Month: May 2019

2012 Moreau Naudet Chablis Pargues

Peeling the top from the clear plastic capsule, what looked like a Diam peered out. So, let’s see how a favourite version of Chardonnay ages under something that has to be better than mouldy tree bark. Amazingly well would be the answer here after the usual Diam battle to get the thing out of the bottle. Beautifully fresh and fragrant with sweet citrus, floral honey, beeswax and savoury chalkiness. Great coiled power as it hits the tongue, totally focused with the purest fruit and perfect acidity. One of those so completely delicious drinks that the bottle seems to be desperately small. Despite all the words and points, the best measure of wine quality has to be just how sad it is to see an empty bottle. Incredible self control saw it last two days. On the second it just sung. Oh my goodness, what a profoundly delicious thing.

12.50% alcohol. Diam, what a good idea. About $60 at the time?

96 points

2005 Domaine Pierre Amiot et Fils Morey St Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots

2005 was the last..er..great vintage of the century when the promise of Pinot nirvana led to fetishistic credit card bashing. Prices seemed daunting at the time, now they’re just the realm of the very rich. Time to start opening the trophies then! The colour of this is still a deepish red and opens up quickly with clean, almost new world scents of very ripe wild strawberries and deluxe oak. More Burgundian are the scents of sweet earth and a well maintained farmyard. The flavours again suggest strict clean making with pure red fruit and spice that sit well in the middle but don’t quite have that drive and finish of the best despite some more typically old world fine acid and emery board tannin. There’s that luxury oak too which is almost a sort of terroir thing for Burgundians. Close to great forests and barrel makers, they’re probably the best exponents of adding oak flavours that just work so well. Pretty rare occurrence for those of us who normally think tree flavours a curse! Lovely, safely made modern Pinot but perhaps not quite the electricity of the best Burgundy.

13.50% alcohol. Cork. Under a hundred once upon a time.

93 points.

2017 G D Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo

Another Vajra and another sublime mouthful of Piemonte. Opens with slightly rusty, earthy scents that warm to fine, just ripe cherries with perfumed pot pourri on the edges. Became riper and richer over four days with Nebbiolo’s typical resistance to oxygen exposure. Seems ripe and generous by Vajra’s usual standards of grace and demeanour, perhaps a sign of a warm and riper vintage? Certainly delicious now and still plenty of that pleasing Piemontese stone and rock to cut the generous red cherries and sweet almond paste. Their 2016 Baroli are going to do some serious damage to the wine budget I fear.

14% alcohol. Cork. $45.

93 points.

2013 Tyrrell’s Wines HVD Single Vineyard Semillon

After a glass of 2013 Belford looked so good on a warm and humid Sydney evening, it was time to chase some down. Sadly it all seems sold out but Qantas’ wine shop still has the HVD. Using a FF $50 discount and it’s sub $30 a bottle, such irresistible temptation for a six year old wine. First of the 6 pack and, phew, money well spent. Lovely smells of lime, toast, chestnut honey and, yes, a whiff of beeswax, always a joy. Powerful in the mouth with intense fruit tracking the nose and sweeping acidity. Perhaps a touch too crunchy at the moment but it does match the beautifully full fruit and still has some softening ahead, please? Five bottles to go and there’s certainly no rush. More enjoyable prospect than the care home food.

11.50% alcohol. Screwcap, so appropriate for this. $28.

94+ points.

2016 Bruno Rocca Trifolé Dolcetto d’Alba

Opens with sparklingly clean aromas of bright red sour cherry, wet concrete, sweet earth and just made raspberry compote. Glossy flavours track the same strada with road tar savour providing background to the pure sweet fruit. Very polished wine making kept from cloying by just a tickle of lift. Old tee shirt under an Armani suit. Good density but light on its feet with mouth watering acidity. Quotidian wine for those lucky Piemontese. A bit more special and exotic for us at the end of the long import journey clobbered by the less than equal WET.

13.50% alcohol. Cork. $35.

92 points.

2010 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir

For well over ten years the Hoddles Creek crew have been offering the sort of value that must drive other Yarra Valley producers to mutter. Always without much wine making confection, this is still typically a bit reduced on opening. A good airing via double decanting and a tricky touch of a copper spoon drive off a bit too much sulphide for this delicate palate. Lovely savoury development of the autumnal forest floor type and then some dark cherry, tobacco and sinewy tannin. A good swell of that choc cherry fruit at the end point to the subtle class of the vineyard. Gobsmacking value both literally and figuratively.

13.20% alcohol. Screwcap. $20 on release!

92 authentic points.

2017 Alois Ladeger Porer Pinot Grigio

From high up in the mountains of the Alto Adige where Pinot Gridge makes something worthy of time in the fridge. Beguiling bronze pink shimmer to match the delicate rose petal, lychee and red apple skin fruit. So fine boned, delicious acidity never allows the perfumes to cloy. Touch brassy from some skin contact but only intermittent as the fine drive of a pure mountain stream tunes it in and out of reception. Fascinating and repeat tastes bring something new and subtle into focus. Grape skin texture and beautiful acid are as much a part of the experience as fruit flavour. Poise.

12.50% alcohol. Cork. $40.

93 delicate points.