Fathers Day 2013

A gorgeous start to spring. A ride in the park with the kids and Erin. A super roast chook. A delicious wine - the Giaconda Beechworth Chardonnay 2006 Cette Bouteille porte le No. 4882 ; Developed. Sensual. Beautiful. Stunning. Happy Fathers Day indeed.

Ettore Germano Piedmont Serralunga Barolo 2006

"When viewing the universe as a closed system, it also stands to reason the universe began in a state of high order, and when it ends, will be in a state of extreme disorder." Stephen Hawking on order and disorder.

Order - a full bottle of Ettore Germano Barolo 2006.
Disorder - an empty bottle of Ettore Germano Barolo 2006.

It stands to reason that Stephen Hawking is right. The man has never been wrong in his life. The Ettore Germano Piedmont Serralunga Barolo 2006 is simply quite stunning, and in the life of a Barolo, still very much an infant. Very dusty on the nose, the wine opens up with dusty dry morello cherries, ink, garden herbs and dried flowers. The palate is achingly dry like to nose with more morello cherries, violets and bitter chocolate all woven together by endless acid and tannins. A wonderful, wonderful wine.

Drink with steak au poivre
Drink till 2025+
97
Quality cork 13.%v/v $90 Seddon Wine Store

Thierry Violot-Guillemard Pommard Clos de Derriére Saint Jean 1er Cru 2006

A wine that was enjoyed with two good friends on a recent trip back to Perth for work. The Thierry Violot-Guillemard Pommard Clos de Derriére Saint Jean 1er Cru 2006 is all power and elegance or puissance et elegance as one of my friends kept saying. A wonderfully vinous nose and beautifully structured tannins with a very clear line of minerality, this wine just kept giving and giving, mostly thanks to our waiter who insisted on topping our glasses every 3 minutes! Tart cranberry with a lovely layer of earth and musk, the Clos de Derriére Saint Jean, or The back house of St. Jean, is the type of wine that is good to share with others, but a wine that you only want to give a thimble full to them while you greedily hog the rest. Yes I know - all class, and next time, all mine!

Drink with hare pie; a special that evening at Must Wine Bar & Restaurant, Beaufort St Highgate
Drink till 2018
97
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $$$$

Cascina Morassino Barbaresco 2006 DOCG

Spotted on the 'end of bin' table at Blackhearts a month or so ago, the Cascina Morassino Barbaresco 2006 DOCG was in my mind a no-brainer at $65; as it turned out my brain was right again! A purple ink colour in the glass, this wine after about 30 minutes in the decanter was positively singing with floral and savoury notes as well as bright tart fruit - cranberry my notes say. The palate was definitely showing its age with tort chewy tannins and piercing acidity. When you get passed that, lovely violet, dark cherry and chocolate notes take over but not all the way with the tannins still primary. In hindsight the wine would have been much better in about 4-6 years, but being a lush good things don't always happen to those who wait; they happen when you are impatient too!

Drink with cumin crusted slow roasted shoulder of lamb
Drink 2015-2025+
96
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $65 Blackhearts, Fitzroy North

Clonakilla Murummbateman Syrah 2006 and Ryan Giggs

Oh the joys of luxury!!

Just imagine if your wage represented $250,000 a week! Just think of all of the goodies you could get your hands on:

• A new pair of undies everyday
• A house far away from the northern suburb hoons
• Your own private carriage on the Dandenong line
• No more ‘home brands’ in the shopping trolley
• Lots of super wine!

Yes it is lovely to imagine all the things you could do with all that cash. Ryan Giggs would know. He’s been on that coin for a long, long time. And rightly so I say. Possibly one of the best players of his generation, and that generation has been going since 1991 when he made his senior debut with Manchester United. So that not only makes him one of the best in his generation but in also the two subsequent generations that have followed, and he just signed on for the 2011-12 season. Silky skills, super temperament, born leader; just a few qualities the hairy one has.

Now if Ryan Giggs was a wine he would undoubtedly be the Clonakilla Murrumbateman Syrah 2006. Simply a wine of its generation with very few peers. Gorgeously long on the nose and also in the palate with licorice, white pepper and subtle hints of tart red fruit. This is almost like the question of what came first – the chicken or the egg. Either way these two have, and will, outlast the completion.

Drink with steak tartare
Drink till 2020+
98
Quality cork 14%v/v $60 mailing list back in 2008

Henry's Drive Parsons Flat Padthaway Shiraz Cabernet 2006

JABS JABS JABS JABS JABS JABS JABS!!!

It says 15%v/v on the back of the label. If this wine is below 16%v/v I'll go hee! The Henry's Drive Parsons Flat Padthaway Shiraz Cabernet 2006 . What do you say. Too much fruit. Too much alcohol. Too much. This is a wine that would have been really good in 1988.

Drink with well done steak
Drink now
70
Cork 15%v/v $?

Spring Vale Freycinet Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2006 and Michael Owen

It’s another humid start to the weekend and I’m sitting down the back with ‘The Age’ listening to my kid’s sort of fight and giggle all in the one guise. So I’m reading the paper and a story on the upcoming cricket world cup in the sub-continent grabs my attention. The story is focused on ranking the teams and discussing key players. But it is the last column that has me scrunching up my face, ‘If they (the cricket nation) were a curry they’d be...’ Give us a spell.

Gimmicks. They’re everywhere. But I have gimmicks too. Oh my, I’m part of the 'scrunchy face’ epidemic. Yep, if you can’t beat them....

So with this I ponder my next gimmick, and it is, ‘If this wine were a Football player, who would they be?’ the football in this case is the real football, the world game, or soccer as you may regard it. Yes I know it is sort of tacky, but hey, whatta ya going to do? It won’t be on every post, just ones where I’ve got the itch.

The Spring Vale Freycinet Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2006. I reckon it had been about 10 years since I have had one of these wines, with their Gewurtz being a regular in the fridge. But that was long ago. Now Tasmania I guess isn’t as cutting edge that it used to be 10 or so years ago. Don’t get me wrong, they make great wine, but now when I want something new I look to Vermentino or Waitaki Valley or Hawkes Bay Syrah.

The wine has a very Pinot Noir look about it in the glass with a pink/ruby transparency going on. The nose has a blend of macerated strawberry with a subtle touch of earthiness. So far so good right? The first sip is still holding on to a sliver of acid and primary fruit of strawberries and sweet plums. Then it was over. The wine ceased to be. There was really nothing left in it but a rather dull dry red wine. In hindsight the wine was probably passed its best, somewhere around 2009 I reckon (tasted Jan 22, 2011), but at $34 from Dan’s I thought it would be good to have a look. Oh well.



Now this raises the question: if the Spring Vale Pinot Noir were a football player, who would they be? Michael Owen. Ten years ago this guy was safe to say at the peak of his powers. World Cup at the age of 18 – France 1998 where he scored that exquisite goal against Argentina - £45,000 a week pay check and the world at his feet. But that was his problem, his feet. After years of stress fracture problems in his feet, Michael Owen was off-loaded to Real Madrid – not a bad destination, but he did virtually nothing there, thanks to more injuries. After that it was Newcastle United and now Manchester United; two great clubs but only a bit part player at best. We loved you Michael, but your best is behind you.

Drink with BBQ lamb burger
Drink three years ago
82
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $34 Dan Murphy’s Hawthorn East

Punch Yarra Valley Close Planted Pinot Noir 2006 (II) and crispy skin duck

Lauren Bacall on Humphrey Bogart, “For myself, I can only say that he changed me. He was my teacher my husband, my friend. In his life and his work, Bogey was integrity, truth, and courage. He taught me how to live. That it was okay to trust. He taught me to keep going no matter what. He did. And he is.”

You get the jist; they were soul mates. Just like duck and Pinot Noir I guess. And it was Friday night in downtown Brunswick in my little kitchen that I introduced Punch Yarra Valley Close Planted Pinot Noir 2006 to my crispy skin duck with tarragon lentils with baby carrots braised in white wine and butter with fennel seeds – cue wocka wocka music now.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Punch wines – Huge! It is safe to say that I am also a big fan of duck. So why has it taken me so long to figure this little union out? Buggered if I know. Needless to say, the wine was just sexy as (my last six pack is now a five pack) with layer upon layer of toffee, bacon fat, delicate violets and just simply gorgeous and quite frankly perfect. And the duck; cooked to perfection (i just had my oven fixed the following day after being without her for close on three months). There’s nothing else to say really.



Drink with the above dish
Drink till 2021
100/100
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $75 mailing list three years ago

Seppelt Great Western Original Sparkling Shiraz 2006

Seriously, this is a no-brainer when it comes to XMAS day celerbrations this year, or any year for that matter; the Seppelt Great Western Sparkling Shiraz 2006 I couldn't wait two weeks so I guess I'll be grabbing some when I touch down in Perth in 10 days.

Drink with XMAS pud
Drink now-2016
94
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $22 Dan Murphy's Hawthorn East

The Dispensary Enoteca and Dr. Loosen Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Columbia Valley Riesling 2006

Building relationships is the key in this industry. In my ‘A little memo...’ post earlier this month I received a comment from Jeremy in Perth in which he was, I would suggest, taking a shot at certain ‘types’ that work in the restaurant scene. Thinking more about what he wrote, and sort of reading between the lines as he put it, I more or less agree with him.

In Melbourne I have built some great relationships. Likewise the same in Perth (just got back last night). But sometimes it is the most unlikely places where great relationships are made. That place is Bendigo, and the person is Tim from The Dispensary Enoteca.

About three weeks ago I headed up the Calder Hwy and spent two days in Daylesford and Bendigo pressing the flesh. Pretty much all my appointments went well, save the ones that cancelled of course, but it was the genuine honestly from Tim that really impressed me. There was no bullshit about him; if he like a wine he told me, if he didn’t likewise (suffice to say he is currently pouring three of my wines). But for me the thing that really stuck out was his generosity with his time. It is very rare someone will give you time in the middle of service, yet he did this and then made time to see me later in the day during his break.

The Dispensary is a great little Enoteca type of place hidden in a laneway off one of the main streets in Bendigo. Seating about 25 inside and out, Tim has very skilfully managed to fit a kitchen, bar, wine wall and fridge in to a very tiny space as well as making room for 4 tables, a communal table and seating in the front window. All this without the slightest sense of being cramped. The menu follows the simple design of an Enoteca/cuccina with terrine, soup and what I had, croque-mademoiselle.



Now I reckon I have had about a dozen different types of croque-mademoiselle, but this one was the pick by a country mile. Perfectly toasted bread sandwiches still perfectly smoked salmon with a dill garlic butter. And with this I enjoyed a wine that Tim sold me on – Dr. Loosen Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Columbia Valley Riesling 2006 from Washington State. Slightly developed in the glass, this wine, unlike our Rieslings, does not throw the kero waft, but instead a much understated stewed pineapple and subtle spice. The palate like the nose delivers restrained flavours of stewed prickly pineapple and cinnamon with the acid holding it all together as if it were from the 08 or 09 vintages. It turned in to a Remington moment where I liked it so much, I bought a bottle (drank later that night with honey and soy glazed salmon).

So, without turning this post into a Mills and Boon story, having good relationships is key to this industry. Because sooner rather than later, the people that are always in meetings will come around because they will not be able to resist the wine you have. And by the way, thanks again Jeremy for your comment in my “A little memo...’ post.

The Dispensary Enoteca gets Two Birks


The Dispensary Enoteca
9 Chancery Lane Bendigo

... and the wine

Drink with salmon
drink till 2016
95
Quality cork 12.5%v/v $39

Splitting the difference - Bindi Block 5 2005 and 2006

Over the past few weeks, Cameron (my boss) and I have been trying to put together a ‘Block 5’ lunch somewhere in town to celebrate the release of Yabby Lake’s new Block 5 Pinot Noir. You see Cameron’s dad Keith Harris is the vineyard manager down at Yabby Lake, and together with Bindi and Felton Road we thought we could scrounge up some wine and have a Block 5-off; just for fun of course, no medals or trophies, just the undivided love of all those who attend.

I couldn’t wait though. The Bindi was there, but Yabby Lake and Felton Road were missing. So to keep up with the idea of seeing which was best I needed two bottles; 2005 and 2006 (still have 3 of each left thank God). So here are the findings:

Bindi Block 5 2005 – an instant hit of minerality, spice and a mixture of raspberry and blackberries and earth in the glass that make a path through my olfactory and palate; such a magic wine with notes from the Michael about the vintage being rather cool all the way with a whack of heat just before the fruit came off. This is probably the fourth or fifth 05 I have had, with each one being better than the last. Simply stunning 100/100

Bindi Block 5 2006 – darker in the glass with heavier layers of dark fruit than the 2005. Prickly acid, firm chewy tannins combined with spicy plums and raspberries with the tartness of cranberry holding it all together. A little warmer than the previous vintage which shows with a little more ripeness. Still a great wine though! 98/100

So there you have it. A somewhat expensive task, but geez, the Bindi Block 5 Pinot Noir’s have easily got to be Australia’s finest – no argument!

Vinea Marson Heathcote Syrah 2006

“Be well my love
Be well
As you brave
The raging storm

Be well my love
Be well
Into a new world
We are born

Step out on the road
Alone for awhile
Underneath Dublin sky
The quiet grows....”

Luka Bloom – Be Well, The Acoustic Motorbike


Luka Bloom. We all know him and his music; raw, folksy, sometimes gut retching but always beautiful and poetic. So if Luka Bloom could be a wine he would be Vinea Marson, or more particular the Vinea Marson Heathcote Syrah 2006.


Hand-crafted by former Mount Mary and Jasper Hill winemaker Mario Marson, the Vinea Marson wines for me have always been of the highest quality, with the 2006 Syrah being just that. Strikingly reddish-purple in the glass, the nose throws up wonderful layers of black pepper and brown spice with notes of blackberry as well. super gorgeous in the mouth, this wine effortlessly brings together firm grippy tannins as well as black olive and licorice. A truly stunning example of Heathcote Syrah done well – just mouth watering!


Drink with beef and Guinness pie
Drink till 2019
96
Diam cork 14.5%v/v $36 www.vineamarson.com

Ostler Vineyard Waitaki Valley Caroline’s Pinot Noir 2006

Every now and then you come across a wine that really grabs your attention. The Ostler Vineyard Waitaki Valley Caroline’s Pinot Noir 2006 is such a wine, and in the celebrated words of Victor Kiam, ‘I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company’ I went out and pursued Ostler. Unfortunately my finances won’t allow such an extravagance, so the next best thing was to get in touch with the owner and persuade him to let me distribute the wine in Australia. Done done and done!

Hailing from New Zealand’s newest sub-region, Waitaki Valley in North Otago, the Caroline’s Pinot Noir is a brooding ripper, but unlike it’s cousins within the ranges of Central Otago, this Pinot Noir does not suffer the rich ripeness, rather a savoury direction actually. Crimson in the glass, there is a very noticeable whack of mulberries, game and beetroot leaf on the nose. Quick bitey tannins greet the palate with layers of currants, morello cherries and brown spices which flow effortlessly alongside the still savoury acid hit. A great wine and the bonus is I distribute it – sweet as a nut hey bro!

Drink with pan roasted pigeon
Drink till 2016
97 and that’s not just because I distribute it, it is why I distribute it!
Screwcap 13.5%v/v about $50 at Blackhearts and Sparrows, North Fitzroy and Decanters by the Bay in Port Melbourne plus listing at Pearl, The Press Club, Rockpool Bar & Grill, The Point Albert Park and Grossi Florentino – sorry, selfless plug.

Hans Herzog Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006

Sometimes, you wander in to a wine shop and think, ‘yeah, today I’m going to splurge out and spend $60 on a bottle of really good Pinot.’ After all is said and done though, all you have left is $60 less in the bank.

I gotta say that I was a little disappointed with the Hans Herzog Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006. It was a nice wine, but sort of left me wanting, wanting, wanting.........

‘.... and the wanting comes in waves....’ Hazards of Love – The Decemberists.

In the end Erin and I had a nice bottle of wine. Did I want a nice bottle for $60? No! I wanted a lap dance, but instead got a neck rub from my sister. Oh well, never thee mind.

And the wine. Good red with a tinge of brown in the hue. Not a lot on the nose, except for some brambly fruit and what I thought was a little formic acid – crushed ant smell. The acid is still bolt up-right, with a little touch of tart cranberry and a little ripe plum.

Drink with beef spare ribs
Drink now
87
Cork 14%v/v $60

Lamont Bendigo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006

It struck me some time back that Central Otago Pinot Noir’s were being written up as chest beating brutes with as much appeal as a Barossa Shiraz tipping the scales at 15.5%v/v. Last week I overheard a Melbourne sommelier lament the tragedy, yes that's right, tragedy, of the “.... poor, poor Central Otago Pinot Noir – where did you get it wrong.” Strong words from a twenty something person who has yet to do a vintage, but assures me that they are more than capable of making a cracking Pinot; true story.

Well may they lament, for I would suggest they have not come across this ripper, the Lamont Bendigo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006. A great blend of fruit with a mineral hit on the nose, the wine drifts between plums, spice, loganberries and strawberries with no real let up the longer in the glass and mouth watering acid with fine chewy tannins to balance it all out . A fair dinkum cracker without a hint of chest beating bruteness!!!!

Drink with black bean slow cooked spare ribs
Drink till 2014
91
Screwcap 13.5%v/v $47 Blackheart and Sparrows North Fitzroy

By Farr Geelong Chardonnay 2006

It’s Mothers Day today – happy Mother’s Day to all the mum’s out there, and happy Mother’s Day to my mum who is holidaying in sunny Tuscany. My lovely Erin has had a lovely child free morning with a cup of tea, jam pancakes and the paper in bed; I’ve had two annoying (of course I love them) little buggers at my feet, but now they seem to be quiet watching ‘Yo Gabba-Gabba’ on the box – cabin pressure has been restored. So with five minutes up my sleeve, I steal myself off to the study for a wee bit of blogging.

What to write about - something mucho fantastico I think. The By Farr Geelong Chardonnay 2006. Once again, I think Geelong is the most underrated wine growing region in Australia, and this is pretty much thanks to Gary Farr. Straw yellow with a golden hue, aromas of stone fruit, with peach kernel coming through strong and a massive hit of lemon tart and licorice powder at the end. If this wine was masked, it could easily be mistaken for something from Chassagne-Montrachet with layers of citrus, minerality and licorice all woven together by precise oak integration; simply stunning wine.

Drink with baked mulloway
Drink till 2013
98
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $40 mailing list two years ago

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Bourgogne 2006

'In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.' Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sleek, lean, tempered and long. The Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Bourgogne 2006 is a wine that needs no dissection. Full of tight lines of citrus with pink grapefruit dominant, the wine picks up in the mid palate with super fine minerality, with just a touch of licorice powder toward the end. Just real good wine - simple!

Drink till 2011
Drink with fried whit bait and aioli - an easy Susan
94
Quality cork 13%v/v $50 last year

Ashbrook Margaret River Chardonnay 2007

Pound for pound the best Chardonnay coming out of the West, with a real challenge to the Leeuwin Estate Art Series. The Ashbrook Margaret River Chardonnay 2007 is a wine that continues to get better with every vintage.

Margaret River, I have been told by certain 'Wine Experts', is Semillon Sauvignon country, with Chardy just making up the numbers. Yet, it was the Ashbrook Chardonnay about 4 or 5 years ago that was judged by James Halliday as Australia's best, with wines such as Leeuwin Estate, Bindi Quartz and Yabby Lake all rating considerably less.

I really only noticed this wine from the 2005 vintage. At around $25 from Uncle Dan's, this wine a couple of years ago was the most frequent visitor through our doors in Brunswickistan. It seemed that this vintage was a never ending one, with Dan's having it on the shelves for what seemed like two years. The day came, however, when the 2005 was gone, and in its place stood the 2007 (I don't know why we didn't get any of the 2006 vintage). At the same price, it was a no brainer. Pale straw and a quick whack of grapefruit and almond meal suggested this wine was going to be like its 05' sibling; and it was. Great length in the mouth with more racy grapefruit and spine-tingling acid that could cut through a diamond, with soft licorice powder bringing up the rear with fine style.

This is a wine that I believe will be drinking near its peak in about two years, though right now with another heat-wave upon us this wine will surely play another pivotal role in down-town Brunswickistan. And one more thing, do not be put off by the whopping great 14.5%v/v - to me this is a wonderful example of first class wine-making with the ease that the oak intergration seems to chew up all of the alcohol.

Drink with grilled whiting
Drink till 2014
96
Screwcap 14.5%v/v $24 Hawthorn East Dan Murphy’s

Hugel Alsace Pinot Blanc 'Blanc de Blancs' 2006

There are a few ways to beat the heat this summer;

1. Buy a pool
2. Live near a pool
3. Live near the beach
4. Spend a shirt-load on a/c
5. Drink crisp white wine

Of the five options above, it is the last one that I am following the most. This summer Erin and I have been drinking a bit of Riesling, but it is this wine today that has me going back time and again - the Hugel Alsace Pinot Blanc 'Blanc de Blancs' 2006.

This is as simple a wine as I have tasted for some time, yet it is its simplicity that I find so enticing. A very faint straw look to the wine with not much on the nose except for a faint waft of wax; it's almost neutral really. In the mouth there is once again a very neutral feel to the wine with more wax and a touch a white flower with tight, clean acid. It all sounds very boring, but this wine is a gem when straight out of cold fridge. An absolute must this summer!

Drink with friends
Drink now
89
Diam cork 12%v/v King & Godfree, Carlton

Top 10 Wines for 2009

Yes, it is the end of yet another year with 2009 over in a little over 48 hours; I think there is a definite correlation between how fast a year travels and how old you are. Anyway, with the end of my first year as a wine blogger, I thought it apt that I compile my ‘Top 10’ wines for this year. The judging of this is based on the ‘Decanter Top 100’ wines where it is not always the highest ranked wines that make No. 1 but the wines that have had the greatest impact. So without anymore dilly-dallying, here we have my Top 10 for 2009.

10. Pierro Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot ltCF 2005 – never been a big fan of this blend from Australia but this wine really stood up and slapped me bang on the nose; am now a convert and a fan. 96

9. M. Chapoutier ‘Deschants’ 1997 Saint-Joseph Marsanne – this was a wine that sort of got forgotten about in my cellar but turned out to be an absolute cracker. 95
8. Punt Road Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2006 – a surprise winner at The Bledisloe of Wine at The Point Albert Park this year during the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. And to think, the Kiwi winemakers thought it was one of theirs - silly buggers. 93
7. Oakridge Yarra Valley 864 Chardonney 2006 – probably one of the best Chardonnays I have had from the Valley and I got it for $30 a bottle when I did vintage there in 2008. 98

6. Merricks Creek Mornington Close Planted Pinot Noir 2006 - the best Pinot Noir ever from the Peninsula and proof that when you believe in something, you give it plenty of time to become something special. 95
5. Ngeringa Adelaide Hills Syrah 2006 – a relative new comer to me but by no means a wall flower wine; the only wine that I have not blogged on so here are my concise findings. Heavy and dense colour with a little touch of leather coming through early but definitely not hiding the licorice all-sorts. More licorice in the palate with mouth smacking tannins that would be lovingly soaked up by a juicy rare rum steak purchased from North Carlton Butchers on Nicholson St Carlton; I scored this 97.


4. By Farr Geelong Shiraz 2007 – I still standby my comment that this is the best Shiraz in Australia, simple! 98
3. Pio Cesare Piedmonte Barolo 1997 – The reason I fell in love with Nebbiolo and the reason why wines like this need plenty of time in the bottle. 99
2. Felton Road Central Otago Block 3 Pinot Noir 2006 – one of the most perfect New World Pinot Noirs I have ever had. If you see one out there, grab it! 99


1. M. Sorrel ‘La Grael’ Hermitage 2001 – an absolute pleasure to drink this one with real elegance and how a wine made with shiraz grapes should taste like. 96

So there you have it, my 2009 retrospective. Tomorrow night I will compile my Top 10 Naughty wines, or more general, Top 10 wine moments for the past 10 years.

Toodaloo!