Capital Tasters round 4. Anise Restaurant. Canberra Wed 18 Nov 2009

Another awesome Capital Tasters event at Anise Restaurant Canberra.
Wines:
1. August 2008 disgorgement Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling red (Australian)
2. 2003 Jacobs Creek  Steingarten riesling (Australian)
3. 2006 Fefinanes albarino from Rias Baixas  (Spanish)
4. 1973 Lindemans Hunter River Burgundy (Australian)
5. 1978 Tyrrell's Vat 9 (Australian)
6. 2002 Pintia tempranillo from Toro (the Vega Sicilia people's Toro project). (Spanish)
7. 2004 Telmo Rodgriguez MR Mountain Wine from Malaga. (Spanish)

This dinner was my first serious exposure to spanish wines. Except for cheapo Cava from 1st choice at 2 for $12.95.
 The Primo Estate Joseph sparkling shiraz was amazing. It was like Turkey flat sparkling on steroids. Very enjoyable and I will be looking to find some to cellar.The Orlando....I mean Jacobs Creek Steingarten `03 was just starting to get those characters that I like in an aged Riesling: the slight emergence of caramel brioche and butterscotch etc (it doesnt come up like avgas to me :)). Boy did this wine change after tasting the Spanish albarino which followed. Speaking of which I initially got tropical fruit fragrances with this Spanish creature which reminded me of a verdhelo. This was wine I was very enthusiastic about but couldnt get my head around whether or not i loved it or not and in the end I prefered the Steingarten. I mentioned at the dinner that there must be something missing in the olfactory part of my brain that would appreciate this wine.


The Hunter River '73 Burgundy was an interesting bottle. An old lady that's for sure. The first whiff I imediately thought of 20 year old cabernet however this immediately turned into the smell of a few almost-extinguished cinders smouldering away the next day after a long night around a campfire. This odour evolved in the glass after a few minutes into something less overt and extremely pleasant. On the palate it was just pure leather and a few sulfites - barely any fruit remaining, but nevertheless a very enjoyable drink considering the age of this beast. The Tyrrell's unfortunately had a cork problem which no doubt led to the oxidation and VA. The nose was something similar to a cross between ethyl acetate and an acrylate (that smell you get walking past those nail salons).

The Pintia 2002 was definitely a shock to the system after the oldies and was certainly a clash with the steak served with moat of red curry - not the best match and was a complete distraction for me. A marvelous wine none the less with amazing fruit character similar to that of grenache x 10^2. The finale was a sweet Spanish Mountain Wine that was a very elegant and not one of those over powering botrytis-types that we commonly encounter in Australia. The fortè of this wine was that it was not a dessert wine that u had to chew but something of subtle flowers that linger delicately - and not such a big ethanolic, apricot sugar monster in your mouth that stamps out all the nuances of the food you are actually eating. This was wine of the night for me. And what an awesome night it was.

Looking forward to Tammy's treasure trove of shiraz beauties in the next round.