1999 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon

Community Tasting Notes (16) Avg Score: 88 points

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  2/26/2022 - Southern Wine Buff Likes this wine: 87 Points

  Very dark in colour, and thought on opening it might be a complete disappointment. However much better than expected, with the former fruit-driven sweetness now overlaid with caramel and sticky toffee flavours. Almost like a fortified wine in many respects.

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  4/8/2020 - grapenomad wrote: 88 Points

  De Bortoli's Noble One is easily the most 'decorated' dessert wine out there. To date it has won 117 trophies and 376 gold medals. Who gives away these awards, I do not know, but what I do know is that this Semillon is another dimension of tasty. The Riverina district is perfect for botrytis aka noble rot. The fog promotes the rot which shrivels up the grapes by dehydrating them and concentrating all those sickly sweet juices. After harvest, selected yeasts and French oak are used to add layers of complexity.
  
  In younger vintages you usually get a much paler color in dessert wines, but this one is tree sap amber. Sweet, aromatic nose showing strong development - aromas of leather, lemon curd, some nuttiness and a hint of dried pineapple. The wine is soft, gentle and very rich on the palate with quite a full structure and very, very sweet and intense flavors of honey, apricot marmalade and some vague spicy character. Consequently, the acid feels fairly modest. Definitely a delicious drop on its own and a wonderful way to end a dinner on a sweet note, but a wine harder to match with dessert - unless it's a stinky, creamy, soft-ripened cheese.

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  9/2/2019 - Chig Likes this wine: 88 Points

  Nice, very dark colour, I served it very cold which softened the flavour

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  2/27/2019 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 91 Points

  Three Musar's at Ashish's (Ashish's): Pale gold color. Some slightly acrid grapefruit pith with slight honeyed botrytis. Not as much botrytis as the last one I recall. Feels 150ish g/L. 10.5%. I don’t pick up overt new oak. Very well integrated with super high lemony acid. Very nice and a unique wine. I’m missing a bit of complexity from botrytis.

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  2/27/2019 - aagrawal wrote: 86 Points

  Dinner with the wine group (Millbrae, CA): From 375. Dark copper color; intense aromatics, more liberally than Sauternes; balanced light to medium bodied, 10.5% alcohol, medium-high acid, short length but good fresh flavor throughout; short finish, fresh. Not a bad mimic of Sauternes. 86
  Day 5: Largely unchanged since first opened.

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