Dinner with the Monthly Group

Park Palace, Grand Park Hotel
Tasted Thursday, September 23, 2010 by Paul S with 484 views

Introduction

Allen and Shin hosted this one. Bubbles were barely okay, but the Diana Madeleine really shone - really glad to have one stashed away somewhere.

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Cuvée Rosé Brut 88 Points

    France, Champagne

    Pretty moribund bottle. Not a bad Champagne, but not great, and quite devoid of character. Slightly muted nose showed some strawberries and mineral. The palate was actually a little imbalanced at first, with a highly acidic sour cherry note - a little tart at the edges and a bit of heat at the finish. With time, the wine did come together somewhat, with the agreesive acidity toning down a little, some attractive lemon flavours opening up the mid-palate, and the finish showing more mineral and a dry backbone. Decent, but very uninspiring. A bit tired actually - storage issues?

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  • 2005 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline 93 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Quite excellent - still in its infancy, but far, far better than a bottle opened about a year back. Lovely nose showed lashings of french oak at first, than fanned out into really nice perfumy flowers, cassis and blueberry scents, along with a touch of herbs and a distinctly savoury, earthy background. Palate had lovely balance, with lots of concentrated black fruit - dark cherries and cassis I thought. However, this not rich nor thick. Instead, everything was expressed in clear, pure, high-toned notes, with lovely acidity laced throughout the wine. Quite beautiful. Again, the savoury earthiness and some slightly meaty notes formed a lovely backdrop, along with accents of spice and herb past the mid-palate. Nicely long, integrated finish too. Still with lots of vanillin-infused oak notes, but I think this will subside with time - it certainly has gone down quite a little over the past 12 months or so. A real yummy wine, clearly new world, but everything an archetypal Margaret River Cab blend should be. Cool climate without being green, and exuberantly fruity without every being candied or uni-dimensional. Nice now, but this should really only really hit its stride in 6-7 years' time.

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