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Six nations tasting
49 King Street Wharf
Tasted October 5, 2016 by chatters with 529 views
Introduction
a different venue for a new year and with a new country (Canada) replacing the long stay Argentina. I took the same approach as last year with similar success then concentrated on the US and Canada (as these are the least likely to be seen anywhere soon in Australia)
Flight 1 - Bracket one - other whites (4 notes)
White
2014 Arbe Garbe
wonderfully floral and perfumed with white blossom, white peach, lychee…lovely and engaging. Very pretty.
White
White
2011 Forlorn Hope Sémillon Nacre
Slightly cheesy and funky over apples…juicy with fresh apple notes, okay
White
2014 Cowhorn Viognier
Apricot, peach, pretty floral top notes…off dry but still quite fresh - good balance - nice
Flight 2 - Bracket two - Chardonnay (10 notes)
White
2014 Howard Park Chardonnay Allingham
Medium plus intensity aromas of peach, cream, butter and toast…Juicy with citrus notes joining the peach fruit. Long. Bit of a show wine but very good regardless
White
2013 Greystone / Grey's Peak Chardonnay Erins Reserve
Medium minus intensity aromas of butter over lemon with slightly dusty notes…buttery over some slightly sharp acidity but a bit lacking in fruit for me.
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White
2014 Sandhi Wines Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
buttery and rich tending to tropical fruit. ..tangy buttery, balanced, long, generous. Nice
White
2013 Thomas Fogarty Chardonnay Albutom Santa Cruz Mountains
Little closed. Upon agitation peach and apricot…lacks freshness though and finishes oak bitter. Meh
White
2014 Mission Hill Chardonnay Terroir Collection Lone Pine
confected peachy fruit, butter, slight spice….surprisingly spicy and juicy on the palate but the fruit isn't really there…hmmm
White
2013 Ravine Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve
toasty, nutty with wild ferment, savoury leesy, tangy and more of the same on the palate. It's got plenty of acidity but a distinct lack of fruit. Nice structure though
White
2015 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay
muted peach, slight wild ferment, spice…slight confected but otherwise more of the same on the palate. Enjoyable
White
2014 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill
wild ferment, spice over stone fruit…juicy, fleshy, lacks fruit on the palate but the savoury elements travel long. Hmm
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White
White
2013 Wenzlau Vineyard Chardonnay Estate
spicy and peach with a fair amount of oak as well. Tart and peachy and a little on bitter on the finish.
Flight 3 - Bracket 3 - Pinot Noir (17 notes)
Red
2014 Eldridge Estate Pinot Noir MV6 Clone
Muted raspberry and cherry. pretty fruit forward nose…Juicy fruitiness is balanced by with slightly drying tannins. Nice
Red
2014 Oakridge Pinot Noir 864 Block B Lusatia Park Vineyard
cream and spice, red over black cherry. Juicy and fleshy, a little bitter on the finish, alcohol warmth and slightly drying tannins. Hmm
Red
2013 Akarua Pinot Noir The Siren
Perfumed and fragrant, cream and muted fruit. Juicy , again fruit muted and plentiful front of mouth tannic grip. Okay
Red
2012 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna
spicy and dense, quite black fruit and a bit shitty as well…on the palate it's tight, bitter and unpleasant.
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Red
2014 Kutch Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch
beautifully perfumed and elegant with polished oak and fruit. Polished on the palate as well, difficult to spit, very good indeed.
Red
2013 Bergström Pinot Noir Temperance Hill
meaty and dense, concentrated and in the black fruit spectrum. Feels quite warm, exceedingly dense and chewy, bit of a beast though there is dark fruit here as well. Not my cup of tea. Lots of time may help…or not
Red
2013 Longoria Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard
beginnings of some cork taint here over dense red berry fruit and spice…hmm...not marking it as flaw as it may be a dodgy nose incident (see my earlier comments)
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Red
2013 Ojai Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard
spicy with muted cherry fruit, cedar. Bit average on the palate…not much going on other than tannins…
Red
2012 Brick House Pinot Noir Evelyn's
slight clove and nutmeg, spicy and stalky…savoury, dusty, closed…nah
Red
2014 CedarCreek Estate Winery Pinot Noir Platinum Block 4
slight red cherry and coffee…savoury with slight butter, fine mouth coating tannins. Meh
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Red
2012 Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir La Grande Réserve
muted cream, sweet spice and cranberry…tastes like oak spiced alcoholic cranberry juice (with the associated fine tannins)..long finish.
Red
2013 Clos des Fous Pinot Noir Arenaria Pucalán
slight cream, red cherry, polished oak…more of the same on the palate…simple but okay, perhaps time will lend it complexity?
Red
2013 Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir Galpin Peak
Oaky and creamy over slightly burnt red fruit…better on the palate but not much better alas…Meh
Red
2014 Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir
Perfumed red berries (especially strawberries) backed by sweet spice…acidic and a bit hard after initial sweet fruit drops quickly.
Red
2013 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Emery
That Oregon pinot nose, juicy, fleshy, balanced, elegant, lovely superb in fact
Red
2012 Chehalem Pinot Noir Ridgecrest Vineyards
funky and stalky, bit farty, tart on the palate. Awful
Red
2011 Montebruno Pinot Noir Crawford-Beck Vineyard
ripe, dense, stalks, cream, vanilla spice. Funky….juicy, fine drying tannins, fruit carries rather well. Okay
Flight 4 - Bracket 4 - Southern Rhone varietals (3 notes)
Red
2014 A Tribute to Grace Wine Company Grenache Besson Vineyard
muted red berry fruit, a little savoury, more savoury on the palate
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Red
2014 A Tribute to Grace Wine Company Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard
perfumed red berry fruit, generous, warm, robust and rambunctious
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Red
2014 Paix Sur Terre Mourvèdre The Other One Glenrose Vineyard
sappy and fruity , very slightly corky, perfumed….juicy, fleshy rather lovely, medium plus length
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Flight 5 - Bracket 5 - Syrah/shiraz (21 notes)
Red
2014 Chateau Tanunda Shiraz 100 Year Old Vine
concentrated blackberry and red cherry, dense, thick, spice underpinned by vanilla…over-concentrated black fruit, thick, a bit old school but not in a good way, clumsy in fact. Nah
Red
2014 Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival of Love
red and black cherry and berry, a little dusty and muted backed by sweet spice….more of the same on the palate with grippy (and drying) front of mouth tannins and alcohol heat heft on the finish. Kind of nice in an odd way…not my thing normally
Red
2014 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'D'
Plummy and reductive (just opened) balanced by a whack of peppery spice…shines on the palate - juicy, fleshy and balanced plummy fruit and spice working against fine textured tannins, long, really rather good
Red
2012 Wakefield Shiraz The Pioneer Clare Valley
black cherry, cream, vanilla, almost chocolate and, oddly, a very slight herbaceous note…juicy but a bit over concentrated fruit with drying tannins. Hmm, probably for the long term judging by previous wines from this producer.
Red
2012 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri
blackberry and black pepper with spicy oak. Quite dense on the palate. There is, though, an inherent balance between the acidity, drying but fine textured tannins and dark, spiced fruit, but it's all very young at the moment. Having said that I like this and, based on vague recollections of previous vintages, I think it shows good typicity for what they have previously aimed for.
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Red
2010 Jim Barry Shiraz The Armagh
Pronounced intensity fuck off Aussie shiraz nose with vanilla, cream black cherries, sweet spice assaulting ones olfactory nerves. In the mouth, though, it's exceedingly polished and smooth on the palate, a harmonious balance of acidity fruit and tannin whilst retaining it's massiveness. Preposterously long and really quite glorious.
Red
2014 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Vineyard
just opened and suffers from it - muted cream, vanilla, jubey blackberry and a touch reductive. Very quiet on the palate. Hmm
Red
2014 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Clary Ranch
meaty and reductive then fine peppery spice underpinned by brambly fruit. Nice nose. A little tart on the palate though, sharp and a little searing. Meh
Red
2013 Betz Family Syrah La Serenne
gamey, meaty and savoury over quite perfumed & lightweight black berry fruit…in the mouth it's peppery and rich. Woof: Plenty of chalky drying tannins as well - the nose belies the palate (or the other way around)…crikey!
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Red
2013 Black Hills Estate Syrah
Perfumed and peppery with red over black fruit…juicy, long, savoury fruit, spice, balanced…Rather nice
Red
2013 Painted Rock Syrah
funky, meaty, savoury and peppery, perfumed top notes…juicy, chewy peppery and rather lovely
Red
2012 Burrowing Owl Syrah
black and green pepper, clay, crushed rock…fresh and juicy on the palate. Balanced, very northern Rhone. Exceedingly good.
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Red
2012 Creekside Estate Winery Syrah Broken Press Reserve Queenston Road Vineyard
slightly candied black fruit over peppery spice…refreshingly acidic black fruit and pepper, slightly drying fine textured tannins. Good
Red
2012 Painted Rock Syrah
Savoury but perfumed with peppery elements, meaty…savoury, peppery and meaty on the palate with talc textured tannins. Okay
Red
2012 Polkura Syrah Block g+i
funky and meaty over peppery notes and some black fruit but this is all very harsh and sharp on the palate. Nah
Red
2014 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah
green and black peppercorns over black fruit…dense and savoury black fruit and pepper and gripping tannins but all balanced and good
Red
2013 Richard Kershaw Wines Syrah Clonal Selection Elgin
muddy and slightly dirty, meaty and savoury…more of the same on the palate with quite muted dark fruit. Nah
Red
2014 Drew Family Cellars Syrah Valenti Ranch
Peppery and perfumed. A little short on the palate though
Red
2013 Piedrasassi Syrah
green peppercorns, almost medicinal, cherry fruit…Not very nice on the palate, lacks generosity
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Red
2012 Copain Syrah Halcon Vineyard
Red fruit, cream, slight pepper and an oddly confected note as well. The palate is less enjoyable.
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Flight 6 - Bracket 6 - Bordeaux blends (19 notes)
Red
2013 Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Block
Violets, cream vanilla, blackcurrant cordial, rich…juicy and fleshy but bold and bullish with chalky tannins. Quite polished. Hmm
Red
2013 Yeringberg
perfumed with more red than black currant, spice, plums and cream…fleshy and generous, very pleasant and approachable but with obvious longevity. Yum.
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Comments (4)
Red
2011 Ventisquero Cabernet Sauvignon Enclave
slightly sweaty blackcurrant, perfumed cedary notes and Ribena. A little confected by juicy and fleshy with drying front of mouth tannic grip and spice on the finish. It's a bit out of whack but otherwise okay.
Red
2014 Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella
herbaceous with pencil shavings over blackcurrant and spice. Juicy and generous, very good indeed
Red
2013 Antica (Antinori) Cabernet Sauvignon
confected black fruit, spice vanilla, almost cherry…generous tannins dominate the fruit at the moment.
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Comments (5)
Red
2013 Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon Neyers Ranch - Conn Valley
slightly confected black fruits under plentiful spice. Concentrated to the point of savouriness, ridiculous tannins that would make a Barolo lover quake. Too much.
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Red
2013 Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
polished black currant, sweet spice, cedar…on the palate that blackcurrant is there but it's dense and the tannins are gloriously thick but the whole is balanced and there is sufficient acidity to hold this together. Very nice.
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Red
2013 Matthiasson Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll District
slight struck match, black very red currant fruit, spice and very slight vanilla…fruit battles gamely with overbearing tannins, bit of alcohol warmth on the finish. Okay.
Red
2012 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
slightly confected Ribena and sweet spice with oak notes…exceedingly dense and chewy tannins close things down on the palate. It's a bit too much.
Red
2012 Ridge Monte Bello
red and black currant, light herbaceousness with cream and vanilla…it has a slightly sour tartness with huge drying tannins. Lacks ripeness for me and, also, balance.
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Red
2012 Cadence Bel Canto Cara Mia Vineyard
perfumed red berry, black plums, quite florally herbaceous…very nice nose…more of the same on the palate. Rather pleasant.
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Red
2014 Ravine Vineyard Cabernet Franc Lonna's Block
Graphite, pencil shavings dominate the nose…exceedingly juicy and fresh with red currant fruit then plentiful drying tannins close things down a bit. Hmm
Red
2012 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc
pencil shavings and spice, cedar, red berry fruit and cream but the palate is far from as enjoyable or stimulating as the nose unfortunately
Red
2013 CedarCreek Estate Winery Meritage Platinum Desert Ridge
Herbaceous, blackcurrant, sweet spice…juicy, more red fruit than black on the palate, bolshy tannins. Hmm
Red
2013 Mission Hill Compendium
full on; concentrated and massive, black fruit, oak…juicy & thick but with savoury drying tannins. Hmm
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Red
2013 Stark-Condé Cabernet Sauvignon Three Pines
pencil shavings, cedar, leather…a bit sweet and sour on the palate with massive chalky drinking tannins. Nah
Red
2014 Broc Cellars Cabernet Franc Whole Cluster Santa Barbara County
pencil shavings, red currant spice…juicy but a little bit sour on the palate with floury tannins. Hmm
Red
2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Estate Ferguson Vineyard
worked black fruit, spice and oak…it's a little candied on the palate. Nah.
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Flight 7 - Bracket 7 - the rest (2 notes)
Red
2014 Neyers Zinfandel Vista Luna
more lean style zinfandel for me, berry, bit too savoury for me but with an odd candied fruit core on the finish
Red
2012 Fields Family Wines Old Vine Zinfandel Sherman Family Vineyards
Red and black plum over cherry, spice…juicy and spicy with plummy fruit. Simple, fruity, pleasant
Closing
well, I had a plan of attack and I stuck to it. Unfortunately three things hampered me: I had arrived back from the UK the previous evening and 24 hours in a tin box does wonders for the nose and exhaustion levels, it was a warm day; the glass fronted venue faced the setting sun and I was wearing a three piece suit & it turned into the usual drunken scrum. Having said that I would not miss this tasting for the world - it is such a learning experience.