Orlando Jacob's Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

For dinner we tried this relatively cheap Cab Sav ($14). Opened to a ripe and soft bouquet of plum, cassis, berries, spice and a touch of mint. On the palate it was quite soft with pureed fruits and quite soft and flabby tannins, which did tighten somewhat over time. Decent length and finish, made this a palatable but not fantastic wine.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Internationale tasting results

Again another successful woine toime, auspicious moreso for its announcements than perhaps some of the wines tasted. Again Happy Birthday Yana, congratulations to Simon and Heike for their pregnancy and fond farewells to Philip and Johanna. Special thanks to Heike and Simon for hosting a lovely evening.

Participants were:

Simon
Heike
Philip
Johanna
Mark
Yana
Lia
Lucas
Marie-Louise
Deborah
Brett

And now a quick review of the wines tasted. I hope I have mentioned them all.

01. Seppelt Salinger 2002

To start off proceedings, this sparkling wine which I could not remember the vintage but most likely 2002. Good mousse and beading, with nice citruss and bread aromas. The palate was well weighted, but did display a little runaway acidity. But not a bad start.

02. Segura Viudas Brut Reserva NV

An old favourite of mine, this Cava is great drinking and good value at around $13 a bottle. See full review here.

03. Domaine Ogereau Anjou Cuvée Prestige Blanc 2002

This chenin blanc from Saint Lambert in the Anjou region of Loire, opened to a rich and heady, slightly boytrytisized bouquet of honey, flowers and limestone characters. On the palate it was a little flat and locked, with the 14% alcohol somewhat apparent. Overall an interesting treatment of chenin blanc, but not the best I have come across.

04. Maison Champy Bourgogne Chardonnay 2004

On to some white burgundy, this chardonnay from the Bourgogne region opened to an attractive bouquet of minerals, nuts and a touch of cream. The palate was refreshing and balanced, with very nice acid and slightly woody finish. Very nice drinking, and fairly popular.

05. Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2003

This riesling from Watervale, showed a relatively developed bouquet of citrus, florals, and a touch of petroleum. On the palate it was lively with good balance and length. Could do with a little further cellaring but still quite a good example of the style.

06. Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2005

This pinot from Malborough, had quite a rich and ready bouquet of black cherries, with some plum, spices and a touch of mallow. Quite rich in body for a pinot, but still very drinkable straight out of the bottle. A heavier style but still quite delicious.

07. Rocky Point Otago Pinot Noir 2004

More NZ pinot, this time from Central Otago. This was quite a popular wine of the night, due to its sofisticated and slightly elusive palate. Quite a hit with the girls. Full review here.

08. Chateau Beaumont Haut-Medoc 2002

I was looking forward to this Bordeaux, as the last Haut-Medoc I had was a cracker. After an hour of decanting, the bouquet seemed a little locked, even green. Further the palate seemed flat and listless, with soft plum and blackberries, maybe a hint of pepper, but really not much else. A great dissapointment, although some people insisted on finishing it off - they obviously were pissed.

09. Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Shiraz 1999 - WINNER

After the failure of the Bordeux, Simon produced a bottle of this shiraz. Superb bouquet of rich but subtle berries, violets, vanilla, earth and some delicate spices. Again the palate was superb, with great structure and poise. Lovely balance of soft sweet fruits and savoury tannins. Overall this was the top wine of the night. Congratulations Simon, who very graciously opened a second bottle.

10. Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Another red came forth, this time a Cab Sav. On the bouquet it was quite rich and generous, with some cab leaf, dust, berries, plums and some spices. On the palate it was again generous, balanced and well made. A very drinkable Cab Sav with no faults, or none that I could see. Quite lovely for such a young wine.

11. Stella Bella Pink Muscat 2005

And on to the stickies. I initially thought this was a boytrytis semillion, but remembered the colour being very pinkish. But anyway this opened to quite a nice bouquet of musk, honeysuckle and some straw? On the palate it was quite well balanced and not too sickly. An interesting and competent treatment of moscato.

12. De Bortoli Noble One 2004

And to the Noble one. This has become a favourite of mine these days. Aromas of seville oranges, marmalade, vanilla, almonds and apricot. On the palate rich, deep and robust with great length. A superb sticky from this country. However it did loose out to the next sticky, in a very contentious taste-off.

13. Peterson House Botrytis Semillon 2005

And to the taste-off, this wine of which I have never heard of, but grabbed the most votes. Aromas of wild honey, apricot, ripe apple and some spice. The palate was rich, but very well balanced and structured, with a very smooth and refined finish. I must confess this was a better structured wine, but for me I preferred the depth of the de Bortoli.

Dash Classic Dry White 2006

Grabbed this in a rush at lunch. Made by Vavasour wines and from the Marlborough region, it opened to a fairly expressive melange of goosberry, passionfruits, tropical fruits and soft melon. On the palate it was quite well balanced, with clean fruits over a powdery minerality. Good weight and body and quite a nice dry, crisp finish. Overall an interesting blend, of which I am not sure of, but most likely SB, chardonnay and perhaps riesling. Not bad for $15.
50+4+12+17+7 = 90/100

Peter Rumball Sparkling Shiraz NV

Deb insisted on getting some more Sparkling Burgundy, so she decided on this one. Opened to quite a generous bouquet of berries, pepper, spice, chocolate and some earth. On the palate it was well balanced, with decent beading and more rich berry fruits. Finished quite soft and dry. Overall this was pretty lush and easy-going drinking, and would please most palates. Decent value at around $20.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Maison Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny Les Genièvres 2004

Needing a French aperatif, grabbed a bottle of this white Burgundy from the Mâconnais. Opened to a fresh, soft bouquet of flowers, herbs, twigs, honey, apples and flashes of nuts. On the palate it was beautifully balanced, with delicate acidity and minerality. Cooling refreshing fruits lead to a lovely muted dry finish. Overall quite delightful for a Villages wine which supposedly Tony Blair celebrated his election victory with. Good value Burgundy for about $35.
50+4+13+17+8 = 92/100

Wirra Wirra Hand Picked Riesling 2006

At lunch got a bottle of this riesling from the Adelaide Hills. Opened to quite a young bouquet of red apple, grapefruit, lime and some herbal elements. On the palate it was well balanced, with fine acidity and a touch of talc. Length was decent and finished rather well. Overall a bit young out of the bottle and probably could do with some cellaring. Decent value at $18.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2006

And for dinner, Deb picked this Pinot from De Bortoli. Opened to quite a rich and heady bouquet of cherries, currants, sweet spices, mulch and touch of earth. On the palate again it was quite rich, with decent tannins, round body and sour-cherry finish. For me a little too fruity and rich, lacking structure and finesse, but nonetheless quite a generous style. Not bad for around $20.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2002

For pre dinner Deb picked up this semillon, a newer vintage of the wine we had some time ago. The bouquet was fairly tight, with lemon dominante, also with some lanolin, herbs and a touch of toast. On the palate it was quite citrussy, with robust acidity and not much more. It seemed quite locked up and in-expressive. Most likely this wine needs a decade in the bottle to reveal itself.
50+4+11+15+7 = 87/100

Chateau Sainte Marie Bordeaux Superieur 2004

And on to dinner, I grabbed this rather cheap Bordeaux from the Entre-Deux-Mers region. Deep crystal ruby in colour, this wine held a nice bouquet of blackberries, capsicum, black pepper, mushroom and earthy notes. On the palate it was lean but very well structured, with cherry and cassis flavours. Nice soft tannins and tight but soft finish. I found this very pleasant drinking, and would consider grabbing a case of it. Not bad value at $23.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

Domaine des Souterrains Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Finally Friday evening, and felt like some French wine to wind down to. From Touraine in Loire, this un-oaked sauvignon blanc opened to a rather soft and reserved bouquet of citruss, flowers, herbs and a touch of honey. On the palate quite soft fruits, with some nice mineral qualities. Fairly light in body, it did finish nicely soft and dry. Not an overly complex or unique wine, but a refined and soft aperitif.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Barwite Upper Goulburn Pinot Noir 2005

This pinot noir from Victoria, opened to quite a light bouquet of strawberry, raspberries, spice and a touch of mulch. The palate was again fairly light, but well balanced with some sour cherry and a hint of sap. Body and length were quite thin with little complexity, but this was still quite a well made easy drinking pinot. Nice.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Tyrrell's Old Winery Semillon 2006

I was intent on getting a bottle of the new 2000 Vat1 Semillon, which I had seen previously in the liquor shop, but upon returning it was gone, and the staff member denied ever having it. So contented myself with this wine. Opened to a fairly fresh bouquet of lemon, lime and feint wax and grass. On the palate it seemed a little young, with decent balance and length. Essentially the same wine as the 2005, but certainly less complex. Maybe cellaring will attend to that.
50+4+12+15+7 = 88/100

Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz 2005

As per my friend Marks suggestion, we got a bottle of this wine, chilled it to an inch of its life, and drank with some Kefalograviera cheese. And it does work a treat. Anyway back to the wine, big cherry mousse, with aromas of blackberries, raspberries, spice and a little chocolate. The palate was well beaded, balanced and reasonably rich. Not as developed as the 2002 vintage we had some months ago, but still a good, old-fashioned sparkling red.
50+4+12+17+7 = 90/100

Vavasour Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2004

From Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, I gave this a try as I did like their SB very much. On opening the bouquet was quite heady and rich with plums, leaf, mulch and some spice. To the palate and the headiness continued with quite a rich and fat fruits and body, rich but soft tannins and quite a sour cherry finish. Decanting didnt reveal much further. Overall this pinot lacked the finesse I usually expect to find in NZ pinots, but it seems that the makers of this wine were not interested in following such expectations. Too heavy and un-pinot like for me.
50+4+12+15+6 = 87/100

Margan White Label Semillon 2006

I am starting to have cravings for Semillon for some reason, so picked up this for pre-dinner. Opened to a generous bouquet of lemon, verbena, toast, wax, nougat and some honeysuckle. On the palate it was fairly zesty, but quite rich and balanced, with nice fruit, good length and soft finish. The wine did hold itself well as it warmed, and is quite a friendly and generous wine despite its youth. Could develop further with cellaring.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Hardy's Oomoo Unwooded Chardonnay 2005

Having liked their shiraz, decided to give their chardonnay a try. On the nose were aromas of melon, peach, fig and some tropicals. On the palate it was fairly well balance, with more tropical fruits and a little cream. Structurally it was fairly flabby, a little thin in body, and length and finish likewise. Certainly a decent effort, but not good value, as I paid $19 for this which was too much for a fairly lack luster wine.
50+4+12+15+6 = 87/100

St Hallett Gamekeepers Reserve 2005

Another St Hallett wine, this time their red blend. Apparently made from a blend of Grenache, Touriga, Shiraz and Mourvedre, this wine showed a bright bouquet of raspberries, cherries, chocolate, spice and a hint of animal musk. On the palate it was quite rich and smooth, with darkfruits over decent tannins. Structurally it was a touch light, but overall a very drinkable red wine, being a little Burgandinian in style. Suited our hunters chicken dish quite well. Again good value at $12.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

St Hallett Poacher's Blend 2006

I think I have had this wine years ago, but can't remember much about it. Anyway, made from 66% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% riesling, it opened to a rather soft and tropical bouquet with lemon, lime, guava, passionfruit flower, toast and a touch of grass. The palate was quite balanced and rich, with good acidity, length and finish. Overall this was quite a nice white blend, which would please most. A relative bargain at $12.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Elderton Friends Eden Valley Riesling 2005

Deb brought this one home for pre-dinner. On the bouquet it was quite interesting and fine with lemon, lime, bitumen, florals and musk. On the palate it was quite well balanced, with good acidity and a decent finish. Length a little short, but this riesling could cellar for some time and develop further. Not bad for $15.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100