Week 2 Virtual Tasting Series for Charity - Aussie Aussie Aussie - Jay H for Food Bank - Nov30 - DEC9

My theme this year will be “Aussie Aussie Aussie Down Under” My charity will be a food bank to be chosen by my wife, who is making up for our lack of spending money on restaurant meals by donating money to food banks. AKA Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy Vey Vey Vey.

$5 for a real tasting note - None of the BS “I liked it.” $5 for a photo of you with the wine. $5 extra if the ABV on the label is over 16%!

What if my TN says, “I liked it,” but I post a photo? That’s $5. You do not forfeit your photo points just because you can’t write a TN.

I have a bunch of political themes that will get you an extra $5, but Charlie has not flagged me for illegal posting in a while, and I would not want to aggravate him, since he was recently made a partner and might want to flex his muscles, so I will not mention them, but if you happen to come up with one, you get an extra $5.

Good reason to head to the wine shop tomorrow.

“You have anything over 16%?”

I think I have one of those Clarendon Hills Turbo Syrahs somewhere. Time to dig it out?

I have a grand total of two bottles of Australian wine, but one is open now. Note to come.

Proof it’s open below.

• 2001 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River (11/30/2020)
  I don’t generally buy or drink a lot of Australian wine. This bottle was a gift from a friend, and had been in my cellar for several years. It seems like a wine that was just released. The freshness and primary focus seems like a 2017, not a 2001. Deep blackberry and currant fruit is only betrayed by the evolved tannic profile. It’s dark red to the rim, but shows no leather or earthy notes. Confounding yet alluring. It’s Cabernet and can be nothing else. Could it be Napa? Sure. One thing is for sure, it’s delicious, and I wish I had more.

Posted from CellarTracker

446A69BF-032B-49F5-B555-3B4D1A215081.jpeg1536×2048 1.14 MB

Saved a glass per Brig to add a day 3, legit…

• 2010 Schild Estate Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (11/28/2020)
  So CT popped this up on my radar with the Readiness to Drink report fresh on the heels of having the '04. So why not; it is ready, and it was a good check point for what I have left. Drank over 2 days, combined notes. Short decant in bottle and glass, like 30 or so. Could have used like 2 -3 hours. Dark as night in the glass, dense, brooding. The nose is dark black fruits, jammy, burnt rubber, tar, peppercorns, tight; mellows and opens day 2 with less burning and tar. The nose is formidable. The palate hits with black and blue fruits enveloped in tar plus a smokiness coming from a burnt meat, a mellowing earthy tone towards mid. Day 2 showed more dark red turning black and blue as a curve ball to start. Its heavy and potent, very forward on the front. however smooths on the middle with a medium acidic pop with firm tannins kicking in but not holding to the finish; they fade away fast. Day 2 more so and added white pepper notes heading back. The end is driven by potent fruit, dark black and blues, with the tertiary characteristics driving it home. Managed to save a small glass for a day 3, the tar and burnt edges came off a bit more, feels more blue in fruit and a bit more relaxed. Its a medley of highs and mediums, never lows. Its a beast, not cohesive. On its own, I needed to split it over 2 days and added a 3rd to boot. Structure and potency tell me it can sit for a while to see if it further mellows and/or integrated, or drink now with some heavy BBQ (charred) in hindsight.

465×620 60.1 KB

Posted from CellarTracker

I’ll play
A bit of backstory for this one… The vineyard this Chardonnay comes from was formerly known as Ergo Sum, a joint venture Michel Chapoutier and Rick Kinzbrunner of Giaconda and Peter Graham who was his assistant winemaker. Peter took over the vineyard fully renaming the label Domenica for the 2013 vintage. I drink very little Chardonnay and this is the only one I buy with any regularity

• 2015 Domenica Chardonnay - Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth (12/1/2020)
  Under screwcap. Expressive nose, especially when in a bigger glass. You note the oak but it is less prominent when tasting. Aromas of grapefruit, grilled pineapple, toasted white bread and there is a dusting of cinnamon there as well . It Tastes of Grapefruit and white peach with a slight flintiness. It is not a shy wine, powerful with a long finish. __
  
  

  Domenica.jpg2448×3264 1.02 MB

Posted from CellarTracker

And because I can, lets do one of these too…

• NV Andrew Buller Wines Muscat Cannobie Rutherglen - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen (12/1/2020)
  This was opened 3 days prior. Sealed with a cork T-stopper and waxed which is something you don’t see too often in Rutherglen. Nicely packaged in an unusual 500ml bottle.
  Only says Rutherglen Muscat on the label, so it isn’t claiming any of the higher Muscat classifications that are used for Rutherglen Muscat.

Aroma of raisin and black tea, Unusually, as you sip there are more perfumed notes of musk and rosewater that you don’t pick up by nose alone. The raisin is there again along with a touch of caramel. It is sweet, even with the significant acidity that is present and it finishes pretty clean. It’s not particularly complicated and a little lighter in style than most of it’s peers. It works for me as a warmer weather muscat and will take a bit of chill without losing much

ABuller_Cannobie_muscat.jpg2448×3264 1.18 MB

Posted from CellarTracker

• 2001 Jasper Hill Emily’s Paddock - Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Heathcote (12/1/2020)
  Dark but crystalline mahogany color, slightly clear at the rim.

High toned and savory nose of underbrush, wild blackberries, camphor and violets.

Savory quality carries through to the palate, which shows cool black fruits (blackberries and dark cherry), a strong mineral streak, and bitter tea.

Finishes a bit tart. Looking at my last tasting note would suggest it is slowly coming down from its apogee but will drink well for a few years still. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

And for the extra fiver…

13.5 ABV… does it lose $5 for that?

Hi Jay, Thought I’d hit you in the hip pocket on some notes on an exciting new venture in The Barossa.

Alkina, on the Western side of Greenock, have just launched their first release wines and opened a cellar door. If you are in the Barossa, it is a must to visit. You can purchase a glass or flight of wines and sit down in stylish surroundings with a plate of Comté and San Daniele ham. Not a bad way to spend an hour or two.

Alkina is a well-funded venture, and nothing feels rushed or forced. Soil health is paramount, and the vineyards have been fully converted to biodynamics. Within the vineyards various plots have been identified and categorised into polygons that reflect their soil profiles. These plots are vinified separately, and this is really the ultimate respect of each micro-terroir that Alkina have at their disposal. It has taken several years to get the wines to a level where the Alkina team feel they are ready to be released and this is a stunning set of wines. So pure, bright and energetic. They are tiny production wines, with less than 50 dozen each made of the Polygon wines.

2020 Kin by Alkina Semillon: De-stemmed fruit spends five months on skins in a Georgian Kvevri. It is a gently nutty wine with preserved lemon and lantana aromas and flavours. It has some creaminess to the mid-palate and is very savoury on the finish. A calm and even wine.

2019 Kin by Alkina Field White: A field blend that is made up mainly of Semillon, Riesling and Trebbiano. This one is 9 months on skins and it has real build. There’s some bitter lemon, wild sage and lantana notes. It is vinous with real tension and chalky tannins carry the finish.

2020 Kin by Alkina Rosé: Old and young vine Grenache harvested relatively early and raised in concrete. It has sweet strawberry and tart cranberry fruits. There’s sherbet-like acidity and it possesses great energy. One of the finest Rosé wines from our country that we have tasted.

2020 Kin by Alkina Grenache: Grenache vines grown on fractured schist and it sees no oak, being raised only in concrete tulips. It is pure and unadulterated, showing crunchy and bright cherry aromas and flavours. It has a light savoury edge and is silky in the mouth. The finish is fresh, with granite-like tannins.

2018 Kin by Alkina Field Red: This is a field blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro grown on deep clay. It was raised in a 600L new oak barrel and is a rich wine, with bitter chocolate notes and a core of delicious raspberry fruit. It has supple tannins and is a lovely drink driven by its fruit

2019 Alkina Old Quarter Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro: Only 160 dozen made. A highly fragrant wine, with red and black fruits and plenty of licorice. It is an elegant wine possessing latent power. It is silky and layered with flavour and finishing with excellent persistence.

2018 Alkina Polygon No. 3 Grenache: Only 36 dozen made. A patch of Grenache off limestone and raised in a 10-year-old 300L barrel. It is 50% whole bunch. It has the most perfectly ripe sweet berry, cherry and plum fruits. In the mouth there’s great energy and terrific minerally detail. It builds through the palate and really fans out on the finish, lingering on and on. Such great balance and proportion.

2018 Alkina Polygon No. 5 Grenache: Only 47 dozen only made. Grenache off the Schist, 30% whole bunch and no new oak. There are ethereal florals and pure berry fruits. It is intense in the mouth but carries no excess weight. The palate is vinous silk and there’s a gentle flex of chalky tannin to the back-end. It is super-deep and super-long.

2019 Alkina Polygon No. 1 Shiraz: Only 45 dozen made. This is 100% whole bunch and loaded with floral spice. There’s some Northern Rhone-like green bean and exquisite dark berry fruit. It is rich and chewy but not heavy. There’s good grip to the finish and a lovely inner mouth perfume is left once swallowing.

It’s a really small world. Last weekend, I was playing bridge on the Internet and was paired randomly with a woman from Australia whose last name was Seppelts. I asked her if she was related to the Seppeltsfeldt winery because I had met some of the family members at Zachys about 10 years ago. It turns out that her family controlled the winery until they sold out a while ago. It appears that I met her children or nephews at Zachys. AND their winery is less that 4 miles from the new venture you mentioned. When the plague is over, I plan to fly there to visit the Barossa Valley.

It is a small world Jay.

Seppeltsfield is a must for when you visit here. A remarkable range of fortifieds dating back to the 1800’s. The table wines are very smart too.

By the way, has anyone ever bothered to tell you what D’or L’ D’or means in Hebrew. It is a very significant phrase and refers to “from generation to generation”. It is a very important phrase in

$5 for a real tasting note - None of the BS “I liked it.”

What about drank with Sally?

I have very few Aussies in the cellar, but here’s a note on one of them:

1995 Richard Hamilton Shiraz Reserve Old Vine McLaren Vale - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (11/30/2020)
A mix of red and dark fruit still showing as fairly ripe but not overly so with just a touch of oxidation. It finishes with a little more acidity than I’d prefer, but that became more of a virtue when drinking it with Thanksgiving leftovers. It is past peak but isn’t dead yet. (87 pts.)

We will try to knock this one off this week

Foster lager: too many bubbles and not enough flavor

You are probably better off adding ten dollars not to have my photo.

I don’t have any Aussie wines, but I sure do love Tooths Sheaf Stout! Coffee, chocolate, nice CO2 level, moderate AVB. My second favorite after Guinness (Of course!)

2002 Shirvington Shiraz
I bought and drank a lot of this when the Aussie wines were much in demand. I haven’t opened one in awhile so this was a great time to open.

Very dark color purple. The nose is sweet with traces of expresso. The wine is still drinking wonderfully. I was afraid it might be over hill but it has many great years ahead. Paired with barbecued ribs.
16% exactly!