lemon curd and custard flavours on the palate, with a hint of autolysis, small creamy bubbles, medium weight, and a freshly acidic, medium/long finish. Very good indeed.

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• 2016 Domaine Simha Riesling Amphora Lotus

  Australia, Tasmania, Southern Tasmania

  {screwcap, 12%} [Graeme]
  Derwent valley fruit this vintage. All very out there. Picked on a fruit day before something to do with the moon, fermented on skins in clay amphorae, no fining, no filtering; not much, really! Looked and tasted a bit like cloudy apple juice. Sweetish, juicy nose, a bit yeasty, some flour, although not an extrovert. Palate is light/medium, with low soft skin/dusty tannins. Pleasant and interesting texture, although the actual flavours tend to the simple end of the apple spectrum. Only really short/medium finish. Was not popular at the table, it should be said. Looked alarmingly murky beside a typical chardonnay in the next glass! I think this should be drunk fairly soon. I must say, the $65 asking price is pretty steep. Not even Simha’s flagship Riesling either; maybe that’s the one to age, if you’re game.

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• 2017 Courabyra Chardonnay 1 of 11

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba

  {screwcap, 13%} [Glenn] Young, smelling strongly of figs, nuts, cashews and oak generally. All high quality, but oaky. Predictably buttery on the palate, with roasted nut flavours, low/medium acid, just medium weight, and a medium length dry finish. It sits rather on the front palate, and to me is a fairly simple wine; others at the table were more impressed than I.

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• 2013 St. Maur Pinot Noir Lot 41

  Australia, New South Wales, South Coast, Southern Highlands

  {screwcap, 12.5%} [Stephen] Developing aromas; compost, rotting red berries, some tobacco, and eventually a bit of distinct greenness to it. The palate is surprisingly green and pointed, way more than the nose indicated; tart and leafy rather than thin though. Rather sour and stemmy. Medium-bodied though, with medium acid too. 14 months in French oak is hardly noticeable, but the finish is rather short and the palate presence disappears entirely from halfway along the tongue. Drink soon – nothing left to wait for here.

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• 2014 Paradigm Hill Pinot Noir L'ami Sage

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

  {screwcap, 13%} [Graeme] This was the back-up in case the Simha proved philosophically offensive or otherwise undrinkable. It’s quite advanced, being a bit ‘generic old red’ in overall presentation; softly dusty, some compost, with a touch of vanilla on the medium-bodied palate, along with some fungal/compost flavours. It’s fairly well-balanced along the tongue, but the finish is just medium length, and fairly simple. Fading, I’d say; drink up.

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• 2007 Campbells Durif The Barkly

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

  {cork, 14.5%} [DavidH] Sure, Rutherglen’s very well known, but more for fortified sweeties than table wines. This has a big developing nose of coconut and liquorice and an alcoholic fumey quality to it. Won’t singe your nose hairs but it’s obviously warm. The medium/full-bodied palate has toasty burnt and raisin flavours, rather wild and rustic. Low/medium acid. The wine is dry, but has a roasted quality to it, and a finish only just medium length at best. I think this, too, is better as a younger wine.

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• 1999 Tokaj Hétszőlő Tokaji Aszú 4 Puttonyos Flawed

  Hungary, Tokaji

  {500ml, cork, 11%} [DavidM] Well past its best, this seems properly oxidised; dark and dull with no sweetness or finish to speak of. Pity.

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• 2016 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon

  Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina

  {375ml, screwcap, 10.5%} [DavidM] Coppery nose. Glassy apricot aromas. Flavours are coppery too, with rich mouldy apricots, cumquats. Medium sweet in the Noble One tradition; seductive but mushy, and with just enough acid to hold it up but not enough to give it a long cellaring life. Drink up and buy the next vintage too.

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