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If you think Australia's new cult
wines can't (May 18, 2003) Could any Australian Cab be near as good as 1990 Margaux? Would you believe an Oz Chardonnay could beat the pants off a Verget Batard? Oh yeah? I've got a generous friend who delights in discrediting sacred cows, and he did it again a few nights ago, by vote of some 26 tasters. Our host assembled six of France's most exalted cuvées and stacked them up against half a dozen of his own favorites from Oz. Then he served them blind, alongside a fabulous meal at one of our city's best restaurants. All the rest of us had to do was eat, drink, vote -- and argue, of course. A few stubborn souls (including me) consistently preferred the French wines, but Australia overwhelmingly won the voting in all but one flight. The wines were decanted and served single-blind, in three flights. Our host named the wines in each flight and even provided tasting notes -- but he didn't tell us which was which. We had to vote on our favorites before the wine in each glass was identified. Here's how they tasted to me: Flight 1 (Chardonnay) Offers aromas of pure tropical fruit, unsullied by oak. There's a touch of custard on the palate alongside some mango and minerals. Finish is fairly lengthy, but noticeably thin. If any wine tonight is Chablis, this would have to be it, but I'm surprised that **1996 Domaine Laroche Chablis les Clos (France) is the weakest in this flight. Wine #2 shows the most oak of all the Chards, but gains impressively with airing. Butterscotch flavors fade in favor of powerful stone and steely notes. Drenches the palate and finishes well. I'm not used to Australian Chards besting big name Grand Cru Burgs, but **++1998 Curly Flat Chardonnay (Australia) beats the Chablis convincingly. Essentially tied for first place by group vote. Wine #3 shouts "great Burgundy," but I've rarely tasted one that pushes ripeness and concentration to such an outrageous extreme. Amazingly complex package of pear liqueur, apricots, rose petal -- whew, what a wine. The finish never ends, and with each passing minute the flavors expand. The darkest in color of all the Chards, it's also the most backward. Easy to guess that this is the ***+1996 Verget Batard-Montrachet (France). Doesn't win much support from other tasters -- maybe it's just too backward for them -- but this heads the flight on my card and it's my second-favorite wine of the evening. If my wife had been present, I'll bet she would have chosen Wine #4. Lightest in color, it's all about flowers and fruit, but does it with fantastic finesse. Perfumed nose of jasmine and peaches. Pirouettes on the palate with every sip. If you think Australian wine is all about power and oak, you're going to be stunned by ***+1999 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay (Australia). The group also places this wine above the two Burgs, in a virtual tie for first place. Flight 2 (Syrah) announces itself as Australian Shiraz from first sniff. Licorice beats out blackcurrant when you sniff and when you slurp. Well, maybe it's closed. After 15 minutes, some black cherry flavors emerge, but the heavy char on the oak treatment won't back off. The texture is really thick -- almost like port, the taster beside me observes -- but I can't believe this is all we're getting from **+1994 Penfolds Grange Shiraz (Australia). The group and I both rank it third in the flight. Wine #2 isn't hard to guess either. It's dripping with bacon-fat -- too much for me, but I'm not the world's biggest fan of Côte Rotie. One taster says it's a little oxidized. I don't agree, but maybe I just can't taste past the earth and game. This is my least-favorite wine of the flight and the evening, and the group doesn't like it much either. Still, two tasters find merit in *+1985 Guigal la Landonne (France). But Wine #3 -- now here's sensational French Syrah. Pure, rich, grapey and so concentrated, with no need for any gussying up. Although it's the most backward wine of the flight, there's so much fruit here that it just doesn't matter. Bravura performance for ***+1991 Chapoutier Hermitage le Pavillon (France), my clear favorite of the flight and the group's second-favorite. I could call Wine #4 controversial, but really, just one particular purist takes loud exception to this wine. The rest of us either adore it passionately or (like me) can't help being seduced. Aromas of coconut, chocolate fudge, crLme de cassis and other confections. On the palate, it's almost as rich as the Chapoutier, and lots more talkative tonight. This is what Grange is supposed to do when it's on top of its game, but Sarah and Sparky Marquis can take pride that their ***+2001 Shirvington Shiraz is the runaway favorite of this flight. Wows the group and wins more first-place votes than any wine this evening. Flight 3 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Dessert Wines
Rankings by Group Vote As you can see, the French wines were getting pummeled until Mouton and Margaux muscled in. And even then, the Clarendon Hills Cab went nose-to-nose with Margaux. Considering that the latter may be one of the greatest Bordeaux ever made, I'd call the Oz performance not too shabby. Chardonnay 1. 1998 Curly Flat Chardonnay (10 Liked Most, 3 Liked Least) Syrah 1. 2001 Shirvington Shiraz (13 Liked Most, 5 Liked Least) Cabernet Sauvignon 1. 1982 Château Mouton-Rothschild
(10 Liked Most, 9 Liked Least) Dessert Wines 1. 1988 Château Yquem
(Overwhelming Favorite) Wine of the Evening by Group Vote Notice how many votes the Leeuwin Chardonnay got. Well deserved! 1. 1990 Château Margaux (9 votes) My Personal Rankings As you can see, I wasn't quite as seduced by Oz winemaking as the group. But I was really only disappointed by one Australian -- the famed Grange! I was especially wowed by the finesse, length and complexity of the whites. Either of those two Oz Chards are well worth a search. Chardonnay 1. 1996 Verget Batard-Montrachet Syrah 1. 1991 Chapoutier Hermitage le Pavillon Cabernet Sauvignon 1. 1990 Château Margaux My Choice for Wine of the Evening 1990 Château Margaux |
