BLENDS - WHITE

Andrew Pirie South Estelle 2006
$22.50; 12.8% alcohol; screw cap; 92 points
Estelle was Merle Oberon’s real name. She came from Tassie, like this dream of the wine industry’s supreme übernerd sensualist, Dr. Andrew Pirie. He’s blended zippo cold climate riesling, gewürztraminer and slimy pinot gris, as the Alsatians do to make Edelzwicker. Wild dry meadow blooms, paperflowers, vetiver and lavender jump outa the glass, leading my hunger to Richard Olney’s cool Provence bean, pork, and artichoke stew. www.pirietasmania.com.au

Adam's Rib The White 2005
$25; 14% alcohol; Diam compound cork; 92 points
The donator of this rib, which is in fact a wishbone, is Adam, the son and assistant of Julian Castagna, the biodynamic King of Australian winemaking. Adam's obviously bitten the fruit: delicious fresh Bosc pear and a mince of Ditters' dried fruits well about here, leading to a sensually creamy palate with that alluring sliminess that comes from leaving the wine unfiltered a long time in wood with its yeast lees. It went perfectly with vegeroni and a yellow tomato sauce, plenty of pork, garlic, onion, capers, and sage. www.castagna.com.au

Seppelt Great Western 0.32 Chablis 1958
$n/a; no alcohol listed; good cork; drunk 25 APR 09; 80 points
Colin Preece made this wine from pinot (probably meunier) and chasselas from the Arrawatta and Golf vineyards at the foot of Grampians in central western Victoria, Australia. After twelve months in large vats it was bottled in March 1959. Beneath a husky burlap topnote there lay a pleasing compote of pear and quince, with chunks of honeycomb toffee, butter, coconut, marzipan and beeswax. The wine is far from dead. It still tastes like grapes. After I’d marvelled at it for half an hour, it suddenly issued a trainload of lemons. Eventually, as the front fell gracefully and reluctantly to bits, the tail end seemed to improve, finishing somewhat like an ’86 Les Clos Raveneau Chablis. Let that settle, then consider: this incredible wine is nearly thirty years older than the Raveneau! Maybe the Chablisiennes should add chasselas and pinot meunier to the grapes they already permit: aligote, cesar, gamay, melon, pinot blanc, pinot gris, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc sacy and tressot. Unless it was champagne, I’ve never seen a chardonnay stand up this long. It’s an exquisite old glory, and a great adventure in gastronomic history. Perfect with raw kingfish and wasabe.