Wine review by the President, Stephen O'Halloran and photos by James Hill

Wine

We had a very healthy turnout of around 50 I believe, including a number of guests which was great to see. By the end of the day, we were a happy bunch of campers after some wonderful food by Keith Steele, beef bourguignon, and delicious canapes and a great cheese. See food report. The wines were excellent. 

We got the party started with a very impressive Arneis from the Piedmont region of Italy. A very popular wine over there, a dry white, but packing lots of flavour. A very old grape variety, with a history of consumption going back over hundreds of years. Clean and fresh with lots of crisp acidity. It showed flavours of Lime and pear. A perfect way to begin our afternoon along with the delicious Canapes. 

First wine on the lunch list was the 2008 Vasse Felix Cabernet @ 14.5 %. Very typical of a mature Cab, a big wine showing some stewed fruit flavours on the palate. Quite tannic, but otherwise drinking well, an enjoyable wine to go with the beef. I agree with a comment from the room that it did not taste like a Margaret River Cab. It missed that delightful Bordeaux like "lift" MR cabs seem to possess. It was more like a big Barossa Cab. A touch too tannic I suspect for some of us. That however did not stop me from enjoying it.

Next wine was my pick of the day, the Langhe Nebbiolo @ 14.5 %. There were two vintages of this wine served, one from 2010 and the other from 2018. Our table drank the 2010, which was terrific. I hope the 2018 tasted just as good. A medium weight wine, garnet red, some acid and fine silky tannin showing. Soft and elegant, leather and mushroom hints on the palate, a seductive finish. A gentler version of the Nebbiolo grape than a Barolo. Perfect with the beef. Top marks.

Wine 3 was Massolino Dolcetto d'Alba 2016 @ 14 %. A wine from the Piedmont region, "the sweet little one" as it is known in Italy. Light to medium body, soft structure, flavours of dark berries and plumb on the mid palate, adequate acid and tannin to deliver a satisfying finish. A perfect weight for a lunchtime wine. My advice is to not over analyse it, just glug it down with a good pizza, have some fun! 

Final wine of the day was the Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay 2023 @ 13.5 %. A famous Australian Chardonnay, from a good year in the Hunter, this wine was to me, almost overwhelming. Rich, opulent, and intense. To me, first impression was a throwback to the Chardys in the 80's. Massive ripe fruit, an abundance of oak, lots of alcohol, creamy on the palate with a powerful finish. My second tasting confirmed my initial impression, a quality wine but a tad unbalanced at present. The wine has all of the essential component parts to deliver a high quality wine in time, but just not yet. Would love to review the wine again in 2/3 years.  As to a partner for the wonderful Beaufort Gruyere we were fortunate to have, there was a robust discussion around the room on this issue. Many wise and educated palates consider a good Chardy to be the proper partner for cheese, personally I'm not convinced. Hearing comments from the room, I had the firm impression the jury is still out on this one. I would have preferred to drink the Nebbiolo with the cheese, but alas, I could not keep my hands off it for long enough. Such is life!