NobleRottersSydney - Revisiting the '98 cellar

Eleven years on, and we retaste some examples of the ‘1998 cellar’ which were expected to be a bit longer lived…

• 1998 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna

  Australia, South Australia

  Solid Penfolds nose from a ripe year. Tar, meat, integrated dark oaky aromas. Developing. All medium weight on the palate; tannin & spiky acid are all there, and there’s plenty of ripe red berry fruit too. Somehow it feels rather bitty though, the integration is not quite there, like a series of successive impressions, rather than a single vision. Overall it’s pretty good, but lacks that ‘wow’ factor. Previous bottles have been more impressive. Not falling apart though, so worth keeping in the hope of more integration.

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• 1998 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  For once, thoroughly outshone its sibling Bin. Far richer than the [98] Bin 28, and smelt a lot more ‘winelike’ if that makes sense. Spice & raspberry, pepper and a dash of cinnamon all combine with seductive power. The palate is still tight, with only a little development. Chalky, puckering tannins remain, acid is unobtrusive, and there’s a late bloom of almost primary berry fruit on the finish. It’s neither a fruit- nor oak-bomb either, and is capped off by a long even finish of medium weight. Quite a surprise, and with plenty of time left.

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• 1998 Baileys of Glenrowan Shiraz 1920's Block

  Australia, Victoria, North East

  Distinct garnet revealing some age. A dusty, almost musty nose, with some cuddly black shiraz fruits and a touch of aniseed. The palate is less convincing, its generally low voltage impact hampered by distinct violatility. The tannins are pretty well gone, there’s an old fruity warmth to the finish, but really that acidity is troubling. Drink now if not sooner.

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• 1998 Leasingham Shiraz Classic Clare

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  Richly vanillan and oaky. Oddly reminiscent of Rioja. Completely avoids any trademark Clare mint-eucalypt characters in favour of ripe warm black fruits and charry oaky character. Quite old-fashioned, but also rather simple in flavour profile. Loose-knit chalky (oak) tannins remain, and the finish has a decent length although remains a bit one-dimensional. Another one ready to drink.

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• 1998 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz Ebenezer

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Licks of vanilla, along with spiced/mulled fruit aromas. Trying to be warm and cuddly on the palate, but rather sharp acid cuts through. There are minimal tannins, and the warmly developed aromatics turn out to be a bit light and hollow once they attempt to translate to palate sensations. So, a soft old wine now, but probably at peak four or five years ago.

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• 1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Michael

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  The nose here is subdued, verging on totally closed. A hint of dark fruit, that’s all. Probably needed a long decant. The palate is disconcerting, with dense currant and aniseed flavours, rich and thick, but no proper development into secondary characters. The tannins have softened right out to leave only a gently powdery impression; it’s medium bodied in a blocky, rather simply way. This will either bloom with the years, or just fade away into simple nothingness – experience with past vintages suggests the latter is more likely. It’s kind of like a prizefighter who’s softened into middle-aged flab. Quite drinkable, but also disappointing.

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• 1998 Saltram Shiraz No.1

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  I copped the last of the undecanted bottle, resulting in a gritty, sullen wine of little aroma or flavour. Shocking. Borrowed from another glass, this was a blast of sweet fruit-cake on the nose; rich, ripe and plump. The palate offers plenty of spicy old wine flavours with sultana/raisin flavours. Medium-bodied, with a decent-enough finish for length and structure, this is definitely more seductive than cerebral. Good wine but that’s really all. The back label is honest enough to state ‘cellar for 10-12 years’ and I’d say that’s about right.

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• 1998 Pepper Tree Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Classical old cabernet aromas. Cigar-box and ripe but dusty cassis/currants. A gentle softly-aged wine, with furry powdery tannins framing slightly simple but attractive curranty flavours. Nicely balanced, remains very much a new world wine at heart, but has an endearing gentleness at its core. Fairly straightforward offering with not much dimension to it, but a pleasant drink-now wine.

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• 1998 Saltram Cabernet Sauvignon Mamre Brook Flawed

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  Sharp, vinegary and volatile. Other bottles have been better, and others have experienced this wine in good form recently. This is clearly faulty for reasons unknown – not obviously the cork either (poorly washed bottle perhaps?).

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• 1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Forewarned by the Saltram, we had these last cabernets decanted. This offers richly upholstered aromas of currents and discreet oak; ripe and barely developed. Medium-full bodied, still with a mass of chalky tannins and great intensity, this is powerful, rich cabernet. Yet, somehow it lacks the finish of a great wine. Medium length, reasonable balance; maybe it needs more time. Past form says yes, but I find that JR often disappoints – the attempt to make a supercharged wine somehow adds up to less than the sum of the parts. Don’t be mistaken – this is still a very attractive wine, and I’d expect that more time will improve it, but I still think there’s a dimension missing somehow.

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• 1998 Houghton Jack Mann

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Frankland River

  Still near-ruby in colour, although just starting to show signs of development on the nose. Pure essence of cassis, with anise, liquorice and currants. Some chocolatey oak. Quite fruity, really, and almost verging on syrupy, although perhaps that’s a function of so many previous wines…. Full-bodied, with fine chalky tannins. Long finish that stretches the length of the palate as well. Feels a bit in-between right now, neither really primary nor aged, but still interesting to drink, and full of promise.

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• 1998 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707

  Australia, South Australia

  Bottle 125238, so they made a fair bit of this! Lots of coconut/US oak notes on the nose, with an almost sweaty aspect to the ripe black fruits. A far more sullen expression of the same wine tasted two months ago. This is vanillan, ripe and backwards on the palate. Still very tannic, full-bodied; doesn’t assault the palate but is still rather monolithic. Needs lots more time, but should eventually blossom.

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• 1998 Tollana Riesling Botrytis

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  {375ml, cork, 11.1%} This has a brassy/coppery sort of nose suggesting great age. The palate remains only really off-dry, as oxidation has really taken a toll here. There’s some interest and charm in the burnt/botrytis flavours, but the finish has really gone. Still drinkable, but honestly we’re a couple of years too late here.

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• 1986 Château de Ricaud Loupiac

  France, Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers, Loupiac

  {375ml, cork,} We shouldn’t be too hard on a 20-yo wine from a modest appellation. Thus, this has gentle aged marzipan aromas, a bit soft and subdued, preceding an aged palate of burnished vanilla/custard flavours with some sweetness. It’s nearly medium bodied, and actually not badly balanced. It’s just let down a little by a short finish, but remains a pretty good achievement for its age.

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