Opened a couple of cheapies in the last few days that mostly always punch way above their weight (read - price tag, not reputation). I paid 10 bucks for them at release and both continue to keep keeping on and don't look like falling over anytime soon. Mount Pleasant's 2001 Elizabeth Hunter Valley Semillon (cork, 11% A/V, 5 gold medals on the bottle) reveals a glistening light lemon gold colour with youthful greenish tinges, a nose awash with classic aged semillon notes of honey, toast and nuts over glorious grass- and lanolin-tinged pithy citrus (mainly grapefruit and lime) fruit. Almost paradoxically, the bouquet is all about envigorating lift and freshness and nought about decay or a hint of reaching a mature plateau. The palate delivers an even more backward mind-boggling equation - incredibly limey (verging towards cordial intensity!) in flavour with amazingingly lively grippy acidity and astonishing length; this has a such long way to go, I'm hesitating to suggest 10 years as a minimum cellaring proposition. Almost freakish, this wine has such unlimited potential, I'm unsure of what great heights it may achieve. On today's showing I'm happy to award 94 points with double plus signs for future reference. Drink 2015 - 2025+. I'm flabbergasted! Now, if McWilliams, had only sealed this in screwcap, I'd be giving everyone the big thumbs up. Caveat emptor with these being under cork!
Onto the second wine in question - Seppelt's Original Sparkling Shiraz from 1998. I've managed to score small parcels of this wine on the secondary market at good prices but I keep this stash seperate to my original purchase of two dozen bottles direct from Seppelt's amazing Great Western winery complex. This bottle is from the original parcel. Still holding an attrative purplish garnet hue and full of amazing effervescence, this outstanding sparkling red throws up enticing aromatics of brambly blackberry and earthy, plummy notes with hints of spice and mulberry. It hasn't budged now for several years. The palate's equally attractive with swirling mousse invoking strains of youthfulness to the maturing leather- and cherry-tinged solid blackcurrant fruit followed by a nice twist from some old dusty timber and, almost predictably, plenty of lively acidity common to this house's brilliant winestyle. It finishes with excellent carry and much aplomb. An outstanding example at the peak of its powers. 91 points Drink now - 2018+
Finally decided to open my first bottle of 2002 grand cru red burgundy from Frederic Esmonin - their "Ruchottes-Chambertin" from Gevrey-Chambertin. I've been lucky enough to try a considerable number of this fine maker's wine's going back to their famed 1990 vintage. And Esmonin's Ruchottes from this usually very forward vintage provided us with superior pinot noir drinking until circa 2005 when the last bottle from old friend, the late Tom Low was opened. This week's offering opened with a surprising lightish, semi-transparent colour but adorned with a most regal robe. The bouquet utterly magnificent with a melange of sappy, sauvage red and black fruit with titbits of spice and classy savoury oak as top notes. The palate delivers a most similar theme - amazingly svelte and deadset gorgeous with glossy elegant red fruits (plum, redcurrant, strawberry), almost perfect oak usage and blessed with deft counterbalancing acidity. The standout feature, however, is the mesmerizing earthy, sappy, forest floor and gamy characters that make this grape variety, at its best, the most captivating of all. This wine has all of this in spades, but not in the blockbuster, take no prisoners style of some many of today's false heroes - just the opposite - delicate and understated but with no lack of intensity or restrained power. Couple to this, the most endearing of fine tannin regimes and a peacock-tail finish of great beauty and superb resilience and you almost have the complete burgundian experience. 95 points with some scope for improvement down the road. 13% A/V and all the better for it. Drink now - 2022.
Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-St.-Georges "Les St. Georges" 1999
This pinot noir is sourced from some very old vines (about 60 years old in 1999) in one of the best parcels of oldest premier cru vineyard of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation. Clive Coates writes, "Dr Morelot (1831) states that Les Saint-Georges was clearly the best vineyard in the commune. The historian Lavalle, twenty-four years later, placed the wine at the same level as Corton and Clos des Lambrays." Local abbey records indicate grapes were harvested here as far back as circa 1000 A.D.. Chevillon also serves this wine second-last before the powerful and far more tannic Les Vaucrain. Over the years, I have nurtured a policy of not opening these before their 12th birthday. This is my first bottle of this label from this vintage. I have Chevillon wine in my cellar from 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005. I have drunk vintages from this domaine going back to 1983.
Holding a dense bright cherry red colour with a solid core, this outstanding red burgundy offers up a melange of ripe red -cherry and -plum fruit laced with hints of fennel, sage, cardamon paste with flicks of beef blood, sous bois, pinot sap and later, quite a strong top note of cedary oak. In the mouth the wine has reached its drinking plateau revealing medium body, ripe red fruits of the forest, a delicious creamy mouthfeel, excellent integrated acidity as well as fine lacy, nicely-judged tannins and a decent dollop of quality timber. The finish is medium-long with only moderate astringency but decidedly good back-end persistence. The savoury/animal/earthy characters of a fine Chevillon N-S-G 1er cru evolved further as this saw several hours of air in the glass. This wine should improve over the medium term. Drink now - 2022+. 92 points.
Two stand-out 2002 riesling's dominated my wine-drinking a few weeks back. Jim Barry's 2002 Lodge Hill Riesling delivered mesmerising nuance on both nose and palate. The slow rate of development of this wine pays testament to the greatness of this wonderful vintage and the calibre of the older vines. This is a pure, vibrant and refreshing wine with loads of crystalline limey flavour, exemplary mouthfeel and a crisp mineral-infused finish of considerable duration. And it will last for a decade or more. 93 points. Barossa Valley Estate's 2002 Eden Valley Riesling wouldn't invoke strong "buy me" suggestions to most people, but it's what's in the bottle that counts and this wine delivers in spades, especially at the meagre price I paid. Developing toasty characters blend seamlessly with lively crunchy pithy citrus fruit and an acid-rich crispness on a lingering and most satisfying departure. Excellent effort from this Barossan winemaker, not widely associated with this grape and style, with at least five years of development ahead. 91 points.
Over dinner one night earlier with a group of highly-talented young jazz muso's, we opened a rogue bottle of 1990 Orlando St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon I purchased from auction some time back that I found intermingled (and incorrectly catalogued) in a case in the cellar holding several bottles of the 1996 St Hugo. Served with fillet mignon, this wine revealed some slight ullage and heavily stained and fully soaked cork, raising issues of provenance and probably suffered slightly as a result. Still, we all enjoyed the fully mature, earthen and aged-berry character laced with traits of old leather, regional mint and cigar box character both in the bouquet and as the wine slipped all too easily down the hatch. The wine smelt and tasted somewhat older than what I was expecting but was still worthy of about 90 points. As a favour to the drummer at the table that night, I opened a mid- to high-shoulder bottle of All Saints Vintage Port from the 1971 vintage that was showing signs of recent weeping and what a joyful wine it was for three of us on the night. Fully mature and somewhat bottle-stinky (tarry and creosote volatility) to begin with, this outsatanding offering of shiraz freshened considerably in the glass for a few hours before slowly fading very late in the evening. Typical for the maker and this era, this fortified was rich in earthy licorice fruit, a fascinating underpinning of West Indian spices, some chocolate/mocha characters and dustiness from its old oak unbringing of 18 months. The integration and smoothness of both spirit and astringency of this wine provided a fascinating finish to a memorable drinking experience. 92 points. This wine is one for drinking over the next several years.
As I slowly made my way through those riesling's mentioned above, I also had the pleasure of opening a terrificly youthful but approachable bottle of red burgundy - Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-St-George 1er Cru "Les Pruliers" 1999. About half a dozen bottles of this wine have been quietly resting in my cellar now for over ten years. I don't recall trying one, but having tried this bottle, I'm confident I haven't missed the boat for leaving these for this amount of time. Still riddled with deep purple hues, this effusive pinot noir oozes deepset dark berried fruit coupled with notes of cardamon, sap, spice and quality savoury wood. Expansive and flavoursome in the mouth with an additional modicum of delicious red-accented fruit this outstanding example delivers a medium/full body, excellent acidity levels and a sturdy but feminine, fine-grained tannin regime. It's rich without being heavy and has only minimal secondary development, but is blessed with a mouthfilling creaminess and a sleek but quite lengthy finish. It lacks the rusticity I often associate with the Nuits-St-Georges appellation - resembling something more from Vosne-Romanee in its seductiveness and pureness of flavour. I'm predicting this will last for a decade or more and I'm in no rush to drink them. At 92 points there may be some scope for a higher score some time down the track. 13% A/V.
The following are mostly from what I opened in June -
Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon 1992 - About 10% A/V and probably all the better for it. A rogue bottle from the depths of my very cool cellar, with a perfect fill level and a cork only minimally soaked. Preserved lemons, lemon butter, nuts, honey and lanolin on nose and palate - all perfectly meshed and stunningly attractive. Unravels with precision and grace in the mouth but loaded with perfect acid couterbalance to suggest this gem is far from finished. Exceptional wine from somewhat an unheralded year. 95
Peter Lehmann Reserve Eden Valley Riesling 2002 - Utterly brilliant but, unfortunately, my last bottle (only managed to get hold of a few of these recently and must get some more). Ultra-fine classic and still relatively elemental lime/kaffir leaf/orange blossom characters with a mountain of subtle chalky acidity to burn for future nourishment. Astonishing balance and length with a mind-blowing finish. The best Riesling I've ever tried from this maker (imho - better than the famed 1993).
Ch Lagrange (St Julien) 1996 - This outstanding Bordeaux looked fresh and vibrant and certainly appreciated a decent breathe before consumption. Attractive black- and red- currants on both nose and palate with some plumminess from the merlot fleshing out the middle. Also appealing sweet earth and leafiness for added complexity. Subtle and balanced tannins and acidity provide for a smooth and satisfying claret with excellent depth and length. Approaching drinkabiltity but can be held with confidence in a good cellar for another 10-20 years, if required. 91+
St. Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 and 1994 - Like two peas in a pod except for a touch of added leafiness, greenness and black olive characters in the 1992 (a wetter/cooler year perhaps?). Both revealed superb varietal blackcurrant fruit with just the right amount of cedary/savoury French wood and punched way above their perceived status in the marketplace pecking order. Low nineties for both.
Ch. Coutet 1997 - Developed deep gold colour but very much fresher on the nose and in the mouth than the colour suggests. Not a great Coutet but certainly moorish and of an excellent standard from start to finish. 89. Drink soonish. [Tried a few days later from what was left in the bottle in the fridge, this was totally stuffed]
Stanton & Killeen Jack's Block Vintage Port 1991 - Been sitting on quite a few of these for many, many years. This first bottle impressed greatly with a myriad of typically lush licorice shiraz fruit and sweet earth flavour. Beautifully made with many years of superior drinking ahead. 93 and drank well for many days after opening.
Comte Armand Pommard Clos de Epeneaux 1er Cru 1993 - Quite a closed and untamed beast in its earlier years, this cracker of a burgundy has now entered its prime drinking window. Slightly cloudy but holding a strong deep ruby/red core. Wonderful aromatics and flavours of dark ripe plums and red cherries with deep spice and chocolate in support underneath. Later with breathing - mellow tobacco leaf, pinot sap and some gamy notes emerged. Mid-weight tannins add just the right touch in the mouth. Nice lick of acidity, too. Profoundly good length with a silky, smooth finish. Lacks some of the pure class of the best from Vosne-Romanee and Chambolle-Musigny but quite outstanding for what it is. 93. Should drink well for at least a decade. 13% A/V
Seppelt Para Single Vintage Liqueur Tawny Port 1983 - cloudy orange brown with flashes of khaki - amazing legs on the side of the glass. Reeks of "para" from start to finish. Has settled nicely in the bottle these days. Previously, it was necessary to decant this and leave it for at least 24 hours, such was the OTT volatility! Full of rancio, nuts, old oak, leather, old spices, old tea chests, ancient fruit ... I think you know the drill .... a lovely "old" wine that will only get more concentrated and better in time, especially the stuff in barrel at Seppeltsfield. N/R but up there with the best of them.
