Decanter Australia and New Zealand Fine Wine Encounter

The Landmark Hotel, London.
Tasted Saturday, May 21, 2005 by Vinoguy with 1,425 views

Introduction

Brief impressions of the wines tasted during a short walk around the two main tasting rooms.

Flight 1 - A few wines from New Zealand (4 Notes)

  • 2002 Jackson Estate Riesling 89 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    Perfumed nose of lemons and limes. Dry with a pleasant mouth feel and medium weight body. Good concentration with fresh acidity and a nice finish.

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  • 2003 Jackson Estate Pinot Noir 88 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    Attractive Pinot nose. Medium bodied, nice fruit flavours – a little simple but pleasant. Finishes a little short.

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  • 2004 Nautilus Estate Sauvignon Blanc 90 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    Gooseberry and freshly cut grass explode from the glass on the nose and palate. Nicely balanced. Good value at UK9.99. 89 – 90.

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  • 2004 Nautilus Estate Pinot Noir 88 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    A sweet nose of berry fruit and a hint of tobacco. Quite an “elegant” palate but with a short finish. At UK14.99 it’s over priced in my opinion. The nose earns it a generous 88/100.

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Flight 2 - Australian whites (3 Notes)

  • 2003 Plantagenet Chenin Blanc 87 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker

    Orange peel and zest on a light and fresh nose. Medium bodied with flavours of orange peel and hints of lemon. Perhaps lacking a little acidity. Pleasant but unremarkable.

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  • 2004 Jim Barry Riesling Lodge Hill 89 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    Limes, limes and more limes. Dry, medium bodied with fresh balanced acidity. I liked it.

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  • 2004 Delta Vineyard Pinot Noir 88 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    Appealing nose of ripe fruit and light wood. A medium weight, flavoursome if simple palate with a hint of mixed dried spices. I was interested to learn that this was the first vintage of this wine, from newly planted vines, and was made using 40% new oak. A good debut.

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Flight 3 - Australian reds (22 Notes)

  • 2000 Wolf Blass Shiraz Platinum Label 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Poured from a newly opened bottle. Tightly closed classic Shiraz nose. Rich and powerful dark berry fruits with pepper and spice on the palate. Intense and brooding with superb balance and structure and a wonderfully long and lingering finish. Young with great potential.

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  • 2001 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Deep purple / black core; classic Shiraz nose. Sweet, fat and intense but this is no fruit bomb – the mid palate shows good balance and structure, lots of pepper but surprisingly little oak. Good length. Nice but I’m not sure this warrants its hefty price tag.

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  • 1996 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Almost black and showing no signs of age. The nose is surprisingly quite mute. It shows a medium weight, restrained and youthful palate with all of the typical qualities one would expect of a good Cabernet. Well balanced with a nice but not remarkable finish. This still has a lot of potential.

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  • 2001 Majella The Malleea 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Classic Shiraz nose of pepper and dark berry fruit. Good mouth feel, full of rich extract with lovely balance and structure. Finishes long. 92 - 93

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  • 1998 Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes

    Beautiful Cabernet nose. Still quite tannic but with a lovely structure and generous extract, there’s lots of potential. A rounded but restrained mid palate. Good long finish.

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  • 1999 Tahbilk Shiraz 1860 Vines 95 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes

    Everything about this wine screams excellence. A wonderfully distinctive nose, superb balance and structure and full of rich, lush extract. The finish goes on and on. Packs a punch without knocking you over. 94 - 95

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  • 1998 Tahbilk Shiraz Reserve 91 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes

    The nose is strange and somewhat off putting. A well rounded mid palate, good structure and intensity with lots of rich extract and a long finish.

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  • 2003 Mitolo Cabernet Sauvignon Serpico 93 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    A powerful nose of primary Cabernet fruit and a hint of new oak. The palate is surprisingly forward and silky, perfectly balanced and beautifully structured with a nice long finish. A bottle full of potential. 93+

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  • 2003 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M. 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Black core with a surprisingly mute nose. The intensity of the fruit on the palate is almost overwhelming – an archetypal Aussie fruit bomb with a generous lashing of black pepper and hints of tobacco on a very long finish. Some people I know would love this but it’s too much for my tastes. A very subjective 90/100 points.

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  • 2003 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Bright deep purple. Like the G.A.M, the nose of the Savitar was closed tight. On the palate this was, to me, far more approachable and much more restrained. Call me a wimp but overall I preferred this style to the G.A.M.

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  • 2001 Henschke Euphonium Keyneton Estate 88 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Like the 2001 Mt. Edelstone tasted earlier in the year, the Keyneton wasn’t showing its best. Still quite backward, the nose was mute and the palate displayed only primary black fruits. There’s little which sticks out in my mind about this wine. 88/100 points on today’s showing.

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  • 2000 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon The Menzies 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    An amazingly expressive Cabernet nose. Cassis and blackberry fruit flavours on the palate, fat and well rounded with great balance, extract and structure. Excellent length.

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  • 2000 Yalumba The Signature 95 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    The quality of the 2000 Yalumba wines is very impressive. The nose is intense and rich with cassis, plums with spice and finely integrated oak. The palate is powerful and brooding, harmoniously balanced and superbly structured. The finish is long and intense. One of the best wines today. Excellent. 95+

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  • 2000 Yalumba Shiraz The Octavius 91 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Classic Shiraz nose. The palate is fat and well balanced and the finish is long. A very nice wine but unfortunately it is overshadowed by the other brilliant wines in Yalumba’s portfolio.

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  • 1999 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Odyssey 91 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Poured from a newly opened bottle with no decanting time. Light purple in colour. Very nice Cabernet nose. Tight and restrained but definitely showing its class and potential. Finishes long. Shame I couldn’t allow it more time to open up in the glass. 90 – 91.

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  • 2003 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz-Viognier 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    The nose is distinctive and perfumed with black fruit, pepper, spice and a floral element too. The palate is restrained and well balanced. Nice finish. 89 – 90

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  • 2002 d'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon The Coppermine Road 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Almost opaque in the glass. A powerful and intense nose of ripe fruit and chocolate with a hint of oak. The palate shows remarkable concentration, balance and structure. Full bodied and long.

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  • 2002 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm 91 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Deep purple / black, almost opaque. Good balance and structure but tight and austere. Long but primary finish. 90 – 92

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  • 1991 St Hallett Shiraz Old Block 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Classic nose of black fruits, hints of pepper, spice, earth and gamey aromas. The palate is full, rounded and integrated, well balanced with black berries, lots of pepper and a long finish. It’s noticeably aged but still has plenty of life left in it yet. 92+

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  • 2001 St Hallett Shiraz Old Block 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Deep purple. Primary nose, brooding and powerful mid palate, well balanced with an intense and lingering finish.

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  • 2000 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Eight Songs 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Attractive sweet nose. Medium bodied and an almost elegant style of Shiraz. Mid palate beginning to integrate and mellow but still lots of life ahead. Finishes long.

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  • 1999 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Stonewell 88 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Distinctive nose. Disappointing on the palate which was lacking intensity and was a little hollow. The finish was short. This didn't show very well - I expected better. 87 - 88

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Closing

All in all a very good show. Some superb wines presented by interesting and charming wine makers, winery representatives and Decanter staff.

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