December notes

A trio of Chardonnay to open.  2017 Flame Tree SRS Chardonnay . Mature and golden. Pineapple crunch, medium, starting to unknot.   2020 Vasse Felix Heytsbury . Tighter and more complex. Longer and quieter (and colder) initially. Essence like. Restraint and serious poise. Excellent .  2018 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay . 13.5%. Viscous and thick, essence like and powerful. Showy and bold. The nose is expressive, all peach and blossom. Even on day two it’s pretty and still well shaped. By a small fraction, I preferred the Heytsbury.  A Pinot. Oakridge Aqueduct Block Henk Vineyard Pinot noir 2023. Yarra Valley .    Medium red, bright and primary. Cherry and spice, relatively simple and direct, heavy. My rusty palate incorrectly called this a Tasmanian.  For the bird fanciers.  Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2009 . 13.5%. Pauillac. A suitcase wine, and the fanciest red bottle of the season. Tasted blind the early money consensus call proved mostly correct

by noreply@blogger.com (Edward) · source ↗