Sommeliers Australia Education Scholarship 2010 – Day 2

If there was ever a grape variety that Sommeliers love to hate, its Sauvignon Blanc; or perhaps 'loath' is more accurate. So when it comes to sitting down at 9am to judge a benchmarking bracket of 12 Sauvignon Blancs, Semillons and Blends all could not help some involuntary groans. For as much as I like to give some stick to the variety, I know for a fact that it paid my wage in many a fine restaurant and in many ways, continues to do so. Its like a movie critic bagging 'Avatar'; who cares what you think? Its so unbelievably commercially successful who cares? As dull as it may appear on paper, the Education Committee ensured a few surprises and examples that disprove the norm. The panel for this session included myself, Chris Crawford and former Sommeliers Australia Scholar Sally Humble (Cutler & Co). Below is the list of wines, served masked and in order.

Vincent Pinard Sancerre 'Cuvée Florès', 2008 Sancerre, France
Dog Point 'Section 94', 2008 Marlborough, NZ
Cullen 'Mangan' Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Margaret River, WA
Andrew Thomas 'Braemore' Semillon, 2010 Hunter Valley, NSW
Peter Lehmann 'Margaret' Semillon, 2004 Barossa Valley, SA
Tyrrell's 'Vat 1' Semillon, 2002 Hunter Valley, NSW
Chateau de Fontenille Blanc, 2008 Pessac-Léognan, France
De Martino 'Parcela 5' Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 Adelaide Hills, SA
De Bortoli 'Reserve' Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Yarra Valley , Vic
Craggy Range 'Old Renwick' Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Marlborough, NZ
Vincent Pinard Sancerre 'Cuvée Florès', 2008 Sancerre, France


For the astute observer you would notice that wine 1 and wine 12 are both the same. No, this was not an oversight or editing mistake but a deliberate test to see whether the scholars could pick the same wine. Pretty much no one did and whilst that may sound negative, it wasn't their fault. It was the stupid piece of bark that was used as a closure. Bottle variation between the two was significant enough to see a full medal difference between the two. (damn cork).

The two real stars and the only golds awarded by the judges were the two Semillons. For me the Tyrrell's was just so incredibly seductive, lively, youthful, intriguing and downright delicious; a real favourite for all. Most disappointing was the Dog Point 'Section 94' which displayed way, way to much charry, barrel ferment characters that completely overwhelmed the fruit, plus it finished sweet. I think I may have made a note of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should'. 'Pleasant surprise' was uttered numerous times when the De Bortoli and Craggy Range were revealed. For the De Bortoli, it was the texture, for the Craggy Range it was '…is this seriously from Marlborough? I could actually drink this!'


SERVICE PRACTICAL
What are the true skills of a good sommelier? Communication and Service; simple. The 12 candidates had to serve a bottle of champagne to four guests whilst discussing the wine served, as well as field questions asked by the committee as to what to expect, the type of wines, what other styles of sparkling they like and food recommendations. It sounds incredibly straight forward, as this is what these guys and girls do everyday with confidence and clarity but put anyone in a false environment and it's a very different story. As anyone who has been through the Court of Master Sommeliers Level Two can attest, it is incredibly nerve racking as serving to be assessed is very different to serving for a customers pleasure (though one could argue both are one of the same thing).

The wine the candidate had to serve was (ahem) 'Dom Perignon, 2002' and nerves aside, all did well considering the circumstances and nerves that come as a result.


SPARKLING & CHAMPAGNE
After an intense and somewhat stressful service session, a reward was no doubt due. Cue the champagne. For this session we called on the expertise of our good friend Kate McIntyre MW. In fact, I'm going to type that again as she recently (finally!) received her Master of Wine. Kate McIntyre MW!

When it comes to Champagne and sparkling wine, Kate is an incredible resource. Not only for her in-depth knowledge on the subject, but also how she communicates on the subject and guides the scholars through the tasting. Insight, tips, descriptors, key indicators, assessment … I am positive that these young sommeliers learnt more about assessing sparkling/champagne in two hours with Kate than they have in a number of years. Her ability to share knowledge by encouragement and without making anyone fell intimidated is a unique skill. Thanks Kate, we appreciate your time.

Below is the list of wines, served masked and in order.

Bollinger Grande Annee, 2000 Aÿ
Pol Roger, NV Épernay
Arras, 2003 Tas, Aust
Bollinger, NV Aÿ
Pierre Peters 'Cuvée de Réserve' Blanc de Blanc, NV Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Bellavista Gran Cuvee Brut, NV Franciacorta, Italy
Juve y Camps 'Reserva de la Familia' Brut Nature Gran Reserva, 2005 Cava, Spain
Gembrook Hill Blanc de Blancs, 2005 Yarra Valley, Vic
Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru, NV Ambonnay
Louis Roederer Cristal, 2002 Reims
Gosset 'Grand Reserve' Rose, NV Aÿ


Champagne and sparkling wine to the uninitiated can be difficult to judge. However, all did very well and as bling as I may sound, the final three in the lineup were the favourite of the group. The surprise for the panel, however, was the Gembrook Hill. Tight, well crafted, distinctly chardonnay, but also light and fresh on its feet. Overall, it was an incredibly consistent bracket with style preference playing a key role over quality … as this bracket had quality in spades.

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