WTN: The 2008 Queensland Wine Safari Diary

The annual safari's off and running! Another pilgrimage visiting our great friends, Eric and Lyn, Lindsay and Di, in sunny, warm Queensland. Escaping Canberra's cold and relatively wet and miserable July has been even more satisfying as my lovely wife, Janet, joins me for the first time.

Our flight up was of little consequence and it only took about an hour for the drive north to our host's home in Nambour, a medium-sized, hinterland town on Queensland's Sunshine coast. Lyn made a tasty frittata for lunch which we devoured with an extraordinarily good bottle of Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling 1983 (2 577 05014 84) - a stunningly youthful bright and inviting lemon/green gold colour; simply amazing for its considerable age. Delightful fruit-driven bouquet of such purity and class - a literal cornucopia of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, green apricots), citrus (limes, lemons and navel oranges), mango and freshly-picked crisp green apples all wrapped in a shroud of slaty minerality of the highest order. Just so beautiful to nose! And not a skerrick of petrol or bottle-aged character to boot! The palate marches to the beat of the same drum - exquisite purity of flavour, remarkably fresh and vibrant with mouthfilling flavours replicating the bouquet to perfection. Wonderful slaty acidity provides exemplary counterbalance before a long and exhilarating departure that just went on and on. A truly memorable German Riesling that should last for another decade, probably two, given its incredibly slow evolution to date. (94 points, 7.2% A/V)

The evening meal started with (yummy) hors d'ouvres of strawberries atop well-aired brie cheese on wafer biscuits with Grosset's Watervale Riesling from 1999. Harbouring a slightly burnished deep straw colour, slightly jaded nose of buttered toast, a little honey and some petrol over herb-tinged citrussy fruit, followed by a quite linear palate with tight citrus and (for a top Riesling producer) unusual grassy fruit. Lengthy finish, but overall a very odd bottle of Grosset Riesling that seemed flat, not old, offering little joy. (84 points, 13.0% A/V)

For mains Eric brought out his new "grill" and cooked some thick pieces of yearling rib fillet for which I made a red wine and mushroom reduction sauce, a cabbage, bacon and onion dish served accompanied with potato mash and steamed vegetables. Forced to decant the red (bloody cork crumbled into a million pieces) into a large beer jug, we were greeted by a perfume of the sweetest blackberries and creme de cassis that literally filled the room. On closer examination, we found raspberries, dark chocolate and only a modicum of the herbs and cedar that frequent this wine as a rule. In the mouth this medium-bodied, very sexy wine excels with a wonderful array of black fruits, gorgeous lively acidity, a perfectly alligned tannin regime and a superb length of aftertaste. I'd rate Seppelt's 1992 Dorrien Cabernet Sauvignon at 92 points with several years evolution expected and then to hold for some time thereafter.

I hurredly popped another diabetic tab with our decision "for a wee drop of port"! Lindeman's 1967 Vintage Port Bin 3642 Classic Release is, without a doubt, one of my great all-time Aussie vintage port's - period. I rate it second to Hardy's Musuem Release VP from 1956 - a wine I scored at 99 points! From the incredibly thick viscostity as the wine was poured into the glass, the still vibrant deep garnet colour of, seemingly, remarkable agelessness, to the sensational nose of brandy snaps, satsuma plum, blackberry concentrate, brandied cherries, even a perplexing top note of sous bois - this wine took my breath away, once again! The mindblowing palate is of such an astonishing standard - incredibly fresh and lavish with perfectly preserved red and black fruit, unctiously endowed, thick and viscous through the fore- and middle- palates then transfixed by cutting acidity, fine, astringent tannins and perfectly-meshed grip on an almost unrelenting finish of rare aplomb. About as good as it gets! 96 points. Drink now to your swan song.

For the sake of keeping the diary in the same book, so to speak, I'll keep adding my notes to this thread when I get the chance.

The Fritz Haag sounds lovely, as does the whole trip.

What does this mean?

well-aired brie cheese..

The Fritz Haag sounds lovely, as does the whole trip.

What does this mean?

well-aired brie cheese..

Rahsaan,

Taken from the fridge, packet opened and given several hours to warm, ripen and soften .... fairly standard procedure for me.

Taken from the fridge, packet opened and given several hours to warm, ripen and soften .... fairly standard procedure for me.

Ok, I thought it was some cheese-making method

I know what you mean, if I have cheese in the refrigerator I often prefer to eat it after it has warmed. Although several hours seems like a long time. Maybe you keep your houses cool!

Day 2

We visited the world famous Eumundi Markets from mid-morning to early afternoon, then took a scenic trip down to Noosaville where had gourmet Chicken Tandoori on Turkish bread with tsatsiki, avacado and lettuce. A bottle of 2004 Penfolds Reserve Bin 04A Chardonnay (92 points) struck accord with the crew on the banks of the gorgeous Noosa River. Retaining a bright very pale straw/green colour, this tightly coiled but intelligently "worked" Chardonnay offers up scents of melon and fig with notes of meal and char following much later. Holding a very tight line through the mouth with the oak playing second fiddle to the fig/melon fruit with a complementary spine of vibrant acidity providing zest and vitality to the high-calibre French oak sitting underneath. With time this oak increased in intensity, particularly towards the back-end. Good strong follow through to round things out. This outstanding example of Adelaide Hills fruit and deft winemaker "assistance" requires a few years to reach its zenith and should hold for several more thereafter. Extremely good effort from this massive global corporate brand.

A drive down the Sunshine Coast(line) provided some stunning views until we reached the fishing wharves at Mooloolaba where I bought green prawns, whiting fillets, calamari and scallops. For dinner I opened a Hermann Donnhoff 1998 Norheim Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese (91 points) AP Nr 77530101199 9.0% A/V) that was singing in fine voice and admirably complemented the delicate flavours of the seafood. A wine with a superb light but starbright straw/green colour followed by an expressive nose of ripe nectarine, white flowers, pomegranite, red currant and minerals. Delectably smooth and silky palate, chock full of similarly-etched fruit, excellent acid balance, some sweet and sour complexities and a finish of such finesse, it leaves you begging for more. A drink now-2018 proposition but don't hold your breath - it's drinking so well now!

Henschke's 1992 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon (92 points) followed after the all the seafood was devoured. A beautiful and fine mature red drinking at the peak of its powers. I served this to compare to the outstanding performance, the evening just gone, of the 1992 Dorrien Cabernet. We were not disappointed. Qualitatively, we could not seperate them. The Henschke may not go for as long, it already shows readiness and is most likely drinking at its peak. There's a definitive herb/leafy streak in the Henschke that reflects the cooler climes of its origin (the Eden Valley). There's wonderful counterpunch from the deepset blackcurrant fruit but there's more savoury secondary characters of cedar, leather, tobacco leaf and lead pencil to be found. In the mouth the structure of the Henschke might just pip the Dorrien but there's very little in it. The Cyril drinks so well now, has impeccable manners, great balance, terrific length and, today, is the more complete package. Drink now-2012.

We completed another great night of food, wine and comaraderie with an ancient bottling of Morris's moorish and incredible Very Old Liquer Muscat (94 points) that by the age of the label would contain a majority of material that would be well in excess of 50 years old. From my reckoning the final blend for this wine was assembled somewhere in the mid-eighties, the average age being the "very old" release (which, BTW, equated to one bottle per (very good) customer per year, I was told, some years ago now, by Mick Morris's winemaker son, David) being probably closer to 30 years of age. Some of the material (which is worked by the winery on a solera system, consistently topping up barrels until the desired blend has been achieved) would be well in excess of the average age I've quoted. As with most wines that come out of barrel, having "done their thing", for years and, in this case, decades, one always risks losing the freshness carefully monitored by the talented Rutherglen winemakers who specialise in this art form. There was the slightest perceptible staleness on the nose (my wife called it "mild fish shop smell"), I thought it a touch of fish oil, but we were splitting hairs here. Otherwise the wine was "all there" with a magnificent array of aromas and flavours that would fill a page, but suffice to say, rested in the outer limits of richness, decadence and hedonism. Just so thick and viscous with an explosive mid- to back-palate with the astringency of the rancio and spirit providing the perfect foil to the luscious raisin, honey, christmas cake, burnt toffe and rum'n'raisin chocolaty fruit. The wine needs only to be drunk (I meant to say sipped) in minute quantities given its enormity and power (not mentioning the high A/V) and with a finish that lasts well in excess of a minute, one can intellectualise as to the merit of taking another sip while the one just gone hangs all through your perceptory senses for, seemingly, an eternity.

Day 3

Today was spent touring the waterways around Noosa with a lovely picnic lunch on one of the major Noosa River tributaries in the heart of the Noosa National Park. Lunch was washed down with an exceedingly charming bottle of Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru "Les Combettes" 2000, a wine I've had more consistency from the marginally pre-oxed bottles of the higher rated "Les Perrieres" vineyard from the same vintage. Boasts a particularly pleasing very bright youthful colour and perfectly-honed aromatics of grilled nuts, toasty oak, white peach and vanillin-poached brown pears wrapped in a swathe of mouth-watering minerality. The palate delivers the same "mail" - magnificently integrated flavours bound with lively mineral-infused acidtiy and substantive but well-judged medium-toast French oak, plenty of balancing grip and a very tidy, permeating, authoritative finish. Unlike many other recent reports on Carillon's variability with the pox, I've yet to open a 2000 "Les Combettes" in the last few months that has looked different. Thank @#$ for that! 93 points for this beauty, even in an outside setting and in less than perfect tasting conditions! 13.5% A/V

Eric's mini-weber got a thorough workout this evening after I rubbed some of his, very competent, local butcher's tasty rib fillet with fresh organic garlic, finely ground black pepper and a dash of light olive oil. Four generous serves were wrapped in bacon and cooked in two stages (medium for the women) and (medium-rare for us blokes) with regular turning including crisping of the bacon. The end result was just beautiful and although I just couldn't get my act together for a sauce, in the end, it didn't matter, the meat didn't need it. I was able to organise the accompanying bottle of 1988 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon. Eric went ape over this, awarding it 94 points and RWOTW (red wine of the week, thus far - FWIW, he gave the Lindemans 1967 VP , 98 points the other night - he reckons it will be very hard to beat, he's probably right - but I haven't started on the better Frenchies yet - I'm saving them for when we venture down into the mountains on the weekend). I thought it was on par with both the Aussie reds we've had on Day 1 and 2. Displays the most mature hue of the reds thus far. Quintessential Coonawarra nose of weedy blackcurrants, cedar, mint, dried herbs and sweet earth. A wonderfully mature, smooth, integrated palate of medium weight, wonderfully integrated and fully mature with every aspect settled and in balance. There's enough acidity and a dry, slightly firm tannin to suggest this will last for quite a few years, but I'm happy to rate this a drink now or very soon proposition. Why wait for things to come off the boil? The wine lingers well after swallowing, leaving the lucky recipient with a bevy of flavour and lovely structure hovering in the mouth. 92 points.

Later in the evening, Lyn dragged out an apple and rhubarb crumble out of the fridge, for which I opened a bottle of Marc Freyburger's 1996 Gewurtztraminer Kaefferkepf Selection de Grains Nobles (13.5%), a wine with a colour that belies its age, exhibits extraordinary aromatics of flowers (rose petals), lychees, passionfruit, apricots, poached green pears and some allspice followed by similar wonderful fruit in the mouth. This wine was not overly sweet or heavy yet was beautifully balanced with perfect levels of acidity present for precise cut and grip and a finish that is both gorgeously pure, quite sexy and displays a suitably long carry. This is a producer I have heard/read very little about over the years and my first sample of his wares was most impressive and if this wine is a good example of the quality at this estate, would be well worth seeking out. A top class effort today worthy every bit of 91 points. I expect the wine will last for at least another decade given its development over the last 12 years.

Day 4

A relaxing morning of doing next to nothing was followed by a drive down to Maroochydore to the Boatshed Restaurant for lunch where we enjoyed spectacular views of the estuary, ocean and Coolum Mountain to the north. We enjoyed Fritz Haag's 1998 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese (90 points) with dips and fresh crusty bread and then mains with an indifferent bottle of New Zealand's Voss Estate Martinborough 2001 Pinot Noir (85 points). The Haag is still only just out of nappies and although I thought it excellent, it didn't really rock any of our boats. The infantile colour was appealing, the nose was fresh with a classy mix of red currant, passionfruit, nectarine and slate followed by a sweet entry into the mouth with picquant acidity closing down the ripe, glossy fruit. The Voss Estate opened with a slightly murky colour, nose of macerated plum and pinot sap but the palate was most disappointing with a bitter vein running straight down the middle, destroying any enjoyment to be gained from the deepset plum and cherry fruit. With an hour sitting in the glass, this mostly dissipated, but was still noticeable even at the last dropped passed my lips. If I had to give this Pinot a score quickly, it would barely have merited 75 points, but time helped the palate, for it to just fall into the very good category. I tried a bottle of this a month or two ago and went gangbuster over it. I now must register a lingering doubt on bottle variation.

A drive and then a brisk walk to and around the Maroochydore lighthouse offered spectacular 270 degree views up and down the coast and nearby mountains and with the sun setting in the west, delivered beautiful yellow, orange and purple hues to the surrounding sky. Again, I kicked myself for being such a digital camera luddite. One day I'll get my act together!

After such a relatively filling luncheon, any signifant dinner was hardly necessary, so we decided to make hors douvres while we waited for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games to start on Eric and Lyn's new giant Sony plasma screen. We made several batches of scrumptuous smoked salmon, egg, sour cream topped with chive and ground black pepper also camembert and strawberry; smoked ham, tasty cheese with salt and peppered tomato atop and the remants of an uneaten fillet mignon the night before, found its way to make a delicious assemblage of bacon, beef, avacado, cheese, sundried tomato with lots of salt and pepper.

I opened two wines - Bernard Dugat-Py's Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes 1999 and Domaine d'Ambinos (Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu) 2e trie 1989 - both wines meriting ratings in the high eighties/low nineties. Decided not to take notes on either, so memory notes only. The Dugat-Py revealed a dense medium ruby colour was somewhat foursquare with its aromatic and flavour profiles that thankfully improved over a considerable time sitting in the glass. The wine is in no danger of falling over anytime soon, has plenty of supportive acid and firmish tannin to shed and the slightly tarry plummy fruit is still quite primary and also needs time. Although drinkable now, I'd leave it for a few years, expect it to peak and remain very enjoyable for the next decade or so thereafter. 89 points. The D'ambinos was a really mystery bag. Given to me by my dear departed friend's widow, I was only sure of one thing, well, two, to be brutally honest - one it was a white and two it was a Chenin Blanc! Now the fact this was an Outstanding sweet wine was a little surprising, but coming from Tom's cellar was a pretty sure bet it wasn't going to be too shabby. Perhaps the 2e trie should have given me that knowledge. In any event, the wine displays only a modicum of development in colour, reveals an outstanding nose mostly of freshly cooked green apple and honeysuckle. The palate is decadently rich and very sweet but ohso light on its feet and perfectly balanced with identical just-mentioned fruit and the most delectable, integrated acid regime one could imagine. The finish is extremely long and crisp with a lovely subtle "appley" flavour following through to the end. 92 points and a bullet for "going" for at least one, possibly two, decades!

a slab of magnificent fresh Tasmanian smoked Salmon..

Nice. For obvious reasons (mainly being that I live in the US and Europe) I've only eaten Northern hempishere salmon. Any significant differences?

[James Roscoe]

Dave, nice to hear from you, and with such great notes!

a slab of magnificent fresh Tasmanian smoked Salmon..

Nice. For obvious reasons (mainly being that I live in the US and Europe) I've only eaten Northern hempishere salmon. Any significant differences?

Rahsaan,

From what I've tried down under, the local stuff seems substantially better! Probably freshness being the main difference here, with less of a strong "fishy" smell and taste. As far as the meat looks, the Tasmanian gear I buy, generally has a much stronger colour - the brand I buy ad nauseum is called "Tassal". Some of the boutique makers from down that way are extremely good too, but can be hellishly expensive and difficult to locate, whereas Tassal is readily available through both of our "big two" supermarket chains. I'm sure there's great (and not so great) producer's of smoked salmon all over the world, my friend. Unfortunately, I'm not expert enough on the subject to give you much of a heads up.

Dave, nice to hear from you, and with such great notes!

And always great to hear from you too, my friend. I'll try and get to chat Monday morning (my time) but don't hold your breath, champ.

Rahsaan,

From what I've tried down under, the local stuff seems substantially better! Probably freshness being the main difference here...

Makes sense considering how far you are from the Northern Pacific and Atlantic (although, I hear the sushi trade is pretty good about zapping fish around the globe)..

Either way, enjoy what you have, sounds good..

Day 5

Not a lot of joy today. Since returning from our big day trip travelling on a boat most of Thursday, I've been plagued with some inner ear dilemna - I just cannot find my land legs. Whatever I'm doing on my feet, I'm travelling on a 1-2 metre swell on a 10 foot tinny (a little aluminium tub). Been to the local doctor (liked his name ... Mark Boon ) and he's prescribed Stematil, so we'll see how that pans out. Still can cook, eat and drink - thank the good shepherd - so we've just finished some delightful chicken thigh fillet pieces (marinated in oil, garlic, ginger and pepper) barbequed on the weber served with stir-fried vegetables finished in soy sauce.

With dinner we opened the Kooyong Estate 2005 Chardonnay (94 points). For anyone who wants some mail on what's hot in Oz Chards, this is it. Kooyong are a relatively new Mornington Peninsula vineyard producing their first vintage in 1999. They concentrate mainly on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but in the last few years have produced a little Pinot Gris and a Viognier. The wine reveals a haunting colour of bright light straw, a wonderful compact, steely Chablis-like piercing nose of underripe melon and grapefruit, kaffir leaf, minerals and a hint of toasted oatmeal. The palate delivers a tight, linear profile with gorgeous racy fruit, pefectly-judged subservient oak and nervy acidity that progresses to a crunchy, crisp distinguished finish. Brilliant now but could improve over the next 5-10 years. A stunning effort!

From the Kooyong we moved onto a 1993 Volnay 1er Cru 'Clos des Chenes' from Christophe Vaudoisey (93 points) which looked extremely elegant, sexy and mature. I've had no experience with this producer but this wine offered a little of that rare beast, "the holy grail" that Burgundophiles (including moi!) forever seem to be chasing. Stupidly, I neglected to take a tasting note on the wine and with the vertigo still with me, I can't glean too much right now, but this outstanding Pinot Noir offered a most delicate array of scents on a bouquet that was deceptively complex and perfumed followed by a silky palate of superb demeanour and nuance, perfect balance and terrific carry. This is how I like my Burgs! The wine is ready to go now.

Day 6

We took a leisurely tourist approach to the trip from Nambour to Rathdowney, visiting the Blackall Range and the Glass House Mountains along the way. The range, which runs parallel to the coast offered magnificent vistas of the entire Sunshine coast to Bribie Isaland in the south.

Upon arrival to the Lynsay and Diane's Alpaca Stud we were greeted by the most stupendous views of the nearby rugged mountains. Janet and Lyn, who'd not visited the stud previously, were suitably impressed and taken back by the enormity of the stunning views and scenery. It wasn't long before the whites were in the fridge and the wine's selected for the evening meal. Suffering from vertigo or, more to the point, "horizo" , as Eric calls it (the feeling of being on a rocking boat on an ocean swell) could not diminish my appetite for the delicious garlic, ginger, shallott and sweet soy king prawns (finished in a sour cream sauce) served for entree followed by pan-fried Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon cutlets werved with seasoned wedges and an authentic fresh garden salad plucked from the small but plentiful "vegie" patch outside the kitchen.

We consumed the following wines in this order:

S.A. Prum M-S-R Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 1983 - a stunning, invigorating wine displaying incredible preservation - at the peak of its powers, this glorious, exotic Riesling was almost an instant replay of the 1983 Fritz Haag we opened on Day 1 of the trip. Both these wonderful examples offer so much drinking pleasure yet remain incredibly light on their feet, so remarkably fresh and almost ageless and will not fall over for years and years, possibly decades! I had no hesitation in awarding this wine 93 points.

Trimbach Pinot Gris V.T. 1992 - 88 points - a very good to excellent offering, if a little down the slippery slope. Still held our attention without any criticism.

Bonneau du Mattray Corton Charlemagne 1989 - 93 points - this quite marvellous wine displays incredibly youthful colour, aromatics and palate profile. For a wine nearing twenty years of age to be so fresh, pure, yet so polished is a major achievement in itself. There's every chance this wine will continue to improve over the next decade. Harbouring a rare elegance of fruit, oak, acid and grip this wine glided down the throat all too easily. Deceptively complex, one had to gauge at what point, to start drinking and stop sniffing, as the beauty of an everchanging and unfolding bouquet held my interest for some considerable time. A truly wondrous Chardonnay.

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Paulliac) 1979 - 92 points - still holds a solid mature hue with a lot of barnyard eminating from the glass at first but this dissipated over a half an hour or more to reveal a lovely nose of juicy blackcurrants, plums, cedar, pencil and damp earth. Identical to the bottle I opened not so long ago. The palate is in excellent condition with plenty of petrol in the tank. Earthy plum and curranty fruit harmonise beautiful with excellent lively acids and melting but most agreeable and noticable lacy tannins on a perfectly proportioned platform.The finish is smooth, sexy and holds an abundance of fruit yet retains some of the Paulliac firmness that will assure several more years drinkability. Another terrific effort from this overachieving Chateau.

Chateau De Fargues (Sauternes) 1980 - 91 points - although drinking extremely well, the '80 de Fargues must surely be entering its final phase - quite a bright orange gold color with a nose showing just the first hint of apricot kernel, a trait I always associate with oxidation. There's still plenty of judicious oak, cumquat, hints of toffee, coconut and ripe tropical fruit. In fact the palate, if anything, is a little fresher than the bouquet. The wine shows considerable development on all fronts and paired very well with the deep dish apple crumble served with butter milk ice cream. I only had a little ice cream! Drink this wine over the next year.

Burmester & Co. Vintage Port 1960 - 91 points - this wine had a label so old or cellar damaged we had no idea on the vintage although we could identify the maker. Luckily the cork, although fully saturated to the end, came out in one piece, clearly revealing the vintage. Although 48 years old this was in great shape revealing good colour, excellent to outstanding aromatics featuring cherry and almond liquer notes, a spicy, alcoholic lift and some volatile esters that added considerably to the mix. The palate was very impressive with similar flavours, plenty of substance and structure and, seemingly, plenty of time to go. I'm unsure of this house's performances over the years but this bottle seems to suggest that 1960 was a success.

A lovely night of fine food and terrific wine shared with great friends at the dinner table.

Day 7

A very cold night here in the mountains with the bite of the wind coming off the newly fallen snow way down south making its presence felt with plenty of gusto. We did the "big" tourist drive this morning crossing the mountains into New South Wales and then looping back on the highway that travels between Mt. Lindesay and Mount Barney. Stunning country and after very good rains over the last several months and more, in terrific shape! (a great thing for the struggling locals who've endured the most terrible prolonged drought for almost a decade).

The good news is today is Lyn's birthday! We're planning a special dinner for her tonight and a bottle of 1996 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne -95 points was the ideal way to commence proceedings. Still just a pup, this wonderful example of sparkiling joy opens with decidedly complex yeast autolysis characters, some mighty floral- and red fruit-input from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, respectively, as well as pastry shop smells. The palate is a judicious mix of power and elegance, the iron fist in the velvet glove, so to speak, to use a well-travelled cliche'.

Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Perrieres" 1997 - 93 points - plenty of development here compared to the incredibly refined Bonneau du Mattray the evening before. This was far more boisterous with a deeper colour (about lemon gold), more powerful aromatics of grilled nuts, charry newish oak, powerful peach, fig and melon fruit and a palate that, although more powerful than the Corton, revealed a wonderfully controlled and balanced personality. The ability of the top French Burgundy producer's to load their Chardonnay's with such an abundance of nuance and complexity without invoking heaviness or overload is quite amazing. This wine should be drunk over the next few years.

Jean-Louis Chave 1989 Hermitage - 94 points - an interesting story attached to the performance of this wine. Opened the night before, the wine was totally compartmentised with the fruit, acids and tannins all in disagreement with each other - completely "out of whack". Rather than drinking it we plugged the decanter and placed in a cool cupboard in the kitchen for 24 hours and voila! everything had come together, the wine drinking like the absolute star it's reputed to be. So now we have a wine brimming with quality fruit, great elegance, perfectly balanced structure and a fantastic long caressing finish. Drink from 2015-2030+

Domaine de Chevalier 1978 - 92 points - a splendidly preserved example exhibiting a fresh and inviting nose and palate of black fruits, cedar, sweet herbs, a little black truffle, smoke amd some Graves iron. Medium-body, very fine-grained lightish tannins, gentle acidity and excellent length. No need for this to be drunk anytime soon, although there seems to me to be only academic interest in how long it will last.

Paul Jaboulet Hermitage "La Chapelle" 1983 - 94 points - often not rated as a great vintage of La Chapelle this bottle held its own with the more expensive bottle of Chave with aplomb. Definite meatier edges to the fruit, although the harmony and demeanour of the wine is of the highest order. The sweetness of fruit displayed is beautifully matched with, seemingly, subservient oak although the total package is of an exact standard to the Chave.

Ch. Coutet (Barsac) 1981 - 92 points - another splendid bottle of Coutet drinking superbly now with still some life in this belter of a sticky. In fact, the wine didn't appear overly sweet at all. Lovely floral edge to the beautifully-meshed dried apricot, apple skin and citrus-tinged fruit aided by some cinnamon/baking-like spices but, seemingly, not overly botrytis-affected. Medium weight palate but acutely elegant in structure with a distinct creamy oak edge to the same attractive fruit found in the bouquet, plenty of acidity for a long life and a substantive finish whilst still retaining a degree of the elegance mentioned earlier. Drink now - 2021.

1996 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne -95 points was the ideal way to commence proceedings. Still just a pup, this wonderful example of sparkiling joy opens with decidedly complex yeast autolysis characters, some mighty floral- and red fruit-input from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, respectively, as well as pastry shop smells. The palate is a judicious mix of power and elegance, the iron fist in the velvet glove, so to speak, to use a well-travelled cliche'. it disappeared all too quickly

Sounds good. And sounds like it was drinking better than the 90 we had a few weeks ago, which was also considered too young, but still one might have imagined closer to drinkability than the 96. I guess not.

Day 8

The wine drinking part of our holiday has now concluded. Now for several AFD's as we make our way back to freezing Canberra and the grindstone! Unfortunately I'm still completely "off-balance' with this bout of vertigo that just won't go away! I've suffered a severe bout of labrynthitis some years ago and, although this is far less severe, is just as annoying as it is with you 24/7.