On Wednesday evening, six wine enthusiasts from the Auswine Forum gathered at one of Canberra's better restaurants, Rubicon, meeting each other for the very first time, over a fine degustation menu and the following wines. From memory notes only -
The Wines
Dom Perignon 1995
Fritz Haag Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling (LGK) 1983
Giaconda Chardonnay 2002
Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste 1979
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 1983
Kay Brothers Cabernet Shiraz 1971
Ch. Coutet 1983
I thought the Dom Perignon (92 points) still tightly coiled and bursting with bright green apple fruit with touches of fig, hazelnut, baker's yeast, nuts and toast. Surprisingly fresh and vigorous in the mouth with a steely pinot spine. Lovely swirling mousse with terrific length as well as a haunting persistence well after swallowing. This wine has some way to go and could merit a score closer to 95 once fully mature in a decade or more. A bit of a sleeper, methinks.
The Fritz Haag revealed only a light pale gold colour in the glass, was quite thrilling on the palate - honeyed but fresh and light but ever so long in the mouth although, remarkably, quite viscous but beautifully counterbalanced by ample minerally-etched, refreshing acidity. The fruit seemed to be mostly nectarine, lime, peach, a flick of redcurrant with a light shroud of petroleum adding complexity. The only slight criticism I could muster was the nose lacked some intensity compared to other bottles I've opened. I gave it 93 points. It should live for quite some years yet!
The Giaconda (91 points) was extremely good showing a dazzling array of complex worked French barrel character as well an eerie saltiness (probably from the oak) that was evident in the bouquet as well as on the palate that Paul suggested directed him towards Chablis. The fruit was playing more of a backseat role throughout. The palate was slippery and refined without any heaviness or, seemimgly too much alcohol or grip from oak tannin. A nicely balanced chardonnay that should be drunk over the next few years. I don't have quite the same recollection of this particular wine except to say, perhaps I was expecting a fair bit more. Everyone thought it was French (apart from me, of course - I brought it).
The reds really excelled. The cork gods were kind to us. All three displayed a youthfulness that belied their considerable age. The 1979 G-P-L, always punches well above its weight was truly outstanding FWII, blessed with silky dark cherry and deep set blackcurrant fruit, a strong undercurrent of undergrowth, herbs and damp earth as well as a little of the Paulliac thumbprint of lead pencil. The palate's fully mature, delivers a silky, hedonistic and most elegant mouthful of superior flavour that suggests a very successful left bank producer from an extremely good year. Possessing a svelte structure with exemplary smooth tannins and some wonderful residual acidity this terrific claret finishes long and with admirable aplomb. 93 points. Drink now - 2015.
The 1983 Cape Mentelle was a couple of notches higher! My recent note (15/8/09) covers the bottle opened reasonably well - For a 26-year-old red this wine holds a remarkable deep impenetrable plummy red brown core, although there’s obvious age showing when tipping the glass and viewing the wine at a shallow depth. Aromatically, this stunner is a dead ringer for a top flight left banker. Rife with weedy blackcurrants, undergrowth, damp earth, minerals, iron and blood, the bouquet literally soars from the glass, totally belying its considerable age. Likewise, in the mouth, the wine displays remarkable freshness and vitality with a quite amazing residue of plummy, blackcurrant fruit, a big lick of cedary oak and a probing herbaceousness, lively acidity and stunning lacy tannins; all superbly meshed and remarkably delineated. The finish delivers the complete package - resolute, harmonious and with an uncanny, authoritative, lengthy carry, I can’t help but awarding this quite exceptional Cabernet, 95 points. Drink now - 2018. Utterly brilliant! I scored the wine the same and can vouch for the near accuracy of this note to what we drank on the night. The only noticeable difference/addition was a beguiling tobacco/cigar box character found in the bouquet and too a lesser extent on the palate.
The 1971 Kay Brothers Cabernet Shiraz was a revelation. I have opened three bottles of this in the past month and they been pretty much identical in every respect, including my rating of 93 points! For a wine approaching its 40th anniversary to be so intact, consistently good and not disintegrate upon opening, is, in itself, a wondrous thing. It's difficult at this rather late hour to recall the wealth of rich extract still present in this wine, but perhaps it's better not to try to dissect such a grand old wine into fragments. I'm pleased just to highlight the wonderful experience of slowly sniffing and sipping this small piece of Australian wine history with a group of fellow wine lovers gathered together for the first time in a unique ambiance.
The 1983 Coutet was excellent except it did not like being associated with the very rich, albeit delectable, ice cream served with the panacotta. I revisited it by itself after everyone had left and the wine was certainly far less bitter and sharp on the finish. This style of Barsac is the essence of elegance and delicacy in the Sauternes hierarchy and is not suited to such creamy decadence. The ice cream was fig with star anise and cinnamon something or other. In the end I awarded this very youthful example, 90 points. It should live for at least another two decades!
