NobleRottersSydney - 'Bet you've never tasted this before'

The November 2008 dinner was a new theme for the Rotters; “I’ll bet you’ve never had this before.” As we attempt to confound each other. And, apart from the bubbly [nv Lanson - no notes here], that was the case, even if nearly everyone went offshore to guarantee compliance…

• 2006 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés

  Argentina, Valles Calchaquíes, Salta, Cafayate

  {cork, 13%, A$25} Clear, mid-lemon with hint of gold in colour. An interesting, lightly-developing but mostly fruity nose of rosewater, pot-pourri and flowery notes. Seems related to gewürztraminer, but not quite there, somehow. The palate continues the bad impersonation, with slightly thick texture, some soft faintly-furry tannins and flowery fruits. There’s also a tartness to the wine that it tricky to pin down. Medium-bodied at least, it manages a decent mid-palate before fading a little towards the back. Interesting and unusual.

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• 2001 Fairview Carignan Pegleg

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland

  {cork, 14.5%} Ruby moving to garnet. A intense wild and brambly nose of black berries grows rather hot and spirity as it sits in the glass. The palate is surprising, with low acid and only modest tannins, but lots of loose earthy flavours. No show pony wine, it needs some kind of hearty stew most likely. The near-full bodied weight sits oddly with a rather shortish finish, and goes all hot and bothered at the end. Drink up.

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• 2004 Domini Veneti Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  {cork, 15%} Clear garnet, with a little fading at the rim. Voluptuously fruity raisin-like nose. Big-bodied wine, with lots of dusty-but-sweet tight tannins. Big, lavish choco-liquorice fruity flavours on the palate, good coverage of the tongue, and decent length finish. Could use plenty more time to develop secondary characters. Fine wine.

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• 1997 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

  Still near-ruby after all this time. Intense, almost exaggerated liquorice and oak nose. Big-boned new world cabernet on the palate, oaky, full-bodied, with a bucket of chalky tannins. Dies a little on the back-palate, but otherwise a satisfying if not cerebral mouthful of flavour.

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• 1997 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  {cork, 13%} Developing uber-Bordeaux nose of dusty cigars and cabernet fruit. Just sneaks into medium-bodied weight, with typical Paulliac chalk/graphite tannins. Decent length of finish, too, and generally bearing all the hallmarks of fine mid-weight classic claret. Should hold a few more years with no trouble, but unlikely to develop much further.

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• 2003 Neil Ellis Shiraz Stellenbosch

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  {cork, 14%} Solid garnet. An alarming nose of burnt match aromas. Scary. Palate is hot, man. There’s are plenty of spicy shiraz-ish flavours, medium level tannin and acid, but in the end the blast of alcoholic heat is too much. This should be in a cask around a St Bernard’s neck…

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• 2004 Domaine A Merlot

  Australia, Tasmania, Coal River

  {cork, 13.5%, $A85} Things are getting weirder. There is some youthful plummy fruit here, but it’s swamped by a green-tinged cabbage/asparagus note which offended nearly everyone. The rest of the wine is fine; balance of acid and moderate chalky tannins, good palate coverage along to the back of the tongue. Problem is, the whole thing just tastes unripe and weedy. (A devastating contrast to my cellar door experience with this wine which prompted the purchase; either it’s rubbish, or the back label recommendation of ten years cellaring needs following. A mystery.)

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• 2006 Babich Pinotage-Cabernet

  New Zealand, North Island, East Coast

  {screwcap, 13%} A shocker. Bland, dilute, short. Rubbish in a bottle.

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• 1962 Lindeman's Vintage Port Bin 2520

  Australia

  touriga-shiraz] (Corowa) An ancient, tawny-coloured thing. Old earthy, rancio, cold tea aromas. Very spirity on the palate; dried fruits, camphor, molasses. Probably too old – there’s a creeping volatility which is overtaking everything else except the sheer heat on the palate, leaving a fairly simple hot flavour behind.

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Not listed above is Greg's japanese effort: nv “Grace Wine” Huscup (Hokkaido} [ {cork, <15%}
The bottle wasn’t masked, but it was effectively blind, as all the labels were in Japanese; only the capsule carried the text ‘Grace Wine’. Decent garnet-ruby colour, a youthful but very reticent nose – a little light cherry, nothing more. Flavours are hard to pin down – tastined a little like mushy strawberries but without the sweetness. A little furry grapines to the texture, not quite reaching the level of tannin, it’s light-bodied, with little acid, and a short, verging on non-existent finish. Might be more medicinal than beverage – a translation of the labels explains that huscup are “eternal youth fruits”. A separately provided photo shows a rather loose-packed bunch of purple grapes on a vine.