Australia Prestige blind tasting
PK-huset
Tasted March 7, 2020 by Omar Khayyam with 333 views
Introduction
The set up was blind, but we knew the theme of the tasting and not all Australian wines are or have been accessible in Sweden, so at least this provided for some expectations that framed the possibilities.
Flight 1 (10 notes)
White
2018 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill Clare Valley
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
light color, pear, grilled citrus and perhaps a drop of motor oil on the nose. Much softer on the palate than I had thought, having been given the advice to store the Grosset Polish Hill for many years. Very good acidity - long and fine but not without body and fruit. Very good and recommended.
I guessed Riesling and when given the hint that this was a legendary example of this wine style in Australia, I guessed the wine correctly.
White
2018 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay
Australia, Tasmania, Coal River
light yellow color. Green and yellow apples, walnuts, horse pee, smoky. On the palate much less extreme with soft lemon, great acidity and no really noticeable oak flavors. Extremely good value for money. Highly recommended.
I guessed Yarra Valley Chardonnay (Luke Lambert).
White
2016 Oakridge Chardonnay 864 Funder & Diamond Vineyard Drive Block
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
light yellow, perhaps a bit more intense color than the previous two wines. integrated, shy nose, after a while a bit of smoke comes to the fore. On the palate at first some grassy notes, once again, not too much oak, but soft and sweet fruited (its better when chilled), a little bit more fat than the Tolpuddle chardonnay. Really nicely integrated and lovely and still has so much more to give. Highly recommended.
I first guessed Sémillon but when given the hint that there was a joint theme with the previous wine, I guessed chardonnay.
Red
2017 Oakridge Pinot Noir 864 Aqueduct Block Henk Vineyard
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Light red. On the nose, very aromatic and red berry driven, perhaps some tulip stems at first but they blow off with air and leaves more red berries. some pepper and spice but mostly just brilliant clean red fruit on the palate with a softly integrated and so easy drinking flow to it. A little savory on the finish which makes it even better. Third place for me tonight. Highly recommended.
At first with the tulip stems and spice/pepper notes, I wrote down Ruggabellus, but changed to Pinot Noir as the wine was given more air in the glass.
Red
2016 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Deep red color. Darker ripe berries, some milk chocolate speaks of luxurious but quite integrated new oak barrels. On the palate some spice, some bitter from the oak on the finish, needs much more time. Now it's a bit sweet&sour. Recommended.
I guessed high end shiraz.
Red
2015 Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Deep crimson red. Nose full of pencil shavings, black pepper corn, great fruit (red and black berries). On the nose, there is some mint, good pure fruit, quite a lot of tannic grip, great acidity, less oak than the previous one and some salinity on the finish that makes me love this wine. It's simply fantastic. My WOTN. Highly Recommended.
I immediately wrote down Cabernet Sauvignon and thought of cooler Margaret River, but when given the hint that this and the previous wine was the same grape, I changed my guess to shiraz.
Red
2016 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
Australia, South Australia
Deep red and purple. On the nose it's just like a delish Valhrona chocolate bar - so deep and complex and oozing heavy and expensive wine from all angles and with that unresistable hedonistic frame. Dense, tannic, bitter and lots of oak. Store for a really long time. Recommended if you're into these big massive luxuriously oaked up heavy hitters that still somehow manages to defy gravity and achieve almost perfect balance.
I wrote down Cabernet Sauvignon due to the structure but when I was told this was the same as the previous two wines, where I was certain the first was shiraz, I changed my guess to shiraz, as it has so much sweet fruit and soft milk-chocolate-y palate that it could be a lot of things.
Red
2016 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
More warm (brown)red than the other wines. Has a completely different nose - much wilder, with tar and leather, licorice, dark berries. on the palate its a lot of licorice, salt and sweet. My second best wine of the evening. Highly recommended.
I guessed a shiraz blend from Ruggabellus.
Red
2016 Kaesler Shiraz Old Bastard
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Deep dark red and purple.
Deep, complex, dense and perfumed nose with some violets. Pepper and sweet blackberries on the palate. No shy flower, this has more kinship with the most heavily oaked guigal top wines. Some alcohol and a lot of grip, almost too hard finish at this stage, but what a wine! Guilty pleasure. Recommended.
I guessed a cabernet/shiraz blend.
Red
2015 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Had an off note of damp cellar that blew off. This was the wine that had the most pure fruit profile, but also an elegance that felt almost perfect. Not the most expressive wine at this stage, compared to the Kaesler Old Bastard or the Penfolds Bin 707, but it will win in the long run for sure. Really really nice quality here. Highly Recommended.
I had no guess here but it came down to either shiraz or cabernet/merlot blend.
Closing
In terms of the guessing game it was a mixed performance on my behalf - always humbling and always educational. One should always trust one's first instincts, but also pay attention to what happens in the glass over time. An impossible imperative that can sometimes lead to confusion and errors of judgement, like confounding shiraz with Cabernet Sauvignon ;)
We were asked to give our top three wines of the flight/evening, in order. I had:
1. Tom Cullity Vasse Felix
2. Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
3. Oakridge 864 Acqueduct Henk Pinot Noir
These three were the most elegant of the red wines, although I admit to also enjoying Kaesler Old Bastard and that I could not write off the Bin 707 as too big or anything like that. These two are great if you like big or fruity wines and are not sensitive to new oak.
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz was much more balanced, sort of a mid point between the other two extrem points. It may have gone a bit unnoticed as such, but in retrospect, this feels like a real world class wine that deserves to find its way in to some deep cellars (where it should remain for a decade or two, no doubt).
Moss Wood was probably also a mid point between the other poles (Tom Cullity, Oakridge, Clonakilla on the one hand, and Kaesler and Penfolds on the other). Very good but all about the ripe sweet pure fruit at this stage. Will probably be great down the line and in this sense it reminds me of some really high end wines that need lots of time to mature into complexity, whereas the structure is completely open for business already at the get-go.
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