Today at the Winebow portfolio tasting I had the good fortune to meet Jean-Michel Chartron, owner and winemaker of Domaine Jean Chartron in Puligny-Montrachet.

He walked me through several of his wines and I was impressed by the quality!

Even a simple Rully Montmorin 2008 was juicy and delicious, yet I especially liked the Chassagne Montrachet Cailleret 2008.

Clearly one of the best Burgundy producers at the event, and one I hope to see soon!
 

Is it true the postman always rings twice? Have you .,,, er, gone postal lately?  Just what is it about the postal service that creates the potential for such drama?

Last night I had a fun meeting/tasting with Kim Longbottom, who with her husband bought property in the Australian region of Padthaway, part of the Limestone Coast in the southeast of South Australia.  Now I'm not sure Kim has ever been in advertising (you know the types, from the Mad Men TV series) yet she is incredibly creative and witty, and knows enough about marketing to realize that 'you gotta have a story.'

This is especially true in today's wine world, where brand creation and recognition is key.  So Kim cleverly tied the story of the wine around the life of a long ago postman named Henry.  When I inquired if there was anything juicy or especialy interesting about Henry Kim paused, as if thinking up a fun story.

Well, we know Henry was real and maybe one day Kim might sponsor a contest where someone could win a case of wine for making up the highlights of his life. For now, let's just say that the entire winery offers brands revolving around a postman theme, which range from young, easy drinking reds and whites to complex, concentrated Cabernet Savignons, Bordeaux-style blends, and Shiraz.

Joining myself and Kim is winemaker Renae Hirsch, who had been tasting with sommeliers earlier. Our tasting begins with “The Postmistress” Blanc de Blanc, a sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay. Then we have “Morse Code Chardonnay,” a barely oaked style that is clean and linear.

Of course, my interest was firmly planted in the reds, as Australia is Shiraz’s natural home. Now the Morse Code Shiraz is their entry level wine, sourced from the Estate’s Padthaway vineyards. The soils in this area are varied, including red loam, black loam, and deep sod over limestone. The 2009 vintage is quite the bargain considering the terroir.

The Shiraz/Cabernet/Merlot blend is called Pillar Box Red, with aromas of blueberry, licorice, and dried mint. Kim tells me it is named after the red postal boxes that used to dot the Australian landscape.

I like the Pillar Box Reserve Shiraz. It is black and inky and looks and, to some degree, palate, which always tips me off in blind tasting I am about to encounter a new world Shiraz/Syrah. The wine has lots of concentrated rich fruit, and this wonderful black licorice component.

Would the modern equivalent of the ’08 “Dead Letter Office” Shiraz be a returned email? (joke!) The flavor is so rich and concentrated I ask Renae if it is old vines, and she says not. The fruit comes from the vineyards grown in red loamy soil over limestone, and it is barrel-fermented and matured in oak for 12 months.

The perception about Australian wine in the United States is that it is very fruit forward and high in alcohol. Though these wines were on the higher end of the alcohol spectrum, they were balanced and, for the higher end wines, displayed much elegance and finesse These had body and muscle that seemed to represent the terroir and skills of the winemaker.

The postal theme is very clever, and Henry – wherever he is – must surely feel honored. One smiles to think of the time, in the very near future, when a young consumer points to the red letter box and asks a store clerk or sommelier what it means. “Before email, people had to write things on paper and a postal worker would deliver it by hand,” would be the likely answer. Thank you, Kim, for producing such quality wine to commemorate your excellent terroir and its many stories.

"Don't worry -- this is his normal expression!" says a friend at A Voce at the Time Wanner Center in NYC, where John Larchet (pictured) is launching his new World Wine HeadQuarters (WWHQ) entity that has been on the "drawing board" for a number of years.

True to its name, WWHQ will comprise of distinctive Wine Estates from both new and old world countries, with a key dimension that will distinguish it from other "worldly" portfolios.

I only had a few minutes to chat with John, yet discovered he is keen on selecting only two or three properties from each country of origin. He wants WWHQ to be a truly balanced "worldly" portfolio, without any obvious "bias".

You can read more here
 

Very interesting tasting of Australian wines Susan Barros organized today for the first Wine Australia Tasting of 2011 -- Unusual Varietals and Classic Blends. It was a casual, walk-around format and good presentation of “what’s up” in Australia these days.

I have to say that after tasting these wines, I rushed to the office to break out my James Halliday "Wine Atlas of Australia!" to look up all the regions, soils, climates and producers! 

The message is that Australians are becoming increasingly enchanted with Southern European varietals. So now you are asking: did it work? How do the wines taste?
 

The answer is as expected: the wines were fine, with the whites mostly crisp and refreshing and the reds, overall, good and occasionally exceptional.

Here are my notes:

2010 Mitolo Jester Vermentino – McLaren Vale
Crisp and refreshing wine with racy acidity and snappy, juicy peach.
 
2010 First Drop Bella Coppia Arneis – Adelaide Hills
Plush white wine with fuller body and nectarine flavors with slightly bitter finish of peach stone.

2009 Hope Estate Verdelho – Hunter Valley
Soft peach aromas with well balanced palate of concentrated white fleshed fruit, medium acidity and tannin with a finish of peach.

2007 Henschke Tilly’s Vineyard – Barossa Valley
Exotic nose of white fleshed fruit and raw almonds, with fuller palate of super ripe peach and rich buttered almonds.

2010 Robert Oatley Limited Release Gewurztraminer – Mudgee
Piercing nose of concentrated – almost dried – apricot, lively acidity and ripe spiced apricot on the palate, long finish.

2009 Robert Oately Tempranillo – King Valley
Spice, oak, dust, and bright cherry life saver on the nose and palate, and though candied a bit, a delightful wine with a concentrated cherry finish.

2007 D’Arenberg The Cenosillicaphobic Cat Sagrantino Cinsault
Full boided red with spice, oak, and rich concentrated cherries on the palate. Great pairing with a juicy steak.

2008 First Drop Minchia Montepulciano – Adelaide Hills
Wow – burst of black cherry juice on nose and palate, with some spice and complexity. Pure black cherry fruit with delicious sour cherry finish.

2008 SC Pannell Pronto Tinto Grenache Touriga Shriaz Monastrell – McLaren Vale
Very well balanced style of red with great concentration of fruit. Fabulous integration of fruit and oak.

2006 Massena Howling Dog Durif – Barossa Valley
Concentrated black cherry on the nose and palate, with earthy flavors and a med+ finish.

Traditional Cabernet Blends

2008 Moss Wood Ribbonvale Cabernet Merlot – Margaret River
A favorite – Exceptionally aromatic nose leads to palate with concentrated and well integrated flavors and spice, long finish.

2006 Cullen Mangan Malbec Petit Verdot Merlot – Margaret River
A favorite – Elegant wine with highly polished flavors of very good concentrated fruit.

2006 Giant Steps Harry’s Monster Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc – Yarra Valley
Inky cherry fruit makes for a juicy wine with great texture and a long finish.

2005 Penley Estate the Chertsey Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc – Coonawarra
A favorite - Intense black cherry on the nose and palate with intensely concentrated fruit, very well balanced with lots of finesse and elegance. Finish of vanilla infused black cherry.

2006 Elderton Ode to Lorraine Cabernet Shiraz Merlot – Barossa Valley
A favorite – incredibly well balanced wine with a “point on” nose of pure red cherry and finish of luscious ripe red fruit.

2005 Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz – Barossa
A favorirte – Richly concentrated fruit on nose and palate, very elegant well balanced wine with tightly integrated fruit and oak.

Shiraz Blend

2008 Turkey Flat Butchers Block Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre – Barossa Valley
High acidity and some good cherry fruit, med+ finish

2007 Penfolds Bin 138 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre – Barossa Valley
Well balanced wine, very aromatic, with concentrated cherry fruit.

"It's been decades since I've been to New York," says the youthful and sporty looking Lynne Shirvington who has come to the U.S. from McLaren Vale to showcase verticals of their Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Lynne, her husband Paul, and son Mark are the trio behind this upscale brand.

It's always great to experience a vertical tasting, especially when the owners are there to provide insight. I really enjoyed the 2001 Shiraz, which received 98 points from Wine Advocate, though I enjoyed the 2008 equally well with its jammy red fruits and "inky black fruit over vanilla ice cream" character. The wine across the seven year span had concentrated fruit and complexity without being fruit forward. Though it depends on the vintage, in general the wine is 100% barrel fermented and aged in roughly 14 months of a mix of new and old oak, both American (majority) and French barrels.

Now the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon earned 94 points from the Wine Advocate and in a similar way, I liked the 2008 which was very much "drink now" yet can clearly improve with bottle age. Though it again depends on vintage, this varietal typically sees less oak (12 months) with a similar distribution of new and old oak, and French and American barrels.

The Shirvingtons are an interesting family ... Paul and Lynne left glamorous Syndey for McLaren Vale (which they compare to a small town like California's Napa Valley) for a new lifestyle. The couples' energy and excitement about their wines is intoxicating ... and their committment to quality (as much as what I can evidence in the glass) is easily perceived. Their son Mark, however, is the Vineyard Manager and is clearly master of the daily operations. Over the course of lunch at Vermillion we discussed all the aspects of winemaking wine-lovers do not usually like to think about, such as the difficulty of accessing water, vintage variation, etc.

Vermillion is an exotic Indian fusion restaurant in New York, and I thought both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz went well with the dishes. For example, I ordered a Brazilian seafood soup (pictured below) and the wines paired excellently because of the heat from the spice and body of the sauce.
 

Now if you are a Master of Wine student and fine wine writer, receiving an invitation to hear Master Sommelier / Master of Wine Doug Frost speak is a command that must be obeyed. Beyond the hard-won titles that attest to years of intense study, Doug Frost is a very nice, approachable guy and actually the perfect one to represent Yellow tail in a tasting as the reputation of Yellow tail is that of an easy, approachable wine.

John Casella, Managing Director for Casella Wines (whose father created Casella Wines) was present to observe the tasting and add colorful bits about his family's incredible history from italy to Australia many years earlier, and the multitude of tiny decisions that resulted in this multi-million dollar, instantly recognizable Yellow tail brand.

Table

Now the afternoon began with a blind tasting of two flights of wines, four flights each. Flight one consisted of yellow tail Reserve Shiraz 2008 from Southeastern Australia ($11), d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2006, McLaren Vale, Australia ($60), Marquis Philips Shiraz 2008, McLaren Vale, Australia ($13) and Archetype Shiraz 2007 Barossa, Australia $15.

Guests - all very highly educated wine journalists and sommeliers - were asked to write tasting notes before the wines were revealed.

The second flight consisted of Mollydooker Maitre'd Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Southeastern Australia, ($11), yellow tail Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Southeastern Australia ($11), Layer Cake Malbec 2008 Mendoza, Argentina ($14), and Penfolds Thomas Hyland Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 South Australia $16.

Lobster

It was interesting to compare these (mostly) Australian wines in terms of style -- when Mr. Casella spoke about yellow tail, he reinforced that "fruit, fullness, and freshness" were what the wines were meant to be all about. The wines were created to be great tasting wines that went well with many foods. Today Casella Wines exports in excess of eleven million cases a year, popular in over forty countries.