It has to be said that the Movie Awards Season has been a bit slow this year. So far there havent been any bulimic Vicoden-addled actresses undergoing emergency treatment, no over-the-top fashion divas arriving dressed in wagyu striploin, and not nearly as much brazen excess of diamonds as the reputed 250 million dollars worth, adorning all the silicon-puffed boobs at last years bash. The most interesting part of the Golden Globes this week was watching the barman at the E-News Cocktail Bar afterwards, getting slowly plastered off his own martinis with presenter Guliana Ramsic - while they waited hopefully for a dazzed award winner in some overpriced frock to drift in for a cocktail and get interviewed...
With the Hollywood bling factor turned down, the crowd at my place got bored with it all and turned to talking about bling in general and the impact of bling on wine specifically. I recall evaluating a parcel of furiously expensive, bad champagne with gold flakes in the bottles a while back. I devalued the champagne from cheesy and slightly patronising list price of $888 a bottle to the value of the weight of the flakes inside - and sold the lot. I feel though that for the most part, the wine buyer of today is very sensitive to the practice of wrapping a bottle in shiny labels, dredging out a few, even shinier ratings from a distant underpaid wine critic, slapping the word "ultra-premium" four or five times on the label and marking it up accordingly.
These days - the wine needs to work for its price no matter how good it looks on the red carpet, which brings me to today`s wine and how I was converted from a far slice of cynicism to a card-carrying zealot in about two minutes flat.
Sauvignon Blanc is famous for many things, but seldom is it famous for its high price. I would say the New World market leader in this sector would be the Cloudy Bay Te Koko - a fabulous partially oaked interpretation of the style - and whilst we all know how divided the market is on Cloudy Bay as a brand generally, this particular product seldom fails to impress.
When it comes to Tasmania and prestige boutique wineries, Domaine A is probably at the top of the tree. The list of warm tributes for Sauvignon Blanc include the following from Jancis Robinson ...
... and James Halliday ...
With a 96 point rating from Halliday, this is what he says about the flavor profile of this 2008 vintage...
"Bright straw-green; a potent and powerful wine taking its cue directly from Bordeaux; ripe and intense fruit has absorbed the French oak in which it was fermented and matured; the impact of the oak is on the texture and structure of the wine, which has incredible intensity and length."
There have been times when this was restricted to only two bottles per cellar door visitor in Tasmania and the label has become something of an urban legend in some wine circles. I had not dabbled with this wine before and took a quick look for the first time yesterday at the office - as as you will see from the video on the right hand side, I feel the wine is remarkable. All my preconceived cynicism about the price tag and potential "bling factor" vanished rapidly behind clouds of delicate aromatics that - whilst great in their own right, become singularly remarkable when treated in oak for a year. Elegence and grace meets layers of rich creaminess that linger long and proud.
It is unique and extraordinary as a wine and definitely worth at least one in the cellar - now and for up to 2015 I reckon at least. Any fans of medium bodied aromatics like Giaconda Les Deux, aged Tahbilk Marsanne, Lovedale Semillons and Grosset Rieslings after a few years really need to experiance this wine at least once.
The Offer:
Domaine A "Lady A" Sauvignon Blanc 2008
$79 net
Arrival First Week of February;
This Option Expires Strictly at Midnight Sunday 21 January;
Ten Dozen Only;
To Order:
robert@wineexchangeasia.com
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(Taken New Arrival Allocations)
