Dinner at Michelle and Boren's

JerM has been wanting to put this together for sometime, so my recent visit to Sydney was a great chance for dinner with Michelle and Boren, along with a couple of old friends. We had some fantastic food cooked by Boren (roast duck, beef and chicken rice) to go with very interesting old Aussie wines. Michelle's palate, especially for someone with a one-month old baby, was astounding - nailing almost everyone of the wines.

• 2000 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 91 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Coming to the end of its drinking window, but this was a good wine that was very much enjoyed by all. It had a ripe nose that could not be anything but a new world Chardonnay, with rich yellow stone fruit aromas shaded by tropical tones and developed scents of honey, caramel and spice. A hint of buttery oak and oatmeal more or less confirmed that it was new world for me. A decent nose though. The palate was pretty large scaled, but also very well-controlled, with quite a good amount of orangey citrus acidity laced through its ripe stone fruit flavours, with nectarines at the fore, and then pineapple tones at the midpalate before another toasty, oatmeal twist and a nice dose of spiciness at the end. This was quite nice indeed, but about time to drink up I think, as the wine seem to be coming apart and losing its shape slightly at the edges.

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• 2008 The Hay Paddock Syrah Harvest Man 88 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island

  This was very unsual. It took me quite a long while before even recognizing it as a Syrah when served blind. The nose started out really green and stalky, with a herby, vine-stemmy note curled around high-toned scents of sweet cassis, blackcurrants with a touch of funk and meat in the background. To compound things, there was some glycerol swirling in there as well. The palate was just as confusing, It was clearly new world in its sweet tones of black and blue fruits laced with tons of spice and more stalky, brambly notes and just a touch of toasty French oak notes at the back. It was neither heavy enough to be say an Aussie Shiraz, nor light enough to be a Pinot. Freshly balanced, it had fine tannins, an okay amount of depth with rather elegant feel - all in all pretty decent, but just a bit on green side for me.

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• 1997 Devil's Lair Cabernet Merlot Margaret River 92 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  I really rather liked this. It had an attractive nose, with earth, eucalyptus and bay leaf, lots of cassis and blue berries, and a nice meatiness in the background. The palate was very youthful for a Margaret River wine approaching its 15th year, it was nicely rounded yet still full of energy and freshness, with fine, firm tannins and supple acidity forming a nice structure for bright cassis and blue and black berry flavours tailing away into light notes of spice and bramble and with little tail of ferrous mineral. There was a nice amount of depth and authority on this wine, which paired with the ferrous notes at the finish actuallu made me guess Coonawarra rather than Margaret River initially, but the elegant freshness that it showed really should have been a telltale sign. Really enjoyable - this was a good example of the quality of Cabernet Western Australia can produce in the hands of a good winemaker.

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• 1986 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  A lovely wine, probably my favourite of the night. It took awhile for a very musty, almost muddy-smelling layer of funk to blow off, but it when it did, the wine opened up into a lovely nose of sweet cassis and ferrous earth seasoned with liberal amounts of herbs and bramble and spice – a lovely introduction to a lush, plush, delicious palate, with beautifully pure flavours of ripe cassis and blackberries showing a nice ring of tomato-ey freshness. The tannins have have softened into velvety feel, carrying the wine into gentle, almost elegant finish, where the black fruit was met by pretty notes of violets, herby tobacco and a lovely drift of black tea. Less complex and interesting than a lovely 1987 that we had in Singapore at the turn of last year, but this was fresher and better structured, and may well overtake its younger brother in a couple of years.

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• 1996 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch Flawed

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  A real pity. This was corked, with lots of wet cardboard scents masking otherwise pleasant aromas notes of spice, herbs and cassis in the nose. The palate was actually quite impressive in spite of clear TCA taint. Really fresh, lively and juicy, it still held pure, almost high-toned notes of cassis with a twist of tea at the back. Pity it was a clearly a bit scalped and the finish was truncated and cardboardy, because this would otherwise have been some wine, with an impressive depth, lovely balance and fine structure still holding.

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• 2006 Domaine Grand Veneur Côtes du Rhône Villages Les Champauvins 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages

  70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Our only old world wine on the night –a rather modern take, but this was still clearly a Southern Rhone when blind. It started out with a big warm nose, full sweet, ripe cherries and red berry aromas along with some glycerol at first, but this blew off somewhat to show a more savoury backdrop of dried earth, warm stones and very Provencale scents of garrigue, pepper and wild. Quite pretty actually. I thought the palate was pretty good. It was still rather primary, but had a clean, clear feel that I like, with simple but pure flavours of red cherries and berries ringing with fresh acidity. It finished with lots of peppery spice sprinkled on a bed of firm, fine tannins. Very structured for a CdR I thought. Pretty good for what it is.

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• 1956 Penfolds Club Tawny 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia

  This had a really complex, interesting nose, with musky shades of earth, mahogany wood and a whiff of penicillin wed to malty aromas of pecan pie, treacle and golden syrup. The palate was still really sweet even after over sixty years, so much so that I thought this needed more acidity. However, it was far from imbalanced or cloying. In fact, it was actually really yummy, with rich, thick flavours that echoed the nose in tones of treacle and golden syrup, pecan pie and malt, sprinkled with sweet five spice notes over a molasses filled finish. This had superb complexity wed to a delicious more-ishness. Almost perched between a vintage Port and an old Madeira in character, it was a unique wine of real character. A treat.

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