Had the opportunity to attend a tasting on the weekend of the 99 Yquem and various wines from the Beechworth region. Due to the price constraints I have never owned a bottle of Yquem and had only drunk it on 2 occasions (both of which were at lengthy wine dinners and they always seem to serve the Yquem at the point of the night when my notetaking becomes somewhat sporadic :) ). I had been unwell on the day before the tasting and was "just" recovered enough to attend, I mention this as I feel it may have interfered with my ability to fully asses the wines tasted (reds only, strangely enough).
Chateau d'Yquem 1999 A huge blockbuster of a wine, rich golden and viscous to look at. Intense sweet, spicy aroma, volatile, luscious and concentrated, dominated by sweet dried apricots and some asian spice. Concentrated botrytis character in the mouth, apricots & peaches evident with some honeyed tinges. Enormous natural acidity all combining into an outstanding package. I don't know why this wine hadn't made such an impression on the previous occasions I had it (I was probably just too pissed :) ) Talking to the rep I learned a few of those things everbody else probably knows about this wine, that it takes 1 vine to produce a single glass of it. That berries are harvested individually when they are ready and there can be up to 8 picking passes through the vineyard. That kind of care & concentration is evident. Whilst I loved it I had to think of the budget and bought only a single 375ml ($199 Oz).
Castagna Allegro 2004 Beechworth Victoria (a Rose made from Shiraz) Light musky pink in the glass with a pleasant, pretty nose of Strawberries and wild flowers. it was quite simple in the mouth a little sweet pink fruit and a little acid. Good for picnics maybe.
This is where I started to think something was wrong as I had attended the launch dinner of Castagna and enjoyed this wine then - Light salmon pink colour with a nose of strawberries and red cherries and a whiff of rose petals. There is abundant red fruit on the richly textured palate with a tingling acidity and light tannins. It finishes well with a sweet, spicy tang that lingers. Delicious. Hmmm.
Sorrenberg Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003 Bright pale straw colour. The nose displays some yeast, biscuit and confectionary. Mouthfilling palate, with flavours of spice, confectionary and musk emerging over a yeasty background. Excellent length and depth. Not typically my preferred style of white wine this one was outstanding.
Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2003 Pale golden tint with a buttery nose and some toasty oak and peaches. Palate follows the nose with some nice creaminess, followed by some yeast & almonds and then a rancio character emerging, very nice package.
After this I tasted Savaterre Pinot Noir 2002, Golden Ball Shiraz 2002 & Castagna Genisis Syrah 2002. I will not post my notes (I'm going to discard them entirely) as I could detect virtually no fruit characters or any defining characters that weren't unpleasant. Mostly my descriptors were medicinal, metallic, burnt toast, leather, dust etc. though I seemed to be able to pick the acidity fairly well. These were all at odds with the other people I was tasting with (several of whom I know and whose opinions I respect). Once I reached the Castagna Syrah (a delicious wine with sweet black fruit a twist of black pepper and great finesse) and found it unpleasant I knew it was time to leave even with 5 wines still untasted. Oh well. This has never happened to me before, having my palate betray me. I have had it fatigue and I have been at odds with other people over wines many times, but I have always tended to agree with myself :) . There is a consistency to my notes that I can generally rely upon, tasting and noting the same wine months apart and then comparing the 2 notations reveals this. (not that I do it to test my consistency but I will taste at trade shows & wholesaler tastings and have reps bring product in and often I can't remember if I have tasted that particular wine (which is why I make notes in the first place :) ) when I bring those notes together they often look remarkably similar.) Has anybody else had this problem before? (Jodie it called it "Vinous Impotence" a term I both liked and hated :) ) Cheers Andrew