Hidden Bird Martinborough Pinot Noir 2008

A newcomer from Martinborough, the Hidden Bird Pinot Noir 2008 turns out to be a very smart wine. Full of savoury tannins and black fruit, this wine delivers a lot more than the poultry $23 I paid for it in Hawthorn last week. Very Pinot in colour with a light translucency in the glass. Red licorice, spice and black fruit full the nose. There is plenty going on in the mouth also with sharp, clean acid mingled with brown spice, tart cranberry all woven together nicely with even oak integration.

A really good wine, and at the price a dead-set no-brainer for an easy drink with food or just for the hell of it!

Drink with charcuteire plate an easy Susan
Drink till 2012
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Screwcap 13%v/v $23 at Red White and Amber, Glenferrie Rd Hawthorn

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.