Rhone vs New World Rhone styles
I just managed to stagger home after this massive theme dinner at Asia Grand, 13th April, part of the official Bacchus dinners that started back in May 2006. I’m still drunk as I write.
Kieron contributed a 2003 Dom. Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Ruchottes” to start the evening’s proceedings: straw-yellow, light minerally nose, lean at beginning, light medium on palate, taking on a caramel note as it sat in the glass. Persistent finish. Went well especially with the giant prawn.
Next we had the 1998 Penfolds RWT that Fatty insisted on bringing, claiming that his original proferring of a 1998 Grange was way too young. The latter may be quite true, but the RWT was a poor substitute: from the impenetrable red arose a typically huge Barossian shiraz with notes of plum , sweet ripe fruit, surprisingly soft tannins, and a persistent medicinal/herbal finish. Entirely consistent with the Penfolds house style.
The 1998 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle (courtesy Fatty) that followed was quite the opposite: brownish-red evolved color with marked lightening at the rim, barely imperceptible nose of raspberry/cherries; soft, light-medium bodied, harmonious. Moderate length. Might have easily mistaken it for a Burgundy if blinded. Lots of sediment. Surprisingly evolved for a 10-year old Rhone from what was, supposedly, an excellent vintage. I had expected more. Perhaps the provenenace was suspect?
Next came the 1998 M Chapoutier Ermitage “Le Pavillon” (courtesy Vic). Nice red color with some lightening at the rim, a luxurious deep nose of red fruits, beautifully balanced sweet, ripe fruits with a vanillin coating. Sophisticated tannins. Long. Harmonious. Quite superb.
The 1989 Paul Jaboulet Gigondas that followed (courtesy Hiok) revealed an interesting nose of aniseed (what I’d call an Indian note) and hint of spice arising from a color that seemed fully evolved. The wine was open, medium-bodied, with sweet berries and a rather short finish. On its last legs, although still good at the moment. Reminded me of how the 1975 Ch Figeac carried itself when tasted last year.
Some confusion subsequently ensued as the waitresses plastered more than one color on the remaining decanters, but it was later resolved that the wine that followed was the 1990 Beaucastel (courtesy Li Fern): evolved color, medium-bodied, sweet cherries/raspberries, harmonious, still well-structured, moderate finish. Fleshed out further in the glass. Excellent stuff.
Then came the highly-anticipated 1994 Henschke Hill of Grace (courtesy Kieron). This contained a reddish core with some lightening at the rim. Nose of sweet, ripe, balanced fruit, medium-full bodied, harmonious, ending on a lifted note of ripe plums. Lengthy finish. Excellent. Many in the group felt Hill of Grace is preferable to Penfolds Grange anytime, which I concur. It must be something to do with the expression of Eden Valley fruit (elevated some 500 ft above sea-level) rather than the multi-district blend characteristic of Grange.
My personal offering, the 1993 E. Guigal La Landonne, was next: a fully evolved color with an open, complex yet delicate and balanced nose; the palate reveals pure expression of Syrah fruit that was absolutely harmonious with a hint of spice and mint. Long. Superb. Voted by most as Wine of the Night. This single vineyard is so different, and preferable, from what an Aussie single vineyard has to offer. I think only the Rockford Basket Press, or Torbreck Run Rig, come close with bottle age. Superb.
The 1992 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle (Hiok) rounded off the evening: deep red, with a restrained, yet luxuriant nose of sweet aromatic fruit amidst some trace of alcoholic heat. Finishes on a lifted note. Long. Excellent. Still surprisingly youthful, considering it has already spent so much time in bottle. Needs more time.
Altogether, an excellent evening of food and wine truly worthy of a Bacchus event. Goes to show that Aussie Rhone styles can never quite replicate the real McCoy. We should accord them their own distinctive attributes and enjoy the privilege of having tasted them amidst good food and company.
1998 Petaluma Coonawarra & 2002 Rockford Basket Press
The occasion, on 9th April 2009, was another one of those Ward 48 dinners hosted by the Consultants and Registrars for the MOs and HOs. This time we returned to KaSoh at the SMA Alumni. Poh Seng brought the Petaluma while I contributed the Rockford.
The Petaluma Coonawarra has always been one of my perenial favourites amongst Australian reds, as i) it’s a blend between cabernet sauvignon and merlot, rather than a straight varietal that’s so typical of New World reds; and ii) its expression remains faithful to the Coonawarra terroir, as evidenced by the fact that the region, rather than varietal, is listed on the label, another bit that’s atypical for a New World red. As 1998 was an outstanding vintage for Coonawarra (I still have fond memories of the ’98 Penley Reserve and ’98 Parker First Growth), my expectations were high.
The wine, poured straight from bottle, was deep purple right up to the rim. Tasted right after a horrible New Zealand red (a 2001 Herzog, also from P.S.) that opened the evening’s proceedings, the bouquet of fresh ripe blackcurrant and dark fruits was most welcome. The palate held up to the initial promise: medium to full-bodied, layered fruit, soft tannins that still lent good structure. There was none of the alcohol heat that tend to mar most Aussie reds, and the wood had long faded into obscurity, leaving behind purity of fruit. After an hour, the wine gelled further into a slightly sweet, harmonious finish. Interestingly, it doesn’t have the tell-tale plum-like character which the ’98 Penley possessed in abundance. No one will mistake this for a Pauillac; it’s proudly Coonawarra. This ’98 is much better than the 2001 vintage (unbalanced, with too much alcohol heat), and is likely what the excellent 2004 will eventually evolve into. Excellent.
But the wine of the evening undoubtedly was the 2002 Rockford Basket Press. I’ve had nothing but the highest expectations each time I taste Rockford Basket Press, ever since I first gained its acquaintance in 2004 while residing in Adelaide. Released every March (and sold out before June), the Basket Press needs plenty of time. Even weak vintages such as the 1997 eventually gained weight and fleshed out in bottle after 8-10 years, and when last tasted in Dec 2008, was still going strong. I had some reservations about opening the 2002, knowing that it’s actually way too early still, but since I’ve got 4 bottles in my Basket Press vertical (1997-2006, missing only the 2000), I decided to be generous.
Knowing that the wine would be huge (my wife and I couldn’t finish the 2001 over a 2-hour dinner couple of years back), I double-decanted it for 6 hours. By the time we drank it, the wine had been opened for 9 hours: deep red with slight lightening at the rim, beautiful bouquest of ripe sweet redcurrants and raisins, full-bodied, huge, layer upon layer of rich delicious fruit supported by judicious acid, wood and alcohol (without the heat!), and a sophisticated tannic backbone. Long, sweet finish. It is not the sort of alcoholic fruit-bomb that’s typical of so many Barossa reds. It’s got everything in abundance, but much more tightly wound and sophisticated. Complex. Superb. I’m not touching my remaining 3 bottles for the next 10 years. The later vintages of Basket Press (the 2005 comes to mind) are highly accessible right from the start, but common sense dictates that they must be put to sleep for at least 10 years.
Ric's Wine Journal 