Having worked on the 9th edition of the Penfolds Rewards of Patience book intermittently for over two years, I feel very familiar with the history and progress of winemaking. The 2008 vintage is a great year for Grange. I can see this wine cellaring for another 50 years at least, and perhaps enjoyed at a dinner somewhere, in Hong Kong, or London, or Sydney, by a new generation of wine people looking to the past for inspiration. 2008 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange South Australia 5 Deep crimson. Classical blackberry/blackcurrant/dark chocolate aromas and flavours with hints of wax polish. Chocolaty textured and dense with abundant dark berry/praline fruits and well-integrated new oak notes. Still unfolding, but an impressive vintage. 98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, and Magill Estate (Adelaide). Last, but not least, was a bottle of 2024 EJ McDougall Chardonnay, based on the Gin Gin clone, from Margaret River, which was brought along by winemaker Eddie McDougall as a pre-quencher! I had recently seen it at a blind tasting some days before against some prominent white Burgundies in Macau, and it performed well. Sourced from a single vineyard down near Witchcliffe at the southern end of Margaret River, it can easily sit alongside some of the more famous names. Eddie McDougall has a great small team working with him, including the highly intuitive and 5 Pale colour. Classical pure grapefruit nougat aromas and flavours with lovely waxy complexity, superb volume, some mid-palate creaminess emerging and persistent al dente textures. Finishes crispy with tonic water notes. experienced winemaker Lilian Carter. 2024 EJ McDougall Chardonnay Margaret River – Western Australia As mentioned before, there were some wines that were disappointing. A first bottle of 1954 Mount Pleasant Old Paddock Hermitage was oxidised, a 1975 Brand’s Laira Cabernet Shiraz was volatile, and a 1980 Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon was corked. But the quality and condition of the wines, rather than the labels, turned out much better than anyone expected. The group described the evening as ‘Aussie Madness’. And it was.
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The Vintage Journal – Australian Wine Through 30 Bottles
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