WXTP Tasting III

Third time round, and the blind-tasting panel was made up of Joel Payne, Tok Hong and myself. Focus was on three varietals this time round, (non-Loire) Sauvignon Blanc, new world Shiraz / Syrah and Rieslings (primary from the 2011 vintage in Germany).

Quite a bit of interesting stuff in the first two flights. While nothing was truly outstanding, there were some nice wines that represented very good value. On the Rieslings, I was a bit disappointed at my first wide taste of the 2011 vintage. Too be fair, the line-up was rather dominated by wines from Knebel, so it may not be a good representation of the vintage. From what we had though, many of the wines showed very friendly ripe, sweet fruit, sometimes a pradikat level up from what the sticker proclaimed. However, some also lacked the fresh cut and precision from better vintages so that the wines appeared a bit pedestrian after 2009 and 2010 - a bit of a let down given the positive press the vintage has garnered. The one stand-out was the Leitz, which surprised everyone that it was a Rheingau given freshly balanced and poised it seemed, even when compared to the wines from the Mosel and Nahe.

• 2011 Mud House Estate Sauvignon Blanc Woolshed 88 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

  Okay. More reserved on the nose than on the Deakins Estate that preceded it, this showed more in shades of earth and mineral, a gentle note of hay in the background and touches of lime and sweet grapefruit scents. Pretty nice. The palate was rather better balanced than the former wine as well. While more reserved on the fruit notes - this showed citrusy green lemons, limes and a bittersweet grapefruity tang rather than ripe, sweet fruit – it still had a decent depth and staying power, with a more obvious minerality lining the midpalate, something which I liked, and a nice, mouthwatering acidity that called out for some seafood. More importantly perhaps, this wine also did not have the slightly overworked twang that some of the wines on show had. It ended in a decent finish, with a solid streak of stony, flinty mineral notes and just a hint of hay. Just a bit bitter at points I thought, but otherwise, a pretty decent. Drink from now till 2015

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• 2011 Deakin Estates Sauvignon Blanc 84 Points

  Australia, Victoria

  Meh. This had a ripe, fruity nose, full of sweet gooseberries and green guava scents, maybe a bit of lychee, some floral notes, a touch of chalk and spice. Nothing special, but not unpleasant. The palate was not great though. It had quite a bit of body and depth and quite a bit of obvious ripeness to its rich flavours of apples, pears and more green gooseberries petering out into a slightly bittersweet at the finish. There was citrus acidity there, but somehow not all that much liveliness or energy. Drinkablem but simple and not all interesting. one to drink early if at all.

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• 2011 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc 90 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Maybe not one for those who like their Sauvignon Blancs flinty and Sancerre-like, but this was a very pleasant drop, especially considering its price. It had a super tropical nose, just exploding out the glass in thick wafts of longans and lychees, strong aromas of pink guava juice and even a touch of pungent jackfruit – a really assertive bouquet, almost like a tropical fruit cocktail. It was fruitily attractive on the palate too, with rich flavours of lychee and longan on the attack shading into more pink guava notes on a creamily textured the midpalate. A bittersweet twist of fruit pips and a touch of spicy minerality added some complexity on the finish. This was not the most sophisticated of wines, but it was delicious for what it is; and while ripe and fruity, it was still decently balanced if not quite being the crispest white around. As with one or two of the other wines, there was a just little bittersweet touch in the very end that threw me off slightly, but that apart, I enjoyed this. Certainly one for early consumption though - this should give novice and serious drinkers alike quite a bit of easy pleasure over the next year or two.

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• 2010 Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc 87 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  I was not a big fan of this wine. It had a very green nose, with something a bit vegetal, grassy, unripe gooseberry-ish, maybe even a touch of cat’s pee floating over a core of sweet green apple fruit. Not something I liked that much. Thankfully, the palate, while still not great, was a bit better than the nose. It had good depth on the attack and some texture running through rich flavours of lemons and limes. Not bad, and there was a sense of focus and strength on this as it wound its way into midpalate showing some sweet white fruit. Somehow though, it did not come together well, with the various parts of the wine hanging together in rather disparate fashion, showing a rather bitter tang and a slight tartness at the finish. A very middling wine.

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• 2012 Windows Estate Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  This was very enjoyable - a fun, fruity wine that had enough quality to grace both a casual BBQs and a more serious dinners. It had a very floral, perfumy nose, with orange blossoms and jasmine flowers dancing around a clear, lilting whiff of green pear. As it warmed up, some sweet green banana notes drifted out as well. Rather unusual for a Sauvignon Blanc, but really quite pleasant. The palate was very enjoyable - full of bright, racy acidity zipping through pure flavours of green pears. It was a bit one-dimensional maybe, but this had a lovely purity to it and a lively verve that made it a joy to drink. Finished decently too, with a touch of citrusy fruit lingering amidst the pear and more little floral touches emerging. Good stuff – this is a real crowd pleaser. Drink now and over the next 5 years.

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• 2011 Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 88 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  I thought this was a very solid drink at its price. It was clearly different from the antipodean Sauvignon Blancs that we tasted alongside. This showed bits of funky earthiness and a rather caramelly, nutty accent on the nose, and only little shade of white fruited aromas. On the palate, bright, lively acidity was set amidst rather neutral flavours of ripe white fruit and stony mineral. A bit simple. However, I liked the feel and balance on this, there was quite a bit of substance too - it really struck me as a wine that would do better with food. It finished with a bit stone, a whiff of smoke, and just a hint of something that reminded me of asparagus. Decent enough. This needs a bit of time in the bottle – it should improve over the next couple of years and keep going until at least 2015.

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• 2011 Parusso Langhe Bianco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  The rarest of things - a Sauvignon Blanc from Piedmont - yet this was very accomplished, one of the best wines of its flight actually. It had a complex nose, showing a nice mélange of rose petals playing against some gentle earthy, slighty spicy notes, and then back-note of sweet white fruited with a twist of the tropical on it. There was also a little touch of nutty oak at the rear. Nice - somewhat like a cross between Bordeaux blanc and a more new world style. The palate was quite serious, coating the mouth in a creamily textured stream of white fruit seasoned with pinpricks of spice, a nice earthiness and a touch of perfumy dried flowers. While it had a nice weight and heft to it, it was also nicely balanced and focused throughout, with fresh acidity leading the wine into an open-knit, freshly fruited finish with suggestions of peach and nectarine. There was a bit of sulphur in there that needs to be worked though and this also had some oak on it and perhaps more extended contact with lees. While that resulted in a rather complex package, it also meant that this and its stablemate from the same house were the two wines that probably needed the most time amongst the Sauvignon Blancs. I liked it though – this is one I would like to try again in 4-5 years.

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• 2011 Crossroads Sauvignon Blanc 90 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  This was a pretty good efrfort, It had nice nose, with typical Marlborough shades of grass, green apples and bright gooseberries, but these were met with deeper aromas of peach and nectarine, some sweet cidery apple scents, a touch of mushroomy earth and just the tiniest hints of kelp. Quite interesting. I enjoyed this somewhat on the palate too. The fresh, limey acidity just jumps out at you, grabbing your attention with its lively energy. This formed a good frame for bright flavours of blood-orange and limes on a base of greener gooseberry notes. While I did not enjoy the overt greenness all that much, there was nice depth to the wine and a good, lengthy finish pulling away with the lightest peck of seashelly mineral that brought Sancerre to mind. Pretty good.

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• 2010 Parusso Langhe Sauvignon Blanc Bricco Rovella Bianco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Good, but a bit too young to fully appreciate. There was lots of oak on this one, with toasted vanilla scents at the fore of the bouquet, leading the way for sweeter notes of apple, melon, perfumy florals and a nice, savoury base with mushroomy notes. The palate was rich and fleshy, again very much influenced by sweet, creamy oak and showing ripe, almost hot fruit, with sweet red apples and stone fruited notes along with more of those perfumy florals picked up on the nose. This was well-balanced and had nice substance and depth - a rather complete wine all the way into a good, strong finish, with fleshy white fruit rounded off by a touch of earth that stainied the back-palate and lingered on quite convincingly. A wine with very good promise, but it is just too much cloaked by oak at the moment to really appreciate. This is very much one for the future – try in 2015, it should improve quite a bit by then.

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• 2009 Balgownie Estate Shiraz Black Label 80 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria

  Not flawed or badly made, but I did not like this one bit. It had a very outgoing nose, rather sweet, with deep plumy notes, blackberry scents, lots of sweet spice and a whiff of sasarapilla root – quite root-beer like at points. Not unpleasant, but a bit in-your-face. The palate was similarly fruit driven, with sweet blackberries, ripe plums, maybe black cherries on an earthy, meaty backdrop. It ended in a twist of bittersweet herb and menthol. I thought this was decently balanced on the attack and midpalate, but it dried up into a clunky, unpleasantly bitter finish. Not entirely undrinkable, but I did not like this at all. Not sure it will improve either - drink now or never.

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• 2007 Brothers in Arms No. 6 78 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek

  Quite yucky. Again, not undrinkable, but not much good at all. We got another very sweet nose here, with black and blueberries at the forefront, a lot of smoky notes at the sides and a minty, eucalyptus twang floating alongside. Quite artificial and not altogether attractive. If anything, the palate was even worse – a strange mix of sweet, syrupy, almost medicinal black fruit and bitter, grainy herbal notes, this is not a wine I would serve to friends. Lowish acidity, clumsy alcohol and over-extracted tannins on the finish compounded the whole nasty package. Yucks.

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• 2009 Windows Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Basket Pressed 86 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  An okay wine. It had an very expressive nose with a touch of funky earth layered over some mushroomy, mossy notes, a deeper layer of sweet plums, some flowers and a slightly umami meatiness. Not bad. The palate was a lot more one-dimensional, but quite drinkable – certainly a lot more balanced than the first two on the flight if anything. It had very modern, slightly gummy flavours of blackberries and kirsch topped out with a good bit of acidity and plush tannins and finished with a twist of menthol and herb. Commercial, modern, very simple, but not undrinkable – one for the office BBQ party. Drink now or hold over the next 4-5 years.

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• 2010 Xabregas Shiraz 88 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker

  This was quite decent. It had such a very modern-Australian nose, with notes of rubber and eucalyptus and a little toss of earth sprinkled over sweet black fruited aromas. The palate was rich and ripe, with big flavours of black plums and berries held up by powdery, slightly bitter tannins that coated the backpalate lightly. With a bit of time, some bits of meat and earth and little spicy notes emerge to undergird the sweet fruit. I did not like this exceptionally, but there was decent raw material, with good structure and balancing acidity. It needs time still and should improve over the next 5 years.

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• 2010 First Drop Shiraz Mother's Milk 87 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  A bit of a strange name for a wine, and the fancy bottle label smacked of marketing aimed at the casual consumer. However, while not being very good, this was not all that bad either. It was a bit more reserved nose than most of the other wines, showing rather deep-set notes of kirsch and blackberry seasoned with some funky earth, fragrant herbs and a layer of sweet oak. Decent enough. The palate was modernly-styled, but pleasant enough, with a rich, supple mouthful of black fruit – plums and blackberries – lined with firm but velvety tannins and some well-integrated acidity. My problem was that it was just a tad too extracted, with an overt dryness on the backpalate as the fruit receded to reveal a skeleton of teeth-staining tannins and some herbal notes. There is decent raw material here again though and it should age decently over the next 3-4 years. Not great, but not a bad wine.

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• 2006 Bellingham Syrah The Bernard Series Basket Press 86 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl

  A bit of pity - this was quite an incomplete wine. Good at parts, a bit unpleasant at others. Once could spot it as a South African wine from a mile away. It was very smoky on the nose, almost burnt-rubber like – an unfortunate occurence of a characteristic that has slowly started disappeared from top South African bottling. Beyond that, there were ripe, almost confected aromas of plums and sweet oaky notes chasing the smoked rubber notes. A bit odd overall. The palate was a bit disjointed too. There were parts that I liked – fresh acidity on the attack, fine tannins, bright fruit, but the whole was rather less than the sum of the parts, with noticeable alcohol and a rather hollow feel at parts of the midpalate just before a menthol and dried-leaf infused finish set in. Not disastrous, certainly quaffable in the right occasion, but not very nice either. Drink now or over the next few years.

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• 2007 Brothers in Arms Shiraz Sixth Generation Langhorne Creek 88 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek

  This is a world away from what my ideal Shiraz / Syrah tastes like but, in all fairness, it was actually quite decent. We had yet another rather sweet nose here, with cooked cherries and stewed berries mingling with lifted aromas of smoky rubber, some toasted earth and a whiff of violets. It might have been pleasant but for wafts of glycerol that sprung out of the glass. The palate was huge – big, thick, alcoholic, with a mouthcoating viscosity to its deep flavours of ripe plums, blackberries, maybe cassis and even some raisin flavours on the attack. Tons of depth and substance here, and I liked the savoury, earthy, meaty bass-notes on the midpalate that played up alongside the fruit. However, while not imbalanced, this was perhaps totting towards the egde, with the tons of alcohol rather distracting from the other qualities of the wine. It finished as it started, fresh enough, but with a huge punch of syrupy fruit. Really not my style at all – very overblown – but I could see how some would enjoy this. Drink now for the fruit or hold for 10 years in the hope that it will mellow into something more complex.

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• 2010 Xabregas Shiraz Figtree Vineyard 90 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Great Southern

  This wine shows some promise. It had sweet, confected notes of plums and blueberries on the nose, some cassis and plenty of lifted violet aromas and herbal notes - I got menthol and eucalyptus, even a bit of lemongrass – and then a layer of sweet oak. Attractive enough, if not always something that I look for in Shiraz with its candied sweetness. The palate was surprisingly pleasant after the nose though, with a clarity to it that was missing in a lot of the other bottlings in the Shiraz flight, allowing for a sense of purity in its very sweet blue and red fruited flavours. Still very primary, almost a bit simple, but this was a nicely made wine, with a good sense of focus and precision to its flavours and a bright freshness to it. Good acidity and fine tannins led into a slightly bittersweet but still finely-shaped finish full of plumy fruit flavours that trailed away into the distance. Way too young to drink and rather too sweet for me, but this was quite well-made. It also did much better with food than without. Give it 10 years, it should do well in time.

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• 2010 Xabregas Shiraz Spencer Vineyard 91 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Great Southern

  This was my favourite from the Shiraz flight. Still too young, but it was a well-made example. I liked the nose here, with its earthy base beneath rich scents of plums and blackberries, seasoned with touch of mocha, some savoury meatiness and just a hint of eucalyptus at the sides. No one would accuse this of being subtle, but it was certainly not shouting for attention as much as some of the other wines on show. I kinda liked that. While the Xabregas Figtree Vineyard Shiraz that preceded it was was more feminine, this was definitely on the masculine side, with a muscular feel to its rich flavours of black cherries, plums and cassis on a nicely earthy, meaty base. Good fresh acidity and fine, slightly chewy tannins formed a solid structure for the fruit as it wound its way into a lengthy finish. Very, very young, very primary, but this has pretty good promise as well. Like its stable-mate, it did a lot better with food than without. One to try again in 2018-2020.

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• 2011 Dönnhoff Riesling Trocken 87 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  Nothing special, but this was a pretty solid QbA. It started out a bit slowly, but got better with time and air. On first pour, its came across as very young, very tight on the nose nose, with hints of stony mineral, some green apples, gooseberry and white flower nuances, all showing very subtly. The palate had some richness to it for a wine at this level, with thickish flavours of green apples and gooseberries chased by a citrusy midpalate of grapefruit and lemon. These were then lined at the finish by stony, chalky mineral and a touch of perfumy flowers. Very simple, a bit lacking in cut and precision I thought, but certainly a very decent, solidly built Riesling. This was one of the two wines that I had the chance to retaste over a few days - the time certainly did the bottle a world of good, with the wine showing best on day 5, with a freshness and live to it that was missing when first poured. Okay to drink now, but it should improve if held over the next few years.

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• 2011 Weingut Knebel Riesling Von den Terrassen trocken 88 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Decent. It had a very stony, minerally nose, with a touch of mushrooms, some white fruit and a hint of sweet lemons - rather reserved, but I liked the profile here. The palate was still very tight, not showing much beyond a layer of white fruit lined with citrusy notes and a very minerally finish, where a little floral note peeked out. Very delineated, focused, but it needs a lot more time. At the moment, it is decent drink, but rather uncomplicated and not all that interesting. There is some promise here though, and I thought it was perhaps just a touch better than the entry-level Donnhoff QbA that preceded it. No harm drinking now with appropriate food, but I would hold over the next few years.

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• 2011 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Kabinett 87 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Okay, but not great. This had a very sweet nose for a Kabinett, foreshadowing the rest of the wine, with ripe aromas of fuzzy peaches and nectarines with a ring of musky white flower scents. The palate, with its sweet stone fruited flavours lined with a good bit of minerality, was particularly ripe for a Kabinett, something that was augmented by the fact that it had rather half-hearted acidity. While not a bad drink, this was a bit disappointing for a Mosel Kabinett in its rather shapeless, unenergetic form. Hold for a couple of years before drinking - it should shed some baby fat, but I doubt this will ever be a first-class Riesling.

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• 2011 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Spätlese 89 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A nice enough drink. While still not a great wine, this was much better than the Kabinett. There was quite a bit of sulphur on the nose, but beneath that, there were pleasant if rather tight notes of white fruits and flowers. The SO2 was rather distracting though. Like many of the 2011s, the palate was noticeably rich and fleshy, with apricot and other stone-fruited notes at the forefront, and then a rather more serious flinty minerality and a nice, lemony uplift on the midpalate. It finished with a lick of spice and sweet honey. Simple at this stage of its evolution, but there was a nice backbone and shape to this wine. While not the most compelling now, it should be enjoyable given a few years in the bottle.

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• 2011 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese 93 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  What a gorgeous Spätlese - this was far and away my favourite wine of the tasting. It was very tight on the nose initially, almost reductive maybe, with a touch of struck matchstick to go along with subtle scents of stone fruit and mineral. Given a bit of time though, it opened up beautifully into tropical tones of lychee, pineapple and sweeter apricots scents - still a bit one-dimensionally fruity, but rather pretty. As expected from a 2011, the palate had a nice, moreish richness to it, but this was underpinned by a zip and freshnes that put the Mosels on show to shame. Here, bright flavours of lemons, orange and grapefruit were speared through by surprisingly sprightly acidity which lent the wine a lovely purity in spite of its Rheingau weight and the sweetness of the vintage - I really liked the energy and verve that it displayed. While it had a lot of depth, it was still the crisp focus and nice lines on the wine that really stood out, with little shades of minerality just peeking out here and there beneath the fruit. Great finish too – long, powerful and persistent, with a lovely citrus glow underlined by some sweet stone fruit notes. Obviously very young and really primary, but boy there is a lot to admire about this wine. It should be smashing in 6-7 years and has the bones to keep developing for a long, long time after that. Leitz has been amazingly consistent over the past few years, and to be able to produce something so fine and controlled from a vintage marked by lower acidities - bravo!

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• 2011 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben 90 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Pretty good. This was quite a bit better than either the Kabinett or the straight Spätlese from Knebel. It was tight and a bit reductive on the nose, with a little matchstick note floating around some nutty accents and very subtle white fruited aromas touched with a hint of earthiness. The palate was a real shift in gear after that though. Rich, fleshy, almost fatty and oily-textured in its sweet flavours of honeyed apricots and stone fruited notes, but still balanced enough in spite of its richness and lined with some flinty minerality. Again maybe just lacking in cut and focus. However, this was a pleasant, well-made wine. Not very compelling for the time being, but it should improve with time in the bottle

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• 2011 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Auslese 91 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  While not perfect, I thought this was a pretty good wine that should be a pleasure to drink given time and patience. It had a Lovely nose, with sweet droplets of golden honey, sweet lemons and apples, some oolong tea and a perfumy drift of chamomile – very pretty. The palate was really sweet, with an almost syrupy layer of lychee crème, Poire William and apple sauce flavours – delicious and moreish, super-rich, but thankfully still drinkable given the decent, if not exactly fresh acidity on the attack and midpalate. Make no mistake though, this was far sweeter than one would expect from a Mosel Auslese – this was easily a GKA or even a light BA - so much so that with thick layers of honey and nectar, even brown sugar flavours undergirding the already sweet fruit, a lack of balancing acidity started to show somewhat at the finish, which plodded home rather unconvincingly. I remember thinking after this wine and the two higher praidkat-level wines that followed that these were a recipe for instant diabetes. It should be good when the sugars have had some time to mellow and more complexity starts showing though, but that needs tons and tons of time yet – try again in 20 years.

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• 2011 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Auslese 92 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A solid wine. This was a step up from the 2011 Knebel Winninger Rottgen Auslese that preceded it. We had a very nice nose here, with a wash of honey and white peach aromas, a touch of mineral, some oolong tea and white flowers – a very pleasing bouquet. The palate showed a richness quite beyond standard Auslesen territory again, but it nevertheless very nice indeed, with beautiful flavours of sweet apples and white peach soaked in a good bit of honeycomb and nectar. Past the midpalate, the sweet, honeyed notes were wreathed by a nice, slightly more lifted ring of osmanthus flowers and oolong tea flavours pulling away in a deliciously long finish. It is rather too sweet and needs lots more time in the bottle to be truly enjoyable. However, there was clearly solid raw material here, with a really impressive purity to it in spite of its richness. It is perhaps a bit less racy or delineated then I would like, but still very good indeed. This too needs something like 20 years in the bottle, but it should be excellent in time.

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• 2011 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Beerenauslese

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  I could not rate this - it was just far too overwhelmingly sweet to properly assess. In the glass, we got a deep, monolithic nose, showing rather one-dimensional aromas of grape sugars backed by tons of nectar and honey, some sweet, dried apricot scents and just the tiniest a soupcon of tea-leaf aromas. The palate was super-rich, ubder-sweet and completely viscous – it coated ever nook and cranny of the palate with something akin to dried apricots and candied apples, melted, liquefied and boiled in honey until it was as thick as treacle. So sweet, it was barely drinkable. I could not assess this. This will take decades to come round and I would love to try it in say 10 years to assess its progress. Not one for the short-term though.

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