NobleRottersSydney - Wines beginning with 'Y'
Alio's, Surry Hills
Tasted Monday, July 2, 2007 by graemeg with 4,084 views
Introduction
For the last 8 years that I’ve been a Noble Rotter, our monthly dinner has almost always had a theme built around some combination of region, vintage, grape variety or general style. There’s been the occasional ‘free-for-all night’ as well, and the curious thing is that it’s not always the seemingly more interesting themes that give the most satisfactory experiences. Tonight was a first; in a thoroughly ‘why not?’ mode the theme was “wines beginning with the letter ‘Y’”. Bizarre, huh? And yet, it worked.
1996 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Millésimé
France, Champagne
{cork, 12%} A developing nose that spoke mostly of pinot noir, it offered strawberries and cherries, with a slightly cheesy note hinting at some age. Not subtle on the palate; there’s plenty of medium bodied pinot fruit, respectable length of finish, and small yet quite aggressive bubbles leading to a quite powerful finish that is appropriately dry and appetizing. Should see out another 5 years easily and probably be better for it.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Yellow Tail Chardonnay
Australia, South Eastern
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$8?} My first real getting-to-grips with the nation’s biggest export label, and I’m thinking of marketing slogans. “Not too much anything” might adequately sum up the general absence of structure; faint if fruity peaches & cream aromas hint at something fairly inoffensive to follow. Thankfully residual sugar is not too intrusive on the palate, any trace of oak flavour is minimal; there are no fancy handling techniques apparent and the finish is about memorable as a CHOGM conference. It’s not quite the same blend that’s the smash-hit in North America; doubtless the diabetics are relieved. Perfectly acceptable as an undemanding easy-drinking beverage, no great shakes as a wine. Which prompts a better slogan I think: “Drinking so easy, you don’t even know you’re drinking”.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2005 Yering Station Pinot Noir
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{cork, 12.8%, $20} A clear low-intensity garnet, this presents youthful aromas of light red cherry/berry fruit with a whiff of mushroom and earth. The palate follows on, generally soft and light, decently fruity and quite transparent in perhaps a one-dimensional kind of way. Decent dusty tannins add a little interest to the light-medium body, with the weight all towards the front palate, but ultimately the finish fades too quickly to really hold the attention. For the price, you wouldn’t complain; it wasn’t that long ago that local pinot at this price was verging on undrinkable. This will hold another year or two quite happily and probably be the better for it. A second bottle opened later in the night was consistent with notes on the first, even if I didn’t recognize it immediately!
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2005 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
{Diam, 14%} By complete co-incidence, we had this pair (with the 04) to taste. The 2005 was solid garnet, youthful in aroma, with sweet ripe pinot fruit which nevertheless managed a suggestion of depth. The palate was decently balanced, despite slightly prominent acid, and managed to be thick and yet light at the same time. Ripe and warm. With soft powdery tannins, light-medium body and medium length finish, perhaps all this wine needs is time. At this age it lacks the excitement factor needed to justify the price. The 2004 is streets ahead of the 05 for interest at the moment.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2004 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
{cork, 14.5%, $50} By complete co-incidence, we had this pair (with the 05) to taste. The 2004 was either a vintage of entirely different character to the 05, or evidence of a high speed aging curve. Despite a similar appearance, it could hardly have been more different on the nose. Meaty, earthy aromas rise from the glass; a whole delicatessen seems to have been compressed inside the thin glass walls. Dry, with soft acidity and modest powdery tannins, the wine pulls together on the palate, helped by what seems like even a little volatility, which adds to the earthy complexity and medium length finish. Nicely balanced & weighted this wine is streets ahead of the 05 for interest at the moment. Still expensive, but easier to justify than its younger sibling.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2003 Caldora Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Yume
Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
{cork, 14%, A$20} An even ruby colour with decently clingy legs, this youthful-smelling wine is clearly keen to take on the new world at its own game. Fruity to the point of caricature, the rich red berries are laced with additional notes of iodine, ink and burnt molasses. A really hot vintage has left its mark. The palate is clean & modern, not quite so extreme as the nose suggests, warm, and big in scope, weighted towards the front of the mouth, medium-bodied, and just let down a fraction by a shorter finish than hoped. Still, it’s interesting enough, although best to keep it away from subtle foods.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2001 Yalumba Grenache Tricentenary Vines
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
{cork, 14.5%} Mid garnet, with some legs. The intense nose is massively confected, with stewed fruits and raspberries tango-ing in a riotous display of flamboyance. It’s not all fruit though, there’s a suggestion of aging underneath. The palate refrains from too much oak, offers medium levels of grape tannin, and is beginning to pick up a chocolate/charcoal note as well. Classically warm-climate, the alcohol’s in check but contributing handsomely. A full-bodied, high-intensity experience, it’s let down a little by a modest back-palate, but still represents a terrific example of a polarising style of wine in good form. Still, I find it a bit edgy, and it should be drunk within a couple of years to keep the sense of wonder intact!
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2000 Yalumba Shiraz Barossa
Australia, South Australia, Barossa
{cork, 13.5%} Still a ruby colour, but the nose is now developing in the classic Oz warm-climate style. Aromas of intense roasted black berries and sweet vanillan US oak – it’s the classic South Australian offering. The palate is just moderately pitched; all the structure is subservient to the evenly aging fruit. Plenty of front and mid-palate, a generous upfront wine that has aged nicely considering the vintage and probably needs to be drunk within the next few years.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1996 Yeringberg
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{cork, 12.5%} Four Bordeaux grapes (no Petit Verdot) make up this blend. Mid garnet, with a clean aged nose, there are cedar notes, a whiff of blue cheese, and what I would just describe as ‘old cabernet’ aromas. There are still medium-weight powdery tannins on the palate, and although it’s not a big wine, it’s evenly structured along the tongue, and the length of finish is notably impressive. There is some blackcurrant-like aspect to the fruit on the palate, with a little herbiness, so it’s not descended all the way to secondary status; it’s got plenty of time left. A wine that embodies the less-is-more philosophy...
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
1996 Yalumba Shiraz The Octavius
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
{cork, 14.5%} A viscous syrupy purple liquid, the wine smells alarmingly of spirity volatility clothed in vanillan oak. The palate is distinctly porty, with distilled blackberry fruits battling through alcoholic warmth. There is plenty of dusty tannin; it’s full bodied and intense, but it’s also coarse, without nuance or even much development. The mid and back-palates are missing in action, and for all the size of the wine, the finish is short and harsh. Oh dear. I can’t see this getting better – I suspect it probably peaked about three years after vintage...
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1967 Château d'Yquem
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
[cork, A$18] Yup. Eighteen bucks. That’s what this Yquem cost in the early 70s, when first purchased. Forty years old, one owner, never raced. Level just into the neck. Dark amber verging on brown, worringly. There is some spirity old toffee-fruit richness, but the aromas are distinctly maderised. The palate offers a sort of decayed richness; cumquats, ginger, and a generally caramelized aura are the chief hallmarks. This was opened some hours prior to consumption – would it have been better to wait? Medium bodied, with decent length, it’s both exciting and frustrating to taste. Mostly because in this semi-decayed state, there’s still enough skeletal richness to hint at how great this must have been at its peak. The balance along the palate is still impeccable, yet much of the richness has since departed, a crumbly cork perhaps hinting at the oxidative nature of the problem. Still, a privilege to taste – and in significantly better condition than the ’55 tasted at the beginning of 2005. Medium length finish which manages to be sort-of dry and sweet at the same time. In all honesty, a disappointment given the reputation of the vintage. Them's the breaks...
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No