The Dirt
Issue 31 Winter 2008
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Features
Guest Chef
New Releases
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Features
WINE AND SPORT #2
The RhÔne Valley with its shiraz and shiraz blends is a must for any Aussie wine adventurer. A full day spent at Paul Jaboulet Ainé gave a clear picture of the plans of the new owner. Our own insider PJ saw it all first hand. Trusting him with a parcel of 2007 Crozes Hermitage to play with paid off with tank 'le wallaby' being a good drop and the better of 'le bleu' and 'le all black'. Not quite 'flying winemakers' but a useful way to exchange ideas. Assistant winemaker Sarah Crowe will be heading to Jaboulet in September and Jacques their winemaker here for 2009.
An interesting 2007 vintage for most regions in France. As often happens here in the Hunter Valley there is much debate over picking before the rain versus after the rain. PJA was one that went late while across town Chapoutier went early. Both have good wines. A tasting at the Chapoutier of their single vineyard wines highlighted their work in the vineyard with biodynamics, interesting to see a month ago with greater depth of fruit compared to Jaboulet wines now being offered in the UK en primeur (pay now and delivery in 2010) for approximately A$200 a bottle.
Roman caves but this time PJA upped the ante with no less than 15 hectares of underground caverns. Only a fraction has been restored for use as a Vinum for wine sales, functions and barrel store. Its extraordinary history includes time as a WW2 German aircraft maintenance bunker, a mushroom farm, quarry and a celebrated venue for rave parties. The blue walls from the anti fungal copper sulphate during its mushroom days, no doubt adding to the visual atmosphere to go with something only the French can listen to, French techno.
A meal at Le Verger des Papes, in the 'Popes Garden' at Châteauneuf des Papes, is a highlight for the southern RhÔne. This is perched high on the hill just below the ruins, with spectacular views down the valley. Wine of choice? Domaine Pontifical, of course.
The viticulture further south around Avignon is vaguely reassuring for Australians, with the familiar landscapes, heat and vines laden with shiraz, grenache and mouvèdre (mataro). This region was home base for the large contingent of Aussie winemakers taking in a bit of rugby in Marseille. The pain of losing to England eased considerably with the demolition of the All Blacks by the French. In a way it helped the rest of the trip as we were unfettered by the worries of winning or not.
PJ was one of two Kiwis amongst a sea of Tri-couleurs in the town square of Tain Hermitage on that night. We understand that the French accepted winning graciously.
On to Paris for the semi finals where by this stage we were in fact supporting the French but it wasn't to be their World Cup. Thankfully it wasn't England's either one week later. World Cup 2011 rolls around to New Zealand. Might have to go as I think they make wine there too.
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2006 GRAVEYARD VINEYARD SHIRAZ LAUNCH - 25th ANNIVERSARY EVENT 1984-2008
The 25th anniversary lunch held at the winery certainly lived up to the Brokenwood Mission Statement - 'Make Good Wine and Have Fun'. The sight of 260 people waving their serviettes above their heads certainly looked like a fun lunch!! The wines were pretty good too. This lunch was first held in 1984 and celebrated the launch of the 1983 Graveyard Vineyard Hermitage (as it was then) and the Cabernet Sauvignon (last release was the 1991). The food back then … oysters, prawns and salad!
For the 2008 lunch we wanted to throw a party and I think we succeeded. Libbi Gore set the scene with a great talk on wine and food philosophy but not before an interloper in the form of The Sandman, wearing that suit again, tried to get in first. With Libbi speaking before main course it appeared that everyone would have to entertain themselves for the rest of the day but again saved by more interlopers in the form of waiters who thought they could sing. Actually it turned out they could and did at very high volume. They were of course the opera trained The Three Waiters.
A toast to the 2006 Graveyard Shiraz, one of our best, bottles of great whites including the 2004 Oakey Creek Semillon, 2006 Verona Vineyard Shiraz and a beautifully smooth 2005 Wade Block 2 were just some of the wine highlights. The options wine, 2007 Maude Pinot Noir baffled a few. It also had a connection being made by ex Brokenwood Winemaker Dan Dineen and wife Sarah-Kate, now in Wanaka.
We look forward to welcoming everyone to the 2009 lunch.
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2006 GRAVEYARD VINEYARD SHIRAZ REVIEWS
'I opened this last night alongside the Meerea Park Hell Hole and Thomas Kiss of the same vintage (more later), all three excellent wines, but on the night this was my favourite, or at least the best to drink now. I'll re-taste the other two tonight but the Graveyard is all gone; it was just too good to leave alone. Is it worth $125? For myself, the answer is yes, and I'll be popping a couple of bottles in the cellar.
Wonderful depth of fruit with black currants and blackberry, pepper, coffee, vanilla and aniseed all playing their part in the clean ripe aromas that jump from the glass. It's just above medium bodied with juicy black fruits, cherry, mocha, cedar and lots of pepper and spice - intense and pretty full on. Perfect balance between fruit, oak alcohol, acid and fine dry tannin creates an effortless flow through the mouth and the finish is very long and dry with a coffee bean aftertaste. Great wine.'
Rated: 96 points
Tasted: May 08
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Drink: 2008-2026+
Extract from www.winorama.com.au
Gary Walsh, Sunday 25 May 2008
A Hunter classic, this proves great Shiraz doesn't have to be a blockbuster. Spice, earth, raspberry, black cherry and leather armchair aromas. Great intensity. Food Veal chops with exotic mushrooms.
Rated: 97/100
Drink: Now to 15 years
Ralph Kyte-Powell
Good Living Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald
'The Winter Issue', Tuesday 27 May 2008
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Guest Chef
IAN MORPHY - THE OLD GEORGE & DRAGON RESTAURANT
IAN'S SPANISH LAMB WITH CHORIZO AND WHITE BEANS
Serves 6
90ml olive oil
350g chorizo - cut into 1cm slices
2 medium onions sliced thinly
6 garlic cloves sliced thinly
1kg fully trimmed back straps or boneless leg of lamb cut into 2.5cm cubes
125ml red wine
30ml sherry vinegar
225ml rich beef stock
400g can plum tomato pieces
3 bay leaves
2.5g hot Spanish paprika
50g fresh marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
550g cooked white beans
Heat 45ml of the olive oil in a large casserole over moderately high heat. Add chorizo and sauté, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally until browned, about 5 minutes more. Remove contents of pan and set aside. Add remaining 45ml olive oil to pan and heat until hot but not smoking. Add lamb cubes and cook until evenly browned, about 10 minutes.
When all the lamb is browed, add chorizo-onion-garlic mixture back to pan. Increase heat to high and add red wine and sherry vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any caramelised bits. Then add beef stock and plum tomatoes with their juices. Add bay leaves and paprika and half of the fresh marjoram. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bring the liquid slowly to the boil, then simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for approx. 1 ¾ hours or until lamb is extremely tender. Remove bay leaves.
Add white beans to stew and stir to combine. Cook over low heat until beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve. Stir in remaining half of the marjoram just before serving.
Ian & Jenny Morphy were awarded the Sydney Morning Herald Award for Professional Excellence in 2008.
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New Releases
2008 SEMILLON
As can be expected from such a 'shady' summer, excellent pale green colour. Initial grassy note to the aroma. More classic Hunter lime and cut-grass in the background. The feature of Semillon from a year like 2008 is the low alcohol and low 'weight' mouth feel but great lemongrass flavours and citrus acidity. The natural acidity and clean crisp flavours makes this a perfect fresh Semillon.
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2004 OAKEY CREEK VINEYARD SEMILLON
Perfect colour at 5 years of age, an excellent, luminous green/yellow colour. Lifted zesty, lemongrass aromas with some sweet apple blossom characters. Fruit dominant on the palate but typical tight structure with citrus acid finish. Initial lime plus cut grass flavours. An impressive drink now or leave for more 'toasty' development.
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2005 CABERNET MERLOT
Mid to deep colour and density with youthful purple tints. Quite distinctive 'iodine'/cassis cabernet fruit characters at this stage with cedar/vanillin oak background. Definitely a cabernet sauvignon dominant wine on the palate. Tobacco/dark berry fruit and ripe fine tannins. This style of wine is all about structure and the fruit and oak flavours sit well with the tannins. This will assist the long term aging of the wine if an aged wine is desired. The merlot/petit verdot components add flesh and dark fruit characters.
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2006 MISTRESS BLOCK VINEYARD SHIRAZ
Excellent deep, dense red with purple tints. Very attractive aromas of dark chocolate, earth and dark cherry. Some oak vanillin contribution. Very good medium bodied palate weight. Briar/char and 'pepper' Shiraz characters along with the ripe berry fruits. Wood and fruit tannins give a balanced finish and gives length. A very good example of a young Hunter Valley red that can be consumed now right through to long term bottle age, as it will reward over time.
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2006 GRAVEYARD VINEYARD SHIRAZ
Lifted aromas of dark cherry, clove and 'sweet' earth. These are complimented by soft mocha oak. Initial flavours of dark chocolate and plums. The tannins for the 2006 are ripe with a dry, cedar edge. Some spice/pepper characters on the finish. Perfect weight of fruit, alcohol and tannin. A wine with great 'line' - a Len Evan's expression used to convey structure, balance and length. A comparison to other Graveyard Shiraz is difficult as it is quite the complete wine but the alcohol and style is close to 1994 and 2005.
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