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Dublin, Ireland
Hi, I'm Dermot Nolan, and I became a Master of Wine (MW) in 1997, and resigned from the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2023 after being an MW for exactly 26 years. I opened a wine shop in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, called The Wine Library, which closed in 2018, and this is my personal wine blog. I will do my utmost to be fair and responsible in my posts – please read my Who Pays article in re the ethics of wine trips and writing. I have worked in wine education, retail, and consultancy since 1990. I was a Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) from 2008 to 2014 and was also a member of the Events Committee, founder of the Trips Committee, and member of the Governance Committee. Having had problems with potentially libellous comments from unidentifiable posters, I now require that if you post a comment, you must identify yourself properly or it won't be published. Please note that I do not review products or services on request so kindly don't ask. I value my independence and I believe my readers (few that they may be) do so also.

Monday, October 5, 2015

At last we're on duty...

The Institute of Masters of Wine Australia Trip 2015 started off on a lovely Sunday morning with breakfast at the Sydney Opera house.

The views are stunning and we were treated to a lovely breakfast there, some scene-setting presentations and then a range of tastings designed to show, as briefly as possible, what Australia is all about.

We started with four sparkling wines: L’Immigrante Prosecco from Dal Zotto – a fresh, crisp wine with soft mousse and medium body on the palate; a Luke Lambert Chardonnay – quite lean, fresh apple fruits, almost like cider in flavour; Courabyra 805 Late Disgorged 2002 – a rich textured wine, with lovely intensity on the nose and a fresh palate; and Arras Late Disgorged 2002 – rich, biscuit and long.


We then had two flight, one showing wines from very old vines, the other emerging styles. In the first flight we had Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2012 which was more restrained and fresher than I remembered it being; then Bannockburn Serré Pinot Noir 2012 (planted 1980) – a juicy savoury wine with lovely elegant fruit; Best’s Great Western Thompson Family Shiraz 2010 (planted 1867) – white pepper and bramble fruits with wonderfully textured tannins balanced by intense fruit; Brothers in Arms Cabernet 2005 (planted 1891) – very fragrant, maturing nose and yet sweet black fruit palate; Parker First growth Cabernet 2010 (planted 1985) – tight, dense classic black fruits; Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 2002 (planted 1893) – my least favourite wine as I find it too lean a style; and Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2009 -  very rich and elegant wine.
The emerging flight had Crawford River Reserve Riesling 2004 – yummy, clean and fresh with a great palate texture; Lark Hill Grüner Veltliner 2015 – floral and fresh in a Lower Austria style; Andevine Reserve Semillon 2013 – richer than expected giving immediate drinkability; Mayer “The Doktor” Pinot Noir 2014 – very good with a savoury texture; Castagna Genesis Syrah 2012 – wow! A wine which has a richness and smoothness I hadn’t expected; Woodlands Alex Cabernet Sauvignon – a trifle too lean but mainly due to a poor year; Ruggabellus Archaeus 2014 – a gorgeously fragrant and fresh Rhône blend this is lovely.
Posted by at Monday, October 05, 2015
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