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2014 New Years Resolutions…
Posted in Producer Wine Tasting on January 31, 2014
There seems to be a similar ritual every new year… First a lovely celebration to welcome in the new year (hopefully whilst drinking something nice) followed swiftly by the new year’s resolutions. Item No 1 is usually something along the lines of “eat healthier and exercise more”. Sounds familiar? I remembered the last time when I tried to sign up for a new gym membership, the member officer told me that they were full, but to come back in February when their gym is back to ‘normal’ usage levels…
So, who am I to go against the crowd? After thinking about this in 5 minutes long and hard, I’ve decided the key resolutions of the year should be:
1) Run 10km in 50 minutes 😛 . It will be interesting to see if I am merely dreaming.
2) Understand wines from different regions more (especially outside France). For those who have been reading this blog, you may notice that my preference, especially in 2013, was very heavily focused on French wines. For 2014, I am making it my mission to try different wines and different grape varieties. Hopefully this will be easier to achieve than than No 1) above.
So, with the resolutions set, it was on to my first wine major wine event for 2014… Burgundy 2012.
Hang on a minute… haven’t I been drinking Burgundy throughout 2013? That’s completely different to my new year resolutions!
Well, the main reason is that Burgundy En Primeur occurs every January and is the FIRST important tasting event of the calendar year. Since it occurs at the beginning of the year, I guess my resolutionas should start AFTER this event 😛 . I think it is widely reported that Burgundy 2012 is in extremely short supply due to the hailstorms which did massive damage to the Cote de Beaune and the wet weather during the growing season, impacting flowering in the Cote de Nuit. I was actually in Burgundy in June 2012 and can attest that my hired car looked like its been through a rally stage after a few days. Consequently, supply is significantly down on 2011 (it itself yielding wines below average volumes). Given demand for Burgundy is at an all time high (including strong interest from China), there simply isn’t enough wine to go round. However, Bordeaux 2012 is still widely available with very little interest.
Given the ferocious demand and low supply, prices for Burgundy 2012 have increased significantly. Some of the wines were priced at over 40% higher than the 2011 vintages but even so, one has to fight for allocation even if one is willng to stomach the price increase. It is said that most Burgundy wine producers operate on a cost plus model (vs a ‘how much can I charge and get away with it’ model), the price increases are understandable given the extremely low quantities. Sadly, it is said that Burgundy 2013 is be even smaller than 2012.
BBR usually organizes a wine tasting event where samples were made available for the customers to taste and choose. This year however, the wines were in such short supply that BBR had to switch it to a masterclass instead. Since I had an invite, I decided to broaden my Burgundy knowledge and get a glimpse of what I was paying for (but will need to wait a further 10 years before thinking about opening a bottle).
All the wines tasted were barrel samples and bottling is expected to take place 2-5 months down the road.
The tasting was hosted by Jasper Morris and we were very fortunate to have Etienne de Montille (from famous Burgundy house Domaine de Montille) present in HK. The wines were also barrel samples and flown in. This was interesting as I do not often get to taste Burgundy from barrel.
There were a selection of 8 whites and 9 red in the 2012 tasting. To top it off, a further 4 ‘in bottle’ reds were presented as well.
White wines
2012 Pouilly-Fuisse, Terroir de Vergisson, Olivier Merlin
Colour: Pale straw yellow
Nose: coconut, hint of honey, white flowers, a sense of freshness and vibrancy
Taste: light bodied, strong texture but with a good texture
Finish: 15 second finish
Currently, this wine is too acidic (tastes like very sour juice) but this should give it the structure to develop.
2012 Puligny Montrachet, Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet
Colour- very pale straw yellow
Nose: Green apple, oily nose
Taste: Lovely body and texture, strong acidity providing a good backbone.
Finish: 15 second finish
This wine has the materials to age so it will be interesting to visit this wine in a few years.
2012, Puligny Montrachet, Les Aubues, Jean Claude Bachelet & Fils
Colour: Very clear, pale yellow
Nose: very tightly knit, pear with a hint of spice?
Taste: Highly acidic, very fruity but it is difficult to pin point the fruit at this moment.
Finish: 10 sec finish
Jasper thinks that this wine had some sulphur added recently, making it very tight.
2012 Meursault, Camille Giroud
This wine is from one plot, Les Crotots.
Colour: Pale yellow
Nose: Green notes, lemon peel and white pear
Taste: Lovely texture, velvety smoothness with strong acidity
Finish: 15 sec finish
2012 Meursault, Jean Paul Fichet
Colour: Pale, champagne gold
Nose: butter, white apples, white flowers and fruit
Taste: prickly texture, feels like drinking a rather dry champagne. Good structure and strong acidity
Finish: 10 sec finish
2012 Chassagne Montrachet, Les Embrazees, 1er cru, Benjamin Leroux
Colour: Pale honey colour
Nose: Herby freshness, very floral, hint of vanilla and butter
Taste: Acidic, white flowers with a good fruit balance
Finish: 15+ sec finish
2012 Corton Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Sylvain Loichet
Colour: clear straw yellow with good concentration
Nose: Honey, herby nose. the fruit profile is not developed yet given it is a young wine.
Taste: Oaky and acidic. It feels relatively light bodied yet concentrated.
Finish: 25 sec finish
A wine that should put on a lot more weight as it develops.
2012, Clos Blanc de Vougeot, 1er Cru, Domaine de la Vougeraie
Colour: Musky and carbonic dull yellow colour. I guess the cloudy colour is due to the wine being fresh from the barrel.
Nose: Petroleum and oily (typical of this wine). Lots of fat. Yellow flowers and fruit
Taste: Very acidic! Lots of backbone and fruit which gives this wine all the necessary tools to develop into a stunning wine.
Finish: 25 sec finish.
Lovely wine
Red Wines
2012 Beaune Les Pertuisots, 1er Cru, Jean Yves Devevey
Colour: Bright rose red
Nose: vegetal greenenss, plum, red cherries
Taste: Tannic and slightly acidic
Finish: 15 sec finish
2012, Beaune, Les Greves, 1er Cru, Domaine de Montille
Colour: Clear bright ruby red
Nose: Cherries, plums, very tannic with the fruit profile currently missing
Finish: 20 sec fin
The tannins are overpowering the fruit at this moment. It will be interesting to see how trhis wine develops 5 years from now.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin, Benjamin Leroux
Colour: Clear ruby red
Nose: Minerals, hint of limstone and vanilla. A whiff of mandarin orange (savoury nose)
Taste: Lovely texutre, red fruits with a tannin texture
Finish: 20 Sec finish
2012 Gevrey Chambertin, En Champs, Domaine Gerard Quivy
Colour: Dark ruby red
Nose: a bit of a clinical nose (as if I had just walked into a pharmacy)
Taste: Lovely plum and red cherries, smooth texture, good fruit intensity
Finish: a Lovely 20 sec finish
I loved this wine so much I bought a case on the spot.
2012 Vosnse Romanee, Les Haute Maizieres, Domaine Brunio Clavelier
Colour: Clean bright red
Nose: very subdued nose, red fruits
Taste: Godd medium weight, acidic and a hint of vosne spice.
Finish: 20 sec finish
2012, NSG, Clos de Thorey, 1er Cru, Domaine de la Vougeraie
Niose: very fresh, red fruits, strawberries and a good perfume
Taste: Lovely velvety texture, red fruitsm hint of wine gums. Strong tannins with a lovely balance
Finish: 25 sec fin.
2012 Corton, Clos du Roi, Camille Giroud
Nose: red fruits, red cherries with a hint of black cherries
Taste: Lovely perfume and balance. Strong tannins with the fruit coming at the after taste
Finish: 20 sec finish.
This wine is waaay too young to taste now and needs at least 10 years to age.
2012, Clos du Vougeot GC, Sylvain Loichet
Nose: strawberry, red fruits, very floral. hint of greenness
Taste: Green stems, good body with strong tannins. All the fruit seems to be asleep on the palate!
Finish: 25 sec finish
Another wine that should only be drunk 10 years from now.
2012 Latricieres Chambertin GC, Rossignol Trapet
Nose: Lush red fruit, hint of cassis
Taste: Lovely, velvety texture, smooth with sweet tannins to help the wine develop as it ages
Finish: 25 sec finish
Good fruit weight which I think the fruit will continue to develop over the next 10 years.
I’ve always enjoyed Lat Chams from Rossignol Trapet and the 2012 has a lot of potential!
2009 NSG, Les Allots, Benjamin Leroux
Nose: Red fruits, red cherries
Taste: Lovely bouquet and texture, fresh fruit
Finish 20 sec
This wine typifies the 2009 vintage which is a realtively fruit forward year.
2007 NSG, Clos Des Agruillieres, Domaine Patrice Rion
I remembered tasting this wine with Patrice Rion when I visited him in 2012. I did buy a few bottles then so this is some lovely juice!
Nose: Hint of greenness, red fruits and a lovely perfume
Taste: Smooth texture, good body and a lovely fruit profile
Finish: 15 sec finish
1999 NSG, Ronciere 1er, Jean Grivot
Colour: Very dense colour for a wine that is over 14 years, although it is starting to fade a little
Nose: Lovely dried strawberries, red fruits, hint of spice
Taste: Good texture and perfume, lovely balance, still strong tannnins with a lovely after taste.
Finish: 25 sec finish.
1988 NSG, Les Boudots, 1er Cru, Jean Grivot
Colour: Amber red brick colour
Nose: Lovely dark and red fruits. Orange zest like cognac.
Taste: Lovely red fruits and savoury fruits. Smooth texture with all the tannins gone.
Finish: 20 sec finish
This is a lovely wine and is drinking nicely now!
The biggest lesson I’ve learnt from the tasting is that tasting Burgundy EP is very difficult as the wines are generally too acidic (white) and too tanninc (red). However, iot is interesting to see the evolution of these one. One thing for sure is that Burgundy 2012 wines are lovely but the good ones need at least 5-10 years before they enter their drinking window.
OK, now back to my new year’s resolutions…
2013 in review… What a year!
Posted in Wine Tasting Notes on December 30, 2013
As 2013 draws to a close, it seems only appropriate to pause and take a look at the what happened during the year… and of course to make a difficult decision on choosing my favourite 2013 wine!
In summary, 2013 has been very kind to me, right from the get go in January during the 2011 Burgundy En Primeur tasting, followed by countless tasting events (I confess, mostly Burgundy :-P) and further blessed with the opportunity to visit the cellar doors and vineyards in 3 very popular Australian wine regions, Hunter Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. I’ve also managed to conquer my past misconception and ‘fear’ of Spanish Rioja and try wines from new regions in Canada and Japan.
In conclusion, I remain amazed at the effort each wine maker puts into making the wine, regardless of quality. Their dedication, passion, energy and soul is directly reflected in the glass.
The grape which I have drunk most remains Pinot Noir and this varietal still creates so much excitement. Pinot Noir wines, even though it is not blended, can taste so different just by the vintage, the soil (or as the French proudly call it, terrior) and not to mention the wine making style.
My wine highlights of the year are:
1) Artadi Pagos Viejos 2004. A fantastic Rioja wine, yes it is not their flagship ‘El Pison’ but I sense this wine will be a superstar once it enters its drinking window.
2) De Iuliis Shiraz LDR Vineyard 2011. My favourite Australian Shiraz so far. It suits my palate perfectly (yes I was also lucky enough to try the Rockford Basket Press Shiraz but prefer this).
3) Paringa Estate Pinot Gris 2011. Pinot Gris is usually the most unassuming wine ever. It is generally served as a very simple aperitif. However, the Paringa Estate Pinot Gris is just exceptional, even more so when it costs on A$20 a bottle. http://www.paringaestate.com.au/Winery/Restaurant/Product/Detail/Estate%20Pinot%20Gris%202011–13. I am not trying to plug wines (and I am in no way getting any kickbacks from the estate) but this wine really is magnificent. As the saying goes, there’s Pinot Gris and there’s PINOT GRIS 😛 😛 😛 !
4) Innocent Bystander Moscato in a can. I have never wine served in a can before, let alone a sweet Moscato. This is so unassuming but is sooooo cool. Love it especially since the wine tastes fab (for those who like sweet wines) too!
5) Mugnier Le Musigny 2007. I had so much hopes and expectations for this wine… but in the end it was an underwhelming experience. The wine felt so light. I guess Musigny fans cherish the elegance and finesse but surely some power can elevate this wine even further?
In the end, wine should definitely be shared with great company, especially the people you love and enjoy being with. This undoubtedly will turn any good wine into a great wine and it will elevate a great wine into a lovely ELIXIR!
After thinking long and hard, my favourite wine for the year is the Vougeraie Charmes Chamberin Les Mazoyeres 2007 (surprise, surprise, its a Burgundy). I’ve now had this wine on numerous occasions, next to Le Musigny and Richebourg and surprisingly, I still love this wine, especially on a price to quality ratio.
Having said that, the most special wine I’ve had in 2013 was the Burguet Chambertin Clos De Beze 2005. The wine is still far from reaching its peak but given the company and occasion, this great wine was elevated to a magical level… I’m not sure if listening to Damien Rice’s Blower’s Daughter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YXVMCHG-Nk whilst appreciating this wine elevates it even more, but it can’t hurt can it 😀 .
Finally, my thanks goes to all the winemakers who have poured their heart and soul into making all the wines tasted this year. I am also grateful to all my friends throughout the world who have shared this wonderful year with me, either it be in tasting wines, visiting wineries or just hearing me babble about wines in general. Last but not least, thank you to you all who reads this blog as I am not a professional wine critic, merely a keen drunk who enjoys trying anything alcoholic.
Happy New Year and may 2014 be an even better year for everyone!
V for Victory! Err… I mean Victoria (Part 2)
Posted in Australian Wines, Producer Wine Tasting on December 20, 2013
Post the visit to Yarra Valley, it was now time to visit the other Pinot Noir and Chardonnay region in Victoria, Mornington Peninsula.
However, since we were in Melbourne, no morning will be complete without trying the famous Australian coffee (aka. flat white). So after a quick search online, we decided to visit St Ali which was closeby.
The place looked very cool and had a nice rustic charm to it.
Refreshed and woken up, it was time to set off to Mornington Peninsula. Our first stop was Merricks General Store in Merrick, the eastern end of Mornington Peninsula.
Merricks is actually a popular restaurant. It is a JV between 3 local wineries so natrually they have a cellar door to taste a massive selection of wines from 3 producers… a 3 in 1 bargain!
First up were 2 Viogniers from 2 different producers.
Elgee Park Viognier 2009
Nose: Not much nose to speak off. Perhaps the wine was served too cold?
Taste: A simple fruity and tangy texture.
Finish: Short finish of c5 seconds
Baillieu Viognier 2011
Nose: Lychee, sweet fruits
Taste: Fruity with a light to medium body
Finish: Short 5 second finish
Next up was Quealy Fruilano 2012
The Fruilano grape is a local grape from the region.
Nose: Light lemony nose, bit like a Sauvignon Blanc
Taste: Medium bodied
Finish: Short 5 sec finish
This was followed by Pobblebonk 2012 which seemed to pack a different selction of white grapes…
Nose: Fresh white flower, hint of honeycomb
Taste: Smooth white fruity balance. Low acidity
Finish: Short finish of 10 seconds.
Surprisingly Pobblebonk works and tastes great! I would recommend everyone to at least give it a try.
Quealy Moscato
Nose: Good muscat grape nose. Hint of greeness and cut grass
Taste: Bubbly with a nice hint of sweetness
Finish: Short 5 sec finish
Queally Musk Creek Pinot Noir 2010
Nose: Simple singular fruity nose
Taste: Medium bodied with strong acidity.
Finish: 10 sec finish
This is another one of those weird blends with an equally cool label to match
Nose: Red fruits, red berries
Taste: Good body and balance. The red fruit does carry over to the taste along with a low acidity
Finish: 10 sec finish
Baillieu Reserve Pinot Noir 2010
Nose: red and black fruits. Good perfume
Taste: Good balance, fruity and slightly tannic
Finish: 10 sec finish
Queally 17 rows Pinot Noir 2011
Nose: muted fruit nose and not that pronounced.
Good acidity but that seems to overpower the fruit at this moment.
Finish: Long 25 sec finish.
A good wine but 2011 wasn’t a good year so the fruit did not really shine.
We finally finished with a muscat rose
Nose: Sweet strawberries, lychees and roses
Taste: good body and balance. Decent sweetness but not overpowering.
Finish: 15 second finish.
After having a chat with the kind sommelier, he kindly informed us that Quealy is having a clear skins garage sale. That sounded perfect so off we went to pay the vineyard a visit.
We were greeted by a very observant front of house.
Quealy Balnarring Pinot Noir 2012
A simple and easy to drink Pinot Noir. Sometimes, there is no point in making wine too complex :-P.
After an extensive visit to the visit, then it was time for a quick lunch and then off to Montalto
This is what happens when you do not have enough wine!
Montalto Hawkins Hill Chardonnay 2011
Nose: Fruity- lemon, apple and white pear
Taste: Good backbone and structure
Finish: 15 second finish.
By this time my friend and I were Chardonnay’ed out. So we decided to visit a vineyard which had won a lot of awards but was off the beaten track.
Ocean’s Eight (No the proprietor is not George Clooney) supposedly makes fabulous pinot noirs and the vigneron allegedly trained in Burgundy… so this must be good…
The cellar door itself looks very pretty. It was simple (no french castles here) but still presented nicely.
We were served by a very nice (and good looking) young winemaker, but what really caught my eye were the burgundy wine bottles on the top shelf!
As for the wines, they are quite well made.
Oceans Eight Pinot Noir 2010
Nose: Red fruits, strawberry, red cherries and hint of spice.
Taste: Good fruit balance and low tannins. A typical cool climate wine
Finish: Decent 20 second fruity finish.
Aylward Reserve Pinot Noir 2010
Nose: Red fruits, cassis, hint of dark cherries
Taste: Fruity taste, good balance and overall a more elegant wine
Finish: 25 second finish
Aylward Reserve Pinot Noir 2009
Nose: Red cherries, hint of vanilla. fruit forward but still a very burgundian nose
Taste: Nice balance and a rounded texture. Silky smotth. Good fruit and a good tannic body.
Finish: 25 second finish
We were really trying to squeeze in as many cellar doors as possible now. We were very lucky to be able squeeze into Prancing Horse. A beautiful estate which winemaker was an ex-Accenture consultant. The owner (tony Hancy) told us that his Prancing Horse wine (the Pony) are currently being served on Qantas’ business class routes. Classy stuff! However that was not the biggest surprise, he also has a vineyard in Burgundy and was only too keen to crack opena few bottles to share (or compare).
Unfortunately to me, I felt Tony shot himself in the foot as the Morey St Denis was just sublime (when one ignores the price).
Prancing Horse, Morey St Denis, Clos des Ormes 2007
Nose: Red berries, raspberries, red cherries, hint of spice and light soya sauce
Taste: Lovely balance, beautiful fruit profile, good acidity and sweet tannins.
Finish: 20 second finish
Sadly, after I tasted this burgundy, it just did it in for me for all pinot noirs that day. No matter, Paringa Estate, which is just up the road, makes very good Pinot so hopefully they can salvage some credit for the Mornington Peninsula.
This was sadly our last stop in Mornington Peninsula… but what a view!
Imagine sitting down by the window, sipping wine and soaking in the magnificent view… ahhhhh bliss!
Paringa Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010
Nose: a bit of heat, Lemon fruits
Taste: Good rounded texture. The fruit envelops the mouth. Good balance and acidity.
Finidh: 15 second finish
Paringa Estate Peninsula Pinot Noir 2011
Nose: Strawberry, fruit forward nose, red fruits
Taste: Simple fruity texture
Finish: 15 second finish
Paringa Estate Peninsula Pinot Noir 2009
Nose: Dense red fruits, Cassis and hint of black berries
Taste: Smooth Texture, red fruit carries throughout the palate. Slight acidity but good tannins.
Finish: 15 second finish
Paringa Estate Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009
Nose: Dense and concentrated. Red berries, hint of cassis and liquorice.
Taste: Very good balance, sweet tannins and a super smooth texture.
Finish: 25 second finish
This wine is very elegant and is a bigger but finer wine than the non single vineyard version. Lovely wine! Shame about the price (over A$100 a bottle)!
This was a very successful trip and deepened my understanding of Aussie new world wines. It was now time to drive back to Melbourne and there was just one last drink to try before making the journey back…
… a well needed Piccolo.
Grand Cru Burgundy extravaganza… Is it worth it?
Posted in Wine Tasting Notes on December 8, 2013
Ahhh Burgundy, the reference point of all pinot noirs. What is it about this region that makes its wine so intoxicating and so alluring? Is this a temporary infatuation or is this permanent love?
Frankly, Burgundy is a very complex region to understand. Not only are there so many different villages, there’s also the different grading of vineyards within the same village… and we haven’t even begun talking about the producers yet. Yes there are the famous producers such as DRC, Leroy, Rousseau, Mugnier which I think you need to be a billionnaire or win the lottery to be able to afford and drink nowadays (burgs being the latest Chinese craze is adding fuel to the fire) but somehow I doubt these wines score highly in the quality to price ratio. Which is why I jumped when I was presented with an opportunity to taste some of these Grand Cru wines at a specially held dinner by BBR. Since we are talking Grand Cru here, I have also taken the opportunity to add some of my other GC Burgundy drinking notes.
The wines for the dinner was shown in pairs by region, Corton Charlemagne for the whites, Musigny for the first red flight followed by Clos Vougeot.
First the pair of Corton GC
Benjamin Leroux Corton Charlemagne 2010 GC
Nose: Lovely showy nose. Honey, white flowers, pear and a hint of butterscotch
Taste: A lovely balance with a good velvety texture. Full bodied and relatively fruit forward.
Finish: A lovely 20 sec+ sweet finish
Patrick Javilier Corton Charlemagne GC 2010
Nose: Mineral with a hint of white flower. This nose is a lot more subdued when compared next to Leroux
Taste: Light medium bodied, fine acidity with minerality lingering . A more classic style
Finish: 20 Sec light finish
As the night wore on, the wine began to open up more and the fruits then decided to come out to play…
Mugnier Le Musigny GC 2007
Colour: Light red ruby
Nose: Compact and very herby. Red fruits with a hint of Asian spice.
Taste: Light to medium bodied, strong acidity but a good structure. Hint of pepper and asian spice
Finish: 20 sec finish which I felty was a tad short given the quality of the producer and the vineyard.
This wine is light with good structure. One can just about taste the red fruits but they were quite subdued and required time to open up. Is this wine worth £400 a bottle???
Domaine De la Vougeraie Le Musigny GC 2007
Colour: Deep red colour
Nose: Sweet red fruits, hint of cassis and vanilla
Taste: Medium bodied with a good velvety texture, good fruit length.
Finish: 25 second sweet tannic finish.
A lovely wine which I actually prefer over Mugnier’s
Meo Camuzet Clos Vougeot GC 2002
Colour: Dark Red with a hint of purple
Nose: Hint of vegetal dryness, red and black fruits with a hint of cassis
Taste: Good and velvety smooth texture. Medium Bodied and feels a bit hollow towards the end.
Finish: Shorth-ish 15 sec finish.
Meo Camuzet Clos Vougeot GC 2000
Nose: Hint of Vanilla, red fruits and boiled sweets
Taste: Good velvety texture, red fruits with a hint of Asian spice. Ezxcellent balance.
Finish: 25 seconds of gorgeous fruity tannins.
What a lovely wine. I was surprised that I prefered this wine to the 2002 and also to the Musigny’s. My WOTN.
The following notes were from subsequent dinners which I was lucky enough to saviour some excellent GC burgundies.
Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne GC 2008
Nose: White fruits, white flowers and honey, hint of minerality and butterscotch.
Taste: Light medium bodied with good fruit following through. Low acidity and good balance
Finish: 20 sec finish
Grivot Richebourg GC 2006
Nose: very dense nose, raspberry, hint of blackcurrant, black cherries, violet and vanilla
Taste: medium full bodied, good acidity, dense fruit with an excellent balance. Sweet tannins
Finish: 30 second finish of concentrated fruits and sweet tannins
A lovely wine. Shame it is so ridiculously expensive!
Tasted Nov 2013
Colour: Dark red, very youthful even though it has been in bottle for over 7+ years
Nose: Black cherries, blackberries, hint of Vosne spice and vanilla. Very young wine.
Taste: Good balance, medium bodied with good structure. The fruit was a bit subdued by the lovely tannins.
Finish: 30 sec+ Finish.
A lovely wine but it obviously needs another 5 years to bring out the monster inside!
In conclusion to the opening question, is Grand Cru burgundy worth it? It ultimately boils down to a matter of choice and personal judgement. The wines are very good but for the big name producers, the pricing of late has just been stratospheric. Having said that, the fun and beauty is to try and find quality GC wines from the lesser well known producers and revel that one has picked up a bargain by getting very good juice at a fraction of the price of the famous producers. Now that is definitely one of the reasons why I LOVE burgundy!
V for Victory! Err… I mean Victoria (Part 1)
Posted in Australian Wines on November 18, 2013
Some readers would know that one of my favourite grape varieties are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (aka Burgundy white and red wines). So a few friends suggested that I should visit the Burgundy equivalent region in Australia, Victoria state. Per their recommendatins, Victoria state has 2 famous Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producing regions, Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula. So, with a good buddy, we hired a car and off we went.
The first stop was Yarra Valley which is less than an hour’s drive away from Melbourne. So after getting a free car upgrade (to a BMW- although we were not informed that it was a 1 series), we headed straight into Yarra Valley.
The first stop was Yering Station, a famous cellar door in the heart of Yarra Valley with excellent views.
As an introduction to Yarra Valley, this is a great starting point as they have so many different varieties of wines to try. The biggest difference in visiting Cellar Doors in Victoria (compared to Hunter Valley) is that there is generally a nominal fee (between A$5 to A$10) charged per person to taste the wines which is refunded when one makes a purchase. I find this is actually better as it removes my ‘guilt’ factor of tasting wines for free and then feeling compelled to at least buy a bottle as a token of my appreciation.
The following are my notes of the wines tasted:
Yering Station Chardonnay Reserve 2010
Nose: Lemons, mineral nose with a hint of oak.
Taste: Good body and structure. Medium full bodied with good acidity and length.
Finish: 15 sec fininsh.
A good decent wine. but is it worth A$90 a bottle??? The pricing is very very high!
Yering Station Shiraz Viognier 2010
Nose: Black fruits, blackurrants, cassis and blackberries.
Taste: The fruits in the nose does follow on into the palate. There pepper and a hint of Asian 5 spice. Good tannic body.
Finish: 15-20 sec finish.
A decent bottle of wine but sadly the price is just wrong at A$90 a bottle! or its just me being skint…
Yering Station Pinot Noir 2010
Nose: red berries and red fruit. raspberries with a hint of violets, herbs and cassis.
Taste: Good body and structure. The wine is fruity but has the tannic backbone to age.
Finish: 20 second finish.
A very good bottle of wine but I’ll leave it to each individual to decide of A$90 a bottle is a fair price to pay. For me, I might be in the enviable position of having access to great burgs at a significantly cheaper price.
Yering Station Shiraz Viognier 2006
Nose: Red and black fruits with a strong cassis nose. Hint of vanilla.
Taste: This wine has good acidity and even though it is aged, it still retains some fruit freshness. The aging process has definitely developed the wine to be smoother but there is still sufficient tannic structure to age.
Finish: 20+ second finish
A good bottle of wine. Again at A$100 a bottle, my friend would happily drink his Barossa valley reds which are at least half the price. but then again, this is Yarra Valley…
So after the first stop and thinking that I need to win the lottery to be able to enjoy Yarra Valley wines, we went off to our next stop Tarrawarra.
Immediately one could sense that the wines here are a lot more down to earth (thank goodness!)
Tarrawarra Chardonnay Reserve 2011
Nose: Slight lemon peel, hint of butter and white fruits
Taste: Light to medium bodied. Low in acidity with white flowers.
Finish: Short finish of c10 seconds.
Tarrawarra Estate Pinot Noir 2011.
Nose: Simple, light nose. Rose petals and red berries.
Taste: Light bodied, fruit forward. Acidic with tannins dominating at the moment.
Finish: 10 second finish
Tarrawarra H Block Pinot Noir 2011
Nose: More subdued, less fruity
Taste: More acidic body, less fruity but compensated with additional structure.
Finish: 10 Second tannic dry finish
Tarrawarra Reserve Pinot noir 2012
Nose: Red Berries
Taste: Has a bit of a syrah texture.
Finish: 15 second finish.
Good red wine.
The wines in Tarrawarra is very good and the prices are a lot more reasonable compared to Yering Station.
After Tarrawarra, the next stop was an interesting cellar door with 2 labels (Innocent Bystander and Giant Steps). Their building looks really cool and it houses a fantastic restaurant on site as well.
Giant Steps is the premium wine so it makes sense to get straight to the good stuff :-P.
Giant Steps 2012 Sexton Chardonnay
Nose: White flowers, hint of honey and lemon
Taste: Good balance, fruity, very smooth and slight acidity.
Finish: 15 second finish
Giant Steps 2012 Tarraford Vineyard
Nose: White fruits, honey suckle, hint of vanilla and lemon
Taste: Good acidity, lemon fruitiness, mineral and good structure
Finish: 15 second finish
Giant Steps Arthurs Creek Chardonnay 2012
Nose: White fruits
Taste: A fuller and much bigger wine.
Finish: 20 seconds finish. All in all a bigger wine.
Mea Culpa Chardonnay
Nose: Butter, pear, white flower and hint of honey.
Taste: Medium bodied, fruity, good balance.
Finish: 25 second fruity finish.
Giant Steps Sexton Pinot Noir 2012
Nose: Red Fruit, dandelion and violet; raspberries and very herby nose
Taste: Medium bodied slight acidic structure
Finish: 10 sec finish
Giant Steps Gladydale Vineyard 2012
Nose: Red berries with a hint of dark fruits and cassis
Taste: Smooth texture, a bit of heat. The red fruits do come thorugh with a slight acidity.
Finish: 15 second finish
Giant Steps Applejack Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir
Nose: Raspberry, good red fruits with a hint of minerality
Taste: Good balance and structure with red fruits.
Finish: 15 seconds
Mea Culpa Shiraz 2012
Overall a medium bodied wine with good balance and a 15 sec finish.
We were very lucky to secure a cellar door visit to one of Yarra Valley’s most famous vineyards, Yeringberg, which was also the highlight of the trip.
The underground cellars at Yeringberg.
Yeringberg Viognier 2012
Nose: Very fruity nose of white fruits and white flowers.
Taste: Simple light medium bodied
Finish: 10 sec finish
Yeringberg Chardonnay 2012
Nose: Lemons, white fruits.
Taste: Good balance with the fruitiness and acidity balancing well.
Finisg: 15 second finish
Yeringberg 2011 Pinot Noir
Nose: Raspberry and red fruits with a hint of crushed strawberries
Taste: Good fruit and low acidity (which is reflective of the vintage)
Finish: 20 second fruity finish
Yeringberg 2011 (the flagship wine)
Nose: Blackcurrant, cassis and a hint of acidity
Taste: Good fruit length, slight tannins with a smooth acidity.
Finish: 15 second finish
Yeringberg 2010
This is essentially similar to the 2010 but is much more rounded and has a longer 20 second finish.
Final stop for the day, Colstream Hills which used to be owned and managed by James Halliday.
Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2012
Nose: Lemon acidity, butter, honeysuckle and white fruit
Taste: Good balance and fruity with a hint of acidity
Finish: 10 second finish
A good wine for an aperitif.
Coldstream Hills Deer Fram Vineyard Chardonnay 2012
Nose: Lemon zest, similar to the chardonnay but with a bigger concentration of fruit.
Taste: Medium bodied with good acididty
Finish: a smooth long 25 second finish
Coldstream Hills Rising Chardonnay 2012
Nose: White fruits and lots of minerals!
Taste: Significantly more acididc thhan the Deer Farm. less fruity with lots of minerality
Finish: 20 second finish
Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay
Nose: Butter and popcorn, white fruits with a hint of lemon
Taste: Good balance and fruit with a hint of lemon acidity
Finish: 15 secodn finish
We tried to visit the last cellar door (Yarra Yering) but sadly was 5 minutes too late. Ah well, at least we managed to soak up the view prior to heading back to Melbourne.
My friend went all jumpy during dinner when he saw the wine menu and managed to persuade me to share a wine which was on his ‘to drink’ list.
I guess you can take a Barossa Valley wine lover to Victoria, but sadly you can’t keep him from wanting Barossa wines…
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2010
Nose: very dense nose, blackcurrant, cassis, blackberries. Hint of flint, black cherries, hint of vanilla from oak
Taste: wow! Powerful wine but well balanced and smooth. All the fruit from the nose is transported to the wine. A bit of heat.
Finish: 30 sec+ finish with a hint of mocha and lots of fruit!
A wine that must go with food, I recommend steak.
The next post will cover the Mornington Peninsula. Watch this space… :-D!
Back to the ‘Old’ world…
Posted in Wine Tasting Notes on August 27, 2013
Spending over a month in Australia has definitely helped in improving my understanding and appreciation of Australian wines. Interestingly, it has also helped solidify my wine preference. There are lots of very good wines in Australia but, I’ve realised that I am a crazy fan of aged old world wines which focuses more on balance and the wines being velvety smooth.
I do have lots of friends who are big fans of strong and powerful red wines (such as Barossa Valley Shiraz’s) and I can completely understand their preference. Post my trip, I have been checking my wine notes of recently tasted old world wines and I can happily say…”Honey, I’m Home!”
Tasting
Lumiere Histoire 2011
OK… after all this talk of old world wines, what is a Japanese wine doing here :-P. This is an interesting wine from Yamanishi prefecture which I recently tasted with a few friends in Tokyo. Tasted: June 2013.
Nose: Cheesy smell, hidden white flowers, white pear
Taste: medium light body, smooth body, no acidity, no dryness.
Finish: no finish to think off.
I admit, this is not my first choice if I have one.
Champagne Lahaye, Blanc de Noir NV.
Tasted June 2013 when I visited my friends in Singapore. I’ve had this on numerous occasions and it does not disappoint.
Nose: almonds, lemon zest, hint of green apple
Taste: great balance, medium weight, good acidity,
Finish: decent finish of 20 second
A v v nice champagne to go with Chinese food (tasted with Teochew cuisine)
Clos des Papes 2001
Nose: red and blackberries, strong cherry nose, hint of white pepper
Taste: good smooth texture, secondary flavours of berries and plum. Hint tannin
Finish: long finish of 30 second
A very nice GSM blend from this legendary producer. Given its age, all the harsh tannins have receded leaving a lovely smooth texture. Tasted along the champagne with Teochew cuisine. Lovely!
Blain Gagnard Chassgne Montrachet Caillerets 1er Cru 2009
Tasted July 2013
Colour: pale straw yellow
Nose: oily, white apple, pear, white flower, honey
Taste: beautiful silky texture, typical Chassagne body with the fruit taking centre stage. White flowers and good acidity
Finish: white apple and pear finish. c25 seconds.
Lovely wine and keeps on improving in the glass. After lots of swinging, the wine opens up to velvety smoothness.
Cathiard Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots 1er Cru 2008
Tasted July 2013
Colour- dark ruby red
Nose- dense mix of red n black fruits, hint of vanilla, upon opening smells like a Pauillac then reverting back to a Vosne nose.
Taste- velvety smooth with power! Good balance between fruits and tannin. Hint of mint @ finish.
Finish- long minty finish of over 30 seconds.
A very good wine that is bound to put on more weight and improve with age.
Jean Grivot Vosne Romanee Village 2005
Tasted August 2013 in Sydney Australia.
Nose: beautiful red and black fruits, cherries, velvety rose perfume, hint of vanilla
Taste: medium bodied, good fruit, velvety fruit,
Finish: good 20 second sweet fruity finish.
A good wine but shame about paying the WET tax in Australia.
Domaine Tollot-Beaut Chorey Les Beaune 2010
Tasted August 2013
Nose: cowpat at first, then slowly opened up for red fruit, cherries, raspberry,
Taste: acidic taste, red fruits, medium light body, simple structure.
Finish: 15 second finish.
A decent and simple glass of burg. On of those daily wines if you can afford it.
Domaine De la Vougeraie, Gevrey Chambertin Les Evocelles 2009
Tasted August 2013
Nose: red fruit nose, green muskiness from the oak, hint of vanilla
Taste: medium bodied, red fruits, slight hint of acidity
Finish: short finish of 15 second
Interesting wine with the potential to add on weight after a few more cellar age.
Domaine De la Vougeraie, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2007
Tasted August 2013
Nose: red fruits, strawberries, hint to green, velvet texture, hint of mint
Taste: medium full bodied, red fruits, good texture, velvety smooth
Finish: 25 second finish
On a different level to Evocelles even though it is from the 2007 vintage. Good concentration.
Olivier Leflaive Meursault Tillets 2010
Tasted August 2013
Nose: white flower, lemon peel, hint of honeysuckle
Taste: sweet fruits, hint of apricot, slight acidity. Good texture.
Finish: 15 second semi dry finish.
Relatively simple wine given the price. Not sure if I am paying for the wine or for Leflaive???
Sebastien Magnien, Beaune !er Cru, Les Aigrots 2006
Nose: red fruits, strawberries and raspberries, hint of vanilla and lavender.
Taste: red fruits, started out light but gained weight once opened, good texture with a slight acidity
Finish: fruity finish of c20 seconds.
A half decent wine. Shame I only have a bottle.
Good Wine Hunting
Posted in Australian Wines, Uncategorized on August 17, 2013
most of my friends know that I am a old wine wine persion, heck some might even say I am a Franco-phile when it comes to wine. Well, a good friend of mine decided that I needed a ‘proper’ education in Aussie wines. So as I was in Sydney for a short period, the natural and easiest to go wine region was Hunter Valley, famous for their semillon wines.
To prepare me for this new world wine education, we started with the most important element, a ‘flat white’ and banana bread. 😛 
After filling our tummies, we ended up at Polkobin Brothers to rent bikes to visit the cellar doors in the valley. Polkobin Brothers vineyards is an actual vineyard but they also have a separate business renting out bicycles (Grapemobile). They were kind enough to pick us up from our hotel and their bikes were good quality. http://www.pokolbinbrothers.com.au/
They even give us a quick tasting so we could compare wines immediately (or ‘fuel’ us to get started). I highly recommend their Sparkling Moscato. It is light, fruity and lovely!
So the first cellar door we visited was Waverley Estate, which emphasize and pride themselves in selling aged wines. (Something which is very usual in the old world).
Their aged Shiraz are good! Although the most interesting wine I tasted was their Chardonnay. The fruity texture reminded me of skinless tomatoes. A very interesting note.
They are also very famous for their fortified wine, which they recommend having it with raisins. I would however recommend pouring this over some vanilla ice cream (raisins and sultanas are optional). Delish!
Next Stop is to another famous vineyard, Brokenwood.
The Cellar Door was busy but everyone seemed to be having a good time and enjoying themselves.
After trying their Semillon, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir (wayyy to acidic), Shiraz (not my style and perhaps a bit too ordinary) and finally their Sticky Wicket Semillon, I found their Pinot Gris the best. It is light and crisp with a good lemon acidity like a decent Pinot Gris.
Juist opposite Broken Wood, is one of the grandest cellar door complex in Hunter Valley, Tempus Two,
The complex has a very good cheese shop which stocks decent ice cream as well.
The Tempus Two cellar door however was very busy and I felt the service we received was sub-par. We were acknowledge but also ignored at the same time for 10 minutes. It most certainly felt too commercialized and a bit soulless (where is the passion???). Hopefully we were just unlucky and they are generally a lot better than that.
The Cellar door next door, Meerea Park however was brand new (yes the place still smelled of new paint) with very good wines. They also have interesting wine names such as this ‘Hell Hole’
their Shiraz was very good and good value.
After all the tastings and cycling in the dark back to Polkobin Borthers to return our bikes (followed by more Moscato), it was then off to dinner at Muse which I think is definitely one of the best restaurants in Hunter Valley. The food coupled with exemplary service made it an evening to remember.
The best was their fireplace which really warmed the place up during dinner and perfect for an after dinner laze with coffe/tea and petit fours. Highly recommended.
The following morning, after being greeted with kangaroos, we started with De Iulius Wines, one of the vineyeards which has won numerous awards with their Shiraz. I can understand why as their Shiraz, whilst young and fruity; had a mellow texture which was very enjoyable. Their Cellar Door is also guarded by cool bronze guards on stilits.
Selections of very good shiraz’s. I would say that they are at the mid way point between powerful Barossa Valley ‘fruit bombs’ and old world Rhones.
Their late pick semillon is also good value. It was not too sweet and had a good body and weight for a dessert wine.
Next stop was Tyrell’s wineries which is one of the oldest wineries in Hunter Valley and famous for their Semillon
The estate’s view is magnificent.
The Semillons are very good and they are most famous for thier Vat 1 Semillon. Highly recommended.
After losing ourselves with the beautiful views, we then headed to the Small Winemakers Centre (next to Tempus Two’s Cellar Door). They carry wines from various small producers of which Andrew Thomas is the most famous producer. Andrew Thomas’s most famous Shiraz is called the ‘Kiss’. It is a beautiful wine but to me was a bit too powerful.
Then it was off to a very famous Australian winery, Tower Estate. It has a beautiful cellar door and we were greeted by a really cute butler.
Tower Estates make beautiful wines. They do not sell at any bottles shops as they sell out quickly. As they have vineyards all across Australia, we could try wines that weren’t from Hunter Valley, such as this Pinot Noir
The Pinot Noir is very new world in style. I never knew pinot could get so fruity and powerful but if that is the style you like, this Towers Estate Pinot Noir is just for you.
Their Chardonnay however was surprisingly good. It lacked the complexity and minerality of a good Chablis or Cote de Beaune white but is fruity and nice.
To me, their best wines was the pink moscato. It is very nice and resonably priced at A$20 a bottle, until I realised it was only 500ml, where did my other 250ml go?
We were making good progress and after a quick bite, we were off to Peacock Hill Vineyard which makes a good ‘Sauternes’ style ice wine.
The way they make this wine is very interesting. They claim that it is similar to ‘ice wine’ but it is not made in a traditional sense. What they do is to pick the grapes (semillon and Sauvignon Blanc) as usual (after botrytis) and then freeze them prior to extracting the juice. The end result tastes more Sauternes than Ice wine but is still quite a good sticky.
Two more vineyards to go but these are the local heavy weights, startign with Audrey Wilkinson which has a knockout view!
I could easily just sit there for a whole afternoon and admire the view!
The Cellar Door was busy and they had an interesting museum next door with some interesting (and expensive) wines on display.
Most of the wines were ok but to be honest, my palate was long gone after tasting so many wines. I did come across a very interesting bottle which was their Vin de Vie, a sweet wine that has an almost port like texture.
The final cellar door fo the day, Mount Pleasant. This cellar door is owned by the McWilliams family and they have a lot interesting brands and vineyards all over Australia.
We went straight for the good stuff. Some of their wines have won sooooo many awards the gold throphies on the labels were making us blind.
My favourite and at a great quality to price ratio was their Shiraz Pinot Noir. This is so different and i think one would get shot at if they ever attempted this with Rhone Shiraz and Burgundy Pinot Noir.
So after a great weekend trip and visiting numerous Cellar Doors, I think I understand Aussie wines a little bit better (starting from a base of zero :-P) but my heart is still France…
How to add flavour to wine… and make any wine a Grand Cru!
Posted in Wine Tasting Notes on June 26, 2013
I recently read an interesting article in the UK’s Guardian stating that wine tasting is junk science.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis
This got me thinking… do we really know how to taste wine or is that just a whole bunch of codswallop??? One of my theory about the variation is that wine is ever evolving. Think about it, how many times have you had wine that tasted so tight upon opening but after a nice dinner, it opens up and you regret you drank most of the bottle too soon? Or a wine smelled so fruity and floral upon popping the cork but faded within 20 mins (that is how I got my negative Rioja experience- now thankfully cured).
But I think all the above is just trimmings at the edges. I think there is a quick sure fire way to add flavour to any wine and make it taste better. And the secret is… drumroll… drink it with REALLY GOOD COMPANY!!!
Yes some of you might be disappointed that I wasn’t suggesting adding black pepper to a glass of Syrah to enhance the peppery taste etc. But I do believe that who you drink wine with does make a huge difference and the impression on the wine. Remember Einstein’s quote of relativity: “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”
So make sure you drink your wines with good company, the wines would definitely taste better!!!
Anyway, here’s some of the wines which I have been drinking in May 2013…
Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer 2009
Colour: pale Orange
Nose: lychee, peachy, sweet
Taste: hint of dryness, semi sweet, good velvety texture like 50% of a dessert wine
Finish: short finish of 10 second
Overall a nice aperitif but a bit too sweet if drunk as a main meal, although next time I want to try this wine with some Thai spicy and sour dishes.
Chocolate Block, South Africa Pinotage 2011
Colour: deep red
Nose: merlot nose, red fruits, slight reduction, hint of mocha
Taste: slight acidity, creme de cassis, goos chewy texture, fruity, medium bodied
Finish: short finish of 15 second.
A good simple n fruity wine. Very easy to drink.
Louis Jadot, NSG, Les Cras 1999
Colour: pale ruby red
Nose: red fruits, raspberries, hint of strawberries, slight vegetal and hint of minerality,
Taste: Medium bodied, slight acidity, good weight n balance. The fruits have taken a back seat for the wines but are there. A hint of cherry @ finish
Finish: 15 second finish.
A nice wine which is showing well given almost 14 yrs of age.
New kid in the burg… with prices to match
Posted in Producer Wine Tasting on June 4, 2013
Olivier Bernstein…a young star that has recently been rising in prominence in Burgundy. What is interesting is that Olivier has managed to amass a selection of very good burgundy vineyards in a very short space of time and he is not originally from Burgundy, an area where tradition and history carries a significant amount of weight. I had the luxury and good fortune to meet with Olivier when he made a short stop in Hong Kong in February 2013 and I must admit, his wines are GOOD! The wines do represent the terrior but unfortunately these come at a price! As always, a tasting is always the best opportunity to decide for myself if these wines are worth it so with no expectations (other than for a good evening) I went along to try Oliviers wines.
There were 8 wines to taste that night as follows:
2008 Puligny-Montrachet, 1er cru Champ-Gains
2009 Corton Charlemagne
2007 Chambolle-Musigny, 1er cru les Lavrottes
2007 Gevrey-Chamberin, 1er cru Les Cazetiers
2008 Gevrey Chambertin
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er cru Les Champeaux
2009 Charmes-Chambertin
2009 Clos Vougeot
Even better, I got to seat right next to the great man and as a result got to know him and his wines better.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before we filled up the entire table with glasses. What a sight.
In my honest opinion, Olivier’s wines are good. However, whether I would realistically pay the price he charges for a bottle of his wines is debatable. Perhaps the wines might justify such a high price tag in the future when they age more and develop more complexity. I hope to be able to retaste them at a later date and hope they become even better!
Colour: Pale Straw yellow
Nose: white flowers, hint of violets. Revisited after 2.5 hrs and there were hints of coconut and honey
Taste; slight acidity, good length, hint of minerality
Finish: 20 second finish
Colour: Again pale straw yellow. I was expectign more depth of colour given it was a Grand Cru but maybe it was too young.
Nose: White fruits, fruity and hint of oil. After 2.5hrs, secondary flavours were introduced and you could smell the oiliness of the wine.
Taste: Lemon peel, smooth texture, white flowers, hint of minerality. A lot more concentrated and fruity.
Finish: 30 second finish
Nose: red fruits, very floral
Taste: Red fruits, good balance, slight acidity, hint of vegetal dryness but not overall the fruitiness was still dominant and flamboyant.
Finish: 25 second finish.
Nose: mix of red and black fruit. Hint of cassis, good nose and concentration, hint of vegetal nose
Taste: acidic, tannic and dry on palate. Less concentrated on palate than on the nose. This wine feels more auster when tasted next to the Chambolle 1er. This however, made it great with wagyu steak.
Finish: 30 second finish,
Nose: good perfume, red fruits,
Taste: Very good fruit, good balance,
Nose: 15 second finish of joy
One of the best wines of the night as I think now is the perfect window for this wine whereas the 1er and GC should still be sleeping.
Nose: red fruits, hint of vanilla,
Taste: good balance, smooth texture, red fruity, slight acidity
Finish: 20 second finish,
Nose: good red fruit, slight vegetal, roses
Taste: Good balance, red fruits, slight acidity but really nice as it is opening up. A very good Charmes and definitely the better GC tonight
Finish: 30 second finish
Nose: red perfume, velvet, slight vegetal,
Taste: a bit thin and diluted, good perfume and balance, slight acidity
Finish: 25 second
This wines seems to have all the great ingredients but somehow felt lighter and diluted than the othe Clos Vougeots that I have tasted. Perhaps the wine is way to young to taste at this stage and should put on more weight after another 5 years in cellar.
El Matador from Rioja. Ole Ole Ole!
Posted in Producer Wine Tasting on May 15, 2013
What do you think will be a Spanish wine El Classico? For me, I guess that will be Rioja v Ribera Del Duero. Both regions predominantly uses the same grape variety (Tempranillo) and make great wines. Up until early March 2013, Ribera Del Duero had the edge given my very bad experience with Rioja. A few years back, a few colleagues and I were given a Jeroboam of Rioja Grand Riserva 1999 and it was kept under ‘perfect’ storage underneath the desk of one of my colleagues (next to his smelly shoes for added curing…). Safe to stay, my first experience of Rioja (all 3 litres of it) was an off bottle and it managed to put me off Rioja (ignore the pun :-P).
Well, BBR decided to do something about that and invited me to a Rioja producer’s tasting in the China Club earlier in March. The Rioja producer in town was Carlos Lopez de Lacalle whose family owns Artadi wines, the producer of one of the best Rioja wines.
The wines were paired with chinese cuisine and I must admit, the pairing worked very well.
Carlos was an excellent host as you could tell the passion he had when discussing about his wines. He made a very good comment that the Rioja region makes very good wines but unfortunately the Rioja names that we normally associate with are the mass produced, thin ‘plonk’. Carlos admitted that Rioja producers need to do more to educate the wine drinking community of quality Rioja and I am was slowly starting to understand what he meant as his wines were beautiful. The only constructive criticism I can think of is PLEASE UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE (it looks a bit too fresh!) http://www.artadi.com
I thoroughly enjoyed the night (admittedly a bit too much) and thank you Joyce for the invite.
It was a great experience and it has definitely dispelled my previous bad experience of Rioja. I guess my current El Classico score is Rioja 1: Ribera Del Duero 1. Maybe, next time I should badger my friends to organise a Vega Sicilia v Artadi El Classico! (If you know any friends who have these wines, please let me know 😀 )
Tasted Mar 2013
Nose: good violet perfume and black fruits, hint of coconut from the oak
Taste: good silk smooth, slightly acidic and rustic, good balance with lots of fruit
Finish: 20+ second finish
A very nice fruity wine but I believe given a few more years this wine will be a superstar!
Tasted Mar 2013
Nose: violets and blueberry, hint of cassis, good perfume n hint of mint
Taste: tannic dryness, hint of vegetal flavours, medium bodied,
Finish: 25 second finish
The most tannic of the lot tasted that night. Definitely needs time.
Nose: hint of leather, less perfumy and less red fruits than 2004. Is this the evolution from good storage?
Taste: lighter in style, hint or red fruits, v good balance and smooth silky style
Finish: a 20 second elegant finish
A very elegant wine with a nice smooth texture.
Nose: very perfumed, cassis, black fruits,
Taste: Medium full bodied, acidic but good balance, good concentration. A lot more dense than Pagos Viejos
Finish: 30 second finish
The El Pison series is definitely a level up from Pagos Viejos (although I think the 2004 Viejos is giving these wines a run for their money)
Nose: good red fruit, hint of vanilla,
Taste: less fruity than 2002, red fruits, slight acidity and medium bodied
Finish: 30 second finish
Good wine.
Nose: leather, hint of earthiness, red fruits, velvety nose, mocha
Taste: great balance, red fruits, smooth, silky texture, great acidity. Medium bodied.
Finish: 40 second finish
Carlos’ comment for this wine was simple: ‘Its El Pison 1995, what more should I say’. A very very good wine. Glad I was able to saviour (a bit too much of) it at the tasting as I later found out it currently costs GBP280 a bottle!
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