Eastern Peake Ballarat Pinot Noir 2003

Was able to hog a glass of this at a recent Eastern Peake wine dinner at Gerald's Bar in Carlton. From what Norm said about the wine in its youth - green and harsh and absolutely no substance - to what it is now; pretty much the ugly duckling story ensued. The Eastern Peake Ballarat Pinot Noir 2003 is brooding with unashamed sexuality with toffee and fatty gaminess a plenty. A real pity that there is bugger all left.

Drank with grilled quail
Drink till 2018
98
Quality cork 13%v/v http://www.easternpeake.com.au/

Sassingo Fattoria Casablanca IGT,Tuscany 2007

It's $21 so it shouldn't be fantastic right? Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong! Such a great wine and such a great price. The Sassingo Fattoria Casablanca 2007 from Tuscany is a 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon and uses both varieties fantastically with the Sangiovese delivering savoury tannins and bitter chocolate and the Caberent supplying subtle brambly fruit as well as tannins and a ripper cassis nose.

I guess I'm lending a line from the Vermentino blog, but when you want something authentic and an insight in how it's done traditionally, go to the source.

Drink with lamb shanks
Drink till 2016
93
Cork 13.5%v/v $21 Enoteco Sileno, Lygon Street Carlton

Blue Poles Margaret River Allouran 2007

“We were drinking. We decided to paint something together. I wanted to get him out of himself and into colour again. We spread out a large piece of Belgian linen. It must have taken an hour, because it was wrapped in a canvas sack, and inside, it was wrapped in a kind of wax paper.” Tony Smith, friend of Jackson Pollack, on the creation of ‘Blue Poles: number 11, 1952’

It all starts over a drink.

And what a drink this one was; the Blue Poles Margaret River Allouran 2007. I picked this up yesterday at Carlton Cellars after bottling up at Bindi, and I must say what an impressive wine it turned out to be. But before I get on about the wine, where the hell has this little gem been hiding. I know we are very Victorian centric about what we drink here, but geez, something like this should not be hidden away in cosy Carlton.

A blend of Merlot (66%) and Cabernet Franc (33%)- 1% of fairy dust obviously - this classic right bank blend, a blend that is all to ignored by the greater wine producing regions, is everything I was expecting, and I mean every word I say! Beautifully dark in the glass, the nose is soft and subtle with blackcurrant and tobacco, with a little bit of leafy green towards the end which tells me the Cab Franc has not been mauled by the Merlot. In the mouth there is perfect harmony between oak, acid and fruit, with the acid holding it all together without being too punctuated. I must add also that this went perfect with the ‘old person’ casserole I made when I got home.

A great wine and absolutely worth the trip to Carlton.

Drink with old person casserole – an easy Susan!
Drink till 2018
97
Screwcap 14%v/v $27 at Carlton Cellars

Brave New World! Kharisma 'Isola dei Nuraghi' IGT Sardinia Vermentino 2007

A possible snapshot of future Australia written by guest blogger Aldous Huxley:

‘As the subtle hum of the biosphere’s dome rings in my ears, I step out in to the street where I am instantly coated with the perennial humid mist that is ever present in our lives. Heading down Chapel street I notice yet another ‘Oxybucks’ oxygen bar opening with dirt stained noses lining up for the morning ‘fresh’ hit. But it was another grand opening of a shop three doors down that got my attention. It was another MSA clinic – Marlborough Sauvignon Anonymous.
It had been 15 years since the planet exhausted its stocks of Marlborough Sauvignon, the drink that in the early years of the 21st century commanded 93% of wine consumption throughout the civilised world. In the years since the vine disappeared due to the rare disease, Catspissus necrosis, the 35 million Australians who were responsible for the majority of the demand were yet to get over the demise of the grape and had still not been able to stomach any other variety, with the Sauvignon stripping the nations palate completely.......’

Thanks Aldous.

Sounds scary doesn’t it! Bu there is hope out there people. There is life after Sauvignon Blanc, and it comes in the guise of many dry white wine varieties such as Gros and Petit Manseng, Semillon, Arneis, Pinot Grigio and my fave at the moment, Vermentino.

Grown primarily on Corsica and Sardinia, Vermentino as small plantings in and around the Murray Darling region, with Bruce Chalmers of Chalmers Nursery being the driving force behind its growth. But if you want a choice you will probably have to go to speciality wine shops who deal in imported wine, and one of those is the Enoteca Sileno on Lygon Street Carlton, an Italian providor dealing in all things culinary and alcohol, and it is here where I picked up the wonderful Kharisma ‘Isola dei Nuraghi’ IGT Sardinian Vermentino 2007. Yes the name ‘Kharisma’ is bit kitsch, but there is absolutely nothing kitsch about the wine.

On this day I needed a crisp white to go with my Carbonara. Chardonnay would have done the trick, but I’m always drinking Chardonnay, and I thought something Italian with my pasta sauce. Vermentino has naturally high acids which are perfect in cutting through the thick unctuous sauce that is Carbonara. And my Carbonara rocks – and there is no cream in this one people! So here is my recipe for my Carbonara:

· Four egg yolks
· 200 grams of good bacon
· One onion
· Two cloves of garlic, crushed
· Cooking white wine
· Good olive oil
· Parmesan cheese and good spaghetti – Martelli

Simply separate yolks from whites and place in a bowl with a splash of water and a good glug of oil and cracked pepper, mix. Reduce diced onion and garlic in white wine, add bacon and reduce again. Cook off pasta al dente, toss all ingredients together and top with biting parmesan. Yummo!

Now the wine. The Vermentino has a surprising yellow gold colour to it with quite a rich nose of flowers, preserved lemon and salt. The mouth is fantastic with layers of citrus, soft herbs, banana and melon. Fantastic complexity with this one and a definite ‘Susan’. On a side note, I would definitely decant this wine; there is plenty of SO2 in it so the air is necessary to blow off the burnt match smell.

Drink till 2012
Drink with my Carbonara recipe
92
Quality cork 13%v/v $42 at Enoteca Sileno 920 Lygon Street Carlton North

http://www.enoteca.com.au/

Duck Pie @ La Parisienne Patés, Carlton

This is the duck pie from La Parisienne Patés I was talking about that will go with the 2003 Sergio Bi-O Pinot Noir. Sooo Goood, and at $6, a fair-dinkum no-brainer!!!

Sergio Bi-O Cardinia Ranges Pinot Noir 2003

This wine is still quite racy for something that has been sitting around for a while. Very translucent in the glass with layers of mashed strawberry and oak. The palate is very Burgundy, with a great mix of spice, tomato leaf, beetroot and rhubarb – a lot going on I’d say. I had this wine in a decanter for about three hours and it didn’t miss a beat with the acid still shining through right to the last drop. Really enjoyed this one. Oh yeah, it’s a Serge Carlei wine - the biodynamic pioneer in Victoria - so it's bio-organic, which is effectively biodynamic, so everyone can enjoy this one, even those odd people at ‘Le Cru’ in Albert Park.

Drink till 2012
Drink with duck pie bought from La Parisienne Pates in Carlton
91

Cork 13%v/v $30

La Parisienne Pates and L'Eglantiere Chablis 2007

Last week my daughter and I went on a little trip into the city for a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
On the way home we stopped off in Lygon Street Carlton for some provisions for dinner; Donati butchers for some pork. While waiting to be served (they were very busy), I was pondering how to cook the pork – pondering long and hard I was.
Now I do have a bit of a soft spot for all things French, so it was decided that the pork would be prepared in a Gaul sought of way and so with this I knew I would need more provisions.
Now Lygon Street is famously known as ‘Little Italy’ in Melbourne, no disputing this. So it is a surprise that the best French deli in my town is on this thoroughfare.
La Parisienne Pates is a little gem in the heart of ‘Little Italy’ and is Australia’s only charcuterie, with all the wonderful small goods made by Stephane Langlois. There are game pies made from duck and rosemary jus, rabbit and prune, and venison with mushrooms. The pates and terrines are just brilliant - more duck, this time with orange, wild mushroom, venison with cepes; sexy stuff this.
Our visit saw us buy some duck fat, bread, wonderful Ossau Iraty hard cheese and a bottle of L’Eglantiere Chablis 2007.
Now, about the wine.
I am not sure if this wine is exclusive to La Parisienne Pates, but if it is, they have got themselves an absolute ripper. At $30, this is pure gold. The colour is straw gold, quite stark. The nose is all lemon, and with time in the glass transforms to a lovely lemon meringue. In the mouth it is quite minerally with flint coming through in even waves. This is very young Chablis which I think may need a couple of years, but right now it is clean, crisp and easy to drink.
Drink till 2012
Drink with confit pork with steamed green beans (the menu that evening).

Wow, this is making me hungry and thirsty. Bugger it, I’m off to La Parisienne Pates.