Cathcart Ridge Chasselas 2000 (Great Western)

Chalk one up for the stats – a rare tasting of an Australian grown Chasselas. This grape is a Swiss variety that Great Western / Seppelts had historically used as part of their sparkling base. Medium gold in colour, perhaps looking like a chardonnay at 3 – 4 years of age. Strange nose, tough to pick any dominant character.

In fact, reminds strongly of a gueze beer (spontaneous fermentation, wild yeast) from Belgium – slightly sour citrus and fruit, almost like you may experience in a winery cellar. Palate doesn’t really catch fire. More slightly pongy, sour gueze notes early but then fade fairly quickly as the wine loses its primary fruit and mellows out. I reckon this wine would have looked a lot better 2 years ago, and in this case 6 years is a stretch.