Voyager Estate Masterclass 2011

Wonderful Voyager Estate Masterclass hits town again. Fortunately this year I managed to get to the trade and to the public tasting...alas I threw away the (detailed) tasting notes from the trade tasting and retained the (scruffy, some swallowing, not really paying attention) tasting notes from the public tasting. Apologies if they are a little terse and light.

Increasingly the gap appears to be narrowing between some of the Aussies and the Burgundies though the other new world wines (US, South Africa, New Zealand) do appear to be a little off the eight ball.

• 2008 Kistler Chardonnay Les Noisetiers

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  Tropical fruit, butterscotch, very lovely

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• 2008 Felton Road Chardonnay Central Otago

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

  Sulphur, gun flint, malolactic , oak that are all over stone fruit. In the mouth it is generous mouth feel, spice, almost white pepper. Hmm.

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• 2008 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  herbal/floral over oak...apricot, cream but no obvious malo. Big fruit, over-engineered, but not US, oak...tannin and spice.

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• 2008 Voyager Estate Chardonnay

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Stone fruit over citrus and spice. Ginger and stone fruit, nice mouth feel...lovely.

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• 2008 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Medium plus acid, young, lees, malo, oak...all in balance and beautifully structured...if it has a fault the fruit is a little out of whack.

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• 2008 Kooyong Chardonnay Faultline

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

  Slight tart citrus, grapefruit, mineral>alcohol heat, no real oak or malolactic, medium plus acid tang...a bit dull.

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Again the stylistic differences between the Northern Rhone and the rest of the world are stunningly obvious. This was one of my "I like Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier" days though...

• 2009 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Vineyard

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

  Blackfruit, black pepper...jammy and concentrated. Medium plus acid, over engineered, yeast extract - marmite...too concentrated...wrong.

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• 2009 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  Perfume, apricot, black fruit that is balanced in the wines structure. Very good.

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• 2009 Jasper Hill Shiraz Georgia's Paddock

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote

  Mint, green over red and black fruit, green peppercorns over slight rubber/wet cardboard notes. Little wet, light tight, little hot. Ugh.

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• 2009 Voyager Estate Shiraz

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Toast, perfume, green peppercorn, black but not jammy fruit, biscuit. In the mouth, medium plus acid and tannin, black fruit and pepper. Some spice, needs time as the tannin is still dominating fruit.

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• 2009 Bernard Burgaud Côte-Rôtie

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Green peppercorns, biscuit, toasty oak, spice, sweaty horse, less funk. In the mouth peppercorns, meat, savoury and slight funk.

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• 2009 Shaw and Smith Shiraz

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  Muted black fruit, that opens. Cream, vanilla. Drying tannin and slightly astringent. Good.

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The Ornellaia was my wine of the bracket.

• 2007 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard Glengyle

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  slight menthol, eucalyptus, blackcurrant, perfume, and cedarwood. In the mouth the fruit is very concentrated to an almost savoury level, the oak is intrusive. Ugh.

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• 2007 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Almost seaside, slightly burnt/jammy, medium minus intensity. In the mouth it has leather and mouth watering acidity over black fruit cream and vanilla. Young.

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• 2007 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Slight green, eucalyptus, muted red fruit. In the mouth it has punchy drying tannin and slight portiness. Very young.

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• 2007 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Leather, slightly funky and herby. Oak, biscuit and cedar, perfumed top notes and hints of chocolate malt. In the mouth it is smoky, red fruit that is almost cherry, touches of marzipan, tannic grip and medium plus acid. Lovely but lack typicity.

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• 2007 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore

  Red fruit, oak, toast, massive tannin, meaty, glorious. Finally doesn't disappoint.

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• 2007 Château Léoville Las Cases

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  toast, coffee, chocolate, oak, tannic...lots of structure...still very young.

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A truly great tasting that makes me very happy.