With the conclusion of the week’s Master Class tastings, a lunch among a few dozen winemakers, industry figures and #LAT10 participants was the perfect icing on the cake for a week I will surely never forget. The week did much more than reshape the way I think about Australian wine, or simply shed light on regions I previously had little experience with. It served as a reminder for why wine, Australian and beyond, is so special. It brought together great people and great minds, to share great food and drink

To read the full article, please click here.

What an amazing week.  A single tasting of wines valued at more thatn $40,000, a tasting with 268 years of winemaking, one of the rarest Australian wines - the 1942 Maurice O’Shea…and that’s just the start of it! 

We will post a more detailed wrap up next week, but for anyone who wants to see the wines from this week in one list (minus dinners and extras donated by James Halliday and other winemakers during the week) - please refer to the PDF below. 

Thank you to everyone who participated, presented, donated wine, made wine, came along to help out and/or tweeted, and wished you were here from afar…it’s been phenomenal and we look forward to bringing you #LAT11 next year.  Long live the Landmark Australia Tutorial!

Landmark Australia Tutorial 2010 Wine List

The final masterclass for this year’s Landmark Australia Tutorial was hosted by Colin Campbell from Campbell’s Wines and Stephen Chambers from Chambers Rosewood Wines. 

If ever wine can be described as capturing a moment in time, never was that more appropriate than in the case of Fortifieds.  

While the style originates in Europe, Australia can currently stand proud in terms of its historic support and contemporary maintenance of this style.  In fact, Australia can boast the only winery in the world with an unbroken line of proprietary fortifieds back to 1878.

This inspiring tasting focused on Australia’s best fortified wines and featured 16 historic and phenomenal wines, such as the recently released 1910 Seppeltsfield Para Vintage Tawny Mataro/Shiraz/Grenache from the Barossa Valley and a 1928 Morris Rutherglen Muscat a Petit Grains Rouge.

The Wines: Fortified

1. NV Seppeltsfield Flora Palamino- Extra Dry Fino DP117, Barossa Valley
2. NV Morris Miafino Palomino, Rutherglen
3. 1998 Reynella Vintage Port Shiraz , McLaren Vale
4. 1998 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port Shiraz/Touriga, Rutherglen
5. NV Seppeltsfield DP 90 Rare Tawny Shiraz/Grenache/Cabernet Sauvignon/Mourvedre, Barossa Valley
6. NV Grant Burge 20 Year Old Tawny, Grenache/Mourvedre/Shiraz, Barossa Valley
7. 1910 Seppeltsfield Para 100 year old Vintage Tawny Mataro/Shiraz/Grenache, Barossa Valley
8. NV Chambers Rutherglen Topaque Muscadelle
9. NV Chambers Classic Rutherglen Topaque Muscadelle
10. NV Chambers Grand Rutherglen Topaque Muscadelle
11. NV Chambers Rare Rutherglen Topaque Muscadelle
12. NV Campbells Rutherglen Muscat a Petit Grains Rouge
13. NV Campbells Classic Rutherglen Muscat a Petit Grains Rouge
14. NV Campbells Grand Rutherglen Muscat a Petit Grains Rouge
15. NV Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat a Petit Grains Rouge
16. 1928 Morris 1928 Rutherglen Muscat a Petit Grains Rouge

Steve Webber from De Bortoli hosted the penultimate session of the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial, reviewing the grape variety that for many has evolved more than any other in Australia over the last decade - Chardonnay.

Anyone knowing Steve would expect nothing less than a confronting start: “I want my Chardonnay to taste of the dirt that it has been grown in, not simple varietal character.  I just think that there are more interesting things to reflect in wine: texture, feel, and dare I say it, ‘minerality’…”

Steve, accompanied on the panel by Virginia Willcock of Vasse Felix, presented 14 blind wines that he felt were taking Chardonnay to a new height. “Wines with detail” as Steve likes to call them…

In terms of capturing ‘detail’ and place, Steve highlighted the importance of getting acidity right in the vineyard; moving towards more hand-picking; improved fruit-handling; larger format oak…

The Wines: Chardonnay (tasted blind)

1. 2006 Shadowfax Macedon Ranges Chardonnay
2. 2006 Oakridge 864 Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
3. 2007 Tyrrell’s Winemaker’s Selection Vat 47 Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
4. 2007 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
5. 2007 Yering Station Single Vineyard Coombe Farm Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
6. 2007 Gembrook Hill Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
7. 2007 Voyager Estate Margaret River Chardonnay
8. 2008 De Bortoli Estate Grown Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
9. 2008 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
10. 2008 Domaine Epis Macedon Ranges Chardonnay
11. 2008 Freycinet Vineyard Chardonnay, Tasmania
12. 2008 Yabby Lake Block 6 Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula
13. 2008 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Beechworth
14. 2008 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay, Margaret River

If the participants thought yesterday’s Historic Tasting was a privilege, Brian Walsh from Yalumba guided everyone through 17 wines, including an extraordinary and extremely rare 1942 Mt Pleasant YT Light Dry Red Shiraz from the Hunter Valley, made by Australian winemaking legend Maurice O’Shea. 
 
The masterclass explored the question of single vineyards, sacred sites and regional or multi-regional blends as wine making choices in Australia. 

Brian Walsh opened with a somewhat philosophical proposition: “This is not a religion and accordingly there is no one truth.  I am not going to defend or support single vineyards, sacred sites or blending as the “appropriate” approach to fine wine.  My point is that anyone attempting to make a fine wine shares a single commonality: the pursuit of excellence.  Ultimately, fine wine doesn’t start in the vineyard, it starts in the brain.”

Not usually a blog with tasting notes, Paul Henry offered the following note on the 1942 Mount Pleasant ‘Maurice O’Shea’ Dry Red Shiraz: “Slight camphor, cedar and menthol notes; earthy tones and ox blood meatiness.  Fine, long and ‘jus’ reduction finish.  Still slippery and viscous.  Epiphany - a wine to stand in the presence of!”

The Wines: Single Vineyards, Sacred Sites and Regional Blends

1. 2004 Peter Lehmann Wigan Riesling, Eden Valley
2. 2004 Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling, Eden Valley
3. 2004 Grosset / Hill Smith Mesh Riesling, Eden Valley
4. 2006 Hardy Wine Co. Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, Tasmania, Victoria & New South Wales
5. 2008 Seville Estate Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
6. 2008 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Beechworth
7. 2007 Thomas Wines KISS Shiraz, Hunter Valley
8. 2006 Wynns Alex 88 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
9. 2006 Wynns John Riddoch Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
10. 2001 Voyager Estate Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Margaret River
11. 2002 Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz , Barossa Valley
12. 1992 Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Barossa Valley & Coonawarra
13. 1991 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia
14. 1991 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley
15. 1975 Wolf Blass Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, South Australia
16. 1955 Hardy Wine Co. St Thomas Burgundy Shiraz, South Australia/Victoria
17. 1942 Mount Pleasant TY Light Dry Red Shiraz, Hunter Valley

Tom Carson from Yabby Lake on the Mornington Peninsula joined participants at Yering Station for a Pinot Noir journey.  The tasting aimed to demonstrate that Australian Pinot Noir can rival the best in the world.

Tom’s focus was on an emerging generation of new Australian Pinot winemakers, many of whom have been ‘informed’ by working in Burgundy, and have returned to home to harness what they have learned in defining a distinct Australian expression.  Beyond the new up-and-comers, the second half of the Pinot review also revealed the classics.  A fascinating view of our current reality and our future potential.

The Wines: Pinot Noir (Blind Tasting)

1. 2008 Mac Forbes Woori Yallock Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
2. 2008 Mayer Close Planted Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
3. 2008 Farr Rising Geelong Pinot Noir
4. 2008 Allies Garagiste Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
5. 2008 William Downie Gippsland Pinot Noir
6. 2008 Stefano Lubiana Estate Pinot Noir, Tasmania
7. 2008 Curly Flat Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges
8. 2008 Yabby Lake Block 2 Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
9. 2002 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
10. 2002 Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir, Gippsland
11. 2001 Freycinet Vineyard Pinot Noir, Tasmania
12. 1997 Mount Mary Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2002
13. 1997 Bannockburn Serré Pinot Noir, Geelong
14. 1997 Bindi Original Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges
15. 1997 Coldstream Hills Reserve Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

Masterclass: Pinot Noir, presented by Tom Carson

In a day that started with breaktaking tastings of Australian Semillon and Australian Cabernet Sauvignon (blind), it was the third and final Master Class tasting truly stole the show. Day 3 of the Landmark Australia  Tutorial featured a Master Class session of Australia’s most historically significant wines. The 1955 Penfolds Grange Hermitage kicked off the tasting line up of 20 wines spanning 55 vintages of Australia’s modern day wine industry. Led by esteemed Australian wine authorities James Halliday, Andrew Caillard MW and Dr. Tony Jordan, the session served as a timeline of country’s greatest viticultural achievements.

While the entire line up of wines proved nothing short of mind-blowing, there were a couple of bottles that really sang to me for a variety of different reasons. The 1986 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz from Hunter Valley again challenged the notion that even top notch Australian wines don’t age as gracefully as their French counterparts. I wouldn’t hesitate to put this wine up against the top 20+ year old bottlings of Chave or Jaboulet Hermitage. Stewed black cherries, black pepper, leather and top soil aromas give way to a rich palate of black fruits, solid tannin structure and acidity that keeps the wine fresh. At nearly a quarter decade old, this wine still has at least another 25 years ahead of it.

The 1996 Three Valleys Shiraz from Barossa Valley is a wine that represents the glory days of Barossa Shiraz during the late 90’s and early 2000’s. This is right up Parker’s alley, with creamy black fruits, big doses of oak, candy-like richness and ripe tannins that carry on for a minute plus. You don’t have to like this wine (I didn’t really), but it represents a certain style of Australian wine that is undeniably appreciable.

If you’re thinking that my prior note is representative of all high end Barossa Shiraz, you’ve clearly never tasted the 1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz. Pure black fruits, iron and sage leaf jump out of the glass, with a medium-full bodied palate of cassis, sour plums, spice and black pepper covered figs on the finish. Balance is the name of this wines game, and it just was crowned MVP. Eye opening juice for sure, this wine made me rethink the way I view Barossa Valley as a whole.

If yesterday convincingly crowned Hunter Valley Semillon as Australia’s unique contribution to the world of fine wine, Riesling must be its best travelled international ambassador. 
 
Jeffrey Grosset from Grosset Wines took to the stage, showcasing 13 outstanding wines dating back to the early 1970s.  Opening his presentation, Jeffrey offered an examination of this variety that looked to address three key issues:
 
1. The quality of Australian Riesling and its standing in the international community,
2. The predominance of its expression in Austrlaia as a ‘dry’ style; why and where will this go in the future
3. The effect of site on where Rielsing is grown.
 
The masterclass demonstrated both the evolution and the dizzying scope of Riesling, and begged the question as to whether enough was being done at the consumer level to understand and appreciate this most noble and accomplished of wine styles.

The Wine: Riesling

1. 2010 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley
2. 2002 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling, Clare Valley
3. 1984 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, Clare Valley
4. 1973 Leo Buring DWC15 Riesling, Clare Valley
5. 2002 Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling, Eden Valley
6. 1980 Pewsey Vale Rhine Riesling, Eden Valley
7. 2009 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling, Henty
8. 2004 Crawford River Museum Release Riesling, Henty
9. 2009 Cherubino Porongurup Riesling, Great Southern
10. 2009 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Vineyard Riesling, Great Southern
11. 2003 Craigow Riesling, Tasmania
12. 2010 Grosset Off-Dry Riesling, Clare Valley
13. 2006 Pressing Matters R9 Riesling, Tasmania 

Andrew Caillard MW hosted a compelling narrative of Australia’s fine wine evolution, spanning six decades.  From the revolutionary and individualistic views of Max Schubert, through the emergence of definitive house and regional styles, to the current generation of winemakers and vignerons who will define our future, today will be an unrepeatable tasting.  Simply put, this tasting was the framing of Australia’s past, present and future fine wine story.

The Wines: An Historic Perspective

1. 1955 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia
2. 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Coonawarra & Kalimna
3. 1971 Penfolds Grange Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia
4. 1976 Wendouree Shiraz, Clare Valley
5. 1986 Henschke Hill of Grace Museum Release Shiraz, Eden Valley
6. 1986 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley
7. 1990 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet Cabernets, Yarra Valley
8. 1991 Lindemans Bin 8203 (Burgundy) Shiraz, Hunter Valley
9. 1995 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
10. 1995 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Margaret River
11. 1996 Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley
12. 1996 Best’s Wines Thomson Family Great Western Shiraz, Great Western
13. 1996 Clarendon Hills Astralis Vineyard Syrah, McLaren Vale
14. 1996 Three Rivers  Shiraz, Barossa Valley
15. 1998 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot
16. 1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, Barossa Valley
17. 2001 Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier, Canberra District
18. 2004 Balnaves of Coonawarra The Tally Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
19. 2006 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Shiraz, Hunter Valley
20. 2006 Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz/Roussanne, Beechworth
21. 1982 Wynns John Riddoch Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon