My second batch of Wine Reviews for 2017 are from the February Brown Bag Dinner in Singapore. The theme for the night was Cabernet
What have you been tasting?
From this batch my favourites are the:
- 1998 Grosset Gaia
- 1990 Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch
- 2008 Masottina Al Palazzi Riserva
- 2011 Trinchero Cloud’s Nest Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2007 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon
The Wine Reviews
wdt_ID Wine Photo
1
Name: Collard-Picard Rosé
Vintage: NV
Region: Champagne, France
Varietal: 50% Pinot Noir 50% Pinot Meunier
Alcohol: 12.5%
Colour: Clear pink
Bead: Fine, persistent bubbles
Aroma: Perfume of cherry, strawberry and raspberry aromas
Palate: Refreshing, rich, baked goods
Finish: Long
Comment: An enjoyable Rosé, nice way to start the night. Looking forward to trying this again.
2
Name: Dumangin Le Vintage
Vintage: 2004
Region: Champagne, France
Varietal: 54% Chardonnay 46% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 11.5%
Colour: Bright pale straw
Bead: Small persistent bubbles
Aroma: Enjoyable combination of hazelnuts, honeycomb and maybe a hint of truffle aromas
Palate: Complex, ripe, creamy
Finish: Long
Comment: Very nice bubbles, great nose, lots going on the palate, in a good way. Cellaring has probably improved this wine. Worth a look!
3
Name: Grosset Gaia
Vintage: 1998
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia
Varietal: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Cabernet Franc 5% Merlot
Alcohol: 14%
Colour: Crimson-Brick
Aroma: Perfume of cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry and a hint of spice aromas
Palate: Elegant, balanced, lush
Tannin: Silky
Finish: Long
Comment: Awesome, WoW, magnificent. What a great wine, proves how good a winemaker Geoffrey Grosset is. Geoffrey is known more for his fabulous Rieslings, but his Gaia shows he knows how to craft a Reds as well. Definitely a wine to try.
4
Name: Wynn's Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch
Vintage: 1990
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13%
Colour: Youthful deep crimson
Aroma: Elegant combination of chocolate, cedar and blackberry aromas
Palate: Medium / full-bodied, polished, youthful, stunning
Tannin: Silky
Finish: Long
Comment: If the previous wine was awesome, WoW, magnificent, this was even more so. Considering this was a 27 year old wine it was still youthful to look at, on the nose and palate. AMAZING WINE, it was the wine of the night
5
Name: Majella The Malleea
Vintage: 2001
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia
Varietal: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon 45% Shiraz
Alcohol: 14.5%
Colour: Mid Ruby
Aroma: Pleasant mix of blackberry, dark chocolate and spice aromas
Palate: Medium / full bodied, balanced, rich
Tannin: Savoury
Finish: Medium-Long
Comment: A good quality wine, very enjoyable, but it was not in the same class as the Riddoch or the Gaia
6
Name: Jessup Cellars Louer Vineyards
Vintage: 2006
Region: Nappa Valley, California, USA
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: %
Colour: Rich deep garnet
Aroma: Kit-Kat is the first thing that came to mind
Palate: Medium-bodied, balanced
Tannin: Savoury
Finish: Medium-long
Comment: A nice, but not great Nappa Cabernet
7
Name: Wyndam Estate Bin 555
Vintage: 2007
Region: Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia
Varietal: Shiraz
Alcohol: %
Colour: Vivid ruby
Aroma: An Aussie Fruit Bomb
Palate: Full-bodied
Tannin: Dry
Finish: Long
Comment: Not my sort of wine, also not the usual standard for a BB, plus it was a Shiraz, and this was a Cabernet night.
8
Name: Gergenti
Vintage: 2012
Region: Sicily, Italy
Varietal: 70% Nero d' Avola 30% Sangiovese
Alcohol: 13.5%
Colour: Youthful deep ruby
Aroma: To me it smelled of old smelly socks (which is not strange for a Sicilian Red)
Palate: Bold, full-bodied, needed time to open up
Tannin: Developing
Finish: Long
Comment: An interesting wine, the second Sicilian wine I have had that has a smelly socks aroma, the previous wine was very good, so was able to overcome the smell, not great, but, IMHO, a good quaffing food wine, think pasta Bolognese on cold wet night
9
Name: Masottina Al Palazzi Riserva
Vintage: 2008
Region: Piave, Vento, Italy
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: %
Colour: Youthful deep crimson
Aroma: Fragrant combination of blackcurrant and black pepper aromas
Palate: Medium-bodied, lush, balanced
Tannin: Savoury
Finish: Long
Comment: My first wine from Vento and what a great wine it was. Very enjoyable, was voted the second best wine of the night behind the Riddoch, ahead of the 1998 Gaia
10
Name: Grosset Gaia
Vintage: 2007
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia
Varietal: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Cabernet Franc 5% Merlot
Alcohol: 14%
Colour: Youthful ruby
Aroma: Mix of blackcurrant, blackberry, aged cedar and spice aromas
Palate: Medium-bodied, balanced, rich
Tannin: Firm
Finish: Long
Comment: I was a bit disappointed in this bottle, my previous bottles of the same vintage were a lot better than this one. Pales in comparison to its older brother the 1998. Guess this was just not a great bottle of it. Still very drinkable only "ok" not great.
Oz’s Wine Reviews
The Line Up
