Dinner at 28 50 with some interesting Aussie wines

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Dinner at 28 50 with some interesting Aussie wines

After the Semillon tasting I reported on a couple of days ago, a few of us retired to nearby restaurant 28 50 for dinner, with some interesting Australian wines. I love experiencing wine the way it is meant to be enjoyed: in good company, with tasty food, in a relaxed atmosphere.

We began with Jeffrey Grosset’s Polish Hill Riesling 2011 Clare Valley. Fine, fresh, pure and lively with precise lemony fruit and some minerality. Very fine. Then an older bottle: Moss Wood Wood Matured Semillon 1991 Margaret River. Two bottles of this were opened: one was lovely; one was past it. The good bottle was mature, spicy, nutty and lively with tangerine and lime fruit as well as some mineral notes.

Two Mornington Chardonnays followed. Crittenden Estate The Zuma Chardonnay 2006 was toasty, rich and intense with powerful lemon and spice flavours. Full, expressive but not elegant. I preferred the Kooyong Ferrago Chardonnay 2005 which was stylish, nutty, broad and quite elegant with some toasty richness. Both were pretty good, though.

Now for some reds. The table was divided about the first: Ten Minutes By Tractor Judd Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 Mornington Peninsular. Some found it too rich. I really liked it: meaty, sweet, powerful and nicely vibrant with cherry, raspberry and plum fruit. Moving to the Clare, the Wakefield (aka Taylors) St Andrews Shiraz 1999 showed nice development in a rich, spicy, meaty style. And I was pleasantly surprised by the Elderton Ode To Lorraine 2006 Barossa, which was surprisingly elegant and silky, despite coming in an unfeasibly heavy bottle.

After we ran out of Aussie wine we ordered off the lovely 28 50 list. I found the Cuvee des Drilles Gaillac 2011 from Domaine d’Escausse thoroughly drinkable: a blend of Duvas, Braucol and Gamay, it was sweet, textured and very fruity, with some sappy, meaty overtones as well as a bit of grip. This was followed by beer: Camden Brewery Pale Ale. Lovely stuff: hoppy but balanced.

4 Comments on Dinner at 28 50 with some interesting Aussie winesTagged
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

4 thoughts on “Dinner at 28 50 with some interesting Aussie wines

  1. Personally, I prefer the aesthetics of a “heavy” weight bottle if the wine concurs with the gravitas of the packaging – nothing worse than a “light” inconsequential wine in a “heavy” bottle and quite sad to see a stonking wine in unbecoming packaging. That Robusto in a light weight? Any of the latest First Growth bottlings going light – remember, contrary to popular belief they aren’t small run wines and they do travel a bit?

  2. Been to the 28 50 on Fetter Lane a couple of times, and thought it great. Was in Marylebone on Friday and took the wife to the new one. Really really good. Asked the sommelier for a recommendation off the Collectors list, and gave her a £100 limit (we were celebrating). She gave us the Montus Madiran 1996 for £53 (and it was fabulous?.

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