Dazmaz Wine Blog

Thursday, 20 August 2015

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Friday, 9 May 2014

1997 Tyrell's VAT 1 Hunter Semillon

1997 Tyrrell's VAT 1 Hunter Valley Semillon

We recently had a very pleasant lunch with the neighbours of Dazmaz, which included a few wines that warrant inclusion in the blog that is regularly read by literally a handful of people.

First up was a 1997 Tyrrell's VAT 1 Hunter Semillon. This style of Semillon is unique to Australia and is a warmer climate white that really needs a decade or so to develop. Good vintages can be quite magnificent at twenty years, plus.

Source: Winery cellar door. Stored since purchase at 13ºC.
Drank: April 2014 (17 years).
Price: It wasn't mine and I was too polite to ask.
Food: Sopressa Veneta.
Colour: Like a nine carat gold ring that might have been pawned by a bloke called Barry.
Nose: The initial impression was the absence of fruit and abundance of bottle age. Perhaps some nostalgia for melon and stone fruit.
Palate: Again the fruit is mostly a memory. Oily and waxy but not necessarily in a bad way.
Length: A bit short.
Overall: 1:1 away to a fairly decent mid-table side.

Creditable. If you have any of these it's probably worth drinking them soon.

We also had a 1994 vintage later in the afternoon, which I'll get to shortly.

Scoring system revisited

We at Dazmaz have received a couple of queries concerning our scoring system. For clarity, West Ham United are an English Premier league side.

They have not been overly successfull in the last few years, with 2006's F.A. Cup final appearance being the closest they have come to victory. They did win the F.A. Cup in 1964, 1975 and 1980 and they won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1965. They also won the World Cup in 1966, but had to play the games under the guise of the England national team. They remain the only club in the world to have achieved this.

Thursday, 10 April 2014

Fromm 2004 Clayvin Vineyard Pinot Noir

Continuing the Dazmaz mini Marlborough meander we visited Fromm winery, who have lately been getting quite a bit of positive media. They were very engaging and knowledgeable at the cellar door and, more importantly, were happy to let us taste the good stuff. One of their cellar releases was their single vineyard 2004 Clayvin Pinot Noir.

Source: Winery direct.

Price: NZ$74

Drank: March 2014 (10 years).

Colour: Brick red.

Nose: Enticing. Betrays its Burgundy inspiration.

Palate: Quite soft and smooth but not overly mature.

Length: A little short. Perhaps it still needs a few more years.

Food: We had chicken liver pate.

Score: 3:1 home win.

Overall: Nice but pricey, as Pinot inevitably is.

Cloudy Bay 2006 Chardonnay

The Dazmaz team recently visited the Cloudy Bay winery in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Their cellar release of the month was the 2006 Chardonnay which was fine by us.

Source: Winery direct.

Price: NZ$37.

Tasted: March 2014 (8 years).

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Melon, hint of marmalade/orange peel.

Palate: Buttery, subtle oak, not much acid.

Length: medium with alcohol on after taste (in a good way).

Food: We had crispy skin Marlborough king salmon.

Score: 2:0 home win.

Overall: Quite lovely.

We had a second bottle a week later with a Tyrell's 2006 VAT 47 Hunter Valley Chardonnay. The colour in the glass was identical and the nose very similar. The palate of the VAT 47 was more stringent, and the higher acidity might suggest a longer shelf life. I'd be happy to drink either any time.

How we rate the wines

We at Dazmaz utilise the West Ham United system of wine criticism. Dating as far back as last Tuesday, the system compares the overall pleasure derived from drinking the wines, to the equivalent joy felt by a fan of West Ham United from their latest result. Hence a 3:0 home win is better than a 1:0 home win, but not quite as good as a 3:0 away win. It's totally subjective and, much like following West Ham, a labour of love. Comments and praise are more than welcome.