NobleRottersSydney - Canberra Trip Sep07

September 7, 2007. APEC delegates overrun Sydney, bringing with them a transplanted Berlin Wall, rooftop snipers, sniffer dogs, armed goons and all the usual paranoid security overkill of the self-obsessed police state. The Noble Rotters forego the dubious pleasure of using Kingsford Smith Airport for a far-flung journey under these circumstances and instead decamp three hours by motor vehicle to the Canberra wine district for the 2007 weekend away. Half a dozen last-minute changes of plan saw us meeting for Friday night dinner at Tosolino’s in Civic; fourteen Rotters & partners at a BYO and barely two bottles to rub together between the lot of us. Shocker! I presume we spent as much money on wine as food (great food, by the way); some of the bottles that passed my plate were:

• 2005 Whistler Wines The Black Piper G.S.M.

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  {screwcap, 15.5%} A bright clean young affair. Stewed cherry fruits on the nose – very grenach-y. Dry palate, with low-medium tannins and medium acidity. Bubble-gum grenache fruits with a slight sourness, medium-body and intensity, weighted towards the front palate, and finishing quite warm.

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• 2005 Merricks Creek Pinot Noir Young Vines

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

  {cork, 13.5%} Young, clean-yet dusty new world pinot nose. The palate follows; classic soft cherry pinot flavours, with fresh acid and low-level chalky tannins. There’s reasonable depth of flavour on the palate, with a decently long, if warm, finish. No great complexity, but something of a crowd pleaser nonetheless.

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• 1999 Tahbilk Shiraz

  Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes

  {cork} A clean, but aged nose with briary herbs, dried leaves and other secondary aromas. A just medium-weight palate follows, with leathery, herbal red fruits and a touch of chocolate. Soft chalky grape tannins, medium acidity and a decent length finish weighted towards the front of the tongue add up to a nicely aged wine perfect to accompany a meal.

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• 1998 Edwards & Chaffey Shiraz Section 353

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  {cork, 14%} Classic choco-vanilla nose, with a little age; blueberries, coffee, oak. A dry palate, yet almost port-like in its richness. Big cuddly ripe fruit, with a distinct charry note from the oak. The loose-knit structure offers plenty of powdery tannins, soft acid, front-palate weight, with a nearly-medium length finish. Certainly taking a stance as far as style goes – drinking nicely now and hardly likely to improve further.

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• 2004 Journeys End Vineyards Shiraz Beginning McLaren Vale

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  {cork, 14.5%} A clean yet slightly developing nose of liquorice/chocolate aromas, with a little violet precedes a viscous inky palate with a thump of warm ripe red fruits and strong chalky tannins. Medium-full bodied, the decent length finish is let down a little for me by the warmth which remains behind. Ready to drink now – this is a label new to me, although I see Ben Riggs is the maker.

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