Last year we paid a visit, with some friends, to Montreuil-Sur-Mer which is a charming walled town in the Pas de Calais department of Northern France. The town's ramparts were completed in the 9th century and you walk along their entirety. The town is no longer on the sea as the estuary of the Canche river has silted up.
Whilst our wives went shopping my friend and I went for a look at the wine cellars in the centre of town.
We found the Château Les Moines deep in the cellars and my friend bought me the 1995.We were warned by the vintner that he could not guarantee the quality of the wine.
http://chateau-les-moines.com/
I brought the wine back London to drink it with my friends on a suitable occasion. That occasion came last Saturday night. When I opened the wine, before my friends arrived, to decant it I could immediately smell the taint of a corked wine: it had the bitter and mouldy aroma of TCA or tri-chloroanisole.
TCA is chemical formed when a mould growing on a bottle cork reacts with chlorine based substance used in winemaking to produce a foul smell. TCA infuses into the wine to ruin it with a bitter taste which completely masks any fruit character in the wine. The wine is then termed as "corked". This is why many winemakers have turned to using plastic corks or screw cap enclosures.
Even though improvements have been made by using sterilised corks around 1 in 20 bottles of wine sealed with a traditional cork have the cork taint. Mould can grow on the inside of wooden barrels used to mature wine so the TCA taint can in theory affect a wine sealed with a screw cap or plastic cork; but I have never experienced this.
I tasted the wine as TCA is not poisonous and it was the worst case of cork taint that I have ever experienced. It was possible to taste the effects of ageing and my wife and I agreed that the wine would have been very good but for the effects of cork taint.
There are some anecdotes that cling film can be used the decanter to absorb the TCA in the wine. I had nothing to lose so I tried it. After some swirling around for about 15 minutes I smelt the wine again; the cork taint was still there. This does not work.
When my friend arrived I let him taste the wine and he agreed this was one of the worst cases of cork taint he had seen. He swallowed it but I spit it out.
I have a brother-in-law who cannot taste wine taint at all and will happily drink a corked wine. People have a varying sensitivity to cork taint. My wife and I are particularly sensitive. If you are insensitive to the aroma of cork taint your career as a wine taster will be limited.
Luckily, I had a reserve wine Domaine Faively Volnay Les Frémiets 1er Cru 2009 red. This was superb wine just ready for drinking. It had the silky smoothness typical of a Volnay and it had the distinctive flavour of a high quality red Burgundy. The style of this wine cannot be imitated and that is why it is worth paying a premium.
http://www.decanter.com/wine/reviews/domaine-faiveley-les-fremiets-volnay-1er-cru/578084#
During the week we opened a bottle of 2006 Domaine Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition red. This was glorious wine but it had a very, very slight taste of cork taint which came and went on the palate. I could not detect this taint when I smelt the wine, it was only on the palate after I had swirled it round my mouth. Most people would not notice the TCA but my wife confirmed it.
The wine was lovely, however, it had retained its purple colour and was just starting to lighten. It tasted exactly as described below and the strong tannin was beginning to soften. It was rather strong in alcohol at 15% and you could taste it was a little bit hot. Over a few hours we had finished the bottle which is something we would rarely do with a wine so strong in alcohol. After a couple of hours the slight cork taint had disappeared and the wine tasted perfect -almost.
http://www.luxuriousdrinks.com/en/2006-domaine-giraud-chateauneuf-du-pape.html
Beware , however, that not all that glisters is gold some Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not much better than bog standard red so buyer beware.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/07/wine-chateauneuf-du-pape-review
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/north/724191/Montreuil-sur-Mer-Weekend-to-remember.html
Friday 27 February 2015
Wednesday 18 February 2015
Grace Dieu Whitwick Vineyard 2013 "The Green Man"
I was given a bottle of this wine for Christmas. The Grace Dieu vineyard is situated in the North West Leicestershire village of Whitwick. This is a very northerly vineyard located at 52 degrees and 44 minutes North. Forty years ago Whitwick would have been considered to be a very marginal location to grow wine grapes. The climate has changed considerably since 1975.
Even with a warmer climate The Green Man is produced from the Madeleine Angevine white grape variety which suits a cooler climate. The wine has an alcoholic content of 11% which is not very high by modern standards.
The Whitwick vineyard uses natural techniques in both the farming of the grapes and fermentation of the grape must. Not that I could taste this. I felt, however,that the wine would not give you a bad head if you drank a little bit too much - not that I would ever over indulge!
The Green Man had a crisp and sharp taste on the palate and it had floral characters along with a taste of green fruits but with a slightly vegetal edge. It was bone dry. It reminded me a little of Muscadet from the Loire.
We drank the wine with an organic chicken and some of the wine was used in the sauce. I found this wine very palatable and of good quality. Because it has a distinctive taste, it really does merit the prizes that it has won. It could be easily be drunk on its own in a wine bar or at a party; but I think it is better with food such as chicken or fish such as sea bass or sea bream.
You can find it at £13.50 a bottle but no doubt it will be cheaper at the vineyard. Many wine drinkers might find this wine very expensive and uncompetitive compared to French or Italian dry whites on a quality basis. This maybe true but English winemakers cannot achieve the economies of scale of their French or Italian counterparts. They deserve our support and this is why I am prepared to pay that little bit extra for a good English wine.
The Whitwick vineyard has had the imagination to give their wine a great name and why not? A wine of distinction deserves a good name rather than just to be called after a grape. If you are in the area why not
buy it and support a very good producer.
http://www.gracedieuvineyard.co.uk/
http://www.lazouch.co.uk/drinkshop/product.asp?intProdID=1188&strCatalog_NAME=&strSubCatalog_NAME=Grace%20Dieu%20Vineyard&strSubCatalogID=2&intCatalogID=&CurCatalogID=10049
http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/
Even with a warmer climate The Green Man is produced from the Madeleine Angevine white grape variety which suits a cooler climate. The wine has an alcoholic content of 11% which is not very high by modern standards.
The Whitwick vineyard uses natural techniques in both the farming of the grapes and fermentation of the grape must. Not that I could taste this. I felt, however,that the wine would not give you a bad head if you drank a little bit too much - not that I would ever over indulge!
The Green Man had a crisp and sharp taste on the palate and it had floral characters along with a taste of green fruits but with a slightly vegetal edge. It was bone dry. It reminded me a little of Muscadet from the Loire.
We drank the wine with an organic chicken and some of the wine was used in the sauce. I found this wine very palatable and of good quality. Because it has a distinctive taste, it really does merit the prizes that it has won. It could be easily be drunk on its own in a wine bar or at a party; but I think it is better with food such as chicken or fish such as sea bass or sea bream.
You can find it at £13.50 a bottle but no doubt it will be cheaper at the vineyard. Many wine drinkers might find this wine very expensive and uncompetitive compared to French or Italian dry whites on a quality basis. This maybe true but English winemakers cannot achieve the economies of scale of their French or Italian counterparts. They deserve our support and this is why I am prepared to pay that little bit extra for a good English wine.
The Whitwick vineyard has had the imagination to give their wine a great name and why not? A wine of distinction deserves a good name rather than just to be called after a grape. If you are in the area why not
buy it and support a very good producer.
http://www.gracedieuvineyard.co.uk/
http://www.lazouch.co.uk/drinkshop/product.asp?intProdID=1188&strCatalog_NAME=&strSubCatalog_NAME=Grace%20Dieu%20Vineyard&strSubCatalogID=2&intCatalogID=&CurCatalogID=10049
http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/
Tuesday 10 February 2015
Champion Wines - Australian wine tasting evening
Last Thursday week my wife and I went to Champion Wines Chislehurst, London, to a tasting session run by Penny Champion who is the proprietor of the wine bar and shop. Penny is from Australia and really knows her stuff when it comes to wine not just from Australia but from all over the world. We knew that we were in for a good tasting session which would be both entertaining and informative.
http://www.championwines.co.uk/
Chislehurst is in a very wealthy part of South East London and it is surrounded by parks and trees. There is very much a village atmosphere and the wine tasters reflected this by being informal and friendly even if they were a little reticent and reluctant to talk about the wines and pass comment. There was no such reluctance from me even though I had drawn the short straw with my wife and had to drive. I was spitting the wine so my form of "Winejaw" was lubricated more by the occasion than the alcohol.
Penny's choice of four white and four red wines could not be found in a supermarket. They were certainly a step up in quality and distinctiveness because some of the producers were from small single estates . Visitors to the supermarket wine shelves would, however, probably recognise the name of Yalumba.
So, let's talk about the wines with the aid of my tasting notes which I have scanned complete with wine stains and I can send them to you if you wish. Wine is not just about taste, however, and to asses a wine you must pay regard to its appearance, smell and feel in the mouth. Smell is perhaps the most important sense as we can only taste sweet, bitter, sour, and saltiness and perhaps the savoury taste of umami. The flavour of wine is derived from our combined sense of taste of smell. We cannot ignore how the wine feels in the mouth, however, as our sense of touch on the palate gives clues about the acidity, tannin and body of the wine. This is why I described the wines in terms of appearance, smell and taste and feel on the palate.
http://winejaw.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/blind-tasting.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/apr/09/umami-fifth-taste
Dandelion Vineyards - South Australia - Eden Valley Riesling 2013
The Eden Valley is located near to the Barossa valley which is one of Australia's most famous wine regions. The Barossa and Eden Valleys were settled by German immigrants so it is apt that there are plantings of Riesling grapes. The Riesling grape produces some of the finest German white wines and it also produces the finest white wines in the Alsace region of France.
The Eden valley is located near the sea and its elevation produces the cooler climate which suits the Riesling grape so well. Add to this some quartz based sandy soil and you have a "terroir" eminently suited to the cultivation of the noble Riesling grape. Of course you cannot have good wine without good winemakers: Dandelion Vineyards have produced a fine wine.
The wine appeared clear and bright and pale lemon in colour. On the nose it had an almost intense smell of of flowers, citrus fruits, spice and petrol. It was aromatic and you could tell that the wine was youthful and was still developing and had not reached full maturity. On the palate the wine was off- dry with well integrated acid and alcohol. The wine tasted very much as it smelt. It was complex and concentrated and had long length on the palate. It had all the indications of a good wine which will mature and develop for more years in the bottle.
It reminded me very much of an Alsace Riesling even if it was not completely dry. At a blind tasting I could easily and wrongly have identified this wine as an Alsace Riesling if I had not spotted that it was off-dry. The Eden valley is located at about 35 degrees south so the climate here will be warmer than the vineyards located in Alsace and Germany: it is possible therefore that the grapes have a higher concentration of sugar.
I expect that as this wine matures further it will develop more complex flavours. The ability of a wine to mature further in the bottle is also another indicator of good quality. I was very impressed by the wide range of flavours of this wine and at £12.99 it is very good value for money. It was a great start to the wine tasting and well chosen. This wine will go very well with food. I do not think that I would drink it on its own in a wine bar or at a party.
http://www.dandelionvineyards.com.au/
Omrah Mount Barker Unoaked Chardonnay -2013 (Western Australia)
Western Australian vineyards are located at around 34 degrees south and rely upon the Indian Ocean to moderate the climatic conditions. Mount Barker is located in the great Southern region. Omrah is part of Plantagenet wines. I do not like white wines with too much oak flavour no matter where they come from. Objectively a very good white wine can be matured in new oak barrels but even so I find Burgundy Whites distasteful if they have been exposed to too much oak - even grand cru ones.
What is worse is when makers put oak chippings into the barrel or even add oak essence to the wine to produce an homogenised vanilla flavoured cheap tasting plonk which is not going near my taste buds. This practise has been outlawed in France but I am sure that some winemakers have been tempted.
So I looked forward to sampling a New World wine matured without the benefits of any sort of oak.
The Omrah Chardonnay was clear and bright with a very pale almost white colour this is indicative of a very young wine. On the nose the wine was clean smelling with a medium intensity of flavour. I could smell green fruits , apples and flowers. On the palate the wine was dry and the alcohol was well integrated into the body of the wine. The wine tasted very much as it smelt but some spice added to the complexity.
The flavours were not particularly concentrated and the wine had medium length on the palate. Overall I was not too impressed with the wine and I rated it between average and good. The wine will go well with food but you could drink it on its own in a wine bar. Perhaps I was spoilt by the first wine which was bursting full of complex flavours. This wine was much more restrained but if you are in the the mood for wine that is not too exuberant after a hard day at work then why not try it? At £11.99 it is not much more expensive than a standard Chablis.
http://www.plantagenetwines.com/product/2013-Omrah-Chardonnay#.VNdLLuasU40
Yalumba South Australia Eden Valley Roussanne 2012
Yalumba is a well renowned name and most of the wine they produce is above average. I have drunk and enjoyed many of their wines but never a Roussanne based white wine. The Roussanne grape is renowned for its inclusion in the blend for Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape - both red and white. The grape grows well in a warmer climate (than in northern Europe) so it suits the Eden Valley very well.
The wine was clear and bright with a light yellow or lemon colour. It was clean and youthful on the nose with a potential to develop a little longer in the bottle but it was ready to drink immediately. It had a flavour of exotic fruits.
On the palate it was off dry with well integrated acidity. It tasted more complex than it smelt with flavours of marzipan and spice. It was concentrated and complex and had long length on the palate. At first I did not like it but the wine grew on me: I rated it as above average but my wife persuaded me that it really was of good quality. This is another wine which I would prefer to drink with food and this is an indicator of its real quality. At £14.99 it is worth buying to try something a little bit different.
http://www.yalumba.com/vintage.asp?p=154&b=199&l=2083&v=8056#
Mount Horrocks Sémillon South Australia Clare Valley 2011
The Clare Valley is one of the most northerly wine growing regions in South Australia and the climate is therefore warmer and drier. The Sémillon grape expresses itself well in Australia but there is some dispute where it originates from. The grape flourishes well in South Australian wine regions where the Indian Ocean moderates the climate.
Mount Horrocks restricts production of its wines to about 3,500 cases a year; it is a certified producer of organic wines. The grapes are hand picked and Stephanie Toole has won awards for wine making. The wine is a single estate product. All this is reflected in the quality of the wine which you pick up from structured wine tasting - so it is worth going on a wine course.
The wine was bright and clear and a pale lemon colour. On the nose it was clean with a developing odour; this wine will keep longer and improve with bottle age in a cellar. The nose had medium to pronounced flavours of spice, honey, flowers and minerals. It was aromatic.
On the palate the wine was off-dry with well integrated alcohol. The taste was more complex than the smell with oil and nutty flavours to add to the aromatic fruit character. The complexity, concentration and balance indicated a very good wine which had long length on the palate.
This wine is a class act and it should only be savoured with food. At £20.00 a bottle it is more than I generally pay for a bottle but I believe that it is worth it. From an objective point of view this was the best value white wine that we tasted.
If you are interested in finding out what a very good quality wine is all about then it is worth investing £20. This wine compares favourably with some of the best Italian, French and Spanish wines that I have tasted.
http://www.mounthorrocks.com/mount-horrocks-watervale-semillon/
Time for an interlude.
Varietal labelling - why bother?
The white wines were great and it is now time for a break before the reds and time to continue with my rant against varietal labelling. Varietal labelling first started in Germany and Alsace and it should have been left there as part of tradition. As Penny pointed out in her introduction, wine does not taste of grape juice and this is all too true. It therefore follows that wine does not taste of Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay or any other grape variety for that matter.
One of Australia's top wines is Penfold's Grange and it is good enough to have an identity of its own. The same can be said for Charles Melton's Nine Popes; it is a top wine which is blended from many grape varieties and its name is poking a bit of fun at pomposity.
Varietal labelling has gone from the Old World to the New and back. The appellation rules have been changed in France to allow for the grape variety to be printed on the front label so now we are treated to Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir - hourrah.
The world's best wines have no need to identify the grape variety; why would Château Petrus feel the need to put the name Merlot on the front of the bottle?
Varietal labelling has been a successful marketing ploy which has struck a chord with the public but in some instances it has back-fired. We now regularly hear the delightful phrase "any white wine but 'Chardonnay'" in the wine bar but only for the punter to be be quite satisfied to slosh back a glass of Saint-Véran Burgundy. Perhaps what they do not like, about the "Chardonnay", is the oak chips thrown into the barrel too spoil the taste and quality of the wine.
I'm glad that they haven't named my favourite Bitter from Kent - "Fuggles" after the famous hop variety as no one would drink it.
So now for the four reds.
Innocent Bystander Victoria State Yarra Pinot Noir 2012
This wine confirms to me why I do not like varietal labelling. Whenever I see "Pinot Noir" on the label I always think of red Burgundy. A good red Burgundy is always one of my favourite wines. My wife is from Troyes in Champagne and whenever we pay a visit we always fetch back a case of red Burgundy. Troyes is close to the Yonne in northern Burgundy and one of our favourite wines from the is area is Epineuil. Epineuil was a favourite wine of King Henri IV and I can see why; it is full of cherry flavour and also has the mineral characteristics so often found in good Chablis as the Pinot Noir vines are grown in similar soil to the Chardonnay grapes used for the famous white. Epineuil is superb wine which can be obtained for bargain prices around 10 Euro a bottle . Alain Mathias is one of our favourite producers.
Whenever I see "Pinot Noir" on the bottle, I should pinch myself. Pinot Noir from Germany, Oregon, New Zealand, Chile or Alsace does not make Burgundy wine. Sorry chaps, you just cannot match the taste or quality of a good Burgundy and you should not try. Why not make a wine which has its own distinctive taste and label it with a decent name?
The Pinot Noir grape grows best in a cool climate and I cannot for the life of me think why they would want to grow it in the South of France. Most of the "Pinot Noir" that I have drunk from the South of France has been completely unpalatable. It is my view that the producers are jumping on the varietal labelling bandwagon. If it is "Pinot Noir" then it must be good - not so.
The Yarra valley is located in Victoria State and it has a cooler climate suitable for the growth of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Innocent Bystander is an estate produced wine and the grapes are hand picked. This augurs well for the production of a really good wine.
In appearance the wine was clear and bright with a Burgundy colour. On the nose the wine was clean with a youthful smell to develop further. I could smell red fruits and lactic acid from the malolactic conversion used to soften the acidic attributes of the wine. On the palate, I felt that the wine was off-dry with medium tannin and medium acidity and medium body. I could taste the lactic acid and a concentrated taste of red fruits but that was all. The wine tasted one dimensional and jammy. It had short length on the palate. I could only rate the wine as average. My wife felt that this judgement was a little unfair.
The problem with wine tasting is that it is very much a subjective experience. I found that my taste buds were overwhelmed by the red fruit flavour and I could smell and taste the lactic acid quite strongly. I am particularly sensitive to the taste of lactic acid, perhaps that is why I love cheese so much, but for me it does not improve the taste of the wine.
I also tasted the wine after the tea break when we were served some lovely French Cantal and Irish blue cheese which I tucked into with gusto. Perhaps the cheese flavour was still under my nose.
I am going to give this wine a second go and buy a bottle when I am next in Champion wines. I shall decant the wine and aerate it and consume it with food - probably duck or pheasant.. The wine will probably improve in flavour. I shall also pinch myself to not to expect it to taste like red Burgundy and enjoy the wine on its own merits. I get a feeling that I shall change my opinion. I also get the feeling that the wine will improve with age. I might buy two bottles and put one aside.
http://www.innocentbystander.com.au/wines/innocentbystander/2013-innocent-bystander-pinot-noir.html
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/who-makes-the-best-pinot-noir
http://www.domainealainmathias.com/nos-vins/
Willunga 100 South Australia McLaren Vale Grenache 2013
The Mclaren Vale is located to the south of Adelaide and has a Mediterranean type climate which is well suited to the growth of Grenache black grapes. Grenache or Garnacha is widely planted in Southern France and Spain. It is blended into such famous wines as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Rioja. Willunga sources its grapes from a number of vineyards in the vale hence its name - do you remember the Chiltern Hundreds from school?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_%28county_division%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Hundreds
I was looking forward to tasting this wine.
In appearance it was clear and bright with a medium intensity and colour of ruby. On the nose it was clean and youthful and fully developed for drinking now. It had a strong aroma of red fruits. On the palate it tasted more complex than it smelt. It had the flavour of liquorice. It had a medium to full body. It was dry with a well integrated acid and tannin structure, it was concentrated in flavour and had long length on the palate. It had all the hallmarks of a good wine which at GBP10.99 is really good value for money. I remarked in my tasting notes that I quite liked it which praise indeed. It is best to drink it now. I really recommend it.
You really need to drink this wine with good Mediterranean style food on a sunny summer afternoon in the garden. You can save an extra bottle for about 7 pm to warm you up when it starts to get cold - UK only of course.
http://willunga100.com/the-wines/10-grenache/
La Boheme Act Four Victoria Yarra Valley - Syrah and Gamay 2012
At last a wine that has something like a real name. La Boheme is produced by De Bartoli Wines. The vines are probably grown on the lower levels of the Yarra valley where the climate is warmer. The Syrah grape certainly likes a warmer climate.
It looks as though they do not use cultured yeasts to ferment this wine and allow the yeasts which occur naturally on the fruit and in the winery to infuse- for want of a better word- into the grape must. Naturally occurring yeasts are more likely to produce a distinctive wine with its own style. I like the idea of this; just let nature take its own course rather than give way to 21st Century control freak madness.
In appearance the wine was an intense ruby colour but clear. On the nose it was clean and youthful with intense odours of liquorice, toffee, red fruits and spice. On the palate it tasted just as it smelt. The flavours were complex and concentrated. This dry wine was medium to high in tannin, it had a medium to full body and well integrated acidity. Every component of the wine was well proportioned and there was a long length. This is a wine for food and fine dining. The wine will also keep longer. What more can I say? The wine was very good and well worth the money - GBP14.99. La Boheme Act Four is what I expect of a good wine as it has its own distinctive taste and I recommend it highly.
Yalumba South Australia Eden Valley "2010 Handpicked Shiraz/Viognier"
We have already considered Yalumba wines and the Eden Valley. Yalumba have a reputation for making very good quality wine. This wine had all the promise to deliver a great wine to end the tasting. It certainly lived up to its promise.
In appearance it was a deep purple colour. On the nose it was clean smelling with pronounced red fruits, liquorice, spice and aromatic and floral flavours. The wine is still developing and will keep further to mature to a better tasting wine. On the palate it tasted almost exactly as it smelt. The wine was complex and concentrated with a long length . All the acid, sugar and tannin components were well integrated and balanced to produce a medium plus body. The wine had long length.
http://www.yalumba.com/vintage.asp?p=154&l=27&v=6869
In my notes I remarked that the wine had its own distinctive flavour and would develop further with bottle ageing. For me the wine was more than good; it was outstanding. When I compared my tasting notes with the description with the wine on their website it was almost exactly the same. I swear that I did not look up the wine before I tasted it. There are no exaggerated claims here either from me or the producer. This wine deserves to be paired with a some really good food and should not really be drunk on its own to calm you down after a hard day at work in front of the the telly. It deserves respect and to be savoured.
The wine also should be given a name; Yalumba have many wines in their portfolio with a proper name. "The Menzies" is a superb example. There are many great Australians and Australian locations; why not choose one? I think that such a prosaic name as "2010 Handpicked Shiraz/Viognier" really only deserves a place on the rear label.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/australia/11223871/Richie-Benaud-is-a-peerless-example-of-true-grace.html
Just don't serve this wine chilled.
The last over
To finish off the evening in fine form Champion wines produced a well aged Brown Brothers fortified Muscat which was not for sale. This wine was luxurious with intense honey, fruit, floral, toffee and rancio flavours. The wine balanced its intense luscious sweetness with its acidity. This wine was served with some Australian desserts. I was not going to spit this magnificent wine; I savoured a glass nectar and swallowed it. I can still taste it.
My wife and I love Australia and its people and its best wines. Penny Champion served up a little piece of Australia to warm us up on a cold Chislehurst night. Well done Penny; my wife and I will be coming back.
http://www.championwines.co.uk/
Chislehurst is in a very wealthy part of South East London and it is surrounded by parks and trees. There is very much a village atmosphere and the wine tasters reflected this by being informal and friendly even if they were a little reticent and reluctant to talk about the wines and pass comment. There was no such reluctance from me even though I had drawn the short straw with my wife and had to drive. I was spitting the wine so my form of "Winejaw" was lubricated more by the occasion than the alcohol.
Penny's choice of four white and four red wines could not be found in a supermarket. They were certainly a step up in quality and distinctiveness because some of the producers were from small single estates . Visitors to the supermarket wine shelves would, however, probably recognise the name of Yalumba.
So, let's talk about the wines with the aid of my tasting notes which I have scanned complete with wine stains and I can send them to you if you wish. Wine is not just about taste, however, and to asses a wine you must pay regard to its appearance, smell and feel in the mouth. Smell is perhaps the most important sense as we can only taste sweet, bitter, sour, and saltiness and perhaps the savoury taste of umami. The flavour of wine is derived from our combined sense of taste of smell. We cannot ignore how the wine feels in the mouth, however, as our sense of touch on the palate gives clues about the acidity, tannin and body of the wine. This is why I described the wines in terms of appearance, smell and taste and feel on the palate.
http://winejaw.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/blind-tasting.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/apr/09/umami-fifth-taste
Dandelion Vineyards - South Australia - Eden Valley Riesling 2013
The Eden Valley is located near to the Barossa valley which is one of Australia's most famous wine regions. The Barossa and Eden Valleys were settled by German immigrants so it is apt that there are plantings of Riesling grapes. The Riesling grape produces some of the finest German white wines and it also produces the finest white wines in the Alsace region of France.
The Eden valley is located near the sea and its elevation produces the cooler climate which suits the Riesling grape so well. Add to this some quartz based sandy soil and you have a "terroir" eminently suited to the cultivation of the noble Riesling grape. Of course you cannot have good wine without good winemakers: Dandelion Vineyards have produced a fine wine.
The wine appeared clear and bright and pale lemon in colour. On the nose it had an almost intense smell of of flowers, citrus fruits, spice and petrol. It was aromatic and you could tell that the wine was youthful and was still developing and had not reached full maturity. On the palate the wine was off- dry with well integrated acid and alcohol. The wine tasted very much as it smelt. It was complex and concentrated and had long length on the palate. It had all the indications of a good wine which will mature and develop for more years in the bottle.
It reminded me very much of an Alsace Riesling even if it was not completely dry. At a blind tasting I could easily and wrongly have identified this wine as an Alsace Riesling if I had not spotted that it was off-dry. The Eden valley is located at about 35 degrees south so the climate here will be warmer than the vineyards located in Alsace and Germany: it is possible therefore that the grapes have a higher concentration of sugar.
I expect that as this wine matures further it will develop more complex flavours. The ability of a wine to mature further in the bottle is also another indicator of good quality. I was very impressed by the wide range of flavours of this wine and at £12.99 it is very good value for money. It was a great start to the wine tasting and well chosen. This wine will go very well with food. I do not think that I would drink it on its own in a wine bar or at a party.
http://www.dandelionvineyards.com.au/
Omrah Mount Barker Unoaked Chardonnay -2013 (Western Australia)
Western Australian vineyards are located at around 34 degrees south and rely upon the Indian Ocean to moderate the climatic conditions. Mount Barker is located in the great Southern region. Omrah is part of Plantagenet wines. I do not like white wines with too much oak flavour no matter where they come from. Objectively a very good white wine can be matured in new oak barrels but even so I find Burgundy Whites distasteful if they have been exposed to too much oak - even grand cru ones.
What is worse is when makers put oak chippings into the barrel or even add oak essence to the wine to produce an homogenised vanilla flavoured cheap tasting plonk which is not going near my taste buds. This practise has been outlawed in France but I am sure that some winemakers have been tempted.
So I looked forward to sampling a New World wine matured without the benefits of any sort of oak.
The Omrah Chardonnay was clear and bright with a very pale almost white colour this is indicative of a very young wine. On the nose the wine was clean smelling with a medium intensity of flavour. I could smell green fruits , apples and flowers. On the palate the wine was dry and the alcohol was well integrated into the body of the wine. The wine tasted very much as it smelt but some spice added to the complexity.
The flavours were not particularly concentrated and the wine had medium length on the palate. Overall I was not too impressed with the wine and I rated it between average and good. The wine will go well with food but you could drink it on its own in a wine bar. Perhaps I was spoilt by the first wine which was bursting full of complex flavours. This wine was much more restrained but if you are in the the mood for wine that is not too exuberant after a hard day at work then why not try it? At £11.99 it is not much more expensive than a standard Chablis.
http://www.plantagenetwines.com/product/2013-Omrah-Chardonnay#.VNdLLuasU40
Yalumba South Australia Eden Valley Roussanne 2012
Yalumba is a well renowned name and most of the wine they produce is above average. I have drunk and enjoyed many of their wines but never a Roussanne based white wine. The Roussanne grape is renowned for its inclusion in the blend for Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape - both red and white. The grape grows well in a warmer climate (than in northern Europe) so it suits the Eden Valley very well.
The wine was clear and bright with a light yellow or lemon colour. It was clean and youthful on the nose with a potential to develop a little longer in the bottle but it was ready to drink immediately. It had a flavour of exotic fruits.
On the palate it was off dry with well integrated acidity. It tasted more complex than it smelt with flavours of marzipan and spice. It was concentrated and complex and had long length on the palate. At first I did not like it but the wine grew on me: I rated it as above average but my wife persuaded me that it really was of good quality. This is another wine which I would prefer to drink with food and this is an indicator of its real quality. At £14.99 it is worth buying to try something a little bit different.
http://www.yalumba.com/vintage.asp?p=154&b=199&l=2083&v=8056#
Mount Horrocks Sémillon South Australia Clare Valley 2011
The Clare Valley is one of the most northerly wine growing regions in South Australia and the climate is therefore warmer and drier. The Sémillon grape expresses itself well in Australia but there is some dispute where it originates from. The grape flourishes well in South Australian wine regions where the Indian Ocean moderates the climate.
Mount Horrocks restricts production of its wines to about 3,500 cases a year; it is a certified producer of organic wines. The grapes are hand picked and Stephanie Toole has won awards for wine making. The wine is a single estate product. All this is reflected in the quality of the wine which you pick up from structured wine tasting - so it is worth going on a wine course.
The wine was bright and clear and a pale lemon colour. On the nose it was clean with a developing odour; this wine will keep longer and improve with bottle age in a cellar. The nose had medium to pronounced flavours of spice, honey, flowers and minerals. It was aromatic.
On the palate the wine was off-dry with well integrated alcohol. The taste was more complex than the smell with oil and nutty flavours to add to the aromatic fruit character. The complexity, concentration and balance indicated a very good wine which had long length on the palate.
This wine is a class act and it should only be savoured with food. At £20.00 a bottle it is more than I generally pay for a bottle but I believe that it is worth it. From an objective point of view this was the best value white wine that we tasted.
If you are interested in finding out what a very good quality wine is all about then it is worth investing £20. This wine compares favourably with some of the best Italian, French and Spanish wines that I have tasted.
http://www.mounthorrocks.com/mount-horrocks-watervale-semillon/
Time for an interlude.
Varietal labelling - why bother?
The white wines were great and it is now time for a break before the reds and time to continue with my rant against varietal labelling. Varietal labelling first started in Germany and Alsace and it should have been left there as part of tradition. As Penny pointed out in her introduction, wine does not taste of grape juice and this is all too true. It therefore follows that wine does not taste of Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay or any other grape variety for that matter.
One of Australia's top wines is Penfold's Grange and it is good enough to have an identity of its own. The same can be said for Charles Melton's Nine Popes; it is a top wine which is blended from many grape varieties and its name is poking a bit of fun at pomposity.
Varietal labelling has gone from the Old World to the New and back. The appellation rules have been changed in France to allow for the grape variety to be printed on the front label so now we are treated to Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir - hourrah.
The world's best wines have no need to identify the grape variety; why would Château Petrus feel the need to put the name Merlot on the front of the bottle?
Varietal labelling has been a successful marketing ploy which has struck a chord with the public but in some instances it has back-fired. We now regularly hear the delightful phrase "any white wine but 'Chardonnay'" in the wine bar but only for the punter to be be quite satisfied to slosh back a glass of Saint-Véran Burgundy. Perhaps what they do not like, about the "Chardonnay", is the oak chips thrown into the barrel too spoil the taste and quality of the wine.
I'm glad that they haven't named my favourite Bitter from Kent - "Fuggles" after the famous hop variety as no one would drink it.
So now for the four reds.
Innocent Bystander Victoria State Yarra Pinot Noir 2012
This wine confirms to me why I do not like varietal labelling. Whenever I see "Pinot Noir" on the label I always think of red Burgundy. A good red Burgundy is always one of my favourite wines. My wife is from Troyes in Champagne and whenever we pay a visit we always fetch back a case of red Burgundy. Troyes is close to the Yonne in northern Burgundy and one of our favourite wines from the is area is Epineuil. Epineuil was a favourite wine of King Henri IV and I can see why; it is full of cherry flavour and also has the mineral characteristics so often found in good Chablis as the Pinot Noir vines are grown in similar soil to the Chardonnay grapes used for the famous white. Epineuil is superb wine which can be obtained for bargain prices around 10 Euro a bottle . Alain Mathias is one of our favourite producers.
Whenever I see "Pinot Noir" on the bottle, I should pinch myself. Pinot Noir from Germany, Oregon, New Zealand, Chile or Alsace does not make Burgundy wine. Sorry chaps, you just cannot match the taste or quality of a good Burgundy and you should not try. Why not make a wine which has its own distinctive taste and label it with a decent name?
The Pinot Noir grape grows best in a cool climate and I cannot for the life of me think why they would want to grow it in the South of France. Most of the "Pinot Noir" that I have drunk from the South of France has been completely unpalatable. It is my view that the producers are jumping on the varietal labelling bandwagon. If it is "Pinot Noir" then it must be good - not so.
The Yarra valley is located in Victoria State and it has a cooler climate suitable for the growth of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Innocent Bystander is an estate produced wine and the grapes are hand picked. This augurs well for the production of a really good wine.
In appearance the wine was clear and bright with a Burgundy colour. On the nose the wine was clean with a youthful smell to develop further. I could smell red fruits and lactic acid from the malolactic conversion used to soften the acidic attributes of the wine. On the palate, I felt that the wine was off-dry with medium tannin and medium acidity and medium body. I could taste the lactic acid and a concentrated taste of red fruits but that was all. The wine tasted one dimensional and jammy. It had short length on the palate. I could only rate the wine as average. My wife felt that this judgement was a little unfair.
The problem with wine tasting is that it is very much a subjective experience. I found that my taste buds were overwhelmed by the red fruit flavour and I could smell and taste the lactic acid quite strongly. I am particularly sensitive to the taste of lactic acid, perhaps that is why I love cheese so much, but for me it does not improve the taste of the wine.
I also tasted the wine after the tea break when we were served some lovely French Cantal and Irish blue cheese which I tucked into with gusto. Perhaps the cheese flavour was still under my nose.
I am going to give this wine a second go and buy a bottle when I am next in Champion wines. I shall decant the wine and aerate it and consume it with food - probably duck or pheasant.. The wine will probably improve in flavour. I shall also pinch myself to not to expect it to taste like red Burgundy and enjoy the wine on its own merits. I get a feeling that I shall change my opinion. I also get the feeling that the wine will improve with age. I might buy two bottles and put one aside.
http://www.innocentbystander.com.au/wines/innocentbystander/2013-innocent-bystander-pinot-noir.html
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/who-makes-the-best-pinot-noir
http://www.domainealainmathias.com/nos-vins/
Willunga 100 South Australia McLaren Vale Grenache 2013
The Mclaren Vale is located to the south of Adelaide and has a Mediterranean type climate which is well suited to the growth of Grenache black grapes. Grenache or Garnacha is widely planted in Southern France and Spain. It is blended into such famous wines as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Rioja. Willunga sources its grapes from a number of vineyards in the vale hence its name - do you remember the Chiltern Hundreds from school?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_%28county_division%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Hundreds
I was looking forward to tasting this wine.
In appearance it was clear and bright with a medium intensity and colour of ruby. On the nose it was clean and youthful and fully developed for drinking now. It had a strong aroma of red fruits. On the palate it tasted more complex than it smelt. It had the flavour of liquorice. It had a medium to full body. It was dry with a well integrated acid and tannin structure, it was concentrated in flavour and had long length on the palate. It had all the hallmarks of a good wine which at GBP10.99 is really good value for money. I remarked in my tasting notes that I quite liked it which praise indeed. It is best to drink it now. I really recommend it.
You really need to drink this wine with good Mediterranean style food on a sunny summer afternoon in the garden. You can save an extra bottle for about 7 pm to warm you up when it starts to get cold - UK only of course.
http://willunga100.com/the-wines/10-grenache/
La Boheme Act Four Victoria Yarra Valley - Syrah and Gamay 2012
At last a wine that has something like a real name. La Boheme is produced by De Bartoli Wines. The vines are probably grown on the lower levels of the Yarra valley where the climate is warmer. The Syrah grape certainly likes a warmer climate.
It looks as though they do not use cultured yeasts to ferment this wine and allow the yeasts which occur naturally on the fruit and in the winery to infuse- for want of a better word- into the grape must. Naturally occurring yeasts are more likely to produce a distinctive wine with its own style. I like the idea of this; just let nature take its own course rather than give way to 21st Century control freak madness.
In appearance the wine was an intense ruby colour but clear. On the nose it was clean and youthful with intense odours of liquorice, toffee, red fruits and spice. On the palate it tasted just as it smelt. The flavours were complex and concentrated. This dry wine was medium to high in tannin, it had a medium to full body and well integrated acidity. Every component of the wine was well proportioned and there was a long length. This is a wine for food and fine dining. The wine will also keep longer. What more can I say? The wine was very good and well worth the money - GBP14.99. La Boheme Act Four is what I expect of a good wine as it has its own distinctive taste and I recommend it highly.
Yalumba South Australia Eden Valley "2010 Handpicked Shiraz/Viognier"
We have already considered Yalumba wines and the Eden Valley. Yalumba have a reputation for making very good quality wine. This wine had all the promise to deliver a great wine to end the tasting. It certainly lived up to its promise.
In appearance it was a deep purple colour. On the nose it was clean smelling with pronounced red fruits, liquorice, spice and aromatic and floral flavours. The wine is still developing and will keep further to mature to a better tasting wine. On the palate it tasted almost exactly as it smelt. The wine was complex and concentrated with a long length . All the acid, sugar and tannin components were well integrated and balanced to produce a medium plus body. The wine had long length.
http://www.yalumba.com/vintage.asp?p=154&l=27&v=6869
In my notes I remarked that the wine had its own distinctive flavour and would develop further with bottle ageing. For me the wine was more than good; it was outstanding. When I compared my tasting notes with the description with the wine on their website it was almost exactly the same. I swear that I did not look up the wine before I tasted it. There are no exaggerated claims here either from me or the producer. This wine deserves to be paired with a some really good food and should not really be drunk on its own to calm you down after a hard day at work in front of the the telly. It deserves respect and to be savoured.
The wine also should be given a name; Yalumba have many wines in their portfolio with a proper name. "The Menzies" is a superb example. There are many great Australians and Australian locations; why not choose one? I think that such a prosaic name as "2010 Handpicked Shiraz/Viognier" really only deserves a place on the rear label.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/australia/11223871/Richie-Benaud-is-a-peerless-example-of-true-grace.html
Just don't serve this wine chilled.
The last over
To finish off the evening in fine form Champion wines produced a well aged Brown Brothers fortified Muscat which was not for sale. This wine was luxurious with intense honey, fruit, floral, toffee and rancio flavours. The wine balanced its intense luscious sweetness with its acidity. This wine was served with some Australian desserts. I was not going to spit this magnificent wine; I savoured a glass nectar and swallowed it. I can still taste it.
My wife and I love Australia and its people and its best wines. Penny Champion served up a little piece of Australia to warm us up on a cold Chislehurst night. Well done Penny; my wife and I will be coming back.
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