Tyson Stelzer, screwcap expert and Australian wine writer has posted a roundup of thirty 2005 Australian Rieslings at his web site.
2005 is looking like the best overall vintage since 2002 for many of Australia’s Riesling regions. I’ve tasted some super examples from the Clare Valley and Eden Valley in South Australia along with Victoria and Western Australia.
I’ll shortly be posting a roundup of the Annual Riesling Challenge which is held in Canberra and features Riesling from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America.
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Fast Facts:
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
Country: Australia
Winemaker: Bob Cartwright
Closure: Cork
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Leeuwin Estate’s Art Series Chardonnay is one of Australia’s most highly regarded wines. Leeuwin Estate has said that the secret behind the Art Series Chardonnay is an exceptional block of vines that they call “Block 20″. The grapes from this block form the backbone of the Art Series Chardonnay each year.
The 1987 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay is considered by many to be one of the finest Chardonnays that Australia has produced. 1987 was a classic vintage in the Margaret River and in combination with the consistently excellent Chardonnay grapes that Leeuwin have access to, this wine is one of those wines that people who tasted it in its prime put in their top wine experience lists. At 18 years of age, it is at the stage where almost all but a few Australian Chardonnays would be undrinkable.
Recently the opportunity came up to buy a case of this wine at auction. Myself and three other wine lovers decided that it would be worth splitting this case amongst ourselves in the hope that some of the bottles we received would still be drinkable.
It was a good sign when we received the bottles that the labels were in pristine condition and the fill levels indicated that no leakage had taken place. It seemed that these bottles had been well stored and looked after.
Even considering the good condition, I opened my first bottle last weekend with a certain amount of trepidation …
Tasting Note: A golden yellow core with hints of straw yellow and green around the edges. Toffee apple, honey and a touch of pineapple, along with a gentle hint of sweetness provide an interesting bouquet. A delightful creamy mouth-feel. Superb balance from start to finish on the layered palate, all is in harmony. Excellent length that goes on and on.
There is no doubt though that it is fading and that it is well and truly time to drink remaining bottles. It would have been unforgettable in its prime, but given a good bottle it is holding on and is still showing enough of its past glory to be considered excellent.
Verdict: 93 points.
If you would like to try some of the Leeuwin Estate magic, I can highly recommend the current release 2002 Art Series Chardonnay ($70). A full tasting note for this wine is on it’s way, but it exhibits the structure and delightful complexity to convince me that it will last the distance and provide much enjoyment in the years to come.
Welcome to all who have arrived through the mention of my site in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Living section today.
As an introduction, the About page talks about some of the things that I’m looking to achieve with this blog. Aside from that, you can view stories and tasting notes on specific regions via the Categories section on the right hand side or just browse through all the previous pages via the links at the bottom of each page.
Please feel free to email me or leave a comment with any questions, suggestions or general feedback that you have for the site. We are working on some exciting features for the near future and I hope that you’ll continue to visit and enjoy.
Andrew over at Spittoon “tagged” me to take part in a meme started by Beau at Basic Juice. The idea of the meme is that you nominate the best wine that you have had in the past 30 days and then pass the baton on to a fellow wine blogger as well as a food blogger.
This has come to me at an opportune time as I recently had the good fortune to try a piece of Australian wine history.
The wine in question is the very special Seppelt 1905 Para Liqueur Vintage Tawny.
The story goes that the owner and winemaker at Seppelt, Benno Seppelt wanted to commemorate the opening of a newly constructed stone cellar at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley. He decided that he would put aside a barrel of the finest wine for that vintage and declared that it should remain unbottled for 100 years.
This was in 1878 and each subsequent year a barrel has been put aside to be untouched for a minimum of 100 years. Wine is bottled only on demand and Seppelt still has unbottled stock for all years back to 1878. This makes Seppelt the only company in the world to have significant stock of unbottled wine laid down in consecutive vintages for what is now 127 years.
Unlike a solera system, where vintages are blended together, the Seppelt 100yo Para is a true vintage wine with 100% of the wine being from the specified vintage.
This particular vintage of 100 year old Para is a blend of Mataro, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Malbec.
Tasting Note: There aren’t strong enough superlatives to do justice to the concentration and viscosity of this wine. Swirling ever so gently left a thick coat of wine along the sides of the glass for over five minutes.
An impenetrable glowing dark mahogany in colour with glimpses of olive yellow, honey and maple throughout.
Impossibly complex bouquet, one feels that you could dedicate weeks to sitting and smelling this in awe and still not unravel all the layers that it has to offer. Toffee, caramel, butterscotch, tobacco, rancio and spirity characters each as fully intense as if they were the only aromas in the wine.
On the palate you are treated to the unbelievable viscosity of the wine as it flows ever so slowly down the side of the glass and past your lips. You almost feel like you are able to chew on the wine it is so dense. The flavours are like an explosion in your mouth - Toffee, caramel, maple syrup, roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, cigar box - but enough acid to keep a semblance of balance.
The finish is glorious and the astonishing aftertaste remains with you for hours, if not longer.
Verdict: 100 points. No tasting note can do it true justice.
As mentioned, the wine is bottled on demand from vintages ranging between 1878 and 1905. Each vintage costs the same to bottle, $575AU for 375ml and $1050AU for 750ml. Expensive, but an unique part of Australian wine history. For those of us not quite willing/able to part with that much hard earned money, at Seppelt’s Barossa Valley Cellar Door you can take a guided tour of the winery and then taste Seppelt’s premium wine range followed by a cheese platter and a taste of the 100 year old Para for $50 per person.
Now, to pass the meme along, I nominate from the wine blogging side Mike from ShirazShiraz and for the food blogging side I nominate Niki at Esurientes