Domaine Anne Gros Bourgogne 2010

It was at a tasting earlier this year where a young sommelier, or that's what he was telling everyone he met and announcing it as his 'calling', made the comment that any French wine with the variety on it should be avoided at all cost. Fortunately a wine maker there reminded him that pretty much all Alsace wines come with variety stated as do with a lot of great champagnes. Score 1 to the wine maker!

It seems comments like the one from the sommelier are like hair cuts; everyone has a different one. My take on opinions should squarely be based on the finished product, not what the label says. But if on the label somewhere is the name Anne Gros, then yes, my opinion will be a resounding thumbs up. The Domaine Anne Gros Bourgogne 2010, with the variety fair-and-square for everyone to see, is easily one of the wines of the year for me so far.

A very dark red in the glass, the wine opens up with dark cherries, spice and earth, and the longer in the glass a very distinct bacon fat wafts up the olfactory in a most pleasurable manner. The palate is quite different from the nose with a very dry and grippy front that washes away with an almost syrupy cherry middle and then, just like that, a tart cherry and cranberry finish. Just delightful.

Drink with grilled quail with figs
Drink till 2016
96
Cork 12.5%v/v $45-$50

Viñero Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2010

This trade - the wine biz - is a funny beast. Out there in wine sniff land there is an abundant lot that crow about this Grand Cru and snort on how Montlouis is far superior to Vouvray in drier years; thats what they read or heard second hand anyway. The wine expert, yes indeed, a curious fellow of both genders.

With that said, it is rare to see two interested and curious fellows come along and take a genuine stab in the wine game on a primary level and go out and hang their hat on a patch of fruit in the woolly Macedon Ranges; pick it, crush it, blend it, bottle it, market it, sell it and finally chase over-due invoices. The fruits of their labour is the Viñero Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2010. A wine by two sommeliers; Matt Brooke and Liam O'Brien.

A dirty red in the glass with a faint translucency, the wine throws a great mix of spice a green sappiness on the nose - partial whole bunch I suppose. The palate is what I would call effeminate and long; supple musk stick/red skin on the front palate with more brown spices woven in with tort acid and super-fine tannins.

This is a wine though that if you do not have any now, you probably wont be getting any. I was fortunate enough to grab a few before they all went down the road at Albert Street.

Drink with grilled spatchcock of quail
Drink till 2017
95
Screwcap 13.5%v/v

Felton Road Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008

Sometimes your expectations are just way to high. This is such a time.

Felton Road Central Otago Pinot Noir – in this case the 2008 - is a wine that more often than not is regarded as one of NZ’s best wines; I am one of those people that share this view. But lately, not sure whether it is the style of the region (probably) or just the wine itself, I have come across Central Otago Pinot Noir’s to be pretty much pigeon-holed in a one dimensional style – big! (I must also state here that even though I have only a few Central Otago PN’s on my blog, I have made the decision not to blag, and no that’s not a typo, on wine that I don’t like.)

In the glass the wine is deep in colour without being deep, deep red. The nose displays a good whack of cranberry and raspberry, but not tart as I was expecting, rather a riper feel to it. The palate has quick acid straight up which disappears as fast as it arrives. After this is pretty much ripe red fruit of more cranberry and raspberry with very little tannin structure.

Going back to a previous life as a sommelier, this is a wine that I would have matched with red meat that was cooked medium to well-done. Reason is simple. When you have bloody or rare meat, be it at home or in a restaurant, the best match is a dry, tart red wine like a cool climate Shiraz or Pinot Noir. This is because the steak already has plenty of juice already, and wine and food pairing for me is all about countering the others overall mouth feel; dry with juicy and juicy with dry. So if you are having a well done piece of meat (not advised) go for an old school Barossa Shiraz which is all about juice, juice, alcohol and juice – or JABS! This is because the piece of meat has had all of the juice squeezed out of it by the chef and the JABS will simply put that juice back in to your mouth.

So next time you are at say Rockpool Bar & Grill or The Point Albert Park and you want to spend $65 on a well cooked piece of meat, go for a wine that will give back the juice that has been so mercilessly sucked out of the rib-eye or God forbid a wagyu.

PS – I am not describing this wine as a JABS, just a reference to wine-food matching, that’s all!

Drink with med-well rib-eye
Drink till 2013
88
Screwcap 14%v/v Rathdowne Cellars, Carlton North

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

Laurenz V Austrian Friendly Grüner Veltliner 2008

I had a friendly chat with my neighbour; I enjoyed a friendly kick to kick in the park with Pat; she has a friendly demeanour; my mum is not so friendly with my dad anymore.

These are some examples of the word ‘friendly’ you may come across if you are emigrating to Australia and cannot speak a lick of English – grammar 101 you might say. There are many uses for the word friendly, but the most intriguing one came from a recent purchase down at Blackhearts and Sparrows in Brunswick; the Laurenz V Austrian Friendly Grüner Veltliner 2008. It reminds me of bad English/Cantonese translations on Cantonese food products!

A curious wine with elegant white pear and clean acid fill the nose with a little hint of white flowers – oleander I’d say after about 30 minutes. The palate is similar to the nose with citrus dominating the white pear. A nice wine, even for a GV, as one of the new cultural elite Melbourne sommeliers now refers to Grüner Veltliner.

Drink with smoked chicken cold cuts
Drink till 2011
89
Screwcap 12.5%v/v $29 Blackhearts and Sparrows, Lygon Street Brunswick

Top of the Pop's in the Naughties - the best of wine for me 2000-2009

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it? Yesterday when I ended my Top 10 wines of 2009 saying that I would be posting my top 10 wine moments of the naughties (or noughties I have since been informed), the thought that it would be as big as it is was not as obvious as it is now.

The last 10 years has really been about me finding my place within the wine industry; from sommelier to retail wine sales to studying wine and viticulture at university to working vintage and finally finishing the decade working for a Champagne house in Brand development. Since arriving back from Europe in February 2000, I have immersed myself in all things wine, so coming up with a list of wine moments for the naughties has been tougher than first expected, but after much thought I have come up with the ten moments and events that have defined the past ten years with wine. So in no particular order, here they are.

1. Four amazing Champagnes; Dom Pérignon Œnothèque 1959, Dom Pérignon Œnothèque 1990, Krug 1998 and Krug NV.
2. Penfolds Grange robbery at Como Wine & Spirits, 2002.
3. Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2005 vertical tasting, 2008.
4. Vintage at Oakridge Wines, Yarra Valley 2008.
5. Working at Bindi Wine Growers, Macedon Ranges 2005-2009.
6. Sommelier work.
7. Viticulture/Wine Science degree 2003-2008.
8. Re-discovering Chardonnay.
9. Working for Vranken Pommery Monopole.
10. The rise of cool climate Shiraz.


Now it’s a big list with each one being a lengthy story, so like many other posts, this one will be a series over the next few weeks, with the first instalment on my Champagne moments with Dom Perignon and Krug.


Four amazing Champagnes – I have always loved champagne, with it all starting in Champagne while doing vintage with Jean-Marie Etienne in 1997. During my time there I was able to taste some amazing wine, and not just from Jean-Marie Etienne but from other producers in the Valle de Marne, yet it wasn’t until 2002 that Champagne really meant something to me.

The first was back in 2002 when the three assailants responsible for the Grange Robbery at Como Wine & Spirits were charged and sentenced to lengthy gaol time (I will get to the Grange incident in another post). It was a pretty big moment for me filled with relief, anger and pity for the three idiots who did it to pay off a heroin debt. With the help of a good mate, we polished off a bottle of Krug NV in quick time and were left with the common thought that we could never go back to boring old sparkling wine – a bit like flying first class the first time and knowing how tough it’s going to be in coach the next time!

My next Champagne moment came in 2005 with the birth of Imogen. Having the kind of taste for wine that I do, Erin and me were never going to toast the arrival of Imogen with a mere bottle of Aussie sparkling, or even something like a Bollinger or Veuve Clicquot NV; we needed something grand, and that was the Dom Pérignon Œnothèque 1990 – an amazing moment celebrated with an amazing wine.

I did not have to wait too long for my next Champagne moment, with this one still being the most amazing wine I have ever tasted – the Dom Pérignon Œnothèque 1959. This happened when I was a sommelier at Vue de monde in 2005 when David, the head sommelier, and I enjoyed a half a glass each of this wine that was left by a customer who BYO’d it. I can fair dinkum still smell the truffle and earthy notes of this wine.

Finally, there is the Krug 1998, another wine that Erin and I had to welcome our second child, Henry, in to the world. Having only had it 11 months ago, this wine displayed everything good about a young vintage Champagne with mouth watering citrus and brioche, and also the lament of finishing the bottle just knowing how good this wine will taste in 20 years. Still, the wine lived up to the occasion.

There you have it, four wines that meant, and still do, quite a bit to me; relief, amazement and wonderment.

Season of Soup - Minestrone with Foster e Rocco 2008 Heathcote Sangiovese

Minestrone soup – this one I used to think was the hardest of the lot. Actually, I used to think soup in general was difficult and messy to make. It just turns out soup is mess, not difficult in its preparation.

The classic Minestrone from Lombardy includes pancetta for the salt kick. In Milan the recipe varies according to what is on hand, which is handy I guess. My recipe is pretty basic, and like the Milanese, variations come and go with what is in the pantry.

It’s hearty and filling and really is a few meals in one. And this is a great meal to have in the fridge or freezer when it comes to leftovers.

Tim’s Minestrone
· A good couple of glugs of olive oil
· Bacon or pancetta or cacciatore sausage or salami or cooked spicy lamb sausage
· 1-2 onions finely chopped*
· 2 garlic cloves; crushed
· 2 celery stalks; peeled and chopped
· 1-2 carrots; chopped
· 1 zucchini; chopped
· 1 litre of stock; chicken or veg
· 2x400g cans crushed tomato
· 2 cups of water
· 1x420g can cannellini beans; rinsed and drained
· 2 cups of finely shredded cabbage
· ½ cup of pasta shells
· 1 handful of chopped parsley
· Crusty bread

*when cutting onions I find wearing swimming goggles helps avoid the tears. It may look funny, but it works!

Heat oil in a large pot and cook of meat. Try and burn the bottom of the pan; this leaves crusty bits which add heaps to the flavour. Once cooked set and leave aside. Sauté onions and garlic for a couple of minutes and add carrot (I always add carrot about 3 minutes before other veg just to cook through a bit more), zucchini and celery and cook until tender.

Return meat to pot with stock, tomatoes and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ½ an hour. Stir in beans, cabbage and pasta and cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Add parsley and serve with bread.

The wine:
This is a fairly rustic dish so I thought of a rustic wine. White I believe would be no good with this because of the heavy flavours from the meat. We had a Sangiovese from Heathcote, Foster e Rocco, a wine made by Adam Foster and Lincoln Riley.

Both guys are sommeliers like me, with Adam just having started at The Lake House in Daylesford and Riley having been at Taxi for a few years. These guys have constructed a very nice little wine here, and they haven’t over worked it like a lot of Australian Sangioveses. This wine has got a good lot of earth and acid to keep it grounded and food friendly.

The colour is deep red with a pink hue, telling me it spent a bit of time on skins. The nose starts out as morello cherry, which is typical with Sangiovese, and then longer in the glass shows a good hit of dark chocolate. The mouth is very true with the nose; morello cherry followed by chocolate. All in all, a very nice wine.

Drink till 2013
17/20

Erin's 40th at Esposito@toofeys - part 2

So where were we....

The big day had finally arrived and all that was needed to do was to get frocked up and then pick the cake up from French Lettuce in Carlton; job done.

On arrival Erin and I had our first drink for the day, a glass Prosecco, and got down to opening and checking the wines with Erin organising the place settings; done, done and done.

Our guests started arriving, and all I asked of Erin was not to hang around the door of the restaurant – you know how easy bottle-necks form. So after we broke up the first bottle-neck the mingling started, and before you knew it, everyone who needed to be there were happily sipping their aperitifs and chatting about whatever they were chatting about. So with everyone there, we got started.

Now one of the main reasons for doing a dego was that Erin was always banging on about how she had never seen me in action, doing the sommelier thing and all, and also not seen me work a group, something that I would do on almost a nightly basis at The Point. This day I was responsible for the food and wine matches and also the introduction and explanation of the food and wine – for Erin and our family and friends. This was not a garden variety group let me tell you.

So, on with matches.

The amuse of Tathra oyster and Manzanilla worked because both flavours are essentially palate cleansers – the salty glycerol of the oyster and again salty, yeasty texture of the sherry.

The first savoury course I think is always the most important. Degustation events are all about savouring and catching the attention of your taste buds. If you don’t achieve this in the first course, it’s going to be a tough trick to bag it after the first. This is why I went with two wines with two different flavour spectrums. So, in having two different flavours in the glass, you need two different flavours on the plate, and this was achieved with the abalone and chicken consommé.

The Bual Madeira is a wine that grabs your attention straight away; a massive spice hit on the nose followed by that brandy spirit hit. In the mouth, the wine deceives the nose by being soft and rich, with an almost fragrant feel. The longer in the mouth, the wine builds in flavour and mouth feel, becoming warmer and warmer with a toffee finish. The Bindi Sparkling was courteous of my friend Michael Dhillon from Bindi. With only 100 magnums produced, the two bottles of the 1994 Blanc de Blanc could not have been fresher with lovely citrus and bready notes in both nose and palate. The idea was the Madeira with the consommé to break through the oiliness and the sparkling with the abalone, with the sparkling lifting the saltiness of the abalone.

Next we had the mud crab with a wine that I just love, the Chateau Jolys Jurançon. This is a style of wine that I dearly hope will one day challenge the Savvy B domination in this country. This wine has an elegant white floral nose that is further pronounced in the palate along with citrus and soft acid, something that I wanted when matched with mud crab. This match was for the wine to accompany the flavour of the crab, not compete with it.

What dego would be worth its salt if there were not game there. What game you say? Barramundi I say! Barramundi is the game of the deep, with almost earthy texture about it, followed by a long clean flavour of sea and salt. With a fish like this, you need a wine that is a stand out amongst its peers. The Tapanappa ‘Tiers’ 2007 Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills may be a new label, but it is sourced from possibly the best Chardonnay vineyard in Australia.

The ‘Tiers’ Chardonnay had belonged to Petaluma until recently, with Petaluma having recently belonged to Brian Croser, possibly the most respected winemaker in Australia. The Tapanappa label is a partnership with Lynch-Bages of Bordeaux and The Bollinger family in Champagne – a handy alliance you might say. This wine is all white Burgundy, citrus, grapefruit, stonefruit, liquorice and custard, and thats just the nose. The palate is similar with flavours that just seem to go on forever, and yes, the liquorice powder hit at the end was sexy sexy sexy. I think this wine was easily the favourite amongst the group. This whole match was just down to savouring two gorgeous flavours simultaneously. This was a no brainer.

Three courses to go, stay tuned....

This is what a Sommelier is!!!

I have been doing this job for quite a while, probably since the late 90's, and in between I started up my own cocktail/wine bar and got myself a Bachelor of Viticultural Sciences just for the hell of it.

The principal role of a sommelier is wine purchasing, storage and list management. This, however, revolves around what type of philosophy or style the restaurant is trying to achieve with their food. This is where the sommelier works alongside the chef to develop a list that is suitable for what is leaving the kitchen pass.

Once this is known, the sommelier is responsible for overall delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff (those, of course, who are not experts in everything). The sommelier is in direct contact with restaurant guests and is there to make suggestions or help them through what can sometimes be wine lists that resemble the Yellow Pages, and ultimately work within parameters of budget and personal taste.

Now sometimes the sommelier will take your wine away and taste it themselves. Don't worry, they are not going to pour themselves a glass. We do this to check for any wine spoilage that may be present such as cork taint, oxidation or brettanomyces infection. A good sommelier knows what these spoilages smell like and more often than not, the sommelier will simply pour the wine back into the bottle or decanter, unless it is something shit-hot and they will have a wee sip for themselves (I can just imagine you all sitting up in your chairs thinking, 'hang on there') - wine is yum.

During the Ancien Regime, the King's household had several sommeliers whose primary role was to receive the wine bought by the sommiers (from French meaning betes de somme, 'beasts of burden'). During the reign of Louis XIV, the sommelier was the official in charge of the transport of baggage when the court moved; don't worry, if you come to my restaurant I will not hide your bags - scouts honour.

So when you next go out for dinner and the sommelier comes over with the wine list for a chat, don't be scared to engage in conversation; we are not all wine wankers. We really just want you to have the best bottle or glass of wine with your meal, and not just Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc all the time, cos the stuff is not good for you - we all know what happened to the Marlborough man now don't we!