Aussie Night with the GrapeMates
Rocket Restaurant in Chatswood, Sydney
Tasted Monday, October 28, 2013 by JonnyG with 882 views
Introduction
My kind, wine-loving hosts arranged a very fun, informal tasting over a several-hour dinner, which helped continue my enjoyable and still nascent exploration of Australia's wines (plus a few new and old world outliers).
Flight 1 (24 Notes)
Closing
Despite a few instances of bad luck with some of the bottles shared, this was an unqualifiedly enjoyable evening, for which I remain very grateful.
2001 House of Arras Blanc de Blancs 89 Points
Australia, Tasmania
Yeasty bread aromas on the nose, with an extra fine zest, crisp and fresh on the palate, featuring muted citrus notes.
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1998 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1 91 Points
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Pale yellow in appearnace, almost Burgundian. Once a distinct petrol note blew off, the nose featured an enticing blend of melon and lychee. Good acidity on the palate, with plenty of lemon and some steely aspects.
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2002 Petaluma Riesling Hanlin Hill 92 Points
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
An enticing nose of lime, yeast, petrol and floral notes. Quite balanced, with an impressively long finish.
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2006 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill Clare Valley 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
A nose of petrol, citrus and slate. Features mild spices on the palate. Quite high in acidity and with a clipped finish. Faded a bit -- may have been too young.
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1996 Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna Flawed
Australia, South Australia
Oxidized (or perhaps just tired), despite a rich bouquet -- shame...
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2006 Bannockburn Chardonnay S.R.H. 91 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
A bold and full-bodied style that appealed to me. High salinity on the nose, with hints of fennel. Nice acidity, and slightly candied through the mid-palate, but clipped on the finish.
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2010 Bannockburn Pinot Noir 80 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
A bizzarre wine: veritably assaults the taster. The wine was highly aromatic (violets, herbs, stems, smoke, candied orange peel, cranberries), but falls entirely flat on the palate -- acidic and dull I'm afraid.
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2010 William Downie Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula 89 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Good typicity, starting with its complex nose, but lacked complexity and depth to my taste.
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2010 Bass Phillip Pinot Noir Premium 92 Points
Australia, Victoria, Gippsland
Light and cloudy in the glass, with a Burgundian nose (lots of stem evident, and some oak). Well balanced, with a medium finish featuring an odd spearmint taste. Needs a few years to integrate, then should be very special.
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1987 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace Flawed
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Corked, sadly...
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1989 Best's Great Western Shiraz Bin No 0 93 Points
Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western
A beautifully integrated and savory shiraz, with dried berry and floral notes overlayed on faint oak and some light tannins.
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1990 Penfolds Bin 920 93 Points
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Really impressive. The nose featured balsamic notes (others thought VA?). The wine was rich and leathery on the palate, with plenty of fruit and a nice finish. Nuanced and fun.
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1990 Penfolds Bin 90A 94 Points
Australia, South Australia
A tour de force and my fave of the evening, which I think put me in the minority. Classic notes of dark berries, anise and dried herbs, with a wallop of a finish.
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1996 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
A bit flat/faded compared to prior bottles, perhaps impacted by the powerhouse wines with which we drank this, but it seemed to me to lack its usual depth to complement the gentle, mature fruit.
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1997 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot (Diana Madeline) Flawed
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Not corked, but maybe cooked or just plain tired, but it was distinctly raisiny and otherwise off.
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2001 Château de la Négly Coteaux du Languedoc Clos des Truffiers 90 Points
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc
Very one dimensional compared to all other bottles of this I've sampled: too much heat and none of the usual acidity, so came off as very one dimensional and lacking finesse. I'l attribute to bottle variation until proven otherwise.
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2001 Rockford Shiraz SVS Pressings Flawed
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Corked -- tough run of luck here.
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2005 Lake's Folly Cabernets 88 Points
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Once the funk blew of the nose, I quite liked the sweetly perfumed bouquet, but unfortunately found the wine to be rather thin and angular on the palate.
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2008 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 93 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Patience was rewarded with this bottle. When first opened I found it to show too much heat, with an overt sweetness of oak and rasberries that I found offputting. Over time, the savoriness softened and more complex spice profiles emerged, along with candied lychees and a sort of rasberyy compote on the finish.
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1989 Château Cos d'Estournel 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Quite monolithic and hard-edged, will strictly primary characteristics. Still admirable for its typicity, with notes of muted cherry and licorice, makin this worth revisiting in time if one were to be so lucky.
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NV Sami-Odi Shiraz WAC and then we were GONERO 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa
Served blind, I mistook thsi for a Northern Rhone. Spicy and fun, though a bit out of balance and perhaps would benefit from some age.
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NV Baileys of Glenrowan
Australia, Victoria, North East, Glenrowan
No formal notes taken but paled in comparison to the next two wines served.
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2008 Mount Horrocks Riesling Cordon Cut 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
Rich and fun, with a light yellow color and a zing of ripe flavors.
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NV Campbells Muscat Rare Merchant Prince 92 Points
Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
Rich and layered, with folds of coconut/maple/raisin combinations in a satisfying way. Not likely to match well with food as it lacked that acidity to complement the richness.
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