I’ve written previously about a very special wine which was the Seppelt 1905 Para Liqueur Vintage Tawny and so I was obviously interested to try some of the other wines in the Seppelt fortified wine range, including the 1880 version of the same wine.
The notes from the event follow …
First Flight –
DP 117 Barossa Valley Fino NV – A pale straw yellow in colour. A bit watery on the front palate. Similar in strength to a dry table wine rather than the intensity you would normally encounter with a fortified wine. Apple cider is a apt description of the nose and palate. 87/100
DP 116 Barossa Valley Amontillado NV – Much darker in colour than the DP 117 with a deep gold hue. Honeyed, very nutty nose with the nuttiness following through on the palate. Exceptional length of 30+ seconds. Very good. 93/100
DP 38 Barossa Valley Oloroso NV – Deep brown in colour. Roasted nuts on the nose, and a very sweet honeyed palate. Excellent length but a touch of spirity harshness on the back palate spoils the balance. 89/100
Second Flight –
Show Vintage Touriga 1987 – Liquorice and spirity aromas on the nose. Good balance on the palate, the body is of medium intensity. 89/100
Vintage Shiraz/Touriga 2001 – Quite fresh but a whole lot of varnish on the nose and not much complexity on the palate yet. Needs time. 86/100
DP 90 Rare Barossa Valley Tawny – Rancio, toffee, butterscotch and an oxidised character on the nose. The body is fuller and more concentrated than the nose and is a pleasure to drink. Long finish of 10+ seconds. 92/100
21 Year Old Para Liqueur Barossa Valley Tawny 1984 – Some rancio on the nose. Medium body and intensity on the rich palate. Nice mouth-feel and a good finish. 90/100
Third Flight –
DP 57 Grand Rutherglen Tokay NV – Enticing nose of caramel, toffee and a bit of rancio. The palate tastes of rich caramel. The finish lingers with you for 15+ seconds. 92/100
GR 113 Rare Rutherglen Muscat NV – Intense, powerful, complex nose with caramel and fruitcake dominant. The palate is a treat – the same power and complexity, along with fruit vibrancy that leads up to a long, long finish of 60+ seconds that completes the excellent experience. 94/100
100 Year Old Para Liqueur Vintage Tawny 1880 – Impenetrable, dense brown in colour. So viscous that it felt as though efforts to swirl the wine in the glass were being resisted by the wine. A nose of amazingly complexity – caramel, toffee, tobacco, raisins and burnt oak. The length of the wine is measured in minutes, not seconds. If I could say one thing against the wine, it doesn’t have the same freshness and vibrancy on the palate as the 1905 vintage of this wine that I tasted earlier, which really took the wine to the ultimate level, but this is still something very special. 98/100