Grand Cru (Perth) Tasting Group – July 2026 – A Victorian Odyssey

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

This month’s theme was a variation on our usual format. One of our valued members made arrangements for attendees to select a Victorian wine region (apparently there are 21 of them) and then bring a wine from that region.

Ten of us therefore met in the Wine Room at the (uniformly excellent) Lulu’s Little Bistro. All ten of us had different regions (eleven, if you count Mark, the owner and chef), and a few tasters brought more than one bottle – resulting in a total of 17 bottles for a Wednesday night tasting. Restrained? I don’t think so. We were able to place them into meaningful brackets, as you will see.

We started with an excellent vintage sparkling wine – the Brown Brothers ‘Patricia’ 2018 from the King Valley (a vineyard at 800m altitude). 5 years on lees, 72% pinot noir and 28% chardonnay, this was a medium yellow colour with a fine and persistent bead. The nose shows lifted strawberry notes alongside yeasty, bready characters, and seems youthful for its age. The palate shows more yeast autolysis, with strawberry and nectarine. There’s some aldehyde on the dry-ish finish; however, this is offset by a quite refreshing and cleansing mouthfeel. Excellent length, and one taster opined that this could be mistaken for a young NV champagne in a blind line-up.

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We then looked at a couple of Rieslings:

Mac Forbes Riesling 2024 (Strathbogie Ranges). Pale straw in colour. An early hint of kero. There’s lemon, lime and mandarin on the nose, almost sherbet-y, and it’s quite perfumed, with jasmine and other florals. There’s more lemon, lime and florals on the palate, with one taster noting nashi pear. There’s 4g/L RS, and this offsets the high acid to a degree. Medium length.

Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2013 (Henty). Medium to deep yellow in colour. Lots of kero initially, which blew off to reveal developed lemon and lime. The palate reflects the nose, and the high acid appears somewhat softened, probably due to the wine’s development. Good length and well regarded by the group.

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The next bracket had a couple of wines I was not expecting:

Polperro Fume Blanc 2023 (Mornington Peninsula). Pale yellow colour. A grassy nose, with asparagus, green pea, green capsicum and celery. Gooseberry on the palate alongside much of what was apparent on the nose, and any oak influence is modest at best. There is a lees-derived mouthfeel, however. Short finish.

Polperro Fume Blanc 2016 (Mornington Peninsula). Medium yellow. A riper nose than the younger Polperro, with more developed fruits, and one taster noting candied cumquats (I’ve never had one!). The palate is rounded and showing development, with toasty notes and vanilla. Short finish and probably not likely to develop further. Well rated by the group.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2010 (Nagambie Lakes). Yellow in colour, tending to gold. A touch of kero on the nose, leading to honeysuckle, honey, toast and lanolin. A fully developed and broad palate, with moderate acid. It’s showing some palate weight, but in my opinion is fading, and has medium length.

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A couple of chardonnays next:

Savaterre Chardonnay 2024 (Beechworth). 18 months in oak. Straw colour. A stunning and complete nose, with peach, nectarine, a tiny amount of citrus, vanilla and cedar all in balance. The palate adds cashew and ginger ale to the stone fruits. There’s the right amount of supporting acid, and it has excellent length and superb balance. Highly rated.

De Bortoli ‘Section 47’ Chardonnay 2020 (Yarra Valley). Medium yellow colour. Citrus and nectarine on the nose with modest oak influence. The palate has a mix of light stone fruits and citrus. There’s some minerality and modest oak grip. A couple of tasters commented that is was Chablis-like. Medium length.

Then onto the light reds:

Sorrenberg Gamay 2024 (Beechworth). Contains 10% pinot noir. Dark ruby colour. There’s a hint of bubblegum on the nose (carbonic maceration?), with bright raspberry and strawberry notes, alongside red plums. The palate has more of the light fresh red fruits, almost tart. Tannins are moderate and fine, and there’s a good acid line leading to a moderate length. Well regarded by the group.

Moorooduc Estate ‘Robinsons Block’ Pinot Noir 2023 (Mornington Peninsula). Ruby colour. Sweet red and black cherry on the nose, with olive, and strawberry compote. The palate is awash with soft red fruits. Tannins and also soft and moderately grippy and there’s gentle acid to complement this. Good length and a well-balanced wine.

Curlewis ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir 2017 (Geelong) Dark ruby. A more savoury nose, with developed strawberries and red berries, and a touch of menthol. The palate shows graphite, mushroom and darker cherries. This wine drew a couple of interesting comments – one that that this was more ‘dirty French’ than the other light reds, and another stated ‘heat and meat’. I would have swapped ‘peat’ for ‘eat’ as there was definitely a touch of earthiness (in a good way). Gentle tannins and good length. Unlikely to improve.

The next bracket was shiraz:

Heathcote Estate ‘Single Vineyard’ Shiraz 2018. (Heathcote). Crimson colour. A meaty and savoury nose, with bacon, tar/asphalt, dark plum, cedar, caramel and a little woodsmoke. The palate reflects the nose, with plum compote, coffee/mocha, caramel / molasses, and its not subtle. There’s a noticeable texture and mouthfeel, with soft supportive acid, and shows warmth and richness with being over-ripe. Long finish, and one taster described it as ‘a warm hug’.

Dalwhinnie ‘Moonambel’ Shiraz 2018. (Pyrenees). Crimson colour. Red and dark plums join blueberries and vanilla on a subtly concentrated journey through the nose. This is augmented by a slight herbaceousness which adds to the gentle concentration. The palate is a little more intense, with liquorice and iodine alongside the blue and black berries. One taster noted ‘stewed persimmon’ (I’ve never had one!). Acid is moderate in comparison to the fruit, and there’s a velvety texture (although not as thick as the Heathcote). Medium to long finish. Elegance rather than outright power and should easily go another 10+ years. Well regarded by the group.

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2017 (Grampians). Crimson colour. A touch of leather on the nose, with menthol, dark plums and blue/black berries. Dark chocolate also. There’s rich (but not over-ripe) black fruits on the palate, with touches of leather and tar. Some tasters noted Chinotto or flat cola as well as nuts and meats The acid is noticeable, and the fine tannins are drying. There’s a velvety mouthfeel, and the wine finishes long. Again, not a full-blooded shiraz – this shows signs of restraint and is the better for it.

Then onto the final bracket – cabernets and blends. Unfortunately, the opinion of all three wines was uniformly poor, and so I won’t bother you with the tasting notes. Perhaps this indicates the state of cabernet in Victoria (with some major exceptions, I know).

Wine of the night was the Savaterre Chardonnay 2024.

My thanks as always to Mark, Jodie, and the wonderful team at Lulu’s, and to those who joined me for what was a noisy and thoroughly entertaining evening.

Cheers
Allan

[Waiters Friend]

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[Waiters Friend]

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[phillisc]

Thanks Allan, if I ever get back to WA, these dinners sound superb.
After SA, Victoria is my most favoured and collected region.
Cabernet blends from Yarra Valley are probably the go, or if you can source an old Seppelts Drumborg, Crawford River Cabernet, both are excellent drinking.
Cheers Craig

[JamieAdelaide]

Good vintages of Dalwhinnie certainly age beautifully. Just finished a case of early and mid-2000’s. Excellent Shiraz!