MY stomach continues to expand as I eat good food and drink benchmark Australian wine, all whilst forming my opinion of Australia through informative visits with vignerons, winemakers, viticulturalists and sales directors. I can easily recommend some excellent meals at Bentley Bar, Fish Face, Four in Hand, and Coast in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The binge of drinking and eating continues in McClaren Vale, South Australia, where I've spent the past week. Tonight, I'm slowing down, after the ordering the degustation lunch menu and wine pairing at d’Arenberg winery. My stomach is tired. No dinner, no drinks tonight.
My hosts in McClaren Vale, Brad and Nicole, have been kind and gracious. They are fun, friendly and are equally passionate about food and wine. This past Tuesday, Brad and Nicole prepared an outstanding meal comprised of a Thai salad made from produce from their outside garden, duck pancakes brushed with hoisin, divine lamb shanks plated with the best brussel sprouts that I have consumed in some time, followed by a palate cleansing homemade lemon sorbet and finally, finished off with a local and French-based cheese course.
Below is the list of wines from the evening:
· Rene Geoffroy, 1er Cru Brut, Champagne
· Chartogne-Taillet, Cuvee St Anne Brut, Champagne
· 1990 Chateau Reynella Cab-Merlot
· 1994 Penfolds Clare Valley Organic Shiraz-Cabernet
· 1997 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz
· 1997 Kay Bros Hillside Shiraz
· 1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
· 1998 d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz
· 2001 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec
· 2001 Greenock Creek 7 Acre Shiraz
· 2001 Ingoldby Reserve Shiraz
· 2002 Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz
· 2002 Shirvington Cabernet
· 2003 Thorpe Shiraz
· 2003 Thorpe Reserve Cabernet
· 2007 Dodgy Brothers Grenache and Cab Franc
· 1966 Yalumba "Galway Vintage" Claret
· 1969 Wynn’s Huntersfield Hermitage
· 1973 Jim Barry's Uncle George Port
· 1934 Basedows of Barossa Collectors Wine #3 Madeira
· 1999 Charles Melton Nine Popes-corked
· 1999 Greenock Creek 7 Acre Shiraz-corked
Honestly, I didn't like most of the wines but the exercise of tasting various vintages of these regional and local wines was educational although they were fatiguing on my palate. We didn't organize the sequence of the wines and I felt that I was jumping all over. I was also trying to be a helpful guest and clear plates, arrange the next set of dishes, plate items, etc so my full attention was elsewhere. I was a bit fatigued from a busy day of tasting from my morning session with SC Pannell and afternoon session with Drew Noon, two of the highlights of my McV trip. I found many wines reduced and some, a bit bretty, characteristic of many of the wines from the region. The ripe, forward fruit was there but lacked the dimension that I seek. I liken it to how I like my men; I need some finesse with that masculinity. I enjoyed the Penfolds Organic Shiraz-Cabernet and the Thorpe Cab(grown on Bisclay clay) best. I especially enjoyed tasting some of the esoteric, older vintages procured from the cellar of Nicole's late father. The 1934 Madeira was showing particularly well.
I've found the Langton's Fine Wine Investment Guide to be the most reliable proxy of fine wine relative to my palate and also the most democratic system. The fourth and latest edition of the Classification was released in 2005 and is akin to the benchmarking of wines in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux. A minimum of ten vintages is required and the wine's track record at auction is the consideration for ranking. The wines are broken into categories for a total of 101 wines for inclusion. Wines are listed in four categories - Exceptional(11 wines total), Outstanding(22 wines total), Excellent(34 wines total) and Distinguished(34 wines total).
Langton’s Exceptional category:
PENFOLDS Bin 95 Grange Shiraz, South Australia
BASS PHILLIP Reserve Pinot Noir, South Gippsland Victoria
CULLEN Diana Madeline Cabernet-Merlot, Margaret River Western Australia
GIACONDA Chardonnay, Beechworth Victoria
HENSCHKE Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley South Australia
LEEUWIN ESTATE Art Series Chardonnay, Margaret River Western Australia
MOSS WOOD Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River Western Australia
MOUNT MARY Quintet Cabernet Blend, Yarra Valley Victoria
PENFOLDS Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia
ROCKFORD Basket Press Shiraz, Barossa Valley South Australia
WENDOUREE Shiraz, Clare Valley South Australia
