Cellared since 2010. Maple syrup and baking spices on the nose, with a whiff of alcohol. Brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, raisin, and wet stone on the palate. Finish lingers for almost 3 minutes. Not sure it hits Parker’s 100, but it’s close. Should easily keep for another 5+ years.
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Thick, unctuous texture, with a dark brown color that is lighter at the edges. Brown sugar on the nose. Sweet notes of creme brûlée, raisins, very ripe fig, toffee, lemon juice, and cocoa dust, and savory notes of blood orange and mincemeat. Aggressive acids to balance the sweetness. Truly excellent stuff. Expertly paired with Jack Daniels and Bitters cherry pie.
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This bottle has been in the cellar for over 15 years. Has gotten darker with age. It was an amazing wine as a youngster and is just getting better. Hazelnut, caramel, toffee, cinnamon, brown sugar and spice. Long, lingering finish. Not syrupy at all.
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Yes, it's sweet, but it still retains plenty of acidic zing, so it doesn't taste flat at all. Caramelized brown sugar, toffee, even a hint of coffee. Drank it straight, but it would be fabulous with French Vanilla ice cream. It's kind of miraculous that wine can taste like this.
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Taste: Full bodied with a real richness to the feel. there is a lot of power, but it holds itself with caramel, toffee, and a good amount of maple syrup.
Overall: My palate has certainly changed over the years. This is a very powerful fortified muscat with a richer quality to it
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Not usually a big fan of Muscats as they can be way too sweet, but this was quite delicious. Maybe due to aging this one, it has matured to something not quite as sugary. Heavy bodied, huge nose, toffee is the most dominate flavor out the gate followed by maple syrup, cinnamon, orange peel, brown sugar and all spice. Alcohol is present but not overly pronounce. Very long finish. Best to drink on the cool side.
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Deep intense fruitcake sweet and spice. Super rich, crushed plum, blueberry, raisins. Thick but with great acidity cutting through, incredibly long resonating finish. Raisin essence. A slight rawness to close.
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What a decisive wine. Shared amongst some friends it was alternatively considered complex with gingerbread pudding and creme brulee notes contrasted with artificial tasting and "pure maple syrup" (not meant as a compliment). It really depends on your preference. I prefer the body to come more form the alcohol rather than the residual sugar, as with a tawny port. No real wine qualities per say, definitely no grape qualities, and most of the flavors and aromas were due to the sugar and solera system used for blending / aging.
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NC Cindy tasting. The sticky to end the night, this pours out thick and very dark brown, darker than most tawny ports, but with that same mahogany sheen. On the nose, this has deep layers of maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, prunes, and orange peel. On the palate, maple and chocolate are the most pronounced flavors, but there are also layers of coffee, creme brulee, prunes, raisins, and a touch of candied orange peel. It is extremely sweet, so if you don't like that in a wine, don't try this. "Cloying" is an overused word, but there will be people who think that of this wine. Personally, I like it a lot, but the standard cuvee is so good, I'm not sure the Calliope is worth more than 3x the price. It is very much an outstanding wine, though.
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As thick as motor oil. Dark brown. Smells of molasses and brown sugar, and that follows through to the palate. A big burst of caramel hits the mid palate and finish. Good finish. A bit short of acidity. Outstanding with Roquefort cheese. Interesting and decent.
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A Buller in a china shop? This was an accidental tasting. I knocked a bottle off a shelf, it broke and most of the contents were lost. I managed to salvage a normal sized tasting portion which I consumed for purely medicinal purposes to help me get over the shock, irritation and disappointment of losing such a highly rated bottle. It must be said that the conditions under which the portion thus rescued was tasted were not ideal :~( and my normal happy disposition was somewhat overshadowed. But even allowing for these factors, I was seriously underwhelmed. The wine did not deliver the complexity found by others here but was simple, overwhelmingly cloying and distinctly medicinal - think syrup of figs. There might have been some traces of dates and raisins and butterscotch and caramel but these were merely distant whispers drowned out by a wall of bellowing fructose and hidden beneath a thick sedimentary layer of sticky sweet syrup. Not anywhere near 90 points. I think a score of 80 is quite generous for this part bottle.
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Nice tawny color, aromas & flavors. Sweet roasted leather, nuts & dried fruits. Very high alcohol. This needs to be sipped by a winter fire. Tasted blind.
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An old friend that I went heavy on buying back before there were any US ratings for this wine and when the US dollar was almost 2 for 1 with the AUS dollar. These bottles cost me more to ship to the US than the price of the wine! It was a fun time back in 2000 & 2001 getting huge shipments of wine from my friend Simon in Australia. This bottle was outstanding as usual. Brown in color ( not a flaw for this wine ) this is a rich, robust and very heady dessert wine. Ready to drink for sure and seemingly frozen in time as bottles from the same batch have drunk consistently for 10 years. Powerful and intense but not over the top. Wonderful aromas and flavors of burnt sugar, caramel, coffee, figs, molasses, prune and toffee. A very long finish that really lingers on the palate. Wonderful stuff...in the proper quantities. Luckily, an open bottle drinks well for at least a week. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5=93
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Liquid maple syrup, with great balancing complexity and acidity. Well made wine for once every few years. If you don't like it sweet, don't try this.... Will last forever. This half bottle enough for 6 people easily.
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2004 - The Last Affordable Vintage? (Sweets and Savories. Fullerton near Ashland. Chicago. IL): Sight - dark caramel; low viscosity Nose - Highly fortified wine smell Taste - Sweet fortified wine Overall - this would be killer for making banans foster. Outside of that, it's not my personal taste for an after dinner drink but I respect the wine makers efforts and everyone else seemed to enjoy it immensely. 87 Points.
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taste: bold flavors of caramel, raisins, maple syrup, and dates. Well blended and well defined while still being big and bold
overall: amazing stuff. So pungent with great balance while being pure and having great depth. Bold and brash with a big attack of caramel and a maple syrup finish
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This was more red than white to the eye, full of maple sugar, roasted coffee, thick consistency. Should be enjoyed very cold as it's almost too much when it starts to warm.
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Dark tawny-amber colour. Amazing, explosive nose shows complex flavours of raisins, fig, caramel, orange peel and a little alcohol. Very rich and viscous in the mouth with mouthcoating flavours of raisins, caramel, chocolate and brown sugar. Extremely sweet but really well balanced with a spectacular long finish.
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Cloves, cocoa, orange peel and a touch of alcohol that I have not gotten on any other bottles of this on the nose. Great length with lovely caramel flavours that are disrupted very slightly by some alcoholic heat. Still a lovely wine, but not nearly as good as the 3 or 4 tastes of this that I have had previously.
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Intoxicating notes of cloves, crème brulee, caramel, burnt sugar and maple syrup. The palate is luscious, with intensely sweet, but never cloying, complex flavour. Layered and balanced, with incredible length. This is truly a truly exceptional wine.
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Tasting note from memory. Served over Thanksgiving. Sappy maple syrup with the consistency of light motor oil. Raisiny, with some citrus components. This wine is huge and syrupy sweet. A little too much at the end of a huge meal, I guess I prefer them a little less brazen.
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Australia Day Dinner (Tagine - Chicago, IL): Soaring nose of ripe, sweet raisiny fruit and toffee. Thick and viscous palate has notes caramel, prunes and fig. Nothing subtle about this wine. Delicious.
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Explosive nose of raisin, burnt brown sugar, maple syrup, spice, toffee, smoke and molasses. Incredible concentration of complex flavours on the palate, with stunning richness and an acid structure that somehow manages to balance and carry the deep sweetness. The finish goes on forever. This is quite simply, an incredible wine.
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Giaconda Vertical (Sydney, Australia): Simply stunning. Coats the sides of the glass for some time after each swirl. Dark orange maple coloured with flicks of golden yellow throughout. An intoxicating, intense nose of raisins, burnt brown sugar, maple syrup, orange peel caramel and more. Viscous and unctuous palate with incredibly rich sweetness, depth and complexity and yet it is somehow fresh and balanced at the same time. A finish that seems endless. A brilliant experience.
I tried this again recently alongside the Buller Rare Tokay and while they were both superb, the Muscat was a level above the Tokay.
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Triumphal Palace: Great stuff--dates, figs; extremely fragrant, red amber-maroon color; pure sweet concentrated flavors, orange peel hint; long long fin.
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Drank in Portoroz, Slovenia. Dark brown in color, this wine was its' usual boisterous self with a big nose predominated with prunes but also with toffee, caramel, nuts and molasses. Full bodied with a long, very smooth finish. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93
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WIML94+,WA99,WS94 Tasted September 14, 2005 at an offline at a restaurant so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in run of the house sweet wine glasses. Amber to dark amber color in the glass, slightly opaque. Nose of anise, nuts and molasses Buttered biscuits with sorghum on the palate with all kinds of secondary flavors such as coffee, honey, almonds and carmelize sugar. However, this wine didn’t seem cloying at all. Quite pleasurable to drink. Can be drank now or easily withstand another five years. Highly recommended.
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A 98 point dinner at Steve Cramer's (West Seattle, WA, USA): I usually don't like Australian stickies, and after the Graham's this had a tough hurdle to clear. However, it is hard not to enjoy something so rich and well made. Chocolate and orange marmalade dance on the nose. The palate on this wine (which was well chilled, a very good trick for this) goes from strength to strengh, fabulously rich and long, not at all cloying or hot. This was a fantastic finish to a fantastic dinner and evening.
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Almost black in the glass. Prunes, figs and molasses make themselves known with a very strong presence. Thick and sweet but not cloying. Very viscous. Super long finish. 50+12+12+9+8 = 91.
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Really a wild and interesting wine. Don't know if I'd agree with RMP on the 100 score, but truly something special. Caramel brown color. Extremely viscous with multiple "legs." Raisins, plums, figs, caramel on the palate. Seems to change character, emphasize different flavors, and really become a different wine when accompanied by different foods: walnuts (an excellent choice, combining to produce a fat, sweet nutty flavor), and fat ripe cheese like camembert. One dimensional? No! This need not and probably shouldn't be consumed alone. The closest thing I have to compare it to in past experience is a tawny port like Warre Otima, but this is really something unique.
I would mark this down from a 100 point wine for its quite hot nose and tendency to present a wall of sweet that must sometimes be literally chewed through to get at the various nuances.
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05/25/03 Clear reddish brown color in the glass. Nose of nuts, almonds, burnt sugar, carmel. Flavors of brown sugar, crème brulee, and as we say in the south, “buttered biscuits with sorghum”. 91 points. Drink and enjoy now.
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Amazing aromas of toffee, caramel, nuts and raisins soar from this glass of Rutherglen's best. Made from very old ( ~60 years ) base material, this is a masterpiece. It made a great end to a perfect evening.
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5/12/2022 - IndyTom Likes this wine: 94 Points
I estimate I've had this bottle for almost 20 years. Crazy good dessert wine.
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7/30/2021 - Pitkin_CT Likes this wine: 98 Points
Like drinking maple syrup! Great mouth feel. Absolutely amazing; family’s favorite by far!
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7/16/2020 - kkleg Likes this wine: 97 Points
Cellared since 2010. Maple syrup and baking spices on the nose, with a whiff of alcohol. Brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, raisin, and wet stone on the palate. Finish lingers for almost 3 minutes. Not sure it hits Parker’s 100, but it’s close. Should easily keep for another 5+ years.
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10/25/2019 - 422dbowlsby Likes this wine: 95 Points
See 10/16 note below by TEXASBOB. I agree.
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10/16/2019 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Thick, unctuous texture, with a dark brown color that is lighter at the edges. Brown sugar on the nose. Sweet notes of creme brûlée, raisins, very ripe fig, toffee, lemon juice, and cocoa dust, and savory notes of blood orange and mincemeat. Aggressive acids to balance the sweetness. Truly excellent stuff. Expertly paired with Jack Daniels and Bitters cherry pie.
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9/2/2019 - gharter Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle has been in the cellar for over 15 years. Has gotten darker with age. It was an amazing wine as a youngster and is just getting better. Hazelnut, caramel, toffee, cinnamon, brown sugar and spice. Long, lingering finish. Not syrupy at all.
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1/22/2019 - NapaDoc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Yes, it's sweet, but it still retains plenty of acidic zing, so it doesn't taste flat at all. Caramelized brown sugar, toffee, even a hint of coffee. Drank it straight, but it would be fabulous with French Vanilla ice cream. It's kind of miraculous that wine can taste like this.
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7/10/2014 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Goodbye to Izzy & Rachel (and Meyer!) (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): Another really nice bottle. Lots of dark sweetness, some metallic notes, and plums. The palate was sweet but had great balance and acidity. Kept it fresh and perky.
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6/12/2014 - peterk Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pure liquid toffee!
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9/19/2013 - peterk wrote: 92 Points
Uber-toffee
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8/19/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
Rotating Dinner Series- Kangaroo Dinner (Frontier, Chicago IL): Nose: The aromatics are very rich with caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and some maple syrup. There is good depth to it, but it's favoring more blunt force on the nose.
Taste: Full bodied with a real richness to the feel. there is a lot of power, but it holds itself with caramel, toffee, and a good amount of maple syrup.
Overall: My palate has certainly changed over the years. This is a very powerful fortified muscat with a richer quality to it
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8/19/2013 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Chicago Rotating Dinner Series - August 2013 (the Kangaroo Dinner) (Frontier - Chicago, IL): Super dense and complex. It's like drinking beautiful maple syrup that has nice acidity. Just a little bit of this maple magma goes a long way, but I really liked it.
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7/11/2013 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not usually a big fan of Muscats as they can be way too sweet, but this was quite delicious. Maybe due to aging this one, it has matured to something not quite as sugary. Heavy bodied, huge nose, toffee is the most dominate flavor out the gate followed by maple syrup, cinnamon, orange peel, brown sugar and all spice. Alcohol is present but not overly pronounce. Very long finish. Best to drink on the cool side.
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6/10/2013 - tcarter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Crazy good. Hazelnut and toffee with a hint of berry. Followed a decadent meal of fried chicken & champagne/pinot. Drank with a strawberry shortcake.
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3/2/2013 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep intense fruitcake sweet and spice.
Super rich, crushed plum, blueberry, raisins. Thick but with great acidity cutting through, incredibly long resonating finish. Raisin essence. A slight rawness to close.
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8/16/2012 - ubercuvee wrote:
Merely excellent (the Tokay is in the "Jeeeez" category). Similar to the old Seppelt's Rares.
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5/19/2012 - peterk wrote: 92 Points
Liquid toffee! Yumm!
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6/5/2011 - CamWheeler wrote: flawed
Alcohol sticking out, very sharp on the palate. Something not right with this bottle as this is usually excellent.
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10/16/2010 - WineKnurd wrote:
What a decisive wine. Shared amongst some friends it was alternatively considered complex with gingerbread pudding and creme brulee notes contrasted with artificial tasting and "pure maple syrup" (not meant as a compliment). It really depends on your preference. I prefer the body to come more form the alcohol rather than the residual sugar, as with a tawny port. No real wine qualities per say, definitely no grape qualities, and most of the flavors and aromas were due to the sugar and solera system used for blending / aging.
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10/8/2010 - Phredd Likes this wine: 94 Points
NC Cindy tasting. The sticky to end the night, this pours out thick and very dark brown, darker than most tawny ports, but with that same mahogany sheen. On the nose, this has deep layers of maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, prunes, and orange peel. On the palate, maple and chocolate are the most pronounced flavors, but there are also layers of coffee, creme brulee, prunes, raisins, and a touch of candied orange peel. It is extremely sweet, so if you don't like that in a wine, don't try this. "Cloying" is an overused word, but there will be people who think that of this wine. Personally, I like it a lot, but the standard cuvee is so good, I'm not sure the Calliope is worth more than 3x the price. It is very much an outstanding wine, though.
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9/19/2010 - cadamson wrote: 91 Points
As thick as motor oil. Dark brown. Smells of molasses and brown sugar, and that follows through to the palate. A big burst of caramel hits the mid palate and finish. Good finish. A bit short of acidity. Outstanding with Roquefort cheese. Interesting and decent.
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7/6/2010 - stamford wrote: 80 Points
A Buller in a china shop?
This was an accidental tasting. I knocked a bottle off a shelf, it broke and most of the contents were lost. I managed to salvage a normal sized tasting portion which I consumed for purely medicinal purposes to help me get over the shock, irritation and disappointment of losing such a highly rated bottle. It must be said that the conditions under which the portion thus rescued was tasted were not ideal :~( and my normal happy disposition was somewhat overshadowed. But even allowing for these factors, I was seriously underwhelmed. The wine did not deliver the complexity found by others here but was simple, overwhelmingly cloying and distinctly medicinal - think syrup of figs. There might have been some traces of dates and raisins and butterscotch and caramel but these were merely distant whispers drowned out by a wall of bellowing fructose and hidden beneath a thick sedimentary layer of sticky sweet syrup. Not anywhere near 90 points. I think a score of 80 is quite generous for this part bottle.
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1/26/2010 - ed-d wrote: 89 Points
Nice tawny color, aromas & flavors. Sweet roasted leather, nuts & dried fruits. Very high alcohol. This needs to be sipped by a winter fire. Tasted blind.
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1/24/2010 - JeffGMorris wrote: 93 Points
An old friend that I went heavy on buying back before there were any US ratings for this wine and when the US dollar was almost 2 for 1 with the AUS dollar. These bottles cost me more to ship to the US than the price of the wine! It was a fun time back in 2000 & 2001 getting huge shipments of wine from my friend Simon in Australia. This bottle was outstanding as usual. Brown in color ( not a flaw for this wine ) this is a rich, robust and very heady dessert wine. Ready to drink for sure and seemingly frozen in time as bottles from the same batch have drunk consistently for 10 years. Powerful and intense but not over the top. Wonderful aromas and flavors of burnt sugar, caramel, coffee, figs, molasses, prune and toffee. A very long finish that really lingers on the palate. Wonderful stuff...in the proper quantities. Luckily, an open bottle drinks well for at least a week. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5=93
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12/31/2008 - sawira wrote: 96 Points
Liquid maple syrup, with great balancing complexity and acidity. Well made wine for once every few years. If you don't like it sweet, don't try this.... Will last forever. This half bottle enough for 6 people easily.
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9/22/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 87 Points
2004 - The Last Affordable Vintage? (Sweets and Savories. Fullerton near Ashland. Chicago. IL): Sight - dark caramel; low viscosity
Nose - Highly fortified wine smell
Taste - Sweet fortified wine
Overall - this would be killer for making banans foster. Outside of that, it's not my personal taste for an after dinner drink but I respect the wine makers efforts and everyone else seemed to enjoy it immensely. 87 Points.
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9/22/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
2004 Bordeaux- the last affordable vintage? (Sweets and Savories, chicago IL): nose: massive nose of caramel, raisins, dates, and loads of dark chocolate with some maple syrup tones mixed in there
taste: bold flavors of caramel, raisins, maple syrup, and dates. Well blended and well defined while still being big and bold
overall: amazing stuff. So pungent with great balance while being pure and having great depth. Bold and brash with a big attack of caramel and a maple syrup finish
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5/10/2008 - idrinkvino wrote: 93 Points
This was more red than white to the eye, full of maple sugar, roasted coffee, thick consistency. Should be enjoyed very cold as it's almost too much when it starts to warm.
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1/24/2008 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Dark tawny-amber colour. Amazing, explosive nose shows complex flavours of raisins, fig, caramel, orange peel and a little alcohol. Very rich and viscous in the mouth with mouthcoating flavours of raisins, caramel, chocolate and brown sugar. Extremely sweet but really well balanced with a spectacular long finish.
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1/19/2008 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Raisin, spice, tea leaves and some alcohol showing. Softly sweet on the palate, not as complex as previous bottles but still very nice.
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12/2/2007 - slippytoad wrote: 97 Points
I think the 100pt RP gave it is a bit much but it was super impressive, concentrated and so many subtle favours throughout
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5/28/2007 - solman wrote: 96 Points
Fantastic!
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5/2/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: 91 Points
Cloves, cocoa, orange peel and a touch of alcohol that I have not gotten on any other bottles of this on the nose. Great length with lovely caramel flavours that are disrupted very slightly by some alcoholic heat. Still a lovely wine, but not nearly as good as the 3 or 4 tastes of this that I have had previously.
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4/9/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: 97 Points
Intoxicating notes of cloves, crème brulee, caramel, burnt sugar and maple syrup. The palate is luscious, with intensely sweet, but never cloying, complex flavour. Layered and balanced, with incredible length. This is truly a truly exceptional wine.
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2/25/2007 - Mark wrote: 92 Points
Tasting note from memory. Served over Thanksgiving. Sappy maple syrup with the consistency of light motor oil. Raisiny, with some citrus components. This wine is huge and syrupy sweet. A little too much at the end of a huge meal, I guess I prefer them a little less brazen.
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1/26/2007 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Australia Day Dinner (Tagine - Chicago, IL): Soaring nose of ripe, sweet raisiny fruit and toffee. Thick and viscous palate has notes caramel, prunes and fig. Nothing subtle about this wine. Delicious.
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12/10/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 96 Points
Explosive nose of raisin, burnt brown sugar, maple syrup, spice, toffee, smoke and molasses. Incredible concentration of complex flavours on the palate, with stunning richness and an acid structure that somehow manages to balance and carry the deep sweetness. The finish goes on forever. This is quite simply, an incredible wine.
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11/3/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 97 Points
Giaconda Vertical (Sydney, Australia): Simply stunning. Coats the sides of the glass for some time after each swirl. Dark orange maple coloured with flicks of golden yellow throughout. An intoxicating, intense nose of raisins, burnt brown sugar, maple syrup, orange peel caramel and more. Viscous and unctuous palate with incredibly rich sweetness, depth and complexity and yet it is somehow fresh and balanced at the same time. A finish that seems endless. A brilliant experience.
I tried this again recently alongside the Buller Rare Tokay and while they were both superb, the Muscat was a level above the Tokay.
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3/11/2006 - Winetex wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at the Wine Cask (The Wine Cask, Santa Barbara, CA): This tasted like golden raisins and toffee. It is one of the thicker wines you might taste and would really be nice as a syrup over ice cream or other dessert. Yum.
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12/29/2005 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Triumphal Palace: Great stuff--dates, figs; extremely fragrant, red amber-maroon color; pure sweet concentrated flavors, orange peel hint; long long fin.
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11/24/2005 - plitton wrote: 92 Points
Cona Thanksgiving 2005; 11/23/2005-11/27/2005: Heavy, intensely sweet. Lots of chocolate, prunes and raisins. Thick red wine. Would be good over icecream or a bread pudding.
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9/17/2005 - JeffGMorris wrote: 93 Points
Drank in Portoroz, Slovenia. Dark brown in color, this wine was its' usual boisterous self with a big nose predominated with prunes but also with toffee, caramel, nuts and molasses. Full bodied with a long, very smooth finish. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93
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9/14/2005 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94+,WA99,WS94
Tasted September 14, 2005 at an offline at a restaurant so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in run of the house sweet wine glasses. Amber to dark amber color in the glass, slightly opaque. Nose of anise, nuts and molasses Buttered biscuits with sorghum on the palate with all kinds of secondary flavors such as coffee, honey, almonds and carmelize sugar. However, this wine didn’t seem cloying at all. Quite pleasurable to drink. Can be drank now or easily withstand another five years. Highly recommended.
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7/10/2005 - JasonD wrote:
Northern Rhones with Guillaume Deschamps and Richard Beeken in Seattle (Kaspar's): (Caveat: I have had a number of Aussie stickies and they are usually not my thing) Dark brown color, aromas of coffee, caramel, nuts, dried figs and dates. Very thick and sweet flavors that coat the mouth. Long almost endless finish.
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4/24/2005 - jwwinec wrote: 95 Points
Incredible richness and viscosity with a long, long finish. Loads of figs, caramel, and raisens, with great balance.
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3/19/2005 - Eric wrote:
A 98 point dinner at Steve Cramer's (West Seattle, WA, USA): I usually don't like Australian stickies, and after the Graham's this had a tough hurdle to clear. However, it is hard not to enjoy something so rich and well made. Chocolate and orange marmalade dance on the nose. The palate on this wine (which was well chilled, a very good trick for this) goes from strength to strengh, fabulously rich and long, not at all cloying or hot. This was a fantastic finish to a fantastic dinner and evening.
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1/27/2005 - JeffGMorris wrote: 91 Points
Almost black in the glass. Prunes, figs and molasses make themselves known with a very strong presence. Thick and sweet but not cloying. Very viscous. Super long finish. 50+12+12+9+8 = 91.
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5/19/2004 - EKowalewsky wrote: 97 Points
Really a wild and interesting wine. Don't know if I'd agree with RMP on the 100 score, but truly something special. Caramel brown color. Extremely viscous with multiple "legs." Raisins, plums, figs, caramel on the palate. Seems to change character, emphasize different flavors, and really become a different wine when accompanied by different foods: walnuts (an excellent choice, combining to produce a fat, sweet nutty flavor), and fat ripe cheese like camembert. One dimensional? No! This need not and probably shouldn't be consumed alone. The closest thing I have to compare it to in past experience is a tawny port like Warre Otima, but this is really something unique.
I would mark this down from a 100 point wine for its quite hot nose and tendency to present a wall of sweet that must sometimes be literally chewed through to get at the various nuances.
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5/25/2003 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
05/25/03
Clear reddish brown color in the glass. Nose of nuts, almonds, burnt sugar, carmel. Flavors of brown sugar, crème brulee, and as we say in the south, “buttered biscuits with sorghum”. 91 points. Drink and enjoy now.
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7/9/2001 - JeffGMorris wrote:
Amazing aromas of toffee, caramel, nuts and raisins soar from this glass of Rutherglen's best. Made from very old ( ~60 years ) base material, this is a masterpiece. It made a great end to a perfect evening.
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