Wine-Ark Cellar Club Tasting 10 - November 2009. Josef Chromy, Giant Steps, Craggy Range

Standard Wine-Ark monthly tasting.

Tasmanian grower who initially supplied grapes for other makers

• 2008 Josef Chromy Riesling 87 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley

  Nose: standard lime and, oddly, a touch of butteryness.
  Mouth: More of the same, and good at this price (AUD 23). Good acidity and a touch of residual sugar.
  Interesting and pleasant.

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• 2005 Josef Chromy Riesling Zdar 90 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley

  Nose: Sharp lime, then hazelnuts (oddly) and alcohol
  Mouth: Lime, crisp, very good, not too viscose.
  Very nice indeed. This doesn't really have any of the kerosene nose despite 4 years. Might have to invest in some at the very reasonable AUD 36

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• 2008 Josef Chromy Riesling SGR (Sixty Grams Residual) 78 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley

  Nose: a touch of lime and tropical fruit, white pepper, and buttery malo? Quite muted and needed plenty of vigorous manipulation to get this out of it
  Mouth: Sweet, but no real fruit - lots of residual sugar without any tempering acidity.
  Really quite unpleasant, like drinking overly sweet watered down grape juice. Ugh.

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• 2008 Josef Chromy Pinot Noir 84 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania

  Nose: very fruity, rubber, plenty of alcohol heat - almost like surgical spirit - and underlying this something floral
  Mouth: A little over-engineered for me, tannin, a little fruit, pepper.
  Possibly designed to cellar but a little clumsy and underwhelming for me.

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• 2005 Josef Chromy Pinot Noir Zdar 83 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley

  Nose: green pea, funky but not in a good way...this overlays some deeply hidden red berry fruit
  Mouth: Peppery, plenty of tannin but, again, the fruit is just buried in here.
  Not too special

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Yarra Valley producer specialising in single vineyard chardonnay and pinot noir. I like what they do, as a rule.

• 2008 Giant Steps Chardonnay Tarraford Vineyard 87 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  Nose: smoked bacon, elderflower and oak
  Mouth: nutty, buttery rich. Not much fruit to speak, or acidity for that matter, but some malo and oak.
  Nice enough but quite old school Aussie chardonnay.

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• 2008 Giant Steps Chardonnay Arthur's Creek 89 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  Nose: mineral, slate and sharp citrus tang
  Mouth: very dry, minerals, interesting
  Very enjoyable. I'm happy to go here again at AUD40

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• 2008 Giant Steps Pinot Noir Tarraford Vineyard 87 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  Nose: Plum(?), raspberry, that 'Pinot' smell that you get in Aus coupled with something a little unripe
  Mouth: Initially red currant and burnt wood. Nice tannic finish as well.
  Hmm. It's nice but it's not AUD40 nice, if that makes sense.

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• 2008 Giant Steps Pinot Noir Gladysdale Vineyard 84 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  Nose: subdued fruit, not too much too it. red berry with perhaps some green leaf
  Mouth: little dull and savoury and not very good
  Nah.

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New Zealand producer who seems to get lot's of plaudits for, in my experience prior to this tasting, not much. I now stand corrected - a surprisingly good Riesling and a reasonable Syrah have turned my head today.

• 2008 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard 79 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

  Nose: Gooseberry, gym armpit, layered over passion fruit
  Mouth: dull & acidic. little fruit.
  The nose was veering to the interesting side of Kiwi Sav Blanc but the mouth was terrible

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• 2008 Craggy Range Riesling Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard 89 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

  Nose: massive kerosene, lime and burnt toast
  Mouth: lots of acid, some residual sugar (?) definite fruit and, oddly, a little oakiness.
  Lovely, buy and lay down for three years AUD 30

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• 2007 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Block 14 89 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels

  Nose: perfume and black pepper, cedar and dusty rooms
  Mouth: Very nice, good fruit, good tannin and good length
  A simple but effective wine. Perhaps about 5-10 AUD too much at $36 which loses it one mark - otherwise 90

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• 2007 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 88 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels

  Nose: closed but after application of wrist opened to reveal dark fruit with hints of cassis, cedar and something a little josticky (Cinnamon?)
  Mouth: Lots of savoury tannin, like Tannat but without the plum. Very nice indeed.
  Score reflects price (AUD99) so bumped down from 90 to 88. This is very nice but, and I'm in danger of sounding like a stuck record, there are so many good Shiraz in Australia within the AUD75-100 range.

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Taking into account value for money (and the fact that I'm a bit of a miser) I'd probably only really go for the Josef Chromy Zdar riesling though the GS Arthur's creek and CR Riesling and Block 14 Syrah might come on board if I can find them at the right price.