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Special lunch party - best of Australia vs France
Ravensdale Farm
Tasted November 28, 2021 by nwebstar with 277 views
Introduction
Lunch with friends with a comparative wine tasting theme comparing best of Australian varietial and seeing how they stood up against some french competition.
Flight 1 - Chardonnay (2 notes)
A clear win for the Giaconda
White
2016 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard
94 points
So different to last tasting. Wine fresh and bright in the glass. A enticing mix of delicacy and power & minerality and sweetness. Flowers and lychee with an edge of tropical fruit or apricot. Beautifully balanced.
White
2016 Faiveley Meursault 1er Cru Blagny
92 points
Outshone by Giaconda. Didn’t have the grace and balance of the former wine. Pleasant nonetheless. Stone fruits and citrus.
Flight 2 - Pinot Noir (2 notes)
Great disappointment in a flawed bottle (Bass Phillip) but so happy to see the Bouchard show its best.
Red
2015 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus
95 points
Right up there in WOTN running. Beautiful power and structure. Cherry meets dark fruits. Great depth and coomplexity. Plenty of youthful tannin. Warming spice and drying spices. Really very special. This wine rarely lets me down.
Flight 3 - Cabernet and blends (4 notes)
Really thought and kind of hoped the Pichon Baron would show it’s 2009 quality and outshine all comers however this was not to be. Quite surprised that the 707 was the star however my heart did go out to the elegant young Chloe Anne
Red
2005 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Moss Wood Vineyard
94 points
Beautiful wine. Deep, dark and warmly fruited. Spices and chocolate. Just lacked a little of the character and complexity of other wines tasted.
Red
2009 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
94 points
Not decanted - perhaps a mistake - but drunk over 4hrs. Dark brooding but ultra tautly structured. Black fruit - tar, sage and cedar. A bit closed and dry relative to other wines. Didn’t quite release its best. I expected more exuberance and early drink-ability from this 2009 Bordeaux.
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Red
2017 Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon Chloe Anne
95 points
Surprise of the tasting as I thought this wine might be too young to show its best especially against older company - but not so. This wine exhibited a beautiful balance of elegance and power. Beautifully structured and complex and well fruited but in balance. Black and blue fruit, classic cigar box, dry herbs, and a little olive savouriness. Borderline WOTN for me.
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Red
2008 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
96 points
Clear WOTN unanimous amongst guests. Real X factor wine. Quite bold fruited but well framed. Mainly dark fruits but a tinge of red fruits. Just a beautiful tasting experience from beginning to end - superb balance. Lovely complexity with tobacco, leather and some warm spices. Very fresh still. The power was always held together by the structure leading to a compelling experience. Pretty much everyone went back to this bottle for there first refill.
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Flight 4 - Shiraz (3 notes)
Was pitched as a Hill of Grace vs Grange battle but this was immediately rubbed out with HoG being terribly flawed. The Collector wine was opened later and really shone.
Red
2006 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace
Flawed. Ultra disappointing as under stelvin. Has spent most of life in perfect cellar conditions
Red
2009 Collector Wines Shiraz Reserve
95 points
The other surprise of the tasting. This wine was added as an odd ball selection. Drinking freshly and superbly held it’s own with other great wines. Had a certain alluring, more-ish character. Amalgam of dark, plum and cherry fruits. Lovely cool climate peppery and mineral complexity. Very Rhone like.
So pleased to own a few more bottles.
So pleased to own a few more bottles.
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Red
2006 Penfolds Grange
94 points
Perhaps some palate fatigue or perhaps unfairly tasted with many fine cabernet (my preference) which left this wine comparatively a little fruit simple. Don’t get me wrong this was in superb condition. Youthful, balanced and integrated. Red plump fruits but nicely framed. Not too overpowering and a slightly drying savoury finish (appealing).
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Closing
Best wines for me were:
Bouchard Little Jesus
Woodlands Chloe Anne
Penfolds Bin 707