Jamsheed Great Western Riesling 2009

Westgate, Great Western, Victoria. Riesling. 12%. Screwcap. Approx $A28.

Two interesting snippets from the side label, the vines were planted in the excellent year, 1969, and the juice was matured and fermented in large French oak barrels, a relative rarity for this grape, today, in Australia.

Though not the very best 09 Riesling I've tried this year, this is certainly one of the most interesting. In terms of descriptors, it's timid to begin, but with warmth and a few minutes it blossoms and becomes more telescopic. It gives the impression of sea salt, and strangely bonito flakes. More characteristically there is a lovely grapefruit and citrus pith grip to complement the crunch. This also has the faintest almost homeopathic suggestion of sweetness, surely no more than 5-10g/L. For an Aussie Riesling the nose is quite sulpherous and if all you did was sniff, it would be hard not to think of Germany. Excellent. 93. Now - 2020

Mac Forbes Hugh 2007

Gruyere, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet franc, Petit Verdot. 12.5%. Diam. Approx $A55.

Lovely, though somewhat atypical. Dusty eucalyptus and mint along with a notably savoury element and bright raspberries on the nose and in the mouth. Lighter and seemingly more acidic than most, but still with fine meaty and chewy tannins, which seem to suggest stems and pips. 92. Now - 2017.

Review: Jaws East Perth

I suspect being the owner of a popular sushi train makes good economic sense. Patrons have poor impulse control and generally eat more than they intend to, while lingering diners would be rare. The seating (side by side, making anything more than a quartet seem awkward) and atmospherics (a bright transit lounge) make a leisurely meal out of the question.

I visited recently and the four of us, two adults and two young children managed to eat our way through one hundred and twenty dollars of food in less than an hour. The metric of $2/minute was skewed by the two set meals we ordered and the six desserts. . .

The food is good, but certainly not exceptional. While the previous manifestation of this restaurant, was a pleasant night out (and far more conducive to wine and conversation), this is somewhere to visit before or after the evening’s main course.

Image: The not so subliminal message is eat quickly and go. . .

On this day

Australia has its first female Prime minister. Certainly an historic occasion, but I'm too old and cynical to feel any particular euphoria. I've never been a fan of blood sports. . . When a political party decides to dispense with its leader we get a rare glimpse into its true nature, and on both sides, the picture is far from appealing. On two occasions and for different reasons, my sympathies have been for the vanquished.

Image: Barbara cleverly pointed out, the most appropriate wine was the Head Red, I've had to make do with a aging bottle of Victorian Shiraz.

Domaine Clape Cotes du Rhone 2005

Cotes du Rhone, France. Grenache, Shiraz, et al. 12.5%. Cork. Approx $A90

This is a lovely wine, meaty and laden with the scent of cured flesh. . . Rosewood and dried herbs, slightly medicinal, but to my mind this is perfectly clean. Stalk and earth, dried plums, pepper and meat. In a word savoury. . . Sinewy and lean in the mouth, though the impression is something more weighty and substantial than the stated 12.5%. Changeable and complex, this is quite an expansive wine, with the concluding tannins leaving the mouth lip smackingly dry. Teasingly, my last sip, from a long abandoned glass reminds me of favouorite small good - prosciutto. 92+ 2012 - 2020

Image: In the background, Onslow, Western Australia, from the book Smalltown (an affectionate take on fugliness and the smalltown).

Winter

There's something grotesque but satisfying about this squash which has been left to harden and grow beyond it's culinary norm. It sits on my crowded desk, a cross between Yorick's skull and Piggy's Conch. I find myself picking it up and trying to fit my hands around it, percussing and rotating and day dreaming of warmth and sunshine.

Mitolo Jester Vermentino 2010

McLaren Vale, South Australia. Vermentino. Screwcap. 10% alcohol. Approx $A20

Even in the midst of winter, I can see the appeal of this bright, light and aromatic white. What it really needs though is a stinking hot day, the sort of day when something watery and spiked with grass, fresh herbs and citrus is all you can handle. . . Short and sharp this reminds me of Ungi Blanc (aka trebbiano) from the South of France or even an Argentinian Torrontes. 85. Drink during the Summer of 2010/11.

Jamsheed Gruyere Syrah 2008

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Shiraz. 13.5%. Diam. Approx $A45.

I'm pretty sure this is the pasta maker from my childhood. Still covered in 30 year old flour, I can recall helping my father use it. It has an equally ancient electric motor attachment, which smells close to failure, but thankfully, tonight, it was able to roll out another batch. . .

The wine reminds me a lot of the Luke Lambert Syrah. . . the signature scent and mouthfeel of fermented whole bunches coupled with lovely freshness and delicacy. . . appealing and youthful this smells of stewed berries, spice and thyme. Bright and pert, there is a suggestion of sap and tobacco, as the palate casually unfurls and expands. Lovely. 93. Now - 2015.

Post script - One week later (26th of June) and the dregs are absolutely beautiful. Soft and fragrant, it's far more delicious than my first impressions. I think drink to 2020 with ease and make this a 95/100

Related.

Head Red 2009

Barossa, South Australia. Shiraz, Viognier. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A32 (For my Perth readers, I bought this from the Beaufort St Merchant).

If your surname is Head and you have the good humour and cheek to a name your two Rhone like shiraz The Blonde and The Brunette, it seems natural to continue the gag with a third called Red. The back label mentions this is a blend from declassified barrels of Blonde and Brunette. In the hands of a more skilled writer, I'm sure these facts alone would make for a useful limerick. Not having such ability, this is all I could muster.

There was a wine maker called Head
The French did frown at his nipples blond and brown
But if you touched them together they turned red.

Lovely and perfumed, this is clearly worth more than its relatively modest price tag. Spiced and meaty there is a fleeting note of musk and rose petal to complement the pepper and anise. Fleshy, but all the time slippery and flowing. A delicious and joyful wine. 92. Now - 2015.

Housekeeping

After a few days of fiddling with the template, I've decided to revert to the previous iteration. There are a few extremely minor cosmetic changes, a slightly larger gap between the side bar and the main content for instance. . . At least on my ipod and to my eyes, the all white background seems crisper and it certainly loads more rapidly.

Image: Guildford road @ 8pm. Somewhat related image.

Chateau Meyney 2006

St Estephe, Bordeaux, France. Cabernet et al. 13%. Cork. Half bottle, Approx $A35.

Reading one of my favourite wine blogs the other day, I started thinking about a bottle of wine, which I assumed was in reach. . . I'm sure I have at least one bottle of Pyramid Valley Pinot noir somewhere. . . Having a magpie brain, I've been snapping up random bottles of Pyramid Valley wines (1,2) ever since seeing the distinctive and beautiful label on other blogs (1, 2, 3) .

I'm hoping my bottle is 'lost' in my wine cabinet, though quite possibly I may have consumed it without recollection. Which makes the suggestion of the newspaper clipping (the image is by Charis Tsevis) quite appropriate. Screen time is making me scatterbrained. . .

In the end, I grabbed at a half bottle of Bordeaux. It was raw and slightly hard work without a slab of beef. Deep, savoury and laden with spiced oak, it's serious and stern and not at all ready. To demonstrate this, there was even an odd candle wax sensation on the nose and disconcertingly in the mouth. Like eating something still encased in packaging wax. . . This does fade, leaving a more expected amalgam of ink, malt and soy. It will soften, but I suspect even with time this will only give modest pleasure.

Review: Elies Tent

Located @ 610 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park is a wonderfully authentic, nourishing and welcoming Lebanese restaurant. Go on a Friday or Saturday night and it is likely you will witness an enthusiastic display of belly dancing. My two children were enthralled as were the majority of the patrons. Of course it is a cliché, but it seems so appropriate and suitably atmospheric.

The food is delicious, flavoursome and sure to please even the fussiest of carnivores. Certainly much more appealing than the images on the website. . . I tried perhaps a dozen plates and especially liked the Shawarma lamb and the King prawn mishwee.

Service is friendly and functional and the venue is BYO ($5 per bottle). I had three contrasting wines. An Oakridge Chardonnay (The Parish 2009, available from Vintage Cellars only) which was lovely and tight, though perhaps a little short. The 2000 Turkey Flat Shiraz was fully mature and uncoiled, while the 2007 Olssens Slapjack creek Pinot noir seemed overdone and top heavy.

Olssens Slapjack Creek Pinot noir 2007

Central Otago, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 14.6%. Screwcap. Approx $A65.

Dear reader, I've changed the background and format of the blog, please let me know what you think. . .

This is possibly the biggest and most porty Pinot noir I can recall drinking. It smells of Central Otago, with earth, spice and beets, while in the mouth it is monumental and clumsy. With the distraction of food and a buxom belly dancer I thought it quite good, but on its own, the imperfections and exaggerations are too much to take. 88. Now.

Background: A page from the comprehensive and excellent Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion.

Dandelion Vineyards Shiraz Riesling 2007

McLaren Vale, South Australia. Shiraz 95%, Riesling 5%. Screwcap. Alcohol 14%. Approx $A22.

What a curious wine, Shiraz and Riesling, co fermented. . . being prone to auto-suggestion I can detect lime zest on my first sniff. . . I'm sure it's illusory. There is however something different about this, a lightness and prettiness to the nose, something floral and white to offset the more conventional crushed blueberries, chocolate and mulberry. It's similar in the mouth, there's the familiar softness and warmth of McLaren Vale but instead of being languid and fatty, this has pace, zip and a hint of steel. It's shiraz, but certainly not as we know it. . . 90. Now - 2015.

Hat tip to Jesse who first told me about this, over 6 months ago.

Cork lenticels

One of the curious pleasures and frustrations of cork is its inconsistency. Lifting the foil from my last bottle, I noticed these prominent lenticels. Thankfully they run parallel to the face and don't perforate the length of the cork.

The nomenclature is also curious. Presumably lenticel is derived from lentil (Lens culinaris), the lens shaped legume. It's also close to lentigo, which is Latin for freckle. . .

Related.

Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett 2007

Nahe, Germany. Riesling. 8.5%. Cork (hard with one disc crusted in crystals). Approx $A40.

Home made and slightly deformed orecchiette. Measure out 250g plain flour and add 2 pinches of salt flakes and briefly work in 100g ricotta. Create a well and add 1 large egg and 2 tablespoons of water which have been beaten together. Kneed into a stiff dough for a few minutes, then wrap in cling film and set aside for 20 minutes or so. Give the dough a more thorough kneed and when starting to soften, roll portions into long cigars and slice into 3-5mm discs. Create your little ears of pasta by placing a disc in the cup of your palm and pressing with your contralateral thumb.

The wine: Beautiful, playful and yet searingly intense. I have the mental picture of a perfectly smooth stone rolling into the distance in an undisturbed straight line. . . Like all good kabinett each mouthful is a combination of shock and sweetness. Excellent. 94. Now - 2020.

Oakridge 864 Pinot noir 2008

Hickory Downs, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A60

The chips: Out of morbid curiosity and duty to my betrothed I buy any and all products I find that contain durian. These chips, replete with their bad explanatory English seem to be as far removed from the smelly mushy fruit as you can get. They smell and taste of nothing. . .

The wine: By night end this is better, but still it seems a little too meek and short, it has all the needed components but it's attenuated and reticent and I remain unconvinced and underwhelmed. It's bright and clean, with a bottom half dominated by sap and char and with each passing sip, I wonder if this has been pitched at the wrong price point. 88-90. Now - 2013.

Macaroons in the city

Cheaper ($1.90 each) but also not as delicate and less orgasmic than those on offer in the Western Suburbs.

Day after day Boris and I went up and down Paris, drifting at two miles an hour through the crowds, bored and hungry, and finding nothing. One day, I remember we crossed the Seine eleven times.

It seems wrong to read of poverty and hunger while drinking coffee and eating croissants, but I was trying to shift my soul to France whilst sitting and supping in the new Perth cafe Jean-Pierre Sancho (@ the Hay St end of Shafto lane) The staff with their French accents and the smell of fresh baguettes wafting up from the bakery below all helps, but all around there is the twang of Strine and it's no good, I find I am still at home. . .

Back to the macaroons, they are pleasing and had I never tried the ones from the Choux cafe, I would be happy. They are squat and less architectural and they don't have that lovely crunch followed by softness.

Taylor's Vintage Port 2007

Vargellas and Terra Feita. Portugal. 20%. Cork. Approx $A60

If not for my anorak love of esoteric facts (the pictorial chapter on tuna and the general use of images is excellent), I would have ceased reading this long ago. It's snootiness emerges every few pages, which while initially boyish and amusing soon becomes less appealing.

Symons was a tall and bearded man who looked as if he could wrestle a wolf to the ground, but his physical might belied the patient manner of a priest. In another era, one imagined him as the curate of a peaceful rural parish, keeping bees and a tortoise in the garden, believing in little, but ministering with exceptional sincerity. . .

As to the Port, it's shockingly young, vibrant and glass staining and more than a little raw and unready. Even so I found it quite lovely and the perfect foil for my head cold. Pointed and peppery nose, pencil shavings and a cloak of spice and sap. Raw, but still this evokes softness, abundance and guilty pleasure. Still slightly monolithic but already delicious.