Wine Dinner - High End Aussie, Cab, etc.

[oostexan]

Took a group of clients out to a high end steak joint and began drinking copious amounts of wine. Below is my ranking of them.

1. 2004 Glaetzer Godolphin Shiraz - Wow. Wow. I mean WOW! I never would have picked this wine off the list (Eric the sommelier recommended) as I had dismissed Australians as "fun but flabby." This thing is a monster in sheeps clothing. Aromas of deep fruits, cherries, and blackberry. Tastes beautifully elegant with concentrated black and blue fruit that is so elegant, yet it has the flavorful distinctiveness of Syrah. It ends with a touch of vanilla oak. Incredible finish thats lasts forever.

This is the best wine I have had all year. Awesome stuff and I had never heard of it before this dinner. I would describe it as the best of Shiraz and Cabernet in one bottle as it is 80 Shiraz and 20 Cabernet.

This could be the wine the completely converts me to taking Aussie wines seriously.

2. 2002 David Arthur Cabernet - Wonderfully rich concentrated cabernet that is indicative of all the great things about the varietal.

3. Girard Cabernet Franc - Very nice inexpensive wine that had a great amount of upfront fruit that makes it great with steak, not the best finish in the world. Great value so we had a couple bottles of this one.

4. 2003 Clos St. Jean CDP - Too young and very fruitty without the minerality that I expect from good CDP. Very odd. Sent the first bottle back as it was corked. This was good, but very young and restrained against tough company.

Great fun with a great group of guys. We also had a Warre's 1987 Port that was good, but not worth the price (200 per bottle).