The Auswine Forum

A house move and the chaos of vintage caused us to skip a March dinner for the Capital Tasters, but we got back on the wagon last night at The Chairman & Yip here in Canberra. Jordan provided the wines, and hopefully will remember what they all were better than I am managing this morning.

As well as some good dishes (some so-so), there were a couple of stand out wines for me:
- WOTN for me was the Kracher eiswein
- quite liked that blanc de blanc, especially as a picnic sparkler (Larmandier-Bernier NV BdB, iirc), with that good sea shell character
- the 2008 Hoddles Creek 1er chardonnay I think outshone a very youthful 2004 Eileen Hardy chardonnay
- Albert very generously sent over a pour for the table of a cracking vin santo made from verduzzo (I could have sworn there was Malavasia in it - such a pure hit of hothouse grapes over the top of the more oxidative, barrel-aged profile of the wine)
- almost could have gone two rounds of the cheese, one with the Yalumba Signature and then again with the Kracher eiswein
- the Bindi Composition pinot put the 05 Downie well into the shade.

Beer at the Wig & Pen before (place was chockers for a Wednesday night, W&P pale ale was fresh and on song), calvados after... a good night.

I await the details of others. And perhaps a photo of Jordan's "Budget Hair"...

Another great night. We drank:

NV Larmandier Bernier Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs
Lovely champagne to start the night with. Dry, oxidative bready notes with lots of zingy lemon and notes of seaspray.

2004 Eileen Hardy Chardonnay
Powerful chardonnay. Grapefruit/lemony core surrounded by butter and taosted nuts and framed by spicey oak. Very good and needs a little more time to show its best.

2008 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Chardonnay
Just a pup but looking very good already and was a great match with the duck pancakes with hoisin. Started minerally and dry but with time opened up to show peaches, some pineapple but still finished dry. Needs time in the cellar.

2005 William Downie Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
Don't know what has gone wrong with this wine since I tried it on release three years ago. Fallen apart substantially - a flabby, disjointed wine, with some slightly bitter notes amongst plummy fruit. 2 Bottles left, so I hope this was a bad bottle.

2008 Bindi Composition Pinot Noir
Very perfumed nose, leaps out of the glass. Palate showed bright berried fruit, with some earthiness and asian spice notes. Very good with the shantung lamb. Needs a few years to settle.

2001 Yalumba Signature Cab Shiraz
Lovely Barossa read. Rich plummy fruit, with layers of soy, some dried herbs backed with substantial coffeed oak. A rich, warm style but very good in that mode.

2005 Kracher Eiswein
Definite highlight of the night. By this stage my recollection of the night was getting slightly 'hazy' but this was excellent and a great matchh with the coconut and pistachio semifreddo.