Day 1

The annual safari’s off and running! Another pilgrimage visiting our great friends, Eric and Lyn, Lindsay and Di, in sunny, warm Queensland. Escaping Canberra’s cold and relatively wet and miserable July has been even more satisfying as my lovely wife, Janet, joins me for the first time.

Our flight up was of little consequence and it only took about an hour for the drive north to our host’s home in Nambour, a medium-sized, hinterland town on Queensland’s Sunshine coast. Lyn made a tasty frittata for lunch which we devoured with an extraordinarily good bottle of Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling 1983 (2 577 05014 84) - a stunningly youthful bright and inviting lemon/green gold colour; simply amazing for its considerable age. Delightful fruit-driven bouquet of such purity and class - a literal cornucopia of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, green apricots), citrus (limes, lemons and navel oranges), mango and freshly-picked crisp green apples all wrapped in a shroud of slaty minerality of the highest order. Just so beautiful to nose! And not a skerrick of petrol or bottle-aged character to boot! The palate marches to the beat of the same drum - exquisite purity of flavour, remarkably fresh and vibrant with mouthfilling flavours replicating the bouquet to perfection. Wonderful slaty acidity provides exemplary counterbalance before a long and exhilarating departure that just went on and on. A truly memorable German Riesling that should last for another decade, probably two, given its incredibly slow evolution to date. (94 points, 7.2% A/V)

The evening meal started with (yummy) hors d’ouvres of strawberries atop well-aired brie cheese on wafer biscuits with Grosset’s Watervale Riesling from 1999. Harbouring a slightly burnished deep straw colour, slightly jaded nose of buttered toast, a little honey and some petrol over herb-tinged citrussy fruit, followed by a quite linear palate with tight citrus and (for a top Riesling producer) unusual grassy fruit. Lengthy finish, but overall a very odd bottle of Grosset Riesling that seemed flat, not old, offering little joy. (84 points, 13.0% A/V)

For mains Eric brought out his new “grill” and cooked some thick pieces of yearling rib fillet for which I made a red wine and mushroom reduction sauce, a cabbage, bacon and onion dish served accompanied with potato mash and steamed vegetables. Forced to decant the red (bloody cork crumbled into a million pieces) into a large beer jug, we were greeted by a perfume of the sweetest blackberries and creme de cassis that literally filled the room. On closer examination, we found raspberries, dark chocolate and only a modicum of the herbs and cedar that frequent this wine as a rule. In the mouth this medium-bodied, very sexy wine excels with a wonderful array of black fruits, gorgeous lively acidity, a perfectly alligned tannin regime and a superb length of aftertaste. I’d rate Seppelt’s 1992 Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon at 92 points with several years evolution expected and then to hold for some time thereafter.

I hurredly popped another diabetic tab with our decision “for a wee drop of port”! Lindeman’s 1967 Vintage Port Bin 3642 Classic Release is, without a doubt, one of my great all-time Aussie vintage port’s - period. I rate it second to Hardy’s Musuem Release VP from 1956 - a wine I scored at 99 points! From the incredibly thick viscostity as the wine was poured into the glass, the still vibrant deep garnet colour of, seemingly, remarkable agelessness, to the sensational nose of brandy snaps, satsuma plum, blackberry concentrate, brandied cherries, even a perplexing top note of sous bois - this wine took my breath away, once again! The mindblowing palate is of such an astonishing standard - incredibly fresh and lavish with perfectly preserved red and black fruit, unctiously endowed, thick and viscous through the fore- and middle- palates then transfixed by cutting acidity, fine, astringent tannins and perfectly-meshed grip on an almost unrelenting finish of rare aplomb. About as good as it gets! 96 points. Drink now to your swan song.

Day 2

We visited the world famous Eumundi Markets from mid-morning to early afternoon, then took a scenic trip down to Noosaville where had gourmet Chicken Tandoori on Turkish bread with tsatsiki, avacado and lettuce. A bottle of 2004 Penfolds Reserve Bin 04A Chardonnay (92 points) struck accord with the crew on the banks of the gorgeous Noosa River. Retaining a bright very pale straw/green colour, this tightly coiled but intelligently “worked” Chardonnay offers up scents of melon and fig with notes of meal and char following much later. Holding a very tight line through the mouth with the oak playing second fiddle to the fig/melon fruit with a complementary spine of vibrant acidity providing zest and vitality to the high-calibre French oak sitting underneath. With time this oak increased in intensity, particularly towards the back-end. Good strong follow through to round things out. This outstanding example of Adelaide Hills fruit and deft winemaker “assistance” requires a few years to reach its zenith and should hold for several more thereafter. Extremely good effort from this massive global corporate brand.

A drive down the Sunshine Coast(line) provided some stunning views until we reached the fishing wharves at Mooloolaba where I bought green prawns, whiting fillets, calamari and scallops. For dinner I opened a Hermann Donnhoff 1998 Norheim Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese (91 points) (AP Nr 77530101199 9.0% A/V) that was singing in fine voice and admirably complemented the delicate flavours of the seafood. A wine with a superb light but starbright straw/green colour followed by an expressive nose of ripe nectarine, white flowers, pomegranite, red currant and minerals. Delectably smooth and silky palate, chock full of similarly-etched fruit, excellent acid balance, some sweet and sour complexities and a finish of such finesse, it leaves you begging for more. A drink now-2018 proposition but don’t hold your breath - it’s drinking so well now!

Henschke’s 1992 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon (92 points) followed after the all the seafood was devoured. A beautiful and fine mature red drinking at the peak of its powers. I served this to compare to the outstanding performance, the evening just gone, of the 1992 Dorrien Cabernet. We were not disappointed. Qualitatively, we could not seperate them. The Henschke may not go for as long, it already shows readiness and is most likely drinking at its peak. There’s a definitive herb/leafy streak in the Henschke that reflects the cooler climes of its origin (the Eden Valley). There’s wonderful counterpunch from the deepset blackcurrant fruit but there’s more savoury secondary characters of cedar, leather, tobacco leaf and lead pencil to be found. In the mouth, the structure of the Henschke might just pip the Dorrien but there’s very little in it. The Cyril drinks so well now, has impeccable manners, great balance, terrific length and, today, is the more complete package. Drink now-2012.

We completed another great night of food, wine and comaraderie with an ancient bottling of Morris’s moorish and incredible Very Old Liquer Muscat (94 points) that by the age of the label would contain a majority of material that would be well in excess of 50 years old. From my reckoning the final blend for this wine was assembled somewhere in the mid-eighties, the average age being the “very old” release (which, BTW, equated to one bottle per (very good) customer per year, I was told, some years ago now, by Mick Morris’s winemaker son, David) being probably closer to 30 years of age. Some of the material (which is worked by the winery on a solera system, consistently topping up barrels until the desired blend has been achieved) would be well in excess of the average age I’ve quoted. As with most wines that come out of barrel, having “done their thing”, for years and, in this case, decades, one always risks losing the freshness carefully monitored by the talented Rutherglen winemakers who specialise in this art form. There was the slightest perceptible staleness on the nose (my wife called it “mild fish shop smell”), I thought it a touch of fish oil, but we were splitting hairs here. Otherwise the wine was “all there” with a magnificent array of aromas and flavours that would fill a page, but suffice to say, rested in the outer limits of richness, decadence and hedonism. Just so thick and viscous with an explosive mid- to back-palate with the astringency of the rancio and spirit providing the perfect foil to the luscious raisin, honey, christmas cake, burnt toffe and rum’n'raisin chocolaty fruit. The wine needs only to be drunk (I meant to say, sipped) in minute quantities given its enormity and power (not mentioning the high A/V) and with a finish that lasts well in excess of a minute, one can intellectualise as to the merit of taking another sip while the one just gone hangs all through your perceptory senses for, seemingly, an eternity.

Day 3

Today was spent touring the waterways around Noosa with a lovely picnic lunch on one of the major Noosa River tributaries in the heart of the Noosa National Park. Lunch was washed down with an exceedingly charming bottle of Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru “Les Combettes” 2000, a wine I’ve had more consistency from the marginally pre-oxed bottles of the higher rated “Les Perrieres” vineyard from the same vintage. Boasts a particularly pleasing very bright youthful colour and perfectly-honed aromatics of grilled nuts, toasty oak, white peach and vanillin-poached brown pears wrapped in a swathe of mouth-watering minerality. The palate delivers the same “mail” - magnificently integrated flavours bound with lively mineral-infused acidtiy and substantive but well-judged medium-toast French oak, plenty of balancing grip and a very tidy, permeating, authoritative finish. Unlike many other recent reports on Carillon’s variability with the pox, I’ve yet to open a 2000 “Les Combettes” in the last few months that has looked different. Thank @#$ for that! 93 points for this beauty, even in an outside setting and in less than perfect tasting conditions! 13.5% A/V

Eric’s mini-weber got a thorough workout this evening after I rubbed some of his, very competent, local butcher’s tasty rib fillet with fresh organic garlic, finely ground black pepper and a dash of light olive oil. Four generous serves were wrapped in bacon and cooked in two stages (medium for the women) and (medium-rare for us blokes) with regular turning including crisping of the bacon. The end result was just beautiful and although I just couldn’t get my act together for a sauce, in the end, it didn’t matter, the meat didn’t need it. I was able to organise the accompanying bottle of 1988 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon. Eric went ape over this, awarding it 94 points and RWOTW (red wine of the week, thus far - FWIW, he gave the Lindemans 1967 VP, 98 points the other night - he reckons it will be very hard to beat, he’s probably right - but I haven’t started on the better Frenchies yet - I’m saving them for when we venture down into the mountains on the weekend). I thought it was on par with both the Aussie reds we’ve had on Day 1 and 2. Displays the most mature hue of the reds thus far. Quintessential Coonawarra nose of weedy blackcurrants, cedar, mint, dried herbs and sweet earth. A wonderfully mature, smooth, integrated palate of medium weight, wonderfully integrated and fully mature with every aspect settled and in balance. There’s enough acidity and a dry, slightly firm tannin to suggest this will last for quite a few years, but I’m happy to rate this a drink now or very soon proposition. Why wait for things to come off the boil? The wine lingers well after swallowing, leaving the lucky recipient with a bevy of flavour and lovely structure hovering in the mouth. 92 points.

Later in the evening, Lyn dragged out an apple and rhubarb crumble out of the fridge, for which I opened a bottle of Marc Freyburger’s 1996 Gewurtztraminer Kaefferkepf Selection de Grains Nobles (13.5%), a wine with a colour that belies its age, exhibits extraordinary aromatics of flowers (rose petals), lychees, passionfruit, apricots, poached green pears and some allspice followed by similar wonderful fruit in the mouth. This wine was not overly sweet or heavy yet was beautifully balanced with perfect levels of acidity present for precise cut and grip and a finish that is both gorgeously pure, quite sexy and displays a suitably long carry. This is a producer I have heard/read very little about over the years and my first sample of his wares was most impressive and if this wine is a good example of the quality at this estate, would be well worth seeking out. A top class effort today worthy every bit of 91 points. I expect the wine will last for at least another decade given its development over the last 12 years.

Day 4

A relaxing morning of doing next to nothing was followed by a drive down to Maroochydore to the Boatshed Restaurant for lunch where we enjoyed spectacular views of the estuary, ocean and Coolum Mountain to the north. We enjoyed Fritz Haag’s 1998 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese (90 points) with dips and fresh crusty bread and then mains with an indifferent bottle of New Zealand’s Voss Estate Martinborough 2001 Pinot Noir (85 points). The Haag is still only just out of nappies and although I thought it excellent, it didn’t really rock any of our boats. The infantile colour was appealing, the nose was fresh with a classy mix of red currant, passionfruit, nectarine and slate followed by a sweet entry into the mouth with picquant acidity closing down the ripe, glossy fruit. The Voss Estate opened with a slightly murky colour, nose of macerated plum and pinot sap but the palate was most disappointing with a bitter vein running straight down the middle, destroying any enjoyment to be gained from the deepset plum and cherry fruit. With an hour sitting in the glass, this mostly dissipated, but was still noticeable even at the last dropped passed my lips. If I had to give this Pinot a score quickly, it would barely have merited 75 points, but time helped the palate, for it to just fall into the very good category. I tried a bottle of this a month or two ago and went gangbuster over it. I now must register a lingering doubt on bottle variation.

A drive and then a brisk walk to and around the Maroochydore lighthouse offered spectacular 270 degree views up and down the coast and nearby mountains and with the sun setting in the west, delivered beautiful yellow, orange and purple hues to the surrounding sky. Again, I kicked myself for being such a digital camera luddite. One day I’ll get my act together!

After such a relatively filling luncheon, any signifant dinner was hardly necessary, so we decided to make hors douvres while we waited for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games to start on Eric and Lyn’s new giant Sony plasma screen. We made several batches of scrumptuous smoked salmon, egg, sour cream topped with chive and ground black pepper also camembert and strawberry; smoked ham, tasty cheese with salt and peppered tomato atop and the remants of an uneaten fillet mignon the night before, found its way to make a delicious assemblage of bacon, beef, avacado, cheese, sundried tomato with lots of salt and pepper.

I opened two wines - Bernard Dugat-Py’s Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes 1999 and Domaine d’Ambinos (Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu) 2e trie 1989 - both wines meriting ratings in the high eighties/low nineties. Decided not to take notes on either, so memory notes only. The Dugat-Py revealed a dense medium ruby colour was somewhat foursquare with its aromatic and flavour profiles that thankfully improved over a considerable time sitting in the glass. The wine is in no danger of falling over anytime soon, has plenty of supportive acid and firmish tannin to shed and the slightly tarry plummy fruit is still quite primary and also needs time. Although drinkable now, I’d leave it for a few years, expect it to peak and remain very enjoyable for the next decade or so thereafter. 89 points. The D’ambinos was a really mystery bag. Given to me by my dear departed friend’s widow, I was only sure of one thing, well, two, to be brutally honest - one it was a white and two it was a Chenin Blanc! Now the fact this was an outstanding sweet wine was a little surprising, but coming from Tom’s cellar was a pretty sure bet it wasn’t going to be too shabby. Perhaps the 2e trie should have given me that knowledge. In any event, the wine displays only a modicum of development in colour, reveals an outstanding nose mostly of freshly cooked green apple and honeysuckle. The palate is decadently rich and very sweet but ohso light on its feet and perfectly balanced with identical just-mentioned fruit and the most delectable, integrated acid regime one could imagine. The finish is extremely long and crisp with a lovely subtle “appley” flavour following through to the end. 92 points and a bullet for “going” for at least one, possibly two, decades!

Day 5

Not a lot of joy today. Since returning from our big day trip travelling on a boat most of Thursday, I’ve been plagued with some inner ear dilemna - I just cannot find my land legs. Whatever I’m doing on my feet, I’m travelling on a 1-2 metre swell on a 10 foot tinny (a little aluminium tub). Been to the local doctor (liked his name … Mark Boon) and he’s prescribed Stematil, so we’ll see how that pans out. Still can eat and drink - thank the good shepherd - so we’ve just finished some delightful chicken thigh fillet pieces (marinated in oil, garlic, ginger and pepper) barbequed on the weber served with stir-fried vegetables finished in soy sauce.

With dinner we opened the Kooyong Estate 2005 Chardonnay (94 points). For anyone who wants some mail on what’s hot in Oz Chards, this is it. Kooyong are a relatively new Mornington Peninsula vineyard producing their first vintage in 1999. They concentrate mainly on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but in the last few years have produced a little Pinot Gris and a Viognier. The wine reveals a haunting colour of bright light straw, a wonderful compact, steely Chablis-like piercing nose of underripe melon and grapefruit, kaffir leaf, minerals and a hint of toasted oatmeal. The palate delivers a tight, linear profile with gorgeous racy fruit, pefectly-judged subservient oak and nervy acidity that progresses to a crunchy, crisp distinguished finish. Brilliant now but could improve over the next 5-10 years. A stunning effort!

From the Kooyong we moved onto a 1993 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Clos des Chenes’ from Christophe Vaudoisey (93 points) which looked extremely elegant, sexy and mature. I’ve had no experience with this producer but this wine offered a little of that rare beast, “the holy grail” that Burgundophiles (including moi!) forever seem to be chasing. Stupidly, I neglected to take a tasting note on the wine and with the vertigo still with me, I can’t glean too much right now, but this outstanding Pinot Noir offered a most delicate array of scents on a bouquet that was deceptively complex and perfumed followed by a silky palate of superb demeanour and nuance, perfect balance and terrific carry. This is how I like my Burgs! The wine is ready to go now.

Day 6

We took a leisurely tourist approach to the trip from Nambour to Rathdowney, visiting the Blackall Range and the Glass House Mountains along the way. The range, which runs parallel to the coast offered magnificent vistas of the entire Sunshine coast to Bribie Isaland in the south.

Upon arrival to the Lyndsay and Diane’s Alpaca Stud we were greeted by the most stupendous views of the nearby rugged mountains. Janet and Lyn, who’d not visited the stud previously, were suitably impressed and taken back by the enormity of the stunning views and scenery. It wasn’t long before the whites were in the fridge and the wine’s selected for the evening meal. Suffering from vertigo or, more to the point, “horizo” , as Eric calls it (the feeling of being on a rocking boat on an ocean swell) could not diminish my appetite for the delicious garlic, ginger, shallott and sweet soy king prawns (finished in a sour cream sauce) served for entree followed by pan-fried Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon cutlets werved with seasoned wedges and an authentic fresh garden salad plucked from the small but plentiful “vegie” patch outside the kitchen.

We consumed the following wines in this order:

S.A. Prum M-S-R Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 1983 - a stunning, invigorating wine displaying incredible preservation - at the peak of its powers, this glorious, exotic Riesling was almost an instant replay of the 1983 Fritz Haag we opened on Day 1 of the trip. Both these wonderful examples offer so much drinking pleasure yet remain incredibly light on their feet, so remarkably fresh and almost ageless and will not fall over for years and years, possibly decades! I had no hesitation in awarding this wine 93 points.

Trimbach Pinot Gris V.T. 1992 - 88 points - a very good to excellent offering, if a little down the slippery slope. Still held our attention without any criticism.

Bonneau du Mattray Corton Charlemagne 1989 - 93 points - this quite marvellous wine displays incredibly youthful colour, aromatics and palate profile. For a wine nearing twenty years of age to be so fresh, pure, yet so polished is a major achievement in itself. There’s every chance this wine will continue to improve over the next decade. Harbouring a rare elegance of fruit, oak, acid and grip this wine glided down the throat all too easily. Deceptively complex, one had to gauge at what point, to start drinking and stop sniffing, as the beauty of an everchanging and unfolding bouquet held my interest for some considerable time. A truly wondrous Chardonnay.

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Paulliac) 1979 - 92 points - still holds a solid mature hue with a lot of barnyard eminating from the glass at first but this dissipated over a half an hour or more to reveal a lovely nose of juicy blackcurrants, plums, cedar, pencil and damp earth. Identical to the bottle I opened not so long ago. The palate is in excellent condition with plenty of petrol in the tank. Earthy plum and curranty fruit harmonise beautifully with excellent lively acids and melting but most agreeable and noticable lacy tannins on a perfectly proportioned platform. The finish is smooth, sexy and holds an abundance of fruit yet retains some of the Paulliac firmness that will assure several more years drinkability. Another terrific effort from this overachieving Chateau.

Chateau De Fargues (Sauternes) 1980 - 91 points - although drinking extremely well, the ‘80 de Fargues must surely be entering its final phase - quite a bright orange gold color with a nose showing just the first hint of apricot kernel, a trait I always associate with oxidation. There’s still plenty of judicious oak, cumquat, hints of toffee, coconut and ripe tropical fruit. In fact the palate, if anything, is a little fresher than the bouquet. The wine shows considerable development on all fronts and paired very well with the deep dish apple crumble served with butter milk ice cream. I only had a little ice cream! Drink this wine over the next year.

Burmester & Co. Vintage Port 1960 - 91 points - this wine had a label so old or cellar damaged we had no idea on the vintage although we could identify the maker. Luckily the cork, although fully saturated to the end, came out in one piece, clearly revealing the vintage. Although 48 years old this was in great shape revealing good colour, excellent to outstanding aromatics featuring cherry and almond liquer notes, a spicy, alcoholic lift and some volatile esters that added considerably to the mix. The palate was very impressive with similar flavours, plenty of substance and structure and, seemingly, plenty of time to go. I’m unsure of this house’s performances over the years but this bottle seems to suggest that 1960 was a success.

A lovely night of fine food and terrific wine shared with great friends at the dinner table.

Day 7

A very cold night here in the mountains with the bite of the wind coming off the newly fallen snow way down south making its presence felt with plenty of gusto. We did the “big” tourist drive this morning crossing the mountains into New South Wales and then looping back on the highway that travels between Mt. Lindesay and Mount Barney. Stunning country and after very good rains over the last several months and more, in terrific shape! (a great thing for the struggling locals who’ve endured the most terrible prolonged drought for almost a decade).

The good news is today is Lyn’s birthday! We’re planning a special dinner for her tonight and a bottle of 1996 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne - 95 points was the ideal way to commence proceedings. Still just a pup, this wonderful example of sparkiling joy opens with decidedly complex yeast autolysis characters, some mighty floral- and red fruit-input from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, respectively, as well as pastry shop smells. The palate is a judicious mix of power and elegance, the iron fist in the velvet glove, so to speak, to use a well-travelled cliche’.

Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Perrieres” 1997 - 93 points - plenty of development here compared to the incredibly refined Bonneau du Mattray the evening before. This was far more boisterous with a deeper colour (about lemon gold), more powerful aromatics of grilled nuts, charry newish oak, powerful peach, fig and melon fruit and a palate that, although more powerful than the Corton, revealed a wonderfully controlled and balanced personality. The ability of the top French Burgundy producer’s to load their Chardonnay’s with such an abundance of nuance and complexity without invoking heaviness or overload is quite amazing. This wine should be drunk over the next few years.

Jean-Louis Chave 1989 Hermitage - 94 points - an interesting story attached to the performance of this wine. Opened the night before, the wine was totally compartmentised with the fruit, acids and tannins all in disagreement with each other - completely “out of whack”. Rather than drinking it we plugged the decanter and placed in a cool cupboard in the kitchen for 24 hours and voila! everything had come together, the wine drinking like the absolute star it’s reputed to be. So now we have a wine brimming with quality fruit, great elegance, perfectly balanced structure and a fantastic long caressing finish. Drink from 2015-2030+

Domaine de Chevalier 1978 - 92 points - a splendidly preserved example exhibiting a fresh and inviting nose and palate of black fruits, cedar, sweet herbs, a little black truffle, smoke amd some Graves iron. Medium-body, very fine-grained lightish tannins, gentle acidity and excellent length. No need for this to be drunk anytime soon, although there seems to me to be only academic interest in how long it will last.

Paul Jaboulet Hermitage “La Chapelle” 1983 - 94 points - often not rated as a great vintage of La Chapelle this bottle held its own with the more expensive bottle of Chave with aplomb. Definite meatier edges to the fruit, although the harmony and demeanour of the wine is of the highest order. The sweetness of fruit displayed is beautifully matched with, seemingly, subservient oak although the total package is of an exact standard to the Chave.

Ch. Coutet (Barsac) 1981 - 92 points - another splendid bottle of Coutet drinking superbly now with still some life in this belter of a sticky. In fact, the wine didn’t appear overly sweet at all. Lovely floral edge to the beautifully-meshed dried apricot, apple skin and citrus-tinged fruit aided by some cinnamon/baking-like spices but, seemingly, not overly botrytis-affected. Medium weight palate but acutely elegant in structure with a distinct creamy oak edge to the same attractive fruit found in the bouquet, plenty of acidity for a long life and a substantive finish whilst still retaining a degree of the elegance mentioned earlier. Drink now - 2021.

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Turning fifty is enough of an excuse to open a few wines -

Day 1

Jacquesson Signature 1995 - This Champagne displayed an attractive polished light brass colour, miniscule beading, a lovely yeasty nose of toasted wheatmeal, brioche and sesame seeds but just didn’t quite deliver the goods on the palate with a slight hollowness through the mid-palate. Otherwise, a very good wine but not in the class of the 1996 Avize from the same producer I tried some months ago. 88

Ravaneau Valmur 2001 - Perhaps 2001 wasn’t the best vintage for Chablis and/or Raveneau and we probably opened a little too soon for its’ own good. Pale straw/green colour. Quite bright. Typically, all seashell, iodine and flinty with more than a hint of gunflint in the bouquet, this wine gradually unravelled with considerable air to reveal more than a semblance of its’ “grand cru” status. There’s no chance of this falling over for many years. With a tight acid core, a top class mouthfeel, an abundance of minerality and very good length, I’d leave this for a minmum of 3-4 years and, hopefully, something better should be in store. 89

Freycinet Chardonnay 2005 - I’m having trouble with bottle variation with this wine. My initial tasting bottle in January (93 points) was an absolute cracker but every bottle since has been different and not in the same league - and this from a wine “naturally” sealed with a screwcap! This bottle displayed an unusual floral/bath powder perfume intermingling with worked barrel characters over fig/melon fruit. After the Raveneau, it seemed all too flowery and a little simple to me. By this stage of the evening, I’m almost looking for excuses for my less than stellar response thus far. Perhaps it’s the wretched virus/cold I’ve been trying to shake for the last two weeks? Anyway, I’m still having trouble giving this more than 85.

Houghton’s Jack Mann 1995 - A blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Malbec. During a Jack Mann vertical I did a few years back, the 1995 came up trumps and is the only remaining vintage of this label I’ve kept. The initial promise of the inaugural 1994 vintage did not materialise with time in the cellar and I’ve now ditched it along with the 1996 and the 1998, although I’ve heard some encouraging reports recently from a mate on the 1999. Put quite simply, I reckon Houghton’s just overdid the oak back in those days and this trait showed just a tad too much on the big, ballsy, slightly tarry bouquet of the ‘95 last night. The palate seemed very ripe, quite smooth with a creamy mouthfeel, low acidity, fully resolved, fluffy tannins and nicely integrated oak and ready to go in my book. Overall, I thought the wine very enjoyable and verging on excellent. 89

Day 2

Fritz Haag Brauneberger-Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 1997 - almost impossibly good youthful bright pale green colour; fantastic haunting aromatics of white citrus flowers, slate, lemon merangue, a lttle redcurrant, a whiff of light toast, perhaps the merest hint of emerging petrol then kicks back with probing hints of white nectarine and lime. Wow, what a great journey and still so impressively fresh and vibrant for a 10 year old! In the mouth, this wine jumps to an even higher plane - as we sit in the temperate stillness of a sunny Canberra afternoon, this just glides through the mouth with such purity, perfect symmetry and mind-boggling delineation. The M-S-R thumbprint of counterbalancing sweetness and acid cut could not be better exemplified here. There’s plenty of punch but beautifully bridled by an awesome line - add the sleekness of pristine ripe fruit, the raciness, the minerality, the balance and you have a very special wine indeed. Perhaps the ambience just made this better than it really is, but I’m not worried about giving it 94 points and WOTD. And it will last for donkey’s! 7.5% A/V

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1995 - terrible cork, disintegrated on removal. Slightly burnished lemon gold. Initial strange aromatics and flavours of mixed herbs and green pineapple gave way to something more varietally acceptable - lanolin, soap and cut grass but not a sign of honey or toast. Opened up better and better with more air but something just wasn’t right, never reaching any great height. Seems to be in a state of suspended animation (there’s enough acid there to suggest this will go somewhere) and not a patch on the last bottle I opened. 88 points 11.3% A/V

Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1987 - this DMS-affected wine performed very well for over half an hour, but began to fade with the DMS starting to reveal its’ uglier side - asparagus and boiled cabbage just starting to creep into the equation. Otherwise this remarkably good wine displayed a solid brick red with strong brown edges, loads of old dark chocolate, slightly jammy blackcurrants, old leather and hints of dusty earth. Although definitely on its last legs, this wine’s still got plenty of fizz, a nice creamy moutfeel and admirable length. Before it started to falter I was happy with a rating of 90 points. Was better a few years back when TORB opened a much fresher example.

Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-St-Jacques 1999 - bought a few of these a while back and decided it was time to look at one to see how it was travelling. Quite a transluscent bright cherry colour (fairly typical for Jadot I’ve found over the years). Still very primary on the nose with aromas of bing cherry, sous bois, a little sap and some iodine/beetroot/salty game characters. Just the smallest hint of reduction that dissipated quickly. In the mouth this wine just won’t play ball. Tight as a fish’s with plenty of robust acidity and quite grippy tannins dominate the bright, glossy cherry and green plum fruit. Somewhat simple and one dimensional at this point but somehow there’s an eerieness that suggest this Pinot is a keeper. I’d leave this for at least 5-8 years before opening another. Only 86 points today, but I’m thinking a higher score will eventuate if patience is your virtue.

St Hubert’s Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - this was the real surprise packet for me today. As a precursor to this note, I’ve read a whole lot about this particular wine being ruined by the yeast spoilage we call brett (short for brettanomyces). Now this bottle was purchased by one of my wine mates at release and perfectly stored underground under his house. This bottle has not a trace of brett. Harbouring a solid deep plummy red colour, this wine’s aromatics were excellent. A nicely integrated and very harmonious bouquet filled with blackcurrants, fresh herbs, bitter chocolate, savoury oak and a trace of autumn leaves. The palate deceived me at first - redolent of a ripeness more suggestive of a warmer South Australian clime but none-the-less very appealing in its generosity of black fruit, excellent oak input, resolving acidity, a mouth-puckering fine tannin regime and very good persistence. This is a damn fine red entering its peak drinking window and should hold for another 5 years or so. We all enjoyed it immensely. 91 points

Day 3

Maximin Grunhauser Abstberg Riesling Spatlese 1998 - 92

For a 1998 this excrutiatingly tight wine displayed very little colour development, a little sulphur on the nose at first, followed closely by lovely red currants, traces of minerals and lemon merangue. The palate is drop-dead gorgeous, albeit very steely and tightly bound by mouth-watering acidity. Quite a gorgeous wine that must gain a higher rating as it evolves over the next twenty years. Bravo!

Fritz Haag Sonnenuhr-Juffer Auslese 1998 - 90

A more open wine than the spatlese, revealing decidedly more colour and fruit more in the peach/nectarine spectrum with a vein of oiliness on both nose and palate. The palate is far more expressive, sweeter and softer than the Grunhauser, with significantly more weight, lower acidity and additional suggestions of honey and cream to the ripe stone fruits mentioned above. I consider this wine almost ready and although the lower score may put some readers “off”, I thought very highly of it indeed. Remember, 90 points is on the cusp of a verbal rating of Outstanding! Monitor this beauty over the next five years as it seems to be nearing its apoge.

Raveneau Butteaux 1995 - 89

Wow! What a roller coaster ride we had with this one. Opened almost as if we had missed the boat. Danny thought the palate oxidised, I didn’t like the hints of sherry on the nose. With considerable time, this remarkably good wine threw off its tired old clothes and displayed a much fresher wardrobe. Typical Chablis notes of chalk, rocks, seaspray and oyster shell intermingled with nice crunchy green fruit with just enough acidity to keep everything in check. Decent length, perhaps a tad broad. A drink now proposition, but with a caveat of giving it a decent breath (say 30 minutes) before tipping it down the sink! My initial score on this wine would have been far lower. I’m glad we gave it a chance!

Blain-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet 1997 - 93

How could a wine be so intact after some 15 hours sitting in a glass? Another wine that started off a little shaky but just blossomed, and then held the bar high, in the glass. This wine screamed brilliant new French oak treatment to me - meal, butterscotch, smoke and a haunting minerality over tight white peach and green fig fruit. Hardly surprising after the almost “oak-less” Raveneau, but I continued to find more and more in this wine as the night progressed, keeping about half an inch in the Riedel and going back to it time and time again, including during our fantastic foray with the ancient Chambers Tokay, and being more impressed with this wine’s aromatics as the evening wore on. The palate showed plenty of weight without being heavy, read “ditto” of nuance to that of the bouquet and driven by bright, powerful acidity and assertive, but controlled input from the spicy oak. Long as the night, this wine pushed all the right buttons, particularly considering the “so so” 1997 vintage. Given the next morning when Cam and Danny arrived for breakfast, the wine was still “all there”, it might just go another ten years, possibly more!

Vachet-Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin 1993 - 90

This Pinot Noir revealed a healthy deep colour, spot-on aromatics but left me a trifle flat on the palate. There’s a suggestion of “four-square” here, and with some relatively firm unresolved tannins and grating acidity, either this wine needs more time or will never reach the heights the bouquet delivers. This might sound too negative for a 90 pointer - there is plenty to like about this full throttle masculine Burg.

Ch. Leoville-Barton 1986 - 91+

How can a 21 year old red look so young? The colour, the brooding bouquet full of cedar and graphite, the palate with robust puckering tannin, tarry black fruit, heaps of acid and a whopping long firm finish? This wine needs years of rest to enter its drinking window and will last for several decades thereafter on this showing. A great effort from Leoville-Barton and I’m confident this will get a whole lot better. Thanks be to the infant legume for letting us share it together.

Guigal La Mouline 1995 - 92+

I was positive this was another Bordeaux of a similar ilk. Top flight maker, plenty of time on its side, although a little less savage in its still youthful tannin structure. Lots of new oak, cedar, tar, herbs and brooding black fruit. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! Goodonya Cam! See ….. you can cut the mustard with the big guys! I thought this Outstanding example will improve over the medium term and drink well for another 15 years. Thanks for a most generous contribution to my birthday bash.

Ch. Rieussec 1988 - 82 (Errant bottle)

Very worrying dark orange/burnished gold colour - I thought Rieussec from the early 70’s and passed it. Danny and Cam were more impressed. Fat, clumsy, cloying and difficult to drink and nothing like the bottle Danny opened a while back. No more to say. Just bad luck with this one, methinks.

Chambers Rare Tokay - 97

A ripsnorter of a wine! Opened with that old stale hint of boot polish and molasses that generally points to needing refreshing. Don’t know how long this has been sitting in the bottle, but with a little air time this incredible Tokay dropped most of the little nasties I detected and just soared out of the glass and reverberated around the mouth with such incredible aplomb you really have difficulty in putting the all components into words. The price of 270 bucks was mentioned as a price for this half bottle! After trying the otherwordly Seppelt the following night, I’m happy for anyone to open a bottle of this (or Chambers rare muscat) for me; but as good as it is, I won’t follow Cam’s lead unless it was something I’d know he’d treausure (as I did Saturday night), I’d be buying the Seppelt (if i was assured all their bottles were of uniform blend and quality). Thanks be to Cam once again - very generous of you, old mate.

Day 4

Hugel Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles 1988 - in incredible shape - luscious and exotic but holding wonderful poise and still remarkably fresh, finishing dry. Didn’t notice the 15% A/V. 93

Laurent-Perrier Vintage Brut 1996 - most excellent displaying a very tight personality. To me this wine has a long way to go - approachable yes, but will be better over the next several years 91

Lindemans Reserve Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier 1999 - Not Tasted - opened for mouth rinsing purposes only - truth be known previous bottles opened were pretty darn good FWII - paid a whole 8 bucks a bottle for this retail!

Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 1999 - only tried a splash of this - looked remarkably fresh with a wealth of fruit and the first vestige of bottle development - plenty of juice still in the tank NR

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2002 - disappeared before I got to try any - the few comments rendered were highly positive

Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 1998 - again only a passing glimpse from me with this one - displayed a deep yellow/gold colour, plenty of development on both nose and palate - sound but not particularly exciting NR

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1995 - right back to form after the slightly dissappointing errant bottle on Friday - top flight Hunter Sem with enormous reserves - looked young and pristine to me 92

Freycinet Chardonnay 2005 - looked solid enough without creating much excitement with the small amount I tried NR

Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay 2002 - NT - GazzaB commented this looked very young - “still a pup” were his exact words I think

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2001 - thanks be to GazzaB for this one - looked awfully classy to me, tightly coiled but with a wealth of nuance on both nose and palate - lovely wine with plenty of time to go. NFR but somewhere in the 92-93 range at a guess

Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 1996 en magnum - finally got to open one! Pristine bright straw green, haunting minerally Alsace bouquet with bucket loads of fruit in support. Served way too cold at first (I forgot I had it in the freezer) particularly hindering the palate (a bit short and bitter). Improved dramatically in the glass as it warmed. 92

Meo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes 1996 - Charming, svelte, sexy Pinot probably nearing its peak drinking window. NR but low nineties wine as a guide

Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chenes 1993 - another gorgeous example very much in the style of the Meo-Camuzet, but if anything, a little better. Probably worth 94 points if you want a numerical value. A Burgundy that sang from start to finish. IMHO, the best Burgundy of the day - beating the other premier and grand crus!

Vachet-Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 1993 - repeat performance from the night before -masculine, beefy palate, perhaps a little unready behind a quite lovely bouquet. 90

Frederic Esmonin Chambertin-Clos-des-Beze Grand Cru 1996 - another Outstanding Burg - having trouble with descriptors here and thus won’t point it but in the scheme of things I’d rate it between the Chaumes and the Lafarge, somewhere around the 91-92 points mark

Marc Pavelot Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Dominode 1999 en magnum - almost fotgot about this one! Truly Outstanding for its (lesser) station in life compared to some of the supposed big “guns”above. If anything, surpassed them! Very youthful, beautifully balanced, silky, great line - absolutely loved this, particularly the class of the fruit - and its got time on its side! 92

Rockford Black Shiraz 2005 Disgorg. - thanks be to JLo for this scintillating number - amazingly pure with bucketloads of creamy blackberry fruit - will last for yonks, methinks NR

Wynns Black label Cabernet 1998 - this was opened when I was cooking the shaslicks and didn’t get a looksee

Howard Park Cabernet Merlot 1995 - I know this has received some bad press over the years for a volatile acidity problem, but this bottle looked excellent to me, extremely varietal with some similarities to a modern ripe Bordeaux with a distinctive “gravelly” character. 90 points on its ear. Thanks to IanB for this one.

Penfolds Bin 80A Cabernet Shiraz 1980 - cork disintegrated on opening - a bad start - but what I strained into the decanter was absolutely stunning and way over my jittery expectations. Still with plenty of life in front of it, this red showed a deep vigorous colour, superb aromatics and smooth but concentrated palate of great length with heaps of fruit to burn. Every component meshed to perfection, IMHO. One of my top wine’s of the day. 94

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 - very sound if a little unexciting and did attract some strong comments from the table when revealed. I thought the oak treatment spoilt the fruit a bit. Very good verging on excellent. High 80’s from me.

Lindemans Sesquicentenary Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 en magnum - does contain just a litlle less than 10% Shiraz - this looked Outstanding to me, but at this stage of the evening the sheer quantity of reds was making judgement difficult. NR

Stonyridge Waiheke Island Cabernets 1994 - an eye opener for me - right in the slot. Nothing underripe here - a gloriously rich and well-honed red with everything in place. Up there with the best of them on the day. 92 Thanks again to GazzaB for this one!

Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou (St. Julien) 1978 - probably a few too many years past its best drinking window, but still very good although drying out a tad on the palate. 86

Ch. Leoville-las-Cases (St. Julien) 1978 - just fantastic aged Bordeaux - layered, aristocratic, lots of extremely good things going on here - if anything better than the last bottle I opened. 93

Domaine de Chevalier 1978 - this was my pick of the 1978 Bordeaux flight. Just a superb wine drinking at its apoge. 94

Zentralkellerei Ezeuger-Abfullung Ediger-Osterlammchen Beerenauslese Riesling 1976 375 ml - probably got things a bit wrong with the label - a curio GazzaB picked up for a song somewhere - very deep burnished colour, nice aromatics and an incredibly lush, unctious palate - drying out a tad but I still thought it very good - about 85 points

Ch. Suduiraut (Sauternes) 1983 - quite simply, absolutely brilliant - incredibly youthful, elegant but seriously complex in nuance of bouquet and palate, about as good as it gets for an aged Sauternes without the sheer power of D’Yquem. Bordering on exceptional - 94 points

Seppelt Rutherglen Vintage Port 1972 - made from Touriga, Bastardo and Alvarelhao - in great shape - 92 points

Seppelt Rare Rutherglen Tokay DP 59 - this really rocked my boat. Having tried this on many occasions, this bottle surpassed anything I’ve had previously. Cam’s incredibly generous contribution the night before of a half bottle of Chambers Rare Tokay blew me away - I gave it 97 points! This was as good, if not better - words cannot do either wine justice! 98 points

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