NobleRottersSydney - Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley
Tasted Friday, August 13, 1999 - Sunday, August 15, 1999 by graemeg with 115 views

Introduction

Found these notes during an office tidy-up 23 years after the fact and wrote them up, just for the record. No retrospective adjustments to the tasting notes, but it’s hard not to reflect a bit on the wineries in the years’ since.

Flight 1 (7 Notes)

Friday night dinner with Andrew Margan at a restaurant I can’t remember!

  • 1994 Brokenwood Sémillon

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Honey and lemon nose. Still has solid acid, slightly nutty flavours but without obvious toastiness. Medium length finish

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  • 1999 Margan Verdelho

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Almost clear. Grass & straw nose and palate, with sharp zingy acid. Something of a SB impersonator.

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  • 1999 Margan Sémillon

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Cut grass, lemon. Sharp acid. Sits on the front and mid-palate, short finish. Not got the structure to age.

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  • 1998 Margan Merlot

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Coconut and a little plum. Soft palate but carried by some acidity. Very restrained tannins; saw ‘6 weeks’ in new oak. Early drinking style.

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  • 1998 Margan Cabernet Sauvignon

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Closed. Inky blackcurrants. Plenty of acid and tannin. Fullish weight. Too young to drink now.

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  • 1991 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Inky blackberry nose, still fairly youthful. Black palate, with chocolate and vanilla. Intense and concentrated, with fine dusty tannins and great palate length. Really impressive.

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  • 1994 Brokenwood Gewürztraminer

    Australia, New South Wales

    (8/13/1999)

    {cork} Nougat and caramel nose; similar palate with initially explosive fruit flavours that quickly fade – despite the acidity – to a short finish. Meh.

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Flight 2 (12 Notes)

The McGuigan was a large and very commercial set of offerings. The barrel ‘personal reserve’ reds seemed to show promise, but I don’t ever seem to recall them showing up much at retail.

Flight 3 (24 Notes)

Looking back on these notes twenty years hence, the portfolio really isn’t all that impressive, and even the mid-late 90s Mount Pleasant wines never turned into anything great, nor fetched decent auction prices. I just don’t think the winemaking – nor oak choices – were up to the mark. It took until at least 2007 before they began to reliably produce decent wines from the Mount Pleasant name. Brands Laira was always an underachiever in Coonawarra, and the Lilydale and Barwang names seemed to disappear into oblivion in the new century.

Flight 4 (9 Notes)

A new offshoot of the McGuigan empire. A lot of people seemed to feel the need to make these Len-Evans-like attempts to sell grape/region matches (Clare Riesling, Barossa shiraz, Coonawarra cabernet) under the one brand. Tower Estate kicked off around the same time with the same philosophy. Pepper Tree was another. None ever really amounted to much, I gotta say.

  • 1999 Tempus Two Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} 70% Semillon, but SB is all the rage; best of both worlds from a marketing perspective. This is tart, with a zesty lemon presence and a little sweet fruit on the front palate. Semillon dominates the flavour but ain’t what’ll sell the wine. Easy drinker.

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  • 1998 Tempus Two Riesling Reserve

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Straw yellow. Very advanced with rich – too rich if not sweet – Riesling flavour but good length. Drink up.

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  • 1998 Tempus Two Chardonnay

    Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Cowra

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Solid yellow. Butter and caramel. Paw-paw. Lots of MLF character. Flavour sits toward the front palate. Average.

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  • 1999 Tempus Two Gewürztraminer

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Lifted floral nose; rosewater, pot-pourri. Sweet fruit tipping over into RS which the structure can’t really hold up. Drink up.

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  • 1998 Tempus Two Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

    Australia, New South Wales

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Soft raspberry/strawberry fruit. Shortish length; feels like a lot of sweet oak chips went into this. Grim.

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  • 1998 Tempus Two Chambourcin

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Rotten vegetable nose. Sweet and stewlike palate which seems disjointed. Medium length finish. Time might help this a little but it’s a dubious sort of grape!

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  • 1998 Tempus Two Shiraz Pewter Vine Vale

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} From the Angel Vale vineyard. This is crimson red, with cherry and plum aromas. Blurry wine, mostly well-balanced but for a reticent acid line giving it a soft finish. Possibly better young.

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  • 1997 Tempus Two Shiraz Pewter

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Seem not to have recorded specific flavours here, other than ‘pure fruit’! Nicely integrated oak, balanced feel overall, medium length finish. Impressive despite vintage.

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  • 1997 Tempus Two Sémillon Botrytis

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/14/1999)

    {cork} Light gold. Apricot/botrytis character. Medium dry, but light flavours, nicely balanced. Pleasant short-term wine.

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Flight 5 (6 Notes)

We tasted 21 wines in the Rothbury Cask Hall in a smorgasbord affair, followed by dinner (I think – can’t really remember this many years later) and a few more bottles.

Flight 6 (13 Notes)

I do recall plenty of sore heads on this morning, and here we were at Lindemans Ben Ean at 9.30am on Sunday morning. Certainly the brand was in decline at the time but I don’t imagine anyone could have foreseen how far it would continue to fall into the 21st century. After lunch there we had a few last minute wines from Pepper Tree.

  • NV Lindeman's Bin 25 Brut Cuvee

    Australia, South Eastern

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Honey, yeasty, biscuity nose. Green apple acid on the palate, coarse bead. Short finish. Commercial fizz at a basic level.

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  • 1998 Lindeman's Sémillon Bin 9255

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Pale straw colour. Sharp citrus and apple aromas yet feels much softer on the palate, suggesting an early drinker.

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  • 1995 Lindeman's Sémillon Bin 8650

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Touch of honey and toast over lemon. Subtle acid, but still holding nicely. Still a little closed on the palate. Tradition says this is an awkward age for top Hunter Semillon.

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  • 1998 Lindeman's Chardonnay Padthaway

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Padthaway

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Plenty of malo and butter character here, but the acidity is up to the job. Just needs a bit more fruit I reckon. Always something of a bridesmaid region, Padthaway.

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  • 1996 Lindeman's Chardonnay Reserve Bin 8580

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Mid yellow. Restrained nose, soft melon fruit on the palate but nicely structured with shadowing acidity. Understated but promising wine.

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  • 1994 Lindeman's Shiraz Bin 8803

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Sibling similarity with the ‘95 is evident, although this is a bit earthier with a pepper note to the flavours and a grippy grape tannin astringency.

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  • 1995 Lindeman's Shiraz Bin 9003

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Less pungent than the preceding bottle ‘94 vintage. Cherry/plum nose, almost with a liquorice flavour on the palate. Pronounced tannins too. Doesn’t really seem built for the long haul (the xx03 Bin number being the ‘regular’ release as opposed to the ‘00’ or ‘10’ reserve versions).

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  • 1988 Lindeman's Shiraz Steven Hermitage Bin 7625

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Dark-hued but closed nose. Palate suggests that’s just because the fruit has faded away. There’s nowt left but a hollow tannin astringency. To be fair, it was a dreadful vintage with endless rain.

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  • 1996 Lindeman's Shiraz Steven Bin 9225

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Intense purple colour. Lifted plum fruit, strong grapey tannins. Always with the gentle smeary hunter palate texture though. The caveat is that the finish is a bit short, to be honest. Takes the edge off.

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  • 1996 Lindeman's Cabernet Sauvignon St. George

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Deep red/purple. Blackcurrant and a touch of herb. Smooth entry initially, with sweet black fruit, with strong, fine oak tannins following. Still very young, but promising.

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  • 1996 Lindeman's Shiraz - Cabernet Limestone Ridge Vineyard

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Warm spicy shiraz cuts through black cabernet. Oak is almost overpowering, but the fruit fights back. Medium/full weight. Seems better balanced overall than the St George.

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  • 1996 Lindeman's Pyrus

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Perhaps the pick of the Coonawarra trio this vintage on this tasting. Great balance of raspberry fruit, acid and oak tannin in medium/full body. Medium length finish but has all the goods to age gracefully.

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  • 1994 Lindeman's Riesling Botrytis Padthaway

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Padthaway

    (8/15/1999)

    {375ml, cork} Usual apricot botrytis nose, although with a bit more purity compared to Semillon-based examples. But the fading acidity is letting this sag a little. Medium length finish but would be better at a cooler temperature. Drink up.

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Flight 7 (8 Notes)

  • 1998 Pepper Tree Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Almost colourless. Grassy nose; seems to be riding on acid without much obvious fruit. The SB (I think) is from McLaren Vale of all places; seems to give it a palate warmth. Still, it finish a bit sharp and harsh.

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  • 1998 Pepper Tree Chardonnay Unwooded

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Pears and melon. A hint of malo character. The fruit shines without an oak curtain and the acidity is emphasised. Not bad.

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  • 1997 Pepper Tree Chardonnay

    Australia, South Eastern

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} A multi-region effort – semi-trailer blend. Melons and French oak. Nose is reticent though. Cashews and malo/butter on the palate. Acid works though. Decent enough.

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  • NV Pepper Tree Frost Hollow

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Nebulous melon fruit. Multi-vintage. Grassy semillon dominates seemingly, but the palate is soft and fat with little acid evident. Feels like an attempt to get ‘chardonnay’ on the label when there wasn’t enough of it around! Dull stuff.

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  • 1998 Pepper Tree Gewürztraminer

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Extra sweet-smelling aromas with rosewater and violets. Surprisingly dry palate with medium acidity but a fairly one-dimensional flavour.

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  • NV Pepper Tree Mulberry Row

    Australia, New South Wales

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Multi-vintage, seriously! Pretty base level wine though, with sweet stewed jam flavour lacking much in the way of structure (acid, tannin). Oh dear.

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  • 1998 Pepper Tree Shiraz Limited Release Hunter Valley

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Deep crimson colour. Berries and plums. Rich and full on the palate, even if the fruit seems more earthy. But then it finishes rather on the front of the tongue. Curious. Time might help.

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  • 1998 Pepper Tree Cabernet Merlot Franc

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    (8/15/1999)

    {cork} Quite impressive. Blackcurrant on the nose, plenty of fine bitter tannins, coats the palate properly, good length finish. Decent stuff which should ago OK.

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