Community Tasting Note
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Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 94 points
September 18, 2021 - I bought two bottles of this at auction for next to nothing, merely as a curio.
I drank the first bottle in 2018 and was amazed that it was not just drinkable but was actually delightful. 1998 was a pretty warm vintage, although Eden Valley has some elevation to moderate the heat.
The wine was under cork. It poured a burnished gold colour, but surprisingly bright, suggesting it might not be way past its best- despite the mildly alarming colour.
The nose would cause conniptions a in a blind tasting. There's a hint of pineapple, apricot, a whiff of kerosene, ripe lemon and buttered toast. Your head would say 'botrytis' but it smells dry.
In the mouth the wine delivers the same flavours, together with a really intense, powerful and long finish. It is bone dry. And fantastic. I found it hard to stop drinking this.
I am not always a fan of Oz Riesling, including aged ones. The acid can be a bit coarse and the kerosene can get overwhelming in the older wines. This wine avoided those problems. Fantastic. Leo Buring have a wonderful history in Oz and they make a range of superb Rieslings from South Australia, at a range of price points (though always pretty cheap given their expertise) and they are a good bet to cellar. This is a budget wine, which makes it all the more extraordinary. The Leonay range typically yields very safe cellaring bets and some of the most wonderful white wine moments I have had have been with Leo Buring Leonay. Do try these wines and taste some history.1 person found this helpful 957 views