Ashbrook Chardonnay
Date: Sat, Nov 29, 2008 Wine Tasting
Rather than create two separate posts, I thought I amalgamate my two tasting notes.
What I said of the 02 seems just as true of the 06:
A very big boned chardonnay, which despite its proportions, is balanced and enjoyable.
It lacks finesse, but it is certainly not clumsy. The purists will frown at this interpretation - White Burgundy on steroids. I liked it.
Ashbrook Chardonnay 2002. Margaret River, Westen Australia. Sealed with cork. 15% alcohol. Source: Brother in law. (Tasted and originally published in January 2007)
Pale. Winemaker nose - sulphur, struck match, spicy oak and barrel ferment characters. Underlying this there is a hint of tropical fruit - but it is well hidden. In the mouth it is rich, smooth and thickly textured with notable sweetness and finishing warmth. Very good. 17.2/20 (91/100). Drink now - 2009.
Ashbrook Chardonnay 2006. (Pictured above). 14.5%. Screwcap. Source: Brother in law. (Tasted November 2008).
Tasted blind, I initially thought this might be a Rhone white, it was so rich and laden with texture and peaches it was hard to think of much else. A large oak frame carries the fruit (peaches and cream and bristling pineapple) effectively and this is supported by an array of Burgundian tricks. Very good. 92. Now - 2012.
technorati tags: wine, australian wine, chardonnay
Jacob's Creek Riesling 2008
Date: Thu, Nov 27, 2008 Wine Tasting
South Australia. Riesling. 12.5%. $A10.
Despite the bottle, this is every bit a riesling. It smells and tastes as it should and for only $10 it is quite convincing and surprisingly good. A pretty nose which reminds me most of an Eden Valley wine, with the usual triad of lime, blossom and talc. A transient spritzig adds to the sherbet like nature, but even without the bubbles this is appealing bright and crisp.
Very good.
87.
Now - 2010.
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Kalleske JMK Shiraz VP 2006
Date: Wed, Nov 26, 2008 Wine Tasting
Greenock, Barossa, South Australia. Fortified. Shiraz. 19%. Cork. Approx $A28 for a stumpy half bottle. JMK = John Malcolm Kalleske.
A wine that is both pyknotic and enveloping. From the start it is able to clearly evoke the image of shriveled shiraz berries, laden with sugar, patiently waiting to be picked as they soak up the goodness of the warm Barossa sun. Tasting and smelling of chocolate and raisins, this is powerful and concentrated, with layers of sweet softness and creamy vanilla. Possessing the heat and roundness of a warm afternoon, this wine is dangerously disarming.
Very good - excellent.
90.
Now.
technorati tags: wine, australian wine
Charles Sturt University Chardonnay 2007
Date: Sun, Nov 23, 2008 Wine Tasting
Orange, NSW, Australia. Chardonnay. 13.5%. Approx $A13.
I've consumed a handful of cheaper wines this weekend, and whilst the 2005 Wyndam Bin 555 Shiraz was quite good, this puts them all to shame.
Charles Sturt University (home to Australia's leading wine school) sounds like a progressive and interesting place to study. This incredibly cheap but delightful chardonnay is compellingly direct and brisk. Pale with a flash of green, this is pert and laden with stonefruit and crisp acidity.
Very good.
91.
Now.
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So much to eat, so little time. . .
Date: Sun, Nov 23, 2008 Wine Tasting
It's been a wetter and milder than normal November, which perhaps accounts for the large number of snails in my garden. I've ceased my campaign of chemical warfare and decided coexistence and photography is the best approach. . .
A very ordinary year. . .
Date: Fri, Nov 21, 2008 Wine Tasting
La Pleiade Heathcote Shiraz 2006
Date: Thu, Nov 20, 2008 Wine Tasting
Heathcote, Victoria, Australia. Shiraz. 15%. Cork (very long 55mm and blemish free). Approx $A70.
The Pleiades is a well known star cluster (easily) visible in both hemispheres, which features prominently in ancient mythology. In the image on the bottle for instance, the lowest star (the 4th from the left) represents Merope, who is the only one of her nymph sisters to marry a mortal (the crafty Sisyphus).
La Pleiade is a collaboration between Michel Chapoutier and Ron Laughton (Jasper Hill). The grapes are grown biodynamically and without irrigation. Presumably the intent is to demonstrate geography (Cambrian soil) and terroir.
A massive black wine which is not for the faint hearted. It is dense and powerful and laden with oak, tannin and fully ripe fruit. Smelling of ink, raisins, prune, spice (juniper), and dried herbs (bay leaf and lavender) this is quite confronting from the very start. Structured, firm and long, the tannins and alcohol vie for attention.
Very good.
90.
2010 - 2015.
technorati tags: wine, australian wine,
Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot 1998
Date: Sun, Nov 16, 2008 Wine Tasting
Margaret River, Western Australia. 14%. Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot. Cork. Source: cellar (approx $A30 on release).
A dusty nose with earth, menthol, eucalyptus and prune. . . Without too much imagination there is also the scent of a well used saddle. Quite firm and granular in the mouth, with a sour juicy edge and creamy, slightly adhesive tannins. Enjoyable but even in middle age, this is still slightly awkward and abrasive.
Very good.
90.
Now - 2013.
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Howard Park Chardonnay 2005
Date: Sun, Nov 16, 2008 Wine Tasting
Great Southern, Western Australia. 13.5%. Chardonnay. Screwcap. Approx $A35.
I spent some of last week practicing and refreshing my very rusty resuscitation skills. Disconcertingly the manikins could bleed and I soon discovered I kept forgetting to count cardiac compressions. This of course makes following protocols very problematic. . .
No such problems with the Howard Park, which is bright and remarkably consistent. It's tight, lean and sappy (like a Macon) with a trace of smoke, flint and white nectarine.
Very good.
92.
Now - 2011.
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OTT Fass 4 Grüner veltliner 2007
Date: Thu, Nov 13, 2008 Wine Tasting
Weingut Bernard OTT. Wagram, Austria. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A40.
One of the most notable things about this wine, is the lovely texture. Though a dry wine of 12.5%, this feels more voluptuous. It's silky and essence like and there is an impression of weight and flesh, without heaviness. It is zippy and spice laden with plenty of grip and length.
Very good - excellent.
93.
Now - 2012+
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Books on wine
Date: Wed, Nov 12, 2008 Wine Tasting
As much as I love books and in particular books on wine, it is apparent I have too many of them. At last count there was over 70. Most have been idle and untouched for years, collecting dust and musty smells. Recently, I gathered the least loved, mainly the ones full of tasting notes and numbers (perhaps that is a lesson for writers of wine blogs too) and visited several second book merchants. I had low expectations which proved excessive. I had thought someone would at least offer $10 for my twenty books. In the end, no one was interested, the purveyors of trashy second hand novels said my books on wine were worthless. . . Of course this unsupported secondary market means that occasionally treasures at bargain prices can be found. In the image above (which are some of the books I kept), there are two such finds. A first edition of the World Atlas of Wine set me back 50 cents (Church fair in the rural town of Albany) and George Saintsbury's classic book was only two dollars.
For those interested in old wine books, in particular books full of tasting notes and numbers, I'd suggest visiting your local Good Samaritan store, I've heard that some new stock has just arrived.
Review: Ria
Date: Wed, Nov 12, 2008 Wine Tasting
160 Oxford St, Leederville, Perth.
There are a pair of excellent reviews for Ria over at Abstract Gourmet (1, 2). I've been far slower in visiting the deservedly popular and commendable Malaysian restaurant, largely because of the house policy of not allowing reservations. With a young family, scheduling and certainty when it comes to feeding times is very important. . . The solution of course is to visit without children (which most of the fashionable clientele do), or as close to the 5:30pm opening time as possible (arriving after 7pm will mean time waiting on the pavement).
The food is satisfyingly good and true. The menu is short, there were no noodle dishes for instance, but each and every dish I tasted was lovingly prepared and complete. Some highlights included the multi-textured egg plant salad (which had at least 15 ingredients that I could identify) and the indulgent caramelised duck (pictured above). The food, being Nonya inspired, is strongly spiced and flavoured, making wine matching challenging. It was a challenge I avoided, the excellent food and curries are much better suited to beer and in the end I opted for pint of Porters. For those interested in wine, it is BYO (bring riesling, rosé or a cheap GSM blend), or there is a short list (9 whites and 9 reds, and all seemingly from the Constellation stable of brands - Amberley, Goundry, Hougton, Tintara, Yarra Burn, Kim Crawford etc) which could do with more diversity and thought.
Giorgio Armani Attitude
Date: Tue, Nov 11, 2008 Wine Tasting
Smells like food, in particular something sweet and Middle Eastern. To begin it is all citrus (especially orange peel) but in time it is mainly musk, vanilla and cinnamon. Quite fresh and persistent, I wonder if this can replace the aeroguard?
More interesting than the scent is the list of ingredients. BHT (Butylated hydroytoluene, which has been banned as a food additive since 1958 in Japan, but can be used in cosmetics where it is an anti oxidant and fat preserver), linalool (naturally occurring terpene found in many plants, such as coriander seed, cinnamon and lavender to name a few), geraniol (rose scented this potentially deters mosquitoes but may attracts bees), coumarin (a precursor of warfarin and toxic to rats, this is found in many plants including the tonka bean, vanilla grass and cassia bark, banned as a food additive in the USA since 1978), limonene (found in the rind of lemon and other citrus, this smells of oranges and is good for removing grease), hydroxycitronellal, citronellol (often used in insect repelling candles), citral and butylphenyl methylpropional (floral in scent but with a variety of reports of toxicity)
Review: Restaurant Amusé
Date: Tue, Nov 11, 2008 Wine Tasting
64 Bronte St, East Perth.
This restaurant seems ectopic - the food is meticulous, intricate and bold, but the location and space don't match the ambitious plates. The candles are artificial and the roof is too low for such complicated food.
I had the degustation menu with matched wines ($A170), and over a four hour period I had the pleasure of experiencing some of Hadleigh Troy's culinary tricks (sea urchin foam, purees, jellies, sous vide pineapple fragments, in-house pork butchering. . .), it was a masterful and impressive display, that still left me feeling slightly empty. . . I think on the night, some of the food was too cerebral and clever for my expectations. . .
