Archive for June 6th, 2009

From JancisRobinson.com: Landmark Australia - Day 5

Posted by Lucy in Buzz on June 6th, 2009

A long week with a fitting conclusion from Landmark Australia tutorial participant, Julia Harding MW posted on Jancis Robinson’s website:

At last night’s dinner, fatigue was starting to show among the participants and the tutors and so the usual commentary on the wines by the evening’s guests went by the board and the kitchen seemed to take pity on us with a slightly lighter (less meat-heavy) menu. Try as I might, I couldn’t quite muster the strength to make worthy notes on the last five reds (though the last two were particularly tannic) and I left the table before the Stanton and Killeen Vintage port-style wine. It was all just getting too much of a good thing. However, I did very much enjoy the Rieslings and the Pinots. KT and the Falcon’s Peglidis was as pure and more steely (and drier) than the Melva the previous evening and caused a spirited debate between myself and Frank Kämmer, the only German in the group and a very experienced sommelier, as to whether the Peglidis was closer to a Saar Riesling (me) or to a wine from the western Rheingau (him). I yielded to his superior knowledge of German Riesling and greater firepower but didn’t change my mind!

The Main Ridge Pinot was delicious, as was Brian Croser’s 2008 from Foggy Hill, though in quite different styles and at very different stages of evolution.

With dinner:
2006 Petaluma Croser Pinot Noir/Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
2008 KT and The Falcon Peglidis Vineyard Riesling, Clare Valley
2005 Radford Wines Riesling, Eden Valley
2007 The Lane Beginning Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
2006 Savaterre Chardonnay, Beechworth
2007 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Fleurieu Peninsula
2008 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Fleurieu Peninsula
2004 Main Ridge Estate Half Acre Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
2006 Mitchelton Crescent Shiraz/Mourvèdre/Grenache, Nagambie Lakes
2005 Mitchelton Crescent Shiraz/Mourvèdre/Grenache, Nagambie Lakes
2007 The Yard Riversdale Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Frankland River, Great Southern
2007 Cherubino Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
1998 Wirra Wirra The Angelus (Dead Ringer) Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale
2006 Wirra Wirra Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale
2004 Wirra Wirra Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale
2005 Stanton and Killeen Vintage, Rutherglen

Had to start ultra early this morning (Friday), to get packed and checked out before the first session. Today was even more of a military exercise than usual as there was no slack in the lunch start time - we were due at Peter Lehmann’s fine cellar door for lunch with winemakers and press and had to fit the sparkling and fortified sessions in before that. And the inevitable group photo.

Talking of photos, the most astonishing sight of the week was all the wines we had tasted lined up along the wall of the hotel courtyard. With only a press-button camera, I couldn’t do it justice (see picture below) but it highlighted what a remarkable and intense week it has been. But I am getting ahead of myself.

resized_400x300_landmarkbotts

The sparkling wine session was led jointly by Ed Carr, Group Sparkling Winemaker for Constellation Australia, and Dr Tony Jordan, who until recently held various senior positions with Moët Hennessy at home and around the world, ending up as CEO of Domaine Chandon Australia, Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay. He told me he was hoping to work a little less than in the past but it didn’t sound very likely, given everything he had lined up. (He also makes his own Spear Valley wine at Spear Valley.)

It was unfortunate that the tight schedule meant we had to race through these traditional-method sparklers, all made from Chardonnay or Pinot Noir or a blend, and the occasional contribution of Pinot Meunier. There was a strong diversity of styles, depending very much on the varieties, the sweetness level, the use or non-use of oak in the making of the base wines, and the period of ageing on the lees, etc, as you would expect for a wine that is so dependent on its handling in the winery. I particularly liked the House of Arras ‘Grand Vintage’ Chardonnay/Pinot Noir and the Domaine Chandon Brut Rosé Pinot Noir, which was handy since the former was made by Ed Carr and the latter by Tony Jordan!

2005 Domaine Chandon Z*D Vintage Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
2004 Yarra Burn Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
2004 Josef Chromy Wines Pinot Noir/Chardonnay, Tasmania
2004 Brown Brothers Patricia Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier, King Valley
2003 House of Arras, Arras ‘Grand Vintage’, Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, Tasmania
2002 Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut Late Disgorged Chardonnay/ Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier, Yarra Valley
2001 Jansz Late Disgorged Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, Tasmania
2000 Hardys Sir James Tumbarumba Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Tumbarumba
1998 Petaluma Croser Proprietor’s Reserve Pinot Noir/Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
1998 House of Arras, Arras Late Disgorged, Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, Tasmania
NV Hanging Rock Cuvee VIII Macedon Late Disgorged Pinot Noir/Chardonnay, Macedon Ranges
MV Bay of Fires Rosé Pinot Noir/Chardonnay, Tasmania
2005 Domaine Chandon Brut Rosé, Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
1994 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz, Grampian

The fortified session did not disappoint, despite the big build up these wines had been given all week. These were treasures, many rare, and wines to sip and reflect on rather than speeding along but the intensity of flavours in all these wines was show-stopping nonetheless. The tutor for this last session of the week, James Godfrey, is one of the most experienced and committed fortified wine makers in Australia and has just completed his 32nd vintage at Seppeltsfield. Some of the greatest wines in the Seppeltsfield cellar, such as the 100-year old 1909 Para, now thickly viscous and tasting of an astonishing array of coffee, dark chocolate, fruit cake and cloves, were made well before his time, but he takes ultra seriously his role as custodian of these rare dark gems.

Most of the group were particularly besotted by these thick, dark, tooth-rotting elixirs. Although I thought they were stunning, I was very taken by the first two wines in the tasting, the Amontillado and the Oloroso. The former had become fantastically concentrated after more than 40 years in the solera casks but was still delicate on the nose with aromas of nuts and deeply caramelised oranges, even a whiff of iodine. The latter looked and tasted like dark walnuts but still showed finesse and a long tangy finish.

We tasted:
Morris, Show Amontillado, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield, Museum Oloroso DP104, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield 2005 Vintage, Barossa Valley
Seppeltsfield, DP90 Rare Tawny, Barossa Valley
Grant Burge, 30 year old Tawny, Barossa Valley
Penfolds, Great Grandfather Series 1, Barossa Valley
Campbells, Isabella Rare Topaque Muscadelle, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield, Paramount Rare Topaque Muscadelle, Rutherglen
Morris, Old Premium Liqueur Topaque Muscadelle, Rutherglen
McWilliams, Show Reserve Muscat, Hunter
Morris, Old Premium Liqueur Muscat, Rutherglen
Campbells, Merchant Prince Rare Muscat, Rutherglen
Chambers, Rare Muscadelle, Rutherglen
Morris, 1928 Morris Liqueur Muscat, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield, 1909 100-year-old Para, Barossa Valley

Then straight off to the press/trade lunch and our chance to give feedback on the week, meet more producers and sip a little instead of assiduously spitting. My brief comments were in appreciation of the highly nuanced fine wines I had tasted throughout the week and a suggestion that boredom and security are finely divided when it comes to wine consumption; whereas boredom derives from everything tasting the same, security comes from knowing that everything would taste good.

And now I have my feet up in the spacious Peter Lehmann guest house, with the rain tipping down outside, and don’t have to rush off to dinner. Hurray! In fact I am looking forward to a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast in front of a DVD (though quite a few of the selection look rather patriotic) and then an early night.

Although the Landmark Tutorial is now wrapped up, I still have a full programme of visits in the Eden, Barossa and Clare Valleys over the next three days and then a day at the Australian Wine Research Institute before I fly back on Wednesday, thoroughly exhausted.

No Comments

Some emotional wine at the Tutorial

Posted by Lucy in Buzz on June 6th, 2009

Jamie Goode writes about Day 5 at the Landmark Australia Tutorial - “one of the most remarkable wine weeks of his life!” Jamie’s blog:

It has been one of the most remarkable wine weeks of my life. After all that had gone before, it was only appropriate that we should finish with two of the most remarkable wines I have ever tasted. James Godfrey from Seppeltsfield presented the final session on Fortifieds, and this started off well and just got better. The list of wines reads:

Morris Show Amontillado, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield Museum Oloroso DP104, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield 2005 Vintage, Barossa Valley
Seppeltsfield DP90 Rare Tawny, Barossa Valley
Grant Burge 30 year old Tawny, Barossa Valley
Penfolds Great Grandfather Series 1, Barossa Valley
Campbells Isabella Rare Topaque Muscadelle, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield Paramount Rare Topaque Muscadelle, Rutherglen
Morris Old Premium Liqueur Topaque Muscadelle, Rutherglen
McWilliam’s Show Reserve Muscat, Hunter
Morris Old Premium Liqueur Muscat, Rutherglen
Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Muscat, Rutherglen
Chambers Rare Muscadelle, Rutherglen
1928 Morris Liqueuer Muscat, Rutherglen
Seppeltsfield 1909 100 year old Para, Barossa Valley

The final three on this list were served blind as a separate flight. The Chambers was utterly remarkable. Then came the 1928 Morris Muscat. It was viscous - almost solid, and clearly very old. But when I tasted it I was profoundly moved. I felt quite emotional: this was one of the most incredibly complex and profound wines I’ve ever been lucky enough to taste. No spitting. Just awe. The room was hushed as clearly many others were similarly moved. As if that was not enough, the Seppeltsfield 1909 Para was also mindblowing: darker, more intense and with a huge weight of sweet and savoury complexity. I’ve never had two wines quite as amazing as these before, and next to each other, too! A great way to conclude a memorable week.

1 Comment

From drvino.com: Australian Reisling - can it age?

Posted by Lucy in Buzz on June 6th, 2009

Landmark Australia tutorial particpant, Tyler Colman, yesterday posted this interesting article on his renowned wine blog, drvino.com, about one of his objectives while out in Austrlaia - to find out if Australian Reisling can age or not. Read below for his verdict and comments from some of his readers who have been following the tutorial.

riesling_glasses

One question that led me to Australia is whether Australian Riesling can age. The wine is almost always released within a year of harvest so the tendency is to drink it young when it can be very refreshing. Riesling from Australia tends to be dry and is almost always bottled under screwcap now.

The youngest Riesling I’ve tasted was a tank sample of the 2009 Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling. The Steingarten vineyard was originally about 1000 vines planted in the 1960s at the top of Trial Hill, a windy spot on the edge of the Eden Valley. At the outset, it was a single vineyard wine of tiny production. But now although most of the vines come from an altitude of 500 meters, it makes no claim to be site specific; the Steingarten name is a brand. The tank sample was brimming with citrus intensity but not yet really formed as a wine. The 2005, by contrast, was in a very nice spot, exhibiting more muted lime and floral character. The 1998 was oddly phenolic and, while quite solid, not as rewarding today as the 2005.

jeffrey_grosset4The Riesling of the trip for me was the 1984 Grosset Polish Hill. The fourth vintage of Polish Hill, it was bottled under cork (they switched to screwcap around 2000) and had mid-shoulder fill (if the bottle had shoulders, that is) and came directly from the cellar of Jeffrey Grosset (pictured right), one of only a few bottles remaining. The aromatics were muted but on the palate, the wine was terrific with a great weight and kind of oily character, great integration. The finish was spectacular and went on and on. (On a related note, his current release 2008 Polish Hill had excellent citrus character akin to the white of a pink grapefruit. The grapes were hand-picked, only free-run juice used, and the resulting wine has integrated acidity and minerality.)

Also of note was the 1973 Leo Buring DWC15 Riesling Clare Valley. Golden in color, it exhibited some of those toasty notes that mature Aussie Riesling is known to have on the aroma and still had layered complexity. It’s still in a good place now but reaching the end of maturity–good thing these were among the last bottles remaining.

leo_buring_1973The 2002 Peter Lehmann reserve Riesling Eden Valley had toasty, lightly honeyed nose with a strong attack, limey midpalate and expansive, rewarding, and lingering finish. The 1999 Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling Eden Valley, so called because the rows of vines follow the contours of the hillside, was originally released with five years of age on it. Today it showed more maturity but still had a freshness from good acidity. The 1980 Pewsey Vale Rhine Riesling Eden, golden in color, was interesting but definitely in the “drink now” part of its bottle evolution.

Finally, 1996 Crawford River Riesling Henty was picked late, in May, and has “essentially no botrytis” according to the producer. But to me it had a lovely honeyed note that perhaps had a hint of the noble rot. Quite delicious. I also enjoyed one of the current releases from this producer. But I’ll save that along with some other young, fresh Rieslings for a future post.

As a summary comment here, Australian Rieslings are worthwhile with age and can show bottle evolution even under screwcap. The hardest part is probably not drinking them while they are young. But tasting that magical transformation from lime-fresh minerality of youth to the gently honeyed, toasty quality of mature bottles can be worth the wait.

Search for these wines on wine-searcher.com

Related: “Philip Laffer of Jacob’s Creek on Riesling, petrol, and screwcaps“

Click here for the full article from drvino.com.

, , , , , ,

1 Comment