NobleRottersSydney - Vintage Night 96-00
Alio's, Surry Hills
Tasted Monday, April 12, 2010 by graemeg with 645 views
Introduction
April 2010 saw a regular Rotters theme – Vintage Night – make a reappearance. After recent nights dominated by white wines, it was no surprise to see an ocean of darker-coloured bottles on the table. Despite the fairly broad theme – 1996- 2000 from anywhere – there was still the odd recalcitrant non-conforming bottle. And a number of candidates for wine-of-the-night…
Flight 1 (13 Notes)
Closing
I also took an indecipharable note on something called Julia’s Vineyard Ice Block – a sweet wine from I don’t know where. What was that?
Nice wines, especially the Folly, Lagrange and the late Greg Trott’s flagship Wirra reds...
2007 Petaluma Croser
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Piccadilly Valley
[13%, cork] {David} Youthful nose of fresh-baked sourdough. Very appealing. Palate is predictably clean, rather anonymous as far as fruits go – perhaps a touch of pinot/strawberry, but discreet; light-medium bodied. Medium-sized, rather aggressive bubbles, crisp, medium-length finish – a somewhat hectoring wine at this age. Needs to calm down for a while.
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1991 Brown Brothers Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Australia, Victoria
{David} Deep yellow. An aging nose of meady, cheesy aromas. The palate is showing plenty of life structurally, although the fruit is broadening out rather flatly on the palate. There are medium-sized delicate bubbles still supporting the show, although the finish is pretty short. Still, the medium-weight yeasty flavours pack a decent punch for what was a mid-range wine never really intended to last this long.
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1996 Labouré-Roi Pommard
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard
[13%, cork] {Stephen} Actually marker "Pommard 1er Cru", but I'll refrain from creating another record for a wine this old.
A aged nose of meat and peat. Almost promisingly smelly, but sadly overlaid with oxidation. The palate is better, however, with mushroom and earth flavours initially soft, but then growing more astringent, despite the generally light-weight nature of the wine. An even palate, although of low intensity, which just finishes with a little alcoholic warmth. Better 5 years ago, methinks.
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2003 Château de Pez
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe
[13%, cork] {Bruce} A hot ripe vintage gave Bordeaux winemakers the chance to make California cabernet as never before. A youthful nose of jam – the blackcurrant and blackberry aromas are all very seductive and come-hither. The palate adds a charcoally touch to the black fruit flavours; the medium-body offers medium weight powdery tannins, a touch of graphite to the texture, and a pretty generous mouthfeel overall. This is no austere Estephe. Medium-length finish, and plenty of juicy mid-palate to fill it out. Drink anytime!
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1996 Château Lagrange (St. Julien)
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien
[13%, cork] {Graeme} This garnet wine is rather more classical, with developing cigar-box, lead pencil and aging cassis aromas. A beautifully seductive nose. The palate is in line with the nose, perfectly balanced; a medium weight wine in every respect, with resolving chalky tannins, lovely length of flavour along the palate, and a gentle lingering finish. Archetypal Brodeaux.
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1998 Lake's Folly Red Blend
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
[13.6%, cork] {Gordon} Yet another bottle to redeem Lake’s Folly’s reputation among the Rotters. Following Lagrange, it’s a more overtly fruity nose, despite the developed nature of the aromas. Charcoal and liquorice leap from the black fruit/cabernet nose, but not excessively so. Warm red fruits flood the palate, with a sweet tinge to them; the wine is rich and medium-full bodied, with soft powdery tannins, an even palate, and a medium length finish with just a touch of earth as evidence of its aging; this ought to see another 5-10 years quite happily. Very impressive wine.
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1996 Sevenhill Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
[12.7%, cork] {Kim} The first seriously old-smelling wine of the night (and served blind). All dark green-tingeed aromas; capsicum, mint/menthol. The palate is pretty low key; subdued aged dark fruit flavours are subsiding in the face of the rather strong chalky tannins; the wine is pretty angular and verging on one-dimensional; just this blend of dark green fruits and astringency. It’s pleasant enough, but there’s no improvement left.
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1996 Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa
Australia, South Australia, Barossa
[14%, cork] {Geoffrey} Here’s a wine that speaks authentically of its place, rather than its variety. It smells aged, but the ripe plum and fruit-cake aromas clearly point to a warm climate, and the plush warm flavours, tinged with vanilla oak all make a solid case for a mainstream Barossa red. Sadly though, this example is now on its last legs, relatively speaking; although the flavours are attractive enough in a medium bodied way, they remain pretty simple at heart and fade even as they approach the mid-palate; the attenuated finish says this wine will only decline further.
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1998 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
[14%, cork] {Ron} Few wines have displayed such bottle variation as this. Looking aged, with bricking at the rim of the garnet core, the aromas offered on this occasion are a lightweight and sweetish kind of candied lollywater, with only a touch of horsehair-ish brett. The wine is very lightweight on the palate; spicy in flavour but also bretty, candied and rather simple. Light-bodied, with soft chalky tannins, nothing much even on the mid-palate; it might be an acceptable wine in its own right but it’s a travesty for a Mt Edelstone.
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1998 Wirra Wirra Cabernet Sauvignon The Angelus
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
[14%, cork] {Greg} Solid garnet. What a grand cabernet nose; rich, luscious and upholstered black fruits with just enough austerity to the aromas to be true to the variety. The palate is medium-full bodied, intensely flavoured, with medium-weight dusty tannins and enough lumpy fruitiness to suggest that it still needs more time to coagulate properly. As ever with McLaren Vale, it’s a wine more visceral than cerebral, but none-the-worse for that; there’s richness of flavour right to the back palate, with a dignified medium length finish. No rush to drink this; another 5 years will only help I reckon.
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1998 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Chook Block
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
[14%, cork] {Glenn} Solid garnet. Impressive and inviting nose of jammy red berries; strawberry, blackberry, raspberry. Luscious and lavish. Vanillan oak notes integrated. The aromas just become more intense as it sits (not previously decanted). The palate is a tour-de-force of controlled McLaren Vale power, packed with rich ripe red fruit flavours, and dash of raisiny complexity, it’s full-bodied, with medium powdery tannins, and a long even finish. Despite the size, it’s not clumsy or oafish, and unfolds layers of flavour in an almost subtle way. Nigh on irresistible. Ought to hold for a while, but don’t hesitate to open now.
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2005 Nugan Estate Sémillon Botrytis Cookoothama
Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina
[375ml, 11.5%, cork] {David} Only minimal notes on this golden glass, I’m afraid - a rich deep apricot/caramel wine; a typical Griffith botrytis effort, being rich, thick and syrupy. Enough acid to just retain freshness, but still a bit simple. Drink now.
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2006 Margan Sémillon Botrytis
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
[375ml, 10.5%, screwcap] {David} From the Broke sub-region. A developing leathery/pineapple nose. The palate is pretty clean and simple and a bit metallic-tasting , with straw-like fruits, but still very sweet and one-dimensional. Drink up.
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