Aussie Night 2.0
Buellton, CA
Tasted August 14, 2022 by JonnyG with 206 views
Introduction
6 years ago, we inaugurated a new tasting group with a splendid Australian themed wine night. The group has evolved, so I thought why not revisit that tasting, hence this Aussie Night 2.0.
We gathered at a winery generously offered as an appropriately cool venue by one of our group in order to combat the summer heat. 8 people, 20 bottles plus a welcome cocktail, lots of spitting and plenty of good food. The focus was on mono-varietal examples, chosen in large part to showcase as many Aussie winemaking regions as we could.
A word on that cocktail:
One guest is a renowned spirits collector, and he graciously took on the challenge of crafting an appropriate drink to start our tasting off. His research apparently indicated that unlike many nations, Australia lacked a signature cocktail. The closest he could find was the confusingly named Japanese Slipper, evidently not invented until 1984). Inspired a bit by that, we were treated to a bespoke cocktail he dubbed the "Australian Ampersand," a riff on a classic Ampersand, which he based on two kinds of Australian gin, a Martell Cognac from the Sixties, some vintage bitters and a bunch of other delicious stuff. A great start to our big night.
Flight 1 - Aperitifs (1 note)
Served after our special Australian welcome cocktail.
Flight 2 - A Pair of Semillons (2 notes)
White
2015 Silkman Wines Sémillon Blackberry Vineyard
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
I struggled with what I perceived to be a lack of typicity as well as a lack of concentration. The wine was dilutive and heavily sulfurized, with lime and slate notes and a sunburnt finish that evoked Riesling.
White
2013 De Iuliis Sémillon Aged Release
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Juicy acidity and a nice roundness, especially as the wine warmed. Some sourness on the finish distracted a bit, but not a bad showing.
Flight 3 - A Solo Riesling (1 note)
Flight 4 - Two Chardonnays (2 notes)
White
2018 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Tremendously impressive even though just starting to show its stuff. Almost transparent in appearance, belying the intensity of the wine. Lifted and vibrant, wearing its oak very nicely. Notes of apple and white peach, some exotic spice and orange oil. A delineated and powerful bottling. Paired (or mis-paired) with an older Giaconda, which none of us preferred as it was made in such an outlier in terms of style that it was very hard to place.
White
2010 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard
Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth
An off showing, though the wine was proper in all respects. Rich and ripe (no surprise), with loads of toasty oak notes alongside sweet orchard fruit and some buttery notes. I thought I detected a bit of ginger as it warmed. Overall, I found the wine dense and lacking in nuance. I wonder if this is an example of a wine's development being "stuck" due to its screw cap closure (of which i am normally a fan)? I had another bottle of this same wine which I am pretty sure came with natural cork as its closure, and it was past peak.
Flight 5 - Cabernet Flight 1 (2 notes)
Red
2006 Clarendon Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Brookman
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon
A bit past peak, but plenty of dark fruit along with the menthol, balsam and citronella flavors. The alcohol has become more prominent over the years, pushing this wine towards a cough syrup-like descriptor. Still, highly enjoyable.
Red
2006 Noon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek
Dense and monolithic, with ripe red currant and minty notes. Full bodied and grippy, but in a style which makes it hard to drink more than one glass.
Flight 6 - Cabernet Flight 2 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
A pristine and downright thrilling bottle, pure and lifted, with a clean menthol nose and sweet red berries. Seamless and irresistible. Great length and concentration. Easily bested a classy Wynns John Riddoch from the same vintage, served alongside this.
Red
1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
A clean nose of sweet red fruit. Fresh and youthful, still showing oak and fruit tannins. Good persistence. A fine showing, but suffered by comparison to the stunning 1998 Wendouree Cab. served alongside it.
Flight 7 - A Sparkling Palate Refresher (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2017 Jansz Wine Company Vintage Cuvée
Australia, Tasmania
Impressive intensity and precision, easily besting the 2017 Jansz Rose. A touch too much sweetness for my taste began to emerge, and this is not something I would reach for very often, but it was a fine intro to Tasmanian sparklers.
Flight 8 - Shiraz Flight 1: Old School Cults (2 notes)
Red
2009 Wendouree Shiraz
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
I hadn't had this for a few years. Still youthful, the wine has smoothed out any edges and has settled into a graceful middle age with ease. Bright cherry notes, white and green pepper, some anise, iodine and eucalyptus. A stark contrast with the Rockford Basket Press we paired it with, and my preference on this evening.
Red
2003 Rockford Shiraz Basket Press
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
A touch bruised, showing heat and leaving the wine jammy. Sweet red fruit, with plenty of oak. A bit of balsamic. I love this bottling but this was not a great example.
Flight 9 - Shiraz Flight 2: High-Octane Big Boys (3 notes)
Red
2005 Chris Ringland Shiraz CR
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Wowza! I wanted not to like this, but every time I tried to criticize it, I had to concede that it works, for what it is, on all levels. The label notes a 17.6% ABV, not an easy achievement. More impressive is how the wine manages that alcohol without showing heat or any VA. Fresh, black fruit-dominated, with extraordinary intensity. Some mocha, stewed prune and licorice notes. A singular, turbo-insane kind of wine, and it works -- props to Chris!
Red
2004 Clarendon Hills Astralis
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon
Not a great showing, with evident heat and overwhelming oak notes, to the extent of conveying a sense of manipulation somewhere along the line. Glycerined and unctuous. Astralis can be a controversial bottling, one i have enjoyed and defended, but not this one.
Red
1998 Noon Shiraz Reserve
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek
Not a perfect bottle, with dominant heat and muddled fruit. No sense of balance, or nuance. Hard to finish a glass.
Flight 10 - Shiraz Flight 3: A Mini-Penfolds Horizontal (2 notes)
Red
2018 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri
Australia, South Australia
Too young, but oh so good already, with brambly, concentrated fruit and sweet oak working harmoniously together. A savory expression of Syrah, vibrant and chewy. Loved it, but let your bottles sleep for 5+ years.
Red
1996 Penfolds Grange
Australia, South Australia
One of the best encounters with Grange I can recall. Youthful, fresh and delineated, showing pencil lead, citronella and oak lactones alongside lifted rich cherries and plum. Fine-grained, integrated tannins. Superb.
Flight 11 - Shiraz Flight 4: Two Classic Henschkes (2 notes)
Red
1996 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Decanted for several hours to the let the mild brett blow off, which it did easily. Powerful, with loads of green and black pepper, some menthol and a touch of dark cherry. Velvety texture, smooth and pure.
Red
1996 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Decanted for several hours. Almost translucent in color. A superb bottle, showing complex layers of mint, sweet red fruit, coffee and some earthy elements. Balanced and ethereal.
Closing
A highly educational and highly enjoyable tasting that barely scratched the surface of what Australian wine has to offer. While the whites largely missed the mark, especially in failing to deliver a proper, aged hunter Valley Semillon, the reds I thought represented Australia very well, with many truly iconic bottlings performing beautifully. We held out a Grenache in a rare show of restraint, but otherwise hit lots of the highlights IMO. I am sure we will draw inspiration from this event as we continue to dig deeper into Australia's offerings.
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