NobleRottersSydney - Tucker Seabrook

Darling Mills, Glebe
Tasted Monday, March 6, 2000 by graemeg with 607 views

Introduction

Some old notes from a Tucker-Seabrook (these days a component of Fine Wine Partners / Lion Nathan) tasting over dinner. I've resisted the temptation to make 10-year-retrospective comments (except the last wine...)

Flight 1 (18 Notes)

The final four reds were last minute additions, hence the odd sequence.

  • 1998 Tamar Ridge Riesling

    Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania

    Lanolin and lemon nose, of low intensity. A dry palate, rather acidic tasting from an ISO, but much softer from Riedel, fruit flavours rather austere; a refreshing wine.

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  • 1997 Joseph Drouhin / Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis

    France, Burgundy, Chablis

    Very pale straw colour, restrained smoky nose. Rather anonymous, nebulous fruits. Acid dominates the palate, stops short of overpowering. The wine rather sits on the front palate, and the finish is rather short. OK.

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  • 1998 Katnook Estate Sauvignon Blanc

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Sharpish gooseberry-like nose. Authentically varietal. Long dry finish with a real steeliness about it – seems better in small mouthfuls. And with food.

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  • 1998 Petaluma Chardonnay

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Piccadilly Valley

    Peaches and mangoes on the nose, but it’s the oak that makes the impact on the palate. Acid carries it along, then the cashew flavours come to the fore. Seems very young and needs a little time to knit together.

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  • 1998 Bannockburn Chardonnay

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong

    Oak, nut and fig nose. Toasty, smoky aromas. The oak and acid fight it out on the palate – this is a real winemaker’s wine. Needs a little time to develop some harmony, then drink quickly before it collapses, I reckon.

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  • 1996 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series Flawed

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Far too golden for a wine of this age. All pungent and sherry-like. Oxidised. Bugger.

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  • 1998 Pipers Brook Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve

    Australia, Tasmania

    Rich ripe mainstream chardonnay. Some dusty, lightly toasted oak on the palate, with yellow chardonnay fruit to the fore. Quite full-bodied and mouth-filling, terrific with food – the pick of the chards.

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  • 1997 Seville Estate Pinot Noir

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    Exaggerated pinot aromas follow onto the palate, which has a distinctly greenish unripe tinge to it. Astringent finish – not pleasant by itself. Lacks charm.

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  • 1998 Petaluma Cabernet Merlot Coonawarra

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Massive nose of black berry fruits. Awesome depth and concentration in the mouth. Youthful, intense, with powerful fine powdery tannins. All the componenets are here, all buttoned up tightly. Stunning wine, but forget about it for ten years.

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  • 1998 Pikes Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    Peppery nose. Smells more like shiraz than cab. Still, the palate offers plenty of ripe black fruits, even if the grape tannins are very biting. The palate is all structure at the moment, with acid and tannin dancing about. Food helps things – bringing the pepper under control – as will time, no doubt.

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  • 1997 Henschke Keyneton Estate

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Plenty of soft, rich South Australian fruit aromas here. There’s nothing especially varietal, as befitting the fruit-salad nature of the grapes involved. But it’s luscious and ripe without being structureless, with fine tannins, medium-full body, and quite mouthfilling. The fly in the ointment is the short finish, which says to be this is an early drinker at its best quite young.

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  • 1997 Evans Family Shiraz Howard

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    The elephant-pat nose welcomes you to the Hunter. This smells remarkably old; all classic leather and earth. Medium-bodied weight – all the typical Hunter characteristics are there. It’s super with food, but the sheer development already present tells me this is another drinker, not a keeper.

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  • 1982 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon

    Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina

    From 750ml. Mid gold. Cumquat and marmalade, with an overlying patina of age. The wine is delicate and quite light-bodied. The botrytis-infused flavours have thinned out somewhat, but there’s still a long luscious finish. Fascinating wine, and interesting to see how far recent vintages (fat, heavy, plump) have deviated from this original, purer style.

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  • 1996 Cranswick Wines Sémillon Autumn Gold Zirilli Vineyard

    Australia, New South Wales

    Mainstream Griffith sticky; quite luscious and rich apricot/botrytis aromas and flavours which thankfully don’t overwhelm the palate; reasonalbe length of finish and balance of acid keep it nicely together. Drinking well now.

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  • 1997 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Rich, youthful chocolate and vanilla nose. Heavily tannic on the palate, with a rather bitter finish. Weaker vintage doing it tough, I think.

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  • 1998 Brokenwood Shiraz Rayner Vineyard

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Disappointing wine: remarkably for a 98 McLaren Vale wine, it seems to lack body, has a rather thin mouthfeel and follows up with a short finish. Pass.

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  • 1997 Haselgrove Shiraz H

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Rich, ripe chocolately shiraz, powerfully tannic and sits rather innertly on the mid-palate. Others at the table are happier; to me it lacks ultimate balance. But then, after tasting all these wines, so perhaps do I…

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  • 1994 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Michael

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    Welcome to the oakfest. Coonawarra tries bigger is better. There are blackcurranty fruits buried under the timber somewhere, but really it’s so completely over-the-top with coconut, vanilla, and most of all, swingeing tannins. Can a wine like this ever come into balance? (note added in 2010 – No…)

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