Max Ferd. Richter Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett Riesling 2007

Mosel, Germany. Riesling. 8.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A40

Smelling like a bag of freshly opened dried apricots, with its whiff of sulphur and concentrated fruit, along with wax, bruised apple and the suggestion of slate. Enticing, direct and in a way predictable. A simple pleasure with it's emphasis on sweetness and intense, lingering acidity.

Very good.
90.
Now - 2014+

Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2006

Margaret River, Western Australia. Shiraz. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A40.

Ah choo. . . I recall there was a time, perhaps 10 years ago, when wine scribes would pontificate about whether a wine smelt more of white pepper or black pepper. This is a white pepper wine, plus five spice and juniper berry for good measure. . . I wonder too if there is a trace of eucalyptus and burnt rubber, or whether that is just my fond recollections of Margaret River and the drive down, the gum tree lined, Caves Road. . . Appealing and juicy in the mouth, but also slightly sappy and hard. I liked this a lot, but along with the earth and aniseed, it does have an ever so slightly green edge.

Very Very good.
91+
Now - 2014

Houghton Wisdom Riesling 2008

Great Southern, Western Australia. Riesling. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A30

Despite a few hours of reading and solving chess puzzles, I find my play is as sloppy as ever. . .

The retro looking Wisdom label (tarted up here with a laser pointer), honours the famed local wine maker, Jack Mann. I initially thought it was a new label, before realising it's a marketing and rebadging exercise. Which suggests that (for the target market) the cult of personality is more powerful than terroir. . .

It's quite convincing and faithful to the region, though the unkind might also say it was predictable and safe. Off dry, this has a spiciness to the palate and a little more weight and fluff (compared to other recent regional examples I've tried, like the Castle Rock 08). Quenching and direct with slate, lime, talc and blossom.

Very good.
88.
Now - 2014+

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 1999

Barossa, South Australia. Shiraz. 14.5%. Cork. Source: Cellar (bottle 5 of 7)

I drank this with a pepper steak (recipe in the image, Szechuan peppers on the page), which in retrospect was not the best pairing. The Szechuan pepper is 3% hydroxy alpha sanshool which numbs the tongue. . . Still, the steak was delicious and long after my meal, I'm sniffing and sipping. . .

Long, generous, smooth and shapely, this shows no signs of fading, despite earlier, unwarranted concerns. It's bright and fresh and yet it remains relaxed and unfurled. Scented with wax, blackcurrant, chocolate and leather, I think I finally understand. A hint of sweetness is countered with acidity, and all seems balanced, comforting and compelling.

Very good - excellent.
93.
Now - 2014+

Recommended eating: Finger lime

Native to Queensland, Citrus australasica (formerly Microcitrus australasica) is worth seeking out. I found this pair of finger limes ($A0.85 each) in my local Coles Supermarket. The flesh is quite leathery and tough, smelling of cum quat and orange, but also eucalyptus. Internally the juice is held is firm multicoloured (pink, yellow and orange) packets (1-2mm in size), not unlike fish roe or minuture pomegranate arils (but with more bite and no seed). The juice vesicles can be squeezed out from the cut fruit, releasing their intense lime flavours only when bitten.

Pyramid Valley Lebecca Vinyard Riesling 2007

Marlborough, New Zealand. Riesling. Screwcap. Approx $A50.

I had no particular preconceptions about this wine, buying it out of curiosity, rather than recommendation. It's very interesting, but far sweeter than I expected (from tasting, I would estimate at least 30 grams of residual sugar). Smelling of apple, sugarcane, white peach, blossom and hops, this is rounded and sweet in the mouth. There is a hint of burnt toffee, spice and musk and though there is a seam of acidity, I thought it could do with more bite and succulence.

Very good,
87.
Now - 2015.

Image: In the background wonton soup, from Jill Dupleix's 1998 book, Old Foods. I spent the morning and afternoon making the pork and prawn laden dumplings and on completion decided a Riesling was the most appropriate selection.

Telmo Rodríguez Dehesa Gago 2007

Toro, Spain. Tempranillo. Cork. 14.5%. Approx $A27.

For some odd reason this reminds me of my favourite corduroy jacket. It has a plush softness and yet a notable structure and firmness. Fragrant and elusive (I still can't pin this down), I could smell fragments, but not the whole - ginger, menthol, rose petal and dried citrus peel. . . It's grainy, muscled and bold, parching and expansive. Quite similar to the 2005 edition, but perhaps less pretty in its scent and more assertive in its presence.

Very good.
89.
Now - 2014.

Brokenwood Semillon 2007

Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Semillon. 11.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A24.

So much to read, so little time. . . I'm five chapters in and totally enthralled with Richard Yates's novel (released in 1961 to mixed reviews), Revolutionary Road. My fascination might have something to do with the marital discord that some of my near friends seem to be experiencing, but mainly it's the theme of failing to live up to expectations that strikes a chord.

The Brokenwood Semillon has no such failings. I expected and got mouthwatering, enamel stripping acidity.

Lemon zest, lanolin, grass and something vaguely floral. Tight, tart and refreshing, the bright acidity gives the impression of saltiness, whilst there is enough texture to add some flesh to the line and directness.

Very good.
88.
Now - 2012.

Post card: A Swan Valley roo

Late Saturday afternoon and the golfers have vacated the green. The local kangaroos can be seen in families and in number, having a casual nibble on the grass, enjoying the remains of the day. . .

Watching the grass grow

Three months on and it is time to report the preliminary findings, and to note a minor a flaw in my twin study. While both bottles have been kept in darkness, only one has enjoyed perfect cellaring conditions. The bottle on the right (which is already slightly darker) has had to make do with the heat and fluctuation of my study (in the last 3 months anywhere from 22-28 degrees C).

As to the flaw (in scope rather than method), I wish I had made this a triplet study, with a third bottle left totally unprotected from the light and heat. This would clarify if the commonly held assumption, that light causes most colour change, is correct.

Domaine La Roquète Châteauneuf du Pape 2005

Châteauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France. Grenache 70%, Shiraz 20%, Mourvedre 10%. Cork. 14.5%. Approx $A80.

Another very good wine from the brothers Brunier (1, 2). A multifaceted and changeable nose - To begin there is cherry, bay leaf and something resinous, in time it becomes meaty and charred, not unlike a day old ashtray. Powerfully built with chewy, chalky tannins and a Balsamic edge (complex and lingering, with a hint of sweetness and malt). This is pleasingly bright, persistent and chiseled.

Very good - excellent.
92.
Now - 2019

Pyramid Valley Kerner Estate Marlborough Pinot blanc 2007

Marlborough, New Zealand. Pinot blanc. Screwcap. 13.9%. Approx $A55.

Golden and slightly turbid (unfiltered and unfined), this is delightfully idiosyncratic in its accent and emphasis. Convincingly scented with stone and flint, nettle and a trace of ripe pineapple. Full of texture, intensity and succulence, some may find this a little too sweet edged, unctuous, gripping and essence like. Personally I found it very appealing, with its musk and fleeting hint of spice, tea leaf and stinky blue vein cheese. . .

Very good - excellent.
92.
Now - 2011.

Distracted

I re-tried three wines today, all seemed unrecognizable (1,2,3). It might have had something to do with the heat and the 25 screaming, sugar filled children I was trying to entertain. . . A glass of Bay of Fires Tigress Pinot noir chardonnay NV (Tasmania, Approx $A30) had more impact. Laden with crisp green apples its clarity and line was undiminished by the battle cry of my restive fours and fives. . .

With apologies to Anaïs Nin - We do not taste things as they are, we only taste things as we are.

Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2007

Auckland, New Zealand. Chardonnay. 13%. Screwcap. Approx $A20.

I've been amusing myself with Kierkegaard and his book Either/Or, in particular the hedonistic propositions of the character known as A. At around 600 pages, it's something to dip into rather than to read cover to cover. It's full of amusing hyperbole:

We can trace this (boredom, which is the root of all evil) from the very beginning of the world. The gods were bored so they created man. Adam was bored because he was alone, so Eve was created. From that time boredom entered the world and grew in exact proportion to the growth of population. Adam was bored alone, then Adam and Eve were bored in union, then Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel were bored en famille, then the population increased and the peoples were bored en masse. To divert themselves they conceived of building a tower so high it reached the sky. . .

and suggestions on how to avoid boredom, for instance:

One never accepts any vocational responsibility. If one does so, one simply becomes Mr Anybody, a tiny pivot in the machinery of the corporate state; you cease to direct your own affairs, and then theories can be of little help. One acquires a title, and in it is contained all the consistency of sin and evil. The law one is then in thrall to is equally boring, whether promotion is rapid or slow. A title is something one can never be rid of again, it would have to be lost through some crime which incurs a public whipping, and even then you are not certain, for you may be pardoned and have your title restored to you by royal decree.

As to the wine, the Kumeu River Village chardonnay is certainly hedonistic, but equally it is consistent and predictably excellent value for money (the note for the 2006 is here). I'm not sure if Kierkegaard's character A would approve. . . Convincing and tight, this smells momentarily of hazel nut before becoming more citrus, stonefruit and pineapple in accent. There's a hint of flint (a third of the juice that is matured in French oak), terrific tightness and zippy grapefruit tartness and phenolics.

Very good.
Excellent value.
90.
Now - 2012.

Zind Humbrecht Clos Häuserer Riesling 2006

Clos Häuserer, Wintzenheim, Alsace, France. Riesling. 13%. Cork (blemish free). Approx $A85

Wino sapien is 3 years old today. Many thanks to all the kind souls who have shown an interest and those who have taken the time to comment and read. I thought I'd celebrate with something special.

This is a superb wine. Refined, rich and perfectly weighted. It smells of stones and flint, white flowers and musk. Lush and appealing in the mouth, nothing is out of place, it leans towards dryness, but still there is softness and a sweet edge. The texture is remarkable, essence like, one part flesh, one part silk.

Excellent.
96.
Now - 2016.

technorati tags: wine

Seppelt Benno Shiraz 2003

Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. Shiraz. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A50 on release.

A deeply coloured, succulent wine, with plenty of conviction and youthful vitality. Spiced and meaty, the French oak is still apparent, like olfactory haze, rimmed by pepper and dried citrus peel. Zippy and pert, cherry like in its flavour and behaviour, with an initial and fleeting impression of sweetness before tingling acidity and intense juiciness. Ending as it began with the tannins holding an enduring suggestion of meat and spice.

Very good - excellent.
92.
Now - 2019.

De Bortoli Noble One 2000

Riverina, New South Wales, Australia. Botrytis Semillon. 11%. Cork (covered in fine tartrate crystals). Source: cellar.

There was a time before the technocrats and lawyers got involved (pre 1990), when Noble One was labeled Sauternes. I was reminded of this while rummaging through my wine cabinet. Both the pictured bottles have been more or less side by side for the last five years. I was struck by the difference in colour. The De Bortoli (2000) looks like it is suffering from progeria, all brown and orange, while the older Sauternes (1996) looks a youthful honey blond.

With an orange core this smells of toffee, fig and marmalade. There's also a less convincing note of varnish, which soon recedes. This is a tooth ache wine, laden with sweetness, a lingering seam of acidity and the occasional tartrate crystal. It's sweet, and biting, like a toffee apple, with generosity, texture and persistence.

Very very good.
90.
Now - 2011.

Minor changes

I try not to scratch, it releases too many inflammatory mediators and tends to makes the original problem worse. Still having a blog provides ample opportunity to fiddle and scratch. After changing the font to Courier (for half a day), I've decided to stick to the more compact Verdana. . . thank you (Moonshadow, Jeremy and Julian) for the constructive feedback.

Image: One of the prettiest corks I've come across. Blemish and taint free, tight fitting and still faithfully carrying some of last nights scent.