Fourth, there's the question of writing, or rather a disinclination to spend a lot of time on wine writing when I'm immersed in a couple of aspects of Hughesy's life and times that I'm trying to bundle up nicely so I can move on to something else. Still, by late May I'd progressed to the point where I had the 2009 Carlyle Chardonnay Marsanne in the fridge and something I thought would suit on the menu, so I was able to make a belated start on the Pfeiffer box.
I'd really enjoyed the initial 2008, to the extent of lining up to reorder, but while the '09 was quite acceptable, I don't think I'll be following up with a reorder this time around. Part of the difference may well be down to the extreme conditions that applied in Victoria around the '09 vintage, and I'll be interested to see how things shape up over future vintages.
According to the newsletter, the '08 was a result of looking at a batch of Chardonnay, thinking it needed a bit of something and seeing if the Marsanne might be the something in question, which proved to be the case. At the time I described it as:
Nice clean pale colour, aromatic nose (and you can definitely pick the marsanne) and a refreshing wine that's very easy drinking to the point that the empty was removed around the time that dinner hit the table.
The '09 didn't, I thought, work quite as well.
While you can still pick out the varietal characteristics, the honeysuckle notes of the Marsanne didn’t seem quite as pronounced this time around. Part of that may be down to vintage variation, but I suspect where the '08 was an attempt to tackle a perceived problem, this time around it may have been a case of matching the formula that worked last time rather than approaching a particular issue with a particular batch from a particular vintage. While it's still a reasonably attractive unoaked white it didn't make me sit up and take notice the same way the '08 did. Reorder? Probably not, though we'll have to wait and see what else is in the box.
There's a slightly different issue involved with the 2008 Pfeiffer Carlyle Chardonnay. With two bottles in the pack I went for one to accompany a new favourite chicken breast and enjoyed the wine so much that when I repeated the dish (told you it's a favourite) I repeated the wine match, figuring that a reorder would be a relatively straightforward exercise.
But there's the rub - it isn't. A fevered search of the standard section of Pfeiffer website failed to produce a sighting of 2008 Carlyle Chardonnay. Pity, because I really liked the wine. It's one of the new-style Aussie Chardonnays which isn't exactly Hughesy's preferred option, but as a very fine expression of the style, with some buttery notes lurking in the background under the peaches and melons at the forefront, it's a very enjoyable food wine. Very nice indeed.
Given how much I enjoyed the match with the chicken, I could easily go a half-dozen (at least). The problem is how to reorder. Logging in to the Members Only section of the website eventually revealed the secret. The Autumn 2010 Wine Club Tasting Pack Notes proclaim it to be a SPECIAL MEMBERS ONLY RELEASE. Presumably that means that it's an opportunity to sample the wine before it gets a release for the general public/ unwashed masses/ whatever.
But when (if?) it DOES go on sale, you'll need to be quick. Hughesy'll be down for (at least) a half dozen...
Coolish winter nights might be more suited to big reds, but when circumstances combined to produce a chicken dish with a vegetable accompaniment (actually, it was a case of I need to use this, and this side dish looks the way to go, so what does it accompany?) saw me looking for a dry white, and a bottle of 2008 Marsanne (RRP $17 Wine Club $15.30) happened to be sitting in the door of the wine fridge.
As noted repeatedly elsewhere Tahbilk sets the benchmark when it comes to Marsanne in Australia, but having said that I'd happily go back for another go at the Pfeiffer 2008. Pale straw yellow in the glass, hints of honeysuckle on the nose and fresh on the palate with a dry finish, it was a tasty drop that could well be interesting with a few years' bottle age.
When it comes to that bottle age factor working in that $15-$20 range, I'd probably be heading towards some of the Tahbilk web specials ('07 $13.45, '06 $14.35, '02 Museum Release $17.95), which would deliver that bit of maturity at around the same price point.
That's not to put the kibosh on the 2008 Pfeiffer, however. If there's a reorder from this tasting pack, (as in when that Chardonnay is available) the Marsanne will definitely be in the mix. Otherwise it'll all depend on the rest of the box.
And the rest of a reorder box could well include a couple of bottles of the 2008 Carlyle Cabernet Merlot (RRP $18.50 Wine Club $16.65) which went rather well with that favourite sugo alla bolognese. Definite notes of mint on the nose, along with enough other elements to keep the I'm getting a bit of mob quite happy. I didn't hang about sniffing too long, however, since the first sip revealed a rather elegant wine with plenty of berry fruit flavours, well integrated oak and a long finish. Nice.
2008 Carlyle Shiraz is another one to add to the reorder list. Deep, opaque red in the glass, pepper and spice aromas that leap out of the glass alongside ripe berry fruit and a rounded mouthfeel. Very enjoyable, and if I was forced to choose between it and the Cab Merlot it'd be a case of tossing a coin.
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon’s another of those wines that don’t reach out and demand attention. Nicely rounded, plenty of cabernet character and quite reasonable drinking, but there’s nothing there that made me stop and enthuse. You could do far worse than this. It ticks all the boxes, works very nicely in the glass and will go well with a bit more bottle age. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the same Wow factor I’ve noted in a couple of recent samplings.