Vinoculation

This dinner took place the night after the picking crew harvested the Lowburn Vineyard for Auburn’s 2010 Lowburn Riesling. Once again, we didn’t mess around at the start.
09 Felton Road Riesling: Sex in a glass as usual. This seems drier than previous releases, via stronger acids, even though the residual sugar is still over 50 grams. Intense and in the groove. This went down so fast no one really paid too much attention, and I didn’t get to take much of a note.
07 Comte de Vogue Bourgogne Blanc: Opens a little funky and oxidative for the briefest of moments and then locks up tight. Coiled power underneath, so we leave this for some time to return to. Lanolin, lemon, perhaps some other citrus. Maloed and rounder acids, but doesn’t seem to have seen much oak if at all. (The next morning we looked at the leftovers again, and it was still locked up tight!
NV Veuve Clicquot: Citrus, bread, some aged material showing, and truffley strawberry notes – red fruits? Good persistence and well structured. I know its big house NV, and I know its not fashionable in some circles, but this is quite tasty.
Blind wine no 1: Golden colour. Texturally this is lithe but still slightly curvy in its new world shape, not a fleet footed german. It is off dry, and has some vanilla and limey citrus qualities, great length. To me this is a Kiwi and quite an old one. Turns out to be an 01 Johanneshof Riesling – I would have guessed older than that. (I’m learning that NZ Rieslings age differently to Aussie Rieslings, and so far I’m interpreting that as overadvancement).
??? Sparkling Vouvray: Yes I missed the name completely. Very quiet muted nose. Palate, is apple cider, vanilla, pear, very vibrant mousse, Simple & fresh fruited with some touches of funk – which is a bit dirt like and shows some aldehydic quality, and a similar taste to the brown rot we saw today. Let down by being a bit short. I think others in the crowd liked this a lot more than me.
Then we looked at two Gruner Veltliners, a grape I know little about.
07 Domaine Wachau Gruner Veltliner Fiederspiel Terrassen: Tropical fruit nose. The palate starts out that way but goes quite dry quite quickly, with a saline like quality. Also shows some light leafy elements. Juicy acids make this quite attractive.
07 Weingut Knoll Loibner Gruner Veltliner Fiederspiel: More elegant nose, with white pepper tones showing. Palate is richer and rounder here and seems to have something phenolic added, oak treatment or malo? Still in the tropical pear spectrum, and a trace of heat on the finish. Most liked this wine ahead of the Wachau.

This pair was a great education.  This is a grape I think I could come to terms with. When I’m not drinking wines like the next beauty, which was the…

05 Donnhoff Oberhauser Liestenberg Kabinett: You know, I’m getting to the point I reckon I cold pick the O L Kabinett blind. Any vintage. Its such a joyous drink, year in year out, and this wine proves it can take a few years of ageing too. It is starting to show some aged characters with its lovely vineyard character – lemon, lime, creaming soda. its fresh and alive, juicy and just lovely. A lingering tingly sweetness balanced by perfect acids.

(Did I mention I’m visitng the Donnhoff cellar door in July?)

04 Felton Road Block 6 Chardonnay (en Magnum): A barrel ferment nose – oysters. I always visit aged chard with trepidation but this is really interesting – mushroomy oysters, cumquat, orange cashew. Great length. Respect.
06 Moss Wood Pinot Noir: Softly structured with fine tannins. Warm, indistinct fruits. Medium length. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the next wine which was…
05 Pirie Sigma Pinot Noir: But by now its 1.30am, and my note taking capabilities are gone. Form a reat Tasmanian vintage, all I can remember is liking this quite a lot,and being pissed in the morning that I didn’t manage to stay awake another half hour…but I’m told the poker and scotch started again, and we had another vineyard to pick in the morning…

Perhaps a testament to the quality of these wines is the list of what we didnt drink:

05 Trapiche Malbec

01 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin 1er Clos St Jacques

99 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel

07 Andreas Schmitges Beerenauslese

But they are tucked up safe and sound for next year…