NobleRottersSydney - Oz wines - 10 year night

The Rotters gather for a 10-year dinner, although 1997 was not a particularly good vintage for Australian wine in general; a couple of ring-in wines hint at how thin the stocks are becoming in some peoples’ cellars.

• 1999 Lake Barrington Estate Alexandra

  Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania

  {cork, 12%, A$60} A lemon green colour, with tiny but sparse bubbles. The nose is fresh yet aged – is that a contradiction? The cheesy/yeasty notes do not entirely repress the apple/citric fruit underneath. Surprisingly, the palate looks to pinot fruit more than chardonnay, with a hint of strawberry character. Soft acid, with medium-sized yet delicate bubbles on the palate, the wine stays pretty much on the front and middle palates, but is let down a little by a short finish. Unusually for a local sparkler, has spent five years on lees, which may go some way to explaining the ethereal character the wine possesses. An interesting effort from a less well-known, and very cool, part of Tasmania. Interestingly, this is the current release

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• 1997 Bannockburn Pinot Noir

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong

  {cork, 13.5%} A definite garnet red with a hint of rust around the rim. A well-developed nose, which might pass for a younger wine, it has aromas of truffly earth, raspberries, wet leaves with a faint iodine twist. The dry palate offers sweetly decaying red fruits, and exotic bretty/barnyard hints which add to the complexity. Low level dusty tannins frame a light-medium body, with a good even balance of weight which just tails off at the back palate. A very pleasant wine which is clinging resolutely to life; lovely drinking over the next 2-3 years.

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• 1997 Tatachilla Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  {cork, 14%} Marked as 'Clarendon Vineyard' on the bottle (not really an appellation). Clear garnet, no bricking at the rim, plenty of legs on the glass. For me, lots of oak on the nose. A big vanilla milkshake. Plummy red fruit underneath, but struggling to emerge. A dry palate, low in acid, but laden with chalky oak tannins and quite some alcoholic warmth as well. The big upfront power flatters to deceive though, as I found the finish harsh and attenuated, almost musty in its flavours and of no great length. At least ten of the other twelve around the table enjoyed it far more than me, however. Humph.

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• 1997 Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  {cork, 13.5%} Tasted this for the second time in a year, and I reckon I’d have picked it blind. Surely among the most polarizing noses of all time. Intense lashings of asparagus, capsicum, and green leaves. The palate is less intimidating, being quite loose-knit and open; surprisingly it doesn’t taste unripe. Soft grapey tannins remain around the back of the palate and draw some attention to a reticent mid-palate. Medium bodied, this wine will probably taste the same in five more years.

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• 1997 Lindeman's Cabernet Sauvignon St. George

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  {cork, 13.5%} One sniff spells trouble. Spirity, with harsh stewed berry tones and a distinct aroma of volatility. Oh dear. Tannic and harsh on the palate, hollow, with a short finish and faded fruit. Either prematurely oxidized or in terminal decline. A wine for laying down and avoiding, as Monty Python would say..

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• 1996 Lindeman's Shiraz - Cabernet Limestone Ridge Vineyard

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  {cork, 13%} This is in a different class altogether [to the '97 St George]. Still a ruby red, and with a storm of sediment, the wine offers a sweet nose of spicy shiraz fruit, raisins and berries and candied ripe fruits with sweetly decayed american oak. The palate remains surprisingly tannic, the flavours strongly lean to the shiraz end of the spectrum, although it seems the cabernet just lifts the back palate a bit. Despite the relative simplicity of the flavours (attractive as they are) the balance along the palate is pretty good, well integrated acid combining with medium level chalky tannins to give a decent length of finish. Hard to see much improvement from here, drink up over the next few years.

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• 1997 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi

  Australia, Victoria

  {cork, 13%} A bizarre co-incidence saw two bottles of this on the table. Mid ruby-garnet in colour, the wine shows an aged nose of white pepper, cool-climate aromas which are quite restrained. The palate offers more, with soft earthy leathery fruit flavours, powdery tannins of medium stature, plenty of acid holding things together, and a medium length finish which spotlights the mid-palate. At the peak of development and needs drinking soon.

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• 1996 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi

  Australia, Victoria

  {cork, 13%} Garnet red with a fading rim. An aged nose here, a rich bouquet is similar to the 97 but has greater depth and focus. The palate shows ripe fruit dominated by furry grape tannins and polished leather flavours. Feels better structured than the 97, tighter and less dilute. Feels like it will hold another few years at least. I don’t think the Langi Shiraz is ever really a long ager.

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• 1997 Penfolds Bin 389

  Australia, South Australia

  {cork, 13.5%} A soft furry nose in the house style, with gentle oak and warm climate developed red berry aromas. The palate is dry and seamless though not especially powerful. Medium dusty tannins, and a medium length finish of good intensity and weight fit right in with a modest year for this label. Dependable if not exciting. No need to hold longer.

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• 1993 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {cork, 14.6%} A pretty glowing garnet colour, this wine follows up with a developing nose of ripe red fruits embodying a slightly varnishy quality (alcohol effect?) which detracts a little. A dash of eucalypt emerges on the palate, with some pepper and a little herbaceousness. A pretty respectable wine all round; good balance of acid & tannins, handsome length of finish and well-balanced right along the palate are its hallmarks. Lacks the focus of the best years, but will still hold a while longer.

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• 1997 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri

  Australia, South Australia

  {cork, 14%} There’s some development on the nose here, but not much. The ripe black/red warm-climate fruit tones are also rather subdued. The palate is surprisingly voluptuous and mouth-filling; plummy fruit combining with with soft acidity, medium chalky tannins, medium bodied weight and a decently long finish to make a pretty satisfying experience which will no doubt improve over at least the next 5-10 years. All that said, it lacks the ‘wow’ factor found in the 86, 90, 91, 96 vintages; it’s a simpler, less intense experience. Still a good wine, but falls short of greatness.

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• 1997 Wendouree Shiraz

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  {cork, 13.6%} Could be a barrel sample, so little evidence of aging does this admit. A signature nose of eucalypt, menthol, spearmint and a dash of rubber. Then follows a monolithic palate; a full-bodied dry wine with high levels of powdery tannin, green-spectrum fruits (but not under-ripe), and a long finish. Plenty of weight right along the length of the palate. An uncompromising wine – you realize how fiercely austere and closed it is by going back to taste, say, the [97] Limestone Ridge afterwards – that wine now appears almost rose-like in a light-candied way. But while the minty Clare monster will age seemingly forever, how will it evolve? I can’t predict (except to say ‘slowly’), but I suspect that glacial development will slowly unfold over many years, perhaps without ever reaching some perfectly balanced zenith. Terrific if you like the style…

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• 1995 Peter Lehmann Noble Sémillon

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  {375ml, cork} The colour of liquid bronze. Some of the aromas as well. The usual aged botrytis fruit nose, but this is beginning to fade on the palate. For me the loss of freshness in the decay is not offset by an appreciable increase in complexity; this is on the downslope. Still enjoyable, but don’t dally.

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• 1995 Miranda Sémillon Golden Botrytis

  Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina

  {375ml, cork, 11%} Nearly as dark as the [95 Noble] Lehmann, but that colour difference is significant. This wine really over-delivered back in these early vintages – you’d never suspect this quality of wine judging by their recent releases. Again, lots of botrytis on the nose, and although the marmalade/apricot fruits have now become very coppery, there’s just enough acid to keep to from cloying.

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In all, not a bad showing for what’s probably considered a bit of a ropey vintage in general.