First Wednesday Wine Club
Bella Puglia, Five Dock
Tasted Wednesday, May 1, 2024 by chatters with 156 views
Introduction
It feels like ages since I've done this, such a pleasure to catch up with everyone and try some wines blind.
Flight 1 (16 Notes)
Closing
an evening of highs and lows with some wonderful face plants and some stunningly successful guesses.
NV Pommery Champagne Brut Royal
France, Champagne
Apparently this bottle was from 2014 vintage base. Honey, a little brioche, bruised apples, almond. Slightly sharp textured burr is drying, mousse is still crisp, lemon and bruised apple, almond, quite oxidised. Possibly flawed? Benefit of the doubt but not very nice.
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2021 Tapanappa Chardonnay Tiers
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Piccadilly Valley
Served blind
a little fresh herbs, lemon, struck match, smidge of cedar, touch of wild ferment meatiness all leads to quite a savoury nose. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy, leesy textured, a little yoghurt, struck match, citrus with a touch of stone fruit.
I guessed chardonnay, 2-4 years old, possibly Victorian. When it was revealed as SA I knew it was the Tiers from Tapanappa.
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2013 Geoff Weaver Chardonnay
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Lenswood
Served blind
Slightly sour smelling; touches of lemon and green orchard fruit, cream, butter. Juicy, tangy, slightly bitter and astringent oak, butter, unripe/sour stone fruit on the palate, touch of alcohol warmth. Feels a bit disjointed. Hmm
Old school winemaking but tart...possibly Tasmanian chardonnay with 10 years of age? But that doesn't make sense...
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2008 Weingut Salomon Undhof Grüner Veltliner 1ÖTW Reserve Lindberg Flawed
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
Served blind
Oxidised; bruised apple, cream, sweet spice shows nutmeg, dairy notes. In the mouth it's oxidised beyond the ability to consume, possible residual sugar, flat as a pancake.
The chap who brought this had bought a similarly oxidised Gruner in the past to another tasting so I guessed that and score a palpable hit - the problems with glass capsules and aging rear their head again
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2017 Patrick Piuze Chablis Vallée Sébillon
France, Burgundy, Chablis
Served blind
ooh, fresh apple, unripe pineapple, almost a little cucumber, sweaty armpit, grapefruit, very slight almond meal. Juicy with medium plus intensity acidity, tangy, firm grip, flavours as per nose, finishes savoury with a little alcohol warmth.
I thought this might be something Italian from elevatoin but really had no idea. Face plant #1
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2021 DiGiorgio Family Pinot Noir Kongorong
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Mt. Gambier
Served blind.
Cherry fruit, sweet spice, coconut, vanilla, red berries; quite sweetly fruited. Juicy with medium plus intensity acidity, textured burr, again sweet red hued fruit with very slight bitterness on the finish.
I knew this was Australian, South Australian in fact. Pinot or Grenache but no-one makes pinot like this so it has to be a young grenache with adjusted acidity?
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2015 Bindi Pinot Noir Kaye
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges
SErved blind.
Savoury, sweaty armpit, caramel (oak? oxidation?) a little whole bunch, black and red fruit, rocky minerality, dried herbs and orange peel, violets, floral notes. sour cherry and plum. complex nose. Medium plus intensity acidity and tannins; the latter quite talc textured but drying. funky, red and black fruits, alcohol warmth and oak spice on the finish. Lots going on but it's a bit angles and disjointed for me.
Victorian Pinot from either Grampians or Macedon with 5-10 years of age
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2020 Meerea Park Pinot Noir Indie
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Served blind
Red cherry, red berry, slightly tarry notes, savoury, touch of almost whole bunch. Medium plus intensity acidity and tannins, cherry, menthol, touch of bitterness, drying tannins, black tea, plenty of alcohol warmth on the finish which shows quite savoury and earthy.
This put me in mind of a Pokolbin Estate Nebbiolo I had a few years ago so, despite that whole bunch note, I went with Hunter Nebbiolo.
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2017 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir Burn Cottage Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
SErved blind
Blackberry, sweet spice, raspberry, slightly peppery notes accompany some stalky whole bunch. In the mouth it is juicy, fleshy, cherry and berry, a little earthiness, a sense of power and a touch of alcohol warmth on the finish.
I went with NZ, Central Otago, 5-10 years and thought that this was the Burn Cottage
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2018 Sula Vineyards Shiraz Dindori Reserve
India, Nashik
Served blind.
Tarry, blackberry and blackcurrant, savoury spice, slightly peppery underpin. Awful on the palate, couldn't get it out of my mouth quick enough. Not flawed just not very nice.
Based on the nose I thought this might be a Tannat blend from Uruguay but the palate was too disturbing to make an evaluation
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1983 Penfolds Grange
Australia, South Australia
Served blind
Ripe, red cherry, sweet spice shows nutmeg, vanilla, blackberry. Medium plus intensity acidity, fruit tea, slightly herbaceous notes, cherry, berry, grippy drying tannins, fruit doesn't persist past these, plenty of alcohol warmth on the finish. It's all a bit clumsy.
I thought this might be an Australian Sangiovese with a little age. Face Plant #2
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2008 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Decanted for about 2 hours. Oxidised! Caramel, sweet spice, fruit tea, alcohol prickle, ripe, rich, plummy fruit is actually a little over-ripe on the nose. High acidity and tannins which prove dense, thick, oak and grape driven, ripe dark hued fruit, fruit tea, long, tannins dominate. too much for me.
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2011 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Medium minus intensity aromas (after the 2008) black hued fruits, tar, less over ripe, fruit tea, orange peel, oak present but more integrated here. Medium plus intensity acidity and tannins; the latter tight, chalky and persistent. dark fruits and fruit tea play 2nd fiddle to the structure. I kind of like this in a big way.
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2000 Pepper Tree Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Served blind
Leather, earth, sous bois, forest floor, slight herbaceous notes, blackcurrant and biscuit. Juicy, dark hued fruits, woody tannins, leather, forest floor, very slight mushroom, finishes with a little mint.
The nose said Bordeaux but the palate said Australia initially I thought Margaret River but ended up in Coonawarra and 1998 as the vintage.
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2005 Tatiarra Shiraz Pressings Caravan of Dreams
Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote
Served blind.
Ripe black hued fruits, sweet spice, nutmeg, vanilla with a little coconut, plums over berries with touches of prune and raisin. Juicy, ripe black fruits; plums especially, liquorice, woody grippy tannins, touches of sweet spice, vanilla, coconut on the palate as well.
I went with Australia; Barossa, 10-15 years old, good quality old school shiraz with a bit too much oak
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2016 Strataridakis Ichnilatis
Greece, Crete
Served blind
Reductive initially then a positive swamp of bretty, stinky, farmyard filth hides plums, earth, gets progressively shittier with time. In the mouth it has medium plus intensity acidity, liquorice, tight, drying, old wood tannins are coarse, raspy, a little baked black fruit struggles to stay afloat in a sea of effluent.
Initially I thought this was Southern Italian, 4 to 6 years old but couldn't think where they would allow Brett to be so prevalent there - when I've encountered it previously it's usually in non-interventionist stuff whereas this had obvious oak and wine making.
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