Domaine Etienne Sauzet 2005 Montrachet

I was just going over my blogs to date, and I know this is going to seem really naff, but when I posted the Bastille Day blog back on the 14th, I was going to make a week of French wine entries, but thanks to Perth and the bloody swine flu (don’t worry, you can’t catch it through cyber space, or....) that idea went south. So, my bright idea is to add one more blog for Bastille Day, but with a twist; it will be in French as well, or en anglais ainsi.

So here we go.

Domaine Etienne Sauzet 2005 Montrachet. If you are thinking,’ hmm, that sounds like a nice drop then.’, go to the kitchen sink, fill a glass of water to the top and throw it in your face (water, not the vessel people). Montrachet is where Chardonnay goes to heaven, it is when you have 17 holes in one in a row and when you withdraw $200 from an ATM and it gives you $2000!

The 2005 Etienne Sauzet is quite simply perfect. Perfect!!

The 2005 vintage in Burgundy was, yes I know I am repeating myself, perfect. In viticulture terms everything that happened, happened when it should have; it rained when it was supposed to rain, it was warm when it was supposed to be warm and it rained again when it was supposed to rain.

The colour is straw yellow with absolutely no dullness in sight. On the nose there is lemon, crushed gravel – something like river-bed pebbles – which is very minerally. After a while there comes granny smith apple telling you there is very little MLF. In the mouth there is an instant hit of soft spice, lemon tart and the one that makes it special, liquorice powder.

Wines like this are really once in a life time – truly. There is perfect balance, endless length and seem less complexity.

Drink till 2020
Drink with lobster
19.8/20

And...

Domaine Etienne Montrachet de Sauzet 2005. Si vous envisagez, ’ hmm, que des sons comme une goutte nice alors. ’, passez à l'évier de cuisine, remplir un verre d'eau vers le haut et jeter dans votre visage (eau, pas le peuple du navire). Montrachet est où Chardonnay va vers le ciel, c'est lorsque vous avez 17 trous dans un dans une ligne et quand vous retirer $200 un distributeur de billets et il vous offre $2000!

La 2005 Etienne Sauzet est tout simplement parfait. Parfait!!

Le millésime 2005 en Bourgogne a été, Oui je sais que je suis moi-même, répétant parfait. En viticulture termes tout ce qui est passé, est arrivé quand il devrait avoir ; il plu lorsqu'il était censé pluie, il était chaud quand il était censé pour être chaud et il plu à nouveau quand il était censé pluie.

La couleur est jaune paille avec absolument aucune dullness en vue. Sur le nez, il n'y est citron, gravier concassé – quelque chose comme lit du fleuve cailloux – qui est très minerally. Après un certain temps, il arrive granny smith pomme en vous disant qu'il y a très peu MLF. Dans la bouche, il existe un succès immédiat des épices douces, Tarte au citron et celui qui le rend spécial, poudre de réglisse.

Vins comme ceci sont vraiment une fois en un temps de vie – vraiment. Il est parfait équilibre, longueur interminable et semblent moins complexité.

Boisson jusqu'en 2020
Drink avec homard
19,8/20.

Hochkirch 'Maximus' 2006 Tarrington Pinot Noir

Hochkirch, I recently found out is the original name of the western Victorian town of Tarrington. This area was essentially populated by German immigrants in the nineteenth century, and if you head out that way, around Hamilton and Tarrington, you will find a lot of their German roots still there, like the six Lutheran churches I counted in Hamilton; that's a few I reckon.

Another German throw back is Hochkirch Wines in Tarrington – it’s all coming together now isn’t it. Hochkirch have been producing biodynamic wines for some time now, and they have been doing it rather well I might say. One thing that makes this label ever so German is not the name, but the little insignia of the eagle crest on each side of the label; very German don’t you think?

But the wine. The Hochkirch ‘Maximus’ 2006 Tarrington Pinot Noir has a great pinky red look about it with obvious translucency. The nose is instantly gamey with a hint of freshness at the back coming through as strawberry. The mouth has a soft hit of spice up front with a long savoury run down the middle of the palate that is held up by crisp acid. Right at the end, when you think it is time to pack up and go home comes a lovely whack of beetroot and beetroot leaf which is really strong and, what reckon, really obvious; obviously!

Nicely balanced, great length with what I think is surprising complexity about it. All in all, a great wine.

Drink with lamb assiete
Drink till 2014
16.5/20

St. Jude's Cellars - Brunswick Street Fitzroy

It’s the gospel hour on cooked and bottled, and being Sunday and all, we’re going to talk about causes – lost causes.

St. Jude, one of those whacky 12 apostles, is commonly known as the patron saint of lost causes for his insistence that man live a squalid life and that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. Geez, that sounds like fun.

Progressing two millennia, our lost causes have made their way to Brunswick Street in Fitzroy and created St. Jude’s Cellars, a little (quite large space actually) bistro come bar come cafe come wine shop has popped up at the old site of the Hideout Cafe.

From the get-go, St Jude’s Cellars is quite a sleek looking operation with polished concrete floors and a stark white ceiling. On my first visit I was fully expecting to greeted by some beautiful young thing in a monk’s apron, but of course, this is Brunswick Street, so the young pretty thing greeted me with a nod while tasting a newly opened bottle of wine in their best retro style t-shirt that probably set them back $150, but enough on haute couture.

Even though I have been there about 3 or 4 times, there is one item on the menu that I keep ordering; the Reuben sandwich – veal silverside, sauerkraut, gruyere and Russian dressing between two pieces of rye. I just love it.

They have a day menu there which changes often, with most of the dishes resembling mezze style plates with wild mushrooms with fetta, Thai style fishcakes, braised red cabbage and marmalade – another favourite and curried Spring Bay mussels. The dinner menu has a few winter staples such as roasted rabbit and braised ox cheek. The kitchen is also lucky enough to have Shona, who I worked with at Vue de monde, who is also currently doing a few other gigs around Fitzroy to fund a three month starge at Noma in Copenhagen.

The wine is a major pull for me here with a great wine shop selection that you won’t find at BWS or Dan’s. The great catch is that you just add $15 on the sticker price and have it in the restaurant or at the bar. My last visit entailed a couple of glasses of Sutton Grange 2008 Viognier from Bendigo in central Victoria, with a Rueben of course. I enjoyed the wine so much I bought a bottle for home (blog to come).

St Jude’s Cellars is a real bit of class on Brunswick Street that has unfortunately gone the way of nachos and thick crusted pizza’s since the demise of Interlude, Guernica and Bistro Inferno. Do yourself a favour and walk in for the Reuben and a glass of something something. And do engage the staff; they may wear expensive retro gear, but they are informative and good for a chat.

St. Jude’s Cellars – 389 Brunswick Street Fitzroy

http://www.stjudescellars.com.au/

Season of Stout - 'Prickly Moses' Otway Stout

The very oddly named – and let’s be honest, every new beer or wine has a strange moniker – ‘Prickly Moses’ Otway Stout is pure and simply gorgeous; GORGEOUS!!!!!

Another great find from Blackheart and Sparrows down on Lygon, this stout is cram packed with flavour, and only 5% a/v, which compared to a few stouts I’ve had lately is very low.

This sexy stuff is chock-a-block full of coffee mocha and toffee flavours which go on and on. Made in the Macedon Ranges out at Barongarook, which is where my vineyard will be (that or a bistro – I’m taking bets for which one), the brewers use rain water from Cape Otway for a natural clean feel.

You will be stretched to get a better stout out there, and at $18 a six pack, this is great value. Fair dinkum! Drink with oysters natural or classic beef lasagne.

Rate the plate with a Birk!!

With all of the restaurant reviewers out there leaving their mark with chef’s hats and stars and cute little box’s tied up with string – catchy hey – I thought I would come up with my own little moniker for what’s hot and what’s yesterday’s hollandaise.

Pop quiz; what do chefs rely on most of all in the kitchen. Is it:

A. Cigarettes
B. Beer
C. A and B
D. Birkenstocks

If you said C you would be correct, but for this exercise the correct answer is D; Birkenstocks. Under every great chef lies a comfy pair of Birks; yellow ones, red ones, floral ones and plastic ones; every restaurant in Oz has at least one pair of Birks (not the idiot kind of Birk in most cases) in the kitchen. So, with every food entry from now on there will be the following (as above).

1 Birk = so so
2 Birk’s = pretty good
Gold Birk = very sassy
Hooters Girls wearing Birk’s = you’ll be lucky to get a table by the time your un-born child graduates from uni
.... and Birk with socks = stay away

Tally Ho

Whats The Story?

Once upon a time there was this guy and a vineyard and some grapes. There was also a never-ending story, a story of a lovely lady and something about a love story that went south.

You see, there are all sorts of stories out there; short stories, long stories, good stories and not so good stories. This is a good story; The Story ‘Orphan’ Shiraz 2005 from the Grampians in Western Victoria.

I found this little ditty at Blackhearts and Sparrows on Lygon Street, Brunswick (http://www.blackheartsandsparrows.com.au/), just down the road actually. Now that I am no longer working at The Point, I have to watch what I spend on wine, so when I saw The Story for only $20, I went brilliant – and it was.

Now it’s an odd name I’ll give you that; but hey, when was the last time you drank a label - Penfolds drinkers excluded. The colour is deep red with absolutely no translucency. The nose has a big smack of liquorice all-sorts with a sting of eucalypt in the tail. In the mouth there is another whack of liquorice, but this time just the black kind, with black olive tapenade there also.

So give it a go. Head down to Blackhearts or go online direct to ‘The Story’.

Drink with lamb shanks
Drink till 2013
17/20

Swine Flu drowning

Well, its been 7 days here in Perth, and all I can say is 'oink oink' - stupid swine flu.