NobleRottersSydney - Canberra Trip Sep07

On Sunday morning we backtracked to the scenic shores of a partly-filled Lake George to visit Lerida Estate.
Hosted by proprietor Jim Lumbers and winemaker Malcolm Burdett, we enjoyed an extensive tasting in the Glenn Murcutt-designed inside/outside winery. Lerida is a boutique-style operation (around 45 tonnes and 3000 cases) aiming for top quality pinot noir, but not neglecting other premium red varieties. We tasted a bunch or barrel samples as well - notes not recorded here.

• 2005 Lerida Estate Chardonnay

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.8%} This offering is youthful, yeasty and stoney, with gentle flecks of oak. Saw 25% malo. On the palate there are stone fruits and nuts, quite pure, and yet subtle. Dry, with plenty of acid, soft powdery tannins, it’s quite intense, with a medium length finish weighted a little towards the front of the mouth. A classy effort.

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• 2005 Lerida Estate Merlot

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.9%, A$50} Youthful, with sweet, suitably plummy fruit. Ripe and fruity on the palate. Plenty of mid-palate. Dry finish, medium powdery tannins. Medium-full body, with a respectable length finish. Not a harsh wine, but a bit blocky. Needs time to soften. Carries the alcohol quite well. There may be hope for Australian merlot, although this is rather handicapped by its price tag.

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• 2006 Lerida Estate Shiraz Viognier

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 15.7%} There are all of 200 cases of this wine, and within a few days of our tasting Lerida announced it had won the Champion Wine Trophy at the Canberra Show (but I’m not sure which Canberra Show…). Fermented on skins from Clonakilla! Viognier sure gets around (not sure whether the grape will appear on the label)! Clear ruby in colour. Lifted strawberry notes. There is a little apricot on the palate, together with gentle spicy notes. Soft chalky tannins, medium-bodied weight and a medium length finish complete the picture. It’s quite a classy wine which doesn’t reveal the rather alarming alcohol levels. Although this appears to be fine in the short term I wonder what it may do for the ultimate longevity of the wine. Lerida isn’t defensive about their alcohol levels and will be looking to reverse osmosis and other such techniques if they feel it’s necessary to keep alcohol in check. Hmmmm.

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• 2007 Lerida Estate Pinot Gris Botrytis Lake George

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {9.3%} Now this is my kind of Pinot Gris! Still unfinished, it appears very viscous, yet is still a light yellow-green colour. The low alcohol is perhaps explained by the 230g/L of residual sugar. Botrytis notes are subtle on the palate; yeast is more prominent, together with the palate flavours of honey, molasses and a touch of smoke. This wine is about as sweet as it gets, yet the quite high acid holds it together beautifully. Quite intense, with a medium/long finish, although it’s a bit simple in its profile at this stage. Love to see it in bottle (this was due for bottling in a few weeks).

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Heading back along the Bungendore Rd, we made for our final venue, the newish but out-of-the-way Lambert Vineyards where host Steve Lambert generously poured a large selection of wines over lunch in the thriving café/restaurant. The regular releases are around the $20-$22 mark, the reserve wines are priced at $30.

• 2005 Lambert Vineyards Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13.1%, A$20} The 2005 is all lemon and soap-suds on the nose. A light-medium palate follows, with sweetish lemon fruits and a little minerality. Good clean acid and medium length finish. Decent effort.

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• 2006 Lambert Vineyards Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 13%, A$20} The 2006 is utterly different [to the 2005]. This is a very pale lemon colour, with flower and musk aromas. Softer in acid, and generally a lower voltage wine with a short soft finish following the white fruit palate. Take the older wine here.

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• 2005 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap} Stones and pears on the nose of the 2005. Dry palate, nebulous fruits. Drink up.

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• 2006 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Gris

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  2006 is similar [to the '05]; white flowers and pears, a little smoke. Yada, yada. Not much character here.

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• 2002 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {cork, 14%} The last cork-sealed vintage, 2002 is a lemon/gold colour, with a nose of tinned vegetables, oaky barrel ferment characters and some malo/butter. There’s a little stoniness evident on the palate in addition, the wine is well-proportioned towards the lighter end of the weight scale, with structure balanced accordingly. Decent mid-palate too, and helped by the fresh acid.

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• 2003 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14%} The 2003 seems a lesser effort all around [than the 2002], more generally subdued, a bit floral, but very much in the shadow of the older wine.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Chardonnay

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap} The 2004, on the other hand, despite being a bit surly and closed, offers some oak, melon and a touch of cream. There’s good palate structure back to the mid-palate, with attractive cool-climate chardy fruit present. A medium-sized wine all round, the next few years look pretty good for this wine. Malolactic ferments are not encouraged at Lambert, but if the wine wants to do it, then fair enough.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap} We heard the rather candid admission that this wine was the result of a stuck ferment, and thus made by accident! The nose offers a little subtle sherbert and not much else. An off-dry palate of light-medium size suffers for want of lifting acidity, resulting in a short finish and a pretty unmemorable experience all-round.

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• 2006 Lambert Vineyards Rosé

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 12.8%} Yup. It’s a rosé. Getting to off-dry, with clean if sweet strawberry fruit. A tip of the tongue wine. Pass.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Noir

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  The standard wine has a clean, youthful, low intensity nose of smoky, dusty aromas. Very light on the palate despite low chalky tannins; some dark cherries and toaost, not much else. Short and simple. Made from fruit purchased from the Majura winery.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.3%} The Reserve is a distinct step up [from the reguilar bottling], with smoky barrel-ferment notes, and distinct development of the stalky cherries and dark chocolate fruits. Slightly gritty tannins, and manages a medium length finish even if it lacks much sophistication. Good for a couple more years, at least.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Merlot

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.7%} Despite warm ripe fruits, the 2004 has a definite metallic edge to its nose. The palate is quite meaty, warm, with low level powdery tannins and a generally short length. Manages to avoid harsh characters, which is a redeeming feature.

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• 2003 Lambert Vineyards Merlot

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.7%} The 2003 has generally greater intensity [then the 04], with the fruit taking on a ‘correct’ plummy tinge. Medium weight and intensity, but there’s still not much happening by the time the wine reaches the mid-palate. Drink up.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Cabernet Merlot

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.8%} Clean, youthful-looking purple. Reserved nose of currants and leafy fruit. Palate is a rather bits and pieces with fizzy acid, soft tannins, and a general lack of any identity of uniformity. Disappointing.

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• 2003 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.5%} The 2003 has a developing, lightly spicy nose. The palate that follows is pretty simple, clean, with understated structural components. A bit anonymous.

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• 2003 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.7%} The 2003 Reserve has a greater depth of fruit [then the regular bottling]; plums and spice, liquorice. A ripe palate, with medium dusty tannins, this still manages a cool-climate tell tale white pepper touch to its fruit. Decent length and weight as far as the mid-palate, this could stand a few more years aging.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.5%} There wasn’t much to distinguish the 2004 shiraz from its 2003 counterpart, save that it seemed to offer a bit more grape astringency on the palate. It’s likeable enough without ever becoming especially enticing.

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• 2004 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {screwcap, 14.4%} The 2004 Reserve was hardly better [than the regular 2004]; more of a fruit-bomb in context, although even the chalky tannins seemed not to help the short finish.

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• 2001 Lambert Vineyards Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District

  {cork, 14%} Best of all [the shirazes] was the 2001; still ruby in colour, but with a mellow developing nose of cool menthol and soft oak. Spicy fruits contribute on the palate, medium chalky tannins help, and there’s enough structure and balance here to make a pleasing wine. So perhaps I have judged the younger wines too harshly after all?

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