1999 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters

Community Tasting Notes (21) Avg Score: 92.1 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Rote Kappelle's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/30/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Oh, Seppelt's and the traditions of Oz wine making, long may you live! I owe a vote of thanks to a chum whose pleasure, a few years ago, in this wine jogged my memory and caused me to chase a bottle at auction. 'Chase' turned out to be exactly what I didn't have to do. These wines have a criminally small following and my opening bid was the only bid and so I got it for a ridiculous price, even allowing for the usual butcher's bill of commission and taxes.
  
  Back in the mists of time, around 1990-1991, I had a glorious summer having discovered a stash of oldish Seppelt's 'Great Western Reserve Hermitage' (from memory it was 1985 and 1986 vintage) and Tahbilk 1982 Old Vines Shiraz at a nearby bottle shop. They were not cheap, but I was young and possessed of a good understanding of the value of money - spend it on good things, for who knows what will be tomorrow.
  
  This wine takes me right back to that fine, hot summer and those wines that are so evocative of the baking Australian countryside.
  
  The cork is a spongy beast that just screams breaking off about 1/2 way down, so I wind the corkscrew back out and grip my Ah-so like a bayonet and thrust it in, extracting the cork in one piece. So perish all who try to stand between me and fine, old Central Victorian red wine.
  
  Fear of oxidation via spongy cork grips me and there is something on the nose that worries me, a hint of Oloroso sherry. Yet the wine also smells divine. Dark, ripe plums, black pepper, spices and something heading into the district of charcuterie. Memories of those mid 1980's vintages caress me like amorous ghosts of the past; a tremendous wine induced stiffy follows.
  
  Putting the horn aside for a moment (never an easy task), the palate is truly a delight. As this wine has time open (I was too stupid to decant) it develops layers of texture and flavour, like one of those gorgeous Japanese knives. A friend doubts that this has any oxidated character as he notes how fresh the palate is. I remain uncertain but maybe it is just ripe, almost pungent fruit that I am mistaking? Am I possessed of Albigensian blood, so prone am I to error?
  
  The tannins are supple, pleasing and now have just the right level to keep things from getting slack.
  
  I am almost back in that summer, watching Australia dishing it out to a potentially fine English cricket team, drinking wonderful Central Victorian wine and wondering how life gets better than this? 30 years later I am still searching. Thank you Seppelt and the tradition of just doing what you do because you know it is good, even if the great filthy, diseased, heaving mass of humanity do not see it.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View mrwineface's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/24/2023 - mrwineface Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Stunning wine. I haven’t been doing points for a while but had to give this a good mark. Tar, graphite, savoury notes, dark fruit, depth, a real character red. Opened up superbly and kept wanting to go back for another taste.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View mphatic's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/12/2022 - mphatic wrote:

  Cork. Dark red with strong bricking. Good cork.
  
  Blueberry, cherry, tobacco, coffee, leather, vanilla, star anise, pan juices, graphite.
  
  Gentle old red that is still in good shape and enjoyable. Gentle tannins still providing grip, and a fair whack of acid. Certainly some tertiary notes, however, there is still good fruit to provide sweetness and interest along with a meal.
  
  Opinion: I’m not convinced this was a great vintage of St Peters, however, this wine is enjoyable.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View TBAFB's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/29/2021 - TBAFB Likes this wine:

  and earth appear. Mature berry and plum fruit on the attack, mid-weight and medium-bodied, lengthens beautifully and joined by a graphite note. Very long with an even, effortless balance down the palate. Fine integrated tannins. Mature, but I think there might be even more to come. (****1/2) Drink now to 2040

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View fussyeater's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/28/2021 - fussyeater Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Blue fruit on the nose, seems very clean. Immediate impression is of a supremely balanced wine with length, fine tannins and no noticeable oak. Seems to dance gently on the palette with delicious blue fruit flavours. After 30 to 45 mins the wine seemed a little muted and had lost its initial flourish. Best enjoyed quite a bit under room temperature.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 21 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.