Getting the very affable Tim Kirk to attend a wine dinner has been quite a difficult task, but last Saturday night the regular wine group also got to meet, for the first time, Tim’s lovely wife, Lara, at the Rubicon Restaurant in Griffith, Canberra with the Rhone being designated as the evening’s red wine theme. Also in attendance was my very old friend and confidant Paul “The Godfather” Heimburger, who flew in, without notice, from the Gold Coast, due to his elderly aunt’s sudden passing the previous day.

We opened proceedings with the Pol Roger 1996 Chardonnay (90 points) displaying an extremely youthful colour and finest of bead. Housing a rivetting bouquet of lightly charred brioche, toasted hazelnuts over honeydew melon and a little citrus followed by a fine, lively palate with abundant acid tending to smother some very classy fruit and toasty autolysis characters on a lengthy, very dry, mouth-puckering finish. Without a doubt this excellent aperitif-styled sparkler will provide ample enjoyment for another decade or more, but in this instance, the palate failed to deliver the necessary balance to merit a higher rating. Previous bottles have all looked far superior. The almost diametrical 1976 Pol Roger Vintage Brut revealed a light burnished orange gold colour, no discernible bead, posessing a somewhat oxidised but pleasant bouquet of burnt honey, caramel, grilled nuts and apricot followed by a slightly tired, madeirised palate devoid of mousse but of reasonable length with a twist of acid help save the finsh. Time has got the better of this old dame. 80 points.

Two Chardonnay’s followed - the Oakridge 864 2004 (Yarra Valley, Victoria, 86 points) received some vigorous debate at our end of the table with others (Tim and Tony) far more impressed than moi. A complex worked lees bouquet of bacon fat, char, smoke, struck match/sulphides and grilled nuts under what I can only describe as resiny, phenolic oak. The palate is quite powerful with ample body, some attractive fig and lime fruit but suffers, again, from overpowering barrel ferment characters and more of the extractive, grainy oak found in the bouquet. Later Tony mentioned this wine received no malolactic fermenation which may account for some of the rough edges that time may rectify. To my way of thinking, an enigmatic style of Chardonnay - and as Tim said - a style that show judges might find to their liking. Give me a Raveneau, with some age on it, instead. The second Chardonnay, Rene Lequin-Colin’s 2003 Chassagne-Monrachet “Les Caillerets” opened dissapointingly with a musky/confected aroma with only hints of any barrel work. Similarly, the palate failed to rock my boat - 78 points at best. What a surprise when revisiting this much later in the night to find a wine of far better nuance, much better weight and an impressive long complex finish - more like 88 points!

Tim generously brought along his unreleased 2005 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, a wine that has received critical acclaim from wine scribes and wine lovers the world over for some years now. This upcoming vintage will, no doubt, continue the tradition. Attractive deep ruby, opening with overt, lifted peppery characters retracting quickly to reveal a beautiful perfume of violets, blackberry, spiced grilled meats, a little apricot over perfectly-judged savoury oak. The palate follows on where the bouquet finishes, elegant but gushing with silky black fruit, a lovely floral component and a structure to die for. I thought the fine, lacey tannins and acidity to be of the highest order. To cap off a marvellous experience the wine resolves with a classic “peacock tail” finish. 95 points. Great as it is today, my only concern is how long this beauty will last.

So onto the night’s main theme of Rhone reds - my comments below are mostly vibes/impressions -  

Cuilleron-Gaillard-Villard Cote-Rotie “Essatailles” 1999 - 90 points - vibrant perfumed nose of black fruit, apricot and musk - solid palate of mainly plummy fruit - didn’t improve in the glass - better earlier I thought - first try of this joint effort - suggest a drink now proposition.

Chapoutier Cote-Rotie “La Mordoree” 1989 - 88 points - older style - licorice, blackberry and saddle leather - palate just starting to dry out - lacks the complexity of the better/more recent examples from this maker.

Chapoutier Ermitage “La Pavillon” 1994 - 93 points - much fresher than the last bottle tried last year - great winemaking - very pure - game, red fruits galore, very savoury and leathery - lovely structure - excellent potential for the longer haul.

Jaboulet Hermitage “La Chapelle” 1982 - 95 points - Exceptional - at the peak of its powers but still vibrant with everything in perfect harmony - have always loved this wine - will hold for some time yet - wonderful roasted creme de cassis fruit mixed with new leather and a Christmas cake complexity - fantastic structure - if only they made them like this these days. My WOTN - pipping the 2005 Clonakilla by a whisker!

Domaine Courbis Cornas “Les Eygats” 1998 - 78? points - Although low level TCA-affected, the underlying, relatively unaffected remnants gave some pleasure to this taster - would like to retaste this from a “good” bottle - judgement deferred

Domaine Courbis Cornas ”La Sabarotte” 1998 - 91 points - Blood, iron, minerally with good fruit, nice earthy/tarry complexity underneath - excellent delineation - will get better too - very impressed with this - top flight Cornas.

Thanks be to Deb, Tony, Tim, Lara, Jamie, Beck and Paul for their generous contributions and fine fellowship.