Posts Tagged Julia Harding
Landmark Australia Tutorial 2010
A Landmark return for the Australian wine industry
Following the internationally acclaimed, inaugural 2009 Landmark Australia Tutorial, Wine Australia is today announcing the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial will take place in the Yarra Valley in September next year.
For the first time, Wine Australia is inviting applications from Australia’s leading wine professionals to join the best and brightest opinion leaders from around the world in the five-day tutorial.
The intensive course consists of a series of tastings and themed master classes charting the development of Australia’s fine wine credentials.
“We are searching for the next wave of leading wine professionals who will help shape an informed awareness and opportunity for Australia’s regionally distinct and fine wines in their respective markets,” Mr Henry says.
The first Landmark Australia Tutorial was held over five days in the Barossa Valley in June this year. More than 1,000 initial enquiries were received with 12 participants chosen from Australia’s key export markets including the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan and China.
Julia Harding MW, one of the UK participants from the first tutorial said, “The 2009 Landmark Australian Tutorial gave me more information to back up my belief that Australian wine is much more varied than most people think and also can be a lot more subtle than its stereotype.”
Some of the leading figures in the Australian wine industry have again confirmed their commitment and involvement in the tutorial such as Peter Gago, chief winemaker at Penfolds and Robert Hill Smith, proprietor and vigneron, the Yalumba Wine Company.
Next year’s tutorial will take place in the Yarra Valley which, like the Barossa Valley, is a renowned tourism destination and one of the key wine regions in Australia allowing Wine Australia to yet again showcase the regional diversity and ‘terroir’ of its wines to an international audience.
“Developing a shared understanding of Australian excellence in the fields of wine, food and tourism is critical to the evolution of our future success on the world stage,” Mr Henry said.
From JancisRobinson.com: Landmark Australia - Day 4
Julia Harding MW, one of the participants, writes on JancisRobinson.com about Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (including the rogue DRC, which was considered by all to be disappointing) and blind tastings with Brian Croser AO on day four of the Landmark Australia tutorial.
Today, Thursday, I have even less time than usual between the end of the last tasting and dinner, so I have to skim over the tastings in some cases but full tasting notes will follow later this month.
Dinner last night was on the theme ‘Slow food, slow wine’, with a mixed bag of wines chosen by Australian wine writer Max Allen - either because they were organic or biodynamic or because of the stories attached to them. The excellent, dry, intense but not too fruity Sutton Grange Fairbank rosé, for example, demonstrated the synergy of good neighbours and the complementarity of food and wine from a single region. Sutton Grange is next to a dairy that makes an organic goats’ cheese called La Luna. Sutton Grange uses the whey from the dairy to treat fungal infections on their vines, and the Fairbank rosé pairs beautifully with La Luna. With two biodynamic producers (Vanya Cullen and Julian Castagna) as guests for the evening, there was plenty of debate about the planet, and particularly what Max Allen referred to as the ‘fragile’ country of Australia (fragile because it is so dry and has so many regions with very thin soils).
Other wines I particularly enjoyed were the Cullen Mangan blend from Margaret River and KT and the Falcon Melva Riesling from the Clare Valley. Both shared a fine purity and lovely freshness. The complete list was as follows:
2008 Sutton Grange Winery Fairbank Rosé Syrah/Cabernet/Merlot, Bendigo
2008 Lucy Margaux vineyards & Àuge Ristoranté Vino d’Àuge Saignée Sangiovese, Adelaide Hills
2007 Ngeringa Viognier, Adelaide Hills
2008 Gemtree Vineyards Moonstone Albariño, McLaren Vale
2008 Moondarra Holly’s Garden Pinot Gris, Gippsland
2007 Bass Phillip Estate Pinot Noir, South Gippsland
2006 Ngeringa Syrah, Adelaide Hills
2002 Castagna Genesis Syrah, Beechworth
2002 Castagna La Chiave Sangiovese, Beechworth
2005 Castagna Un Segreto Sangiovese/Shiraz, Beechworth
2007 Cullen Wines Mangan Merlot/Malbec/Petit Verdot, Margaret RiverToday’s tastings focused on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The first, presented by Michael Hill Smith MW, was a very good snapshot of the evolutionary stages of this variety and the range of styles of Chardonnay now being made in different parts of Australia, defined first by region and then by winemaking practices. Heavy oak and buttery sweetness are, at this level of quality, pretty much a thing of the past. For more on this theme, see Jancis’s article Whither Australian Chardonnay?
We tasted:
2006 Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 47 Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
2006 Cullen Wines Kevin John Chardonnay, Margaret River
2006 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay, Margaret River
2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay, Margaret River
2006 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
2006 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
2006 Giaconda Chardonnay, Beechworth
2006 Bindi Wine Growers Quartz Chardonnay, Macedon Ranges
2006 Stonier Wines KBS Vineyard Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula
2006 Oakridge 864 Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
2006 TarraWarra Estate MDB Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
2006 Freycinet Chardonnay, Tasmania
2006 Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, Regional Blend
2006 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay, Regional BlendThe overall quality was high and I had too many that I liked to single them out here. You’ll have to wait for my tasting notes.
The Pinot Noir tasting that followed was done blind, and the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée Saint-Vivant 2002 Vosne-Romanée thrown in to provide context was considered by all to be disappointing. A dumb phase? A context of more overt fruit styles? Or a case of blind tasting revealing a good deal? I’m not sure.
Again, you’ll have to wait for my tasting notes. They certainly showed that Australian Pinot is far more sophisticated and fine-tuned than many people imagine - as you will see from Jancis’s recent review of the Mornington Peninsula Pinots. We tasted:
2007 Stoney Rise The Holyman Pinot Noir, Tasmania
2007 Bindi Wine Growers Block 5 Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges
2007 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
2006 Stefano Lubiana Estate Pinot Noir, Southern Tasmania
2006 Kooyong Single Vineyard Selection Ferrous Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
2006 TarraWarra Estate MDB Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
2007 Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir, Central Otago
2003 Ashton Hills Estate Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills
2003 Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
2002 Domaine de la Romanée Conti Romanée St Vivant Pinot Noir, Vosne Romanée, Burgundy
1999 Mount Mary Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
1997 Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir, South Gippsland
1997 Bannockburn Serré Pinot Noir, Geelong
1992 Coldstream Hills Reserve Pinot Noir, Yarra ValleyThe most challenging tasting of the day was Brian Croser’s (pictured) selection of (mostly) blended wines: almost all the wines were predominantly Cabernet or Shiraz. It was challenging because the wines were tasted blind and for each wine we had to answer several questions:
1 Is the wine made in a way to show off the variety/region or is it a ‘winemaker’s wine’?
2 Which region is it from (drilling down to regions within states, eg Margaret River or Great Southern in WA, etc.)?
3 Is it predominantly Shiraz or Cabernet?
4 Is the alcohol high, balanced or low?
5 Is the acidity high, balanced or low?
6 Is the residual sugar evident or high or is the wine dry?
Trying to write tasting notes as well as answer these questions for 20 wines took a bit of doing in the time available. Answers were then gathered by a show of hands for each aspect of each wine. Brian Croser was very encouraging even when the group didn’t do too well overall. There was quite a high level of agreement as to which were regional/varietal and which were winemaker’s wines (generally identified as very big, sometimes overripe, generally highly oaked) but we found the regions and the varieties harder. One wine stood out as the most generally recognised; Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier 2007 Canberra District stood out for its fine perfume, fine tannins and excellent proportions.
One point Croser was keen to make in his introduction was that 24 of Australia’s 73 wine regions could be classified as cool climate, ie with a mean January temperature of less than 19.5ºC. And it was the cooler climate wines such as the two examples of Shiraz from the Grampians and the Cabernet-based wines from Western Australia that were generally easier to identify.
The best part of the tasting was being able to go back to the wines after their identities had been unveiled and to focus on the key characteristics of certain region/variety combinations. The endeavour also reinforced the key messages of the tutorial - that Australia does make fine wine (if you were in any doubt) and there are clear regional differences in style and character. However, as Andrew Jefford pointed out (he popped in again for this tasting), it was a difficult exercise because you were always weighing up two major variables - variety and region - and which was the strongest determinant in your search for identity.
2005 Plantagenet Shiraz, Mount Barker, Great Southern
2006 Glaetzer Amon Ra Shiraz, Barossa Valley
2005 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley
2004 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz/Viognier, Barossa Valley
2002 Penfolds Grange Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Multi-region South Australia
2005 Hardys Eileen Hardy Shiraz, McLaren Vale
2004 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley
2004 Clarendon Hills Astralis Vineyard Shiraz (Syrah), McLaren Vale
2007 Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier, Canberra District
2005 Clayfield Wines Shiraz, Grampians
2006 Two Hands Wines Bella’s Garden Shiraz, Barossa Valley
2005 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Multi-region South Australia
2005 Seppelts St Peters Shiraz, Grampians
2005 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
2005 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Margaret River
2006 Balnaves of Coonawarra The Tally Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
2006 Woodlands Reserve de la Cave Cabernet Franc, Margaret River
2004 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
2005 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
2002 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec, Clare ValleyLooking forward to dinner tonight - not because I am in the least bit hungry but because Brian Croser is going to talk about the current state and the future of Australian wine.
From JancisRobinson.com: Landmark Australia - Day 3
Julia Harding MW, one of the participants, writes on JancisRobinson.com about dinner on the second night of the Landmark Australia tutorial in The Barossa Valley as well as a round-up of the tastings on Day 3.
3 Jun 2009 by Julia Harding MW
See also Julia’s reports on Day 1 and Day 2.View of the sunset in the Barossa from Julia Harding's room at The Louise
Last night’s dinner was another opportunity to taste wines that couldn’t be squeezed into the day’s tastings (see list below). To me the most remarkable wines were the Tahbilk Marsannes – such a good wine at such a great price, which is probably why I made the 2005 a previous wine of the week. Not only that but also a wine that develops well in bottle.
I sat next to Jeff Grosset, who told me has planted some Nero d’Avola after being impressed by the wines he tasted on Sicily. He and his partner (Stephanie Toole of Mount Horrocks in the Clare Valley) did their serious research into the potential of the variety by buying up as many samples as possible and tasting them on the ferry back to the mainland. One to watch… along with the Fiano.
The three wines by John Duval (who was there at the dinner) showed very well, especially the Eligo Shiraz 2005, made from both Barossa and Eden Valley fruit. John was at the dinner but I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about the wines. Chester Osborn’s d’Arenberg Ironstone Pressings 1996 showed that this wine has the potential to age, even though in this vintage he dropped the sulphur a little too low, he said, so it was ageing more quickly than it should.
Osborn’s wines are as brimming with life as the man himself – he’s apparently in the process of setting up his own fashion label. The fact that he has time to do so may be due to the fact that, he claims, they go into the vineyards just once a year, ie to harvest, the old bush vines needing no pruning or other curbs on their vigour. (Which reminds me of a great comment from Iain Riggs - see below - that they had perfected the art of bonsai viticulture in the Hunter Valley, so poor are the soils and so small the canopy.)
Here’s the full list of last night’s dinner wines:
2001 Yarrabank Late Disgorged Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
1998 Tahbilk Marsanne, Nagambie Lakes, Goulburn Valley
2004 Tahbilk Marsanne, Nagambie Lakes, Goulburn Valley
2008 Tahbilk Marsanne, Nagambie Lakes, Goulburn Valley
1996 d’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings Grenache/Shiraz, McLaren Vale
2002 d’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre, McLaren Vale
2006 d’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre, McLaren Vale
1992 Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, Barossa
1996 Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, Barossa
2002 Yalumba The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, Barossa 2006 John Duval Wines Plexus Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvèdre, Barossa Valley
2006 John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz, Barossa Valley
2005 John Duval Wines Eligo Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Disgorged 2008 Rockford Sparkling Black Shiraz, Barossa ValleyToday, Wednesday (had to think hard to work out which day it is), was the turn of Sauvignon and Semillon followed by Cabernet and Cabernet blends.
Iain Riggs of Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley showed varietal Semillons mainly from the Hunter. The Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1998 was terrific but I was quite surprised that it was the oldest one put before us. Riggs explained that this was because of the problems of random oxidation under cork, which made older wines in good condition difficult to source. As if to prove a point, the Brokenwood ILR 1999, the only one of the selection bottled under cork, was definitely not in perfect condition, though you could still see the begnnings of toasty, nutty aromas and flavours that make mature, low-alcohol Hunter Semillon so attractive and distinctive. The Sauvignons were a long way from the herbaceous styles of stereotypical NZ Sauvignon, though after my recent tasting with Montana’s Jeff Clarke (see Whither New Zealand Sauvignon I was at pains to point out that it really is a stereotype. Even though the Shaw + Smith Sauvignon 2009 was a tank sample, it had a fine yet intense apricot and citrus fruit character that demonstrated the quality of the fruit picked before the heatwave.
The Sauvignon/Semillon blends were not the most impressive examples I have ever tasted and did not really do justice to this particular category, though the Cape Mentelle Walcliffe 2006 was excellent.
We tasted:
1998 Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 1 Semillon, Hunter
1999 Brokenwood ILR Semillon, Hunter
2002 Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon, Barossa Valley
2003 Tempus Two Copper Zenith Semillon, Hunter
2005 Vasse Felix Semillon, Margaret River
2006 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon, Hunter
2008 Thomas Wines Braemore Individual Vineyard Semillon, Hunter
2009 Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills
2008 Angullong Sauvignon Blanc, Orange
2008 Logan Sauvignon Blanc, Mudgee
2008 Goundrey ‘G’ Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Mount Barker, Great Southern
2006 Cape Mentelle Walcliffe Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Margaret River
2008 Brookland Valley Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret River
2007 Rosemount Show Reserve Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, Western Australia
2007 Lenton Brae Wines Wilyabrup Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret RiverRobert Mann, grandson of Jack Mann (winemaker at Houghton from 1930 to 1974), had made an admirably concise selection of Cabernets and Cabernet blends: the first five wines were, on the whole, models of restraint and finesse, and the Mouton, at this stage in its evolution, looked very oaky and definitely in need of considerable futher ageing to reach its peak, unlike the Australian wines. The last six wines were definitely in a more powerful, rich-fruited style but even so there was good diversity of tastes and textures. The Wendouree Cabernet/Malbec blend split the room but I particularly liked its dark, minerally style and the savouriness that came with the Malbec.
Robert Mann’s selection:
2005 Mount Mary Quintet Cabernets, Yarra Valley
2005 Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Great Southern/Margaret River
2005 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
2005 Woodlands ‘Colin’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
2005 Sandalford Prendiville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
2005 Château Mouton Rothschild Cabernet/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot, Pauillac
2005 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth, Cabernet/Merlot, Coonawarra
2005 Majella The Malleea Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Coonawarra
2005 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet/Merlot, Eden Valley
2005 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec, Clare Valley
2005 Hardys Chateau Reynella Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale
2005 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa ValleyLunch at Yalumba turned out to be a first: dining inside a concrete fermentation tank, its insides now polished to a lustrous sheen. The tasting took place in another former tank and was led by Yalumba chief winemaker and queen of Viognier Louisa Rose and Max Allen, journalist best known for his column in The Australian and for his instigation of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. They had included a couple of Pinot Gris wines, though apparently this is no longer alternative enough to be allowed into the show next year – I much preferred the Henschke to the Delatite, though both were firmly Pinot Gris rather than Grigio in style.
Many of these wines are still very much a work in progressive, with most of the varieities having such a short history in Australia. Yalumba’s The Virgilius Viogner could certainly not be called a work in progress, showing lovely varietal character and real refinement. The Albariño sparked discussion of the recent Albariño/Savagnin debacle (reported here). I found the Gamay (total non-interventionist winemaking, including no sulphur at botllting) bizarre and not very nice, though Max Allen was a big fan. The Sangiovese and the Tannat, on the other hand, were very good. The three Nebbiolos were pretty good for this recent immigrant.
2008 Henschke Littlehampton Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills
2008 Delatite Pinot Gris Upper Goulburn
2008 Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier, Eden Valley
2006 Castagna Ingénue Viognier, Beechworth
2008 Giaconda Aeolia Roussanne, Beechworth
2008 Dal Zotto Arneis, King Valley
2008 Crittenden Estate Los Hermanos Albariño, Mornington Peninsula
2008 Spinifex Lola Semillon/Marsanne/Viognier/Ugni Blanc/Grenache Blanc/Vermentino, Barossa Valley
2008 Quealy Senza Nome Tocai Friulano, Mornington Peninsula
2008 Coriole Fiano, McLaren Vale
2008 R Wines Mod Gamay, Geelong
2007 Greenstone Vineyard Sangiovese, Heathcote
2007 Gemtree Vineyards Bloodstone Tempranillo, McLaren Vale
2002 Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre, Barossa Valley
2006 Arrivo Lunga Macerazione Nebbiolo, Adelaide Hills
2007 Luke Lambert Wines Nebbiolo, Yarra Valley
1998 Pizzini Nebbiolo, King Valley
2005 Boireann Tannat, Granite Belt
2006 Cobaw Ridge Lagrein, Macedon Ranges
2007 First Drop Minchia Montepulciano, Adelaide HillsAnd so to dinner … (I’d love to say ‘And so to bed …’ but then again I’d hate to miss some great wines and interesting company.) The photo shows sunset in the Barossa, the view from my room.
Taken from JancisRobinson.com, for a full copy of the article click here.
From JancisRobinson.com: Landmark Australia - Day 1
Landmark Tutorial participant Julia Harding writes on JancisRobinson.com about Day 1 of the Landmark Tutorials
Arrived in Adelaide yesterday at 06.40 and spent the rest of the day in the city trying desperately to stay awake: by tram to the sea in the suburb of Glenelg; a brief foray into the art gallery and the museum and a wander along the river right behind our hotel. I passed up the once-in-a year opportunity to see inside Government House, the Governor’s residence just down the road from our hotel, because the queue was so long and because an elderly lady in the queue said it was ‘very English’.
In the evening the 12 participants on the tutorial, from all corners of the world, were treated to a welcome dinner at the excellent Sparrow Kitchen and Bar in north Adelaide, with a few well-chosen bottles, including Crawford River Riesling 2006 from Henty in Victoria, one of Jancis’s favourites. A good match with the kingfish and cockles.
Today, Monday, began early, setting the tone for an intensive week of hard labour. Our minibus crawled through Adelaide’s rush hour traffic to the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) for an overview of their work and an introduction to their Advanced Wine Assessment Course.
The Institute is funded by the compulsory levy on growers and winemakers and by the government, which matches the money raised by the levy. There are also contributions from related industries such as coopers and bottle manufacturers.
Their work is impressive in scope and depth and falls under four headings: research (about 70% of what they do), development (new techniques such as non-intrusive tests using NRI spectroscopy), extension (dissemination of research to grape growers and winemakers), and commercial (sale of analytical services). I’ll be spending a day at the AWRI next week so may have more to report later.
There’s talk of ‘management processes’ and ‘modulation of flavour’ and it all sounds a long way from the romantic view of the artisan winemake, but the point is to be able to understand what happens in the vineyards and winery so that you have the choice to exercise more or less control. One recent project was the identification of the compound in Shiraz (rotundone) that gives a spicy flavour, so a producer can fine-tune his or her viticulture and vinification to have more or less of this particular character. I guess it’s something you might work out by trial and error over many years but there are so many variables that it could take decades. It’s not as if the artisan winemaker doesn’t make choices, just that they may not know the consequences of their choices.
The Advanced Wine Assessment Course normally takes four days but we had two hours to go through two flights of wines (as pictured): 10 Shiraz and 10 Riesling. There were repeats in the line up, not to intimidate us, they protested, but to train us to put aside the factors that can influence objective judgement: emotion (what happened on the way to the forum), physiology (especially tiredness, eg jet lag or palate fatigue), preceding wines, environment. I found the third of these the most intrusive, though tiredness also played a part after a jet-lag affected night. It’s all considered good training, particularly for the Australian show judging system, where the emphasis is less on medal stickers on bottles for the benefit of the consumer and more on ‘improving the breed’ for the benefit of producers and the industry as a whole.
Our taste of the training seemed to be designed mainly as a bonding activity for the 12 tutorial participants – encouraging people to speak up and stand up for wines they scored highly (as in any group, some members needed no encouragement to speak up). My own consistency was reasonable but less than I would have liked [ie only 99%? JR] and I found that the preceding wine or wines was the most intrusive factor. For example, I judged a full-flavoured, lime and toast, crisp 2003 Riesling more highly after another similar (but not such good) wine than when I tasted it after a run of four more delicate, floral and citrus styles. Another factor was knowing that there were repeat wines, making it all too tempting to try to identify the repeats to avoid embarrassment later rather than concentrating on each wine, one at a time, and its intrinsic quality.
Suitably armed, and sobered by the demands of judging consistently and objectively, we boarded the bus and headed for the Barossa and the luxurious Louise hotel for a very quick sandwich lunch and our first session in the tutorial: Australia’s regional classics, presented by tutors Michael Hill Smith AM, MW, Andrew Caillard MW and Dr Tony Jordan.
This was pretty similar to the London Landmark tasting I went to in London just over a year ago. The aim was to present a small selection of benchmark wines that demonstrated optimal partnerships of grape variety and region. I’ll be posting my tasting notes when I get back but here’s a list of the wines:
2008 Grosset Wines Polish Hill Riesling, Clare Valley
2002 Pewsey Vale, The Contours Riesling, Eden Valley
1998 Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 1 Semillon, Hunter
2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay, Margaret River
2006 Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
2006 By Farr Sangreal Pinot Noir, Geelong
2001 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Margaret River
2004 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
1998 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter
2004 Mt Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz, Grampians
2006 Henshke Mt Eldestone Shiraz, Eden Valley
2004 Penfolds RWT Shiraz, Barossa Valley
2006 Glaetzer Anaperenna Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley
2006 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon, Riverina
The quality of the range was consistently high though the selection was, inevitably, fairly predictable. But this was setting the scene for the sessions to follow, where we will look at all the major varieties from a wider range of regions and styles.
Aside from the wines and the first stunning view of the sun on the Barossa Ranges (sorry, moving too fast to get a pic), the highlight of my day was free wifi access in my room [a woman after my own heart – JR] in the very beautiful Louise hotel, after the rapacious 55 cents a minute and the tether of an ethernet cable at the Hyatt in Adelaide.
Now a dash to the themed dinner: Australia’s fine wines, including, apparently, a vertical tasting of McWilliams Lovedale Semillon from the Hunter Valley.
Tomorrow: Riesling with Jeffrey Grosset; Shiraz and blends with Stephen Pannell; ‘a historic perspective’ set at Barossa Valley Estates; and, for those with stamina, a tour of the Seppeltsfiled winery.
From JancisRobinson.com ; full blog article here
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