Tasting by Topic

 

 

Leo's Last Sunday Tasting

26th July 2009

Our “Last Sunday” tasting group is the highlight of my wine-tasting life each month. It is fantastic to catch up with good friends and try some great wines. I am privileged to be able to attend. The quality of the wines at this month’s tasting was superb as always. Kah-Lim gave us the broad category of Pinot or winter reds.

As it turns out, most people chose pinot and the breadth and depth of the wines were excellent. I was surprised at how well some of the new world wines looked. The tasting also highlighted the structure and power of the better burgundies.

A highlight was the warm up wine in the 2005 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay. This is a great wine in the true sense of the word. The other highlight was the cooking of Kah-Lim. The eight treasure duck and the roast quail were both delightful.

The bargain of the night is the Clos Pierre pinot. This is a Dan Murphy exclusive and whilst not complex, is great drinking. The wine of the night was the 1951 Hardies Tawny. Great drinking, and will hold for years to come under screw cap.

Thanks to Kah Lim and Irene for hosting the tasting.

Tasted

  1. Leeuwin Estate - Chardonnay - 2005 – (18.8)
  2. Mount Mary - Pinot noir – 2004 (18.5+)
  3. Ponzi – Reserve - Pinot - 2004 (18.5)
  4. Hardy's – Tawny – 1951 (18+)
  5. Bellhill - Pinot – 2004 (18)
  6. Cape Mentelle – Zinfandel - 2004 (18)
  7. Grant Burge – Meshach – Shiraz – 2002 (18)
  8. Villa Maria - Taylors pass - Pinot - 2003 (18)
  9. Lignier Virgile - Morey st Denis - Les Faconnieres 1er Cru – 2001 – (18)
  10. Main Ridge – Chardonnay – 2005 (18)
  11. Clos du Pape - Chateau Neuf de Pape – 2002 (17.5)
  12. Domaine Fontain Gagnard – Borgogne – 2005 - (17.5)
  13. Jean Tardy - Les Charmes - 1er Cru - Vosne-Romanee – 2005 (17.8)
  14. Chard Farm - River Run - Pinot Noir– 2002 (17.5)
  15. Bruno Clair – “les veriolles" - Chambolle Musigny – 2003 (17.5)
  16. Sandalford – Caversham – Cabernet Shiraz – 1996 (17.5)
  17. Clos Pierre – Pinot Noir – 2008 (17)
  18. Dry River - Pinot Noir – 2007 (17)

Leeuwin Estate - Chardonnay - 2005 – (18.8). Gorgeous palate but seriously cold. This wine has superb fruit with vanillin oak highlights and subtle worked characters that are well integrated. The palate is seamless and very long, with some pineapple fruit. There is subtle citrus to close. Very creamy, with excellent texture and mouth feel. This is a superb chardonnay that is only hinting at its potential.

Mount Mary - Pinot noir – 2004 (18.5+). Wow. Meaty, earthy, structured with fine tannins. Wow. Long, fine and elegant palate with a nice souring finish. This is long and really lingers. The fruit is ripe and there are lovely velvety tannins. fine oak to close. Crying out for Ka-Lim's Duck. Superb structure and mouth feel. Superb

Ponzi – Reserve - Pinot - 2004 (18.5). Sweet fruit to open, the palate is subtle, bright, long and fine. There are meaty characters under the perfumed sweet fruit. Very long.

Hardy's – Tawny – 1951 (18+). A curio that was a delight to drink, some sweetness, but lots of rancio characters. Fruit cake and bread pudding in a glass.

Bellhill - Pinot – 2004 (18). Earthy, meaty and complex. The palate starts off earthy and tight. With very fine tannins. Develops floral notes and builds in the mouth. Really fantastic.

Cape Mentelle – Zinfandel - 2004 (18). Had this with dinner and it was very good. Clean varietal fruit. Black currant, leather, spice. The palate is very long and rich, with texture and chewy fruit. Very fine tannins and grippy to close.

Grant Burge – Meshach – Shiraz – 2002 (18). Bloody good this. Clean, fresh and bright. There is licorice and peppery fruit. The palate has peppery shiraz, and is long and fine. Earthy characters to close.

Villa Maria - Taylors pass - Pinot - 2003 (18). Dense and ripe. Meaty and structured. The palate is weighty, ripe, plush and leathery to close. Touch of licorice adds interest.

Lignier Virgile - Morey st Denis - Les Faconnieres 1er Cru – 2001 – (18). Wow. Ripe and textured and complex, with cherries and plums. The palate is ripe and bright. Finishes long and velvety. This is a big wine that Builds in the mouth. Not elegant, put plush and round and chewy to close. Tangy, savoury edges with a lick of chary oak.

Main Ridge – Chardonnay – 2005 (18). Turbo charged wine. The palate is stunning. This has masses of tropical and pineapple fruit. The wine is long and seamless. This really builds in the mouth. Some age that adds complexity. Well integrated, but almost too much of everything.

Clos du Pape - Chateau Neuf de Pape – 2002 (17.5). Touch of pong and quite earthy to open. The palate is ripe and silky, long and fine. Ripe fruit but a touch of volatility. Really builds. Seamless, long and fine. Balance improves and a touch green to close. A good effort for a wet year.

Domaine Fontain Gagnard – Borgogne – 2005 - (17.5). Pretty, sweet and floral nose. The palate is structured and dense. Nice red berry fruit that is Fresh and very bright. Quite long and structured, but not as complex. Really persists and is good drinking.

Jean Tardy - Les Charmes - 1er Cru - Vosne-Romanee – 2005 (17.8). A meaty wine with plenty of weight and a touch of white pepper on the nose. The sweet fruit opens with time. The palate is ripe, with slightly grainy tannins and a finish that is long, fine and tight. The fruit is not showing well, but there is excellent structure and very fine tannins. Touch of char to close.

Chard Farm - River Run - Pinot Noir– 2002 (17.5). Lifted fruit with ripe cherries and strawberries. The palate shows sweet ripe fruit, though there is a pleasant souring finish. Some age evident. Ultimately, it lacks a bit of complexity on the mid palate, but this is long, soft, plump and round. There is some plummy fruit to close. Good tannins and a touch earthy to close.

Bruno Clair – “les veriolles" - Chambolle Musigny – 2003 (17.5). Intense wine this. Deep, chewy and brambly. The palate is rich, chewy, long, plush. ? Typical but great drinking. Some sour cherry to close.

Sandalford – Caversham – Cabernet Shiraz – 1996 (17.5). Leathery and spicy. Earthy and spice. This is all secondary fruit characters. The palate is old, but remains spicy and long. There is some plumy fruit, cocoa and tea leaf to close. This is long and bottle aged.

Clos Pierre – Pinot Noir – 2008 (17). Clean fresh, bright. Develops some complexity with air. The palate continues the theme and is fresh round and ripe. Souring finish. Not complex but good drinking. Quite ripe, but holds it together. Great value.

Dry River - Pinot Noir – 2007 (17). Unusual nose of apricots and botrytis. Some questioned the addition of viognier. Lifted fruit underneath it all though. The palate is long and bright, with good structure. The fruit really builds. Burgundian. Lingers and the fruit is fleshy and round. Opens and blows off, but can't get over the nose with its ? yeast characters.