This tasting of the best Australian wines according to Langton's 'empirical' data only happens once every five years or so. It is a big affair, as 100 wines are available for tasting. I attended it yesterday in Sydney.
The event was well organized, but still, one had to navigate quite a big crowd. There was not enough time to take detailed notes, as I tasted 30+ wines. It became obvious that there were hardly any bad wines; so it came down to personal preferences. In this post I will comment on the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs I tasted. The next post will cover Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and blends.
I did not taste all wines in these categories, because I either knew them quite well or was not interested, So for example in Chardonnay, I did not taste Penfolds Yattarna and Giaconda Chardonnay.
Of the Chardonnays I tasted, the perhaps surprising, but not altogether surprising favorite was the 2018 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay. This wine seems to be a bit less restricted by the house style. It is a bit funkier, still very fresh, with concentrated citrus and grapefruit flavours, and a creamy texture and great line. World-class!
Not far behind was the 2021 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. A bit understated, yet powerful, with beautiful lime and white peach fruit and great drive.
The 864 Oakridge Chardonnay was very clean, but a bit oaky (pardon the pun). And the Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay came last, showing less freshness and vibrancy (still a good wine).
On the Pinot Noir front, it was essentially a battle between Bass Phillip and Bindi. Both wineries had two wines in the line-up. The very rare 2018 Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir was exquisite - a wine of elegance and poise, silky tannins and a long finish.
The Bindi wines showed a clear winery style of delicacy and finesse. The 2021 Bindi Block 5 Pinot Noir impressed with lifted aromas and a very smooth palate. The Bindi Original Vineyard Pinot Noir was also very balanced and smooth - not much between these two.
The 2022 Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir was quite different - a result of the new ownership? This was a very savoury and peppery style; quite unusual for an Australian Pinot Noir, and not as poised as the previous three wines. Finally, the 2022 Main Ridge Half Acre could not outperform its tough competition. The owner described the vintage as tough, and the wine, while quite aromatic, fell a bit short on the finish.
While this went close to expectations, part 2 will show some real surprises.
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