Dinner at L'Opera organized by Lester with special menu by Paolo to go with a couple of Wendouree wines plus a few others.
The Marisco Vineyards The King’s Thorn Pinot Gris 2012- A fleshy wine with some obvious residual sugar covering up the slightly bitter citrus rind finish. Although not very complex, it does have a refreshing and easy quality.
Seresin Marama Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - Lots of smokey oak and overripe guava. Not a style I like.
Andeluna Cellar Pasionado Cabernet Franc 2008 from Argentina - This is rather oaky and syrupy with a soft texture built for immediate consumption. Most of the flavor is plum with sweet cinnamon spice coming out after airing.
Paradise Vineyard “Thirty-Seven” Syrah 2008 from Sonoma - Another wine built for immediate consumption, the oak here was again rather prominent. There was also a strong chocolate component.
Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 1997 - Rather shy on the nose aside from some indistinct ripe dark fruit. Grilled meat, mint, chocolate and iron. Already quite soft. A spritz of acidity brightens this wine considerably. Dry finish. Good balance of everything here. Perhaps not quite at peak yet but certainly close to it. Excellent.
Wendouree Shiraz 2003 - This was full-bodied and tannic but despite the double decanting, still closed. Like the previous wine, there was a fair amount of acidity to give it some lift. Definitely needs a lot more time to come around. Maybe better to leave this alone at least another 5 years before trying again.