Australia vs France- Old World vs New World. 19 June 2026
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2026 3:57 pm
G’day
I was fortunate to attend a tasting / dinner hosted by two prominent Perth wine enthusiasts. The premise was the best of Australia paired with (or pitted against!) equivalent wines from France. Leigh Gerreyn selected the Australian wines, while Rahuul Prasad represented the Old World.
This tasting was set alongside a four-course dinner at Lamonts Cottesloe. 14 of us settled into the private room to experience both the food and the wines.
The wine were served blind and tasted in pairs (one old world, one new, in each pair) and covered a range of wine styles. Of course, for each pair, there was speculation on which was old world and which was new, with the usual failure rate
On entry, however, we were offered a glass of Pierre Gimmonet Blanc de Blanc NV. Pale yellow, fresh with some yeasty / bready notes, lemon and nectarine, and a persistent bead.
The first pairing was Sauvignon Blanc.
Cullen Legacy Series Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (Margaret River WA). Full yellow colour. A prominent nose, with sone apparent oak, and slightly honeyed. Honeysuckle, asparagus, and cooked peas. The palate shows some lees work, with the accompanying texture, and moderate acid.
Gerard Boulay Clos Beajeu 2023 (Sancerre, France): Pale yellow colour. Tropical fruits, especially passionfruit, and some salinity / mineral notes. Higher acid, some delicacy and moderate length. My preferred wine of this pairing.
Then two pairs of chardonnays:
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2021 (multi regional, Australia): Pale yellow colour. A slightly reductive nose, with tropical or orchard fruits, grapefruit, lemon, and savoury oak. More lemon and grapefruit on the palate, high acid. A creamy texture and a long clean finish. Many of us mistook this for a Leeuwin Estate Art Series of similar age.
Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 2021: A medium yellow colour. Peach, nectarine and savoury notes on the nose, with toasted nuts, oyster shell, and apricot kernel. The palate had ripe yellow peaches and tart lemon. The wine is fairly full and acid is soft. Although my initial impression was that the wine was showing its development (compared to the Yattarna) I was left with the impression that we were drinking it too young, and I would love to see this wine again in another 3-4 years.
Hubert Lamy Clos Du Meix 2016 (Ier Cru, Saint Aubin, Burgundy): Pale yellow colour, belying its age. Lemon, grapefruit and oyster shell on the nose. Savoury palate, with some tart lemon, high acid and a long finish. Well balanced and full of interest, despite my simplistic notes.
Cullen Kevin John Chardonay 2012 (Margaret River, WA): Medium yellow colour, also belying its age. A substantial nose, with big ripe peaches and tropical fruits, nectarine, polished vanillan oak, and curry leaf. The palate is concentrated and slightly oak dominant, with more tropical fruits, butterscotch, and soft supporting acid. It’s a big mouth filling wine and finishes long.
We then looked at a couple of pinot noirs:
Lowestoft ‘La Maison’ Pinot Noir 2022 (Tasmania): Garnet colour. Candied fruits on the nose, including strawberry, red cherry, slight cedary oak, and roses / florals. Comments around the table included the likely use of whole bunches. There’s juicy red fruits (raspberry) on the palate. It’s light bodied, with fresh and moderately high acid, soft gentle tannins and a medium to long finish.
Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin 2022 (Burgundy): Ruby colour. A perfumed yet earthy nose, with cherry fruits, mushrooms and savoury notes on the nose. The cherries are richer and darker on the palate, with forest floor and spices. This is a more complex and powerful wine, with reasonable length and the ‘peacock-tail’ finish. Impressive.
Cabernets were next – well, so I thought:
Chateau Beychevelle 2014 (St Julien, Bordeaux 4th growth). Slightly Merlot dominant (51%) with Cabernet Sauvignon (39%) and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Crimson / purple colour. Menthol, capsicum, vanilla / coconut, cassis, blackcurrant, plums and some leather. There’s considerable fruit sweetness and some earthiness. Long finish.
Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Clementine-Eloise’ 2016: Crimson colour. Capsicum, blackberry, cassis and dark fruits generally. Lots of apparent oak. Some earthiness and medium to high acid. Long finish.
Finally, two shiraz wines:
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2012 (Eden Valley, SA): Purple colour, n sign of bricking. A substantial nose, with blueberry, liquorice, cedary oak and a little eucalypt. Medium to full bodied, with chewy drying tannins, lots of palate weight and a long finish. A couple of us mistook this for a Rockford Basket Press of similar age.
Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2023 (Rhone Valley, France): A total contrast to the Henschke. Purle colour. Tar, blackberry, roses and violets, some pepper and barnyard on the nose. The palate has more tar, some liquorice and orange peel. Fine grippy tannins, high acid and a long finish. It would be interesting to see this wine again with some age and development, but fascinating now.
As happens at these events, those who attend are invited to bring along a bottle for the group to sample after the main formalities are concluded. I stopped taking notes at this point, but needless to say there were some varied wines from a range of locations, and made in different styles.
My thanks to Leigh and Rahuul for their detailed and considered curation of this event, and to the team at Lamonts for their matching cuisine and service.
Cheers
Allan
I was fortunate to attend a tasting / dinner hosted by two prominent Perth wine enthusiasts. The premise was the best of Australia paired with (or pitted against!) equivalent wines from France. Leigh Gerreyn selected the Australian wines, while Rahuul Prasad represented the Old World.
This tasting was set alongside a four-course dinner at Lamonts Cottesloe. 14 of us settled into the private room to experience both the food and the wines.
The wine were served blind and tasted in pairs (one old world, one new, in each pair) and covered a range of wine styles. Of course, for each pair, there was speculation on which was old world and which was new, with the usual failure rate
On entry, however, we were offered a glass of Pierre Gimmonet Blanc de Blanc NV. Pale yellow, fresh with some yeasty / bready notes, lemon and nectarine, and a persistent bead.
The first pairing was Sauvignon Blanc.
Cullen Legacy Series Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (Margaret River WA). Full yellow colour. A prominent nose, with sone apparent oak, and slightly honeyed. Honeysuckle, asparagus, and cooked peas. The palate shows some lees work, with the accompanying texture, and moderate acid.
Gerard Boulay Clos Beajeu 2023 (Sancerre, France): Pale yellow colour. Tropical fruits, especially passionfruit, and some salinity / mineral notes. Higher acid, some delicacy and moderate length. My preferred wine of this pairing.
Then two pairs of chardonnays:
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2021 (multi regional, Australia): Pale yellow colour. A slightly reductive nose, with tropical or orchard fruits, grapefruit, lemon, and savoury oak. More lemon and grapefruit on the palate, high acid. A creamy texture and a long clean finish. Many of us mistook this for a Leeuwin Estate Art Series of similar age.
Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 2021: A medium yellow colour. Peach, nectarine and savoury notes on the nose, with toasted nuts, oyster shell, and apricot kernel. The palate had ripe yellow peaches and tart lemon. The wine is fairly full and acid is soft. Although my initial impression was that the wine was showing its development (compared to the Yattarna) I was left with the impression that we were drinking it too young, and I would love to see this wine again in another 3-4 years.
Hubert Lamy Clos Du Meix 2016 (Ier Cru, Saint Aubin, Burgundy): Pale yellow colour, belying its age. Lemon, grapefruit and oyster shell on the nose. Savoury palate, with some tart lemon, high acid and a long finish. Well balanced and full of interest, despite my simplistic notes.
Cullen Kevin John Chardonay 2012 (Margaret River, WA): Medium yellow colour, also belying its age. A substantial nose, with big ripe peaches and tropical fruits, nectarine, polished vanillan oak, and curry leaf. The palate is concentrated and slightly oak dominant, with more tropical fruits, butterscotch, and soft supporting acid. It’s a big mouth filling wine and finishes long.
We then looked at a couple of pinot noirs:
Lowestoft ‘La Maison’ Pinot Noir 2022 (Tasmania): Garnet colour. Candied fruits on the nose, including strawberry, red cherry, slight cedary oak, and roses / florals. Comments around the table included the likely use of whole bunches. There’s juicy red fruits (raspberry) on the palate. It’s light bodied, with fresh and moderately high acid, soft gentle tannins and a medium to long finish.
Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin 2022 (Burgundy): Ruby colour. A perfumed yet earthy nose, with cherry fruits, mushrooms and savoury notes on the nose. The cherries are richer and darker on the palate, with forest floor and spices. This is a more complex and powerful wine, with reasonable length and the ‘peacock-tail’ finish. Impressive.
Cabernets were next – well, so I thought:
Chateau Beychevelle 2014 (St Julien, Bordeaux 4th growth). Slightly Merlot dominant (51%) with Cabernet Sauvignon (39%) and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Crimson / purple colour. Menthol, capsicum, vanilla / coconut, cassis, blackcurrant, plums and some leather. There’s considerable fruit sweetness and some earthiness. Long finish.
Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Clementine-Eloise’ 2016: Crimson colour. Capsicum, blackberry, cassis and dark fruits generally. Lots of apparent oak. Some earthiness and medium to high acid. Long finish.
Finally, two shiraz wines:
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2012 (Eden Valley, SA): Purple colour, n sign of bricking. A substantial nose, with blueberry, liquorice, cedary oak and a little eucalypt. Medium to full bodied, with chewy drying tannins, lots of palate weight and a long finish. A couple of us mistook this for a Rockford Basket Press of similar age.
Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2023 (Rhone Valley, France): A total contrast to the Henschke. Purle colour. Tar, blackberry, roses and violets, some pepper and barnyard on the nose. The palate has more tar, some liquorice and orange peel. Fine grippy tannins, high acid and a long finish. It would be interesting to see this wine again with some age and development, but fascinating now.
As happens at these events, those who attend are invited to bring along a bottle for the group to sample after the main formalities are concluded. I stopped taking notes at this point, but needless to say there were some varied wines from a range of locations, and made in different styles.
My thanks to Leigh and Rahuul for their detailed and considered curation of this event, and to the team at Lamonts for their matching cuisine and service.
Cheers
Allan