Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay Mini Vertical

 Sorry, I have not posted for a while, as I have mainly been drinking wine I already reviewed, but I experienced a mini vertical of the Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, which is worth while talking about.

There are not many Australian Chardonnays which age well, but the Leeuwin Art Series is one. This tasting included the years 2020, 2013, and 1999.

The 2020 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay is pale in colour. It is quite restrained on the nose. On the palate, many flavours reveal themselves: white flower, white peach, lemon curd, white melon, flint, and marzipan. Very high quality French oak is noticeable. The wine is very focused, and reveals its intensity after some time in the glass. Very complex and long on the finish (97 points).

The 2013 Chardonnay is light gold in colour. Flavours of white peach, citrus, nectarine, and some cashew. This is a powerful wine with a luscious mouthfeel. Acidity is more obvious than in the 2020. This wine is obviously more developed than the 2020, probably drinking at its peak now, and certainly proving this label can be aged (97 points).

The 1999 Chardonnay is different. The colour is an intense yellow. It delivers a big mouthfeel of lemon, melon, pineapple, fig, a hint of butterscotch. In comparison to the first two wines, it feels a little worked and heavy. However, it is a great effort to keep a 25 year old Australian Chardonnay alive and well (95 points).

At some point, I think in the early 2000s, the style of the Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay changed. Prior its fruit flavours were tropical, such as pineapple or yellow peach, and the mouthfeel broader. Since then precision on the palate increased, and citrus and white fruit flavours started to dominate, making the wine closer in style to a top level Burgundy. This was certainly brought out in this small tasting.

 

Mount Mary Quintet Vertical

 Vertical tastings, not easy to come by, are great opportunities to identify a producer's style, while also appreciating vintage variations. I was lucky to recently participate in a vertical tasting of Mount Mary Quintet from this iconic producer of the Yarra Valley. The Quintet has never been a top pick for me. This tasting has told me why. These wines only come into their own once they are at least 10 years old - and I never had the patience. This tasting spans vintages from 2017 to 2002.

The youngest wine, the Quintet 2017, was the least impressive. The wine is red fruited, with red cherry and raspberry flavours. The fruit has great purity and is enriched by mocca flavours. I notice a whole in the mid-palate, typical for Cabernet Sauvignon, even though the Quintet includes Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Hard to know if the wine will integrate as well as the older ones on tasting, but judging the wine as it is, I give it 93 points.

The Quintet 2013 impresses with quite a purple colour. The wine is very aromatic on the nose. In the mouth, it feels a little leaner. This is supported by some blue fruit flavours, which add to the raspberry, plum, and mocca character. In this wine, the different grape varieties are well integrated, and the mouthfeel is seamless (95 points). 

The Quintet 2012 is very different. This is quite a big and fruity wine; concentrated, yet very balanced. There is cassis and graphite on the palate and some muskiness. This is complex, with a long finish (97 points).

When we come to the Quintet 2005, we notice a difference due to age. This is now a wine on the plateau of development. It is very settled, a bit more linear than the bigger mouthfeel of the 2012. This wine is dark fruited and very elegant. It offers less generosity than the 2012, but a long and silky finish (95 points).

The Quintet 2002, from a cooler year, is still very much alive. The colour is still dark and intense, not at all flaky. This wine could be taken for a 1st or 2nd growth Bordeaux. Layers of red and black fruits are very smooth on the palate; chocolate and hints of muskiness. I detect some bret, but at this level it is not distracting. This is a beautiful aged Yarra Valley Cabernet (96 points). 

What are the key takeaways? As already mentioned, this wine should be drunk at 10 years plus. Also, as others have suggested, high quality aged Cabernet tends to end up in a similar spot (of taste).

 

Delamere Pinot Noir

 As I mentioned in previous posts, Tasmanian Pinot Noir is difficult to get a grip on. There are a number of sub-regions with quite different terroir, and, being a marginal wine growing region, depending on the vintage, in one year one sub-region works out well, and in another year another. For the 2021 vintage, Delamere from the Pipers Brook region in the north-east was written up well. This is my first taste of the 2021 Delamere Pinot Noir.

The wine shows a ruby colour, bright and intense. On the palate, black cherry and licorice dominate. This Pinot Noir is very deep and concentrated, surprising for Tasmania, perhaps (although there are other examples). There is fresh acidity and firm tannins, but the fruit flavours outweigh the structure elements. As a result, the strength of the wine is on the front and mid palate. Still, this is a satisfying wine, which drinks well right now. 

The wine clearly benefits from 40 year old vines and the winemaking skills of the Bay of Fires team.

Score: 95/++

A Winning Strategy?

 We all like to acquire an excellent wine at a low price. Is there a systematic way of doing this? One approach is to buy a second or third level wine from a leading winemaking team. Well, this can work to some extent, but there is a reason why these wines are second or third tier. I have now come across another approach. It is terroir related. The first wine is from Lusatia Park, Yarra Valley. This vineyard has delivered fruit to Giant Steps, Oakridge, Phi and others. Since 2015, the site is owned by De Bortoli. Interestingly, this name is not found on the label of their 2022 Riorret Lusatia Park Pinot Noir.

The wine comes across as quite fruity, in a typical strawberry, red cherry blend. It is a lively wine, and some savoury backbone starts to develop on the mid-palate. The wine is medium weight, with a balanced mouthfeel. The tannins are mild and the finish medium. This is a good quality all-rounder, but it lacks the sophistication of a top Yarra Pinot Noir.

Score: 93/++

So, has this approach been successful? I guess to a degree, but not completely.

The second wine is the 2022 Terra Sancta Mysterious Diggings Pinot Noir.

This wine is from Central Otago. In fact, the vineyard is right next to the original Felton Road vineyard. It sits at 300m altitude and consists of sandy soils.

This is a more intense wine than the first wine, with red and black cherry fruit, raspberry, black truffle, and forest floor. There is good complexity in this energetic wine. It is also fruit dominant and delivers a silky mouthfeel. Other elements fall in the mid range: body weight, tannins, and finish.

Again, the wine is good quality, a bit darker and bigger than the first wine.

Score: 93/++

So, is this strategy working? The wines did not disappoint, and they deliver very good value for money, in particular the Mysterious Diggings. But is it a major revelation or an absolute steal? Probably not. The wine market is quite efficient. 

Epis Pinot Noir

 Domaine Epis is a bit of a legendary winery. It was one of the first in the Macedon Ranges, and it made Pinot Noir in a Burgundian style, more savoury, while 20+ years ago many Australian Pinot Noirs were very fruit forward. It's volume was also very small. So you had the making of a cult winery. Forward 20 years, and the Pinot Noir landscape has changed a lot and the quality is much improved across the board. I have not had Epis wines for a long time, but I picked up a 2021 Epis Pinot Noir the other day.

The first impression: this is not so different and unusual any more. Black raspberry and forest floor flavours deliver a largely savoury impression in the mouth. There is also a slightly metallic touch. This is a medium-bodied wine with a somewhat linear, austere mouthfeel. The tannins are mild, and the finish medium plus. The wine opened up a bit in the glass, and will be better in a few years.

What is happening here is, many other wineries have caught up and gone ahead, whereas Epis has stood still (remember Virgin Hills?). The owner is now a remarkable 86 years old. He is getting some help from Michael Dhillon (Bindi) and others, but a more permanent solution will be required.

Score: 92/+

20 Year Old Penfolds Grange

 This is the preamble: Many of my wine drinking friends pooh-pooh Grange: too ripe, too big, too brutal, not sophisticated. A tall poppy syndrome? I must admit that I have tended to enjoy lighter wines over the years. But then, on a special occasion, I like to open a special wine, in this case a 2004 Penfolds Shiraz. This is what happened:

The wine shows a very high shoulder. The cork is clearly tight. Well, it was very tight and started to crumble and disintegrate as I started to pull it. Thankfully, I manage to extract the bottom part in one piece. No cork fell into the bottle.

The wine was astonishing. Yes, it is big and ripe, but also polished, fresh, smooth, with lively acidity. The blue and black fruits are layered, the finish goes on and on. This wine would stand out in any crowd. Can a full-bodied Shiraz be better than this?

Score: 100 points (+++)

Two other points of interest. When is the best time to drink this wine? An older version of Rewards of Patience suggests between 2016-2050. This is not very helpful. This wine still shows primary fruit, but also secondary characteristics. The structure is strong. You do not want to lose all fruit. I suggest a drinking window from here to 2030.

Many people wonder how the current release can be close to $1000 per bottle. I bought this wine in 2009 for $600. This means the increases have been 3% per annum - not too outrageous.  

Laurent Ponsot Masterclass

 Laurent Ponsot resigned from the family Domaine Ponsot at the end of 2017 and set up on his own with his son. Since then he has been on a steep growth path.

He is an interesting character. Recently I wrote a post about blending, and that it should perhaps not be rubbished. Laurent Ponsot has an interesting take on it. He blends from different plots, but only within one subregion, for example Gevrey-Chambertin and so on. He blends owned properties with purchased fruit, thereby mixing the mostly strict distinction between domain and negociant wines. His view is that this adds complexity, but preserves the terroir of each region. He also does not use any new oak. There are other innovations, such as in the measurements against fakes and his special cork.

This is the first time he visited Australia. It was a great success, a great opportunity to taste a number of his $2000 plus/bottles grand crus. This is the list of wines I tasted, all from the 2021 vintage.

- Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée 

- Meursault Cuvée du Pandoréa

- Corton Charlemagne Cuvée du Kalimeris

and the reds 

- Vosne-Romanée Cuvée du Cerisier

- Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes Cuvée du Tilleul

- Gevrey-Chambertin En Ergot Cuvée du Mélèze

- Clos de Vougeot Cuvée du Cèdre

- Griotte Chambertin Cuvée du Saule

- Bonnes Mares Cuvée de l'Amandier

The white wines have a flower name, the red wines a tree name. Here are the highlights:

The Corton-Charlemagne comes from 12 plots. It is a big wine, but balanced. Stone fruits and marzipan on the palate, long finish (95 points).

The Gevrey-Chambertin En Ergot from the smallest 1er cru in Gevrey-Chambertin is quite light. It is a silky, elegant, quite ethereal wine, and despite its lightness has a firm tannic finish (95 points).

The Clos de Vougeot from 10 sites and 7 producers in a similar way is light and elegant, but concentrated as well, showing savoury flavours, too (96 points). The Bonnes Mares, with only 788 bottles, is similar, but more aromatic (95 points).

My favourite wine was the Griotte Chambertin, a slightly bigger wine. It is quite intense, with good drive, dark fruits and savoury flavours (96 points).

Overall, these wines impress with their purity of fruit, their light touch, and elegance.  

  

Château de Vaudieu

 Château de Vaudieu is not as well known as Vieux Télégraphe or Château de Beaucastel, but I think it should be. It is the largest continuous holding in Châteauneuf -du-Pape, with 70ha. As such, it has seven different soil types on this property with sand, limestone, and large pebbles dominating parts of the property.

These different soil types invite different bottlings, and this is what Chateau de Vaudieu does. I tasted three of their wines from the 2016 vintage.

The 2016 Château de Vaudieu Châteauneuf -du-Pape is the base wine. It is Grenache dominant. The wine is predominantly composed of grapes from sandy soils. The flavour profile is quite intriguing, with red, blue, and black fruit flavours dominant on different parts of the palate. There are licorice flavours and some spice. The wine has a medium concentration. Firm tannins overshadow the fruit a bit. This is a solid, but not outstanding wine.

Score: 92/++

The 2016 Château de Vaudieu Val de Dieu is from a little valley which gave the name to the Chateau. The soil is large pebbles and red sandstone. This wine has a similar flavour profile, with darker fruits more dominant. This wine is more rounded, more elegant, with quite ripe Grenache flavours shining through. The mouthfeel is quite deep, as chalky, dry tannins lead to a dry finish.

Score: 94/++

The 2016 Château de Vaudieu L'Avenue is stunning. This wine is 100% Grenache from a small block of sandy soil. Black cherries and blue fruit flavours avoid any raspberry. This wine is powerful, concentrated, and rich, yet at the same time elegant and not dense. It has been described as a 'plush sexpot of a wine'. The tannins are ample, yet silky. I loved this wine.

Score: 97/+++ 

  

  

Penfolds Collection 2024

 

                                        

The Penfolds Collection now consists of 22 wines. It is difficult to taste them all. I had an opportunity to taste 9 of these wines. The biggest omissions were St. Henri (small volume?), Bin 707, RWT, the premium Chardonnays, and the French wines.

An overall impression of the red wines is that they seem to be fresher and more energetic than in the past. The influence of new oak is more subdued, and overall the wines are quite drinkable straight away.

I was not too impressed with the white wines I tasted. The 2024 Bin 51 Riesling from Eden Valley was quite broad (90 points). The 2023 Bin 311 is actually quite complex on the palate expressing citrus, white nectarine, strike match and almond flavours. The Penfols notes give more than 10 flavours, but somehow the wine did not grab me as some previous vintages have (92 points).

Of the entry level red wines, the 2023 Bin 23 Grenache was a real revelation. Many Grenaches are too big and too fruity, but this wine is quite restrained. It is medium-bodied, with raspberry flavours and a touch of bubblegum sweetness, only a touch. The mouthfeel is quite velvety and the finish is long - a very attractive wine (94 points). The 2022 Bin 28 Shiraz, the Penfolds workhorse, is pure and plummy, but the finish is short (92 points). 

The American wines are from the wildfires impacted 2021 vintage. The Bin 600 is this curious combination of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and  15% South Australian Shiraz. Despite the Shiraz component, I felt the hole on the mid-palate. The Cabernet component not very strong. The wine has an earthy taste and the finish is medium (91 points). The 2021 Bin 704 is Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. This is quite a big wine, but it has acidity to match. This is an intense and tannic wine, but it is in balance (93 points).

The 2022 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet grapes from all major regions of South Australia is quite a step up. It is a fresh wine with good drive, representing the vintage. The cooler year defines this wine. It is much leaner than in previous years, again with a bit of a gap in the middle. However, it is a well constructed wine with good balance (92 points). The 2022 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is quite a step up. The wine is quite fresh, with good drive, showing the characteristics of the vintage.  Blackberry, plum, and mulberry flavours deliver a satisfying mouthfeel. The key feature to me is the very long finish. This wine will benefit from ageing, no doubt (95 points).

Grange; what can you say that has not been said already. this is the 2020 Grange. The first impression; you can actually drink this wine on release and enjoy it. Given the unparalleled grape resources available to Penfolds, it is not surprising that the variability from year to year is quite low. So you expect the wine to be powerful and ripe, which it is, with licorice and dark chocolate flavours adding to the fruit. However, this is not an outstanding Grange, when measured against other vintages. What is missing is the detailed layering you find in the best vintages. Did the 2020 bush fires have an influence? (96 points).

Overall, Penfolds is heading in the right direction with this release. Some key wines were missing in this tasting, so a complete assessment will have to wait.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

By Farr New Releases

 The whites of the new releases are from 2023, the reds from the 2022 vintage. Both vintages were cool in Geelong, in particular 2023.

I start with the 2023 By Farr Viognier. Viognier can be difficult, often a bit flabby, and tasting of fruit salad. This wine avoids it, helped by the cool vintage. It is quite tight, tasting of citrus, ginger, and apricot. So there is good complexity, and firms acidity brings it home in style (94 points).

The 2023 By Farr Chardonnay is interesting. It is certainly different from most in this country. While it is a young wine, it features ripe stone fruits, even some honey, and an overall savoury mouthfeel. It is quite a rich wine. I recommend to drink it young (93 points).

The most highly regarded By Farr wines are certainly the Pinot Noirs. The 2022 By Farr ‘Farrside’ Pinot Noir shows very lifted and pretty aromas. On the palate, strawberry, mushroom, and earthy flavours dominate. This is a very light wine, due to the vintage. The 60% whole bunch brings some body. The wine is smooth with a soft finish. It is quite different from the typical powerhouse performance of this wine (92 points).

The 2022 By Farr 'Sangreal' Pinot Noir is always the more savoury wine. Vines are grown on volcanic soil. In this year, it is quite fruity. There is the expected savoury undergrowth, but it is nowhere near as powerful as in most years. The firmer tannins and resulting structure gives it the lead over the 'Farrside' (93 points).

The real surprise is the 2022 By Farr Shiraz. This wine has never been on my radar. But in this year, where the Pinots do not hit their usual heights, the Shiraz shines. The wine is quite light, but in beautiful balance. Red berry fruit, a bit of spice, and some creaminess deliver a beautiful tender mouthfeel. This is cool climate Victorian Shiraz, but without the strong spice component of the typical Victorian profile. Soft tannins finish this graceful wine (94 points).

Overall, an unexpected experience. The Pinots were outshone by the bookends, the Viognier and the Shiraz. This is what vintage variation can do.

Is it a good time to buy Burgundy?

 In short, not yet. Burgundy wines have seen spectacular price rises in the last years. This was exacerbated in the years since the Covid pandemic, as vintages were low yielding and people had few options to spend money, and bought Burgundy as a result.

Now things have changed. The 2022 and 2023 vintages are large. Many customers have turned off Burgundy because of high prices and lack of supply. Will they come back now, as more wine is available?Early signs are that this is doubtful. All major economies are struggling: China, Europe, and part of the US. Many leading producers have dropped prices (up to 30%) to clear their stock. However, these price reductions have not flown to the secondary market - yet.

I suggest to be a bit patient if you are a Burgundy buyer, but most likely, opportunities will come your way.

Tyrrell's Johnno's Shiraz

 In contrast to the other sacred sites, the soil of the Johnno's vineyard is mainly sand.

The 2017 Tyrrell's Johnno's Shiraz is a beautiful, flavoursome, and elegant wine. It is red and blue fruited with some licorice and milk chocolate flavours rounding out an intense and velvety mouthfeel. The flavours reveal themselves in different nuances down the palate towards a long harmonious finish.

The 2017 vintage is quite special. This wine is still very youthful and has many years ahead. I would rate it higher than the 4 and 8 Acre wines. I still have to try the Old Patch from this year (coming to you soon). 

Score: 96/+++