Tag: Australia

WSET Diploma

“Supermassive Black Hole” – Muse: Vasse Felix 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

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Vasse Felix 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

This was the penultimate wine in the flight, and it was chosen to provide a contrast to the last wine. They obviously differed in age, at first glance, but the instructor also wanted to display the different manifestations of greenness. It’s one of my favourite things to teach, because I love telling the story about how my friend and I thought that the Château Cailleteau Bergeron 2012 Sauvignon Blanc had a distinct note of marijuana (though the vintages on either side were more distinctly grapefruit-scented). In this case, apparently Margaret River Cab has more of a minty character opposed to the classic eucalyptus note of Coonawarra Cab.

It was amazing how mouth-coating the flavours were without bringing down the animated freshness, like an umbrella keeping your socks and smiles dry during a rainstorm.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Summer Girl” – White Wires: Peter Lehmann 2009 “8 Songs” Shiraz

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Peter Lehmann 2009 "8 Songs" Shiraz[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

When a lot of people think of Australia they think of Barossa Shiraz, sort of like when heavy drinking and ridiculous dancing comes to mind when people hear my name. Hey, don’t deny it.

The hot region produces big and mouth-filling examples, but I’ve come across some Barossa examples that don’t seem as full-bodied as they should be, and I wonder if there’s a trend to break away from the typecast mould of bloated Australian reds. I’m staying right here.

This was more on the typical side, with youthful black fruit, blackberry compote, cola, and spice flavours showing on both the nose and palate, along with cleansing acidity.… read more

WSET Diploma

Lazy summer nights: Yalumba 2013 Old Bush Vine Grenache

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Yalumba 2013 Old Bush Vine Grenache[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

Grenache, especially from the new world, is the alcoholic embodiment of lazy summer nights in your underwear at home while your gut hangs out and all you want to do is watch videos of cats and turn on Netflix. (Wow, invite me over already and I’ll bring the pizza.)

The grape is an early budder and late ripener, and therefore needs sunlight and heat. It’s also a plump grape with thin skins, which equates to a fuller body without being too tannically textured, and let’s not forget about how much alcohol the grape can pump out as a result of its own gut. The grape isn’t often impressively intense in flavours, but all these reasons are exactly why Grenache is often blended.… read more

WSET Diploma

Like a supermodel: Abel’s Tempest 2012 Pinot Noir

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Abel's Tempest 2012 Pinot Noir[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

The wine was kinda like a supermodel, we sort of agreed: pretty, but just a tad skinny. Not in an overtly negative way, of course, but just as part of its personality: the wine did have a good level of intensity and concentration, even though some complexity and length was left to the imagination.

For old world Pinot, I find that there can be that difficult balance between being elegant and being watery. There’s a bit of a parallel in warmer regions, where you don’t want to amp up the volume too much, since excessive ripeness can take over Pinot’s elegance. So it’s great that Pinot is being grown in the cooler pockets like the Yarra Valley and Tasmania, where we can find ballsier but balanced versions of Pinot Noir.… read more

WSET Diploma

Because you know I’m all about that bass: Fraser Gallop 2011 Chardonnay

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Fraser Gallop 2011 Chardonnay[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

It’s so easy to typecast Australian white wines as nothing but pillowy Chardonnays – and it’s a fair statement if you compared Australia to, say, Burgundy. But Australia is a huge place, spanning the same area as a good chunk of Europe’s grape-growing regions, and it makes sense that there are lots and lots of exceptions to the rule.

This Chardonnay from Western Australia had higher acid than I expected (though it was probably selected to show the potential of Australia for such things), and it also had this toasted nut character I find in Australian Chards, which seem to be clouded by buttery creamed corn in a lot of Californian versions.… read more

WSET Diploma

A freshly opened can of tennis balls: Pewsey Vale 2006 “The Contours” Riesling

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Pewsey Vale 2006 "The Contours" Riesling[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

Anyone who knows the austere and rubbery Australian Rieslings à la Somm‘s “freshly opened can of tennis balls” knows that this is an example of a wine that splits people in the middle so much that I become afraid of suggesting it to customers (and friends) without what’s essentially a verbal pre-installation Terms and Conditions page that they’ll pretend to read.

I’ve literally heard stories of people who return bottles of Clare or Eden Valley Riesling (one of the bottles which was this exact one) because they believe them to be flawed or “off”. I once held a meeting with some UBC Wine Club executives and chose a bottle of the Watervale Clare Valley Riesling, amongst others, as a wine that we could enjoy while we held our big annual retreat, subsequently followed by me making everyone watch Somm.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Scenic World” – Beirut: Tahbilk 2011 Marsanne

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Tahbilk 2011 Marsanne[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

I’ve had this wine several times in the past, and I’m stoked that I had it in a blind setting to confirm my thoughts! I had this wine for the first time a couple of years ago (though a different vintage, I’m sure) when I was just getting into wine, hardly knowing that Marsanne was a grape and that Australia grew it. Upon smelling it, at the time, I was reminded of some sort of rubbery and mineral-driven Australian Riesling with a similar limey edge, but with lower acidity.

There’s a hint of that honeyed element that I find some descriptions exaggerate, in terms of Marsanne, but I’ve been able to pick it up the more and more I try this wine, and now blind. … read more

Quaffing

Margaery Tyrell: NV Skillogalee Sparkling Riesling

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, citrus, lemon, lime, lemon zest, petrol, floral, white flowers, mineral, green pineapple, hints of yeast, hint smokiness
Mouth: dry, med body, high acid, med alcohol, med+ length, pronounced flavour intensity, lemon, lime, lemon zest, floral, citrus explosion
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine excels in its uniqueness, flavour intensity on the palate, and relatively persistent flavours. Slightly more complexity would have propelled the wine into a higher category. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

mt2

NV Skillogalee Sparkling Riesling

A wine that smells and tastes like flowers, citrus, and sparkles like royalty. Hence the whole Margaery Tyrell sort of thing and the eternal sun that Highgarden seems to be in.… read more

WSET Diploma

Semen of Dionysus: NV Seppelt “GR 113” Rare Muscat Rutherglen

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep brown, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, fully developed, figs, Christmas cake, spice, wood, earth, mineral, brown sugar, raisin, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, dried fruit, burnt toffee, ripe citrus, hint floral
Mouth: luscious, full-bodied, med fortification, med- acid, long length, pronounced intensity, cola, fig, earth, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, Christmas cake
All in all: Outstanding quality: given its style, the wine is balanced, intensely flavoured, boasts complex characteristics, and has a very long length. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

NV Seppelt "GR 113" Rare Muscat RutherglenSeven HELLS this was delicious. I’m not even going to go with the vague “bodily fluids” description here like I did with that unctuous Pedro Ximénez. Where the PX was sort of verging on the “very good” to “outstanding” range, this was undeniably smack-dab in the “outstanding” category.… read more

WSET Diploma

“When I Come Around” – Green Day: NV Jansz Premium Cuvée

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med gold, bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, mineral, citrus, hint herbaceous, stone fruit, peach, mineral, floral, apple, pear, slight toasty and yeastiness, “bread and butter”
Mouth: dry, creamy mousse, med body, med+ acid, med+ flavour intensity, citrus, lemon, green apple, hint of stone fruit, peach, hint herbaceous, med length
All in all: Good quality: though not super complex or persistent, the wine is balance and the mainly fruity (but not jammy or confected) flavours, combined with a bit of yeastiness, are quite expressive. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Non-Vintage New World Sparkling.
Is really: High-priced Non-Vintage Transfer Method Sparkling from Tasmania, Australia.

NV Jansz Premium Cuvée[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 5]

This was the fruitiest in our first flight of four wines – and an interesting transition from the vintage Champagne, the non-vintage Champagne, and the vintage Franciacorta.… read more