First Wednesday Wine Club

Another opportunity to catch up with the crowd, tastes wines blind and enjoy the faceplant of incompetence

• 2018 Ricci Curbastro Franciacorta Extra Brut

  Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG

  "Served blind.
  Yeast autolysis dominates a little butter, lemon and mandarin, toast, a little biscuit. Tangy, super crisp mousse, green apple. Hmm
  US sparkling, California, BdB, 5 years old"

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• 2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  "Served blind.
  Pretty floral notes, peach, rose petal, even a little lychee, touch of apricot, not gewurz though. Glycerol fatness on the palate isn't too much, off dry at least, balanced to medium plus intensity acidity. Long. A little honeyed note on both the nose and the palate with time. lovely.
  I got to Germany, Riesling, Pfalz, 10-15 years old and spätlese"

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• 2021 Granjoux Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth

  "Served blind.
  Slightly smoky, black fruits, struck rock, touches of almost olive tapenade here. Interesting. Juicy tends to medium plus intensity acidity, silky though drying tannins, non intrusive alcohol warmth. Flavours as per nose - very much in the savoury space.
  I was in the old world here - Austria or Italy - kind of Blaufrankisch/Teroldego but young."

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• 2021 Comando G La Bruja

  Spain, Madrid, Vinos de Madrid

  "Served blind.
  Funky and meaty, a little wild ferment, smidge of Brett, jubey red fruits; a little rhubarb, slight herbaceous notes make me think of possible whole bunch. Savoury on the palate with chewy tannins, alcohol warmth, mineral, more black hued on the palate, slight alcohol warmth, tightly textured, rocky minerality.
  Young, grenache from Spain from Priorat or that funny Madrid place"

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• 2021 S.C. Pannell Grenache Smart

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  "Served blind.
  Came over initially as dusty glass, smells a bit sweet and sour, black fruits ,crushed rocks but, with time, starts to get more jubey and jammy. Juicy acidity, a little tart but with alcohol warmth, grainy and drying tannins have a slightly woody underpin, a bit out of whack on the palate, fruit is a touch lost.
  Again young, I'm guessing grenache (this was served as a pair with the preceding wine) and Australian this time. Hmm."

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• 2004 Ashton Hills Pinot Noir

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  "Served blind.
  Red over black fruit, leather, touch of mint, slight cedar, sweet spice. Medium plus acidity might be adjusted and lends tartness, having said that there is alcohol warmth here as well - red over black fruits again are slightly non delineated, chalky and woody rasp, wetly fleshy.
  I was a bit stumped by this and ended up in Victoria and cabernet with about ten years of age"

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• 1986 Château Sociando-Mallet Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  "Served blind.
  Brambles, earth, forest floor, leafy notes, a little cellar stink slowly morphs into cork taint. Juicy, wetly dilute, brambly dark fruits, talc textured persistent tannins but the spectre of cork taint makes this undrinkable. FLAW
  I knew this was mine"

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• 2019 Bovin Alexandar

  North Macedonia, Povardarie, Tikveš

  "Served blind.
  Baked black fruits; a little Ribena, touches of sweet spice, slightly reductive. Medium plus intensity acidity, black hued fruits are concentrated, woody tannins are chalky textured, alcohol warmth and a little black liquorice on the finish. A little overdone for me
  This felt very parker new world wine making. Over extracted and a little anonymous."

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• 2006 Best's Great Western Shiraz Bin No 0

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western

  "Served blind.
  Ripe black fruits, sweet spice, vanilla, caramel, slightly meaty underpin, a little age reveals itself in leathery notes. Juicy and concentrated on the palate, medium plus intensity acidity, black fruits, liquorice, tight chewy tannins are coarse and woody.
  I though this was a south Australian shiraz, probably McLaren vale with 15 ish years under the belt."

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• 2006 Capercaillie Shiraz The Ghillie

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  "Medium minus intensity aromas of black fruits; currants, brambles, blackberry, jubey, pretty, meaty, creamy. Medium plus intensity acidity is mouthwatering, plenty of talc textured tannins, non intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. Nice.
  I though this was shiraz as well, Victorian and 15+years old - a little longer hang time than it would get nowadays, possibly Yarra
  "

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• 2013 Clarendon Hills Grenache Clarendon

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  "Served blind.
  Quite jammy black fruits, sweet spice, the fruit takes on a more stewed characteristic with time (perhaps age?), cedar. In the mouth there is an initial wave of alcoholic warmth, cedary tannins, black hued fruits, the impression is of thickness and density. Phew.
  South Australian, still showing primary other than that stewed note, Shiraz but sufficiently extracted to be almost anything."

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• 2006 Grosset Gaia

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  "Served blind.
  Savoury, rubbery and meaty, a little leather, muted black fruits with a little red fruit underpin. Juicy, there is a sense of freshness here, more red hued on the palate, woody textured, chalky tannins persist long, leather.
  Though this might be an SA Bordeaux blend, but not from Coonawarra, Barossa or McLaren vale. Didn't get any further than that"

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• 1998 Port Phillip Estate Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

  "Served blind.
  Earthy and leathery, a little forest floor, savoury black fruits, spice, slight alcohol warmth. Juicy tending to medium plus acidity, the fruit is tarter on the palate, chalky coarse tannins, slightly smoky notes, more red hued in the mouth.
  New South Wales (Hunter?) Shiraz with about 25-30 years of age. I went with 1996."

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Standard combination of faceplants, random guesses and quite close to the mark rationalisations. Pity about the Sociando Mallet.