Only limited information was provided in the allocation of wine to members. Each member was told individually to bring a style of wine to match a dish, but did not know who they were paired against, or the style of the competing wine. It was a refreshing change that made it difficult to plan against the competition based on knowledge of their cellar and palate preference. All members were present at this event and special guest Sam Davies provided an educational insight on the use of oak in wine making.
Lobster beurre glanc with garlic crostini
Menetou - Salon Morogues 2006. (Steve Bossong). Flinty, minerally, steely, good length balance and mouthfeel. What I called a Chablis turned out to be a Sancerre. My pronounciation of french is terrible... "Cassoulet (LET) at Chez (CHEZ) Pierre" but i had to look hard at the label to see where it stated Sancerre and must confess that it did cross my mind that Salon could be pronouced as Sancerre. The appelation of Mentou - Salon adjoins Sancerre and shares the same soils so this 100% savignion blanc should just as well be a Sancerre.
Marc Bredif Vouvray 1996 (Timothy Lo). A fruity / floral nose distinctively french, honey, apricot almost a little sauterney, a long and slightly sweet finish. Thanks to "Nonna" at La Vigna for taking a stab in the dark and recommending this one. Jan picked the variety and the region having had a bottle 2 weeks earlier.
Craggy Range Pinot 2008 (Alex & Paul)
Port Phillip Estate 2007 (Tim and Steve H)
2 Cherry Pinots. Not bad Pinots, but neither stood out or offered anything unusual. There was much debate about the range of pinots with Dave H calling for more strawberry pinots and Steve B commenting about the 19 clones of pinot.
Interlude - Sam Davies explaning what he's been up to in the last 2 years and sharing his knowledge about the differences between American and French oak. Followed by a taste of 2 Penfolds wines that use both types of oak.
Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2005 - French Oak (Jan). Big vanillin oak flavours, modest fruit. I like this wine for its unashmed use of oak, however it was so oak driven that i was sure it had to be brash American Oak. The points went to team Mark on this one.
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2006 - American Oak (Jan). Fleshy red fruit, firm tannins. Note from Sam - warm climate Shiraz generally sees a higher percentage of American oak
Morrocan Lamb
Mount Mary Cabernet 1984 (Steve H) - A wine touted as wine of the day... Brown / Brick colour Mild oil / diesel characteristics with some fruit still evident. Long lived for a 26 year old wine, but sadly on the downward slope.
Jack Mann Cabernet Savignion 2000 (Mark B) - Brickish colour, fine tannins, licorice, dark red berries. A well made wine that tastes expensive, but fruit from Frankland seems to struggle to find its own identity. Prefer Margaret River Cabernet.
The next 2 wines were selected as both wines were in the drinking window, but one at the start and the other at the end of the window. Both wines were the 2 best vintages in the last 30 years. Now at this point the memory starts to get a bit hazy but im pretty certain i claimed the 1994 vintage being at the start of the drinking window. (Please clarify notes from the book)
Wynns Michael Shiraz 1994 (Dave Hendry) - Well balanced, but slightly firmer tannins than 1999 and the fruit is a touch fresher.
Wynns Michael Shiraz 1999 (Mark B) - All the elements were toned down a notch compared to 1994 and i detected a hint of oil starting to peek through or do i have my left and right mixed up?
Quaffers
Peel Estate Zinfandel 01
Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz 04
Dessert - Magnum Ice Cream
Pedro Ximenez. Black Gold Viscosity, big powerful rasin flavours backed with high octane alcohol. Touted as one of the few wines that matches well with ice cream.
Cheese - a great selection including a sheeps milk brie that challenged me, and a peppered cheddar that defeated me.
Chateau De Malle Sauternes 2004 (Cam) - A young Sauternes with intense citrus and pineapple flavours, classic sauternes flavours. Go and buy it.
Thanks to Alex and Paul for organising a brilliant saturday afternoon with food and to Sam for sharing his knowledge with us.
