As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words…participant Jamie Goode’s blog post today begins with a photo from the day just gone:

It has been one of those days that I’ll remember for a very long time.

It’s day 2 of the Landmark Australia Tutorial, and we’ve been treated to some very special wines, presented by some remarkable people.

Jeffrey Grosset (above) kicked the day off with a presentation on Riesling that included his stunning 1984 Polish Gill Riesling, which despite coming from an ullaged bottle (all he has left) was almost perfect, and the first Aussie Riesling I’ve managed to get really, really excited about. We were also treated to a remarkable 1973 Leo Buring DWC15 Riesling, that was still very much alive.

Then Stephen Pannell (above) presented a stunning collection of Shiraz wines from across Australia. I’ll be writing this up in depth, but I really enjoyed the diversity of wines on show. There were four 1990/1 wines (including a cracking 1991 Wendouree), then a range of 2006 that illustrated some of the regional styles (Langi Ghiran, De Bortoli Reserve, Giaconda Warner, Shaw & Smith, Astralis all showed really well), and then we tasted some Shiraz-containing blends blind.

But the best was yet to come. Andrew Caillard and James Halliday (above) presented a historical perspective on Australian wine, which included a 20-wine tasting that was among the most remarkable I’ve ever experienced. So exciting was the line-up that as we sat down to taste, the atmosphere was electrifying. The anticipation in the air was almost tangible - it was like the sense of buzziness you get at a great sporting occassion just before commencement of play.

Some highlights? Seppelt Great Western Hermitage K72 1954, 1955 Grange, 1955 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael Shiraz, Penfolds Bin 60A 1962, 1971 Grange, 1982 Wynns John Riddoch, 1985 Wendouree Shiraz, 1986 Brokenwood Graveyard, 1990 Mount Mary Quintet… it was just incredible. And now I’ve run out of time and have to leave for dinner. More later.