NobleRottersSydney - blind 17 Chard & 14 Shiraz
Fix, St James, Sydney
Tasted Wednesday, February 2, 2022 by graemeg with 133 views
Introduction
Aaron hosts a blind night of 2017 Chardonnay and 2014 Shiraz. Double blind to us, single to him, with the hint that there was one French ringer in otherwise local, but geographically spread, line-ups. Fourteen table wines among the nine of us (incl guest Adrian). Plus fizz & sweets. Wines in the blind flights are served in pairs, with a vote at the end for first / second / last among the chardonnays, and first + last among the shirazzes. Wines unmasked together at the end of the flight, after the voting. Also note that voting tended to cluster around the table seating, at least with the chardonnays, so maybe we were too influenced by peers’ opinions! I ‘fessed my blind guesses, just to document my ignorance.
Flight 1 - Fizz & Chardonnay (9 Notes)
Reflection: Votes for first place were shared between just three wines; the chardonnay trophy goes to Pooley on the back-up votes! Interesting to see the cheapest wine – Seppelt – doing well too. I guess the rest are priced somewhere in the $50-$80 range (for current vintage). I think any of the wines with 1st or 2nd votes would benefit from a bit more cellaring.
Flight 2 - Shiraz & sweets (7 Notes)
Reflection: The Shiraz opinions were more evenly split, although they still coalesced around two wines. All bottles could have used another five years in the cellar, but it was instructive to taste, particularly since there were no real stylistic outliers and they all fell (I assume?) in the $60-$90 range for current release.
NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve
France, Champagne
{12%} [Greg] Powerhouse, attractively pungent nose of yeast and sourdough. Medium-bodied palate of developing chardonnay fruit, sitting in the middle of the tongue, not so much at the back. Medium-sized, creamy bubbles with a dusty dry finish. Very impressive, with the
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2017 Voyager Estate Chardonnay
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
{screwcap, 13.5%} Classy, youthful nose and flavours of figs, nuts, french oak. Vanilla aspect on the palate, malo-influenced style. But still rich fruit. Medium/full body, medium acid. Picks up a citric aspect as it sits. Medium length finish ; barely showing much age yet. Even palate. Cellaring will be fine. Seemed very Margaret River to me. Evidently a polarising wine : Votes: three x 1st (Glenn, Adrian, Graeme), three x last (Gordon, Greg, Stephen)!
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2017 Dexter Chardonnay
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
{screwcap, 13.5%} Gluey, sulphurous, with oak and grapefruit. Cleaned up a bit with air. Ripe, yellow squash, melon flavours. Medium body, medium acid, medium length finish. Needs time both in glass and cellar! I guessed Hunter, or at least warm climate. Bzzzt! Votes: two x last (Adrian, DavidM).
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2017 Pooley Chardonnay Cooinda Vale
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
{screwcap, 13.5%} This seemed very cold in the glass, which muted the nose a bit. Peat, mead and oak. Complex. Vanilla bean too; oak grew stronger but it’s always classy. Medium/full body, medium acid. I thought it a touch monochromatic somehow. Short/medium length finish. More time likely to help. I guessed Victoria – Drumborg or Grampians. Votes: three x 1st (Greg, DavidM, Aaron), two x 2nd (Gordon, Stephen).
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2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire
France, Burgundy, Chablis
{cork?, 12.5%} Translucent in hue beside the previous wines. Less oaky. Clean nose, pure sandstone, minerals, with a hint of honey. Light/medium body, dry, still with sweet fruit, a bit earthy in texture. Medium length finish that just fades a little. Tidy, not that exciting. Not sure cellaring will help much. Definitely French (non-screwcap a big hint!); I stupidly guessed Mersault; maybe ill-considered in light of the minimal oak? Votes: two x 2nd (Glenn, Adrian)
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2017 Silkman Wines Chardonnay Maluna Vineyard
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
{screwcap, 12%} Clean nose, mild citrus, subtle. Anonymous or discreet, depending on your preference. Some grassiness and earth. Medium weight, just. Short/medium length, dry finish. Maybe age will help. Not a stand-out here. Mt Barker? Great Southern? Votes: one x 2nd (Aaron), one x last (DavidH)
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2017 Oakridge Chardonnay Willowlake Vineyard
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.3%} Exotic spicy note. Grapefruit with sugar. Palate rides a bit on oak. Tangy acid bite, medium weight. Short/medium finish. I found this unconvincing somehow; almost contrived. Adelaide Hills? Votes: two x 2nd (Greg, DavidH).
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2017 Eden Road Chardonnay The Long Road
Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba
{screwcap, 13%} Sweaty nose with mango. Tasted confected to me. Mild flavours, little oak, light/medium body, low/medium acid, short finish. Not convinced at all! South Aust, I thought; Barossa? Votes: two x last (Glenn, Graeme
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2017 Seppelt Chardonnay Jaluka
Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Henty
{screwcap, 12.5%} Warm and buttery. Grainy oak and nicely etched acidity. Grapefruit-edged flavours, medium/full in weight. Good balance along palate, medium/long finish. Quite good, could use a bit of time. No regional guess from me; I was mired in confusion by this point. Votes: three x 1st (Gordon, Stephen, DavidH), two x 2nd (DavidM, Graeme), one x last (Aaron)
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