Happs Semillon 2001

Margaret River, 14.5%, $20, cork, 91 pts, Drink Now.

Jaws, WA.

Hay St. Mall
BYO, Bookings not necessary.

Jaws certainly has some of the best sushi in town. As per the photo, the many plates of sushi circle the table on a conveyor belt. The serving size is usually a plate of 2 pieces of sushi that vary from $2.80-5.70 in price (which is quite expensive). Though as the food is prepared right in front of your eyes, you can be assured that everything is fresh. One of the best things about Jaws restaurants is their level of service. It's not the same calibre as that of a fine dining restaurant, but the Japanese place a lot of emphasis on serving their guests well, and being very well-mannered. As for their food, being sushi, it is paramount that the seaweed be of the top quality and freshness, and no other restaurant in Perth appears to have seaweed of the same quality as Jaws. They remain true to their authenticity in Japanese sushi making.

Chestnut Grove Verdelho 2005 ($23 from Vintage Cellars) - they are BYO, with no corkage fee.

Nose: slight smokiness, hints of oak.

Palate: Fresh, well balanced acidity on the mid-palate. Musk, guava, lime, and tropical fruits.

Finish: Acidity proves to be over-powering.

Rating: 91 pts.

Food 4/5
Service 4/5
Decor 2/5
Bathroom 0.25/1
X-Factor 0.5/2
Value 0.75/2
Total 11.5/20

Wednesday 26th Sept Dinner Party

Last night I hosted a small dinner party at home to celebrate a friend's birthday. Click on the above photo to have a closer look at the menu.

We made a few last minute additions to the night: Courvoisier VSOP, Grant Burge 20-yr old Tawny Port, and a Penfolds Grange 1980. Unfortunately we were having too much fun to concern ourselves with being too analytical about the wine, so unfortunately there are no notes for last night's wines. However, I'll provide some brief comments based on what I can remember:

Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2006 ($25) - third time I have tried this wine, and on all three occasions I did not think highly of it. It's not bad at all, but it definitely doesn't have "oomph". If you like citrus whites, then this is probably the white for you. (88 pts).

Grant Burge 'Meshach' Shiraz 1995 ($150) - This label is my favourite wine of all time. I have tried several vintages of the Meshach: 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, and I think it was 2000 and/or 2002. Consensus has it that the '98 is the superior vintage (though two occasions of having this wine I did not enjoy it immensely for some strange reason, though my company certainly did). My favourite is the '96, then '90, then the '95. An excellent wine, and definitely better than the Grange 1980!!! (95 pts).

Cape Mentelle 'Trinders' Cabernet Merlot 2004 ($30) - This wine had at least 2 hrs to decant, it finally opened up and softened up a little, but it proved not to be overly exciting. Upon opening the wine, it displayed a considerable amount of green/leafy characteristics, which settled a bit once the fruit had come out of the woodwork as a result of breathing the wine.

Jardim Do Bomfim Shiraz 2005 ($10/RR$30) - One of Mike's popular cheapies. I think he got it from Get Wines Direct? $10, otherwise $30 retail. It is definitely good value for money at 10 dollars, most definitely capable of giving the 'Trinders' a good run for its money. A very sound wine with good structure. The next day it was holding up better than the Grange. Yes, I'll be getting to the Grange shortly; you can probably predict that I don't have very nice things to say about it!! (92 pts for the Jardim).

Grant Burge 20-yr Old Tawny Port ($30) - can't remember too much at this point, but it was quite nice. Mike will post more detailed notes for it later. (93 pts).

Courvoisier VSOP ($65) - as always, bloody fantastic! I have had some of the World's best Cognac's, this VSOP may not be as "refined" as some of the World's best (eg. Remy Martin Louis XIII), but I have had both right next to each other, and I must say I enjoyed the Courvoisier more. If I had a billion dollars, yeah, I would probably drink Louis XIII every day, but for the difference in price, I would rather drink Courvoisier VSOP any day! I find that a lot of the very expensive alcoholic beverages tend to be so "refined" that you lose the essence of what that drink is all about. Cognac is supposed to be intense! (93-94 pts).

Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1980 ($290/RR$450) - So much for waiting for Wine Clinic to visit mid next year! Drunkenness got the best of me. We opened it, and the corkscrew went in, and came all the way back out again leaving the cork in the bottle. Michael immediately operated on the cork. The wine immediately had an unappealing bouquet (I must also mention that this wine showed no signs of being tainted). This wine was a big disappointment, and I take back everything I said about Grange being legend, and an experience. But I am at least content in knowing what all the fuss is about now, and finally suppressing my desire for such wines, when I know other wonderful wines are available at much more affordable prices. The wine was extremely rich, reminded me immensely of the Chateau Reynella Vintage Port 1982 - it just tasted of vintage port!! Yes, it was holding up very well for a 27-yr old wine, but who gives a crap when it does not bring you pleasure!! The wine displayed notes of mocha, liquorice and vintage port. It was a difficult wine to drink, and I did not enjoy it much at all. It's now no surprise that Jeremy Oliver gave this vintage only 90 pts, and others even less. It is very surprising that Penfolds regards it as an outstanding vintage. Grange is definitely an example of opulence, but you have to enjoy that to begin with. (89 pts).

Wednesday Sept 19

Moondah Brook Verdelho 2006 - $17
Excellent, 91 pts.

Saltram 'Mamre Brook' Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - $26
Excellent, 93 pts.

Whislter 'The Black Piper' G.S.M. 2005 - $20 ish
Average, 85 pts.

Rocland Estate 'Lot 147' Shiraz 2005 - $25 ish
Average, 87 pts.

Leeuwin Estate 'Art Series' Chardonnay 2004

Margaret River, 14.5%, screw cap, $95, 93-94 pts, Drink 2013-2016.

On this occasion I was not in the mood for reviewing. But I found the wine maker's tasting notes to be very accurate:

"The colour is bright straw with lime green hues. The fresh nose is classical Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay, with intensely lifted aromas of ripe yellow pear skins and ripe peach accompanied by hints of fig and cashews from barrel maturation on yeast lees with integrated French oak. These flavours combine into a finely balanced bouquet; the result of very low yielding vines matched with subtle winemaking to preserve the richness of the fruit. The palate displays the mouth filling and intense flavours of fresh ripe pears which is full and rich intermingling with delicious stone fruit flavours. The middle palate shows richness from both the fruit and the lees stirring. The length, always a feature of Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay, is long and full flavoured with a lingering fresh citrus finish. The new French oak complements the fruit providing a wonderful balance of warm toasty flavours on the finish".

I personally did not think too much of this wine, which has a reputation for being one of the best, if not The Best, Chardonnay in Australia, if not the World. I have found myself to enjoy Chardonnay in the past, and thought that this would be something interesting to try. It really disappointed. I gave the rating I did on the basis that I appreciated the quality of the wine, though I did not take a liking to this style. I am confident that with age, this wine is sure to mature into something much more rich, elegant, and complex. The wine is already showing a lot of complexity, but it is very subtle. It’s not a party in your mouth at this stage.

Moondah Brook Verdelho 2007

Colombard Chardonnay KE02 2005

Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2001

Jinnunger Chardonnay 2003

Primo Estate 'La Biondina' Sauv Blanc 2006

Grapes are sourced from Adelaide Hills.

The colour is light-pear.

The palate is full of tropical fruits; passionfruit being the most distinct characteristic, followed by grapeberries.

The finish is long, acidic, and the fruit is rather overpowering.



RR Price: $17
Source: Family cellar
Rating: 82 pts