Merlot Madness

B & E host a lovely merlot and merlot dominant blend supper. Everything was double decanted between 2 hours and 1/2 an hour before initial tasting. We then blind tasted the wines reasonably quickly and marked them as entrée or main course dependent on mouth feel and tannin weight. I did an initial taste on decant for the wines I brought along to make sure that they weren't corked and these are marked where appropriate with a double note. Attendees: Ben, Estella, Dave K, Wayne, Frank, Jo and Ivan (and me)

Served with a selection of potato croquette, arancini, bruschetta with tiny grape tomatoes and beef Carpaccio

• 2000 Château Soutard

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Perfume, cedar, leather…red plum fruit. On the palate medium plus acid, light, fine textured tannin, lovely balance, long, very nice. Elegant. Still primary fruit here despite obvious age.

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• 2002 Mount Majura Merlot

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

  Toast, red berry, age, leather…in the mouth the fruit is slightly jammy and there are plenty of age characteristics, including a touch of volatility…for me the wine is just beginning to fall apart structurally but I like it, kind of nice.

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• 2009 Mills Reef Merlot Elspeth

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

  Initially a little dusty then perfumed red berry, vanilla and cream. In the mouth the wine has some basic primary red fruit, quite light acidity without being flabby and slightly chewy tannin. Simple and well made but a touch uninspiring

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• 2001 Château de Gazin Côtes de Bourg

  France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg

  On decant: Farmyard funk, barnyard, horses sweat, saddle leather, slight red berry and bramble, touches of pencil shavings and a spicy note. In the mouth the wine is spicy and juicy with leather, slightly gritty tannin and a slightly acrid note.
  Blind: Cedar, pencil shavings red currant, farmyards. ON the palate fine, slightly chalky tannin, red currant and very slight warmth, elegant. Lovely, for me.

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• 2010 Broadside Merlot Margarita Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  On decant: slightly jubey boiled sweet style fruit, cream and a little spice. On the palate the wine is quite juicy but still with that jubey red fruit note. A little short and a touch of bitterness encroaches. Meh.
  Slightly candied red fruit /jubey. Cream. In the mouth the wine has an acidic lick, some red boiled sweet notes and some tannin. Meh.

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Served with beef stew, mash and green beans

• 2001 Smith & Hooper Merlot Wrattonbully Limited Edition

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully

  slight muted, volatile, bit funky…not much going on from an aroma perspective. In the mouth, though, flavours of marmite, meaty, still very tannic, mature red and black fruit, touches of leather. Medium plus length. Quite nice.

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• 2009 Irvine Grand Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  On decant: concentrated and dense red and black plum and berry. Slight vanilla, spice and alcohol warmth. In the mouth the wine has flavours of jammy red berry and plum which dominate notes of cream, vanilla and spice. Long, massive. Far too young.
  Blind: concentrated red fruit especially plum over vanilla and cream. A touch volatile. On the palate concentrated red plum and berry with some course tannin.

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• 1998 Mountadam Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  redcurrant, leather and some green herbaceous notes. Hot and spicy on the palate with, for me, no real discernible fruit. The wine finishes quite dry. Meh.

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• 2005 Château TrotteVieille

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  slight dusty overtones, concentrated plum, cream, vanilla…flavours of red plum fruit, then fair tannic grip, touches of liquorice and finishes a bit warm. Meh.

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• 2009 Château les Cruzelles

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol

  On decant: concentrated (but perfumed) red berry fruit, cream and vanilla and touches of almost caramel/chocolate. On the palate red berry, slightly chalky tannin with additional flavours of cream and vanilla and caramel oak. Finishes with intrusive alcohol warmth
  Blind: compote red berry and slight currant, vanilla and hints of chocolate. In the mouth the wine is quite light bodied with plenty of primary fruit but it finishes a little short and far too warm. Nope.

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• 2009 Château Chauvin

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  On decant: Cedar, spice, bramble, ripe but not jammy red fruit and very slight funk. In the mouth the wine is textured and velvety with fine tannin, slight red fruit and spice that carry long in the mouth The flavours are, though, medium minus intensity. Nice.
  Blind: concentrated tending to jammy red fruit, slightly savoury with cedar notes. In the mouth the wine is juicy, with muted fruit and savoury notes. Long but lightweight. Hmm

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Just one dessert wine - which was just as well as we were beginning to struggle a bit after the above boozy feast. Lemon tart, mandarin sorbet, tarte tatin, home made vanilla ice cream

• 1993 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon

  Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina

  Deep caramel coloured…aromas of toffee apple, slight orange marmalade and apricot jam and the beginnings of maderisation and oxidation. In the mouth the wine has medium plus acid, tart almost orange and apricot compote rather than jam, slight burnt muscovado sugar quality, touches of lemon peel. Nice.

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Lovely night...Great wine, company and food. The Gazin, though not the best wine of the night, was my favourite closely followed by the Soutard.