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  • About Me – Andrew Graham
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  • Beer

Bonneau du Martray 06, Primo Moda 01

December 18, 2010


Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne 2006 (Burgundy, France)
$270 (retail 750ml), Cork, 13.5%

Bonneau – when you get a good bottle, it really is one of the finest white wines in the world.

And this was a very good bottle indeed (in magnum, as modeled the lovely Reese).

Some of the 2006 white Burgundies can be a little forward and ripe, and this is certainly set reasonably chunky and full (for Bonneau that is). Backing that up though is chalky, firm, classic acidity, with noble, ‘this is how Chardonnay should taste’ length.

On the subject of length, this is one of those wines were you finish a mouthful and remark – often to no one in particular – ‘wow, this is really good stuff’. Which is lucky as this is hardly a cheap bottle of wine…

It all kicks off with quite a whack of toasty, smoky vanillan oak actually, much like the 07 does, though the extra fruit roundness makes for a more convincing experience with this 06. Behind the oak it’s actually reasonably neutral, chalky and dry, the fruit wavering between white peach and grapefruit, all backed and driven by that excellent acidity.

It’s ultimately a lovely wine of real drive and concentration. A proper first class experience. 18.8/95

Primo Estate Moda Cabernet Merlot 2001 (Adelaide Plains, SA)
$50 (750ml), Cork, 14.5%?

Following the Bonneau was another magnum of love, this time a rather classical Aussie red nearing it’s first decade of life (modeled again here by Reese who busted out a bigger smile after some cajoling).

Again this was a good bottle, but after the Bonneau it just looked hard, ripe and overly warm. It comes from a rather middling vintage though and this was still sourced from the old Virginia plantings that Primo began with (which probably didn’t help).

From the outset it’s very much a South Australian wine this, with a nose that shows stewed plums, fig and dark berry fruit moving in a cedary direction thanks to the bottle age.

The challenge with this one though was the palate which was too rough, gritty and blocky, the fruit big, rich and carrying that caramelised Amarone edge without the sweetness to match. The tannins too are firm and jagged, the whole package lacking polish and cohesion.

Whilst I didn’t strictly enjoy this, I don’t actually think it’s a bad wine. Rather, it shows lots of rich fruit and intensity, with the main distraction simply that it’s just a bit roughly hewn and heavy for (my) real drinking enjoyment (though I’m not a massive Amarone fan in that vein either).

Fair to good. 16.8/89

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20012006Adelaide PlainsBurgundyCabernet Sauvignon Merlot + BlendsChardonnaySouth AustraliaWine
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3 Comments


Anonymous
January 4, 2011 at 4:04 AM
Reply

You look much prettier in these photos than you do in your bio pic.

MichaelC



Andrew Graham
January 4, 2011 at 4:57 AM
Reply

This is my plan Michael – forget the bottle shots, from now on I'll just get ladies draped over cars with a bottle in hand ala Hot 4s and Rotaries.



Anonymous
January 5, 2011 at 12:24 AM
Reply

That sounds like a splendid plan.

MichaelC



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  • About me – Andrew Graham


    At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.

    Almost twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.

    While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.

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